Card Me

Posted by Shireen Sandoval  11/15/12, 11:54pm

It was just another day at the office, as I fluttered down the hall in a state of fashionable lateness. I was carrying my over-sized Kitson tote (black, with bright blue piping) and my newest conquest; a saddle colored Coach messenger bag that I practically stole from Macy's. I snagged it during a 30% off purse sale. I even fenagled another 20% percent off, with a fancy mail coupon.

As I approached my door, I breezed by one of my favorite human beings, and I know a lot of human beings. His name is Johnnie U. You may know him, he's our resident Deco Drive movie reviewer. I'm a critic (serious face); he's a reviewer (jovial face). He's smart, quirky and funny. He is, as they say, "Good people".

After unlocking my office, Johnny quickly launched into a story about a card he'd seen on a television shoot. He was convinced it was made in my likeness. So he bought it and slid it under my door. I kneeled down and picked it up. I studied it closely, squinting, I inspected the card for a good 30 seconds. It WAS me! Yet, it wasn't.

It was, say, me, if I were a glamorous caricature or fancy cartoon sketch (after my make-up artist, hair dresser and stylist had their way with me.) My brunette look-alike was sitting on a plush bench, coyly leaning forward in a green, body-conscious dress, with fabulous shoes on (with a few more scattered about.) She was rocking patterned, slouchy socks with her heels, like I often wear when I'm working in London. I also noticed her stacked, baubled necklaces. Perched proudly beside her was a fetching designer purse. Her eyes were light and her smile familiar. On the lower right-hand side of the sketch, in the tiniest of fonts, I noticed the word Pergamino.

Pergamino describes itself as a luxury card company made for the "Well-Heeled". It depicts the fashionably fabulous during holidays, birthdays, and almost every other scenario. But it doesn't stop there. This card company jumps colorfully out of its box, with categories like Biggie D, Dancing Queen and Fashion Runway.

The company is named after the ancient Greek city, Pergamon, (which is now the Turkish city of Bergama). During the Hellenistic Era, which is basically after Alexander the Great died, (323 b.c.). Pergamon was known for having one of the most important libraries in the world. It was also known for creating parchment (a thin material made from calfskin) due to a shortage of papyrus, a thin material made from plants. Both were used like our modern-day paper. Interestingly enough, years later (as legend would have it,) the 2,000 scrolls that made-up the library were bequeathed to Eygptian Queen Cleopatra, as a wedding gift from her lover, Roman General Mark Antony.

The ecofriendly Pergamino is based in Chicago, Illinois and was created in 2009 by Monica Luburich. All of the sassy, sexy and sweet characters in the house of cards, are carved from Monica's imagination. She's dubbed them Pergies and apparently, Johnnie U has dubbed me one, too. Believe me, it's a compliment!

Go ahead, hide your I.D. but as far as a Pergamino? It's a card you actually want people to see. You can get your own full deck for about $30 at http://www.epergamino.com/

UGG, I look like my mother!

Posted by Shireen Sandoval

UGG, I look like my mother!

Smelling of turpentine and paint, my mother breezed by me heading toward her art studio. I, of course, looked at her with snarky teenage disapproval and wondered: "How did I fall so far from the apple tree?". Really, if I was being honest, it was more like a tumble and when I hit the ground, I felt like I had fallen off Mount Everest.

Rituelle Tin

Posted by Shireen Sandoval

Rituelle Tin

Snaking down the Billabong River at the Top End of the Australian Outback near Kakadu National Park, just outside of Darwin, in a *tiny tin* motorized boat with an Aboriginal guide was one of the best experiences of my life.

Cool Kicks

Posted by Shireen Sandoval

Looking dewey and radiant with half-naked men gyrating around her, Olivia Newton John made headbands hot in her video (Let's Get) Physical in a way only a movie star could. Swiveling her head and hips into positions I've only seen in  Kama Sutra books, Jamie Lee Curtis made spandex special in the movie Perfect, and Jennifer Beals made leg warmers and one-shoulder sweatshirts all the rage in Flashdance.

Blue Fuzz

Posted by Shireen Sandoval

I don’t remember what I was wearing when it happened but I do remember like anything fancy or important in life, the texture and feeling of the moment reverted into slow motion. Like a movie. It went something like this...