the end and the begining

source of image unknown, via Design Hole

I’m so proud to say that I accomplished most of what I set out to do this year. And so much of what I did I want to do again in this new year. I want to keep baking and testing out new recipes. I want to capture more silly moments in photos. I want to absorb myself in my son and I want to keep teaching him and shaping him. He’s going to make a fine young man one day and I’m tickled with joy knowing that what I show him now will have a great impact on the wonderful person he will be. I’ve made some dazzling home updates which I hope to share here on Beautiful Living.

We didn’t participate in random celebrations nearly enough. I’ll work on that.

I’m not as free as I once was. I hold on to so much more in my older age but this year I vow to capture some of that free spirit that made my life so perfect and brilliant in my 20s.

So good bye to the end of a decade and hello new life! I’ve been eager to meet you.

a new discovery

Inglot, image by Greg G via Yelp

Never mentioned it but I love make-up. Granted, I’m not consistent with wearing it but I love the stuff.

Last December when my mom visited, I spent way too much time in Sephora painting my face. I left the store with the tiniest bag after having spent a few hundred dollars. My mom was paying, it was my birthday weekend… made sense.

Sephora is such a girly-girl’s dream. Make-up everywhere, boundless possibilities and make-up remover so can you take off and reapply. That last factoid is brilliant.

This year when my mom came to visit she asked if we were going make-up shopping. I had decided against it. I still have most of what I bought last year, I still love most of it and I still recall with complete clarity that we dropped a pretty penny on my small stash of stuff.

I don’t know how it happened but I found myself in Sephora a few weeks back. It was during my moms visit so I’m sure her presence had something to do with it. This year I exhibited a lot more self control and left with a lot less stuff. I did find the perfect lip liner and nail polish.

Two days after that incident I found myself freezing my ass off in Time Square. One margarita and a Broadway show later I began making my way to the subway when I stopped, stunned by what I saw – Inglot. Clueless about the brand I went into the store mesmerized by the bright colors. It was like a Euro version of the MAC counter at Macy’s. I’ve always liked the MAC counter but most of the sales people turn me off. Somehow they always make me feel like I’m not cool enough.. which is absurd. But at Inglot I felt comfortable. So I shopped, my mom shopped and we left with lots of goodies. The best part, the prices were slightly less then Sephora. I guess having held out a few days earlier was well worth it.

Inglot is a Polish brand, new to the US. I think the New York store is the first here in the states. Definitely pop in if you’re in the area. They too have make-up remover so you can try on, take off and reapply at your hearts content. The colors are gorgeous and the possibilities are endless. I bought this lime green liner that also acts as mascara and who knows what else. That’s the thing, a lot of their products can be used in several different ways – so a loose powder can be used on your cheeks or made into a cream eye shadow or even a liner. Crazy fabulous!

Inglot's pretty make-up

Inglot in Poland, image via tumbler

holiday cheer

holiday cards

Back in November I decided I wanted to get our holiday cards out the way. I sent our first batch of cards that following week. About two weeks later I got around to mailing batch two. Well, I’m embarrassed to say that batch number three is still siting on the dinning room table. As in our dinning room table.

Did I mention we’re only sending out 28 cards? The fact that I have to send 28 cards out in three batches is pretty ridiculous.

BUT… the cards are super cute and I made my best effort to write a personal note to each recipient. I guess some people on the list are easier to write to. At least when our  family and friends get their cards they will be greeted but some fun photos.

Anyone else still working on their holiday cards?

stacks of photos ready for mailing

sweet holiday wishes, 2009

* photos for our holiday cards were taken my mimi inglin

welcome back

Gift Wrap by Martha Stewart

I’ve been absent for a while now. I won’t lie, it’s been lovely to sorta get lost in other things and not feel the burden of managing my life and a blog.

I had some really high hopes of spending December baking up goodies and wrapping matchy matchy gifts but that shit aint happening. I use to get anxiety over these thing.. of not living up to the person I had dreamt myself to be in my head. I’ve released a lot of that this year. By no means am I cured.. but I’m better. And I’m ok with all the December Dreams that won’t be making there way into reality.

My moms visit was wonderful. I love having her around, I love the way she takes care of me and I love the way my son loves her. She’s been gone for 4 day now and he still keeps looking for her.

Breaks my heart.

I tackled two home projects during my moms visit and both turned out perfectly. Thank goodness because my history with home projects has been hit or miss. But this time I really thought about what it was I wanted and how I wanted it to fit into our space. I’m starting to look at my projects from the perspective of a designer and less from the perspective of an over zealous homeowner that’s obsessed with HDTV and home décor magazines. This is just to say that I’m no longer trying to reproduce the work of someone else but rather understand my own needs and how it is I can satisfy myself, the client.

I think this new perspective is working out a lot better.

My birthday is this weekend. I think we’ll take my son to visit his aunt. She use to teach early childhood education and she has endless patience and energy for a child of his age. I think they both keep each other company and time spent with her is time well spent. Now if she could just teach my child how to share and how screaming for attention is bad then I think my life would be near perfect.

run like a rock star

 

I love that there is this one woman in a sea of men totally kicking ass.

The New York Marathon was early this month. The 19 mile marker is just a few blocks from my home. We try and pop down a few times throughout the day. It’s exciting to watch when the street becomes filled with this huge herd of people. But then there is something so enduring when you go in the later hours and the stragglers are slowly passing by. They seem so desperate for the end to finally come. So my husband and I like to cheer them on. The sweetest thing is that a lot of them will thank us for hanging around. It makes me sad that more people aren’t out.

Perhaps this will only be funny to me but this year I made a sign that on one side said Run Like A Rock Star and on the other side said Go Graycen. When we were last out a few different stragglers commented about the Go Graycen. It seems they thought we were out, waiting for Graycen. I didn’t have the heart to say – well that would be my son, this guy here in the stroller.

Go Graycen

 

New York marathon (2009)

 

 

home decor: our hallway

We’re just days away from December which begins the countdown to the best holiday ever – my birthday! It also begins the countdown to my moms visit. It’s something I look forward to all year long. The thing is, every December when she visits I roll out my laundry list of projects that I want to tackle and at least every year there is something house related. Last year we re-painted the entryway and covered the front door in chalkboard paint which I posted about here. This year I have two projects planned though I’m not certain we’ll get to both.

A few Decembers back we hung wallpaper in the hallway. The paper is decadent and spot on Euro-glam. I wasn’t certain it would work but it does and I love it. The pattern is pretty busy and what I love most is that from the living room just a sliver of the wall is visible and you see this yummy wall draped in pretty paper. We only did one side since I felt doing both walls in such a narrow space would be a bit much. I think it works except the other wall is still the original wall color from when we moved it. It’s a boring blah vanilla beige. I’m still mulling over paint chips but I’m thinking a milky chocolate brown to match the main color of the wallpaper. I’m not going for an exact match, just a good match if that makes sense. My only dilemma is that the hallway will be really dark if I go that route which is fine on one had but the hallway leads to our bedroom which is painted this deep charcoal gray so it’s sorta like dark space leading into dark space. If we had ample lighting in our home I think it would be less of an issue.

Here go a few images I found of random things that capture a bit of the space in it’s present form. The colors of the wallpaper are probably most true in the first image.

our entryway

And here go a few of the colors I have narrowed it down to. I think I’m digging the middle paint chip, color 8766 the most (second from the bottom).

paint chips

let the holidays begin

TV Dinner Cupcakes vis BlackEiffel

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I tried a few new recipes and made my first ever turkey. That’s like big time, people!! And it was delish. I spent the rest of the evening doing holiday cards. It was really one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve had in years. 

I’m off to do a bit of holiday shopping. If you’re out there doing the same I hope you’re finding great deals.

obsession haunting

I haven’t spoken about my obsession with birdcages lately but it still exists. Hopefully some day soon I’ll stop dreaming and just take the plunge.

source of image unknown

And subway tile, I’m obsessed with that too.

 

source of image unknown

I have a love for pony hair as well.

stool from Horchow

hotel find: santa monica

Excuse me while I drool a bit over this hotel. Did I mention I love bold colors?

Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica

Viceroy Santa Monica, Library

Viceroy Santa Monica, Bar

hotel find: italy

I use to be an avid traveler. Then I had a child and traveling become obsolete – but before that happened I had a thing for hotels. Well, I still have a thing for hotels I just have less use for them. Hopefully someday that will change and I’ll go back to being a jet setter. And when that change comes along, I would love to pop into the B-Lounge at the Barcelo Raval Hotel in Italy for cocktails.

This place makes hot pink look really really chic.

Hotel Barcelo Raval

B Lounge at the Barcelo Raval Hotel

Hotel Barcelo Raval, Italy