A New Year: A New You?

Yes, maybe, think about what was working for you in 2014 and see if you can change other things in your life, not just personally, but your outlook and view. I know everyone says to think positive, whatever that means, it's so flat and meaningless. Start with introversion, think about yourself for the moment and also how you can enrich other people's lives by your mere presence. 

Here are some quick changes you can make now, and inspiring ideas for yourself, your home, and hopefully, your bank account. I can't express enough that you need to pare down and stop with all the holiday waste and ring in the New Year as a new you, nope, not new, just refined and with plenty of what? Style.

Things to stop doing now:

Tacky, ugly nail designs. Your nails should be a no color clear gloss if you are not the nail type, and if you like color, pick one to compliment your outfits for the week. Don't wear all the colors at one time or a mish mash of designs, even if it is New Years.

Cheap ugly flowers. Ditch these in your home and in your office. Select fresh flowers and plants and place them on a table or mantel, or even in the kitchen, to brighten an area. Some fake accents look fine if used sparingly, but be selective and don't be afraid to throw out those dirt collectors, called dried flowers.

Get rid of useless decor. Nothing looks worse then some glass bowl or container with stuff crammed in it. Whoever thought this up with layers of junk on display squished into some clear glass thing, needs to go to prison and return everyone's hard earned cash they spent on it. Dump it now; you won't regret it.












Things you can do right now:

Set a pretty table. It is easy to change it with the seasons or celebrations. You don't have to spend a lot of money, but be creative. Small touches go a long way and you can mix the real with the fake, but think about your overall color scheme and do not just add clutter. Pick a basic neutral, then layer color on top.

Set a pretty face. Normally, you need to focus on one feature, the eyes, however, if you are not a makeup person [omg], remember clear skin is a must, so dig out that sheer foundation and loose powder, add some color on the lips and you are set. Blondes need to watch it with too much eye makeup, they will look stupid, brunettes can do just about anything they want, red heads need to tread carefully, as their hair is the focus. Choose warm colors and neutrals. If you love strong color on your perfect mouth, then ease up on the rest of the face for everyday wear.

Happy New Year

and don't forget to live your life with Style

Weight Lifting For Beginners

Nope, not those heavy packages you are lifting from all your shopping this holiday season since you decided to have some style and stop with the overspending and making everyone else rich but yourself, and decide to add some weight to your life in the form of working out, exercising, whether you are male or female, it's time to start lifting, it will lift your spirits as well as that behind of yours that will go south if you don't step up your game.

Very basic stuff here, start with three and five pound weights. Work up to ten and twenty pound weights, maybe thirty at the outside; anything more is for the pros and serious workout artists. 

1) If you are at a loss, buy a tape or DVD. I still love "Fabio Fitness", it's awesome for beginners and intermediate. There are plenty of tapes to choose from so pick one and get going.  

2) Remember: Stretch first and learn the weight lifting exercises first using no weights. After you are warmed up, pick up the 3 lb weight, too light? Try the 5 lb weight but use nothing heavier for the first four - eight weeks.

3) Many experts say you must do the same exercises every other day, using a different set of muscle groups. So if you have the same set of exercises, you can only do them every other day. However, if you start light, and don't over work yourself, it is safe to exercise the same muscle groups every day as your body gets used to working with weights. If you are doing a very hard workout, then rotate the muscle groups every other day.

4) Try for at least 20 - 30 minutes each day.

5) Weights are for the whole body. When you do squats and lunges, hold a weight in each hand, holding the weight upward, not down alongside the body because you will have no resistance and not work your upper and lower body together.

There are literally dozens and dozens of different exercises you can do using weights. Even the traditional floor exercises and stomach curls, you can hold one weight in your hands as you do sit ups. As you get used to it, you will find your favorite exercises and have fun discovering new ones as you get stronger and stronger. Your posture and balance will improve as will your self esteem.

Get started today so when all those sad little losers around you ask what your New Year's resolution is, you can say you are already doing it, and doing it well.

Develop Your Style: Holiday Decorating

Stop, stop, stop with the standard stale ugly Christmas decorating year after year, the stuff you drag out of the closet and dust off and display, especially the useless habit of buying a real tree and attempting to get it inside the house wasting time decorating it and panicking if one of your pets or the kids touch it or accidentally destroys the stale display.

Develop your own style, experiment with different looks, styles, textures, and colors. Create a relaxing and pleasant home atmosphere and stop with the clutter, it's ugly, but you are not. You should have fun developing style and personality of your own, and stop being just busy at the end of each year, and have some fun, take time off from work, and enjoy the closing of another year as we plan an exciting new year. Don't be consumed with storing away that same ol' xmas junk, toss it, donate it to some other sucker stuck in a time warp and style warp, start fresh, and don't feel you need to store away the same decorations like a rabid squirrel terrified of where its next meal is coming from. Toss it, recycle it, start fresh and new and get your mind working on new ideas and your personal style. 

Here are a few examples to get you started:

Now this is style! If you can score a bunch of these oversized Christmas ornaments, go for it. I love the color scheme here and the lighting will make you look gorgeous as people start snapping away with their candid photo shots, you will always look good in a room like this.

This is a beautiful display. Notice the gorgeous lighting and color scheme with only a few touches of red. This is an inviting, crisp look for the holidays.

I love the simplicity of this holiday decor, it is very pretty and easily taken down once the holidays are over. You can either store it, or donate it and start fresh next year. It is a good start to develop your own style. It isn't fussy or overdone, and could handle pet and kid traffic.

Are you decorating outdoors? Love this idea to decorate existing trees on your property. Looks easy, uncluttered and fun, and should be pretty sturdy in the weather, providing the ornaments are plastic and fairly lightweight should one break free and fall to the ground.

If you can't tear yourself away from that tree every year, decorate a table top or mantle with a small tree. Use your imagination on how to decorate it, and don't limit yourself to the standard xmas colors or decorations. Develop your own style and again, toss it or donate it at the end of the season and start fresh with new ideas for next year.

What about decorating a xmas ladder instead of a tree? Think about it, not a bad option, especially if you live in a small space. Just box up or donate the ornaments and you have a functional item year round [hang scarves, ties, throws, anything].

THE CLOUDED MIND SEES NOTHING.

CLEAR YOUR MIND AND YOUR HOUSE OF CLUTTER.

YOU WILL REVEAL A NEW YOU AND 

LIKE WHAT YOU DISCOVER

Holiday Ideas

Is it December again? I know, everyone says where did the year go? Hopefully it was filled with so much fun the time just flew by as we prepare to start fresh for 2015, but don't rush things, here are some ideas to spend December in a fun and relaxing way and stop making the corporations rich for another season and start enriching yourself and those around you.

Gifts

No need to spend a lot of money, buy a few pretty scented candles [be careful if you have pets or small kids]. If you are buying as a gift, I think disposable gifts are the best. Sometimes you buy someone a gift and they wonder where the heck they are going to put it, but candles? Use them and toss them, or save the votive for more candles, and they look pretty anywhere you place them.

You will never go wrong with jewels, for you or a friend, yes the real stuff, stop wasting your hard earned cash on the fake stuff, however, a few of the fake is not bad, I truly hate mixing the real with the fake as I have seen so many women make that mistake and it looks tacky. If you are on a budget, pick a few small pieces of the real stuff, if you wear the fake, only wear fake, but pick nice pieces, and don't wear everything you own all at one time...examples?

Good example of how to wear fashion [fake] jewelry. Large pieces look good and still doesn't overpower the model. Keep it in the same color family.

Looking for some of the real stuff? Anything from one of these blue boxes would do nicely. Surprisingly, Tiffany's does offer a lot of nice jewelry at non-millionaire prices.

Good example of wearing the real thing, make sure they match in size.

Good example of what NOT to do; even though you can afford tons of diamonds, do not wear them all at once.

Food

Watch your waistline as you browse the shops this year and start the day with herbal tea or coffee, making sure you eat something within the first half hour of waking to keep your system on an even keel.

Opt for a vegan lunch or dinner to lighten up this holiday season and get you started on a new you for 2015. [Pictured above are roasted carrots with mushroom, cashews and bread; check various Internet sites for some vegan or vegetarian recipe ideas to fit your taste.]

Movies

A few of my holiday favorites as we close out 2014 and ease our way into a new year and a year of more fun.