Shannon Ables's Blog, page 279

Why Not . . . Make a Bucket List?

The bucket list is a concept that refers to “a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.” And while I’ve never yet created my own personal bucket list, I have reconsidered the idea of incorporating it into my life as a means for ensuring it is prioritized in a manner that best supports a life I would be proud to have lived.

My return to the idea of building a bucket list was sparked after my conversation with Fiona Ferris on The Simple Sophisticate podcast this past summer. During our conversation Fiona shared the idea of making a bucket list of all of the things and activities, etc. one would do if money wasn’t an option. I must admit, the shift in perspective was new but instantly I could see myself cultivating a bucket list that I could confidently say would enliven my life and clarify my direction if I viewed it through this lens.

So today I wanted to pose that very question to you: If money wasn’t an option or an obstacle, what would you want to do with your one and only life?

Contemplate the following:

~Where would you live?

~How would you live?

~Who would you spend your time with?

~How would you dress? 

~What would you eat?

~What hobbies would you do and how often?

~What would you learn?

~Where you would travel?

~What experiences would you explore on your travels?

~What would you learn about the world?

~How would you decorate?

~What causes would you champion?

While initially this approach may feel silly, what it will provide you with is a vision. Much like a vision board, it will remove the limitations you may have unconsciously put into place and open the world allowing you to be a child in the candy shop.

Once you have the answers to these questions and possibly others, take a close look. What do you see? Pick a handful, perhaps three, and integrate them into your goals (view this goal planner to easily map out a path to success). How can you begin to gradually make them your reality? What might you have to give up to make them possible? Is what you have to give up appearing in any of your answers to the list of questions above? If not, why not let it go? If it is present, ask yourself if is it something you can give up temporarily?

Let me share an example of how I have answered one of the questions above. When asking where I wanted to live, I have known for some time it was Bend, Oregon. I also knew it would not be easy to make it my reality. I knew buying a house would take time, and I may have to rent for an indeterminate duration, but there was no hesitation once I knew I had an opportunity to live here. I sold my dream house that I had spent nine years remodeling and packed up my pups and moved to my long awaited home, sweet home. I am not sure when I will be buying my house in Bend, but I do know it will happen. The first step was getting here and now that I am here I am clear about the next goal and the life I want to build.

The clarity and focus this approach will provide you with will hopefully get you excited to start where you are. After all, wasn’t it Arthur Ashe who reminded us to “start where you are, use what you have, do what you can”? It’s good advice, and it all begins with getting started.

Once you know definitely what the finish line looks like, look down at just beyond your toes and make one step each day. Before you know it, you will be closer than you were yesterday, last week, last year, and eventually you will have arrived.

Today, let your dreams run free and you might just be amazed that what you dream can actually be your reality. There is no doubt in my mind that they can.

 

~Looking for more posts full of inspiration? Check out the LIFESTYLE archives: 

Cozy & Warm

The snow has fallen on the mountains surrounding Bend, and in a few weeks, perhaps a jaunt to enjoy the temporal seasonal activity of skiing will be in store, but while tending to my everyday routines, warmth is needed in my wardrobe and that means sweaters. I am someone who loves tucking myself into a turtleneck and preferably an over-sized one so I snuggle in as though it were a ready-to-wear blanket of sorts, but sometimes the extra fabric around the neck can be too much. What do you prefer? Speaking of preference, the navy sweater above has captured my eye as the hue is classic and works with everything. Perhaps this one will satiate my search? And this one too, but more of a dream. Have a look at even more inspiration to keep you warm and stylish below. (Be sure to click on any of the images to shop the look.)

The Myth Hindering an Amazing Love Life

“We need to replace the Romantic template with a psychologically-mature vision of love we might call Classical, which encourages in us a range of unfamiliar but hopefully effective attitudes:

– that it is normal that love and sex may not always belong together

– that discussing money early on, upfront in a serious way is not a betrayal of love

– that realising that we are rather flawed, and our partner is too, is of huge benefit to a couple increasing the amount of tolerance and generosity in circulation.

– that we will never find everything in another person, nor they in us, not because of some unique flaw, but because of the way human nature works.

– that we need to make immense and often rather artificial-sounding efforts to understand one another; that intuition can’t get us where we need to go.

– that spending two hours discussing whether bathroom towels should be hung up or can be left on the floor is neither trivial nor unserious; that there is special dignity around laundry and time-keeping.

All these attitudes and more belong to a new, more hopeful future for love.” —Alain de Botton

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #128

As young children many of us were told of a Prince Charming and a damsel needing rescue.  Perhaps we were babysat by one too many viewings of Cinderella, the Little Mermaid or Snow White, and as we grew, the bombardment of the idea that of being incomplete, incapable and reeking of subtle desperation until that one special person found the young woman in need of assistance (in modern movies consider Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing, Jerry Macquire, The Proposal, The Holiday, the list could go on forever) continued to viewed, digested, absorbed and unconsciously accepted as “how it will all someday work out if I am to be truly happy”. While indeed times and some films are trying to make a shift, think Frozen, the reality is, the myth of a soulmate continues to be peddled, sold and accepted as the one thing, if we haven’t found, we need to in order to realize true contentment.

The funny thing is, or should I say, the breath-of-fresh air that I hope to share with you today is actually to become your own soulmate. And what I mean by this is what I will explain below.

Believe it or not, I am absolutely a romantic, but there are some things, as I have discussed before, that must be de-romanticized. The soulmate myth is one of them, and it is the primary reason your love life, and your life in general, has been hobbled. Even if you think your love life is flourishing and you believe you’ve found your soulmate, believe it or not, this relationship you adore and treasure can be strengthened even more by letting go of this cultural, marketing myth.

Earlier this year, best-selling writer Alain de Botton published The Course of Love: A Novel which I read and shared my thoughts on here. The gift of the novel is that it walks readers through the reality of two imperfect people, not unlike many of us who are searching and learning as we love about ourselves, about our lover, about life, etc. And as it walks through years of a relationship it reveals more of the truths that movie producers don’t want us to consider: the boring but necessary parts. For example, recognizing that “Love is a skill, not just an enthusiasm.”

I often discuss the power of getting to know ourselves on this blog, but the dirty work of getting to know ourselves and the evidence that we have been successful is when we understand the science as well. Such as hormones and in which instances they are released and what they can do to our moods and therefore our actions; willpower – understanding its finite nature and how to conserve it as much as possible; and emotional intelligence – being able to remove ourselves from emotions that appear seemingly instinctively and having the tools to investigate why we are feeling the way we are feeling in certain scenarios in order to move past them successfully. Often we may presume that our partner needs to fill our voids, fix our hurts and protect us from the parts of the world that scare us, but the reality is when we seek this solution to our woes, it’s just a bandaid covering a wound that hasn’t been tended to properly. Therefore, it will never heal as well as it could.

How can we heal the parts of us that seem impossible to fix? By addressing them. By doing the dirty and seemingly difficult work of understanding why certain things in our lives aren’t working as we would like them to. Having trouble financially? The solution is not to find someone who makes money, but to figure out how to manage the money you do have well and begin to be the master of money and how to earn the living you seek or live within the means you already have.  As Lisa Martinez pointed out last year in an article for Verily, “invest more of [your] time in becoming a better version of [yourself]”. Why? Investing time in winnowing away the aspects that are no longer serving you, coming to better understand how to handle your emotions, recognizing barriers you have in your life and then discovering the tools to work around them, as well as learning how to effectively communicate with others is a gift not only to anyone who you are in a relationship with, but a gift to yourself as well.

Once you invest in yourself, you will find you enjoy your own company. You will no longer need to fill your life with appointments, responsibilities that don’t support the life you wish you live, and anything to busy yourself so that you don’t have to sit quietly with yourself from time to time. You will bring yourself a peace that multiplies your comfort, contentment and therefore your happiness. And who doesn’t want to be around someone who is at peace with themselves and doesn’t project or throw their pain onto others? The person you need in your life is your best self, and that self is in many ways your soulmate. But why not get rid of the word all together?

As Alain de Botton points out “Our strongest cultural voices have – to our huge cost – set us up with the wrong expectations.” Love is a very good thing to welcome into our lives, but it has become distorted in part because of the expectation we have brought into our vocabulary with the term soulmate. And it is up to each of us to recognize the perversion of love that is portrayed in media and the culture of which we are part of and come to understand what a loving relationship truly is while removing the need to label the person we would like to welcome into our lives, into the most intimate part of our lives, our soulmate. Because the truth of the matter is there is no truth to the existence of a soulmate.

Yes, the dictionary defines it as the a person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner, but do you know how words come to be Webster’s Dictionary? Consider the word “selfie” which was just added to the Oxford dictionary in 2014 and Webster’s in 2013. Words are added to the dictionary as the culture begins using it as a common colloquialism, and therefore, a need arises to define it for the broad populous. The term “soulmate” purports to assume that we are one half of a whole as it originated from the ancient tale of Aristophanes involving two-headed hermaphroditic giants who were cleaved apart by a jealous Zeus, fated thereafter to forever seek their other halves.

But here’s the part where we need to pause, take a deep breath and think rationally. Growth is a choice. And some of us will continue to choose to grow and learn and progress, while some will embark on some growth and still others will be quite content to remain stagnant (ironically, even by staying stagnant, we are changing, just not in a beneficial manner). The soulmate theory is fallacious because it presumes we are fixed entities, never-changing and always remaining the same and as well the other half that we seek will be stagnant too, never having changed since being born. As discussed here in Psychology Today, “growing apart” in marriages is a common reason for a union’s dissolution. Humans are, just as the world is, forever changing, learning new information about themselves and the world and choosing different ways to move forward through life.  It doesn’t mean that a relationship cannot endure, it just means awareness of this life truth is crucial, and to return to Alain de Botton’s words “love is a skill”. The story of a relationship, when the two individuals meet, connect and seem to speak the same language, is only the first chapter. The rest of the story is a conscious choice to invest, learn, listen, communicate, to express kindness and recognize within ourselves the truth behind what we feel when something new arises.

The term soulmates limits us, confines us and keeps our feet in cement deterring a relationship from truly flourishing. Yes, it requires the two involved to be present, attentive and brave, but much like choosing to make the most out of our one and only life and reach our fullest potential, the path to a relationship’s fullest potential is one with two people who are aware of the truth and open to learning, listening and finding strength to do what is best for both themselves and the person they are in a relationship with.

So, the word soulmates? Let it go and liberate yourself whether you are in a relationship or not, seeking a relationship or not, because when you do, you open the door to yes, more responsibility on your part, but as they (albeit in reverse), when you take on the great responsibilities, you give yourself so much more power in living the life that will bring you true contentment.

~SIMILAR POSTS from the Archives you might enjoy:

~Why Not . . . Stop the Pursuit?

~To Complement, Not Complete

~The Prerequisite for a Healthy Relationship

~The Important Ingredient in a Healthy Romance

Petit Plaisir:

~In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs by Grace Bonney

~blog Design*Sponge

~Listen to Grace Bonney with Garance Doré on the Pardon my French podcast here

 

Download the Episode

This & That: October 28, 2016

Book
—My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsberg

In 1993 Ruth Bader-Ginsburg became the second woman ever to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Now the oldest current member of the highest court in the United States, she has just released her first book. As someone who is fascinated by the workings of government, the third branch of government, the judicial, especially the Supreme Court, has captured my attention. Bader-Ginsburg’s demure stature is deceiving as she wields tenacity, wisdom and intellectual dexterity, but she will admit freely, as she did in this interview with CBS Sunday Morning, she is not a fan of cooking.

Cookbook
—Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

The tenth cookbook from Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, was released this past Tuesday and it is one to enjoy. Having pre-ordered in April as soon as I knew it was going to be available, I was delighted to see the book on my doorstep when I returned home from work earlier this week.

—French Country Cooking: Meals and Moments from a Village in the Vineyards by Mimi Thorisson

Blogger and cookbook author Mimi Thorisson’s second cookbook was also released this past Tuesday, and the pictures and recipes are sure to tease the tastebuds. Living in an old château in Médoc with pictures taken by her husband, it is her Salted Butter Chocolate Cake that makes me want to take a look as soon as possible.

Film
—Portrait of a Garden

If you are a gardener or simply appreciate the wonder of Mother Nature and what one can produce when they work with her, this is a documentary you will want to check out. Under director Rosie Stapel’s guidance, viewers have the opportunity to observe four seasons as 60 year old owner and his 85 year old pruning master seed, plant, thin, prune and harvest in the garden. Have a look at the trailer below.

Shopping
—Breton Stripe Journal

Typically I am a fan of Moleskine journals, and while I still am, I couldn’t help but pick up a Breton stripe journal as seen here. And so I wanted to find out where you too could find your own should a bit of French inspiration be something you’re looking for as you sit down for your daily journaling.

—Fiorelli handbags

This week’s Style Inspiration post prompted a reader to mention her love for her Fiorelli cross body bag which prompted me to take a look at the brand. What I discovered was phenomenal prices and styles that are classic with a touch of modern. Two that caught my eye (and other colors are available) are their brown shoulder handbag and blue cross body bag (see above top image).

~recipe for Crème Brûlée Tarts~

Hello Friday. So lovely to see you again. And with you, I see you’ve brought some rain. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Truly, I am looking forward to a cozy weekend of being home, reading, watching some of the World Series and cooking some recipes inspired by Barefoot Contessa’s new cookbook and the new season of her show on Food Network. What will you be up to this weekend, this last weekend of October?

Whatever you might choose, I do hope you have a lovely time. Oh, most importantly, one more item to add to my weekend plans: I have set a date with myself to vote (we vote by mail here in Oregon). A ritual of sorts is beginning as I am looking forward to making a decadent cup of hot chocolate, pouring over my voters’ pamphlet, making my decision on some local and state issues and then casting my vote for the Presidency. And then, I am going to try to watch less of the news. I do think it is taking more of a toll than I realize, so knowing the role I am responsible for is done, will hopefully be at least a little alleviation of stress.

Okay, let’s embrace the weekend, shall we? Below are some articles you may enjoy, and if  the image above with the bundle of hydrangeas caught your eye, be sure to enjoy the tour of the entire home here. Until Monday, bonne journée!

~Sheryl Sandberg’s piece of advice for ultimate career success is something I couldn’t agree with more.

~10 Successful Women Share Their Early Career Mistakes . . . take a look and ease your mind.

~Ina Garten talks about her experience with Pôilane bakery in Paris in Bon Appétit magazine.

~Discover Queen Elizabeth’s favorite hotel in London

~Mastering the Art of French Dining

~10 Simple Reasons It’s Time to Let Go . . .

~View all This & That posts in the Archives here. 

Casual Fall Style

Blue, stripes, a fall wool coat available at a discount. Add some comfy ankle boots, stretchy denim jeans and a cross body bag – done. My weekend uniform is complete.

~Banana Republic Melton Wool Buttoned Top Coat (other colors available), on sale~

~T by Alexander Wang striped jersey top~

~Frame Le High Skinny Jeans~

~Rag & Bone ankle boots (on sale)~

~Rebecca Minkoff Hudson mini leather cross body bag (40% off)~

~Oliver People’s ‘Talya’ square-frame acetate sunglasses~

SHOP the outfit:

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~Peruse more Style Inspiration posts here:

Blue Rejuvenation

“I like an eclectic mix of periods, of scale, of finishes, and a mix of textures. I think that creates not only beauty but a sense of ease. ” — interior designer Mark D. Sikes

It’s not much of a secret that I love blue, especially French blue, but I am not a stickler. Navy, baby blue, you name it, if it is blue or evokes the soothing tone of water, rain, or ocean, I tend to be drawn to it. The key it to balance it with white or other soft, light hues, at least for me. But the beauty of blue is that it is a versatile hue. Interior designer Mark D. Sikes’ Los Angeles home as featured recently on One King’s Lane is breath-taking. While the living room above doesn’t have much blue, as you continue to the tour below, you will begin to see blue everywhere, especially in the kitchen, bedroom and poolside. Fitting, non?

“I’m happy to be known for blue. There’s something optimistic and all-American about it. And I’ve never, ever had anyone come to me and say they don’t like blue.” — Mark D. Sikes

If his aesthetic and approach to decor strikes your attention be sure to take a look at his hand-selected pieces at One King’s Lane here, and I’ve hand-selected a few of my favorites at the bottom of the post. Enjoy the tour!

        

 

~SHOP a few of my favorites from One King’s Lane’s Mark D. Sikes’ inspired collection:

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~DECOR INSPIRATION posts from the archives you might enjoy:

~Restored Sea Escape

~A Coastal Sanctuary

~Sag Harbor Simple Living

Where to Go, What to See: TSLL City Guides

Travel has always been a necessity in my life. It wasn’t until I hadn’t traveled in quite some time during my twenties as I began working as a teacher and was merely happy to pay all my bills each month that when I did finally take my first official vacation by myself, with my own money and with my boys that I found another gear, discovered an entire different level of inspiration and made a promise to myself to always plan regular getaways. Whether just across the state of Oregon or to my beloved home away from home in France, the gift of travel is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves.

Due to this, a couple of years ago I began TSLL “City Guides“, and some of you noticed and many may not have known because . . . well . . . they weren’t as user-friendly as I would have liked them to be. However, I was always adding destinations to the lists of each city, adding cities to the list and with each entry, I vowed to only include places I had personally visited and would highly recommend. If nothing else, it began to be my resource when friends, family and new acquaintances would ask where to go as they knew I had visited a particular city. I would simply direct them to the blog so they could easily explore at their leisure.

Well, with the redesign of the blog, the City Guides have been revamped.

You’ll find the City Guides page in the menu bar below the header, and upon arrival you will see the top two cities: my home town Bend, Oregon, and as I mentioned above, my home away from home, Paris, France (this will be expanding to include other cities as well, but Paris has been well explored par moi).

Below the two top cities, you will see every city I have visited with places I would recommend organized in alphabetical order. Click on any of the cities and be taken to their own unique page with destinations listed and linking to their original source. As well, you will see a brief description of what I love about a particular restaurant, patisserie, winery, etc.

One of the many responsibilities I love about my job as the editor of TSLL is that I have the opportunity to continue to explore and share, just as I have explored this most idyllic independent book store in Gearhart, Oregon, Beach Books (technically located in Seaside, but I always stay in Gearhart and then bop down the highway a couple of miles to visit). As you will see when you visit the city of Gearhart, Oregon, in the City Guides, all of the recommended locations, accommodations and restaurants are listed in alphabetical order. Simply click on the title of the place and be directed to the original website to learn even more.

Now, let’s talk about this bookstore. Beach Books. No matter where I go, I always search for an independent or locally owned bookstore. And it is the aesthetic of Beach Books that takes it to the top of my list. The high two-story interior, the soft sea green walls and polished wood accents, the antique pendant lighting and hardwood floors, and the wood screen door adds a special touch. But be sure to look for the resident cat as you peruse the shelves. Bookstore owner Karen Emmerling’s dream of opening a bookstore began in 2005, and I can remember more than 10 years ago visiting Beach Books in its previous location. Smaller yes, but still just as quaint. Now in their new location where she has been more than a couple of years, Beach Books has found an ideal home.

If you are a cookbook lover as I am, take a look at her collection below (Barefoot Contessa’s new book was going to be put on the shelves in just a few days). Vast in options, easily visible and when I found the most recent best-selling cookbook in France Simple: The Easiest Cookbook in the World by Jean-Francois Mallet as was shared a few weeks ago in This & That, I was quite ecstatic and couldn’t help but purchase it.

Needless to say, treasures of locations are always being found as I explore my hometown and beyond. Stop by the City Guides to discover places to see, visit, eat and stay. I do hope you enjoy and happy travels!

Why Not . . . Ask the Question ‘What If’?

One of my many monthly rituals is sitting down to read the variety of magazines I subscribe to (take a look here). The beauty of subscribing beyond saving money is that you never know when they will arrive exactly, and therefore, when they do, it is a nice surprise to see in the mailbox at the end of the day.

One of the magazines I enjoy reading for staying on top of the most recent cultural news is Vanity Fair. The editor Graydon Carter always offers a letter full of intriguing ideas to ponder (did you read his most recent one in the November ’16 issue? yikes!), but I will admit openly I start in the back of the magazine. Readers of Vanity Fair will know exactly why I do this, and if you begin to read this magazine, I have a feeling you will make this a habit of yours as well. Why? The Proust Questionnairre. Every celebrity is or person of interest has the potential to be tapped to answer the standardized list of questions, but as per expectation, they each answer it uniquely. (The Barefoot Contessa recently was the chosen for October’s issue as her new cookbook was about to be released).

The most recent person to answer The Proust Questionnaire was The Daily Show’s new host Trevor Noah, and it was his answer to the question, “What is your motto?” that struck me immediately and prompted me to write today’s Why Not . . . ? post.  His answer: “Everything is helping you.”

As I began to ponder this possibility, I came up with a question, “What if . . . ? and finished the thought with all of the frustrating, confusing and even uncertain (possibly good events) that just didn’t make sense as to why they happened. Then I found a positive reason each would be helping me as I navigate through life. Below is a list of a few of the full statements I came up with. I encourage you to share one of your own “What If . . . ?” statements in the comments.

What if . . . every time you heard “no” when you wanted to hear “yes”, it was enabling you to enjoy and partake in something even more in alignment with your definition of contentment?

What if . . . you weren’t meant to realize your dreams until later so that you might appreciate them all the more?

What if . . . the job interview you thought you aced actually was the warm-up to help you be über prepared for the job opportunity that would become available just around the corner and your previous experience enabled you to successfully acquire what you desired?

What if . . . the childhood you wished you had wouldn’t have given you the gift of becoming a better person to your own children?

What if . . . the pain you felt cultivated a well of empathy so vast you became able to relate to anyone in any circumstance?

What if . . . you weren’t gifted athletically in order for your artistic talents to flourish?

What if . . . the life you thought you wanted hasn’t materialized because you the universe knows you will be happier once you listen to yourself and follow the life that was meant for you?

What if . . . the unthinkable hurtful comments were made to help you recognize who is truly believes in diversity, acceptance and equality?

What if . . . all the trials you have experienced were in fact “training” that you might be able to be successful against an believably difficult challenge you will encounter?

What if . . . the unexpected surprises and moments of luck were gifts made especially for you?

Now you try it . . .

What if . . . [insert anything that you have been pondering that you cannot make sense of: challenges, expected success, etc. and then describe how this event could possibly be helping you as you move through life]?

There are a variety of different ideologies any one of us may ascribe to when it comes to making sense of why what happens in our lives takes place, but I found Trevor Noah’s short and sweet life motto to be a breath of fresh air that I have chosen to carry with me. And each time I run this statement through my mind, my heart lifts a bit, the corners of my mouth begin to curl upward and I cannot help but think that this think called life is a pretty amazing journey and I am going to continue to strive forward to my best each and every day. Are you with me?

 

~View the entire editorial with Eva Herzigova in Vogue Paris’ March 2016 issue here.

A Small Day Bag

Smaller is better, at least this season when it comes to handbags. And why not? After all, a smaller handbag requires of us each to determine exactly what we need and bring no more. While I not entirely onboard with this shift yet, I appreciate immensely the premise. How many times have I searched in my tote for my lip gloss, keys or pen? The Wall Street Journal just last month contemplated this very shift in women’s accessories, and in order to make this shift, Nancy Armstrong, senior producer at MAKERS, a digital platform that promotes women’s leadership, pointed out, “It’s almost like with age comes the confidence to know that you don’t need to carry around all of those things.” I want to get to this point. I am working on it because I have a feeling it will be quite liberating. What are your thoughts on the down-sizing of the handbag?

 

~Similar posts from the STYLE INSPIRATION archives:

~It’s All About the Bag

~The Bag

~Four-Eyes, Five Star Style

20 Ways to Live Like a Parisienne

“A home is a sanctuary, a haven of peace, where we can let down our guard amid the mad race of our hectic lives.” —Sarah Lavoine, author of Chez Moi: Decorating Your Home and Living Like a Parisienne
~The Simple Sophisticate podcast, episode #127

Being effortlessly stylish takes time, awareness and clarity of what not only looks and feels the best, but what aligns with our truest selves. Part of the reason I am drawn to the Parisienne eclectic style that marries beauty with simplicity is that there is an efficiency, a lack of excess that reduces the stress and decision making, as well as extra work to organize and keep track of things that while not necessary may need to be tended to because we have mistakenly brought them into our lives.

In interior designer Sarah Lavoine’s new book, Chez Moi, I was inspired by her effortless, but thoughtful approach to not only adorning and decorating one’s home, but how to live well within one’s home. So today, I would like to share with you a glimpse of 20 of my favorite ideas which she shares in her book.

~Be sure to tune into the podcast as I discuss each of the 20 items before in detail. You can download on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play. 

1. Change interior throw pillows seasonally

2. An inviting, large, soft sofa. If possible two facing each other

3. Candles, candles, everywhere. Group them together for greater effect

4. Use wallpaper as a signature wall in small doses.

5. Never arrive empty handed when invited as a guest. Keep it simple, but thoughtful.

6. Add a nice porcelain set of teacups to use when receiving guests.

7. Speaking of tea, use tea bowls to serve up snacks.

8. Curate a mini library of cookbooks in your kitchen

9. Casual or country dining? Choose a cloth or linen tablecloth.

10. Make truffle pasta – black truffles, cream, pasta – oh my goodness. (recipe page 64)

11. Become an expert at making fruit tarts (recipe on page 66)

12. Serve wine in a carafe to add a touch of chic to the table

13. Purchase quality napkin rings, engrave your regular dining companions’ names to add a special inclusive touch. 

13. Create groupings with decor: hats, scarves, umbrellas. Do so purposefully for effortless style. 

14. Add a cozy armchair to your bedroom

15. Curtains in the bedroom. Yes!

16. Wear nails short and neat.

17. Invest in loose fitting v-neck cashmere sweaters

18. Choose Greek sandals with natural leather for summer footwear

19. Invest in a nice, tailored blazer to dress up any look

20. Tie bouquets with natural material such as raffia, sisal twine or cotton ribbon.

Living well asks of each of us to live consciously so that we eliminate the unnecessary (or know consciously never to welcome it into our lives in the first place) as well as what, when we decide to invest, will elevate the quality of our living for a good long while. Little touches make a grand difference, but making significant purchases or buying items of quality will also help build a haven of sanctuary at home that is full of thoughtful meaning and purpose so that we can live well and share our time with those we enjoy spending time with in a place that rejuvenates and awakens our truest selves.

~Find more French-Inspired posts here. 

~French-Inspired episodes on The Simple Sophisticate:

#4 — 10 Ways to Unearth your Inner Francophile
#23 —The French Way: How to Create a Luxurious Everyday Life
#32 —The Francophile Style Guide: The 14 Essential Items
#96 — Everyday Living in France: My Interview with Sharon Santoni
#117 — How to Be Chic: My Interview with Fiona Ferris
#118 — Paris, Relationships & Our Truest Selves: My Interview with Eleanor Brown

Petit Plaisir:

~The new Live Simply, Live Well notepads,

This past summer I introduced the first two notepads (To Market and To Do), as well as the Capsule Menu Planning notepad, and realized one more notepad was missing: a notepad left blank for you to do and use in whichever way you want in your daily routine. Perhaps for writing quotes down to remind yourself of before you start your day, or maybe to leave notes for those you love. However you want to use the new “Live Simply, Live Well” notepads is up for you to decide, and they even come with an attachable magnet should you want to place them on your refrigerator.

Some other details:

50 tear-off notepad
white 20lb wt recyclable paper
full color illustration
4″ x 7″
$9 each

And for a limited time, a special discount for orders of $20 or more. Simply enter the coupon code NOTEPAD15 to receive 15% off your order through Monday October 31st.

Below you will see a few other combinations that the new “Live Well” notepad is included:

3-pack – $25
TSLL Notepad Package (all three notepads: To Market, To Do, Live Well) – $20
More packages are available as well as single orders of To Market and To Do here.