My Grandfather (Grandboy) had a house in Palm Springs, so growing up we spent winter vacations romping in the pool surrounded by hummingbird feeders and lizards. It’s always been a special place to me – and even still today – something about those mountains in the sunset and the desert air is magical.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be approached to illustrate the marketing campaign for the shops at El Paseo (the Rodeo Drive of Palm Desert, just down the road from Palm Springs). I did 6 different images for them, ranging from poolside glamour to cocktail parties to shopping and dining. It was a perfect fit.

If you live out West, keep your eyes peeled for ads. There is one in the March Issue of Vanity Fair right now, and one coming up in Los Angeles Magazine (April issue). Plus loads of other places…..

See you at the pool!

R. Nichols

I remember, in younger days, when emptying the dishwasher was pure agony. I wasn’t even required to empty the whole thing. The job was split amongst myself and my 2 siblings. One would empty the top, one the bottom, and one the silverware.

Somewhere along the line, I became a cleaning lover. Now there are exceptions to this. Cleaning the garage, for example. Or worse, the shed.

I spent this weekend spring cleaning my shop. It’s my baby, the crown jewel of the R. Nichols empire. If you haven’t been here, you really should give it some thought.

We’ve got loads of fresh new designs, all meticulously merchandised and edited by my extremely particular eye.

If you’re ever in the area, I hope you’ll pop in and say hello. You’ll often find me sitting at my desk in the shop cutting and pasting something or other.

Hope to see you soon!

R. Nichols

The R. Nichols Shop
3131 Corrine Drive
Orlando, Florida 32803

P.S. The camelia is from my backyard. I harvest fresh buds for the vases each morning.

I stayed out way past my bedtime on Wednesday.

Having recently discovered the band, Nouvelle Vague (and quickly becoming obsessed), I just had to buy a set of tickets when I heard they were coming to town.

They are a french band with rotating female singers – who do amazing covers of mostly 80’s songs. Depeche Mode, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Go-Gos – but completely reinvented in a loungy/bossanova-y way. The result is music that is so cool and groovy – it makes me feel like I am supremely hip.

So the tickets said 9pm. Being excessively anal-retentive about not being late for things, I showed up at 8:45 only to find out that 9pm was when the doors were opening. The opening band went on at 10 – and Nouvelle Vague at 11:30 (about 2 hours past my bedtime). I had forgotten about live music – and how the acts are on another schedule completely. Luckily I made some friends whilst sitting and sitting and sitting – a nice couple who were leaving in the morning on their annual mecca to Savannah to eat at Paula Dean’s restaurant. We bonded.

My friend, Jill, was supposed to be my date but bagged on me at the last minute, leaving me stag. In retrospect that was a good decision for her. She recently started a new job which requires a 5am alarm clock setting. Not being a 5am alarm clock setting person, each night when she is getting ready for bed she feels like she is going on a big trip in the morning.

In summary, it was worth it. I highly recommend Nouvelle Vague’s new album (NV3) – you might check it out on itunes…..or their website nouvellesvagues.com

R. Nichols

When the folks in my office told me they thought it was time for a new website, I thought they were nuts. “It’s perfectly fine!”, I said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Well, as often happens around here, I was proven wrong. The new website is a blast of fresh R. Nichols fun that makes the old one look like it’s from the Mesozoic period. I think you will agree.

To make the launch of our website even more notable, I have filled it chock full of brand new designs. You’ll find a very “old school R. Nichols” sensibility in the Spring 2010 collection – simple, humorous, creative, and most importantly, very “R. Nichols”. And there are even some great new things for the guys.

We’ve added a fancy personalization option – so each time you purchase a set of cards you will get the option to have a name printed on them. Now that is some very un-Mesozoic technology!

Perhaps the best part of our new website is that it provides me with a blog, whereby I can stay in touch with you on a regular basis. Expect to receive all sorts of info – from what is happening within the R. Nichols empire – to my favorite products – maybe even a few recipes from time to time. You never really know what you might find….

Enjoy!

R. Nichols