New Fikorus Collection has arrived at last – Pictures speak thousands of word.

A picture speaks a thousand word, my princess. Designed and hand-crafted by Niina Karlsson.
A picture speaks a thousand word, my princess. Designed and hand-crafted by Niina Karlsson the founder and creative power behind Fikorus
Fikorus brings romance to your relationship. Niina Karlsson created these earrings fit for your queen.
Fikorus brings romance to your relationship. Niina Karlsson created these earrings fit for your queen.
Fikorus helps you to celebrate the magic in your relationship, again.
Fikorus helps you to celebrate the magic in your relationship, again.
"Better put a ring on it." This ring straight from the enchanted wilds in Finland is designed and crafted by Niina Karlsson of Fikorus.
“Better put a ring on it.” Sapphires symbolize faithfulness and hope..  This very modern engagement ring is  designed and hand- crafted by Niina Karlsson of Fikorus.
Light reflects in these gorgeous magical drops of vintage style earrings and allows your loved one sparkle and shine up every room.   Designed and Handcrafted by Niina Karlsson
Light reflects in these gorgeous magical drops of vintage style earrings and allows your loved one sparkle and shine up every room. Designed and Handcrafted by Niina Karlsson
Lore tells us that Blue Sapphires are effective for channeling healing powers from an angelic or higher source.  They bring you wisdom, truth, dignity, and spiritual mastery and symbolize faithfulness.
Lore tells us that Blue Sapphires are effective for channeling healing powers from an angelic or higher source. They bring you wisdom, truth, dignity, and spiritual mastery and symbolize faithfulness.  Learn more by contacting Fikorus.
Magic Necklace by Fikorus
Magic Necklace by Fikorus
Magic Necklace by Fikorus
Magic Necklace by Fikorus
Photography by Kalervo Karlsson , the photographer enjoying the Northern Lights.
Photography by Kalervo Karlsson , the photographer inspired the Northern Lights.

Now Laura Ashley is brilliantly marketed…

Rosie on Fire, business attire
Rosie on Fire, business attire

Laura Ashley is brilliantly marketed.  It reminds Baby Boomer ladies of the days, back when they were young, confident and beautiful, during the late 1980s.  It meets their current wish to tend to their wonderful gardens with stylish garden clothing, hats, and garden tools.  Lovely.

In 1925 baby Laura Ashley was born in Dowley, Wales.  She was an enterprising woman and started designing home furnishings. Later on in life, in the 1960s she also expanded her business into clothing.

Laura Ashley RIP September 17, 1985
Laura Ashley RIP September 17, 1985

She was inspired by the Roman Holiday.  Audrey Hepburn looked so pretty and her clothes were feminine and romantic, unlike the psychedelic fashion that took over the UK at that time. Think the Mike Myers movie “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”

The fashion brand was a huge success and in the 1980s it expanded into the US.  After Laura Ashley’s death in September 1985 the company had been taken public.

Today the company is owned by Malayan United Industries Berhad (MUI) which is listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad. The corporate philosophy of the Group  for over 50 years is guided by three key attributes – strength, efficiency and trustworthiness.   In their advertisements here in the US, in which older ladies are sold gardening tools and chic outfits by one of the top retailers in the US, Orchard Hardware Supplies, this sentiment certainly comes across.  But few people realize that the company merely sells to the US consumer, than transports the earnings to Malaysia, where undoubted lot of very young people are employed.

One of their important non-executive directors has been educated in the US. Tan Sri Dato’ Paduka Dr. bin Ahmad attended Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School, Executive Development Program at Philippines Executive Academy and holds Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History from University of Malaya, Master of Public Administration from University of Pittsburgh and PhD in Public Administration from University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.

The trading company, one of the most successful company’s in Malaysia, is managed by Khoo Kay Peng.  In his personal life Mr. Khoo Kay Peng does not espouse the values he sells to the women in the US.  He is divorced from the former Ms. Malaysia Pauline Chai who now lives in the UK.  Their daughter Angeline Francis Khoo revealed in  2014  that domestic violence was the cause of their parents divorce.  Bravo to Ms. Pauline Chai for no longer putting up with maltreatment.  The UK courts awarded her $112 Million in their divorce settlement, clearly a very tiny fraction of the overall personal value their 40 years marriage has produced.  However, the price for freedom of maltreatment is worth it. It is always a very brave step to leave your abuser.

Khoo Kay Peng’s daughter, also a Ms. Malaysia, met a young Caribbean Scientist at Oxford and in order to be permitted to marry him, she chose to be disowned by her imperialistic father. She was slated to run the Laura Ashley empire and had spent every University Holiday learning about the business. After the split with her father, she decided that she could not be stopped by his controlling behavior and she started “Rosie on Fire.” Lovely fashion indeed.

Malaysia has joined the United Nations, which is disconcerting since their influence on the world seems to be quite horrible.  Here are some details of recent human rights offenses within Malaysia.

Now back to Orchard Hardware Supplies.   Orchard Hardware Supplies initially benefitted greatly from the real estate boom in Northern California.  Despite the fact that their loyal customers left the individual retail outlets with solid sales, the debt piled on by Sears turned out to be unbearable. Sears spun out the company as an empty shell and unloaded it to Lowe’s after it had filed for Chapter 11 for $205 Million dollars.  More

Now Laura Ashley is brilliantly marketed.  It reminds Baby Boomer ladies of the days, back when they were young, confident and beautiful.  It meets their current wish to tend to their wonderful gardens with stylish garden clothing, hats, and garden tools.  Lovely.

It is marketed truly in line with the corporate manifesto of their Malaysian owners.  It is undoubtedly very profitable, which will please the owners of Lowe’s primarily illustrious institutional investors.  76% of all shares are held by Vanguard Group, BlackRock, State Street, Wellington Management Group, and Price T. Rowe Associates, according to the Nasdaq.

Personally I genuinely believe that we influence the way the world works each and every day.  You can spend your hard earned money on lovely phantasies created by brilliant marketers.  Enjoyable and practical.  Or, you can buy from small business owners, thereby actually changing and improving women’s lives.   www.fikuros.com is now available on Etsy.   Amazing Bespoke Accessories created one at a time by Niina Karlsson in Finland. Or the many fabulous designers well-known and brand new, available on www.dreslyn.com a company recently started by three millennials, a couple and the lady founder’s brother and her husband’s best friend.  They are genuinely lovely and very smart.  Or, you can check out up and coming designers on Nineteenth Amendment

Fortunately, since we live in a genuine democracy the choice is genuinely yours.  We each get to choose everyday where and with whom we will spend our money.

PS:  If you feel that you or someone you know may be abused, know that there are a lot of people who care.  You can get legal assistance.  You can get physical protection. There is a lot of help. Accepting help from good people is the first step out of domestic violence misery. Elderly who are abused by “care takers” also can get help through the same links.

 

Access your mobile phone with your performance eyewear

Liberty Sports partners with Avaya
Liberty Sports partners with Avaya

Liberty Sport Shoots for the Moon with Avaya Midmarket Solutions

SANTA CLARA, CA–(Marketwired – May 02, 2017) – As Liberty Sport grew into a dominant force in the performance eyewear industry and a choice for NASA missions, the company needed a new approach to communications and customer service to mirror the high quality of its products. Called to join the mission, Avaya Midmarket Solutions provided the functionality, mobility and remote accessibility that enables Liberty Sport to execute powerful launches with sustained contact at a level the company had not experienced before.

Significant growth brought Liberty Sport to a crossroads. It had to decide whether to support increasing demand by upgrading its existing solution from an Avaya competitor, or to consider solutions from other vendors. The company elected to change course once Avaya Midmarket Solutions came into the picture with unified communications and contact center support. Avaya offered functionality and efficiency that made an upgrade of their existing solution pale in comparison. Ultimately, the new Avaya solutions enabled Liberty Sport to:

  • Integrate with existing systems so agents are better informed when working with customers.
  • Increase scalability to handle more customers with better service quality.
  • Enhance mobility for traveling executives and managers, allowing them to use their smartphones to seamlessly access calls and messages sent to their company extension.
  • Provide better remote access for and oversight of work-at-home agents. When a major snowstorm caused some to lose power at their homes, agents were able to continue working from any location where they could get Internet access through a wifi connection.
  • Generate real-time and historic reports that enable better staffing strategies and performance improvements among the agent workforce. Management can view peak call times and adjust staffing as needed, which has already resulted in different shift hours. This will also lead to more revenue as agents are placed in roles where they can generate sales.
  • Significantly improved voice quality throughout the organization.

Liberty Sport Vice President Robin Young said:

“When I saw how much reporting functionality Avaya would give us, that’s what made me go this route. What Avaya offered was still more than what the upgraded system would give us. Avaya is always staying above the cusp, always striving to improve their products.”

Learn more about Liberty Sport and the company’s implementation of Avaya Midmarket Solutions in the case study.

About Liberty Sport

For nearly a century, Liberty Sport has been producing superior frames and lenses to handle the rigors of sport. Built to perform under demanding conditions, our products set the global standard for sports eyewear and Rx. From leading ASTM F803 impact sports protective to innovative sun technology, our commitment to research and innovation is unrivaled. And you’ll see that commitment in every product we make.

About Avaya

Avaya enables the mission critical, real-time communication applications of the world’s most important operations. As the global leader in delivering superior communications experiences, Avaya provides the most complete portfolio of software and services for contact center and unified communications with integrated, secure networking- offered on premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid. Today’s digital world requires some form of communications enablement, and no other company is better positioned to do this than Avaya. For more information, please visit www.avaya.com.

A star is born, Celia Bullwinkel’s first independent video Sidewalk is a winner.

Celia Bullwinkel, creator of Sidewalk
Celia Bullwinkel, creator of Sidewalk

Celia Bullwinkel is perfect for these days as women awaken to the fact that we need to accept ourselves, whether or not men accept us for who we are or who they want us to be.

Such an honest and fun video for women… by Celia Bullwinkel

Sidewalk from Celia Bullwinkel on Vimeo.

Celia Bullwinkel is an accomplished animator

Celia Bullwinkel is an animator who lives and works in New York City. She has worked on feature films (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Chicago 10, Hair High), TV shows (Little Bill, MTV’s Friday, Ugly Americans, Wonder Pets), and far too many commercial projects.

“Alpha’s Bet,” her music video collaboration with visual artist Rammellzee, was exhibited in 2011 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. She is a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts animation department, and teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s MFA Illustration program. Sidewalk is her first independent film. She collaborated with composer and jazz artist Joshua Moshier, who is a rising star in his own right.

Joshua Moshier as the composer for her new shortfilm was a great choice

Her collaboration with Josh has certainly given the animation a lot of “legs.” 🙂

Josh has contributed his musical voice to a number of bands including trumpeter Marquis Hill’s Blacktet and the Moshier-Lebrun Collective with saxophonist Mike Lebrun. His music has been profiled on NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater and cited by the Chicago Tribune for “considerable lyric grace and compositional forethought.” Josh premiered his extended work, The Studs Terkel Project at the Chicago Cultural Center, commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Works program and inspired by the writing of the oral historian Studs Terkel. Josh has also worked as a sideman with Milton Suggs, Larry Brown, John Moulder and Dara Tucker. With Mike Lebrun he has released Joy Not Jaded (OA2 Records) and The Local Colorists (Digital EP). Most recently, Josh led a quintet featuring Marquis Hill, John Wojciechowski, Dana Hall and Clark Sommers for a three-night run in Chicago.

Learn more about this delightful duo by visiting: Celia Bullwinkel and Joshua Moshier.

Mill Valley Artist, Sudha Irwin’s art to wear pieces are enchanting.

Mill Valley Artists Sudha Irwin creates timeless pieces of art to wear.
Mill Valley Artist Sudha Irwin creates timeless pieces of art to wear.

Sudha Irwin has chosen metal arts as her medium of expression for inspirations she derives from the natural world that surrounds her in Mill Valley, California and from her travels around the world. She has been working in silver, gold, and precious and semiprecious stones for over a decade.   Sudha has travelled the world and written about natural beauty as a journalist for major magazines.  After raising her kids, she now raises our standards for grace and beauty.   Her timeless objects and art to wear will surely turn into heirlooms.  Enjoy your visit www.sudhairwin.com

North African Hair Beauty Treatments restore hair to their natural beauty

Fuente magnetic Lava Quinoa Protein Hair Treatment
Fuente brings your hair’s natural beauty to life. Tell your favorite hairdresser.

Moroccan’ Rhassoul Mouse Shampoo with quinoa protein, magnetized lava minerals stop hairloss and promotes new hair growth.  Luxury has reached a new level, naturally. 

All FUENTE products are free of parabenes and are not tested on animals. Colors without ammonia, permanent waves without ammonia, shampoos without special sulphates and others.

The lava-based clay consists mainly of minerals with a high content of silicon dioxide, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium which are magnetized to create a natural hair care product that enchants international hair stylists and especially their customers.  When using Rhassoul Mousse Shampoo and the Mask Treatment hair begins to shine without becoming heavy like they do with oil treatments.

At the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra in Andalusia, one of the most beautiful and pristine landscapes in Spain, today’s Managing Director and company owner Paul Warmerdam found the first inspiration for a groundbreaking concept of create all natural products originally used all around the world.  He discovered Rhassoul which as been used for hundreds of years in Marocco famous for the long shiny smooth hair of their beautiful Maroccan women. 

Paul Warmerdam, Fuente's owner, explains the secret: "It can be compared with the adhesion of crystallized sugar and powdered sugar to the skin. If you hold your finger in crystal sugar, the crystals will almost all fall off again. The larger particles are first sliced by a device and then split. As soon as they are less than 1 mm, they are too small for the usual method and can not be reduced any further. Fuente allows the particles to be reduced to one hundredths or even one thousandths of a millimeter."

To purchase the product contact:
HGA Vertriebs GmbH
Jürgen Bleul, CEO
Klostergut Besselich, D-56182 Urbar
Telephone: +49 (0)261 – 988 235-0,
Fax: +49 (0)261 – 988 235 29
Mail: info@hga-cosmetics.com
Web: www.hga-cosmetics.com

To obtain high gloss photography for an article in print or more information your media contact is Ms. Gaby Günther (Guenther) at info@presseprojekte.de  www.presseprojekte.de

Join us on Thursday, August 18th from 6-10pm for Jim Dennis’ Birthday Celebration and Extended exhibit “50 Years In A Flash”.

Jim Dennis' Birthday Celebration - Joyce Gordon Gallery
Jim Dennis’ Birthday Celebration – Joyce Gordon Gallery
50 Years In A Flash | Photography by Jim Dennis
August 5 – August 27, 2016 
Jim Dennis’ Birthday Celebration 
Thursday, August 18th 6 – 10pm 
Joyce Gordon Gallery Tour 6-7pm  
 
Celebration at Geoffrey’s InnerCircle (410 14th St, Oakland) 
7-10pm feat an extended music collection 
($5 Door Entry include live music and extended exhibit). 


Get an amazing discount on your photo session by world renown photographer Jim Dennis
Get an amazing discount on your photo session by world renown photographer Jim Dennis

Sign up to have your portrait taken by renown Bay Area photographer, Jim Dennis here at Joyce Gordon Gallery along with celebrity makeup artist Meko White | .www.mekowhite.com

 Portrait Session $150 per person | Each Sessions are approximately 20mins to 30mins
 

Joyce Gordon Gallery presents “50 Years In A Flash,” a retrospective of photography including portraits, nudes, music, flowers and landscapes by renowned Bay Area photographer Jim Dennis. 

Jim Dennis, historic Artist Talk and Grand Opening of “50 Years in a Flash” Aug. 5th at Joyce Gordon Gallery

Opening Ceremony Joyce Gordon

Join us this Friday, August 5th from 6-9pm for the Opening reception and Artist Talk of “50 Years In A Flash” by renowned Bay Area photographer, Jim Dennis.

50 Years In A Flash | Photography by Jim Dennis
 August 5 - August 27, 2016
 Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Friday, August 5th 6-9pm
Artist Talk by Jim Dennis starts at 7pm

This retrospective of photography includes portraits, nudes, music, flowers and landscapes by internationally renowned Bay Area photographer Jim Dennis.??”50 Years In a Flash” captures an array of moments throughout Jim Dennis’ image making career. including photographs inspired by his early travels as the first African American photographer on assignment with Eastman Kodak in New York. Other works include portraits ranging from famed musicians such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Handy, Faye Carol; dignitaries include the Dali Lama, former S.F. Mayor Willie Brown to celebrated locals. His color and black and white nude portraits are perhaps his most recognized and praised work. Also featured in this exhibit is a KTOP documentary interview “A Glimpse Into Jim Dennis.” Later in the month we celebrate Jim Dennis’ day of birth with an hour exhibition tour in the gallery followed by an extended version of his jazz and music collection at Geoffrey’s InnerCircle including live music and food. The exhibit culminates in a paid photo session where the public is invited to have their portraits taken in the gallery by Jim Dennis.

Pete Escovedo Family
Pete Escovedo Family by Jim Dennis Photography

Jim Dennis’ Birthday Celebration August 18th 6 – 11pm | Gallery Tour 6-7pm | Celebration at Geoffrey’s InnerCircle (410 14th St, Oakland) 7-11pm featuring an extended music collection

Closing Reception: August 27th 1-4pm
Portrait Session w/ makeup artist | Contact gallery for details
Joyce Gordon Gallery presents “50 Years In A Flash,”

Joyce Gordon Gallery is a commercial fine art gallery located in the downtown district of Oakland California. It exhibits art that reflects the social and cultural diversity of the Bay Area and international artists. The aim of the gallery is to respect the creative pursuits of the individual and seeks to make such work accessible to a broad audience.

JoyceGordenGallery

Joyce Gordon Gallery 
406 14th St
Oakland, California 94612
510-465-8928
www.joycegordongallery.com

Joyce Gordon Gallery
406 14th St. ?Oakland, California 94612
510-465-8928
www.joycegordongallery.com

www.facebook.com/TheJoyceGordonGallery/

Jim Dennis Photography Studio is located in Emeryville. To schedule a private tour please contact Jim Dennis at jmdennis@sbcglobal.net. Learn more at his website:  www.jimdennisphotography.com

For a past historic Artist Talk with Jim Dennis the SF Moma wrote: “San Francisco native Jim Dennis’ skills were honed partly in the Jazz club called “The Both And” in North Beach shooting photos of legends such as Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery. He eventually became a staff photographer for Eastman Kodak. After a long career using the most cutting edge camera equipment he’s amassed an accomplished body of work that includes portraits of well-known public figures, landscapes and nudes.” full article

Michelle Obama is beautiful inside out and outside in. True Beauty!

Vogue shows Michele Obama's outer beauty - her speech shows her inner beauty as a mother and leader.
Vogue shows Michelle Obama’s outer beauty – her speech shows her inner beauty as a mother and leader.

Her speech reflects the beauty of her mind and soul.  What a classy and beautiful woman.

When someone sais what they do and does what she says we can trust and admire that person with all our might.

The first Lady genuinely cares about the US, the world and people. She now is working with an organization called called Let Girls Lean.

Let Girls Learn is a U.S. government initiative launched by the President and First Lady that helps adolescent girls attain a quality education and enables them to reach their full potential. Educating girls is essential to healthy and thriving communities but, globally, 62 million girls are not in school, and barriers to adolescent girls completing school are particularly significant. In some countries, fewer than 10% of teenage girls complete secondary school. Learn more about it and how we can genuinely improve the lives for people, empower people to get jobs, improve countries infra structure and stop the hunger and power based wars and resulting refugee flows.

https://letgirlslearn.peacecorps.gov/

Fikorus Jewelry delights customers around the world.

Anoinetta's Earrings by Fikorus.
Anoinetta’s Earrings by Fikorus.
Niina Karlsson’s jewelry designs delight women the world over.

A Brief History of FIKORUS

Fikorus was established in February 2010 by a couture designers Niina Karlsson and her husband Kalervo Karlsson.The name is a combination of FI like Finland and KORU which means Jewelry in finnish and then Ikaros, the white horse who flew too close to the sun.

Fikorus is all about hand made luxury fashion accessories. All Fikorus items are designed and hand made in our studio in Helsinki, Finland. Every piece is meticulously made of high quality materials. Fikorus Jewelry and accessories are elegant, feminine, sophisticated and distinctive – bold and poetic at the same time.

Find out about more of her amazingly gorgeous designs by visiting:  www.fikorus.com

Kalervo Karlsson stuns fashion world with his amazing photography.

Kalervo Karlsson, stunning photographer.
Kalervo Karlsson, stunning photographer.
Kalervo Karlsson dazzles fashion world with his stunning photography.

Kalervo is a photographer, visual artist and a designer.  He creates Karlsson Portraits. His portraits are Elegantly Glamorous. Sophisticated. Gorgeous.

His gorgeous wife Niina as seen in the picture above is a designer, visual artist and a make-up artist, fashion designer and world renown jewelry artists. (www.fikorus.com)

As a team they create these artistic Karlsson portraits (www.kalervokarlsson.com) together.
They are creating an unforgettable experience in making the Dream come True Portrait of you.

Styling
Make-Up and for hair the bring in expert hair stylists.
Photography
Photoshopping

Want to include your favorite pet in the family portrait?  Nor problem. They have experience in creating portraits of people with their beloved pets and you may be a bit jealous because your pet will fall in love with them, for a day :).

Explore how you can leave the legacy of your own Karlsson-style Portrait to your heirs and luxuriate in the creative and enjoyable process of looking your best.

Explore an estimate for your “Day as a Princess” or a “Day as Queen” or “Day as a King” now!

Contact Kalervo and Niina Karlsson directly:

Kalervo Karlsson
Tel. 011 358 40 746 09 76

E-mail: kalervo.karlsson@gmail.com