Through Alec Eyes

A Little Lush

A little more then meets the eye.  

Each side a different perspective, each day a new face or hair or smile.  

I feel like taking pictures all the time to capture the pureness of the girls that rule my life.  It has been raining here washing away the dirt and dryness making way for Spring.  Los Angeles, in many ways is an oasis in the desert.  It seems as if one day I will see a block of mud, it rains and the next moment the dirt is covered in clover, soft lime green grass...

A little rain...

A Hollywood Forever resting place

A walk in Santa Monica

A tribute to the Angels, The City of Angels...

The city of Dreams of graffiti, big cars, and ghettos, of artists playing, strolling, running, making. Of tears streaming, of violins crying, of cars passing, of helicopter chasing, of magnolia's falling, of dreams crashing, of time flying, of years dying, of so much more then meets the eye.  Of hope and mirrors and cutting through the everyday , everyone. We are One.

More Clear

Aunt Clar ("Clear" as Maddie says) recently stayed for a bit and got to know Maddie and Morgan.  Below is Maddie and Clar at the beach taken by Alec...

From the "vanilla sky" collection of pictures she took with this type of sky...

ALL FASHION & NEW PRESS, now onSUGAR!

All BelleStyle Jewels FASHION, Tips, Styles, Designers we Love, & new Press will be located at

www.bellestyle.onsugar.com from now on!  Check out the Sugar network.  For those of you who LOVE fashion and design, it's the place to be:)  

All the rest of the BelleStyle (family) will still be here so make sure you check back for the latest pictures and love from time to time:)

Be Beautiful.

By Far...

The coolest Hollywood sign picture out there.

copyright: Clarissa Hoff 2009

Sun by Clar

Sun by Clar...

Johnny Ramone's tomb @ Hollywood Forever

"Aunt Clear"

A current

No Light. No Life.

The older I get, the more often I realize that the smallest things that use to make me so happy have disappeared and are replaced by big worries.  Looking at something so common as stairs reminds me of this.  Little children love to play on stairs, the up and down is so much fun.  The sense of accomplishment when having had reached the top is great for my 18 month old.  And she climbs down again to start over.  The stairs are like the cycle of life.  There is a top and there is a bottom and our whole lives we are either going up or going down.  It is those rare occasions that we are at the top and realize and appreciate it.  Same is true for the bottom.  You have to hit the bottom before you can go up again. And again And again...

 

The simplest things are TRUE: I LOVE YOU.

Follow the light in your life.  

I saw a quote today it went: "No Light. No Life. " 

It was a great reminder that everything needs Light to Grow. Mostly us silly humans.  How can you grow when you are always in the dark. When you are surrounded by negativity and gloom.  "Goodness" and "self control" are the Light that powers growth.  What are yours?   

Some Sugar...

I recently had the opportunity to meet an amazing woman, Jessica "Sugar" Kiper.   You might have seen her on "Survivor" GABON (CBS).  She was cool enough to wear some BelleStyle jewels to the LA Confidential Pre-Golden Globes party in Los Angeles (above).  I told her she reminds me of Marylyn Monroe, and she told me she was a Marylyn impersonator when she lived in San Fransisco before she moved to Los Angeles!  I love how she has a very "Old Hollywood" look.   So naturally she liked BelleStyle's vintage incorporated pieces like the "Nugget" earrings which she has on above.  Nugget is a 4" earring with vintage nuggets, gold colored that I found as a necklace in a wonderful antique shoppe in North Hollywood.  It is the kind of place that has piles and piles of antique findings and amazing pieces.  These nuggets work wonderfully with the baroque cut Swarovski TM crystals (Create with Swarovski), and a black onyx gemstone, make these earrings have meaning as well as the "glam" purpose.  Black onyx is said to protect from negative energy, and is the stone of self mastery and self-control.   

Saturday Night Magazine...

Princess of Primetime. Emily Van Camp

BelleStyle head chain!

Stylist: April Steiner (Exclusive Artists Management)

BelleStyle's "Rose" earrings

Saturday Night Magazine

A sneak peak at BelleStyle's "Rose Crystal" earrings on Emily Van Camp (Brothers & Sisters) for the February 2009 edition of Saturday Night Magazine.  Also featuring our new "Carpe Diem" head-chain on Emily in the beautiful laying down pose (1st picture).  Be sure to check out this awesome "Twenty Something" magazine with great articles on the top Grad school programs in the nation, as well as much needed current Spring Break guide, politics, and cute Valentine's day ideas for your honey.  

Photography: Bobby Quillard (www.quillardinc.com)

Styling: April Steiner for Exclusive Artists Management

Hair and Makeup: Jenna Kellar

Location: The Kress, Hollywood

Happy Holidays!

santa baby

 courtsey of caitlin korn

We had the opportunity to go to San francisco to visit with Alec's brother and his  wife and their sweet little family, Mimi (almost 2) and William Jude (5 months).  Exactly Danville a cool suburb of Walnut creek which is 40 minutes away from San Fransico.  But when I say suburb it is understood it is a California suburb. And everything is different in California. It feels like cool originated out here.... Above, is Maddie with Santa!!! She was so shy at first but when she got the candy cane she was in awe... 

CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE PURCHASE AT A TIME

BelleStyle jewels is proud to support www.buildanest.com in their plight to help women around the world achieve their dreams. Check the site out for yourselves there are a lot of amazing designers, amazing one of a kinds and imports directly from the women whom the program supports.  They also have blog : www.nest-buildanest.blogspot.com

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread. (John Muir)

Like two lovers...

A Chagall moment:  

Just like music for me, different Artists come into my love affair from time to time. Of course there are always the staples (like Van Gogh).  Whenever I see his work I get a little sick feeling like I love it so much.  I want to crawl into the warmth yellow sunflowers.  Same with Led Zepplin or Van Morrison, I never ever get sick of listening.  Chagall has been quite a recent love affair however.  He paints lovers floating, dreaming. " we float like two lovers ina a painting by chagall"~ the weepies~ (alternative band) touches on Chagall in a song and it sparked me to share my love affair with this artist. Why is it that the full moon brings about romance, and the sound of birds chirping insights love?  Why is the addition of feathers= romantic? cupid? angels?

I feel like I am in a dream with Chagall, a dream that no sleep could ever bring me. Only this paint and a canvas structured by this hand.

Hold on tight for love is fleeting, flying up and over and away.

each time I look at this painting I see something different.  Great painting are like great movies. You always are surprised. 

 

 moon  music  bright  night   sky

More info? check out:: www.chagallpaintings.org

I wish I was,

a better blogger.  I find myself weeks away from the last post wondering where my time has gone. I want to try and add some beauty to your life.   I have to try and pull myself away from the disastrous news and remember there is art everywhere. even with your tiny camera phone, you can capture this...

"change is right" c. alec matthews 2008

and this....

"peace on earth" c. alec matthews 2008

and THIS. Curtsey of california sunsets... You cannot tell where the ocean begins and sun sets.  We jumped in the car and took a journey up coast to explore.... Alec took this on his camera phone and I am in love....