Michelle Quaranta’s ”Colori me Red”event was covered in a two-page spread in i4design’s Spring 2007 issue. 

Went to the i4design party last night at DeLaCosta.  In edition to miniature swordfish  tacos and the best mojito I’ve experienced since… oh I don’t know… Sushi Samba circa 2005- I got to check out my rock-star designer pal,  Suhail,  listed as one of the “Sixteen most established design stars and rising talent.” More specifically, he was listed as “the visionary.” Being one of the most creative and fearless designers I know, not only in the midwest, it was much deserved. Congratulations S and rock on with your bad self!!!

Closely related (but not quite) to the “Bowling for Boobies” event of last summer’s Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, this year I’d like to present a new reason to bowl: to raise money for the Oak Leyden Developmental Services Early Invention Program, a non-profit agency serving children with developmental disabilities.

The candlelight bowling action will be taking place at Circle Lanes, Forest Park, IL on MARCH 31 at 6:15. $40 per person includes bowling, food by Gaetano Di Benedetto and entertainment by DJ Fig. A silect art auction will also take place, displaying several donated local artists’ works. Donors for the evening’s event include: La Piazza, Fig Media and Chris Guillen Photography.

Please RSVP to Chris at 708-488-1824 and make a night of it!!!!

Yesterday I had the privelege of meeting Ming Tsai at Chicago’s Housewares Show. Representing an eco-friendly company that manufactures gorgeous bamboo products, Tru Bamboo, Ming demonstrated cooking shrimp tempura and taught how to roll one’s own sushi…interesting. While makimono seems to be the “final frontier” of impossible-to-replicate-at-home dishes, we did get to talk a little marketing.

While I think playing off the hit book, Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat would be a good next move for Ming (Victoria Beckham has said she lives by it), but I’ll settle for fantastic tips given on his shows and website for now. Hopefully I’ll make it to his restaurant, Blue Ginger, sometime soon!

The C2 Owners gave me the down-low on what colors are FRESH for Spring this year:

Robin Daly, of Daly’s Paint and Decorating in Seattle WA, holds the C2 paint “Ultimate Paint Chips” of her spring color picks in front of the Lily Pulitzer fabrics that inspired her choices:

Plantain, C2-3303:  “This is a strong greenish-yellowish color,” notes Robin. “ I would use this color as ‘the neutral’ in place of the more traditional beiges and taupes, for sure!”

Venus Envy, C2-018: Robin did, after all, name the color herself, but besides her fondness since its inception, she notes, “Venus Envy is the perfect foil to Plantain. Use this color as an accent to make an area pop or to create a focal point.”

Get Back Jack, C2-002: “This impossibly deep eggplant was named at Kingston Mines in Chicago and it would act as the anchor color that Plantain and Venus Envy could play off of…and that’s what spring’s about- playing!”

For more C2 Spring Color information, please contact info@jmarieagency.com