art · life curation

How I Prepare for an Art Event

As you all know, I LOVE great art events. I haven’t been to one in a few months, though I expect that will change in the upcoming weeks. With my soon-to-be busy calendar on my mind, I thought I’d share how I prepare for art events. This is a super-brief guide, but it may be helpful for someone that’s never gone to an art event before.

First, I figure out which artist and/or movement is being honored. I’ll do some research so that I’m knowledgeable about the subject being discussed. Even if I don’t talk to many people at the event, I still like to be able to follow whatever is being discussed.

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Next, I set a goal for the event. Am I there just for fun? Am I looking to make new connections? Am I only seeking more information about the artist and/or movement being honored? I come up with talking points if I plan to socialize.

My look for my first art gala

After that, I determine the theme of the event, as well as the dress code. I plan my outfit and I always, always pay attention to my shoes: if I’ll be standing for a while, I want to make sure that my shoes will be comfortable for the duration of the event.

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My look from my last art event

I then determine the location and how long it will take me to get there. I hate being late so timing my travel is imperative.

On the night of the event, I get dressed and I fill my purse with the necessities, including touch-up beauty items and business cards. I’ll make sure that my event tickets are in my purse and on my phone (if I have digital tickets). Then, I go, have fun, and take lots of pictures!

That’s my very (very!) abbreviated guide to prepare for art events. Do you all go to art events? If so, let me know what you do to prepare!

life curation · reading list

Reading List Temporarily on Hiatus . . .

Happy Saturday, beloveds! As you all know, I’m gearing up to start regularly producing content on my YouTube channel and, as a result, there will be a few changes to the blog.

For now, I’ll be putting the reading list posts on a bit of a hiatus. I’m still reading – a lot – but I’m going to save my reviews for the really special books that cross my path. That way, I’m focusing on creating content that I’m truly excited about, and I believe that enthusiasm will be contagious.

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Other than that tidbit, I’m doing a lot of writing today (I’m updating my word count once I finish up for the day) so I can make a real impact on my 365k words goal. I’m glad that I’m making progress, but I’m being gentle with myself because I know I’ll see the most impact in the fall, when I go on vacation (which is always a good time to write) and when NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writers Month – rolls around.

After I finish my writing, I’m going out. I deserve a treat! I hope you all get to treat yourselves to something nice today, as well.

Take care, and enjoy your Saturday!

hollywood glamour

Two Lena Horne Movies to Honor Her on Her Birthday

It’s finally the weekend! I’ve been looking forward to this ALL WEEK LONG.

So, what am I going to do, now that the weekend is here? I’m going to enjoy some quiet time at home LOL! I was looking up things to do, and I decided to watch a few movies while I chilled out.

As it turns out, today would have been Lena Horne’s 101st birthday. You all probably remember how excited I was when she got a commemorative stamp. It’s only fitting that today, as I stay in and stay cool, I watch a couple of her movies!

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Resplendent Lena Horne, in a still from Cabin in the Sky

I’ll be checking out Cabin in the Sky and The Duke is Tops. Both movies are part of the public domain so I’ll watch them on the Internet Archive website. Lena’s role in Cabin in the Sky is minor, from what I recall, but I’ll still check it out. And I’m excited to see if she has a bigger role in The Duke is Tops, or if she is a minor character in that one, as well.

Let me get to my movie watching – I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

culture · international

Embassy Weekend, EU Style

Well friends, I had another fabulous Embassy Open House weekend experience this year! I went to the European Union (EU) Open House event last weekend (May 12) and had a blast! Last year, I went to the “Around the World” Embassy Tour, but the rain kept me in for most of the day, so when I finally made it to the embassies, I only got to tour Kenya and Haiti. I adored the Haitian Embassy so much that I wrote a post about it. I didn’t see much of Kenya during the embassy tour but I eventually returned for an evening at the Kenyan Embassy. But this time, I tried EU Open House weekend because it had been years since I last visited the European embassies.

This year wasn’t rainy, but boy was it hot! The temperatures soared above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, so after a couple of hours, I was drained. This year, I only got to visit two embassies but it was so worth it!

Outside of the Portuguese Embassy

My first stop was the Embassy of Portugal. This embassy was closing early due to a conflicting event that afternoon, so I had to make the most of my time while I was there. The staff was charming and they had the most amazing cheese tarts to sample! I wish I had gotten a photo of the ladies and gents in their traditional costumes, but maybe I’ll have better luck next year. In any case, it planted the seed in me for a future trip to Portugal . . .

Next, I visited the Embassy of Ireland. We had an excruciatingly long wait, but at least we got to enjoy performances from the local Irish dance classes. Here’s a clip of one of their performances:

I was delighted to enter the embassy and see some great Gaelic books written about a diverse group of children: indeed, children from a variety of backgrounds could come and see books written about children that looked like them. I also loved the charming layout of the historic building.

All in all, I really enjoyed my embassy experience this year! I’m already excited to experience it again next year!

life curation · luxury

Adventures at Anthropologie

While spending time with my best girlfriends in Charlotte, we made a stop in Anthropologie. I don’t think I’ve ever shopped at Anthropologie, mainly because my personal tastes were VERY different from what they offer. However, my tastes are changing, and I was open to seeing if they had some things that I would enjoy.

Wouldn’t you know it, I barely looked at the clothing because I got caught up in the books and stationery section. The BOOKS called my name, y’all! I was in heaven among all of the journals, planners, and self-care guides. I was among kindred spirits, because my friends were also stuck in the same section LOL!

One of the planners that I purchased during my Anthropologie trip (you can buy it here)

I kept picking up books and putting them back, because if I’m not careful, I’ll buy them all! So many great planners for those that are interested in living well curated and mindful lives.

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The other book I purchased (you can buy it here)

But my delight didn’t stop with the paper goods. Anthropologie also has a beauty section, including fragrances. You all know that I’m a sucker for perfume. They sell one of my favorite brands, Tocca. I refrained from purchasing, since I already have some great perfumes that I’m using right now. But as soon as I finish using them, I’m stocking up!

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Tocca’s Florence is a sumptuous fragrance that I’ve worn

Maybe next time I visit Anthropologie I’ll actually spend some time browsing their fashions. There’s a lot to see in this store, and I simply couldn’t do it all during this trip. Do you have any favorite picks from Anthropologie? Let me know in the comments below!

life curation · travel

Another Weekend in Charlotte, NC

Happy Monday, beautiful ones! I hope your week has gotten off to a pleasant start.

I just returned from a girlfriends getaway in Charlotte, NC. I told you all about a trip that I took to Charlotte a few months ago, but I just visited again over the weekend. It was a good weekend for a trip: St Patrick’s Day festivities and warmer weather were just what I needed.

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We had plans of getting out into nature and spending some time on the trails, but we couldn’t quite get things to work out as we planned. As you know, plans are great but the decider is fate, so we rolled with the schedule changes and still had a blast. After all, it’s really about the COMPANY, and not the activities. And the company I enjoyed on this trip was superb!

We had a fantastic weekend and I can’t wait to return! I’ll post more specifics about our trip in a few days (including a hotel review) but, in the meantime, enjoy this video about Charlotte, the Queen City, that I found on YouTube. Talk to you all soon!

luxury

An Eye for Gemstones

Happy Friday, my friends! I’m eagerly looking forward to the weekend, as there are a lot of events going on and I’m ready to enjoy the last, lingering bits of warm weather.

But, if the weather should turn chilly, I have an online course I can check out to pass the time. I recently found a gemology course that I think will be great for increasing my body of knowledge. The woman that created the course, Barbara Smigel, is a college professor that knows her gems inside and out.

moziru(image courtesy of Moziru)

Even as a child, I was enchanted by gemstones. The sparkle, the colors, the amazing cuts … I can’t help but find myself hypnotized when looking at high quality gems. So it only makes sense that I would be drawn to this kind of course. I’m looking forward to going through the materials and learning more about gems!

Other than that, I don’t have much else going on this weekend. I hope you have some fabulous plans in the works! Talk to you all tomorrow!

festivals · relaxation

Weekend Shenanigans

Happy Friday, sweethearts! Yes, another weekend is upon us, and I, for one, am ecstatic! It’s been a hectic week and I’m ready to leap headfirst into the weekend! Also, Monday is a holiday (Columbus Day), so I’ll have an extended weekend. Let’s all do a dance for having an extra day off!

As it turns out, this weekend is extremely popular for Virginia festivals: I counted six festivals in Richmond and the surrounding areas. I have so many options: I don’t know where to start! If you’re in the area, the Richmond Times Dispatch has a list of all of the October festivals going on this weekend.

Saturday evening, I’ll be checking into a hotel and enjoying a change of scenery. I won’t be venturing far, but it will be nice to relax in a space that isn’t so stimulating. As much as I love my loaded-down bookshelves, I enjoy taking a break from looking at them LOL!

Aside from this weekend’s festivals, I should have enough time to get deep into the October book selection and work on the next post in the Preparing for 2018 series. I may even have enough time to squeeze in another vintage movie. The last time I watched an old movie, I saw “Gang Smashers” (I can’t wait to tell you all about that one! It’ll be in another post, pinkie swear!). But I still have to watch “Sepia Cinderella” and “Hell’s Angels“, so maybe this weekend will be a good time to squeeze in another movie.

For now, enjoy a couple of screenshots of the gorgeous Nina Mae McKinney in “Gang Smashers“. And be sure to get out and ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND! These are the perfect fall weekends that we’ll be longing for when winter comes. So SAVOR them, and have some fun!

 

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Nina Mae McKinney in “Gang Smashers”

 

 

 

 

 

relaxation

Holiday Weekend Diversions

Well, as Labor Day approaches, I thought I’d be ready to go out and have some fun, exploring Washington DC and catching up with friends.

Unfortunately, that won’t happen. I caught a cold and I feel like I’ve been hit by a moving vehicle.

 

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(image courtesy of DIYSolarPanelsV)

So I’ll lay low instead, and rest. I’m actually overdue for a few low-key days: my work demands have increased and I won’t be able to get away and unwind until after the new fiscal year begins.

I therefore decree this Labor Day weekend my “Staycation”. I have several lazy-day activities planned, though, if I’m feeling better by Sunday, I may take a stroll in a nearby park (nature is restorative, after all). But until I’m feeling better, I’ll choose to rest up and lay low.

For starters, I’m going to finish reading “Outliers” so that I can post my review sometime in the next week or so. I’m also planning on doing something that I RARELY do: I’m going to watch some movies.

Don’t get me wrong: I absolutely love movies. But after sitting at a desk, and sitting on a commuter van, the last thing I want to do is to sit for 2+ hours and watch a movie. But since I’m going to be in bed anyway, I figured a couple of movies could be fun.

I still won’t watch a long movie, though. I’m going to check out some vintage movies at the Internet Archives website. This site features movies with outdated copyrights that are now part of the public domain. I love seeing the styling and elegance of vintage actresses.

The movies I plan to watch are Gang Smashers, Sepia Cinderella, and Hell’s Angels, because Nina Mae McKinney, Sheila Guyse, and Jean Harlow are EVERYTHING.

Oh yeah, I’ll probably also look at some YT videos and start writing up reviews for the items I ordered and tried out recently.

Hmm. . . As I look at it, my weekend doesn’t look very “restful” at all LOL! My “busy” habit is admittedly hard to break. But I’ll pace myself and not overdo it. After all, I need to feel better.

I hope you all are having a fun, fantastic holiday weekend! Make sure that you go out and do something extra fun!