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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Inspired By KOI

This is absolutely dreamy.


Koi wallpaper.


Koi fabric.


Gorgeous Koi Pottery.





Koi enameled urns.

This woman does beautiful work, and yes, inspired by Koi.


This is a Koi stencil kit that you can use custom colors with. You could add a bit of metallic to throw in a touch of glamour . And you can order it at the site on the picture. ( double click on pic to enlarge )







Double click on pictures to enlarge or to get info written on pictures .


Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

Thursday, October 9, 2008

What A ' KOI ' Personality !

Pretty Impressive KOI POND, and I bet the stable of ponies is just beyond the hedges.
Koi, an ornamental fish which enthusiasts liken to a moving work of art, are gaining popularity thanks to changing lifestyles and increasingly sophisticated tastes, experts say.

Koi swimming slowly and gracefully in the water provide self-healing and peaceful feelings to a person, and koi never fight among themselves.
Most everyone involved in this hobby refer to the Nishikigoi as just Koi. So, when you find information relating to Koi in Japan dating back to 200 BC that is when the invading Chinese brought the common black carp to Japan. The statement “Contrary to common belief Koi did not originate in Japan” is true if you are referring to the common carp but not true when referring to Nishikigoi.
There are few additions or improvements you can do to your home that are as elegant and graceful as a beautiful Koi Pond. With color, sound, and movement, Koi Ponds can turn any yard or patio into a lush serene environment.
Koi breeding first became popular in Japan
A grand champion could fetch 10-15 million yen (95,000-143,000 US dollars) at current market prices, or even more. Europe and the United States are the world's biggest buyers of koi in terms of volume, but the most expensive variety is sold in Asia because Asians have a better appreciation of their value.

1884-1989 The Japanese are continually breeding the Koi, for color changes.
( and everyone else who breed them )

This period has seen the most advancements in the Koi hobby with many new varieties being introduced and improvements in the first varieties. This is also the time when Koi were first introduced to the United States and Europe.
Koi first became popular in the United States when introduced to California during the mid 1960s. ( some say the 50's)
From the first importer and a fish farm in Florida, many thousands of Koi from Japan were bred , eventually those Florida Koi were the seed stock for Koi bred in England and many other parts of the western world. But that was then and this is now....this has grown into a wildly prestigious hobby.


These are some of the flowers and plants you can use.
You can live almost anywhere, with any climate and be successful. The cleanliness of the water seems to be the key.
The Koi have personalities that can be very different. They like to fed by hand and make excellent pets , that recognize and respond to you.
Koi can live to be over 100 years old. (It may be 200 years old, I am no expert )
But you can read more at the sites I have included in this post.
( click to enlarge to read descriptions of fishie families or breeds)
“Owning a prized Koi is a status symbol. It's like the English keeping hunting dogs and horses.” ( Tan ) http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKkiJ-88SpzBTxu3-GLGFy5DyEsw

Source sites:



Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Meaning of KOI


Humans swim through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear !

Click to enlarge
In the Buddhist Religion, The Koi represents Courage


To this day, I have yet to see anything more unattractive than the older woman who’s path crossed mine one summer afternoon.
It was hot and humid and I was just walking into the grocery store minding my own business, when suddenly a woman walked right next to me as we headed for the shopping carts.
This woman in her late 50’s or early 60’s, she was not unattractive and she was certainly friendly with a nice smile.
She wore nice denim peddle pushers and a pressed, white short sleeve blouse.
Then suddenly, only ten inches away from me, there they were, in my face, I couldn't believe it…..her bare arms !
She had more than several tattoo’s on her arms, and then as she walked in front of me into the store and I glanced at her ankles.
Still, there were more tattoo’s.

I wondered, did she see the same crepe skin, the same faded tattoo’s in the same way I did when she dressed this morning.
In my youth I was wild, ( we all seem to think we were wild ) and I did everything that I had an interest in doing, but I never felt compelled to put something permanent on my body, like ink. And what ever I did, certainly, all these years later, you would never know I was a wild child
by looking at me.

As I watched her when she was walking away, with her body cartoons , the sayings and the once vivid ink on her arms, it felt weird and sad to me. And I began to wonder........
Just then, I heard some guy chuckle and say to his pal;
“Now, I bet she has some wild stories to tell !”.
I wonder if and when she is wearing an evening gown ( she lives in Boca, ofcourse she does ! ),
or her peddle pushers, or her pressed white short sleeved shirt...
if she feels stuck with all that ink ?

In the beginning, when we first went for the grocery carts, and I saw her tattoo’s, it felt like a scene in a movie, and she was ‘the tattooed lady, with a colorful past’ character.

And 'I was the lady who had made mistakes and had regrets,' ( we all do ) . But my character and her body wasn't as colorful or inked up telling my story for me.
And so.....
Humans swim through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear !

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

Monday, October 6, 2008

The Elegance of The Moor's

From what I have read on this subject, it is the Muslims that were from Northern Africa ( Morocco, Tangiers, etc) and being more tawny/lighter in complexion, they were called 'Moors'. The Darkest were referred to as Blackamoors.
Shakespear's 'Othello' was a Blackamoor and from approximately that time in history ,
the Moors were known as 'Blackamoors' in England. I imagine the name caught on from there and traveled the rest of Europe.
The Moorish civilization conquered and ruled Spain.

The Blackamoors hired themselves out in Europe as professional soldiers.

They said it was magnificent to watch them in action. Among their many skills, was their riding ability which was pure grace to behold.

The Moorish civilization conquered and ruled Spain, and if you read another post you will learn about The Alcazar & Alhambra Palaces in Spain. These are the finest examples in the world of early Islamic Architecture.




Blackamoors used in Design have always been a symbol of sophistication and elegance. I have a particular affection for them. In this master bedroom that I did for a long time client, I used Blackamoors for the lamp bases. (click to enlarge on pics)
These great people were called 'Moors' because the word "moor" meant black in their native language.
Read more at :
www.moorsgate.com
and the Book : The Golden Age of the Moors

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Alhambra Palace

When the Christians became involved with Alcazar or Alhambra, because they thought the Islamic Prayers were so beautiful to look at, that they had the Moor's write the Christian prayers in Islamic Calligraphy. Think about it, the Moor's could have written anything on those walls. LOL


This is considered the greatest example of Islamic Architecture in the world.


More beautiful writings.


Alhambra Chapel has a combination of Christianity and Islam.
It's just not working,.... well,...... I don't think it works.
But I am over this topic already-

http://www.alhambra.org/ go here to learn more

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

About Renée Finberg

I have been in this business since the age of 22.

I love what I do and cannot imagine my life without Design.

Design Challenges are great.

And because of those challenges

I have imported fine antique pieces from Paris,

Designed and Manufactured Furniture,

Created Fantastic Window Treatments,

And solved all kinds of spatial & architectural issues

With my unique style.

If I can't find it, I create it.

My rooms would make excellent movie sets.

I am a visual, tactile and audio sensitive individual.

Creating is what I live for, not math, not spelling, not science.

Just Great Design.

Just imagine how it would be if each of us,

If only for a few hours of everyday,We could be in a space that is our very own.A place that is exactly the way we want it to be

Surrounded by all the things we wanted to see,

The atmosphere we wanted feel, smell and the sound we wanted to listen to.

Private Paradise

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Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her Adventures in Design by Renee Finberg is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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