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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 12 – Easy Does It
May 1, 2020 “Be Easy To Get Along With” is Day 12 in 30 More Chic Days by Fiona Ferris. Fiona writes that she wants to become “an easy-going, pleasant and positive person who travels lightly through life and enjoys a happy-go-lucky disposition.” She found that she was happier herself when she chose to see the world in an optimistic, upbeat way and to act in kind and down-to-earth ways. Even though things are often not perfect, she has found how to keep her internal setting at a positive level which allows her to enjoy her day. We are all getting a lesson on how to be calm and easy-going…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 11 – Rest & Recharge
April 30, 2020 Fiona Ferris calls Day 11 “Honour Your Feminine Heart” in her book, 30 More Chic Days. In this chapter, Fiona writes about the need to take a break from our daily to-do list and do an activity that feeds our souls. Or to be more accurate, schedule a little time as part of our to-do list to do something purely for joy. It seems as if modern life adores busy, busy, busy. I sometimes wonder within my own, American culture if the cult of “busy” and “over-scheduled” is considered to be a mark of pride. If you ask someone how are they doing, the answer is…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 10 – How to Use That La Vacance Feeling!
April 29, 2020 Day 10 is “From Paris to the South of France” in 30 More Chic Days by Fiona Ferris. When Fiona moved from the city to a more rural village in New Zealand, she used the idea of being a Parisian who had moved to the South of France to help her adjust to and enjoy the transition to her new location. Transition can be difficult even if it’s a hoped-for and planned change. By using her imagination and framing the transition in a uniquely inspiring way, Fiona was able to have fun with the process. Living here in lockdown Paris, transition seems to be the…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 8 – Summer Style
April 27, 2020 Fiona Ferris calls Day 8 “Be Chic In The Summer” in her book, 30 More Chic Days. Fiona writes about how she keeps her “chic” when temperatures and humidity are high. She addresses wardrobe, hair and skincare. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this “Day” is particularly appropriate because summer is rapidly approaching. I looked at two parts of this chapter: clothes and hair. When I live in the US, I’m in a very hot, humid Southern state. To compound the challenge, most indoor spaces like grocery stores or department stores have the air-conditioning temperature set very low. I kid you not, I keep…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 7 – Dream Filter
April 26, 2020 Day 7 is titled “Find Your Dream Life Filter” in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 More Chic Days. She writes about having a quick and effective way of knowing when some thing, person or activity is a good match for our chic lives. This helps us zero in on all the things that support and nourish our dreams as well as avoid things, people and activities that bring us down. The wonderful thing about having a clear and descriptive filter is that it adds fun to your life. Every purchase or activity, person or thought can be evaluated by how they match up to our chic dreams. …
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 6 – What Does Your Very Chic Future Self Do?
April 25, 2020 Fiona Ferris calls Day 6 “Be Your Own Chic Mentor” in her book, 30 More Chic Days. Fiona writes about our vision of our “dream” life can inspire ourselves to more fun and living with more authenticity. But first, we have to know our dream vision! Fiona advises us to sit down with pen and paper and brainstorm what we would really like to see in a “perfect” mentor. If we could describe someone who would be our perfect chic mentor, what would that person be like in terms of inner character, appearance, dress, activities, self-care, home decor, reading list… whatever we can think of! Fiona is…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 5 – What is Sexy?
April 24, 2020 “Get Your Sexy Back” is Day 5 in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 More Chic Days. How do we go through our normal lives as adults of whatever age, taking care of whatever daily responsibilities that we have and keep the grim specter of “dowdiness” from sneaking in our door? Dowdiness is not only just a few pieces of overly “frumpy+comfort=frumpfort” (from Day 1) clothes. Translation: “shapeless, baggy, faded, stretched-out elastic waistbands, worn thin spots and a few small holes”. Maybe even a petit stain here and there? The type of clothes that we might throw on without thinking, yet if we see of photo of us wearing…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 4 – Full-Time Rose Colored Glasses
April 23, 2020 Day 4 is titled “Live a Five-Star Life” in 30 More Chic Days by Fiona Ferris. This “Day” is pure Fiona – how to up-level one’s exterior and interior without breaking the bank! Fiona writes about how she has added a luxurious feeling and fun to her daily life through some small-but-daily actions. Here is one of her tips that I am currently implementing: 1. Read and speak only 5-star discussions. Let’s avoid the Debbie-Downers of the world and hang out with our bubbly, upbeat friends! This includes the books we read and the movies/shows that we watch. Fiona even skips reading 1 & 2 star…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 1 – Pay Attention To Your Inner Chic Vision, Cherie!
April 20, 2020 Day 1 in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 More Chic Days, is titled “Embrace Your Inner French Girl and Her Dream Life.” Fiona encourages us to have a vision of our best self and our best, dreamiest life. Her point is that when we have a clear and authentic vision of our best selves, we naturally evolve into that beautiful and genuine self. And we can have fun while doing it! She makes the very perceptive point that we are evolving every day anyway – let’s grow in a direction that inspires our imagination and passion. My vision of my inner Paris girl is only slightly different from…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 1 – Let Our Imagination Take The Lead
April 19, 2020 I skipped Days 1, 2 & 3 from Fiona’s Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, when I started blogging each day of Paris’s CoVid-19 lockdown. (I started writing on Day 4 of Paris’s lockdown so wanted to start on Day 4 of Fiona’s book.) When I went back and reread those days in the book, however, I found too much valuable insight in each day to just cavalierly skip them. Let’s take a look at those first three days of 30 Chic Days before we close the book. . Day 1 is titled “Have a Paris State of Mind” in Fiona Ferris’s book 30 Chic Days. Fiona lays…