The Landscape and Garden Blog
Mar
29
Fashion has always been a big priority for those who are inclined to be interested in it. Usually those with a little more disposable income than most of us right now. That is probably why in recent years there have been a number of people and places such as Target , and Martha Stewart who have tried to find ways to make home fashion something accessible to the rest of the people. However, with Target’s Global Bazaar closing down and Martha Stewart moving her stuff out of Kmart, it almost seems as if this may no longer be an option for those without a lot of disposable income. There is one thing happening in the world of home fashion that may encourage some of us or might just make you want to run away screaming. Walmart is putting out it’s own brand of home fashion on the cheap.
It’s not a perfect world, and most people who follow the colors for indoor decoration this season probably want nothing to do with this, but it does give some people some hope. While everyone knows that there is never going to be cutting edge fashion , as the people who are shopping for furniture at Walmart are some of the most conservative fashion wise as can be found out there, there is a chance that maybe some of the latest hot fashions will trickle down into the lower sub-conscious when they start listening to the fashion savvy and throw out those silly dividers made of pine with a red maple finish, and plain white cloth and instead give people the option of cheaper silvery metal frames and exotic Japanese prints .
Until something like that happens though, at least we still have experts who we know well and we know will listen to us when we want to try something new, without a lot of cost. That can be the biggest trick is knowing that it is ok to try out the newest colors and integrate them into a room without fear. Sometimes the best way to do that is with shades, which may be one of the most overlooked home fashion decorations.
Mar
29
Illinois is a state that has an awful lot to offer visitors. There are many wild open areas that offer a glimpse into a rural past that shapes many daydreams about the continent, and saw the childhood of Abraham Lincoln. There’s also a fantastic sense of urban life, with Chicago, the third largest city in the country, offering all the metropolitan entertainments anyone could want, with its own share of historically important events and people. It’s very much alive right now, and is still one of the most attractive cities for young artists and thinkers to come and make a mark in world culture.
The mood might be different here than it was forty years ago, or it might be cycling around again to where it’s very much the same. It’s hard to tell, because the past few generations have had some difficulty defining their own cultural moment, and sometimes the best we can do is go retro. More young people have been able to enjoy a few more creature comforts than in the past, but that might be changing soon enough.
Right now, however, is a ripe time to enjoy the state from Illinois luxury hotels , and take in all the present and the past. Visitors to the Chicago area might occasionally be treated to a new concert by Sly and the Family Stone , who thankfully still play out, and their shows here have a remarkable poignancy.
It was just forty years ago – whether that’s ancient history or recent past is in the historical eyes of the beholder – that Sly and family were part of a much darker event. No one can be exactly sure what happened, or where things went south, but it accelerated quickly once it started.
They were to play a concert where thousands of revolutionary youth were gathered to hear the band that was in the process of changing their music from sunshine pop to something with a little more bite. Sly was and is famous for being late, and that was the case here. It may or may not have had an effect on how the crowd was getting edgy, but at some point it escalated, and the police lost control.
It is a different scene now, and we know enough not to repeat the mistakes of the past, hopefully, but we’re also looking for meaning, and right now the messiahs of the 60s are still some of the most hopeful voices around.
Designed by Tim Sainburg from Brambling Design
