Zen Habits & Creative Spaces
Life is frustrating when there’s so much going on that you can’t focus on doing creative, meaningful work from your core. I think it’s a good idea to pause and read things like this, by people like Leo Babauta. He inspires reflection and tranquility when I think I “can’t take anymore”.
As a sort-of side note, I set up my new work space in the gin room.
The balance of festivity and order that’s necessary for me to be the most inspired and productive is never an easy one to find, but when I find it, results are tangible and rampant.
Here’s to a productive, creative, beautiful week!
xx
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Perfect Summer Style: Neon Pink Jeans
This chic summer ensemble is from a post I broke down “get the look” style over at Denim Therapy—an amazing way to be festive with color and minimal texture/shape.
“The pastel and neon train is in full force for spring/summer, and trust us, we’re riding it! This amazing outfit is comprised of a few simple elements that have real punch, and the result is an electric ensemble that will turn heads.”
1. American Apparel Colored High Waist Jeans
2. Le Steel round-frame metal sunglasses
3. Clara embellished silk and jersey T-shirt
4. Cambridge Satchel Company Green 14″ Satchel
Image via Lookbook.nu.
See the original post here.
xx
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Spring Denim Reviews, Odds & Ends
It’s been a while since I posted up my recent denim reviews, so I thought I would link over to Denim Therapy for some of that action! I have about 7 more pairs lined up to review before spring is out. Gotta get those done—I joined the gym last week so I won’t be the same size for long! ;}
Review: The Fidelity Denim Koro Flare In Nautical Blue
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Review: The MiH Jeans Flare-Leg Marrakesh In Reed
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Review: $20 Denim = Too Good To Be True? H&M Colored Skinny Jeans
Hope you enjoy/find some of these useful. I just got an amazing pair of mint green jeans in the mail that I can’t wait to try on/review. That’s coming up next! Check in with Denim Therapy’s blog and facebook (and amazing repair/tailoring services) for all your denim needs!
xx
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Super Festive Summer DIY: Painting Sticks
…sounds awfully primitive, doesn’t it? But painting sticks as a DIY project is a whimsical way to inject some fun into your otherwise serious day. Decorative sticks can be traced to the tribal use of “Talking Sticks”, which were symbolic sticks held by members of the tribe while holding council. While holding the stick, you had the right to speak. Read more about that here.
I was inspired by this image I came across—painted sticks by Jessica Turnbow.
As fate would have it I was strolling McCarren Park with my other half and came across a huge beautiful stick, perfect for painting (and maybe using as a curtain rod, like we saw in ABC Home last Xmas). We brought it home, but before I took a paint brush to it, I decided to practice on some smaller sticks.
So, the next day I returned to the park and collected a bunch of small sticks, also known as twiggeritos, about as thick as a pen. I painted them for practice, but ended up falling madly in love with them.
First, I cleaned off any dirt or residue that might have been stuck to them. I got some acrylic paint, a brush, a plate, and a cup of tap water for rinsing the brush.
I started by painting stripes around a few of the sticks in one color. Then switched to another color.
I let them dry for a bit before going in for a second coat, adding more colors, etc.
I let them dry on the windowsill in the sun (it only took about 25 minutes since they’re so small).
Then I dug around the kitchen for a small clear candle votive to put them in! Now they sit on my desk like so.
Seeing these little painted neon sticks on my desk while I work reminds me of two things:
1. Don’t take life too seriously. Chill out, have fun, embrace color and fun!
2. Time to go to the park and find more stuff to paint, as soon as my work is done (or maybe during lunch break).
Need some inspiration? Here are a ton of gorgeous painted stick images to spark your imagination. More than you can shake a stick at, actually, ho ho ho!
Stay festive, comrades.
xx
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NYC’s Lady DJ Haruka Salt is a denim-loving bad-ass
I styled and shot this shoot for Denim Therapy two weeks ago with comrade Sarah Greene and the super rad Haruka Salt, a Japanese DJ who stirs up the downtown/Brooklyn nightlife scene weekly. We had fun going through her clothes and dressing her up in five looks! We shot a video too, it goes live on the DT blog later today.
Look 1. Acid wash mid-rise skinny jeans with neon yellow tank top & chain-embellished shoes.
Look 2. Tie-dye skinny jeans with black tank and bright yellow heels.
Look 3. Printed light-wash jeans with screen printed t-shirt & oversized earrings.
Look 4. Lightning bolt printed skinny jeans with pastel purple top and vintage lemon earrings.
Look 5. Black denim mini-skirt with logo t-shirt and white fringe leather cowgirl boots.
She was great to work with. See the original post here for more pics and commentary.
Styled & shot by moi.
xx
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Festive Living Tip 001: Look Closer !
This “tip” for festive living is the beginning of a new series I’m launching on the blog, where I’ll regularly drop in with a quick tip for making the most of your day/week/life in small, appreciative, easy-to-incorperate ways.
Festive Living Tip 001: Look Closer !
Pay attention to textures and surfaces around you during your daily routine. Fabrics, walls, furniture, and facades that you think are beautiful. You’ll find a lot of color and beauty where you least expect it. When you find something you like, photograph it! Soon you’ll have an inventory of pretty macro-visuals to muse over.
Here’s a few I collected.
Got some ideas? Get moving! If you make a blog post, link to it in the comments so I can check it out! ;}
Also, “But I’m not a photographer!” has no merit here as an argument. It takes about 15 seconds to download a good camera phone app (my favorite is Retrocam for taking a lot of pics that you don’t need to upload in order to save, as with some versions of Instagram). With these apps, even subpar photos will come out looking fab. That’s the beauty of modern technology. Have fun with it!
xx
P.S. You’ll find more posts like these in the future by clicking on the Festive Living Tips category.
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The new LF lookbook is just mind blowing in terms of “what I want my summer to look like”. Pink hair, poolside, cut-off shorts (the result of hours of DIY denim destroying fun), aaand sleep over parties with all my best friends who are all models? Sounds good to me.
See the full lookbook here.
What have we learned from this perfect pastel editorial, readers?
♡ Pastel hair may be overdone, but it’s still amazing and (admit it) you want it.
♡ Crocheted tops and dresses are a staple for every festive gal’s wardrobe.
♡ Lilac and peach are two colors you can’t go wrong with. Color block!
♡ Hotpants in printed fabric are easier to wear than solid covers.
Summer, you can’t come soon enough.
xx
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Planning Vs. Surfing (& Super Sunny Photos)
NYC is having a summer weather preview right now. As in, I have minor tan lines and it’s 87° for the third day in a row.
Raffa and I spent the weekend at my parents’ upstate (read: Green paradise. Comes with animals, a starry sky at night, fresh air, a babbling brook, etc). We got back to the city Monday morning at 9AM and eased into the concrete jungle by lounging in Bryant Park for a while before heading to the office. More and more, I’m toying with the idea of spending a substantial amount of time away from the city. We’ll see.
For now, random phone shots from the past few weeks…
Looking forward to a lot more sunshine.
Before I let you go, I read this on Zen Habits yesterday (Leo Babauta is one of my favorite mindful-living bloggers), and I think it’s a good reminder of something I forget while I’m obsessing over progress and to-do lists:
“We are not walking a path, but surfing a sea. Most people look at goal setting as picking a destination, then figuring out a path to get there. That assumes you’re walking on land that will change very little, and that while you will have unforeseen obstacles, you’ll be on stable ground and the destination won’t move. That’s not at all true — life is more like the sea, ever changing with no fixed paths or destinations, with swells and currents and waves that change everything at every moment.
The ultimate skill, then, isn’t setting a destination (goal) or a path (plan), but surfing. In surfing, you take whatever waves come, learn to judge the waves as they come, learn to ride the wave as it changes, not as you planned. It’s going with the flow (literally), and changing what you do depending on how the flow changes.”
See this full post at Zen Habits.
xx
