New Year: Reboot

It's Paleo Time...again.

The New Year always brings about reflection and conjuring up of new goals and dreams.

Since it's been a while since my last post. I'll catch you up. Got married, moved states, new jobs, new adventures. All throughout I have continued my interests and this new year, I venture, will be nothing short of amazing as well.


So on to the usual New Years dreams...lose weight by exercise and good food. Not only that, be healthy. Create healthy habits that carry on past Jan. 1st. Does that exist? Yes, in the Paleo lifestyle. I've done their 30-day challenges and they have (with the occasional cheat meal) chipped away at my bad habits. I've just started Challenge #3 and feel even more prepared than before. 

Look it up...it's NOT a diet. Which is what I loved, it's an education on taking pride and care of your health. That alone enticed me the first time. 


Photo credit: paleodietlifestyle.com

Best part...you eat large portions. It's not about deprivation, but proper nutrition. So eat up!

One more thing, new home in May...design "Me" is going to come out full force! 

Till then...

~La Femme

Revisiting a Memory

It started to rain today and for the first time it really hit me that Fall is now here. It's not to hard to figure that out here in the Pacific North-West but nonetheless the early yet unseeingly events of this beautiful day thus far, has happily driven me to revisit a memory. 
When I first moved to Tacoma and was forced to pinch some major penny's I had no internet access. Instead I would stroll over on a lazy Sunday afternoon to 30th Street Tully's and spend the better half of an afternoon catching up on a week's worth of old emails and (then) Myspace and Facebook posts. It became something I looked forward to and that identified who I was for a period of time in my life. The same group of people would greet me behind the counter every Sunday, I got to know a little about their personalities. There was a group of three siblings that met there every Sunday and I got to know who they were as well. In that small ritual grew familiarity in a strange and new city.
Today, there was no internet available in my building and I had the brief moment of genius to go back to Tully's and grab a drink. I did get my usual, Ginger Peach tea, but my maple bar wasn't there. New faces smiled from behind the counter, and no one knew me in the slightest. I sat down in the seat I use to fill on Sunday's, took out my laptop and sat to think about all the experiences a span of five short years has given me.
Make no mistake, I've been progressively living the best years of my life. I have no desire or longing to relive the past. Yet, unexpectedly today, reliving a simple routine just one more time flooded my mind with gratefulness to where I am, and to where I am going. 


I invite you all to relive a memory every now and then. It conjures up hope for the future. Happy Fall!

~La Femme, Cynthia

I love you Barcelona...

There are several areas of the world which I consider to be on my TOP priority list to visit. I struggle with the financial part of this life-list however, I will do all I can (including shopping less.....aAAHHH shock) to make sure that I see what this beautiful world has to offer.


Spain has been high on that list, so high, that I have considered living there. More specifically, I am curious about Barcelona. I love it's background in Catalan culture, language (which I speak and would be able to understand) and it's Gaudi's architecture. All of it entices me even more to visit at least. 


Have any of you gone by way of Spain? Please share!

Would love to get lost in these historic streets

Check out these colors! Wow.

These pictures only mildly represent the beauty that is Barcelona. I imagine it will only quadruple once I get myself to this breath-taking place. 


I hope this keeps you curious and ignites a fire to go out there and at least visit somewhere unfamiliar, mysterious, full of culture. 


~La Femme

Design

Through all different areas of my life and education I have noticed that I have a recurring passion for Design and Fashion. I love to put together outfits, costumes, as well as design themes for a room, a party, an event. Design has been at the heart of any job that I have encountered or been asked to do. So I started thinking...do I have an eye for design? Is this something I should pursue?

At the very least it's something I should investigate. After several hours of researching design at every level possible, I found this nice little book that offered a consolidated view of it all; more specifically interior design which highly fascinates me.

Step 1: Requested that I flip through magazines and cut out anything that is my style, and give them a name. Am I shabby chic? Am I minimalist? Romantic? Classic country with a modern twist? French? This step sounds like so much fun I can't wait to start! Then I get to organize them in pretty little folders based on theme. I can't wait to share with you all my experiences as I finally unearth a passion that may have been overlooked in my life.

Stay tuned. Go along with me. Let's share.

xoxoxo
~La Femme

Feeling girly.....

Ode to Shoes

High above the ground you let me stand

New dress, pedicure, with confidence in hand

Walking down the street in your stylish demeanor

you pave the way and make my legs look leaner.

By: Cynthia Guzman



I love shoes, and this past weekend of love and friendship, I was able to meet some of my new foot accessories for the spring. I fell in love with them so much that I wrote a poetic tribute to them in anticipation for the confidence they make me feel, and the cool outfits that they will inspire!

What is it about shoes that make you feel like a woman? Any suggestions? I love them though, and with the deal I got, I can't wait to find more 'love' for my feet! Check them out.

~La Femme

Love & Friendship

Growing up I really looked forward to having a day to celebrate those that I love on a special day. I actually received my first declaration of love in 2nd grade through a heart-shaped Valentine that said I love you. I don't think either of us knew what that meant, but it's a cute memory nontheless.

My mother however taught the day to her children to be a day of Amor y Amistad. Which translates to Love and Friendship. So it was a really excited to tell my friends how much they meant to me. Now, I like to hand-out Valentine's to anyone who crosses my day that day. A little candy, a chocolate, a mini-card, anything to put a smile on someone's face.

I started making my Valentine's I will hand out this year. Check it out below! So much fun, easy to assemble, and beyond cute!

Tin hearts from Michael's and hand made cards.

The felt-hearts from Michael's as well.

 I simply used chocolate M&M's for the tin heart candy filling, and mini placement cards as my signature card with a simple 'Happy Valentine's Day' for the cover. Very simple, very sweet. What are you doing this Valentine's Day?

Oh and p.s. I feel that we really don't need one day to show love, let's do it everyday!

Xoxoxo,
~La Femme

Hair accessories...love

Hello friends!
I'm in the mood for love, simply because it's awesome! I've been exploring new sites, websites that is, and have discovered a site that has some amazing hair accessories. Now, let's talk about that for a bit. If you are like me, I limit myself to the occasional headband, perhaps a fancy clip, bobbypins, and the occasional black hair bands. I've never ventured into making it more fashionable.

Remember before though? When hats were the norm and adorning one's head was the thing to do? I seem to yearn for the days of detail-oriented elegance. I think I found a place that gives me a happy medium. Check it out HERE.

Old style

New Style

These are absolutley amazingly stylish. Don't you agree? These would make the basic white shirt and T look amazing. Or maybe a first date? Be adventuresome and bring back some glamour to your head! I think I just might.

~La Femme

Looking ahead to spring......clothes that is.

Sitting in my inbox when I got home was link to one of my favorite stores! They definitley carry out the kind of style that best suits me. Some of it was so great, I just imagine myself in it. Do you guys do that? Or is that just me?

Look #1:
This particular style is jsut the splash of spring elegance I was looking for. It's polished enough to wear on a date somewhere and causal enough that you are not secure and comfortable for a walk of brhnch-like engagement. Come to think of it, I think I am more in love with the deep coral color and the way it's color accents make everything else pop. This would look great with any accent color...green, blue, yellow, but this coral gives it the perfect romantic feel...hmmm...maybe some inspiration for 2/14? Love it!!!



Look #2:

I loved the mix n' match style that is going on now. I've been adventurous to try it out with different colors, not different patterns so much. But look at this pretty example...isn't it devine? With such a busy yet stylish ensemble you have to make sure to let the clothes do the talking, they did right to have the model with an updo.

Look #3:

This last look hooked me with the socks. Hello!!! Aren't those great? I pictured myself traveling Europe on foot looking stylish in an effortless way. Add a great backpack and a vintage camera and you're ready to roll. Spring is looking up! Time to tone those legs.

Was lovely to catch up with everyone. Have a wonderful Tuesday!!

Updates: Wedding planning for friend was put on hold. So definitely looking for new project :-)

~La Femme

Inspiration

I look to Europe often for inspiration and mystery; which I think ultimately define why I am so interested in it--lack of first-hand knowledge. I am ok with that being the circumstance now, I hope to alleviate that predicament as soon as I have the proper funds to get me out there.

Occasionally I doodle. I haven't posted anything lately, but today this picture sparked my interest:

It is called "Paris Grey" and I fell in love immediatley. In my crazy imagination, Paris is covered with art and beautiful corners like these to be discovered.


Now this is the kind of grafitti art that I can appreciate. So I decided to try to replicate this using another color for my pen.

I call this one "Tacoma Bleu" :

I wonder sometimes with all of my interests...what path I should lead in life? We'll see.
Have a great weekend everyone!!

~La Femme

What's for Dinner...

I don't consider myself much of a homemaker/cook type. However the art of cooking and all things Kitchen-esq fascinate me. I love learning and mastering different skills and I've recently have been given the gift of 365: No Repeats from Rachael Ray. This is a great beginner book for me to acquaint myself with this new interest of mine. My ultimate goal? To be a hostess with the most-ess. I want to be able to invite people over and not stress about my dish, but me confident in it.


Recipe #1: Beef Fajita Burger w/ Seared Pepper and Onion...take a looksie!

The worcestershire sauce was ah-may-zing! Add some black beans and voilà, nice savory dinner. Yum!

Recipe #2 ( I did this one today) Island Bird: Pineapple Rum Chicken

I paired this recipe with a bed of Jasmine rice and lots of red pepper flakes. My nose was running for days, but the pineapple simmered with onion and garlic and RUM was so so good. Here's some proof!

So I may be getting hooked with this cooking stuff.....and, I haven't even gotten to desserts! Exciting times and I'll be sure to share each of my discoveries (and failures) to come. Wish me luck. 

On a completely other note, I found these great teapots on Mariage Frères. They are beautiful, amazing, and most importantly, FRENCH!!! 

Oh, la, la.....what a day.

~La Femme

After Winter, comes Spring!

Hey guys,
For some reason I forget that winter goes past the New Year's festivities. It's crazy, but once I recover from the Holiday's I am ready for the Spring. My current winter looks like a soggy sponge, but my dream winter resembles this...

...ah Paris, Je voudrais être là!

So now to clothes. I'm feeling a pull to prints. I have not used prints at all much in the past; usually just to accessorize, but check out this sweater and skirt that make you feel .."pretty, oh so Prettty!!!..." Let me know what you think!

What a wonderful way to welcome spring! Those Brit's know what they are doing, check out www.us.asos.com 

Next up...more information on how my baby shower (and by 'my' I meant the shower that I planned) went. Also, I'll update you on the Wedding I am planning (for someone else). Just find it necessary to be clear! Don't want to confuse my 4 readers....if that.

~La Femme

Inspiration Board

Hello everyone-it's been a while with the holidays and whatnot, but I was inspired not by the red and green of the season but by the Purple Slendor found at http://www.snippetandink.com/ Check them out! I'm not much of a severe "girly girl" but these photos will make you into the biggest princess lover ever. So sweet, innocent, and sexy. Love it! Heading home (California) tomorrow, more inspiration there to come...I'm sure.

~La Femme

Planner update: Baby Shower Invites

Ok folks, planning has gone well and now I am done with the invitations. In order to accommodate my modest budget, I've opted to a more bargained priced invite from this wonderful site (www.tinyprints.com) They offer so many at various price ranges and not just for baby showers. Check them out! Here's a sample of what I got.

I also personalized the back with her sonogram and psalm which I know is something the mother-to-be would great appreciate.

I'm totally excited to be able to head the planning for this. I'll keep posting my updates on items purchased. Today I spent the day coming up with my holiday cards....hours at ArtCo later, I've planned my idea ;-)

~La Femme

Winter Shopping

Every season I look for the perfect coat, I live for the perfect coat and I end up finding a million. Here is my first pick of the season. I WANT ONE! Isn't she lovely, isn't she wonderful??

Available at Express

Nordstrom has some really great options but so far I am noticing that I liked a clean tailored look with something frilly to get that "girly" edge that I love so much.

Available at Nordstrom.com

It was only inevitable that I find a million coats I loved at one of my favorite stores of all time....Anthropologie. Check out the favorite for today :-)

Available at Anthropologie

This coat has that military casual look but again, yes you guessed it, the "girly" theme with the ruffles. Oh boy, what to pick? It's only time before it's boot shopping time. I'll be sure to keep you posted. Thanks for the reads everyone.


~La Femme

Bedroom Makeover

I got a new dresser this weekend....it was needed!!! So then naturally I want to redo the entire bedroom and started with thinking about what my dream bedroom would be. It would be a huge room with windows and textured walls with a chair area, etc. Well it would look something like this...

Then again I don't want to go too fancy, so maybe something like this....

Yes, contemporary yet elegant, lots of fabric yet plenty of light and color. Yes, love it! 

Ok, then there's reality-- and I starting thinking that if I can't get the bedroom of my dreams...YET ...I should definitely take inspiration from other bedrooms and take elements that make it mine. Bits and pieces and step by step is the way it will get done. So here are some of what I found and liked.

What I initially loved about this bedroom is the dark walls. People are generally afraid of color and darkening an area like a bedroom. However, the light hardware and white ceiling and carpet more than compensate for that. Another design element that I loved was the two his/her dressers complete with mirror. Not only does it elongate the space but when the sun goes down and those night lamps go on they will reflect perfectly off those mirrors and continue to light up the room. 

I fell in love with this bed. I liked that it the furniture wasn't too matchy-matchy and different color, textures, and elements made this room fit so well together. The paneling on the walls eliminates the need for too much wall art and let's the bed take the focus...which in my opinion is never a bad thing ;-) I also love the silver plated night stand. Beautiful!!!

I know that textured walls are a hefty penny but then I came across another novel idea....storage!!! I love how the entire wall was used as a built in bookshelf/storage area. It doesn't overpower the room because they kept it a natural color and again, let the bed take center stage. Lovely.

The picture frames on this wall reminded me of what I did in my old apartment living room. I bought various different frames and place different pictures on them. It made the wall my own, and what a great idea for a bedroom wall that needs pop.

I hope you find inspiration in some of these bedrooms and rearrange, try, test, buy, experiment with something you haven't before. 

Wedding planner thing going well...AND....still working on the baby shower. :-)

Have a wonderful day!

~La Femme

Further research....

A day off for me is equivalent to a day of major research into my new projects. I've taken to looking into bridal blogs. Today I got great inspiration from Kiss the Groom. These inspiration boards are great!

I've also chose some party favors for the baby shower. Let me know what you think? I still have yet to think of the candy filling. Suggestions are welcomed.

~La Femme

New Ventures

It's been a while friends! I've started to venture off into new territories (nothing new for those who know me). I got two big projects I am working on; 1. I'm planning my sister-in-laws baby shower, and 2. I am planning my first wedding as a planner. Not mine....yet ;) Halloween just passed and I tested out some of the desserts I plan to serve at the Baby shower. I used great baking pans from Williams-Sonoma but let me give you a little tip---frosting them was difficult. I think the trick to these is to pick flavorful cake mixes to carry all the flavor that frosting usually does.

Williams-Sonoma

My Halloween Cakes

I've started researching various wedding venues and found that the Knot websites has great sources of references depending on your area. Wish me luck and future postings to come!


As for now, I'm off to enjoy some Starbucks red holiday cups...so should you.

~La Femme

Snail mail

I've just received some late birthday cards but snail mail never ceases to amaze me in how it warms my heart to see my name hand written into an envelope. It's nice that we have the convenience of publishing things on our own now and having the ease of time-saving technology; however, the letter in the mail will never be replaced in my eyes. 


That got me thinking of reasons to send letters through the post. Let's make some reasons up. If you happen to think of someone, send them a letter, if you had a good time out with a friend, send them a thank you note. Let's find reasons to celebrate life and each other shall we?!?!? 

I hope you take the time to dust off that address book and send a letter to someone today. It may lead to  rekindling a friendship, a love, or just exercising your writing skills above and beyond a text message. Either way you are giving more than just a letter to someone; you are giving them your time and your thoughts. Something that is so accessible and valuable will be appreciated no matter what. 

Have fun and let me know if you have some great results with them!!!

~La Femme 

Where have I been?

So, I'd like to answer the question of where I have been, and that has only one way to be answered--I've been occupied by life in a stressful yet wonderful way. I feel bad for not taking my personal time to write (which I enjoy immensely) but I've been able to stay happy...stay tuned....more wonderful things to come.

I've ventured into new endeavors and look foward to sharing them :-)

~ La Femme

Friday Follies

You know, sometimes it's not enough to be prepared for life. Sometimes things arise and you are obligated to react; then for better or for worse you are the consequence of your own decisions. I'm not trying to highlight this as a negative at all--it just that sometimes life overwhelms in a great way! I am superbly happy with all aspects of my life yet I think to myself, in one area in particular--career, it can get better. There is an 'itch' that I get every couple of years in my life that I am inclined to scratch on occasion. It's the itch of change. What's new and what can be new. I search for that 'newness' to continue to feel inspired and worthy of what I acquire in life. Do you ever feel that?