Down the Rabbit Hole

A French Fairy Tale

This video of an adorable little French girl telling her own fairy tale has been floating around for a while but I just had to share.  A born storyteller!  I love it!  It also reminded me how much I love the French language.  I wish I’d stuck with it after High School, I’ve forgotten so much!

Inspired by Alice

I first heard about this Urban Decay collections a few weeks back and I won’t lie my immediate reaction was, “I MUST have this!”  I have that reaction a lot but as part of the 2010 Karen Improvement plan I am working on less impulse spending.  My ultimate goal is to eliminate it completely but cold turkey has never worked for me, so baby steps.

Urban Decay is a great brand.  Their Potion Primer is a staple in my make-up kit.  I’ve been dying to get a book of shadows and like a siren this one called to me after all it’s make-up AND Alice… these make-up companies really know how to get to me and my wallet (can we say, cupcakes and Hello, Kitty!)?  But after much deliberation though I decided that I really don’t need anymore eyeshadow right now.  Want?  Yes. Need? No.

That brings me to the new Alice-inspired OPI collection.  I adore OPI nail polish.  I don’t use any other brand.  The color is fantastic and the formula is smooth  and for an at-home manicurist, like myself, a good nail polish makes all the difference.  Again, I don’t need anymore nail polish but I do need about eight more polishes to fill my new display shelves…

L toR:  Thanks so Muchness, Mad as a Hatter, Absolutely Alice, Off with her Red!

Fortunately,  for both my husband and our bank account I wasn’t too fond of the colors.  Mad as a Hatter looks fun for a festive occasion but I’m not much into glitter polish.  Clever marketing will make these product great sellers.  I read that the Urban Decay already released these colors but just renamed them and repackaged them in the nifty pop-up book… pop-ups, another love of mine… yeah, I really had to fight myself not to get it… but logical me won.  Go, me!  =)

Tea Cups on a Rainy Night

Source:  big_pixel_pusher

I stumbled on this photo on Flickr months and months ago.  I emailed it to my brother, who works at Disneyland, and my sister-in-law then tucked it into a folder to share here on my blog some other time.  I came across it looking for inspiration for an entry and it still struck me even six months after I initially saw it.  I just can’t get over how much it looks like a painting.  Quite beautiful.

Pretty Girlie of Me

PINK! I know that comes as no surprise, really. But I do love pink and since it’s February I felt that it is the best time of year to shout it from the rooftops. I am not really one to wear pink but I tend to gravitate towards the color for pretty much every other thing in my life. My favorite pink possession is my hot pink laptop. Guaranteed not to be hijacked by my husband.

New Month, Fresh Start. Why just celebrate the new year? Each day is a new day and a reason to start anew. Since I got my Colour-a-Month Moleskine set changing the month is more than just flipping the calendar. It’s a chance for a fresh slate. Tabula Rasa. Take advantage of the opportunity to make this month better than the last.

Colour-a-Month Moleskine. Did somebody mention Moleskine? Oh right, yes, that was me… again. I promise this is the last profession of love for the pocket-sized notebook, unless of course some new must-have product crossed my computer screen. I first saw this set on Gala Darling then again on Nubby Twiglet, both are lady bloggers I greatly admire. I thought I’d give the planner a try and, boy, am I happy I did. The set is first off, adorable but it also the perfect little bedtime companion to reflect on my day or plan for the next. At first I was taken aback by how some they were but I quickly discovered that they were perfect for developing the habit of just writing a quick blurb before I snuggle down for bed. I fill a page every night. And since one book is dedicated to one month there’s a certain measure of excitement from the changing of the guard, if you will. I am counting down until March and April… the pink months!

Accomplishments. I am very proud of myself for all my recent accomplishments and think that I justly deserve a gold star. Here’s to another month meeting the goals I set for myself!

Flowers. Giving flowers to someone as a get well is one of my favorite things to do. I know that flowers have a way of brightening my day so when given the chance I like to do the same for other. My sister-in-law just had gallbladder surgery, a surgery that I underwent almost two years ago, so I know the discomfort she is in. Get well, Melissa! I love ya!

I’mpossible

Happy Groundhog’s Day

How cute is this cupcake!?  I am a fervent believer in a cupcake for all occasions so why not Groundhog’s Day?  =)  Whether or not little Phil sees his shadow today, us spoiled Californians will still be enjoying our sunshiny weather.  Lucky us!

Happy February!

I   February.  There is no other month that is as PINK after all.  I love that the stores fill up with Valentine’s Day cuteness.  Little reminders of love are everywhere.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t buy into the flowers and candy nonsense but I do think that Valentine’s Day is a great day to do something special for your sweetie.  Hand-made or home-cooked is always the best.  There are other things to look forward to in February; Groundhog’s Day, President’s Day, and my Mom’s birthday day.  It’s a big one for her too:  65!  So, expect this month to be filled with lots of pink, hearts, and sweetness!

Another reason to love February?  It’s a brand new month!  A fresh start.  So what if you didn’t get to all those items in your To Do List last month, get to them now and start your month off right with a clean slate!  Hope everyone is enjoying the new month!  XOXO!

Farewell, January 2010!

January. As a whole I have to say that this is probably the best January I have ever had, in recent memory at least. Normally, January is filled with broken resolutions and waning hopefulness but this year was different. I have made a real conscious effort to accomplish everything I set out to do. Of course, these accomplishments were achieved with varying levels of success but the fact they were achieved is what matters. In the past, my perfectionism has gotten the best of me, standing in the way of my success. However, this year I’ve decided to be kinder to myself and not allow that nagging “not good enough” self-talk to sabotage me. And this one seemingly little tweak in attitude has made an enormous difference in my day-to-day happiness. Voltaire was quoted as saying, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien” or roughly translated to “Perfect is the enemy of the good.” And really do any of us strive to have a “perfect life?” No, a good life is all I’m after.

So here are the things that colored January 2010 for me:

Writing Everyday. This was the first habit I hoped to accomplish in the new year. Using the 6 Changes approach, I have four more weeks to greater solidify my new “Write Everyday” habit. I am so pleased that I choose this as my first habit to form. It came much more naturally to me than I ever thought possible. The four weeks of January have been filled with expressiveness. Not only have I blogged everyday that I set out to, but I now write nightly in a small Moleskine daily planner (it’s pages are so small it’s sort of the equivalent of a nightly Twitter on paper,) and I now keep a private, hand-written journal. The surprise favorite has been my private journal. There is something so intimate about sitting down with a blank page and a pen in hand. It reminds me of when I first started writing. Also, in today’s world of everybody-shares-everything via blogs, Facebook, and Twitter it is so refreshing to have a place meant just for me.

Finished two books. Admittedly, I am not a speed reader. I like to take my time with my books. I feel like it allows me to soak in as much of the story as possible. It also helps me retain many more details than if I read more quickly. Another one of my new habits for 2010 is to Read More. According to the 6 Habits each-habit-gets-8-weeks method, I am not due to tackle this one until late summer. Hopefully, by the end of the year I will have upped my average. I read solely for pleasure so it is difficult to find any time other than just before bed and depending on how tired I am I may only get through a couple of pages. Reading is also imperative to good writing so it needs to serves me more than your standard leisure activity. With all that being said, I am pleased that I finished at least two books this month. Both books were part of the Jill Kismet series written by Lilith Saintcrow and I am enjoying them quite a bit.  I also took the time to update my collecting-dust-until-now Goodreads account.

The PERFECT journals. I have to say this was a major thing for me this month. I have been buying and/or making journals for as long as I can remember and never has any journal served me as perfectly as my new Ecosystem journals. I cannot say enough good things about them. They have enough sizes and page formats to probably suit just about anyone’s needs. I love them so very much. In the last three weeks I have filled about 15 pages in my private journal and 10 pages in my Shadow Ridge journal. The newer blue journal is still blank but I have great plans for that one! =)

Health care. This is more suited for My Mount Everest but it belongs here too. I have started taking the steps to find a new doctor that will help take control of my health. This is a huge deal for me and in just doing the act of making appointments and not settling I am really facing a lot of fears. My search will continue into February so I am sure there will be more days filled with anxiety over it but there is freedom in facing fears so I say, “Bring it on!”

Got Organized! There were several things that I did this month of help me keep things in place or to keep me on task. Some things I’ve already shared here like my obsessive addiction to my journals and Moleskines (yes, I know, technically, these are also journals but they are so special I have to call them by name. Also, while I am indulging in a tangent, one of my pet peeves is when people call things by brand names when they are not really that brand: Not all tissues are Kleenex, not all photo copiers are Xerox machines, and not all DVR’s are TiVo’s! OK, I’m done.) Hmm… where was I? Oh, yes… organization. Ha! Other things that have helped me immensely are is my Google Tasks, getting ahead on a year’s worth of birthday cards using a fun accordion file, and using small cosmetic bags inside my handbag to tidily keep the plethora of small items I always want at hand and rainbow of gel pens I always have on me. I also got some tiered shelves to house my growing OPI Nail Polish collection and decorative hooks for all of my necklaces. I will including photos of these some time this month, just to share some snapshots of my life.

Stormy weather. California was hit by some pretty heavy storms in January. I adore the rain. I also get very lazy in the rain. So, these storms served as a great test to see if I can stay focused and motivated enough to accomplish some of my goals. Glad to report I passed.

The passing of J.D. Salinger. “The Catcher in the Rye” is one of my all-time favorite books. It touched me in a way that other books have not. It may have been the time in my life or any number of reasons but it’s story has always stayed with me. I am embarrassed to admit that I haven’t read any other Salinger works besides Catcher. I ordered “Franny & Zooey”, “Nine Stories”, and “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters” to further my Salinger “education.” He was a true talent, may he rest in peace.

Playing House

Ever since I was a little girl I was fascinated with dollhouses and miniature things.  I used to transform my entire bedroom into a Barbie compound complete with a stable of My Little Ponies.  Creating little worlds with unique characters and stories has always been a part of my life.  Heck, I think it may also explain why I love things like The Sims and to a certain extent Farmville and Zoo World!

When I stumbled on this feature on (In)Decorous Taste I was in awe of these antique, fully-detailed dollhouses!  These put that pink, plastic monstrosity they called Barbie’s Dream House to shame! BTW, I never owned a “Dream House” but all my friends did. My favorite things to make dollhouses out of were bookshelves and armoires.  I am thinking I may have grown up in the wrong century!