"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

--Winston Churchill

Monday, November 29, 2010

Pretty Lacy Things


On Thanksgivng I decided to bust out my lovely lace ASOS dress and pair it with my new fur vest from Target and my fierce Steve Madden pumps. I love any excuse to wear lace and Thanksgiving seemed like the perfect occasion.

I belted my dress with a white double buckle waist belt with gold accents from H&M.

Speaking of lace, I am so excited about my purchase today at our resale store Avant Garb where I had just enough credit to buy this beautiful lace Free People tunic! I have coveted my friend's same item for years and I can't believe I finally have my hands on it!

I absolutely love this lace number that (the beautiful but alarmingly thin) Kate Bosworth recently sported. Floral + lace = stunning.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

You ARE Beautiful!


Happy Thanksgiving my lovely readers! I decided I couldn't leave you off with my small post from yesterday without encouraging you to be thankful for something that can be hard for a lot of us women to be thankful for: ourselves, body and all. As I sit here and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and seeing the thousands of people attending and performing, I am reminded of the amazing fact that every person is created differently and each is beautiful in their own individual way. How crazy is that?! So, today I encourage you all to stop comparing yourself to those around you and the unrealistic images by the media you are bombarded with continuously, and be thankful for you EXACTLY the way you were created. In the words of the lovely Kate Winslet who refuses to conform to Hollywood's ultra thin standards :

"More than ever now, I believe it's so important to look as real and true to life as possible, because nobody's perfect. I seem to be on a mission, but I don't want the next generation, your daughters and mine, growing up thinking that you have to be thin to look beautiful in certain clothes. --I feel an enormous responsibility to stay normal and true to myself and not conform to all those things. You know? To be healthy. And normal. And to like to eat cake."

Ladies, let's adopt a similar attitude starting today, Thanksgiving Day. Let's embrace who we are, imperfections and all, and be thankful for the body we were born with. Don't forget, you are beautiful JUST the way you are!

Just to give you an example of how long women have been struggling and damaging their bodies to attain an unrealistic standard of "beauty," I found this image on the Library of Congress website showing the horrible damage corsets did on the female body. Yuck!


Me saying Happy Thanksgiving to you! Today I am ignoring the voice within me and refusing to exercise even though I'll be getting my fill of Thanksgiving food later. It's a holiday and my body deserves a break! I encourage you all to do the same! Now go eat some pie!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thankful



Well my friends, Thanksgiving has arrived once again. I can't believe how time flies. The frustrating thing about Holidays now--especially those centered around food like Thanksgiving--is that food becomes the main focus to me in an unhealthy way. This is leftover from when I used to deprive myself and then have crazy binges over the holidays. Somehow, even though I'm eating now and being healthy, I still feel like going crazy and eating way more than my stomach can handle on special occasions like this. I hate that my eating disorder has tarnished what used to be my absolute favorite time of the year, and still is, but with a bitter aftertaste. This year I am determined not to feel miserable during the holidays so that I can look back on these memories with 100 percent fondness, instead of the memories being partially tarnished focusing more on the food than the time with family. After all, food is meant to be enjoyed and a time for togetherness, and not another substance to be abused and used as an emotional outlet.

Every year I continue to be thankful for my family. I am excited that my sister and brother in this picture are arriving today from school up north!

I'm going to see Burlesque tonight with my sisters and a friend and I'm so excited!


I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving and take a moment to soak in all the wonderful things you're thankful for. I know it sounds cheesey, but it's important, so DO IT!


Friday, November 19, 2010

Mish Mash


Hello my friends. Sorry for my lack of posting these last couple weeks. After the craziness of last weekend (sister visiting, Christmas party, wedding shower) and some food overindulging I felt strangly ill throughout the week and am just now about recovered. I learned the hard way that my body is still in a pretty fragile state and that it can only handle so much. What often happens when I'm feeling gross and exhausted is that I lack inspiration and energy to do something creative like a blog. So for this post I have decided to list a few highlights of the week that lightened my funk and made my life a little better...


Christmas Shopping!

On Monday I was feeling too ill to go into work so instead I stayed home and got almost all my Christmas shopping done from my bed! The secret? Ideeli! I was introduced to this site a couple weeks ago I have learned that it is wonderful for Christmas shopping but dangerous if you're just browsing for yourself. Ideeli is a member only site that you have to be invited to. If you invite someone and they make a purchase, you receive $25 in credit! The reason the site is so dangerous is that it gives you the day's best sales on designer goods and the sales are GOOD! I frequently find myself resisting the urge to buy something compulsively after seeing it is on clearance for 1/3 the price for only one day. For example, here are a couple things I spotted just today and had to resist the urge to buy:

Max Studio booties--Originally $155, on sale today for $59


Calvin Klein fur vest--Originally $149, on sale for $89

See what I'm talking about?! Dangerous!


Sexiest Man Alive

When I heard that Ryan Reynolds was deservingly dubbed People's Sexiest Man Alive I made it a goal to go out and buy it today. It's wrong how excited I am to dive into this issue.


Emma Watson


The more I've been seeing of Emma Watson, who many of us endearingly know as Miss Hermioni Granger from Harry Potter, the more impressed I've been with her sense of style, maturity, and intelligence that is rare among actors growing up in the spotlight. I watched her on Live with Regis and Kelly this week and was blown away with her and how adorable she is. Please stay uncorrupted Emma! Here are a few of her recent looks she's been rocking:






FANNEtastic food


I discovered another healthy living blog I am now obsessed with called FANNEtastic food. The blog belongs to Anne P who is in school to become a nutritionist and has been around the world and back before going after her passion. I love her simple but inspiring food, fitness, and daily life posts and can't get enough of them. I love her recipe ideas and feel healthier and happier after just reading her blog. Check it out!


Christmas music



I am one of those annoying people who lose no time to break out the Christmas music before Thanksgiving has even happened because I just can't wait. New on my Christmas playlist this year? The Glee Christmas album which is a little cheesey but fun and amazing just like the show. Also, I just downloaded Mariah Carey's old Christmas album and absolutely love it! I feel like dancing to her upbeat renditions of All I want for Christmas is You, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), and Santa Claus is Comin to Town. This album makes me think of Love Actually, one of my favorite holiday movies which features a lot of these songs. I always buy the Starbucks Christmas album and CAN'T WAIT till it comes out this year! Until then, these albums along with all my old ones will have to get me by...


Gwyneth on Glee


Speaking of Glee, I thoroughly enjoyed watching my favorite actress Gwyneth Paltrow star and sing in this week's episode of Glee. Is there anything this woman can't do?! I'm starting to wonder. My favorite part was this amazing Singing in the Rain/Umbrella number. I've already watched it 3 times!


Fur Vest

Ok, so I did cave in last weekend and buy this adorable and chic fur vest that was on clearance at Target. I just couldn't resist. Fur is so on trend right now that as soon as I spotted this a few weeks ago for a mere $20 I had a battle within myself to resist. But when I saw it again weeks later, I felt it was a sign and couldn't resist anymore and finally bought it. I don't regret this purchase for a second and can't wait to wear it through the winter!


Anne Hathaway

Is it just me or has Anne Hathaway been looking better than ever? I'm not usually a huge fan but I have to say she has been impressing me lately with her overall look. I especially love this pretty and feminine Valentino number she sported to the Love and Other Drugs premiere.

Well my friends, now it is about time for me to dive into People magazine and gaze at Ryan Reynolds' physical perfection...

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Stunning Serena



It's about time I did a Gossip Girl post. The style is too good to ignore and it is the primary reason behind my faithfulness to the show season after season. Serena Van der Woodsen, Blake Lively's character has a closet I'd give my firstborn child for. Ok, maybe I wouldn't go that far but you catch my gist. Serena takes fashion risks with fearless grace which is why I have chosen to be her for an upcoming alter ego themed costume party. That'll have to suffice as the closest Ill get to being in her actual shoes...

There are no words to describe the Carolina Herrera stunner she wears in the photo above other than a dream Cinderella dress. It might be my favorite thing she's ever worn in the show. Breathtaking. Here are a few of my other favorite looks she has been rocking this season...

Umm...again, there are no words. This creation is droolworthy.


I love everything about this strong shouldered sequin blazer, and the picture doesn't show that she has boldly paired it with cobalt blue skinny pants.


If only I had the guts to rock a getup as fearless as this...


While creating this post I discovered a Gossip Girl style lover's dream site! The site is called Gossip Girl Fashion and features details of the looks on every week's episode and how you can find a similar look for cheaper. I love it!!


I'll be sporting this wine colored fierce dress from Lulus on Saturday night to channel my alter ego Serena. It certainly doesn't look as expensive as something Serena would wear, but I thought it captured her bold and sexy style. I'll be pairing it with the gold and snakeskin Steve Madden platform stilettos I featured in a previous post. Here's hoping I can pull it off!


Saturday, November 6, 2010

Opening Up



If anyone has picked up a People magazine lately or just looked on the internet they would know that the theme in celebrity news this week seems to be eating disorders. I first read that Disney star Demi Lovato has entered treatment for "emotional and physical issues" which include cutting and battling an eating disorder. Soon after, I saw this week's cover of People magazine featuring Portia de Rossi opening up about her years battling severe bulimia and anorexia. Both of these stories sadden me greatly, but at the same time I am so happy these women are creating awareness and showing women how important it is to open up and seek help when battling this issue.

I was so disgusted after discussing Demi Lovato with my younger sisters and hearing from them that people--many of them girls--have been referring to her as the "fat Disney girl" for a while now. Apparently people compare her to her Disney counterparts Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus and deem her the fattest of the bunch. Seriously? And we like to blame guys for the majority of our body insecurities? Nothing angers me more than women fat talking other women. Girls, these are the things that create eating disorders. I found this quote from an interview with Lovato taken in 2009:

"There’s so much pressure now in our industry to be thin. That’s one way that I kind of am different—I’m not super stick thin. I’m Hispanic, I’ve got curves, but I like them. Sometimes it’s hard, especially when people online are like, “Oh, she’s the fat Disney girl.” Really? I’m normal! This is who I am. I couldn’t lose weight if I tried."
Though Lovato had already spoken out against these self-image damaging remarks, clearly they left a mark and are at least part of the reason she is seeking treatment now.



Counter to Demi Lovato's story which still is highly protected, Portia de Rossi is brutally honest about her self-afflicting past in her new memoir Unbearable Lightness. I read her People feature last night and was touched by her level of honesty and saddened by all that she has been through. I think the story will be incredibly eye opening for those who haven't battled any sort of eating disorder to see how an eating disorder isn't developed out of nowhere. The way it sneaks up on a person can be incredibly subtle. In her own words she says,
"I didn't decide to become anorexic. It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude."

"I had to do whatever I could to fix my big legs. That was the start of the diet that lead to the disorder."
Those quotes really resonated with me and hit so close to home in terms of how my own eating disorder began. Usually it all starts with one or two areas on your body that you have a problem with and want to fix. With me it was always my legs and my thighs so I can really relate to Portia's story in that area. Thankfully, I never got as extreme as her, but if I had kept going without opening up about it and continued to use it as a method to cope with my other life problems, who knows where it would have gone. I am just so thankful for people like Portia not wanting to "have anymore secrets" and learning that in the end, self acceptance needs to take place in order to enjoy life and love yourself.

"Look, I don't think I'm perfect. I still don't like my thighs," she says. "But I'm not going to do anything to compromise my health or my sanity to change them. I don't want to have secrets anymore. I don't want to have a darkness that I feel that I should be ashamed of. And going forward now, without having anything to hide, the future looks pretty bright."

I sure hope Demi Lovato eventually lives by these words, along with all the other women--young and old--who are suffering but are hiding under a mask of security and happiness. The more people in the spotlight open up about their struggles and showing the world that they are not perfect, the more women they'll encourage to do the same. This my friends, is the first step toward healing.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Shiny Old Things


Today I was particularly proud of my outfit selection because half of it I've had for years and years. I feel I deserve to give myself a pat on the back for making a new outfit out of old pieces!


These peep toe gold Steve Madden wedges were my first pair of shoes with any sort of heel that I wore on a regular basis. I remember my sister and I buying the same pair at Ross when I was about 16. I can blame my heel obsession on these babies. I can't believe I still have them!


I bought this sequined tunic not long after I bought the shoes...maybe a year later at most. I remember it was one of my first purchases at my favorite boutique that has since closed unfortunately. For some reason I haven't been able to part with it even though I haven't worn it in years. The length is hard to work with because of two slits that go uncomfortably high on the sides. But today I decided to wear a black slip underneath which eliminated the problem. The sequined sweater was a resale find form about a year ago.


When paired with tights and a slip, the tunic works well as a dress for fall. I love the added bling with the sequined sweater. You can never have too many sparkles ; )


Lesson learned? Sometimes you can make shiny new things out of old and loved items. Not being able to shop has forced me to become creative and so far I am loving it!

Monday, November 1, 2010

For the Love of the Theater and Pride and Prejudice




Ever since a young age I've been strangely obsessed with Jane Austen. It all started with my mom taking my sister and I to see Sense and Sensibility in theaters. I remember being in second grade and going over to my friend's house and watching the movie over and over again. I couldn't get enough of it. That love eventually carried over to the movie Emma (the first film I fell in love with my now favorite actress Gwyneth Paltrow) and eventually to reading Pride and Prejudice at 15. I wanted to read the book before I saw the A&E movie version with Colin Firth and that didn't end up being difficult because I plowed through it. I remember not wanting to leave my room to stop reading it. I fell hopelessly in love with Mr. Darcy. The book is to this day my favorite and I am now considering reading it for the third time. I just love the way Jane Austen creates romantic tension and how strong her female protagonists are. She was ahead of her time in so many ways which I think is why so many people still love her. When the Keira Knightley film version came out you can only imagine my excitement, and when I heard that the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland was putting on a Pride and Prejudice play I was Jane Austen giddy all over again! My parents were nice enough to hit up their connection to free tickets and scored us 5. What better way to spend Halloween afternoon than going out to see my favorite story performed (very well, I might add) on the stage with my parents and 3 of my closest friends?! I can't think of any at the moment...

All dressed up!


Eagerly anticipating the show.


We got so many complements on our shoes and the funny thing is we never knew who they were referring to!


Thank you Grace for the pictures!