Tag: fall 2018

international · music

New Alice Francis Music!

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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.

Screenshot 2018-10-10 at 8.11.26 PM - Edited

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!

life curation

10 Easy Ways to Make Space in Your Life

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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.

tranquil

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:

  1. Clean out emails
  2. Make a call that you’ve been putting off
  3. Finally tackle your “junk drawer”
  4. Throw away any expired items (food, beauty products, etc.,)
  5. Cancel a subscription that you don’t need
  6. Throw away any clothing that isn’t in good shape
  7. Back up all of your files to an external drive or cloud drive
  8. Turn in your gently used books and clothing for cash
  9. Indulge in an act of self care
  10. 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!

culture

Happy Discoverer’s Day!

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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.

hawaii

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!

fitness

Days 92 – 98 of My Fitness Challenge

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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.

healthy

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!

travel

On the Road Again

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Today is a driving day, so I’m only popping in for a minute. I hope you all are enjoying your Saturday and making the most of it!

Photo from the road

If you have some free time and want to listen to something useful, check out James Wedmore’s most recent podcast about how he structures his day. On my way to my weekend getaway, I also listened to a juicy episode of the Afford Anything podcast, where the host, Paula Pant, interviewed Suze Orman. Orman’s emphatic denunciation of the FIRE (Financially Independent Retire Early) Movement made for a riveting – albeit polarizing – show. Even if you aren’t an entrepreneur or ascribe to the FIRE Movement’s principles, you’ll likely glean some good tips from both of these episodes.

I hope you all enjoy the day and the podcast episodes I linked above! Talk to you all tomorrow!

style

The Only Two YouTube Style Gurus That You Need to Know About

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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.

fashion

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 Art

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:

 

Justine Leconte

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!

art · life curation

The Writing and Drawing Salons Are Back!

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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:

write

Writing Salon

  • Character: The Power of Detail (November 2018)
  • Perspective: Inside Out (January/February 2019)
  • Setting: Capturing Place (February 2019)
  • Story: The Narrative Arc (March 2019)
  • Poetry: Movement and Meaning (April/May 2019)

draw

Drawing Salon

  • 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!

beauty · luxury

Review: Clinique Chubby Stick Lip Balm

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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.

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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!

 

life curation

90 Days to the New Year and a New Challenge!

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Can you all believe that we are only 90 days away from the New Year?! 2018 has been so much fun and I’m looking forward to all sorts of delight and magic in the upcoming year.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I have several mini-goals to reach over the next few months. However, with the end of the year coming, I wanted to add in one more goal that would really help me feel like I did something meaningful during this last quarter.

happiness

Looking forward to a fabulous October, November, December and beyond!

I’m proposing a brand new challenge for myself. This one is about making space for 2019. The Making Space Challenge (#MakingSpaceChallenge) is simple enough:

  • Every day, take one action that “makes space” for all of the amazing things I intend in 2019.
  • The daily action should take no more than 5 minutes per day.
  • I’ll keep a journal of my “making space” actions so that I can report to you all periodically what actions I’ve taken to make space.

Aside from making space for next year’s adventures and goodness, this challenge will help me to align with the version of myself that I want to experience in the future. Many of my favorite LOA teachers and coaches advise that we start living the life that we envision NOW, so that we can quickly and easily bring that dream into our reality. So, I’m going to do that by clearing away what doesn’t align with my best self and instilling habits that reflect my future best self.

I started the challenge yesterday, October 1st, by going through my perfume samplers and trial sizes. The ones that suit me are still in my collection: the ones that didn’t delight me are now in my aunt’s possession. Today, I’m printing out 3 months of banking and credit card statements so that I can begin reviewing and determining which expenses I can trim. Tomorrow, I’ll be bagging up a few items to deliver to my local thrift store . . . You get my drift: brief, daily actions that “open up” space in my life.

The “space” I’m opening can be literal, physical spaces (such as clearing out beauty products and dresser drawers), emotional space (discarding items given to me by toxic individuals), financial space (stopping unnecessary subscriptions and other monetary “leaks), and even mental space (practicing meditation).

tranquil

I’ll give meditation a go while I do the #MakingSpaceChallenge

Little actions leading up to big results. I’m looking forward to seeing the actions accumulate and being able to share not only how much space I’ve made for the upcoming year, but also how clearing space impacts me right now. I’d love some company while I do this challenge, so if you’re interested, feel free to indulge every day – or even just a few days – in the challenge, and use the #MakingSpaceChallenge hashtag so I can see you and give you a shout out on my Instagram. I look forward to seeing all the creative ways that you all #makespace over the next few months!

life curation

2018 Goals – More Updates

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Happy Monday, and welcome to October, friends! You all are overdue for a 2018 goal update (my last one was in June) and, since we have only 3 months left in the year, it seems like a good time to rev up the activity and finish the year strong.

As a quick reminder, here were my goals:

  • Publish some of my writing
  • Travel more
  • Dabble in an art career

Here are the updates on each goal up to this point:

Goal 1: Publish some of my writing

books

In my last goal update post, my short-term writing goals were:

  • Finish writing out supplemental/resource material for the how-to book
  • Allow my friends to read a draft of my novel for feedback
  • Resume work on novel # 2

I’m happy to say that the how-to book is completely finished and I did a little more work on novel # 2. I haven’t asked for feedback on my novel yet, mainly because I read through it and I think – actually, I know – it could use some more editing. Since I made progress during this last round of updates, I’ll go easy during the next 3 months. However, going “easy” doesn’t mean that I’m doing nothing. I want to take fewer but more impactful actions.

My next set of goals is as follows:

  • Complete edits on my novel
  • Participate in NaNoWriMo in November
  • Publish my how to book

Goal 2: More travel

luggage

Ah, travel. It’s my most consistent love and one of my favorite hobbies. My goals last time were mostly about planning and paying for travel:

  • Finalize details for birthday trip in August
  • Finish paying off October cruise balance
  • Start budgeting for international trip in December

My birthday trip happened and it was epic! I also paid off my cruise balance and I’ll be on the ocean in a few weeks. I am going to postpone my December trip because some changes in my life mean that I will need to stay closer to home this holiday season. However, I’m going to be READY for some great travel in 2019! Here are my goals for the remainder of the year:

  • Plan out 2019 trips
  • Film at least three travel-related videos for my YouTube channel
  • Get TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry

Goal 3: Dabble in an art career

art

My goals for my art related career aspirations were as follows:

  • Complete an art course
  • Create a website for art career “secret project”
  • Read “Institutional Time – A Critique of Studio Art Education” by Judy Chicago

This area was the one that I had the least progress. I started an art-related course but I didn’t finish it. I never worked on the website, nor did I read the book I intended to finish. I was a bit discouraged at how little I worked on my art-related goals, but I know that the lack of progress is a symbol of something else. In this case, I need some additional clarity over what kind of art-related career I want. There are a lot of things I could do in the art world but, without clarity, I feel very aimless. In order to make strides in this area, I have to develop my dream a bit more.

On that note, here are my goals for the remainder of the year:

  • Clarify what kind of art-related career I desire
  • Create a preliminary career “plan” for my target career
  • Attend at least three art related events so that I can meet more likeminded people

Those are my mini-goals in a nutshell. I’ll keep working on it, and I’ll report the final outcome at the end of the year. I’m so excited: this is going to be an incredible three months!

Talk to you all tomorrow!