Russian Dolls & A Schedule Tweak (again!)

I keep tweaking my blog schedule to keep up with what I'm actually able to accomplish! I'll be blogging on alternate days, more or less, on Paper Dolls and The Sweet Spot. Fridays will be double dipping for now, with 52 Cakes, until I think of something more interesting to talk about.

Anyway, under the new schedule, today should have been a Day Off, but since I was too lazy to blog yesterday, then I'll throw in a bonus Shopping Talk for those half dozen or so of you who might actually be reading this!

A very long while back, I wrote about some 2009 predicted design trends. One of these was: Russian patterns & folk art--traditional themes and patterns in modern ways. As 2009 unfolded, we did indeed see Russian inspiration at our favorite stores, and for all ages. My favorite Russian theme to appear in 2009 has got to be the Russian Matroyshka Dolls on apparel and accessories. A traditional theme interpreted in modern ways:

Gap's "St. Petersburg" collection featuring the Doll . . .

. . . as well as subtler traditional Russian patterns.

Modern versions of Matroyshkas on handmade buttons, available on Etsy.com.

And even Russian Doll measuring cups in the kitchen!

I even snagged my own Russian Dolls t-shirt during the holiday season at Target, that matched my daughters'. They were a trend that I wouldn't mind seeing again in 2010!

Images from Ebay.com, Etsy.com and Google images.