Northwest getaway staples: Games, sunglasses, lipstick, Rescue Pastilles, rainboots, one nice dress, umbrella
I’m heading out the door, on the way to Lummi Island to watch movies, play games, walk on the beach, and oh yeah…visit one of Food and Wine’s newly-named Best New Chefs. Thank god we’d planned to go before the announcement; our reservations are safely secured. Can’t wait to share the fun (and dish on the dinner goods). See ya next week!
Ok, so…to be honest…I was feeling kinda pretty yesterday….
Ugh! That’s really hard to say out loud! But do you ever have those days where you just feel content? God knows it doesn’t happen often enough for most women; in fact, every other day I feel quite the opposite. When it does happen though, doesn’t it feel great? So I’m not looking forward to the flip side of this with the inevitable event that knocks me on my ass, BUT STILL…how often I wish there was a way to bottle that voodoo and create more of these days. The funny thing is that while my jeans are the tightest they’ve been in a while (love pounds, hee hee), it meant a lot that I was able to let all of that go and appreciate what I am just right now.
I don’t know what the trick is to bottling this feeling, but I figured a start might be to give ourselves a break. I don’t want to measure up to the images I see in the glossies or on TV, and I hope you don’t either.
Kiss!
[My new favorite orange lipstick & nail polish. Vegas Volt - MAC lipstick, Lasting Sensation - MAC lip liner, Tart Deco - Essie nail polish]
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Filed under: Personal
Here it is. The aftermath in all its epic glory. As promised I used the weekend to contemplate what the universe was trying to tell me, and really there was a reason to take pause. I’d been so focused on finding all the right pieces to get the house settled that I had forgotten to stop and appreciate how much had already been done. I took this moment as a sign to…
…get organized and appreciate the lovely things I already have.
So while it totally sucked to have lost so many of my favorite things at once, it really was a trivial way to smack me around a bit. And don’t we all need to be smacked around from time to time? Deep breath. Feels good.
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Filed under: Personal
So I hinted yesterday that I was in the midst of re-imagining my little bar area. I scored a great vintage brass bar cart and was super excited to have it replace the small cabinet I had been using. After some hours playing around with getting the new setup curated I still wasn’t quite feeling the new look; I gave up and figured I’d wait until I was feeling more inspired. With all of my favorite glasses and liquor stored I went on my merry way. It wasn’t until last night we heard a funny cracking sound followed by the LOUDEST implosion of glass and liquor you can imagine. It was INSANE…like a dying star collapsing on itself…and I witnessed it all in sloooow moootion. In the end I stood there gazing at all of my favorite coupe glasses (and an entire bottle of vodka) shattered to bits! I should have started bawling but it was so crazy that all I could do was stare in amazement. (How I wish I had taken a picture of the aftermath!) It was epic, really.
This massive amount of chaos has me taking pause to think about the state of things, my outlook, my home, my habits. There’s a lesson or two to be learned here, so yeah, that’s going to be my weekend. Ha! Happy Friday friends!
A happy memory, rest in peace my favorite vintage coupe glasses.
Can’t shake this scene from Home Alone…you know, where Kevin climbs up to get into Buzz’s money tin and ends up destroying the shelves? They literally implode. This is pretty much what happened last night.
A bright spot amidst the chaos, a pretty package delivered from Hong Kong helped brighten my day.
Ok, so it’s no secret how much I adore lusting after beautiful clothes and premiere designers; but here’s the thing, it can be discouraging to covet such lovely things and realize that the price point is higher than your wallet can take. And while I have plenty of covetous moments it’s also not completely impossible to add some great pieces to your closet.
Here’s the thing…
1. Quality over quantity. Instead of buying more pieces, save and wait to find that one piece that’s perfectly tailored, made of quality materials, unique in style, and ultimately makes you feel amazing. This means I have far fewer opportunities to come home with new goods, but for me at that moment I have the perfect piece and it makes up for anything I could have had bought in between.
2. Avoid splurging on trends. If you can try to identify ones that will have a long-life, or have classic elements to them they’ll be worth splurging on. The Cavalli dress I found buried on a sale rack definitely has a great of-the-moment print, but the classic cut (ultimately the fitted pencil-length) make it something that I’ll be able to re-purpose forever.
3. Remember it’s an investment. Buy these knowing that you won’t always be able to wear it, but hang on, they always come back around. So, I scored these Jimmy Choos at a Nordstrom sample sale about eight years ago. I wore them here and there but there definitely came a time when they seemed out-of-style (back when the platform trend was just taking off). I tucked them safely away and knew a time would come when I could pull them out and wear them again, never guessing it’d be about another of-the-moment pairing by mixing prints! And of course, because the dress is so fitted, the smaller heel is important here. (Keep it classy.)
4. Be patient. Knowing that you’re investing in pieces with a longer style life gives you the chance to wait for great sales. You can either eye a piece and keep watch (risky, but rewarding), or you can migrate over to new stores and start scoping out the sale racks to see what catches your eye. Either way know that many times you’ll be coming up empty-handed, but when you do score your investment piece it will be better that any ten ”buying just to buy” pieces you got. Forget the instant gratification and wait for the big pay-off, trust me.
5. Be confident. Only buy something if you really feel it; make sure you can see yourself in it, make sure it makes you happy . There’s nothing worse than paying top dollar for something you’ll never wear!
Next time you’re less than inspired by a quick trip for a new pair of shoes, give it a go, hold off and save your cash for that perfect pair that are waiting for you at the next Barney’s sale.
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I just love being back! As usual, here’s a mini collection of a few faves that I’ve collected over the past few weeks. It’s always so exciting for me to see how even a collection of colorful farm eggs can make a day better. Whatever your little collections of happiness may be, I hope you all have a lovely, happy weekend ahead.
Organic farm eggs. My favorites are the pistachio hues, which coincidentally also have the brightest yolks.
Patrick Hruby’s Memory Game. Seriously a must-have for every game chest: so pretty and quite the brain exercise. Get it here $15.
A vintage Reed & Barton bowl. A new home for my keys from my favorite Etsy shop.
I just figured out my old Toast Stereogram post was mentioned on Anthropologie’s Tumblr feed, etymologie. That’ll teach me to stay away for so long.
So excited. Thank you!
PS- I should also mention that the original source for the image is the wonderful Mighty Optical Illusions.
Working. Eating. Working. And I love it.
Planning and starting a new business has been more work than I ever thought, but it has also been more rewarding and fulfilling than anything I’ve done before. It hasn’t been easy but I’m learning so much about the business (and myself). Let’s see…since I last left you anything of much substance I can summarize things pretty easily with this: I relocated to Seattle from San Francisco, found an apartment, started a restaurant with my dad, learned how to bar tend, and now work seven days a week. There’s tons more to share but I’ll be sprinkling in some stories here and there.
Check us out here if you’re curious.
(Glad to be back.)
Filed under: Personal
It’s been way too long. My past few posts have talked all about my new adventures, but I also realize they’re a bit distant. I often struggle with how personal I should be here…ugh, I even struggle with posting pictures of myself, so anything of any real importance is just too much for me to handle. On one hand the best blogs are often the most personal and meaningful, but on the other I am really not interested in reading (or posting for that matter) a deeply personal diary entry. But in the end, I think in order for me to move ahead I need to share a few more parts of my new life, even the not-so-favorite parts. With all of the changes I have going on, I suppose the thing that has kept me away is that I am working to start this new life I have alone. After five years with my Lova things have changed and I am trying to move ahead.
I had a wonderful life in San Francisco and I was lucky enough to share it with my best friend. I’m in mourning for all of our favorite things, and it’s funny because I try to push them aside and then suddenly they float back through my mind just as I had let them slip away. It’s always those moments when it seems impossible that I’ll ever find anyone who will appreciate all of my favorite (really bad) movies, or who will tolerate how completely messy and lazy I can be. Things change though, and sometimes you don’t ever really get a reason, but it’s alright; I just have to believe that this is a HUGE lesson for the girl that hates even the slightest alterations. All in all I am doing well, I just miss my friend.
My hope is that by addressing this I can move ahead and get back to my little space here. I truly adore my little corner of the world, and in the end it keeps me sane and happy. To my loyal friends who are still around after my long absence, thank you and happy Friday. See you on Monday!
[image by Luke Chueh, via we heart it]
I’m alive! Settling into Seattle and the new venture; it was a bit tough in the beginning, but I am absolutely in love with the restaurant business! I feel so at ease, even amidst the stresses of just starting out. We’re a week into our soft opening and I couldn’t be more pleased with everything. Keeping busy has helped with the transition, but still sometimes I feel lonely for my ‘past life’ in SF. I think getting my routine set here will help me feel more at home, so it will just take a little more time. More than anything though, I’m excited and happy.
I’ve found a cute little apartment and I’ll be getting ready to move the rest of my things up from SF in the next week. I’ve been looking for home decorating ideas and came across this awesome find from Etsy seller WilliamDohman. Brother immediately snapped one up after I showed him, but I still think I can find a place for this myself. Cheeky and fun! (Made from recycled wood too.)
