Power Patterns

This summer, it's all about quirky pattern plays. At NYFW 2014 the runways made it clear that the warmer weather is calling for neon mixes, tribal patterns, geometric mirroring, checkerboard and floral mixes. It's fun, interesting and a bit daring. It's a trend that may take you outside your fashion comfort zone but I'm in love with it! Throw your need to match colors to the wind because this style requires you to mix and match different patterns that may not make all that much sense but when put together in an outfit looks fashion forward and bold!

Grief Journey

I am blessed to have this outlet to share life's celebrations and hardships. Sometimes, I am better at expressing myself with written words(besides I can't get through a damn discussion without crying lately!) My topic today is grieving; as we get older, it's inevitable that we will experience loss and grief in some capacity, our loved one's pass away and those loses can be heart wrenching. A pain that can only truly be felt by those who have gone through it.

We have discovered that my Mom's cancer is incurable and the trial she had been accepted into unfortunately did nothing to decrease the size of her tumors. So, now we are faced with a very difficult time where we are both deeply saddened and worried about the future. Not worried about the future of my Mom as she is a woman of amazing faith and will be well taken care of and reunited with loved ones in God's Home. I am instead worried about things like holiday's without her presence or the birth of my children without her there to be the wonderful Grandma I've always known she would be. The thought of a life without her being present is like living with half a heart. It's too hard to imagine and the thought of it brings me to tears. For my own sanity and to be able to function with my work and life, it's crucial that I stay in the present time. I want to enjoy the precious time we have left and cherish our memories. The last thing I want is to have regrets of worrying and being so grief stricken that I'm not able to cherish the time we have together.

My mom is in pain and this has been a 6 year battle with endless chemotherapy, radiation, poking, prodding and surgeries and to see her in pain breaks my heart. I wish so much I could take that pain away so that she doesn't have to suffer. This pain and difficult journey has made me feel more at peace with the thought that she will be Heaven and be pain-free watching over us and being taken care of.

If you are currently grieving please reach out to me as support is crucial. For those who aren't PLEASE ensure that you let your loved one's know each and everyday that you love them. If you haven't forgiven, forgive. For every memory you create cherish it with your whole heart.

* This is an update that my mother was called to heavens gates on May 3rd. I miss her deeply and here is a link to her obituary. I am grieving deeply and I miss her every minute of the day but I have peace in knowing she was a woman of great faith and is being reunited with family members and friends that have passed and is pain free. My heart will always cherish the memories of her as she was my best friend but I do know that she would want nothing more than me to thrive and be happy in my life here on earth. I am not great but I am getting better everyday and with time, I will be able to wrap my head around her death and know that this was her path all along.

Clutter-Free Closet

I would consider myself a pretty organized person, the house is generally picked up and the dishes are washed but DON'T YOU DARE open my closet! What you'll find is an array of clothes and shoes on the floor from attempted outfits that failed miserably were shoved in the closet. Out of sight, out of mind! My closet is chaos, it doesn't make any sense and for this reason, my mornings are rushed and frustrated when they could be effortless, fun and organized.

I have many pieces that never get worn because the task of cleaning out my closet seems like a completely overwhelming task. Don't tell my husband, but I have ALOT of clothes, purses, shoes and accessories in my closet which happens to be fairly small. Even when clothes are clean and hung up, their packed in like sardines making it nearly impossible to see the clothes. I want to make my small closet a pretty space to display my clothing. So, here is my plan to approach this overwhelming task!

1. Purge ferociously. Keep only those pieces that you absolutely love and you currently wear on a regular basis. Think about the one year rule! If you haven't worn it in a year then, say goodbye!

2. If you have a special piece that needs dry cleaning due to a stain or needs to be mended, then do it! Don't let it sit in your closet wasting space. Time to see if these clothes are able to be repaired for wear

3. Try everything on! Yes, this can be a bit time consuming but most likely there are pieces that you want to keep that you haven't tried on for quite some time. It may not fit as you remembered or perhaps your taste has changed.

4. Think quality over quantity. Remember the size of your closet and the breathing room that your clothes need! If the clothes are too big or too small, it no longer belongs in your closet. If you absolutely cant part with it, store it in a bin in the garage so that it's not taking up your precious space.

5. It may be time to color coordinate clothes or organize them to a system that makes sense to you. Make a trip to the container store or target for some additional organization items. Picking out an outfit in the morning should be easy breezy now that you can see all the fun pieces you have!

DIY Organizers:

Shower curtain purse organizer

PVC Pipe and  Pipe Glue for shoe storage

Get these chalkboard tags  and place them on drawers or bins.

Happy Organizing.

"Out of clutter, find simplicity."- Albert Einstein

Faking Flawless

If you love makeup, you've probably seen RMS in the spotlight recently. RMS stands for Rose-Marie Smith whose been a professional makeup artist for over 20 years. She decided to produce a makeup line when she had a series of health issues which were linked to the high levels of toxic metals she had in her blood. She produced an organic line that is not only healthy for your skin but has been dubbed J Crew's 'go-to' makeup line for their models and is growing in popularity.

Written from Refinery29, Until now, the "J.Crew Model Glow" was a secret that was held tightly under wraps. We twisted our hair into messy topknots and slicked on poppy-bright lipsticks in an attempt to recreate that nonchalant M.O. But, the one aspect that was missing from our Crew-inspired get-up was that skin. The J.Crew girl always has skin with the perfect amount of dewiness that manages to look fresh-faced and well-rested (and never greasy). And, now, J.Crew has finally divulged the secret — The Glow is courtesy of products from cult-favorite organic line RMS. Learning that RMS' Living Luminizer is what makes the models' cheekbones shine like sunbeams is kind of a d'oh moment for us. Almost every makeup artist that we've worked with swears by the brand's products — the Lip2Cheek tint and Buriti Bronzer are also major pro faves.