Live The Charmed Life » Be elegant

Autumn is the Season For Nesting

DeeAnne — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:52:55 +0000

The morning air in the UK has become a bit more crisp, and thoughts have turned from summer travel to autumn nesting. The to-do list has been made, and it includes old favourites, new adventures and cozy sweaters. What’s on your list for this wonderful time of year?

I’ll be watching the leaves in England turn their brilliant shades of gold and red…

credit

I’ll be wearing luscious burgundy lipstick by Lorac…

I’ll be looking for the perfect sweater…

I’ll be taking the cozy blankets out of storage to snuggle under, while I watch football on television…

And I’ll finally be learning how to make Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon.

A very happy autumn to all!

In Honour of Hat Boxes

DeeAnne — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:55:49 +0000

Flickr credit

I adore hat boxes. They’re so elegant and refined. They keep my hats protected, but they also remind me of days gone by and my grandmother’s glamourous hat boxes. I used to love to play dress up in her closet with her shoes, purses, and those amazing hats. Opening each box was magical.

They’re also one of my favourite decorating accessories. Whether vintage or new, masculine or feminine, clean or shabby, frugal or designer, they can bring the perfect feel into a room depending on which type of box you choose. Here are a few that I can picture in lovely rooms of all styles.

Flickr credit

More than anything I must have flowers always, always.~Claude Monet

DeeAnne — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:02:42 +0000

Flickr credit

I Want to be Like Lauren Bacall

DeeAnne — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:45:14 +0000

I want to be like Lauren Bacall.

I want to be real, but elegant.

I want to be fearless, but feminine.

I want to be strong, but well mannered.

I want to be independent, but ladylike.

I want to live the life I dream of, and encourage those I love to do the same.

I want to be like Lauren Bacall.

Why Is Simplicity So Difficult?

DeeAnne — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:57:26 +0000

Why is it so hard to create the simple life so may of us dream about? Why do I insist on buying one more thing I adore, but don’t need? Why must I put one more obligation into my calendar? Why do I need one more accessory with my outfit, on my nightstand, or in my automobile? When will I learn to say “no” more often, so that my “yes” truly matters?

Sometimes it helps me to just remember what simplicity looks like.

It’s focusing on one thing at a time….

And having time to just think.

It’s a simple meal with friends…

But, above all, it’s seeing the world in all it’s brilliant detail, so that I understand that I don’t need to add anything at all.

Flickr credit

Polo, Picnics, Castle Ruins and Men in Summer Hats

DeeAnne — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:31:07 +0000

The players and their ponies are unbelievably talented, and the match is quite exciting…

Flickr credit

Ladies wear summery dresses with flat sandals, or pants with riding boots…

Flickr credit

And the men wear summer hats…

Flickr credit

It’s the most elegant tailgate party you’ll ever see…

Flickr credit

Including a picnic lunch and lots of champagne…

Flickr credit

There were thrills…

Flickr credit

And spills…

Flickr credit

And you can even have Cowdray Castle ruins as the backdrop at Cowdray Park Polo Club...

Flickr credit

All for 15 GBP per person.

Enjoy!

You Don’t Have to Wear a Dress to be a Lady

DeeAnne — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:46:37 +0000

It’s in your easy smile….

And in the way you share private matters with only those closest to you.

It’s how you sit…

And how you stand.

It’s how you treat others…

And how you carry yourself.

It’s so much more than an attitude…

It’s who you are.

Summertime is for White Bedrooms, Lavender Lemonade & Cupcakes…

DeeAnne — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:24:41 +0000

and a few more of my favourite elegant things.

A gorgeous white bedroom…

Lovely white roses…

clean white dishes…

white frosted cupcakes…

lavender lemonade…

and a crisp, white dress.

The Elegance of Slow

DeeAnne — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:19:07 +0000

Slow is so much more elegant than fast. It’s all in the pure luxury of taking the time. Taking the time to enjoy a phone conversation rather than sending only vital information via text. Taking the time to sit out on the terrace with your cup of coffee in the morning, rather than gulping it in your car. Taking the time to talk to your children as they get ready for school, rather than barking orders and being angry when they practice the art of slow. It’s difficult to look serene when you’re harried. It’s difficult to be polite, and really listen to others, when you’re constantly pressed for time. It’s difficult to live in the moment when your mind is racing about all you must accomplish by the end of the day. Yes, slow is much more elegant than fast, and I’m quickly becoming a fan.

I’m not certain where the obsession with fast began, but somewhere along the line our society decided that being busy was a status symbol. After all, if we’re needed at eleven different places at once, we must be important. If we’re busy all of the time then we’re needed. We compete for the “Busiest Award” over cocktail party conversations. The mirage of busy, fools even the most well-lived among us. The problem is that fast is addictive. Fast is cool, fast is hip, fast is sexy. Worst of all, fast is easy. Fast is also misleading. Fast tricks you into thinking you’re getting things done. It tricks you into believing that you have everything under control. Multi-tasking, the sister of fast, whispers in your ear that you can do even more if you only split your attention.

Slow, on the other hand, can seem old fashioned, outdated and dull. It can have others think that you can’t keep up. It can make you feel as if you’re behind the times, and that you just can’t compete. Or so I thought, until I went geocaching with my work team and was taught the term “slower is faster”. We were taught to pay attention to clues and signs on the road, and on our instruction sheets. We were taught to listen to, and to consider, all of the team member’s opinions before dashing off with a half-baked plan. In other words, we were taught the value of slowing down. Slow helps you make fewer mistakes that must be corrected later. Slow helps you think more clearly. Slow enables you to make better decisions. If you just slow down a touch, you look more calm and in control, and you make others feel much more at ease around you. Slow tells you to listen to every word your partner is telling you about their day. Slow allows you to stop working at five o’clock for yoga class, even though there are three more presentations to build. At work, those that have an even rhythm seem more in control than those that appear over worked, flustered and exasperated. Slow is the reason you sit and talk with your child while they’re in the bath, rather than doing the dinner dishes right this moment. Slow helps you remember the life you’re living and the day you’ve had too, rather than arriving home in your car without knowing how you got there. Slow doesn’t make you sweat.

To be fair, there are times we must all be quick. We have deadlines at work, split second decisions are sometimes required in life, and the train is never going to wait if we’re strolling through the terminal, but many times we’ve created situations that force us to rush. Pressing the snooze button one more time, and procrastinating on work projects come to mind for me. I see people spend all sorts of time on Facebook in the morning, and then they’re irritable as they rush out the door to get to work and school on time. The digital age that was intended to give us more time has been allowed to steal our time. It’s also stolen our human interactions, stolen our children’s time with us, and stolen our lives in some cases.

Slow takes effort for most of us, though. After a lifetime of being told to hurry up, to squeeze more in to our day and to require more of others, it’s difficult to deprogram. Luckily, we can relearn what we lost as we grew up. It takes remembering the value of being present. That is the elegance of slow. If you watch children or dogs at play you see it. If you watch girlfriends having a long, leisurely lunch you see it. If you watch two people deep in conversation, and deeply in love you see it. There isn’t anywhere else they’d rather be, or anything else they’d rather be doing. There are resources available to help with that relearning. The Human Performance Institute, for example, teaches that stress is good and very necessary for our growth, but that rest, and being exactly where you are will help put fast back in its place. It’s marketed for those in the corporate world, but it’s essential for anyone wanting to find their true priorities and manage their energy to fulfill those priorities. In Praise of Slow is another resource dedicated to helping understand what the demands of today’s world do to us and to our children, and how to counteract the competitive pressure to be busy, busier, busiest.

As in everything, it’s all about moderation. It’s about knowing when you’ve gone too far and too deep into fast, and how to find your way back. It’s about having the yin of fast and exciting, balanced with the yang of slow and experiencing. It’s about having the luxury to take the time when you want to, and the ability to be present wherever you are. It’s about relearning the elegant art of living a complete life. Yes, you will probably accomplish less when you relearn a bit of slow, but you’ll remember and enjoy and give quality time to more of the things you do keep on your priority list. You want to know the very best part of slowing down though? It’s that it’s absolutely free, and yet adds so much value to your life. So whether you’re strolling, basking, delighting, reveling, meandering, daydreaming, considering, noodling, wandering, savouring, relishing or just plain enjoying, slow down out there, and let me know how it goes.

In Search of Elegance

DeeAnne — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:24:20 +0000

What is elegance, and why do we search for it? In a world that seems intent on labeling everything outdated, and in societies that seek more and more individualism, why are we still fascinated by Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, David Niven and Cary Grant? Why do we seem to crave good manners in a world that thinks them stifling? Why are we able to recognise elegance in others, even if we don’t know exactly why they’re elegant, and even if we aren’t elegant ourselves? Why are we drawn to business people that are ladylike and gentlemanly in a business world that seems willing to stop at nothing to get what it wants?

Could it be that many of the things we complain about are simply a matter of the world losing a bit of its elegance, and we’d like to have it back? When we’re unhappy with the customer service we’ve received, aren’t we missing proper manners in those that we’ve interacted with? When we’ve been pushed to our limits, and we’re seeking to simplify, aren’t we looking for the lost art of elegantly savouring life?

Could it be, that after all is said and done, all we need is a simple life of good manners, good conversation, enjoyable experiences, people to love and lovely surroundings to love them in? Wherever we call home, and whatever we do for a living, wouldn’t we all like to build a life around the elegant things that never go out of style?

Flickr credit