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'Chocolat', Diane Keaton, diva, fashion, personal style, red shoes

What constitutes your personal style?

Emily



“Why can’t you wear black shoes like all the other mother’s?” whined Anouk, to her mother, Vianne, from the movie Chocolat. She seemed bothered that all the townspeople thought different of her mom because she had a very original style (among other, more questionable traits)-that emerged from having the confidence to wear red high heels on a daily basis. Good for her. And I mean that sincerely.

Have you ever met someone that has a signature sense of style? They always seem put together and have a look that’s all their own. I’m not saying it’s totally important, but it is a fun thing to do. Do any of you know Diane Keaton loves turtlenecks? Yes, she wears them quite often and that alone, could be her signature style. In Diane’s movie, “Something’s Gotta Give,” her character, (like her real life self) wears turtlenecks in almost every scene. Remember Barbara Bush’s double pearl necklace she wore on most public appearances? Can you think of any other women you know, both famous and average Janes who’ve managed to capture a unique style that’s all their own?

How do you achieve a signature style? Think about your hair style. Do you sweep your hair up into a French twist every moring before you head to the office, or do you have a sexy, swingy short style that makes you immediately recognizable from a distance?

Stop and think about the things you love to wear. How about donning a fashionable scarf that gives you a bit of a rock star vibe-maybe a silky neckscarf will transform you into a chic faux French woman, if that’s what you’re going for. Some gals carry a trademark type of purse. Do you have a signature pair of eyeglasses you wear regularily that make you look really smart and at the same they scream “I’m a creative Diva!” An example of a woman with a sassy style is Helle Greer. She’s looks so fabulous with her artsy black frames and her very cute hair style.

When you’ve read everything here, hop over to her blog. She has a very recognizable look that’s all her own.

Are you someone who prefers a clutch over a large shoulder bag? If you do, make clutches your signature style. Have various clutches in different colors and sizes. (I own one that was used as a prop on Sex and the City. It’s vintage and divine!) Use your imagination, and seek out something colorful and fashionable that speaks your name. If you strive for a signature style, just figure out what it is you really like to wear or accessorize with often enough make it into a regular, personal fashion statment. Remember, too, it isn’t just clothing and accessories that help create your unique look, it can be something as simple as wearing the same color lipstick.

I mention red shoes at the beginning of this post because for a time I liked wearing red shoes. It was a pleasant surprise while watching Chocolat to see Vianne had the same fashion sensibility as myself-she loved her red high heels. I own a pair of red Mary Janes similiar to the ones the girl above is wearing. I don’t feel sexy in them, but I do feel a bit sassy, and artsy. There’s just something about red shoes that sets you apart from the rest.

I’m am in the process of finding my own signature style. For one, my long, blond hair is what makes me noticable and familiar. I just purchased a new pair of sassy glasses, and maybe those will morph into a personal fashion statement.

I think thrift shops are a great place to start when begining to search out a signature style or if you already have it figured out, it makes a fantastic, inexpensive place to collect the things you love. You can find so many wonderful, vintage items for a song. Discover the thrill of the hunt and make the second hand shops a weekly shopping event. You just may be able to discover something that suits your fancy and spells out your name. Have fun!

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It’s a wrap….my birthday is almost over.

Emily


Today, I woke up to a very sick kid. My 18 year old, Scott, came in my room around 8am to inform me he was feeling terrible. He had severe sharp pains in the top of his left lung, a really high fever and chills so bad his teeth were chattering. He really scared me because the pain was so bad it brought him to tears, and that doesn’t happen often with 18 year old guys. I gave him 3 motrin and a vicodan to take the edge off the pain and help him relax. I called the Dr. and got him in at 5pm tonight. Dr’s diagnosis? The kid has pneumonia. That doesn’t surprise me, considering the fever and chest pain and difficulty he had breathing. He’s on antibiotics now and should be fine.

I ran out in between time this morning to Lane Bryant to cash in my Real Women Dollars. I picked up some goodies for myself for my birthday. When I got home, I was greeted by a big beautiful bouquet of colorful flowers on the kitchen table. They were from my out of town husband and the card read, “Love you. Miss you. Be home soon! Happy Birthday, love Larry.

What a pleasant surprise. They are so pretty and were such a surprise! Thank you Larry, I love them!

My kids had tidied up the house while I was gone and Scott’s girlfriend had a batch of cupcakes going in the oven. What a sweet girl, she’s knows just what I love–cupcakes!

And so ends another birthday. It was definately different! Oh by the way, remember the Emily-ISM about having something special to do and coming down sick? Scott had that exact problem today. He was scheduled to go to a concert tonight in downtown Chicago. He’s had the tickets for 4 months now. He was so sick, he decided to sell them to a friend for a 1/3 of what he paid for them. Go figure. Life does throw us a curve ball now and then. At least we have cupcakes to console us.
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Emily-ISMS

Emily

During these wee early hours of my 45th birthday, allow me to share with you a sampling of the little bits of ironies and lessons I’ve learned thoughout my life. These kinds of things happen to me on a fairly regular basis. Some are funny, but dang it, they all are true. You may even be able to empathize with me on a few of these ”Emily-isms”…

1.) No sooner do I get all settled on the sofa with a good book, my steaming hot cup of coffee and my feet up all comfy that the the dog starts whining to go out side and pee. Grrr..

2.)It’s only after I’ve been sitting at a red light for a few minutes that I decide to reapply my lipstick. I open the case, pull the visor mirror down and at the moment I touch it to my lips- the light turns green. In fact, when I’m really in a hurry, and find myself suck behind a red light, I pull my lipstick out and begin the process, knowing that this alone will make things go my way, hahahah!

3.) I could be completely healthy all year. My friends and I plan a getaway weekend to NYC 6 months in advance. The day before I leave I come down with stomach flu and don’t feel like going anywhere except the sofa and toilet. Now why does that happen?

4.)When I lose something, I know better than to spend precious time looking for it. Surely I’ll search for a few moments to give the object a chance to be where I thought I left it, but inevitably, it will turn up sometime in the near future when I least expect it-and frankly after I’ve completely forgotten about it. It happens to me every time. The most recent item I misplaced was my favorite attachment to our new Dysan vacuum. I lost it over a month ago, and just last Saturday, it turned up on the shelf of my pantry, waaaaay in the back, completely by accident and much to my delight!

5.)I have this little inner voice that guides me sometimes. It’s almost like this little voice has the power to see into the future and warn me of things that may cause me or someone else harm. For instance, when my son was very little, I realized he was not in sight and knew he was in the kitchen. Something told me, “go check on David NOW!” At that moment, he had a fork and was about to stick it into an electric socket. Wow! That’s the same voice that tells me to put the forks in the dishwasher tines down (a cat will surely leap on the counter at that moment, lose its footing and land on the silverware caddy and suffer death by sharp fork), and other important messages like those. The times in the past when I’ve ignored that ‘voice’ are the times when something happened exactly as I was warned. I’ve learned the hard way not to ignore that voice.
6.)Always, always when I look forward to something, it usually turns out that I hate it or it wasn’t nearly as wonderful as I had anticipated. It’s only when I dread something, it turns out to be kinda fun. Who’da thunk?

7.) That sweet, pet rat Rupert, who licks my finger when rub his fur with it though his cage will turn into a savage alley swine and bite my nose if I stick that through the cage bars instead. Stop laughing, I learned this valuable lesson the hard way and probably have a little scar on my nose to prove it. I think my feelings were hurt worse in that incident.

There are plenty more of these little Emily-ISMS, and I will post more as I think of them. I bet you can hardly wait.

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An early quirky birthday present to me…

Emily

I’m so sick tonight with an awful head cold. The hubby is in Florida with my youngest, and I’m here enjoying my down time, regardless of my runny nose and throbbing sinuses. I was passing the time, just my laptop and me when I hit this Etsy shop. The seller’s name is Paraphenalia . They are located in England. I love quirky, funky jewelry, especially vintage ladies. I’m especially taken with that huge fish on her head. I just had to have this brooch, so I ordered it and now I await it’s arrival.

So, I’m going to curl up and continue to search Etsy some more…you never know what you’ll find and end up with when you make the excuse of having a birthday around the corner a reason to spend, spend, spend!
aging, menopause, middle age, self-esteem

I can see clearly now, to my horror…

Emily

Yesterday I was wearing some trial contacts all day with the hope that they will be comfortable enough to commit to. My desire is to finally chuck the eyeglasses that have become a part of my face since 1st grade. A few things happened after I suction cupped those babies to my eyeballs.

1. Everything looks larger to me, including my feet and my body. When I check myself in the mirror, I don’t look the same as I did before when I was wearing my glasses. Is it possible that eyeglasses can make things look smaller ? (I do have a super strong prescription.) Nevertheless, I’m not as small (haha) as I thought. And my size 11’s seem gynormous. My feet even look wickedly wide. GASP.

2. My glasses, I find, have masked diagonal smile lines that run from the outside corners of my eyes, right down towards my cheeks. I never noticed them so much as I did yesterday.

3. I can see so much clearer with the contacts and have confirmed what I kind of suspected-I have a crop of grey/or white hairs replacing my blond. Oh my gosh.

4. With the contacts, I can’t even read small print. With my specks, I had no line bifocals, and was able to read somewhat naturally. With contacts, I have a blaring reminder that I’m frickin’ going blind and getting old, too boot. In order to read anything, I have to wear +1 reading glasses, combined with the contacts. I’m already scouting out those chains that will hold the reading glasses around my neck. My husband said I looked cute, sitting there reading with my +1’s and looking out at him over the frames. Sounds like I looked like an old bat to him, doesn’t it?

Okay. Deep breath. I am aging. Surprise! Did I actually think I was immune to the wrinkle fairy? (Yep. I did.) I’m going to be 45 next week on the 27th. Yes, this flighty bird has just hit the window (er the mirror) and has realized she’s not young anymore. And as for the apparent magnification of my body, well, I guess the only cure for that is continued exercise and healthy eating.

(Here comes the pep talk. You know, I’m not gonna end this on a negative note. My job is to empower and lift up myself and everyone else who might be reading this and going through the same thing as me.)

As harsh a realization as all of the above is, to some extent I do welcome it. I definately don’t dread it. Sure, it would be nice to be young, sexy and whatever forever. But, that doesn’t match what’s going on in my brain. You see, pretty much all women, during their 40s suddenly get this amazing dose of self confidence and a wave of wisdom that hits us seemingly overnight. And if it hasn’t happened to you, trust me, you will not go unscathed. Where does it come from ? Physiologically, it’s a brain thing-A new stage in our life. But, it’s what I call a gift from the heavens. How incredible it feels to finally come into my own. For me, it arrived on my 40th birthday, along with my very first night sweat that so thoughtfully introduced itself that same evening. To console myself, I think back at how I enjoy the company of smart, confident older women. I see them as post menopausal mentors. I love how self confident some of them are-how they seem to be so sure in their shoes. They don’t even seem to care if they have wrinkles. After all, there are more important things to concern themselves with like learning new things, speaking their minds, and fostering relationships with their families and girlfriends. And who needs youthful looks anyway, when you can finally navigate through life on your wits alone?

I’m even thinking about my ‘older lady haircut’. Should I keep my hair long and let it go naturally grey, (which is where I tend to lean toward) or should I succumb to the norm of most older women and have a shorter, more mature style? For me, that would be a chance to try out the ‘stacked inverted bob’ that’s really popular right now. I love how it looks on other women, and when it’s cut right, it’s fantastic. I’m dying to try it, much to the disappointment of my husband who loves my hair long and tells me my face is too fat for short hair. (He is brutally honest, he is. Or is he just trying to manipulate me into keeping my hair long by poking jabs at my vanity?) Whatever. This confident gal will someday have the nerve to say, “Hey! It’s my hair. Listen here, grandpa, it’s time to let me wear it the way I want to wear it, for cripes sakes!” Something tells me I love him too much to be that harsh. After all, if he loves my mane that much, how could I be such a bitch?

I would like to delay the inevitible lines on my face, if possible. Lately, when I whisk my make up on, I notice my skin isn’t tight anymore. I’m getting a bit saggy under the eyes. Crap. So, I ordered the new Anew day time, night time and eye cream from Avon. I’m $80 in the hole, but maybe it will work magic on my face. I just want to help myself look better if it’s possible. That’s all. I just want to be a natural, unpretentious woman with smooth skin, long gray hair and a youthful mind set. I’m sure I will get to that “devil may care” stage in my mature years, but in order to get there, I’ve got to notice the changes in myself and mourn them just a little. After all, the face I used to see everyday is changing and that young girl is going away. I must acknowledge her departure and accept it before I can move forward. I wouldn’t be human if it didn’t make me just a little bit sad. And with any luck, that woman waiting just around the corner will be a new, more confident, wiser version of my old self that will accompany me as I march ahead on my journey. Now it’s time to pick myself up by my bootstraps, pinch my cheek and look forward. It’s just going to be us-me, myself and I no matter what-so it’s time for us to all be on the same page psychologically. I can’t change the future or stop the aging. All I can do is make the best of it. The recipe for that is to be positive and accepting, and make my life as stress free as possible. And that’s just what I’m going to do.

Oh, and as for the contacts, the verdict is still out. I haven’t found a pair that are comfortable enough for my right astismatic eye, that’s about as oval as an Easter egg. I just may have to stick to my old friends, the eyeglasses. They’ve never let me down, in fact they worked really hard to hide me from the truth. This time, however, I’m gonna get artsy looking frames that scream ”Self Confident Middle Aged Woman!” That way, I can read naturally and not have to scour the the Chicago suburbs for those silly neck chains.

Goodbye Em. Hello Emily. Onward.

Six Word Memoir

Timely and Trendy-What’s your Six Word Memoir?

Emily

This little blurb was taken from NPR news. I included it to present this to you all….read on:

What’s Your Six-Word Memoir?
Listen to Alison and guest host Toure discuss six-word memoirs

There’s a new book coming out that caught our attention, called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs By Famous and Obscure Writers. It’s from the editors of Smith Magazine, and it’s exactly what it says it is — a collection of memoirs, each just six words long.
The idea stems from a literary legend. We don’t know if it’s true, but as the story goes, Ernest Hemingway was once asked to write a story in six words. His response: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” That’s at least as good as The Old Man and the Sea.
The editors of Smith challenged writers to craft their own six-word memoirs, and got some interesting results. Most of them sound kinda like crosses between a personal ad and a haiku…
“Shy Jersey kid, overcompensating ever since.” –Ariel Kaminer
“Being a monk stunk. Better gay.” –Bob Redman
“Couldn’t cope so I wrote songs.” –Aimee Mann
Some of them are funny, others are pretty poignant. There’s one that says, “Was father. Boys died. Still sad.” That’s from Ronald Zalewski.
The BPP crew is going to post our six-word memoirs, and we want to hear yours. Sum up your life in six words — no more, no less. For best results, don’t overthink it. And remember, it’s supposed to be a memoir, not a fortune cookie.
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This idea seems to be taking the blog world by storm. I had never heard of it before last week until I received my current issue of MORE magazine. There was a little section mentioning the Six Word Memoir, and I thought it was such a cool idea, I couldn’t wait to post it on my blog. I find out through reading other’s blogs that this Six Word thing is really going around. Some folks are even playing the ”Tag” game, challenging others to come up with their own. It’s really so bizarre how people tend to similiarly think in waves. Ideas get around as quickly as virus’. Anyway, this kind of thing is right up my alley. I love a thought provoking word challenge, and this is just that-Describe my life in 6 words. Seems impossible, but honestly the six words don’t have to cover everything. What’s with Hemingway’s unused baby shoes? I just don’t get it, but hey, he’s Hemingway and for that, I suppose no explaination is needed.

So how do you think you can describe your life in 6 words? That is good advise to remind us that this isn’t a fortune cookie reading. I’m going to have a go at it….

“Bottled up sunshine awaiting daily escape.”

What’s yours gonna be? Get out your pad of paper and pen and try!

body image, girlfriends, plus size, self-esteem, Sex and the City, women

I’m remodelling just a bit…

Emily

As you can see, I’m changing things again. This time, I’ve gone web shopping and found something that I think is the perfect ‘fit’ for this blog and has the feeling and essence I’m trying to evoke. It has a shabby chic vibe, and makes me feel put together for once. I love the vintagey pink with white polka dots-it reminds me of pretty pastel decorated cupcakes, and we all know I go weak in the knees at just the site of them.

If any of you know me by now, you realize that I can’t stand to have things stay the same. Once and a while, I even have to turn my living room upside down and rearrange it, or repurpose some element of my house with a new, more exciting line of work. I hope to keep this layout now. I will add fun, beautiful and interesting photos and promise some thought provoking posts every once in a while.

If you notice my banner, there within it is a quote from Carrie Bradshaw, that shoe loving single girl in Sex and the City. I thought it perfectly spelled out what my philosophy is very quickly becoming, and is what I’m trying to promote here at Blond & Blithe-be yourself and love you regardless of your size, or style. Find someone who loves you for your true self and surround yourself with people who love that genuine person you’ve worked so hard all your life to become. And if you do, well, that’s just fabulous. Don’t feel compelled to change anything to make yourself more acceptable or appealing to another person-let the real you shine through. I read a quote on one of Mary Engelbreit’s drawings recently, and it went like this: “Be yourself. Who else is more qualified?” Keep looking until you find someone who thinks you’re really groovy, despite your slightly annoying habits. It’s when you do, that will probably feel most comfortable in your life. That banner is meant to empower, and I hope everyone who reads it, gets positive meaning from it.

I have a couple friends who are attempting to change their entire body shape just to make themselves more appealing to the mainstream single males out there. It’s a lot of work to achieve those results, and there are no guarantees you will stay that way. In my opinion, it’s walking on fragile ground to make such drastic physical changes with the anticipation that everything we always wanted will suddenly fall in place by thinking, “if I could just…” Remember a while ago, I said make the mirror your friend? Find something you love about your body and focus on it. Who am I to tout this advise? I’m no professional, I’m just speaking from my heart and it just seems right. Don’t you agree?

I’m beginning to permeate gradual bits and pieces of myself through this blog. I just love it! It’s begining to feel like a perfect fit. This place gives me a place to channel my literary creativity, as well as be a pinboard where I can display photographs and other fun things that make my heart sing and excite me. Construction is almost over…then the real fun begins.

girlfriends, primitives, shopping, vintage decor

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History…

Emily

Click on any photo to enlarge…

A charming old lady doll mounted on a wooden spool
Primitive Rabbit, anyone?

Detail of the ‘ghostly dress’
This vintage bike is a lawn decoration.
Primitive rabbits
Iron stars
Two Sisters is so absolutely cool, it has iron stars embedded into its sidewalks.

A very textural berry wreath
Hanging candles. I particularily love the green/navy homspun which holds the white candles together.
A peek in the cupboard glass
A mantle repurposed for spring and positioned by the entryway to greet customers
A farmhouse apron sewn from yummy yellow/orange homespun

Primitive table set with irresistable yellowware and rabbits

The entrance to Two Sisters in Sandwich, Illinois

Three misbehaved bad girls–Myself, Rhonda and Cat

Basket of primitive dolls…

A charming sink with handmade soaps displayed
Standing in the candle room, looking into the dining room.
Look at this inviting window. I just love 9 over 9 divided light windows.

The steep staircase which leads to the upstairs. There are 4 bedrooms of merchandise to browse through.
Standing a few steps from the top, these airy, vintage gowns billow like ghosts as they hang from a peg rack in the narrow hallway.

A selection of snappy signage
My favorite!

Cupboards upon cupboards of delicious, and quite possibly the finest candles I’ve ever found.
I love the color of these Willow Creek candles and took a pint jar sized one home.
Only a window in a house like this could get away with tea stained cheesecloth window treatments.
A peek in the mirror
Basket of fat quarters for the taking…

Today I went on a primitive shopping trip to Sandwich, IL with my dear friend Cat and my other dear friend Rhonda. On the way up, we remembered our friend Terri who we haven’t seen in ages. I’m driving and dial her up. I say, “Hey Terri, how spontaneous are you? Want to meet us in Sandwich in an hour?” She was thrilled, and with a squeal, she said “YES!” and so we were on for an after noon of friendship and frivolities! We stopped at Two Sisters, the most divine shop situated in an old, brick house that is so primitive and houses the finest selection of vintage and primitive wares you can ever hope to find. This house is just dreamy to walk into, with it’s sweet scents emanating from ‘Farmhouse Candles’ burning. This along with the well worn and aged decor makes one feel really at home. I snapped photos of some really eye catching vignettes found throughout. My favorite sign of all, and I was tempted to buy it said, “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History.” I will have to incorporate this into a folk art quilt or stitchery. I think it’s so true. Good for us bad girls!