Me in Melange

New Year, Old Loves

 

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I have always felt they were jinxed from the start by putting on the pressure to succeed.

But this year I have found a way to make a resolution, with no pressure!  The resolution is: to remember something I loved to do when I was little, and do it again.

What did you love to do when you were young? What was it that you always looked forward to, and didn't want to stop doing? Was it dancing? Was it drawing?

 

For me, it was horses. I was one of those horse girls, the crazy ones, the ones that wanted to be on the United States Equestrian Team. I rode and rode for years, and collected horse models by the hundreds. Gradually, I gave my time more and more to other things...friends, boys, rock and roll. The typical story of late adolescence. But I never lost my love for horses, or for riding.

So, I decided to get back to the barn. I looked online and chose the prettiest stable I could find, where the horses looked sleek and happy, and signed up for riding lessons. I still have my old riding boots and breeches, so I showed up, wore one of their student helmets, and met the sweetest mare in all the world, the aptly named "Angel".

I got to groom Angel, and tack her up, and met all of the other horses in the stalls who poked their heads over the doors to sniff Angel, and get carrots from me. It was such a treat. The barn is truly another world with the spicy smells of wood shavings and horses, leather and hay. The sounds of hooves stomping, and the old feeling of being with the animals, kissing their soft noses, lifting Angel's hooves to clean them, finding my saddle in the tack room, was like a balm to my soul. I had returned to a place where I was just me, not mom, not wife, not daughter or sister, just me and the horses. It was totally zen!

After a couple of hours I was tired, and sore, and ready to return to my regular world. I was excited to tell my family about the experience, and I was really ready for a shower. As I drove up the freeway in dirty riding pants and muddy boots, I felt pretty rad. My soul felt refreshed and rejunivated., and I felt strong, interesting, and empowered!

I felt even better after a shower. As I turned to my usual routine of making dinner, and tending to the household needs, I felt different, settled, happy, even fulfilled.

New Year's Resolution? Find that glow! Think of what made you happy when you were small, and give it another try!    

xoxo Happy New Year!

Sheer Delight on the Streets of Italy

Humanity comes together to shine on the streets of Italy. Happy New Year, Earth!!!

Juicy Last-minute Stocking Stuffers!

I think the christmas stocking is underrated. Instead of a quick pit-stop on the way to the real gift-opening activity, I like to see it as a time luxuriate in anticipation of what's next. What is next to come out of the stocking, and what is next to come throughout the day. Christmas day is often rushed and over far too soon, so I see the stocking-opening as a way to prolong the pleasure. And who doesnt love the look of a plump christmas stocking, full of tantalizing items that poke out of the top as if Santa just stuffed them there himself.

In addition to the usual chocolate and small, useful items one usually finds in a stocking, I love to add a few special gifts, and wrap them in tissue or a box with a bow to add a little glamor and surprise to the experience. Wrapping  things also slows down the process, allowing you time to savor the pleasure of pulling off ribbons, and opening small boxes, and enjoying each small gift, followed by the anticipation of reaching down into the stocking for whatever is next! So fun!

When I was a child I used to get an orange in the toe of my xmas stocking, every year. Maybe Laura Ingalls Wilder would have relished an orange as a rare and exotic treat, but I'm afraid I did not. So every year my stocking was deceptively heavy and dissapointing at the same time.

So, as an adult I was out to change all that!

First of all, I replaced that orange from my stocking with a CHOCOLATE ORANGE. The kind you whack on the counter so the pieces fall apart. Now that is a proper finish to a xmas stocking!

Here are some more suggestions for a great stocking for that extra-cool woman in your life, mother? Daughter? Sister? Best Friend? Or even, dare we say, YOU? : 

 

A beautiful piece of jewelry, like this fabulous "Saucy Leather Necklace" from Sartori Rue. Wrap this in pretty tissue and tie it with a bow so it comes out of the stocking as a little present in itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or, these lovely colorful drop earrings, also from Sartori Rue. In a little box with a tiny ribbon, any lady on your list will love these!

 

 

 

A sweet little cami, in a netural color, rolled up. This will help fill out the stocking so it looks smooth and full.

 

 

Or, you could roll up a beautiful scarf and tuck that in, too. 

 

(More chocolate.)

 

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add a splash of luxury with this gorgeous belt from Eileen Fisher!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These colorful wristlets from Pistil!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wrap up these silver blessing bars for a pretty, heartfelt stocking stuffer.

 

 

 

(More chocolate. )

 

 

 

 

A piece of original artwork. A small painting or handmade card, handmade magnet or bookmark, adds character and sweet charm to your stocking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, if you want to make her cry with joy, put this beauty in a little box and tuck it right next to the chocolate. A sure-fire xmas hit.

I believe the stocking is an underappreciated and high enjoyable xmas tradition. I like it as a place to surprise and delight. I like it to not only hold a day's worth of chocolate and a great pair of socks, but also a treasure or two, and an unexpected twist.

Order today and it will still get there in time for your stocking stuffing!

 

 

 

the Power of Peace

The world can seem like a chaotic, frightening place sometimes. Even under the best of circumstances it is easy to feel dischord and anxiety, and stress, and ironically often during the time of year when we're supposed to feel most joyful!

Of course there are all kinds of ways to combat anxiety, fear, and tension, but a short list of my favorites always seem to work, no matter what! Here they are, and hopefully they can help you or someone you love to relax and enjoy the holidays as they truly ought to be enjoyed. The same steps, taken consistently will improve the quality of our lives all year long.

1. Go to nature. Find the most remote nature spot that it is convenient to get to. A nearby forest, ocean, lake, or river would be magnificent, but if these aren't handy, then go to the nearest park, or canyon road, or field. Once in the nature spot of your choice, stop. Stand there. Listen. Listen to the wind, if there is any. Listen to the trees in the wind. To the water. To the silence. To any animal noises, and keep listening for at least ten minutes. Breathe. Breathe in and out, slowly, feeling the fresh air enter your lungs, and clean out your mind. When you are ready, walk. Walk easily, lightly, and listen to nature speaking around you. The tweet of the birds, the distant bark of a dog, and keep breathing.Going to nature and slowing down your movements gets you in touch with a natural rhythm that is our real world. This creates a vibration inside you that is in synch with the natural world and provides a deep renewal of your energies. If you can, spend some hours here, and return often. If you can't, then spend a half an hour, and come back as soon as possible.

 

2. Look at your xmas activity list (or daily to do list), and make sure that everything on that list is something that you WANT to do, and is of a duration that makes you feel BETTER, not exhausted, for having done it. Do not shop for presents you do not want to give. Do not feel as though you have to make xmas perfect for anyone else. Make it perfect for you, and others will love it too. If the people you're working so hard for see you stressed and upset, it will cancel out your hard work to make them happy. I don't do holiday cards anymore after having made them for 15 years. Instead I do a small amount of xmas baking and give it to whoever is handy. I also don't make an annual xmas trip to the coast anymore, that my family does every year, because it is always terrible driving weather and causes me great anxiety. Instead, I have a very small family dinner at my house, with only the food I want to make, and everything else bought at Trader Joes. In this way I still honor my family, celebrate the holidays, but relieve my stress and allow my activities to be joyful. If you radiate joy, and spread your love of the holiday in whatever form is best for you, then others will feel it, too!

3. Eat well. The holidays are hard, but except at actual parties or dinners, you can keep to a delicious, healthy eating plan. Avoid meat, dairy, white flour, sugar, and alcohol. They are toxic and create an imbalance in your body leading to poor sleep, painful gas, fatigue, general lethary, and depression! Instead enjoy fresh fruit juices (yum, mango juice!), soy egg nog (delicious, and no salmonella threat!), whole grain rolls with Earth Balance vegan butter (dreamy!), sweet potatoes, fruit-sweetened jam, handfulls of toasted almonds, spiced rice dishes, deeply satisfying lentil soup! There are thousands of scrumptious, healthy alternatives to holiday junk food that will not only make your tastebuds sing, but make your body feel amazing!!!

4. Sleep well. Another essential rejuvination that leads to a higher quality of life and less stress. Get into the habit of going to bed at the same time every night. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, and  you are not woken up by a television or someone taking a late night shower, or by street noise. I had to move my bed downstairs into the basement because of these factors, and it is bliss. I have fixed it all up and it is a very quiet, cozy place to sleep and I sleep so much better because of it!

I have all kinds of fine-tuning adjustments to these four basic steps to relieve stress and improve your life, but this is a good place to start. If we can rejuvinate our spirits, if we can spread happy joy throughout our  day, then we can influence others to do the same, and gradually spread peace throughout the world.

Happy Holidays and Peace on Earth to All!

How to Rock Holiday Sparkle, every day!

Style Star: Giovanna Battaglia

We've fallen in fashion love with the chic-est woman on the planet, Giovanna Battaglia, editor of L'Uomo Vogue, fashion stylist, and contributor to W Magazine. She has the incredible knack of combining power pieces that look classic, but edgy and sophisticated at the same time! And every silhouette she chooses works, never making her look too old or young, and always totally nailing the context in which she wears it. Her combinations of wild print and texture, along her classic looks that always have a totally orginal twist, make her style the coolest we've seen in a long time.

Brava Giovanna! We're big fans!

The Sartorialist features her often.

Check out her fun facebook page!

 

Vintage Christmas Charm

 

We're a HUGE fan of vintage everything.From Victorian to Deco, Art-Nouveau to Modernist Mid-Century, we're hooked. But the key to really making your vintage collections chic and not shabby, cool and not cluttered, is to use it sparingly, or put a collection together so it works as one large statement element.

Case-in-point: our xmas tree.

Though I'm positively a FOOL for holiday magic, I abhore holiday clutter. Too much red and green will make my teeth ache and suck the joy right out of Christmas. So I do a very soft, minimalist christmas, full of fresh clean natural pine and wood, and white lights. This feels very zen, and allows the sweet magic of the season to grow, rather than shrivel from the overstimulation of too many Santas, inflatable candy canes, and neon purple blinking lights! (When did neon purple become a xmas color, anyway?)

 

My grandmother lived in Santa Monica, Ca. all her life, but she loved to travel. Wherever she went she purchased xmas ornaments and brought them home for her own, massive flocked tree. I remember as a child lying under that tree, while it actually revolved above me playing christmas tunes, and watching the beautiful, perfect christmas ornaments she collected sparkle over my head. Wooden ornaments from Germany, porcelaine from Swizterland, shells from Spain. It was really a wonder, lying there, smelling the pine and enjoying a perspective none of the adults ever saw. (unless they also lay under the tree, after I had gone to bed. Which I doubt.)

Now, I hang some of those same ornaments on my tree, though I skip the flocking, and my tree stand does not revolve. The beautiful old things still glint magically next to the little white lights every year, and still cheerfully bring the christmas spirit to life.

"O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,You give us so much pleasure!
How oft at Christmas tide the sight,
O green fir tree, gives us delight!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure! "