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Blue Skies and Sunshine
Many people don't realize that New York City has some of the best light in the entire world. Artists have flocked to the Hudson River for many years because of the particularly amazing light. I live at the Northernmost tip of the Island of Manhattan, and the sky is brilliant, especially in the Summer time.
xo
Emily
Yoga helps me everyday and it has nothing to do with my yoga mat. While there are so many people in the world who have found and embraced yoga, there is so much misunderstanding about it by people who are not familiarized with what Yoga really is. But, I'm not going to get into that right now. For me, connecting Yoga and Design isn't about burning incense and incorporating an alter to Ganesh into a living room floor plan. It really all comes down to 1. Mindfulness: becoming aware, continuing to live in that awareness. 2. Intention: making a decision about who and how you want to be in the world. 3. Action: the most difficult part--actually getting up and doing it. Anyway, that's what it's all about for me. I make a connection between my Yoga practice and design, and ultimately, consumerism. I've put an excerpt (it's actually the introduction) from my book. Have a lovely evening.
XO
Emily
(Excerpt from my book Eco Chic Home)
No matter how great or how small, all living things are connected to one another. We are all connected. This a beautiful thing to realize. What I find fascinating is how we are able to stop and and acknowledge this connection, but in our day to day living, we forget, or ignore, how our individual actions are impacting our environment. I believe everyone wants to make the world cleaner, but not everyone knows how to get from point a to point b. Before any changes can really take affect, we need to help everyone move along to point b. We must bridge the gap between a few individual voices and the broader population.
Mindfulness is a practice that helps bridge this gap between knowing we are connected, and seeing that connection everyday. You can use mindfulness to live every moment understanding that you are a force in the world, and you make things happen, even with that one small choice, like deciding to put that bottle in recycling instead of in the trash. I began to embrace mindfulness a few years ago through my Yoga Practice.
Source: housebeautiful.com via Beautiful on Pinterest
How pretty is this? I was just thinking the other day about things that are way overdone in many kitchens today...and then I came across this one. How beautiful, purposeful, timeless and pretty. Naturally, it's from House Beautiful. Designers: William Diamond and Anthony Baratta (DiamondBaratta Design)
XO Emily
If you've been keeping up with my Twitter feed, you may know that I have been consumed by "Operation: Buy A House." I am truly beginning to understand why people prefer to rent their homes rather than go through the gauntlet that comes with the home buying experience. Never before have I been so emotionally exhausted, even planning a wedding and giving birth to my children seems like a piece of cake compared to this. We happen to live in a highly competitive marketplace, where even now there is a bidding war for almost every decent house we've encountered. But maybe this is just how it's done and it's only novel to me because I've never bought a house before. Or maybe it's just because there are a lot more people in my area who are house-hunting. Or maybe it's just dumb luck. Whatever the reason, it is what it is. Which is when I need to remind myself that it's just a house...not a life. It isn't more important than the well-being of my family, or my relationship with my husband, or my own feelings of self-worth. Nonetheless, I can't help but feel that the entire system itself is flawed. But, like I said, it is what it is.
XO
Emily
P.S. I'd LOVE to hear your house buying stories, and maybe even share them here with other readers. Please submit your stories to me at: GoodWithStyle (at) gmail (dot) com. Subjectline: "House Hunting". Deadline for submissions is Monday, June 27th. I can't wait to hear from you!
Here are a few helpful links:
CNN Money 101 Lesson: Buying A Home
Real Simple: Do You Need A Lawyer To Buy Or Sell A Home?
Source: google.com via Uncle on Pinterest
Sometimes I feel like I save things too frequently, thinking that I can up-cycle to turn it into some fabulous. As I've mentioned before, I often border on becoming a full-fledged hoarder. I have to work very hard to get rid of things, and to keep myself from acquiring too many things. But then I see something like this--A screen door for a pantry--how charming can you possibly get?
XO
Emily
I've been blogging for a number of years now. I first started as a way to launch my freelance writing career, then promote my first book, second book, most recent book. All the while I have been evolving as a writer and as a person. This is what I love about blogs, the malleable and transformative nature of the medium. You can change when and however you wish to change. I am at a Sea Change moment in my life, having just closed a big chapter by way of finally getting my grandmother's house (and my childhood oasis) ready to be sold. I've also been looking for a house with my dear husband, which is not the most empowering experience when you are operating within a very specific budget. So losing and finding a home is a big part of my story right now. We've lot out on three houses because we were outbid. But something happened over the last couple of weeks. First, instead of being disappointed with what I do not have, I re-immersed myself in what I do have. This included spending more time with my children--taking them to buy the groceries, involving them in the meal preparation, sitting down together. It has occurred to me that what sustains us is not what we have from a material perspective, but really it's the shared experiences we have. The rituals of everyday life, whether it's cleaning the house, cooking the food, or doing the laundry--are accessible to all of us. You can live in the smallest house, but when you clean and organize it just so, it can rival the largest mansion. Because what a castle is doesn't depend on what it is, but rather how it is.
XO
Emily
Photograph: Sarah Richardson Designed Room
Here's an Etsy designer with a myriad of delectable details to add eco-chic style your wedding day. I love these gloves, as well as the beautiful head-pieces in her collection. I thought these gloves were also an excellent idea for up-cycling heirloom lace from your grandmother or mother's veil, or dress. Enjoy!
XO Emily
Source: sublackwell.co.uk via Emily on Pinterest
