In need of some pampering inspiration on a budget, I treated myself to some Orly Orange Punch Nail Polish and the latest ELLE UK Magazine(with my 15% off coupon to Barnes and Noble of course). For just under $20, I was able revamp my look and check out the latest european styles. Not to shabby if I say so myself!
While I belive daily inspiration is needed to stay motivated, what if your stuck in bloggers block? I’ve been in a rut for the past week and although I’ve made my motivation board, set up an editorial calendar and written a list of possible blog topics, I still can’t seem to get it down in an interesting post. Even reading my March issue of Vogue has fallen flat. This really goes to show that not getting a good night sleep can really effect those creative juices. I love my little man, but waking up every 2-3 hours for feedings is really a strain on my brain. I have never been the type to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Lately, however, I have found myself falling asleep without warning and sometimes while sitting up! But enough complaining. I have always had the mentality that if you are going to complain about something, then you also need to DO something about it. Complaining is good to become aware of an issue, however, apart from that, it can be entirely counterproductive. It can also lead to negative thoughts and the “not good enough” thinking. In an effort to counteract the threat of this downward spiral, I’m taking a minute to recognize what I am thankful for. I may not have the brain power to come up with new content, but I can definitely appreciate what is already there for me, getting me through the day.
1. Florence and the Machine’s CD Lungs: Current favorite CD that has found a permanent spot in my car CD player. So much so, that my 7-year-old daughter now also now knows all the words to all the songs. It makes me smile to hear her singing in the back seat.
2. iPhone 4: Sure it’s not the new 4S with the splendid Suri that everyone is raving about, my iPhone 4 is just what I need. Being about to check my emails, voicemails, bank account, my blog, latest runway show, and play the occasional game of Words With Friends, without leaving my couch has been a godsend.
3. Guess jeans: When I first became pregnant, my mother happen to obtain her goal of losing some weight. YAY mom. Anyways, knowing I would be expanding due to baby, she gave me some of her nicer pieces that were now too big for her. One of these inheritance were a pair of Guess Jeans. Although I didn’t wear them much when I was prego, since the baby has been born, they are the only jeans that seem to fit! While this could be a very depressing thought, I feel extremely lucky to have my only pair of fitting jeans to be so fabulous. As I am working to hopefully create a body where the jeans will be too big once again, in the meantime, I’m enjoying them.
4. Vogue and Vanity Fair: OK, so this is 2 things, but they go hand in hand. My two absolutely favorite magazines have and continue to be my window into the outside world of classic fashion. Vogue is great for high fashion and fun articles. Vanity Fair satisfies my intellectually savvy need. The articles are more on the political side, however, never without flare and style.
5. Fresh cut flowers: One thing I have been doing one a regular basis, is having fresh-cut flowers in the house. I don’t spend a ton of money. Trader Joes has great bouquets for $3.99 – doesn’t get any better. Whenever I catch myself staring at the blank walls and wishing I had the energy to start the decorating process in our new house, I bring my eyes over to the beautiful flowers on my kitchen table. I make sure to get a bright colorful selection and it always lifts my spirits.
So there you have it. I guess you could say it’s my current survival guide to get through the sleepless nights and zombified existence I currently find myself in. Although it is difficult, my new little guy is worth all of it…and more.
As I adjust to surviving on only a few hours of sleep, I needed to regain some of my femininity back. Being prego and on bed rest can threaten a girls everyday fashion sense. The idea of putting make up on everyday seems pointless. Going out for pedicures are not an option and reaching those toes yourself? well…that’s a whole different issue.
Now that baby is here and bed rest is lifted, I immediately booked a hair and nail appointment. I’ve contemplated cutting bangs for probably over a year now but for some reason it seemed like such a big step. However, with the new year, new beginnings and the quest to be only myself, I thought it was a great time to take the leap. My husband was a little nervous but in the end, we were both happy with my decision.
I have been out of commission the past few days but I swear I have a good excuse. I had the baby! Gavin Matthew Larson was born on Friday, February 10th. My beautiful baby boy is such a peanut. He is a little over 5lbs but man can he belt out scream that fills the whole house! Although the pregnancy was rough with complications and bed rest, it was so extremely worth it! He is definitely the world’s best Valentine’s Day present.
To be honest, I was terrified of the responsibility of having two kids in the house. The surprise has been, however, is that it’s a wonderful experience. My seven-year old daughter, Olivia, loves being a big sister and my husband has been extremely fabulous through midnight feedings and diaper changes. While taking care of him during these first few days have been exhausting and at times, a little frustrating(all you nursing mom’s feel my pain), the whole experience of having him home with us has given me a new sense of purpose in the quest to follow my dreams. He is truly a blessing.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my goals in life and my dreams never explored. Or for that matter, the fear of exploring them in the first place. We all have a dream of what we want to accomplish in life, but how many of us actually have the courage to pursue? What I’m realizing is, in order to pursue your dreams, you need a few things: An immense amount of self-confidence, patience, determination in the face of failure and maybe a little luck. Oh yeah, and a plan. I’ve had many ideas rolling around in my head for years, but without a plan, they are just ideas. Sometimes we go forward without a plan and get lucky, but those are the few and far between. It can also be disheartening when a plan doesn’t work like we thought it would. I have MANY of those examples.
I’ve made excuses for why I didn’t pursue a plan. I have started a plan and didn’t follow through because I felt I wasn’t good enough. Today, I’m here to say, I’m done with that mentality. It’s depressing and destructive. I want to be motivated everyday when I wake up to do something great. Even if it’s just a little at a time. I’ve been watching a lot of motivational videos and reading books on success. I’m no longer afraid to be seen in the self-help section! I truly feel you’ve got to do whatever it takes to stay inspired everyday and know you can do it. You can accomplish your goals.
I’ve posted 2 videos below that have really touched me. They are both very short and quick but send home a strong message. One is about never giving up and the other is about never making excuses. Motivation isn’t a one time thing. You have to continually remind yourself that you can and will get there. Watching videos like these and reading other’s success stories can really help start your day with determination and confidence.
About a year ago I tried to open a store on etsy.com. If you’re not familiar with this site, you really need the check it out. They sell handmade, vintage, antique items and supplies. It really is remarkable what you can find. I started dabbling in jewelry making awhile back and with NO idea what I was doing, I started up a little shop on etsy call Paradise Tree. Needless to say, it was not very successful. My pictures were horrible and since I was just starting out making jewelry, the quality was not the best. It’s been over a year now and I have learned quite a bit. I’ve learned that a good camera goes a long way and patience is still a great virtue. I have also teamed up with my wonderfully creative sister who makes gorgeous hair flowers. We have both sold our items locally to family, friends and through salons and events, however, we have joined forces online and reopened the Paradise Tree Etsy shop. We also included some vintage dresses which will probably end up in a different etsy store eventually. Just testing the waters on that one at the moment.
I’m very excited about the new store and hope you will check it out. Give advise, tell me if you like it, tell me if it sucks, either way – check it out! You can visit the shop by clicking on THIS LINK, or click on the image on my side bar to take you there.
I have to admit I was looking forward to the Superbowl this year more than any other. As a Madonna fan since I was old enough to know what music was, the half time show was highly anticipated. Hearing rumors that Madonna was out to create a spectacular show, while being the most nervous she has ever been, I knew it was an event not to miss. True to Madonna form, she entered the stage in super star style wearing a gold robe being carried out by an army of well toned men. I absolutely loved the costumes and Egyptian theme! The video feed on the field was extraordinary and the dancers were, as always, perfect. Although Madonna looked a little stiff for most of the performance(probably from nerves!!) and it was pretty obvious she was lip singing, I thought she produced the most extravagant and entertaining half time show I’ve ever seen. She sang the classics and of course, the new stuff, looked fabulous and made me proud.
So I did it. I’m now on twitter. I was a bit hesitant at first because it seemed like a lot of maintenance and there are tweets coming at you from all directions. How do you keep up?! However, I am a person that embraces change so I thought let’s go for it. I have even added the follow me button! Movin up, movin up 🙂 So, if you have twitter, please support this leap and follow me!
See side bar for follow button and let me know in the comments below!
Thanks!!
A few months ago, I was antique shopping in the cute town of Prescott, Arizona. It was towards the end of the day and I hadn’t found much of interest when I came upon a blue denim bag in one of the booths. There were no other bags in that particular booth and I had to wind around the old furniture and clothing racks to get a better look. There, hanging on the back wall was a bag covered with the letters LV. My first reaction consisted of two questions: How much? and What is real? The fist answer was easy to figure out. I flipped over the white tag to read $15. It was time for some more investigation to figure out the answer to my second question. I took the bag to the front of the store where the other designer purses, including the knock offs, were locked in glass cases. Why was this one away from the others? The sales ladies were very kind and explained that particular booth was run by an elderly man and perhaps he wasn’t familiar with Louis Vuitton. They gave me a quick rundown of the basics on fake vs. real, and my find seemed more and more like the real thing. I figured, what could I loose for $15, right? I purchased the bag and there began my LV education. I spent hours upon hours scouring the internet to find out if mine was truly the real thing. It became my project or as some of my friends would say, an obsession. I read forums, articles and watched YouTube videos giving demonstrations on how to certify your LV. I even found a guy who you could send in various pictures of your bag and for $10 he would tell you if you bought a fake. No, I didn’t go there. After days and weeks of research, I discovered two things. One: I was now an expert on spotting a fake a mile away. Two: My particular bag, while a fantastic replica, was not real. I was heartbroken. It had fit in every category there was for being the real deal. The only problem? I couldn’t find my exact bag in any LV collection. I found the collection that introduced the denim version, but none were a perfect match. Where I did finally find it was on a replica website. Of course, considering the replicas were selling for $200 and I got mine for a steal, it was still a fake.
I am now stuck with the dilemma of what to do with it. I’m not one to sport a fake, but it also seems wrong to sell it. I could probably fool about 99% of the people out there, but I would know. I would always know.
Not all is lost however. I do pride myself now on being able to spot a fake on the spot and it’s almost become a game. When I see the girl with the huge LV tote and I can tell at first glance it’s a fake, I really do get a sense of satisfaction. I have also been inspired to save up for a real one. Now my only problem is picking out which one to buy!
I decided to take IFB’s Red Carpet Look Challenge. While long dresses seem the norm on the red carpet, being among the “under 5’6” crowd”, I prefer a shorter dress with some mega heels. I also tried to shy away from the black and/or red looks that tend to be very popular. Of course, I have many more looks I would have no problem struting down the red carpet in, but this look felt fresh and fun. Enjoy!
mystyleoffice 