Style Tips: Mimosas In The Bathtub!
1 May 2012, 12:02
Make a regular date to meet your lover in the bathtub… with mimosas. I love this idea so much, though I can’t take credit for it! When I had dinner with Shae last week, she told me that it was her favourite way to end the day! She & her husband have a standing date where they meet in the bathtub with mimosas & discuss the events of the day. They do this every evening! Isn’t that perfect? I can’t think of a better meeting place.
Photo by Pamela Hanson.
Bring back the phonecall! Do you remember back in the ’90s when all you ever wanted to do was talk on the phone? Do you remember how everyone in your class at school envied that girl who had a private telephone line installed in her room? Do you remember dangling upside down on your bed, talking & talking & talking until your ear got sweaty & your elbow cramped up? ME TOO, & I miss it!
I phoned my friend the other day & she didn’t answer, then texted back saying, “Did you butt dial me?”
No, I didn’t butt dial you! I wanted to talk to you on the PHONE, as opposed to trying to convey every single emotion, thought & feeling via text message. Frankly, my thumbs are over it, & the rest of me is too! We all have this major phone phobia thing going on right now & I want to do my part to call an end to it!
So… Call your friend instead of texting them. They might be surprised, stunned, a little shell-shocked at first, but you’ll enjoy yourselves way more than the exchange of a few text messages, I promise!
Use tea tins as vases… or really, anything you like! The days of being restricted to using a glass vase are long gone. I love the way buds look in Harney & Sons tea tins! See?! Gorgeous!
You can also use a big glass cookie jar, a teapot, a skull goblet, or even an old boot! (Just hide a vase inside it!)
Once you start thinking about it, you’ll realise that the possibilities are truly endless!
Be inspired by Sonia Rykiel, & glue faux-pearls to your sunglasses! I love these sunglasses but the truth is that Sonia Rykiel’s designs don’t come cheap. The good news is this would be a 15 minute DIY if you’re handy with a tube of glue!
Just find a pair of cheap frames that you love, then hit up a craft store. Be sure to pick pearls (or other embellishments!) which fit the width of the frames… & don’t feel like you have to use pearls, either! Crystals, studs or beads would make just as much of an impact!
Images from MariaFrancescaPepe A/W ’12 Look Book.
Celebrate Beltane! Yes! It’s Beltane TODAY! Beltane is the last of the 3 spring fertility festivals. It’s a celebration of fire, fertility & abundance. Fertility isn’t just about getting pregnant, by the way: it’s also about new projects, fresh starts, & reaping what you sow. It’s about celebrating life. It’s also a time when the veil between the worlds is said to be at its thinnest.
How can you welcome Beltane? Wear flowers in your hair, & bright colours! Gather your friends: eat, drink & be merry! Fire is a major part of Beltane, so light candles & think about what you want to come to fruition over the next few months…
You can read more about Beltane here!
Love, always!
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Radical Self Love Lifestyle Tip #2: Celebrate Everything!
18 January 2012, 16:13
The world is full of small wonders. Who can argue with the magnificence of baby teeth or big fluffy clouds? Who could deny the beauty of a pink convertibles, or a plane streaking its way across a blazing sky? There is so much beauty in small things, like discovering a stray sequin on the footpath, or finding a $20 bill in your pocket. What would life be without first kisses, & the first snowfall of the season?
These things are worth celebrating, & there are always more. Make it your duty to delight in the details.
Create altars in your home. Build devotionals to your charmed life. Decorate shelves & windowsills with photos, candles, flowers & little statues, & light matches every night. When you do, take a moment to think about your blessings.
Remember: When you feel stuck, ensnared, entangled & embroiled, you have a choice. You can choose to see the magic & the wonder — even though it might be difficult — or you can choose to focus on the problems. You’ll always get more of what you think about…
Choose to infuse your life with burning candles & birthday cake, whenever possible.
Photo of Christina Aguilera by Ellen Von Unwerth.
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Style Tips: Dinner Parties, Video Diaries & Long Train Journeys!
2 February 2011, 09:37
Photo by Adam Bartas
Feel like you need a change? Buy a box of hair dye & radically alter your tresses! (Remember that if you stain floors or counters by mistake, whitening toothpaste scrubbed into the surface will make it look good as new again!)
Recite your affirmations over breakfast (like sweet Katie E. does!).
Stop carrying plastic bags. It’s not chic & it’s terrible for the planet. When the cashier asks if you’d like a bag, say NO! Whip out your own. They fold up teeny-tiny, so you can keep one in your handbag at all times. Walking around with a bunch of plastic bags is not sexy. Look, it’s in the New York Times so it must be true! If you’re not sure where to get a good canvas tote bag, try Etsy!
Dress as your favourite fictional heroine this week. Lily from Black Swan? Marla from Fight Club? Cassie from Skins? How would they dress if they were sucked into a time machine & spat out into your life?
If the cold weather’s got you down, one of the best ways to feel better is by doing something good for someone else. Who could you help & how could you do it?
Leave an orgasm on someone’s voicemail… !
Take a long train journey. Pack a little bag with some snacks & your camera, & make a day trip out of it!
Come up with a motto for 2011. One of my favourites is sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc: we gladly feast on those who would subdue us. (Thanks, Addams Family!)
Order yourself stationery with your name at the top, so you can write thank you notes with flair! Alternatively, design postcards which say “From the desk of ________” on the back. They make for excellent notecards! (Be sure to stock up on coloured markers for writing on the back, too!)
Go ice-skating & teach yourself tricks! (Extra effort: Wear something short & sparkly!)
Hold a dinner party every week. Make sure there is plenty of bread, soup & dessert. Invite your favourite people, do your best not to start a fire in the kitchen, & stay up late drinking wine.
Start making a video diary of your life! Save up & buy yourself a FlipCam, learn how to use a video editing program (I love iMovie, it’s super-easy!), & let the documentation commence! (Imagine how funny it will be to watch in 20 years!)
Light big bunches of candles every night.
Buy yourself an amazing, hilarious pair of slippers!
Northern hemisphereans! Remember that it’s winter—& it’s meant to be a slow, resting, regenerative period. If you’re feeling guilty for not doing a million things like usual, let it go. Use this time to learn & think & restore yourself!
Southern hemisphereans! Remember that it’s summer—so GET PSYCHED! It’ll be over before you know it. Get out there, go swimming, have an ill-advised romance, & enjoy it!
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Style Tips: 11th October 2010
11 October 2010, 18:25
Haven’t done one of these whooo-oh-oaah, for the longest time! (Sorry, Billy.) Let’s resurrect these suckers… !
Monday 11th October
Change your cellphone number! The people who matter will reconnect with you; the people who don’t won’t. It’s the easiest (& least confrontational) way of removing the dead weight from your life! You can do it every year if you feel like it — it’s enormously freeing.
Tuesday 12th October
Do this on every Tuesday from now on! Write in your Filofax, Moleskine, calendar page or phone, “Organise weekend”! This way, you’ll always have something to do, you have three days to prepare & get excited about it, & you can give anyone else you want to bring along ample notice! (Thanks, Tim Ferriss!)
Wednesday 13th October
Decide to do two new things this coming season (be it winter or summer)! A season is a great span of time to make something happen. Want to learn to appreciate wine? Undertake an ambitious art project? Start growing orchids? Research it & make it happen!
Thursday 14th October
Start organising long dinners which involve three friends or more! (This is another Tim Ferriss special!) Decide to make it a regular event, even though you need be the only “regular” there. Set a slow tone & let it ease into the night. Share a bottle of wine & make the table a sacred place where anything said can be kept there if necessary. It’s good for the soul & provides a life-affirming kind of structure!
Friday 15th October
Listen to your intuition. That thing you don’t feel quite right about? Say no to it. Saying no doesn’t make you difficult — it makes you someone who values their own truth.
Saturday 16th October
Learn how to make an amazing chocolate drink! Hot? Cold? Alcoholic? It’s up to you, but start doing some research on recipes & the very best chocolate drink mix. It will make you so happy!
Sunday 17th October
Get over your ex once & for all. C’mon baby, it’s SO over! Don’t dwell any longer. Look to your future & embrace the incredible love affairs that are approaching!
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Style Tips: 7th December 2009
7 December 2009, 20:19
Monday 7th December
Have a bed party as soon as you can! I am having one right now, & have been having one all day! Just me, Hank Williams, my brand new MacBook Pro (!!!) & a mug full of magical potion. It’s just what a dreary Monday demanded!
Tuesday 8th December
Celebrate Rohatsu, aka Bodhi Day (成道会), which is when Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha!) reached a higher consciousness over 2000 years ago. If meditation is something you already do, have an extra-long meditation session or commit to doing it more regularly. If you’ve never tried it or only dabbled, you could even decide that today is the day you’re going to start. Have a look at Tina Su’s tips on how to begin.
Wednesday 9th December
Pick one book you’ve been meaning to read for ages — something that’s a bit overwhelming — & devote yourself to completing it this summer or winter. Nothing is better on a beach than a good book, & reading is one of the best ever cold weather activities!
Thursday 10th December
Have a Japanese feast! Invite a friend over to make sushi if you’re so inclined, or if you tend to be more disaster & less DIY when it comes to the kitchen, order from your favourite Japanese restaurant. Eat cross-legged on the floor while watching a great movie. Battle Royale, Ichi the Killer or Kamikaze Girls are all excellent choices!
Friday 11th December
Think about a class you’d like to take next year. It could be anything, from life drawing to homeopathy to gourmet cooking classes. (I am going to take a creative writing course & a jewellery-making course for starters! Maybe also another make-up artistry course & I have been saying this forever but I am dying to start French lessons again!) Start doing some research, see when they start & when you need to enroll. Then either put your name down or start putting money away!
Saturday 12th December
Work out a way to experience the opposite temperature of the place you’re in now. If you’re in chilly climes, spend some time in a sauna, swim in a heated pool, or just lie in bed with your electric blanket on & an MP3 of crashing waves on loop. If it’s sweltering hot where you are, find a walk-in freezer, fill your bathtub with bags of ice or watch some snow fall while drinking (frozen?!) lemon & honey!
Sunday 13th December
Switch up your inspiration. Surely you’ve had the same pictures hanging up in your apartment for too long! Do you even notice them any more? Move them around, find some new ones, or take them all down completely & start fresh!
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