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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 16 – Home Sweet Home
“Create a Sanctuary at Home” is Fiona’s title for Day 16 in her book, 30 Chic Days. And what a pertinent topic for this “Lockdown” Spring of 2020! Fiona writes that she wants her home to nurture and uplift everyone who lives there. Her preference is for a minimalist space decorated in neutral tones to foster a calm and serene feeling. Her personal preferences are echoed in the book, Simplicity Parenting, Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne and Lisa M Ross. The basic message from both Fiona and Payne is that too many objects (clutter) and too many…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 13 – Curves Ahead
Fiona Ferris titles Day 13 “Indulge In Your Femininity” in her book, 30 Chic Days. In this chapter, the author lists several fun ways to enjoy both traditional and personal interpretations of femininity. Fiona makes the point that confidence and a sense of fun are integral parts of being chic. She recommends discovering one’s own personal style points of femininity and playing it up. You might not be able to tell from the photo above but this morning when I snapped it, the outside temperature was 34 F (1 C) and 25 F (-4 C) with wind chill. The wind, may I add, never stopped for the 45 minutes…
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What I Learned from Winston Churchill and Gretchen Rubin Last Week, Part 1
I had a terrific book to read this past week, 40 Ways to Look at Winston Churchill, by Gretchen Rubin. (I wrote a short review of it here.) What was especially interesting from the book was how Rubin described Churchill as a perfect example of the classical Greek tragic hero. According to the author, the tragic hero has four main characteristics: 1. The hero is from a high ranking family and lives his triumphs and his defeats in the public eye. – Certainly the portly figure of the aristocratic Winston Churchill, complete with cigar, looms large over the twentieth century. 2. The hero’s greatest strength is his greatest weakness. It…
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The Glamorous French Aunt (that we all wish we had) Talks Style
How To Be Chic & Elegant by Marie Anne La Coeur. Short, to the point, on target. The voice of a stylish Parisian “woman of a certain age” who gives us terrific life and style advice in a blunt, no-nonsense manner.