Friday, July 29, 2011

Retail Therapy

Yesterday morning as I was scrolling through the news feed on facebook I came a across an article posted by Self Magazine, one of the many health and fitness mags I 'like' on fb, it was titled "Can Shopping Actually Help You Live Longer?" Talk about attention grabbing headlines! Well, obviously I was intrigued, as I'm sure most women on the planet would have been. So I of course quickly clicked on the link to find the answer to this burning question, and even though the article wasn't really about only this subject, but rather other ways to elongate your life, that one little paragraph was enough to convince me! That's all I needed! And since I'm all about being healthy these days, if I can find little ways to fit an extra health benefit or two into my day, hey I'm all for it!  And just for a little added extra support I did a quick Google search to find a bit more evidence of this wonderful news and wouldn't you know it? It's true!! Women's Health Magazine also published an article on the subject a few months back. And who wants to argue with the good doctors at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Stanford? Not me!

So with that, I strapped on my sandals and grabbed my handbag and I was out the door to reap the benefits! And since I've been working on a new jewelry collection this week and have been feeling a little stressed about finishing and a with a few pieces not working out exactly how I'd planned, I figured this was just what I needed.

So I headed straight for H&M, cheap, cute clothes with the added benefit of the sales. What more could a girl ask for?  Unfortunately, the sale racks have been pretty well picked through so without much luck in that section I headed over to check out the new collection where I immediately fell head over heels in L.O.V.E with this adorable dress. 

And even though it was full price, its H&M, and for 40 euro you really can't go wrong. I mean its definitely a transition piece. I can wear it now with my sandals and then in Autumn throw on some tights,  knee high brown boots and a little cardi and I'm good to go. And its a neutral so I can wear it to any event and dress it up or down with the right shoes and accessories.
Oh, wow, it really does work! All of life's worries go slipping away with the right dress in your closet. Oh, and I got a great little belt to go with it and a leopard print pashmina too! 

Of course I have always heard the term 'retail therapy' and have used it quite loosely on occasion myself, never necessarily arguing against it, but I also never considered that it it could be truly therapeutic, until today that is.  Or maybe I was simply paying more attention today.

And so my lovelies, here it is, no more feeling guilty, when life is getting you down or your projects aren't going quite as planned, take a little break and go shopping! It's good for your health, the doctor said so! Although, my husband still needs a little more convincing.....

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Home is Where the Heart Is

But what happens when your heart is in two places? Does it mean that you have two homes, or that you don't have one at all? The most difficult question that people often ask me is where do I like it better? In Italy or in the U.S? How can I possibly answer that? The truth is that it is a constant struggle for me. I have accepted the fact that I am and will always be eternally homesick. No matter where I am, no matter what I do, I will always miss my home. Of course I did my growing up in California and my family is there and therefore that is always be my home. 25 years of memories, both good and bad, but always still my home.
Florence on the other hand is where I became a women. Really understood who I am and where I come from and what I am willing to and not willing to do. Some of the best years of my life have been spent here and of course I have also met my soul mate and we have created a home together.
I also find it interesting that when speaking about a trip to California I will always say that I am going 'home' yet, when I return to Florence I will also say that I am going 'home'. But after being in California for a while I begin to miss Florence and when in Florence, I inevitably miss California and at times will feel an overwhelming need to go 'home'.
So what is it that makes a home a home? I guess that's different for every body but for me it's so much more than having the most comfortable bed in the world (seriously, love my bed) or your clothes hanging in the closet, it's about being comfortable and where you feel loved. So I guess I would say that I'm pretty lucky and that it is possible to have two homes. The goodbyes are always hard but they make the hellos so much sweeter.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

If at First You Don't Succeed, Try Try Again.

  My life lately has been no less than crazy.  The last few weeks in May were spent preparing for my nieces and nephews first visit to Florence. Of course I wanted to make sure that everything was as perfect  as possible and that they were able to see as much as they could in the shot amount of time that they had.  It was amazing.  There are 5 of them between the ages of 16 and 23 and they were enthralled and captivated with everything that they saw and everything that they ate.  I loved seeing them experience the country that I love so much.  It was hectic and at times stressful and there was A LOT of planning that went into just 10 short days.  But it was worth every wonderful memory that was created with them and I know that it changed the way that they see the world. I hope that they will now be curious and want to see more.

After they left on June 10th,  it was then time for me to prepare myself for my next challenge. Project Accessory. Yes that’s right, like Project Runway my all time favorite television show, the producers are launching a spin off show for accessory designers.  And I thought what the heck? What do I have to loose by trying, in fact I can only gain an experience.  So I gathered together what I felt were my best designs, called my girls over for a little photo shoot, got my portfolio together, filled out a very loooooooooong application, packed it all up and headed to L.A for the open calls.  I got there early; I brought a few samples of my work and got through the first screening process, which allowed me in to see the judges, I tried my best to charm their pants off.  They looked at my work for about 2 minutes and told me they would let me know……….

OMG!! The waiting has been excruciating! So after 5 days of trying to be as patient as possible I finally had my response…..
Unfortunately they will not be needing me this season as they have already found their cast. Bummer. Oh well I gave it a shot and gained some valuable experience along the way. I got an opportunity that many designers will never get and I now understand that there is much work to be done. Maybe I’m not cut out to be a reality show contestant, but that’s not to say that I won’t try again. Maybe I will. Who knows?! For me what matters is that I tried and that I made myself completely vulnerable. And I’m very happy I did it.  As a wise man once said, "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -T.S. Eliot
So it’s now time to move on to the next adventure and push myself a little harder. My new goal is to finally realize some designs that I have been imagining for quite a while now and see what happens next. 
There will also be a shift in focus here as well. When I began this blog it really functioned as an outlet for me while being in a job that was not helping me to thrive.  Now I can finally begin to truly focus on the Florence that I love, a Florence of art and fashion.  So keep your eyes out for a where to shop guide and updates about great artists and designers in this city and anywhere I find them.
I will be in L.A/San Diego until July 13th and then back to hot steamy Firenze and my love! So ciao for now my friends.

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