I’ve been promising you all some changes over here. I haven’t had nearly as much free time as I’d expected during the past several weeks, but I finally can check off one of the things I’ve had on my list for a while.
I have a brand new art resources page available, and you can find the links to over 40 free online art courses! I always mention the courses that I find all over the internet, so I was excited to compile this list for you all. I’ll continue adding courses to the list as I come across additional sources.
There are a LOT more changes ahead, so stick around and I promise to come up with some good stuff for you all. Thanks again for the support! I’ll talk to you all tomorrow. Enjoy your Friday!
You all recall that last year, I mentioned my love for singer Alice Francis. This vintage-inspired songbird is still a fave, though I hadn’t been checking her YouTube page regularly. I just hadn’t had her on my mind recently.
Still from Francis’s “Gangsterlove” video
However, I checked out her Youtube a few weeks ago and found she had released several songs in the past few months. My current fave is “Coco Baca Bum Bum”. The Cuban backdrop and vintage fashions are everything! And the song is super-cute, too.
Why don’t you take a listen and let me know what you think? I’ll be back tomorrow!
I’m still having fun with the #MakingSpaceChallenge and finding easy ways to #makespace every day. I haven’t seen any drastic updates/changes in my life, but that’s the beauty of the challenge: causing little drips that I hope will turn into oceans of change.
I felt like I might have an issue with staying on task with the challenge, so I came up with a short list of easy ways that I can make space in my life. Some of these may take more than the prescribed 5 minutes, but getting started is important and just as impactful.
Some of the easy ways that you can make space in your life are:
Clean out emails
Make a call that you’ve been putting off
Finally tackle your “junk drawer”
Throw away any expired items (food, beauty products, etc.,)
Cancel a subscription that you don’t need
Throw away any clothing that isn’t in good shape
Back up all of your files to an external drive or cloud drive
Turn in your gently used books and clothing for cash
Indulge in an act of self care
Go to sleep a little earlier than normal
All of these activities either create space in your physical surroundings, your mental space, or serve as a way to restore your energy. I’m sure there are many other small ways that space can be created, but these were the ways that I could think of off of the top of my head.
Do you have any other ideas on how to easily and quickly create space? If so, make sure to leave it in the comments below, as well as take a photo of how you’re making space and tag it on Instagram #MakingSpaceChallenge . Talk to you all tomorrow!
Back in August, I spent a few days in Raleigh/Durham, NC. While I was there, my friend and I stopped for brunch at a little restaurant that I’d never heard of before: Another Broken Egg Cafe. This restaurant – located in the small town of Morrisville, NC – features a variety of breakfast delights. My friend and I decided to try a few dishes and here’s my review of the experience.
It took a while before the server greeted our table, but the restaurant was very busy so we understood why there was a delay. We got coffee and ordered the Crab Cake Benedict, Lobster & Brie Omelette, pancakes, fresh fruit and biscuit beignets.
Pancakes and berry medley
(Clockwise from top) Crab Cake Benedict, Lobster & Brie Omelette, toasted English muffins
Everything was cooked to perfection, piping hot and delicious. I was particularly fond of the omelette: it was flavorful, fluffy and sumptuous. The portions were generous and everything tasted wonderful. The only thing I’d change about my visit would be coming at a different time, so I could have more interaction with the server. But other than that, it was a great experience.
Biscuit beignets
If you’re ever in the Durham/Raleigh/Cary area, you should definitely check out this restaurant! Or, you can always go to the one nearest you, since it’s a nationwide chain.
That’s it for today, folks: I hope I haven’t made you all too hungry! Talk to you all tomorrow.
Hi friends! Today, most of the United States is observing Columbus Day, and there are a lot of businesses and institutions that have closed for the day. However, I’m interested in the states and groups of people that have chosen to claim this day as one to honor indigenous people: the individuals who were negatively impacted by “explorers” who landed in North America hundreds of years ago.
In my research, I found out about Discoverer’s Day, which honors the Polynesian explorers that first landed on the Hawaiian islands. The state of Hawaii does not formally recognize Discoverer’s Day but I think it is a creative way to honor Polynesian culture as well as to distance the date from Columbus’s legacy.
There are some groups that would like to further refine the name of the day, so that it more accurately reflects the original inhabitants of the islands. One group is pushing for the title “Indigenous People’s Day” to honor the early Hawaiian inhabitants. It’ll be interesting to see what changes will happen when it comes to recognizing the indigenous people of the Hawaiian islands, as well as indigenous populations worldwide.
In the meantime, I am enjoying this Discoverer’s Day and I hope you all do the same. Take care!
Happy Sunday, friends! I’m recovering from a fun weekend with one of my best friends but I wanted to give you all an update on my fitness challenge.
This week was far more focused on being active outside of the gym. I knew that I wouldn’t have much time to hit the treadmill so I incorporated more activity into my daily life: taking the stairs whenever possible, parking further away from stores, etc.,. To be clear, I don’t think that moving a bit more will result in drastic changes. But, I hate the thought of losing ground and undoing some of the progress I’ve made, so I’ll taking any extra movement that I can get. Next week is going to more closely mimic my normal schedule, so I’ll be resuming my typical workout routine.
Now, about my eating . . . There were some good choices made. I did, however, end up eating outside of my normal window a couple of times, and I also had some foods that I don’t normally eat (pancakes, anyone?) over the past two days. I’m not beating myself up over my choices – after all, we’re all entitled to some enjoyment – but I am planning to make better choices in the weeks ahead. Part of those better choices hinge upon a grocery store run that I’ll be making in a very few moments. . .
I hope you all are hitting your goals and feeling fantastic. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!
Happy Friday, friends! I’ve recently spent a lot of time on YouTube, getting additional style ideas for this fall/winter transition. I have a good sense of the major items that I want to incorporate into my wardrobe, but I love getting additional inspiration so that I can look my best during the cooler months.
Through the many videos I’ve watched, I’ve learned that there are only two YouTube gurus that I’ve seen who have extremely comprehensive information that can apply to anyone. These YT creators are informative, thorough, and engaging. If you need a basic style education, I recommend these two ladies highly.
Aly is a favorite because her channel explains the Kibbe typing system in detail, and extends the concepts from clothing to hair, makeup and accessories. This Russian cutie makes content that really delves in how style can be used to flatter and enhance our natural attributes. She’s charming and stylish, and I love how her channel makes sure that a wide variety of women are well represented.
One of my favorite Aly Art’s favorite videos is the one about signature looks for the different body types:
I don’t know if it’s her French sensibility or her actual content that I love more, but I adore Justine. She is a fashion designer so she has a professional background in the style industry, and she, like Aly, has a flair for breaking down fashion concepts for regular folks like us. She covers fashion, color theory, beauty, and cultural concepts on her channel. There’s a lot of good information here, so visit when you have a good amount of time on your hands. Justine also has a website that you can check out here.
This video about planning your capsule wardrobe is great:
These two YouTubers are my go-tos for style information. Listen to these two ladies and you can’t go wrong!
That’s all for today. I look forward to chatting with you all tomorrow. Take care!
You’ll recall last year that I wrote about how the National Gallery of Art offers writing and drawing salons seasonally (during the fall, winter and spring). I’m delighted to share that the salons are back! In fact, I’m a little late to the party: the first salons have already happened! Here is the schedule for the remaining salon events:
Rachel Whiteread and Sculpting Memory (November/December 2018)
El Greco’s Expressive Figures (January/February 2019)
Illuminating American Landscapes (March 2019)
The Portraits of Sir Anthony van Dyck (April/May 2019)
Kudos to the National Gallery of Art for expanding the schedule to accommodate more participants during this salon season. I recall the years when the events were held over three days only. However, this year (and last year, if I recall correctly), each theme has up to 8 different dates for attendees! More people can participate in these events with all of these dates available.
I plan to attend several salons this year. I didn’t make it to any last year, but I should have a lot more schedule flexibility over the next few months. If you decide to attend, I’ll see you there!
Happy Hump Day! We’re going to get over this week’s hump with a beauty review. I received the Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Woppin’ Watermelon last month. It was one of the items available in Sephora’s Play box from several months ago (I’m not subscribed to Play but I’ve purchase a couple of the excess Play boxes directly from the Sephora website).
This product is described as a “treat” that offers lips “mouthwatering moisture and a hint of soft shine”. The color – Woppin’ Watermelon – is a translucent bubblegum pink. It applied smoothly and indeed felt very moisturizing on my lips. Despite being a much brighter pink than I normally wear, the sheerness of the product meant that I could easily wear it alone or paired with a liner or lipstick.
Swatch of Woppin’ Watermelon
I paired it with my trusty, cheap, dark brown lip liner and I loved the subtle way that the liner “toned down” the pink. However, I’ll likely wear this product alone, too. It looks soft and pretty: it looks great for work or play. This was in one of the summer Play boxes, which makes sense to me: the formula, packaging, and color all work well for the warm months and days at the beach.
Left – no liner; Right – with liner
Now, here’s the thing: this chubby stick retails for $18.50. My Sephora Play box was only $10, so I got a great value with my purchase. But, I can’t comfortably state that the product is worth the price. The product has barely any color and I feel that the moisturizing properties could easily be found in drugstore products that will deposit equally sheer color. If you can get this during any sales, then go for it. If not, I recommend that you pass.
That’s my brief review of the Clinique Chubby Stick Lip Balm. Have you all tried it? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments below!
I’ve been promising you all some changes over here. I haven’t had nearly as much free time as I’d expected during the past several weeks, but I finally can check off one of the things I’ve had on my list for a while.
Bronze Butterfly 