Month: November 2018

Self

10 Quick Ideas for Self Care

nschristineLeave a comment

alisa-anton-393305

With the holidays around the corner, the stress is starting to mount. So I’m giving a quick list of ten self care coping skills you can use to help make it through the next month.  Here we go!

  1. Try a new makeup technique or color at home.
  2. Pet your pet.
  3. Put a puzzle together (over several days, a little at a time)
  4. Go for a walk around the block.
  5. Give yourself a quick facial.
  6. Color a quick picture.
  7. Phone a friend.
  8. Feed the ducks, squirrels and birds.
  9. Watch a black and white film.
  10. Make yourself hot chocolate or a milkshake.

Easy stuff huh?  Enjoy.

Home

Vintage vs Antique vs Retro

nschristineLeave a comment

negativespace-8

Vintage, antique, retro, words we hear constantly.  We see them in store windows, on online postings and when grandma tells us about her candy dish from the world’s fair.  What does it all mean?  Many use the definitions as interchangeable words.  But are they?  Can misuse represent fraud?  It may not rise to that level hopefully, but it can create confusion.  So after looking at multiple sources and speaking with several people I hope the following can help you to know what you are looking at and what you should look for when shopping.

Vintage is the most common word that gets used for a variety of meanings.  Vintage is actually supposed to be used for wine only.  Yup, vintage refers to the year a wine is made.  It is not supposed to apply to anything else.  However, like everything in society, somethings don’t always follow what they are supposed to.  When the word vintage is used in conjunction with anything other than wine it is meaningless.  You will hear many people say that vintage means from 50 to 100 year old but not less than 20 years.  Having read in many chat rooms that this is the “common” usage.

What is antique?  An antique item is anything over 100 years old.  This is an industry standard.  Easy, and straightforward.

Then, that leaves retro.  What does retro mean?  Retro is imitative of a style, fashion, or design from the recent past.  Something that is outdated but becomes fashionable again. Remember bell bottoms?  They became popular again for a brief time in the 1990’s.  Retro can also apply to furniture, art and other forms of design and art.

I hope this brief tutorial helps you when shopping at your local flea market or on ebay.

 

 

Clothing

10 Fashion Terms To Know

nschristineLeave a comment

marcus-loke-751530-unsplash

Each month I like to list ten different fashion terms and their meanings.  Sometimes, the terms are historical, some are modern, some are even no longer in use.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  There are so many things to know!

1. Shirting- A term for any of a number of fabrics used for men’s and women’s shirts such as broadcloth, chambray, madras, oxford, and poplin.

2. Secondary Line- A version of a company’s popular main line that is produced at a lower cost out of lower priced materials.

3. Ultramarine- Rich deep purple-blue color made from powdered lapis lazuli, or chemicals to reach the same color.

4. Tyrian Purple- Red-Purple Color originally obtained from shellfish found off the shores of Tyre in ancient Palestine.  It was reserved for royalty.

5. Bias Slip- A slip cut on the diagonal of the fabric to give a more body conscious fit, it can stretch to conform to the movements of the body.

6.Silk- Fiber from insects that is produced when they spin their cocoons (a silkworm).  It is strong, resilient and elastic.

7. Cocktail Ring-  A large, noticeable ring that can be real or costume.

8. Lapel Pin- A woman’s pin originally worn on the lapel of a suit.

9. Peignoir- A loose wrap or jacket and skirt set worn by a woman for informal bed clothes or coverings.

10. Millefiore- An Italian word that means thousands of flowers.  Used to describe a tiny flower print in clothing and jewelry.

 

Journaling

10 Journal Prompts for November

nschristineLeave a comment

IMG_1673

1. Can you remember which colors you liked best as a child?

2. When you think of your favorite holiday, what colors do you see?

3. What color do you wish trees would turn in Fall?

4. What holiday is your biggest feast?  What is a traditional meal you eat?  What would you like to eat instead?

5. What are your five favorite things?  If you bring them together what color pallet do you have?

6. What is your favorite clothing style?  From what era is it from?  Who are your clothing icons?

7. Write about your dream wardrobe.  Write about the one you have for your current life.  Then write about the wardrobe you would have for your dream life. How do they differ?  How are they the same?

8. What color was your bedroom growing up?  How did it change as you aged?

9. What does you current home look like aesthetically?  How about past homes? What is one feature you wish your current home has?

10. List the major holidays you recognize.  Do you decorate for them?  What are the decorations?

Self

Goal Updates

nschristine4 Comments

alisa-anton-393305

In September I posted a list of goals that I wanted to accomplish.  I thought that I had written fairly small and easy goals for myself. I guess I was wrong.  I’m going to go through each goal and tell you how far I got.   How are you at accomplishing your goals?  I am usually really good at it.  However, like most people there are some things that I just want to put off.

The first thing on the list was drink more water.  As I said before, I hate water.  I really do. I haven’t done very well on this goal at all.  I have started having a glass of water with breakfast.  I still need to incorporate more.  I have started trying to drink LaCroix water.  I’m not 100% on it yet.  I will keep searching for a new flavor.

Number two goal was walking the dog.  I’ve made zero progress on this goal.  My dog has not been happy with me.  She now ignores me when I call her in from the yard.  She just gives me a sort of “fuck you” look.  I thought it was because we got cats.  It could be the no walks though.  My husband walks her.  I haven’t been.  I am a bad dog mommy.

Eat more fruits and veggies was my third goal.  This is one I’ve been able to achieve.  It really has helped that we decided to subscribe to Hello Fresh.  They always have great veggies with their meals.  This is not a paid sponsorship.  I pay for it myself.  The variety has really helped my well being too.

In the fourth spot it was working on my blog more.  I have done this a little bit.  I’ve made some minor headway.  My goal was to have a regular time to blog per day.   Hopefully, I can get that to work.

Fifth spot is read more.  I love reading.  Given what has been going on in my life over the last couple of years, reading has gone by the wayside.  My to be read bookshelf is overflowing.  I need to get back on track reading wise.  I am currently reading “The Art of Living Danishly.”

Sleep was my sixth goal.  I’ve always been an insomniac.  I cannot remember ever having a relaxing or refreshing sleep.  Recently, I’ve been put on some additional sleep medication and it is helping a bit.  I am sleeping longer but tired when I get up.  Hopefully, it will all work out soon.

Self-Care.  One of my additional goals was selfcare.  I know it’s such a buzz word but it is needed in my life now.  I’m just not doing a very good job lately.  I need to register myself for some massages.  My chiropractor said my muscles are really stiff and need to be worked. I need to get on that.  I also need to schedule everything else due to the holiday season.  Appointments book up fast.

My last goal was to go places.  I need to get out of the house.  I’ve done pretty well in October.  Fall leaves, pumpkin walks and other things.  I hope to keep this up for November.

What goals have you been working on?