Autumn Mood by Rachel Whiting via the 79 Ideas blog (source)
Today is the last of September - where oh where did that beautiful month go so fast? - and I realized that at 7AM the sun was not up yet, anymore. So it's time to go back to my Fall Essentials pinboard for inspiration & comfort.
I didn't buy any of the items on my wishlist - they were here more as a reminder than an actual prompt to buy. I will show you Lovelies what I did buy in a minute. But back to Fall Essentials first.
That pinboard is all about simple living, simplicity in the everyday, what you really need, the bare essentials & joyful simplicities the Breathbach way.
Part of my Fall Essentials is a daily dose of serendipity. Take the Grand Amour perfume - it has my name written all over it. The behind-the-scenes story about this scent, the way it smells - divine!, even the butterfly on top of its bottle: all these elements give me the impression that perfume was somehow meant for me.
This perfume is devoted to love, the most powerful force which can move the worlds: love of beauty, love of perfume, love of music (Annick Goutal's husband a lifetime love was a cellist) and simply put; love of life.
I will tell you later this week about my Fall Style Essentials. Stay tuned!
Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for what I already have but these beauties have caught my eyes lately.
A new perfume:
Perfumes from the niche range by l'Arquiste.
Affordable
frag samples are available through reliable sites such as LuckyScent or
SurrenderToChance. I really want to try both L'Etrog - citrus frag -
and Infanta en flor - an orange blossom/jasmin kind of frag.
Things I'd like to wear:
This silhouette is from Caroll (I usually like that classic with a twist brand).
And:
I like the whole outfit and feel i need a zigzag Missoni-inspired loose top, a classic black skirt and thin leather belt. after digging in my wardrobe I found out I already had all these items, or something similar.
I am inspired by this view from the catwalk, a perfect mix of masculine (the fabric) & feminine (the loose cut, the lipstick) for fall 2013:
Jewelry I fancy:
something from Rachel Unger Jewelry, of course - I received myparcel today, YAY! so more on that purchase soon. And this statement piece, spotted earlier this year in a Paris shop's window:
A beauty product or two:
Though I do tend to buy organic skincare and mineral makeup, those versatile lipsticks by Givenchy are a hell of an (expensive) temptation.
Accessories:
Wedge shoes and large tote in greige and black from www.minelli.fr
A felt wool cloche hat: (photo coming soon).
And a new pair of shoes! (photo coming soon).
A dramatic pendant light for my living room: (photo coming soon).
...and contemporary art by Jane Cornwell to proudly display in my entryway: (photo coming soon).
Would you care to share any important addition to your wishlist, lately?
Part of becoming who i really am is choosing to show my real face (not Lana del Rey's, however lovely she may be, see above - that was a temporary solution) and also choosing a new name for myself - i am still hesitating about this one and thinking things over, for now, just call me "Alix".
And so.. this is my new Google+ profile photo:
Hopefully, I will be able to take a better picture once I have moved for good and settled in a new - and better, not necessarily bigger - home. Here is a selfie with my eyes opened, for once. ;-)
You can see all of my selfies through the ages, right here.
This an updated post, formerly published on July 31st 2013 (oops, i just realized there are still a couple links missing in the post, and hope to be able to add them before the weekend starts).
I've always liked (and seeked) the opportunity to be "trying something new", but I finally realized I am a "hypercreative" person - this is simply my coping mechanism as a former abused child (please note that I'm still abused TO THIS VERY DAY by family members and strangers alike).
Why hyper-creative?
Because during my lifetime, as a way to cope with abnormal, absurd and non-comprehensible violence towards me - physical, emotional & sexual types of violence - I tried (and was pretty successful) my hand at all of the following artistic disciplines:
writing/reading poetry and fiction (I have been published in digital format several times on ecrits-vains.com)
painting (oil, acrylic, mixed media) - several exhibitions as a solo artist at the Nozart Gallery in Toulouse, France
drawing
doodling
calligraphy
engraving (rubber, wood, metal and plastic sheets etc...)
textile printing
singing (this really SAVED MY LIFE, more on that process later)
dancing (mostly alone in my living-room, though I'm now determined to go out and rock the world, a bit!)
classical anatomy sculpting
swimming in an athletic way
I also walk for hours and can ride a bike pretty well, despite both activities being used by my abusers to make me suffer, too
acting: important support role in short film at age 5, several amateur theatre plays
in the film industry: editing, live translating, sub-titling
photography (official film set photographer etc... now an avid instagrammer)
speaking fluently 5 languages
...
the list goes on and on...
This long, long list makes me think about Shiva.. I know nearly nothing about Hinduism, but... but Shiva or even Kali, the Dark Goddess do come to mind...
I think this image of terrifying Kali:
is really me, the terrified abused child trying to make scary faces to scare off past & present abusers...
But maybe I am not a Hindi deity, but rather some kind of "nobody", aka the Beatles' "NoWhere Man":
Since June 2013, I have started to tap dance (yes, alone in my living-room, just by watching tap dance beginners' videos on youtube).
I desperately want to go back to engraving, some time soon (workshops will resume during back-to-school 2013 time).
Being hyper-creative helps me avoid resorting to violence myself, and it provides a place to express anger, anxiety and high levels of sadness in a non medical (aka official psychiatry) way.
I am NOT crazy, I am a SURVIVOR of repeated rapes and other wrongs done to me repeatly throughout my lifetime.
I do NOT seek revenge, other than in a metaphorical way:
* "the pen is mightier than the sword" - so I have started to write a testimonial about my first hand child abuse experience in short fiction form. I have chosen my working title and opening quote already and have a rough plan for the plot.
* "living well is the best revenge" so says the quote. Merely by surviving, by coping by thriving by being - albeit fleetingly - happy, and by taking good care of myself (no drugs whatsoever, no work in the porn or prostitution industries) and undertaking therapy, I daily mock my torturers' intention to kill me - literally.
(reflect on the meaning of the word "discipline" btw... it means both the abuse and punishment by abusive parents as well as my self-imposed artistic activities... weird double-entendre,here! see this except from wikpedia's article on child abuse: "Until quite recently, children had very few rights in regard to protection from violence by their parents, and still continue to do so in many parts of the world. Historically, fathers had virtually unlimited rights in regard to their children and how they chose to discipline them.")
So I chose the "D" answer as my main reason for joining the Feminine POwer FREE webinar, it's tonight live at 2AM Paris, France Time.
The D answerstands for " Infusing your life with meaning and purpose" - when your very own parents actively hate you and want you dead since your in utero state, it's hard to make any sense out of this life of absurd happennings and endless pain.
links (still missing fro the time being): more about fem power here (simply check out their facebook page or feminine power.com ) + find your own time zone here.
there is NO WAY I am gonna be ashamed of myself: this is my true *NEW* name, my true face and my true story you see here. My google+ profile now displays a phot of Lana del Rey, but this is temporary of course and I'll add my own selfie soon.
No need to apologize for being alive and well!
...but the past abuse(s) don't really matter anymore - I'm moving forward. AND I'm taking my life, identity and own name back.
I was born again this very day and from now on my name is "Alix" - it's a mix of the normal-sounding-to-me first name "Alice" and the word "phoenix" because I am daily ressuscitating from my own ashes, "Alix" is also the name of the beautiful heroine of the recent French movie "Le Temps de l'aventure" featuring Gabriel Byrne and Emmanuelle Devos in the leading roles.
This post's title is a pun: it means I am both "in my cardboard boxes", sorting things out and decluttering, as well as having interesting stuff in my paper files, waiting to be published here. Simply because "cartons" means both "cardboard boxes" and "paper files". ;-)
So, what's up? I'm not perfect, but I feel at home, despite the mess that is going on right now in my house. Don't declutter like I did: avoid taking all of your possessions at one out in the open to be sorted. Be patient, work one room at a time. Maybe I feel good during difficult times because there are 2 or 3 things I know about wabi-sabi, or happiness.
Hearing about Seamus Heaney's death, this end of august really feels like the end of an era. Maybe we all need new beginnings - and ask to be given light.
On another note, I've been thinking about sharing my own version of the hummus recipe. Soon. and end of summer doesn't equal the end of dipping one's toes in the nearby river, either. Ditto:
Links in this post will all lead you to lovely posts on blogs by people I admire (found through Pia's blogroll. Pia's book is very high on my want list right now, too.
Nate Berkus reminded me of that simple truth, lately: your home decor is all about you, and who you really are.
I found this photo of a room he redecorated for Corin, the producer of his TV show, and it helped me understand the whole idea behind the statement "your home decor should reflect who you are".
So I found great ideas in this photo and its comment on Style at Home, here are the highlights:
"use
decor items that reflect who YOU are. the art on the walls is a reminder
of where you're from (Californian living in NYC, in this case), as well
as plates decorated by the owner's sister (you belong to a family). the decor palette, textures
and style is inspired by how the owner dresses. here: lots of navy,
black and grey with bold gold accents. And also by her free spirit - rock n' roll! - and designs she likes"
So what would that mean for me?
I know I am a woman raised in the Middle East, now living in France - and I want that reflected on the art I put on my walls. I am a visual artist related to other artists (one brother is a photographer, another is a movie editor-in-chief).
My future decor palette, especially for the bedroom, will reflect the way I dress:
dark grey, pale blueish grey, navy, white with Art Deco inspired sparkling objects in silver. Like these:
AM-PM brand has wonderful and affordable mirrored square end tables that have my name all over them. These mirrored cubes will make great bed sides for my room.Here they are:
Sizes begin at 30X30X30cm, and prices started at 80€ a piece. source
I am attracted to Japanese objects that are sleek and modern in their design. I am also hyper-creative, and I want that variety of artistic interests to be reflected in my decor. Whjat I really like about Japanese objects is the contrast between very clean lines of contemporary design and the well-crafted air of traditional object-making. Though French, I like these ceramics for their "Japanese" feel:
Ceramics I bought this summer from young ceramics artist, Cédric Mataix. photo, my own.
