Song Of The Week! (Nina Simone, Feeling Good)

Yay Me and woo hoooooooo!!  I did it!, I hit my 200 followers goal......and tomorrow is my birthday! I am feelin real good.  Thank you to all of you who followed me and supported me in reaching this milestone, you rock!  What better way to celebrate than with a little Nina Simone, this woman's voice and passion for her music is just phenomenal. And the graphics to this is so cheerful and 1970's groovy...  Enjoy!

Beauty.... Is It Really In The Eye Of The Beholder?

Beauty, what is it really.  Is it in the symmetry of the face, high cheek bones, eye color, hair length, or is it characterized by poise, or grace?   Can it be found in impeccable taste, attention to detail or does it just happen........ organically? For some real beauty is all of the above but for me, it's so much more.

There is no denying that physical beauty is all around us, and it is unfortunately the standard by which we are judged.  We are bombarded by it on television, in magazines, on bill boards, in food stores, literally every where we go.  Products promising to make you look younger, thinner, taller, your teeth whiter .......   But is this really true beauty?   I think not.  In my opinion, looking beautiful is not the same as being beautiful.  True beauty radiates from the inside out.  When you respect and love the person you are on the inside it feels natural to present the best on the outside. The outward appearance is simply mirroring the inside.   


The most beautiful people to me are those who choose not to hide who they really are but instead develop and celebrate their own uniqueness.  People who have the confidence and resilience to not let society compress them into a generic mold.  People who are free in every sense of the word.  


Whether we realize it or not, what  we present to the world is a combination of  what we want to show and what we cannot hide.  This is why even gorgeous people seem ugly after a while once their inner selves are revealed. By the same token, a person who does not meet society's beauty standards at all can be beautiful. Yes, beauty is more than skin deep. 


 Being beautiful is a package deal.  The outside is intrinsically wrapped up with the inside. So, to be  truly beautiful one must fully embrace everything about themselves, both inside and out.

It is  impossible to be jealous of another person or compare oneself to another when you know that you are special, unique and one-of-a-kind.  No one compares to you, thats a fact.  This is the confidence that makes us shine. When you know who you are, you are able to uplift, celebrate and love others unconditionally.  And you know what?  Whether you are in a tent or a palace you will always be beautiful because you are not defined by anything external.  Your beauty comes from  the heart.  


Stay beautiful everyone!  


Cherio!

Fashion Forward & Creative Ways To Rock A silk Scarf

Silk scarfs are hands down one of my favorite accessories.  Ever.   They are chic, beautiful, and can be styled in so many ways.  A silk scarf can also be worn in both Winter and Summer so this is one accessory that is not only versatile, but super practical and in my opinion, worth every cent you spend on it. 

Gone are the days when wearing a silk scarf meant you had to wear something formal. Now you can wear scarfs with tank tops, sun dresses, shorts, and even straw hats and sandals..... We've come a long way baby!

This video showcases 7 creative ways to wear a Hermes scarf, however, the techniques here can be used for any scarf. Check it out! 

Here are some additional inspiration to help you rock your scarfs and a handy little chart that makes me really happy.  It demonstrates 28 easy ways to wear a scarf.  Woo Hoo! 

es-toyaqui

hairstyleswatch

whowhatwear

Image origin unknown

piercemattiepublicrelations

rdaily2

Well, this was so much fun!.   I was sold on the silk scarf already but now am totally smitten.  You just can't go wrong with one of these.  Vive Le silk scarf!


Cherio!

Touched By An Angel

Wanda Mcphee

Two months ago my grandmother whom I love dearly fell critically ill and we almost lost her.  That was a sobering time for not only me but my family on the whole.  You see my grandmother, Sarah, is the matriarch of the family and is the best human being I have ever known.  She is kind, loving, encouraging, funny, nurturing, selfless, smart, wise, forgiving and I can keep on going with the adjectives.  All of them positive, all of them true.  This woman inspires me like no other.

Wanda Mcphee

So when "Grammy" as we affectionately call her fell ill it was as if someone had pushed the "pause" button on my life.  Everything stopped and all that was left was raw nerves and heart ache.  There were so many thoughts going through my head.  I tried to find the positive in it.........nothing.   Finally a call from one of my sisters made all the difference.  My grandmother told her to cheer up and let everyone know (in case she didn't make it) that she had lived a good life and was looking forward to seeing her friends and loved ones who had gone on before her.  She was happy and excited to go to heaven. 

She had experienced a vision prior to falling ill in which she saw heaven in all its splendor and vividly described it to my mother.  She saw lots of people she loved  there and was overwhelmed with peace, love and joy.  In the vision she had stood at the gate wanting to go in so badly but an angel told her that it was not her time yet.  And it wasn't.  Though she is experiencing severe complications from diabetes at the moment she still continues to live life courageously and with joy.  She is thankful for every moment, even if some of those moments are painful.   I am not sure how everything will unfold with Grammy but I know that she will be all right even if this is her time. Her faith and love for  God and the testimony of her life gives me that confidence.   I will see her again.

Cherio!

                            

                            

Fav song of the week!

One of my very dear friends sent this to me and I am so happy she did!.  It is one of the most beautiful compilations I have listened to in a while, it reminds me a little of "we are the world" the way it was done.  Check it out and enjoy!

For The Love of Abstract Art

michelle adams

Hello my lovelies, I hope you are having a great weekend!  And if you're not, this will put a smile on your face.  I promise.  Even if you are not a fan of abstract art like I am, these pieces just have a beauty and life of their own that just makes you feel something.  Even if that something is confusion......like  "what the heck is that?"  You will feel something.  

Rue 

I have always wondered about abstract Art.  At first I could not appreciate it the way I do now.  I guess I thought that ANYONE could do it, so really as far as I was concerned there wasn't much skill involved.  I was so wrong. 

Abstract art is really one of the purest forms of Art.  There are no rules just you, and what you put on the canvas/paper. There is nothing literal to hide behind....nothing to distract from your composition. Nothing. Either it works or it doesn't.  Great abstraction painters are succesful at conveying moods and emotive qualities without painting anything familiar like a face or an animal.....they know balance scale and how to manipulate tonal values and textures.  In other words these people are on their game!  Perhaps they are on a spiritual/emotional plane that we only get to visit occasionally through their art.  How else can we explain Jackson Pollock?  There is definitely a method to the madness.  

 

Jackson Pollock

I have mad respect for all abstract painters now.  Why?  Well, of course I tried painting my own abstract painting. Trust me, it's not nearly as easy as it looks.  Here is my hair pulling 6 hour ordeal earnest attempt at this, it did not turn out anything like I envisioned but hey, I tried and I learned an invaluable lesson in the process.  Thou Shall not judge.  Amen.

If I accomplish anything at all with this post I would like that something to be a thank you to all the Abstract painters out there creating Art that keeps us inspired, challenged, and in love with your work! You guys rock!  

Here are some of my favorites. 

Coco Hearts

decorati

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franz kline

i suwannee

skona hem

eclectic revisited

ken browne art

Elizabeth Chapman

  

Gray Hair And Galactic Boots

I have a question for you.  Do you have the chutzpah, the kahunas,......the I don't give a hoot-ness to rock gray hair?   Well, I think I do.  Not because I am all that, although I am not exactly lacking in the self esteem department..... at all.   No, it has nothing to do with that.   I think I can  rock gray hair simply because I actually like this look.  Gray hair if done well is regal, gorgeous and oh so fly!

Now I know most women won't welcome these little silver intruders with open arms.  As a matter of fact, most of us at the first sighting of a few gray strands leave skid marks in the driveway in our haste to get the "Fixer" in the little bottle.  L'oreal, Clairol, Garnier, wehatever our favorite hair color brand is, we fix the gray pronto!

Well, I on the other hand have been proudly cultivating my few gray strands with joyful anticipation.  I can't wait to have enough  to get a little streak or something going on.  Why? Because it's fabulous!  I am so in love with gray hair.....but then again, I come from a genetic pool of creative, stubborn, spirited and nonconformist people so sometimes I can cook up some stuff in my head that even amazes me.

Do you see these galactic boots ( I named them that), well, my sister bought these because she just knew, that if anyone can rock these, she can!  See what I mean?...this is the gene pool I came from.  As for gray hair, here are some beautiful examples of how beautiful and modern this look can be.  To me it is the glorious evidence that I have been blessed by God to live this long, its a silver/platinum crown, and its down right fierce!

Cherio!

White In Fashion....So Fresh And So Clean!

WHITE.  It's the "must have" component to any girl's Summer wardrobe, and that is definitely not going to change in 2011.  And why should it?   No color is fresher, cooler, cleaner, more effortless.... and lets not even go there with how sophisticated white is.   White is all that and so much more.  

By now you've probably guessed that I am partial to white, and if you have, you are all kinds of right!  I love this color.  I own lots of white clothes and jewelry, most of which are  favorites in my wardrobe.  Every time I wear them I get so many wonderful compliments. 

One of my favorite ways to wear white is to pair it with with tan and metallic accessories.  I especially like white with nude colors and mixed with other shades of white.  So chic! 

Another benefit of white is, it does not absorb heat.  Many of us knew that already but it's great to know that this is actually a scientific fact and not just an old wives tale.  So to recap, white is fierce, fabulous and cool!  Not convinced?....check out the beautiful white ensembles below!  

Cherio!