LiveSpa Magazine Interview

LiveSpa: After winning yout first major tennis title, the 2004 Wimbledon, what was you greatest splurge?

MS: I splurged at Harros in London the next day with a Marc Jacobs jacket.

LS: As a competitive athlete, you breathe and live the concept of winning and losing. How do you recover from a defeat?

MS: Defeats are always tough, but it's the perspective you have after a loss (that matters). Sometimes you learn more from a loss than a win.

LS: As a United Nations Development Programme Ambassador of Goodwill, you have made it your personal mission to provide gifted students in Chernobyl-affected areas in Belarus the opportunity to invest their future through education. What inspired you to give back?

MS: Is is such an incredible feeling to put a smile on someone's face.  I have had a really long journey with Chernobyl's background and I have always been passionate about helping those regions.

LS: If you can have an afternoon latte with a sports icon, who would it be?

MS: Bille Jean King...she did so much for our sport.

LS: Given you Russian roots, what healthy meal reminds you of home?

MS: The soups!  Especially borscht.  Not everyone's favorite as it's main ingredient is red beets - but it is yummy!

LS: If a genie can only grant you one travel with, where would you want to escape to?

MS: Maldives, because you get the ocean and jungle experience all a few hours from each other.

LS: You are know on and off-court for you fashion sense as much as you are known for your killer backhand.  What's the one thing in your closet that you can't live without?

MS: I always wear my watch.  I don't like to travel with too much jewelry as it's always a big weight issue, so having a staple like my watch that goes with every outfirt makes my life a lot easier on the road.

LS: Despite being constantly on the go, you consciously embrace a fit and healthy lifestyle.  How do you live the spa lifestyle?

MS: I love to treat myself to spa getaways.  Even if it's to me local deep tissue Thai (massage) place, there's nothing live saving time for yourself.  And it's so important to slow down and make time for something that's beneficial for the mind and body.

www.mariasharaopova.com



GO MARIA !!!

American actress and artist Farrah Leni Fawcett little about her Early life.

American actress and artist Farrah Leni Fawcett Was Born in Corpus Christi, Texas 1947.Her mother, Pauline Alice was a homemaker, and her father, James William Fawcett, was an oil field contractor.She was of Irish, French, English, and Choctaw Native American ancestry.Fawcett once said the name "Ferrah" was "made up" by her mother because it went well with their last name; she later changed the spelling.A Roman Catholic,Fawcett's early education was at the parish school of the church her family attended, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Corpus Christi.She graduated from W. B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, where she was voted "Most Beautiful" by her classmates in 1965. 

For three years, 1965–68, Fawcett attended the University of Texas at Austin,living one semester in Jester Center, and she became a sister of Delta  Sorority.During her sophomore year, she appeared in a photo of the "Ten Most Beautiful Coeds" from the university, which ran in Cashbox magazine. A Hollywood publicist saw the photo, called Fawcett and over the course of a year urged her to move to Los Angeles, which she did the summer following her junior year, with her parents' permission to "try her luck" in Hollywood over the course of the summer.A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976. Fawcett later appeared Off-Broadway to critical approval and in highly rated and critically acclaimed television movies, in roles often challeng.Fawcett was a sex symbol whose iconic poster, released the same year Charlie's Angels premiered, broke sales records, making her an international pop culture icon. Her hairstyle was emulated by millions of young women in the 1970s and early 1980s.

::Surroundings:: magazine: Behind the Cover Shoot of our new issue!

Open publication - Free publishing - More furniture

I've just published my latest issue of my digital magazine ::Surrounings:: Guide to Decorative Living and wanted to share the back story of the cover photo, styled by me and shot by Michael J. Lee.

 As we did with the last issue, the cover shot was done in a design showroom. This time, we took over The Cabinetry Kitchen and Bath Studio which is located in Hingham, MA.  I took some scouting shots to start the planning process of figuring out which of their beautiful kitchen set ups would work as the backdrop of the cover shot.  I sent the pics to Michael as well. I was leaning towards the white kitchen wall below because it seemed so classic.

From the images I sent him, Michael liked this one for the cross windows and vent-hood and that it was a stove set up, plus we thought we could use the butcher block island as a table for the foreground. 

My personal favorite was this sink and bead board cabinet set up. I liked that it had natural light coming from windows on the left, but was concerned that the gray paint would be too dull for a spring photograph. Never underestimate the power of Michael and his camera to make magic!

 Here's a shot of the big room in the design studio with all our stuff piled about. Luckily, The Cabinetry was closed on Monday (yes, we shot the cover only four days ago!) so we had it completely to ourselves.

My "story" for the shot was an indoor lobster bake with a table set up in the foreground and the kitchen in soft-focus in the background. Since I didn't design the kitchen, I wanted to focus more on the styling with the kitchen itself as a backdrop. I borrowed a some pieces of blue patterned Portuguese pottery from a friend who has a large collection and I had the red/white mini-check table cloth and toile napkins. So, the red and blue color palette was set.  We borrowed the Dunes and Duchess 4-arm Chandelier which I thought would add a unique touch to the look.  I didn't want things to be too "July 4th" since this is the May/June issue, so we skewed the accessories towards a more vintage look.

So, when Michael and I got to the showroom on Monday morning, many bags and boiled lobsters in hand, we hadn't actually finalized our shot selection. Ultimately, we did decide to go with the Medallion Cabinet set up which required us to squeeze a very, very heavy table into the room.  The problem was that the room simply wasn't big enough to accommodate the table set up and the camera. Of course, as the designer, I look at the photographer and said "well, that's your dilemma".

As you'll see below, Michael set up the camera outside the room, in a hallway, effectively shooting through two doorways.

Another issue was that the side cabinets were not the same color as the central cabinets, which looks fine in a showroom setting, but wouldn't have worked as well in a tight shot. Plus, the Dunes & Duchess candelabra wouldn't stand out the way we wanted it to. So, with the power of photoshop, Michael was able to "paint" the left hand cabinet to match the lower cabinets.

And the final outcome...

Thanks again to Michael Lee for his beautiful photography and to Marlene Ketchen at The Cabinetry!

Also, check out Michael's blog for his take on the photoshoot!

If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks!

 Subscribe to ::Surroundings::

::Surroundings:: magazine: Behind the Cover Shoot of our new issue!

Open publication - Free publishing - More furniture

I've just published my latest issue of my digital magazine ::Surrounings:: Guide to Decorative Living and wanted to share the back story of the cover photo, styled by me and shot by Michael J. Lee.

 As we did with the last issue, the cover shot was done in a design showroom. This time, we took over The Cabinetry Kitchen and Bath Studio which is located in Hingham, MA.  I took some scouting shots to start the planning process of figuring out which of their beautiful kitchen set ups would work as the backdrop of the cover shot.  I sent the pics to Michael as well. I was leaning towards the white kitchen wall below because it seemed so classic.

From the images I sent him, Michael liked this one for the cross windows and vent-hood and that it was a stove set up, plus we thought we could use the butcher block island as a table for the foreground. 

My personal favorite was this sink and bead board cabinet set up. I liked that it had natural light coming from windows on the left, but was concerned that the gray paint would be too dull for a spring photograph. Never underestimate the power of Michael and his camera to make magic!

 Here's a shot of the big room in the design studio with all our stuff piled about. Luckily, The Cabinetry was closed on Monday (yes, we shot the cover only four days ago!) so we had it completely to ourselves.

My "story" for the shot was an indoor lobster bake with a table set up in the foreground and the kitchen in soft-focus in the background. Since I didn't design the kitchen, I wanted to focus more on the styling with the kitchen itself as a backdrop. I borrowed a some pieces of blue patterned Portuguese pottery from a friend who has a large collection and I had the red/white mini-check table cloth and toile napkins. So, the red and blue color palette was set.  We borrowed the Dunes and Duchess 4-arm Chandelier which I thought would add a unique touch to the look.  I didn't want things to be too "July 4th" since this is the May/June issue, so we skewed the accessories towards a more vintage look.

So, when Michael and I got to the showroom on Monday morning, many bags and boiled lobsters in hand, we hadn't actually finalized our shot selection. Ultimately, we did decide to go with the Medallion Cabinet set up which required us to squeeze a very, very heavy table into the room.  The problem was that the room simply wasn't big enough to accommodate the table set up and the camera. Of course, as the designer, I look at the photographer and said "well, that's your dilemma".

As you'll see below, Michael set up the camera outside the room, in a hallway, effectively shooting through two doorways.

Another issue was that the side cabinets were not the same color as the central cabinets, which looks fine in a showroom setting, but wouldn't have worked as well in a tight shot. Plus, the Dunes & Duchess candelabra wouldn't stand out the way we wanted it to. So, with the power of photoshop, Michael was able to "paint" the left hand cabinet to match the lower cabinets.

And the final outcome...

Thanks again to Michael Lee for his beautiful photography and to Marlene Ketchen at The Cabinetry!

Also, check out Michael's blog for his take on the photoshoot!

If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks!

 Subscribe to ::Surroundings::