Six Pack Archives

Start with Art: Heron in Snow by Ohara Koson

Oh dear... I may never look at another artist... (except of course I'm going to the Art Institute of Chicago tomorrow, and I'll see something else that catches my fancy...)

But this artist is pretty amazing! His style lends itself perfectly to inspiring a minimal palette, and if you're using tan/beige as a neutral, the color of his backgrounds is meant for you...

Ornithologists Have Conferences too... She's studied waterfowl since she could see. She loves herons, swans, pelicans... there's really no bird that she doesn't admire.

Her favorite Saturday activity is to get to the lake early, and set up her camera and tripod. Then she sits, quietly, sipping coffee from her thermos, and waiting for that moment! Her patience ... View the Post

Start with a Scarf: Tom Baker’s Doctor Who Scarf!

When one of my favorite people in the whole world wants me to try something, I'm there for him! EVERY TIME!!! She's An Event Coordinator... And she's being sent to another property to supervise a Doctor Who convention. Her kids bought this for her; they thought it was hysterically funny....

She looked at the scarf for a few minutes, and then had an epiphany! She loves camel and olive, and she realized that this could work...

She bought a couple of sweaters to pick up her "new" accent colors, and found that it was indeed possible to pull together a travel capsule wardrobe using a VERY unlikely color palette...

She forced her kids to come into her room before she packed, just so they could see what she had ... View the Post

Revisiting Art: Ornamental Composition for Social Spaces #14 by Kamrooz Aram

Last August, she pulled together a 4 by 4 Wardrobe based on her favorite wardrobe; she liked it so much, she thought that it would make a good base for a travel wardrobe too! Since the weather is warm, she's going to look for the lighter shades of her accent colors.

She's only going for a long weekend, so she knows that she doesn't want to pack a lot! And she recently bought herself a jacket and pants in her favorite green, so she knows that she wants to wear that while she's traveling...

She decides to be organized, and deliberate, in her packing. She thought about what 6 items she would want to pack...

She knows that the smartest thing to do, when packing very few items, is to stick to a core of her black neutral, ... View the Post

Start with Art: Moscow Suburb by Georgy Grigorievich Nissky

She's Taking The Train... She's not sure how long she will be gone - maybe 2 weeks, probably longer...

She's going north. She doesn't now how far, or exactly to where, or for how long. She really will NOT be pinned down on this!

She's going to that city first, but from there... She's not moving on until she feels like she's ready to. I personally wouldn't be surprised to learn that she spends at least 2 weeks JUST in 1 city...

She's been saving money since... forever?Just for this summer...

If she doesn't see everything she wants to on this trip (and she knows that she can't possibly see everything!), she can go again next year...

Would you like to pack up and head out, without a clear destination or ... View the Post

Start with Art: Persia by Helen Frankenthaler

Sun She had worked on the report for 3 months. But when she turned it in, she could still only see places where she wished that she had more time - she could have done so more!

So when she was called into the manager's office on Friday afternoon, she assumed that she was going to be given notice. She was pondering how to pack the things from her desk with the least disruption to the people around her...

Imagine her delight when she was praised for her efforts, given a hefty bonus, and told not to come back to the office for 10 days!

She's going somewhere warm. Just to sit outside, and maybe walk around a little bit. She wants to see birds swimming on a body of water, and watch little children playing....

It took ... View the Post

April Travel: Start with Art – Madame Leon Clapisson by Renoir

Ah, our heroine the opera singer! Remember her from back in January?

She's not the star, but she channels her inner diva quite well!

Most of the time, she's in a costume, so she doesn't need to pack a lot... This week, she's off to her favorite city, to finish up the "regular" opera season with a role in 1 of her favorites. She's had a good season...

This is her inspiration, in so many ways!

She realized long ago that she's made to wear dresses and skirts! So she focuses on navy dresses, with cardigans, jewelry, and scarves to add that bit of drama and femininity that she loves so much... (she was BORN to be an opera singer...)

She loves working with such a neutral, almost predictable base in her wardrobe; it's sort ... View the Post

April Travel: Start with Art – The Bounds of the Intellect by Paul Klee

Warmth She's has reddish-brown hair for most of her life. And freckles. And warm brown eyes. All her life, she's been happy to dress in a quiet, subdued way that accents her coloring. Sometimes, she dresses to match herself! And other times, she chooses subtle greys that contrast perfectly with her overall warm appearance.

When she saw this painting, she knew she had a winner! It even includes accents of orange, which she's never tried, and a deep maroon red, which she loves for her nails and lips:

She knows that people don't wear a lot of brown in big cities... And they never seem to wear brown at the home office. But given that her offices don't HAVE a dress code, she's not concerned. She's going to show up for the district ... View the Post