Resolutely!

I was working on a new piece tonight and as I was sitting there I decided maybe I would make myself some resolutions for this year.  I didn't want to go with the normal big things because those tend to get broken really fast, so I decided to take a slightly different approach.  I made ten resolutions, and thought I would share five of them with you.  I am choosing not to share the other five because two are personal, one is a surprise, and the other two...well...maybe later!

1.  Breathe for five minutes each day.

Now when I say breathe, I don't mean the normal in and out we do all the time...I mean spend five minutes every day doing nothing but breathing.  A mini meditation.  My Grandma always said she was going to "take five" that meant sitting down from her work to have a cup of coffee.  But I am going to "take five" and just breathe.

2.  Give R an extra hug every morning.

Did you know that it takes 4.3 seconds to give someone a quick hug?  Ok I made that number up...but it really doesn't take long and it's worth it because you enjoy it and the other person feels loved!

3.  I am going to go outside for a few minutes every day that it's over 45 degrees.

Fresh air is good for you, and I can combine this one with #1.

4.  I am going to exercise every day for one minute.

You might be baffled as to why only one minute?  You might be thinking what on earth would that accomplish?  It's pretty common for people to start big exercise programs at the beginning of a new year, but all too often they fizzle.  Promising yourself to exercise for one minute a day isn't even remotely intimidating now is it?  Not even on the days you don't feel like doing it.  Everyone can do one minute a day...and the next day you might think hey I can do two minutes...and so on...until you've really worked up to something without even noticing!

5.  This is the year I am going to do it!  I am finally going to Paris!

Ok that one might not happen...but if I believe it will...maybe it just will! 

On that note, I am off to bed!  Bon soir!  Hugs, K. <3

The Mystique Of French Chic

I think that any woman who has the soul of a fashionista eventually finds herself trying to understand French style. There is an allure about the French and their sense of style. Let's face it, they gave us champagne, perfume, ballet, chandeliers and the statue of liberty. They even made the maid coquettish instead of a common drudge...or maybe the latter was just more of a Hollywood invention?

At any rate there is something fascinating about French women. Even Marie Antoinette wasn't that interesting until she started shopping in Paris.

Lately I have been finding myself more and more curious about it. So tonight between working on my bear I have been reading articles online. Some of them have been very funny and some quite serious. A few have even been a little rude.

I have learned a few things on my Parisian stroll through cyberspace:

French women make style look effortless. The truth is, it just seems effortless because they don't live in the American tell all world. They apparently put lots of effort into it, they simply don't tell anyone what all they do.

They wear tons of scarves and have a knack for tying them. This leaves me out. I am not a scarf girl. I look at scarves in stores, I admire them, then I go buy sunglasses or a new ring...maybe a pair of earrings. Once however I fell prey to the wiles of a silk number on sale for 70.00. I couldn't leave the shop without it. It was this amazing crinkled silk in a sort of coral/melon hue with trim the perfect shade of a sunflower. It had posy clusters embroidered in ribbon at each end. I just knew it would look fabulous...as a cover for my amoire in the work room. But it has never once adorned my throat. Sigh~

It also seems that their style has more to do with posture and attitude than the actual clothes they are wearing. Now that I would believe. So many American women have a terrible habit of slouching, and as covered in my post a few back, we tend to be self effacing. I don't think the French do that. Perhaps it's why they are considered haughty. Maybe the truth is, they aren't haughty at all, they simply know how to focus on the good.

I have learned that I do have a couple things in common with French women however. I don't buy what is currently in style, I buy what makes me look good. Well usually... I also like to occasionally add a piece for a bit of whimsy.

I don't blow dry my hair, although that's more because of living in a dry climate rather than trying to achieve a certain look. They are also huge fans of creams and lotions. My powder room pantry is overflowing with creams and lotions and I use every one of them. I love that kind of thing.

Oddly enough doing bear shows over the years has helped me understand something about fashion. It's a combination of something you're born with, something you learn...and something geographical. Much of a woman's style is based on where she lives. When you think about it, I doubt French women look at each other and think to themselves we're so chic. They probably take that for granted because it's what everyone does and what everyone wears in that location.

Since I live in Colorado, we have a laid back outdoorsy style. Western wear, bohemian, Birkenstocks and Eddie Bauer are just as prevalent here as Prada and Manolo Blahnik's. (I have never owned a pair of Birkenstocks and I don't intend to. Sadly, I have never owned a pair of Manolo's either, although I recently saw a pair of red velvet and black leather Christian Louboutin's with sky high spikey heels and sparkly toes that made my heart flutter a little. I would kill myself in those shoes but I would look fabulous while doing it.)

I don't think it means that women are less stylish anywhere else. Ultimately I don't believe they are so very different than anyone else, except that they get more hype, and anything out of the ordinary to what you are used to seems exotic. Style is all about you reflecting who you are in the best possible way without conforming. I have learned I don't have a prayer of embodying that French mystique, if for no other reason than that I wasn't raised in Paris. And despite my dislike of Birkenstocks, I have to confess, as hateful as they are...I really love my Victoria's Secret flip flops.