To remind you: Last month's Blog was about collecting and collections and I chose the subject primarily to draw attention to our collector plates. I really had a feeling they just might be making a comeback and when you read the following paragraph you'll see how right I am:
"Plates hanging on the wall are the newest decorating idea to be revived according to the Financial Times “How To Spend It” section. It’s a copy of an idea using many plates to make one picture, an idea created by Piero Fornasetti in the 1950s. One of my friends has a Fornesetti woman on the wall made of 11 plates. It’s quite a conversation piece. But hanging plates in unusual patterns instead of neat rows may be a new use for limited edition plates that were so popular (and are now so hard to sell!) in the 1970s and 1980s. Clever placement will create a modern-looking wall decoration."
I don't know how I do it, but somehow I am very often far ahead of the decorating trends. I can cite many
times when I came up with a decorating idea only to learn that it was next to impossible to find the things I needed to make my ideas come to life. Often times, it wasn't until the designers came up with "my" ideas that I was finally able to move forward. Seriously! Case in point: The last time I was passionate about a design trend was in the early '90's when I 
wanted to decorate a room in the nautical look. I searched everywhere for anything that even remotely looked like it pertained to a ship, to no avail. After a year or so I finally found a cool, yet expensive sail boat at Bombay and a short time later I found a couple of other items to help fill in. Pretty soon I was finding all sorts of nautical looking items I could use. Of course, after I had all I needed I finally moved on and in the end, sold everything on Once in a Blue Moon some 15 years later. So if I'm so good, why can't I predict the lottery numbers?
times when I came up with a decorating idea only to learn that it was next to impossible to find the things I needed to make my ideas come to life. Often times, it wasn't until the designers came up with "my" ideas that I was finally able to move forward. Seriously! Case in point: The last time I was passionate about a design trend was in the early '90's when I 
wanted to decorate a room in the nautical look. I searched everywhere for anything that even remotely looked like it pertained to a ship, to no avail. After a year or so I finally found a cool, yet expensive sail boat at Bombay and a short time later I found a couple of other items to help fill in. Pretty soon I was finding all sorts of nautical looking items I could use. Of course, after I had all I needed I finally moved on and in the end, sold everything on Once in a Blue Moon some 15 years later. So if I'm so good, why can't I predict the lottery numbers?
Here's a decorating trend I didn't see coming: Skateboards. They're predicted to become as popular as decorated surfboards currently selling to collectors for hundreds of dollars. Skateboards are often personal and include messages about politics, favored personalities, or attractive views of nature. I think either one would make perfect wall art in a kids room or den and especially for beach living.
I have to admit too that I have not heard the term "steampunk" before, and maybe I'm not alone, but apparently there's a whole movement out there. From 
what I understand "steampunk" is a "futuristic style that blends a view of the Victorian past with the technology of the present. Dress like a Victorian dandy while using a computer keyboard made of typewriter parts. The result is a modern folk art style that is already mentioned in art history alongside Goth and the psychedelic designs of the punk rock world."
what I understand "steampunk" is a "futuristic style that blends a view of the Victorian past with the technology of the present. Dress like a Victorian dandy while using a computer keyboard made of typewriter parts. The result is a modern folk art style that is already mentioned in art history alongside Goth and the psychedelic designs of the punk rock world." 
I don't think this new movement could be all that new since the 'movers' are enjoying conventions and meetings already. So where have I been? The designs are truly mind blowing though and of course clearly they're all a form of art work, whether for design or for use. For example; shown here is a keyboard converted from a typewriter, and an iPhone. It's so fascinating to see what people can come up with in this day and age. Really, when you have time you should do a Google search for "Steampunk" and check out all that's out there. You'll be completely amazed.
So just when I thought how smart I was to have come up with ideas on decorating before they became mainstream, I found that I wasn't so smart after all. There's a plethora of way smarter people than I am. Hmmm...Now that's a real 'DUH' statement!!!
