I am too busy falling in love with my Sweetie all over again to post too much, but I am having a BLAST at the coast!!! Thought I would just wish you all a FABULOUS weekend!!! 😉
Monthly Archives: May 2010
Weekend Getaway!!
I am taking a mini-vacation from my life, so I will not be posting anything for the next 3 days! I can’t wait to tell you how everything goes! and I am taking my camera with me, so I will have a ton of new pics!!!
Live! Laugh! Love! and have a FABULOUS evening!!
Wrinkled Ladies!
My day wouild not have been complete, if I didn’t share this with you!!!
Is this what I have to look forward to??? Well, let’s just hope that I can move like that when I am finally all wrinkled!! 😉
Have a FABULOUS evening!
Outdoor Dream Spaces!
Living in Oregon, you get pretty used to a lack of sunshine and an abundance of rainy days. It is the end of May and according to the newsman last night that this may be the coldest May we have had in recorded history. How I long for the warm days of Spring; hanging out underneath the gazebo with a good book, while my sweetie worked out in the yard with all of the Spring flowers blooming. Ok, so for now, I am living in a condo with no land, so I am going to day dream about my fantasy outdoor space in pictures!
Please note: all of the following pictures are borrowed from myhomeideas.com.
Ingredients: tree stump + round cement table top + candle chandelier hanging from tree
Ingredients: porch + hanging swing + upholstered pillows + strategically placed ferns
Ingredients: wicker furniture + red & white striped throw pillows + red vintage accessories
Ingredients: Wicker chairs + hammock + comfy pillows and throw blankets
Ingredients: wicker furniture + grass rug + hanging chair
Ingredients: Gazebo + teak furniture + teak bed
Ingredients: Old mattress upholstered + reclaimed wood tables + candles
Ingredients: Wicker chair + table + unbelievable scenery
Ingredients: a sliver of your back yard + a mosaic-ed cafe table and chair set + comfy pillows
These pictures inspire me to try to figure out a way to turn my tiny cement slab in my condo’s backyard into my own little personal haven. The only things missing is is a group of family and friends hanging out with drinks, chatting, laughing, and having a fantastic time.
It may take me all Summer, but I will have to speak to my landscaper (aka my sweetie) to see what kind of magic we can create on a limited budget. I will keep you posted!
Let me know, in the comments above, if you have any ideas for your own personal outdoor spaces! I would love to hear your thoughts!!
Have a FABULOUS evening!
The Lost Art of Letter Writing!
Did you know that the US post office processed over 177 Billion pieces of mail in 2009. WOW! I know we are all getting a ton of junk mail every day, but this little fact caused me to start to wonder how much of this mail was actually hand-written correspondence? Do people do that anymore; write letters? When was the last time you wrote someone a letter? No, I am not talking about dropping someone a note via e-mail, text, or twitter, but an honest-to-goodness-pen-to-paper-stamp-wearing-hey-Mr.-postman-please-deliver-this-letter LETTER!! Sharing your innermost thoughts, sincerest sympathies, ardent love, and deepest gratitude will never suffice traveling along an invisible superhighway.
I know that in today’s world of constantly being connected through all things electronic, writing a letter can seem hopelessly outdated, but letter writing is an art that is worth bringing back. I, myself, am someone who is falling in love with hand-written letters. For me, it harkens something of a Jane Austen-esque romantic feel; a reminder of slower, simpler times; and every message is so much more personal when it is written with your own personal curly-cues, elegant swoops, and oversized loops.
How difficult is it to send a little slice of your true self to one of your friends or loved ones? It is not difficult at all with a little preparation! Grab a sheet of high-quality stationary with a rich texture, embossing, or an attractive pattern, something that represents a little bit of you. A smooth writing pen is imperative; my personal favorite is a medium weight metal fountain pen. Find a quiet place to sit, preferably at a comfortable writing table. Put on some soft music, something that is calming, and let the words just flow out of you. Address it, put a stamp on it, and send it on its way.
I believe that sending a letter is like sending a portion of yourself, and when your letter is received, the receiver will know that you took time out of your busy schedule to pause, and give them your 100% undivided attention, which is PRICELESS! Share a little of yourself with someone you love today, and tell me about it in the comments above!
Have a FABULOUS evening!
Monday Night Book Night!
Tonight is book review night, and the book that I chose to review is called, Nesting it’s a Chick Thing. This book is such a fun read, and I highly recommend it anyone who wants to laugh, cry, and just learn more about living a FABULOUS life! Trust me on this, pick this book up!! It is like reading a creatively chic blog in paperback!!! FUN! FUN! FUN!!!
But why listen to me? Here is an editorial review from Publishers Weekly:
While Beanland and Terry do care about having a nice home, throwing fantastic parties and whipping up fabulous dinners, they have better things to do than polish the silver. The coauthors of It’s a Chick Thing: Celebrating the Wild Side of Women’s Friendships throw Martha Stewart-esque caution to the wind in this lifestyle guide with attitude, irreverently addressing the “four pillars of nesting”: decorating, entertaining, cooking and gardening. In each section, they give a basic overview of how to approach the task at hand, and then delve into the nitty-gritty, with sidebars, lists, pull-out quotes from celebrities and quirky clip art, all with a can-do, girl power mind-set, evident in the inclusion of such lines as “I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house” (from Zsa Zsa Gabor). Among other tidbits, readers will find cocktail recipes, flea market shopping tips, party invitation ideas, suggestions for creating a garden that suits their personality and reasons to give Martha some credit (“the chick can carve a pumpkin 200 ways and make 65 recipes from the seeds alone!”).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Have a FABULOUS evening!
Books! Books! and More Books!
Ok, so I may have gone a little crazy today doing some book shopping!!! Have I mentioned I really love to read!! I know, I am coming to terms and embracing my inner book worm!!!
Sex and The City Kiss and Tell, by Amy Sohn
Classic Make-Up & Beauty, by Mary Quant
Shop Your Closet: The Ultimate Guide to Organizing Your Closet with Style, by Melanie Charlton Fascitelli
Size Sexy: How to Look Good, Feel Good, and Be Happy – at Any Size, by Stella Ellis
Movie Icons Kelly, by Paul Duncan
Movie Icons Taylor, by by Paul Duncan
Cooking Light What to Eat: A Real-World Guide to Making Smart Choices, by Oxmoor House
Ok, I know, I will have to get my reading-self to rehab! HAHAHA!!
Have a FABULOUS night!
Hanging with my posse, my peeps, my girls!
I just got home from a late, and extremely fun night hanging out with my girlfriends!! All 6 of us got together; Nette, Alex, Rachel, Andrea, Jennifer, and myself, for a night of fun, laughter and a yummy ice cream sundae bar. We played a few rounds of Bananagrams, which I have almost no hope of winning – those girls are SOOOOO GOOD!!! We then went out to one of my favorite restaraunts in town for a fabulous plate of chicken teriyaki, salad and steamed rice; and then finally returned to Nette’s place to laugh the night away watching the movie Baby Mama, and enjoying our self-created ice cream sundaes.
During dinner, we got on the subject of purses and how those purses reflected our individual personalities, or our Purse-onalities:
We had such a fun time laughing, I just LOVE GIRLS’ NIGHT!!!
Have a FABULOUS evening!
Friday Night Movie Night!
It is Friday night movie night, and I just enjoyed a most enchanting movie, Coco Before Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou. This is a French movie subtitled in English, so there will be no multi-tasking during this movie, which I am prone to do.
The movie opens in 1893 where little Gabrielle, aka Coco, is dropped off by her father at an Orphanage; and we proceed to watch Coco’s life before she actually becomes the fashion extraordinaire that we all know and love, Coco Chanel.
Coco Chanel was a woman who although from a distance seemed to have everything; she was a woman who lived a hard life, went against the grain during an age when women did what was expected of them, and she fought and labored to acquire all that she had. The most tragic part of her life is that what she most desired was unavailable to her – her one true love.
Watching this movie, one can’t resist falling in love with all things French. French fashion, French architecture, French interior design, and the French landscape, etc. What I wouldn’t do to be able to walk into the movie screen and just take it all in for a day. Hmmm…Sounds scrumptious! This movie truly is a feast for the senses.
There was a quote that seemed to resonate with me that was spoken during this movie, so much so that I had to replay the section in the film just to make sure I wrote it down correctly. This line is spoken to Coco by the love of her life, Boy:
“An exceptional future awaits you. You’re like no one else. You have to trust yourself”
Isn’t that a message that we could all benefit by taking away with us?
Coco Before Chanel is simply charming, and will be a movie that I add to my video library to watch again and again for all things inspirational. Click here to watch the movie’s trailer.
Have a FABULOUS evening!
My Top 10 Wardrobe Essentials for Spring
Although Oregon’s weather apparently doesn’t realize that it is Spring yet, I thought it I would share with you my top 10 wardrobe essentials for Spring.
- A day dress in a solid color
- Denim jacket
- Tank tops – in oodles of colors
- A perfectly fitting boyfriend blazer
- Button down shirt, my favorite is white with grey pinstripes
- Cardigan
- Wrinkle-free slacks
- Dark blue perfect-fitting jeans
- Black capris legging
- Trench coat in a fun color
- Honorable mention: Eye-catching ballet flats, my faves are any animal print
I would love to hear what your favorites are, please list your ideas in the comments below.
Have a FABULOUS evening!
