{sarah & lexi}

 My best friend and I took our daughters away for a girls weekend at the beach. We had all sorts of fun things planned, like playing our Ipods as loud as we could, making delicous food like Kathy’s famous buffalo chicken dip, and crafting until the wee hours of the night. We thought it might be fun to do a girlfriends photoshoot of our daughters at the beach. A “free spirit” vibe is what we wanted to do, and the girls had a blast with it!

{my daughter lexi}

This photo was actually one of the last ones of the day,  the girls cut loose at the end and had a big water fight! 

 I love this one, it makes me smile…..

 Kathy chose this photo to hang in her house with one of Sarah’s favorite bible verses printed on it.

{sarah and lexi “free spirits”}

What is your favorite girlfriend memory?

I want to introduce you to my friend Christine Rose Elle, she is a writer, stylist and glamour girl extraordinaire, and she is my guest author today!

Christine and I have collaborated on many occasions and she is a true gem to work with.  Her latest endeavour “Follow your bliss in a polka-dot dress”  is  a women’s finding your sparkle workbook you do not want to miss, and her new blog provides daily inspiration to women of all ages and types as well as insight to pondering questions.

 Please enjoy Christine’s guest post today, and drop by her fun website for more about finding your sparkle!

Glamour from Within

“Personal style begins with cherishing yourself so deeply that you sparkle, and inspire others to do the same.”

Christine Rose Elle

I am a lover of all things beautiful from a sweet smile to a pretty dress. For a long time I ignored just how vitally important appreciation of beauty was to my well being.

I was a closet beauty addict. I bought shoes and lacy panties that I didn’t wear and makeup that sat in my drawer. I would feel ashamed when I wanted to admire something that I felt people might judge me as shallow for liking. The irony at least for American women is that there is a certain expectation that dictates how our exterior beauty should be. There is such a narrow scope of what is beautiful in the media, it feels painful that so many other forms of radiant beauty are glossed over or not celebrated at all. But I digress.

 Beauty is of course subjective. And as humans, it is folly to think that we can live without it. We cannot. Societies grow from the fount of culture and ideas.

Artists, musicians, writers. We translate the feelings of beauty into the tangible for all to enjoy.

Nature, compassion, healing. Those things are true embodiments of beauty. And you really can’t compare the vast engulfing abundance of an old growth Redwood to the beauty of a pair of pink stiletto Jimmy Choos. We are made of nature; Choos go on your feet. Big difference.

However, by connecting with nature, compassion and self-healing, my relationship to things like shoes, style, home environments and makeup has changed. They matter in a different way. I value them as part of my whole beauty picture. The more my appreciation of material things increases, the more abundance I feel with much, much less.

So it isn’t really about the having, it is about the delight, joy and admiration of beautiful things.

I see a connection with other admirers of beauty too. We are a league of feminine sisters who worship at the alter of aesthetic and inner beauty as a part of wellbeing. Not to always own, but to share, and to connect. Connecting not in a way that makes my La Perla better than your Agent Provcateaur, but that makes us united in sharing thoughts and ideas about what we admire as a part of the importance to our sisterhood. Our sisterhood of the traveling panties.

I know I am not solely all about pink, glitter and glamour. I no longer need to pretend that I have depth by shutting away that part of me that loves fashion and cosmetics.

Instead, I can bring my favorite party gears out of the closet because I have more confidence in my depth. My love and admiration for all things beautiful taught me that.

You can learn more about yourself and tap in to your inner beauty with my Bliss in a Polka Dot Dress: Project Sparkle Workbook, free when you sign up for my newsletter.

You can learn more about Christine Rose Elle, and sign up for her newsletter on her website.

www.ChristineRoseElle.com

“Follow your bliss in a polka-dot dress!”

 The town I live in has always had a special place in my heart. I moved here when I was 6 years old, and although I have spent many years away from it, I have returned and have many roots here. One of the things I love about living in a small town is no matter how far you travel around the world, you can always come back and count on the fact that you will find familiarity.

This is the Chalet , our darling little vintage family owned movie theater. It has been in our town as far back as when I first landed here in 1978, and it’s origins go even further back. Nothing about it has really changed, and that is what I love.

The movies are newer, but the face at the ticket booth is the same. The popcorn isn’t $15 dollars, nor the ticket prices. The theater boasts a beautiful ornate stage with red velvet curtains and gold gilt trim. Velvet seats still  line the floor.

I really wanted to do a photoshoot, the way I see the movie theater, in it’s glory days. I enlisted my niece and her handsome friend and we contacted the owner and went over for an afternoon of shooting.

It was an absolute blast.

Here are the some of the photos from the day. I hope you enjoy seeing my little local landmark through my eyes.

See you at the movies!!

Here is a super fun shot at the wrap of the day of my Neice Kalie and her friend Doug. They really were the most awesome models for the shoot and captured my vision beautifully!

Thank you also to local business Vanity Fashion Boutique  for part of the vintage wardrobe!! 

Thank you both!!

 This is a post on how to feel younger. In fact, I guarantee if you follow these simple steps, you can feel as young as fifteen again. Truly.

Step one : Grab a great friend and head out on a grand adventure.

For example, you and one of your best friends drive roughly 8 hours to a fun locale (this trip actually should have taken only 4, but somehow we went the wrong direction) you listen to loud music, take random stops like seeing the world’s largest spruce tree, and laugh hysterically about how you managed to drive 4 hours out of the way and not realize it. Finally reaching your destination, the remote city of Forks, Wa, home to Bella, Edward and Jacob from the Twilght series books.

Step 2 : Believe in something Silly.

This step is very important, because as we age, it is often frowned upon to believe in something silly. Like Vampires. You don’t really have to believe, but you must lighten your heart and not be afraid of judgement. Go ahead, get bitten.

 Step 3 : Let go of your inhibitions.

Remember when you were a kid and your parents would pull over on the side of the highway because you really had to GO? Well, I don’t suggest you loose all your inhibitions, but go ahead and have fun in public. When you are smiling and having a good time, odds are those around you will soon join in. Suddenly you make new friends and are having the time of your life, not remembering you are actually 38 years old, instead feeling like you are on a middle school field trip.

 This photo below is a prime example of step number three. NEVER EVER be afraid to climb a tree with a cardboard cut out Edward Cullen and have your photo taken. You will never regret it.

Step 5 : Listen to you heart

It is ALWAYS right, even when your Brain makes more sense.  That doesn’t mean you always need  answer to it, just never forget to listen to it.

 Step 6 : Love something, or someone, or both

Love unconditionally. Love with your Whole Heart and don’t be afraid to protect your love. LOVE your craft, your friends, your significant other, but most importantly, love yourself and others will love you too.

Step 6 : Choose a side !

Age is a number, young is a feeling.

Here’s to being forever young.

Love to my far away friend from down under Natasha Burns  for making marvelous memories together. I miss you girl!  xxooxx

 Hi Everyone! Just wanted to share a quick photo from a shoot I did recently for the lovely girls of the Northwest Barrel Racing Team. These fancy farmgirls rock it in and out of the arena!!

Thanks girls for a fun shoot !

I am thinking now there needs to be a fancy farmgirl calendar in the future, and this photo should be in it!!

I wanted to share something I haven’t shared in a while, crafty stuff!

I used to LOVE participating in craft swaps of all sorts, but in the last couple of years I haven’t had as much time as I would like to sit down and create the way I used too. It was so fun to return to my studio and sit down for a day and craft my happy little heart away for a Valentine’s Heart swap with two very dear friends. The only parameter was to take a cardboard heart and make a wall hanging.

Here are how my two happy little hearts turned out…….

I thought I would share a few pictures of my art studio as well, since I haven’t in a long time. Who wouldn’t be happy in this space? Everytime I go in there, it transports me into a  wonderful mood…….

Here’s hoping your hearts are happy as well!

(you can see more of my studio here)