I am so excited to kick of this year’s Favorite Things with some of my favorite bloggers. Have you marked 12.12.12 on your calendar so you can share your favorite things with us??
Diane from In My Own Style is here today to kick it off! I had the privilege of meeting Diane at Haven in June and she was every bit as wonderful as I thought she would be~Kristin and I loved hanging out with her. Let me share a few of my favorites from her blog:
budget bathroom~you’ve especially got to see how she covered her tub and mirrors!
and you will LOVE her organizing skills!
Here she is~I’m going to let her take it from here. See you down in the comments!
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When Melissa asked me if I would like to do a post for her annual Favorite Things series, I was quick to respond with a big YES! I always look forward to this series and was thrilled to be asked. I enjoy finding out what other people love – it not only lets you get a glimpse into their life, but I know I will always find something that is new to me or something that I can use myself to make my life better. My number one favorite thing, of course, is my family – XO. Aside from them, this list sums up the material objects that I adore.
Here are my Top 10 Favorite Things in no particular order, although No. 1 is pretty much one of my most favorite. I think I would just about die without these DVDs and a DVD player. They bring me such joy – I love the characters, time period, and the clothes – to die for. I can watch them over and over again. Any movie with Cary Grant, Doris Day, Rosalind Russell, Audrey Hepburn, and Rock Hudson in them - I have. I could have added to the list, but the photo image above would have gotten too big – Barefoot in the Park and Roman Holiday didn’t fit. I started watching old movies on Sunday afternoons on the local UHF channels with my sisters. It was what we did every Sunday afternoon in the Winter while growing up. Don’t know what a UHF channel was? They were channels that were on a different dial on the TV - not with the big 3 networks and PBS. It was way before cable TV.
Who doesn’t like shoes? I love flats and right now these are my favorite two pairs. I bought them at Target. They are Mossimo Ballet Flats and cost $14.99.
I am a skincare and lipstick junkie. I get high walking past the cosmetic counters when out shopping and please don’t take me in a Sephora, I start hyperventilating because I get so excited getting to try all the lotions and potions that promise to perfect my skin. Over the summer I got a sample of Lancôme Visionnaire. I saw a difference in my skin in only a few days – which was thrilling, so I bought a bottle. That was 6 months ago. This week I ran out and went to Macy’s to buy it again. For me buying a skincare product a second time is saying a lot, as I always like to try new stuff out. I think it was the make-up maven Bobbi Brown who said that women over a certain age, don’t really need foundation, they just need a good concealer. I could not agree with her more. My sister introduced me to It Cosmetics - Concealer that is sold on QVC. It does the job perfectly – much better than other brands I have used in the past. I will be buying it again when my current tube runs out. Lipstick or any sheer color for lips – I can’t live without. It just brightens my face. I like Giorgio Armani Lip Sheers. They add color to my lips, but go on very sheer and stay on. The color that is in my handbag right now is called #500. These items are a bit pricy, but this is my splurge. Little gifts from me-to-me as I like to call them.
Christmas music makes me happy. The holidays would not be the same without the music. I am also quite sentimental and like hearing the holiday tunes I grew up listening to – like Andy Williams XO! Christmas in my house is not Christmas without Andy singing in the background. At Thanksgiving, my sisters, daughters, and I held a moment of silence for him, thanking him for bringing us so much joy at Christmas for so many years. The above CD’s are my favorites. When my oldest daughter was in the Peace Corp faraway in Africa during the holidays 2 years ago -she was homesick, but listening to Andy on her iPod brought a little bit of that Christmas feeling to her and she got through. The most recent additions to my collection are from Straight No Chaser (Acapella group that formed at the University of Indiana) and YoYo Ma & Friends Songs of Joy and Peace. The Chipmunks – I don’t listen to much, but seeing the album cover just floods my brain with so many happy Christmas memoires that I had to include it as a favorite thing.
Baskets, especially square or rectangular ones. I organize my drawers with smaller ones and like to use the bigger ones on the floor to hold – magazines, throw blankets, and dog toys. For me, they are the perfect way to combat clutter or to add some interest and texture to an empty corner. Pottery Barn always carries them, but I have gotten all of mine at HomeGoods for a lot less.
I like to wear classic clothing, with simple lines. White shirts of all types and styles have always been my favorite. I like to wear them paired with jeans or black pants. The late fashion designer, Perry Ellis, was known to wear khaki pants and a blue oxford shirt every day. When asked why?, he said, “It was what made him feel the most like himself.” I could wear a clean crisp white shirt and jeans every day and be totally happy.
One of the popular songs that Julie Andrews’ character, Maria in The Sound of Music sang, was My Favorite Things. It is not that song that I am going to reference for this favorite things post, but the lyrics from another song in the movie, Do-Re-Mi. I love when they sing - Tea with jam and bread, because it is one of my favorite things. I like tea and toast better – jam and no butter. I like Flax Seed Oil on very toasted French Meadow Bakery Heathseed Spelt bread. To me this is just as delicious as chocolate. Hmmmm –Yum-O. The bread is hard to find and when I do find a store that carries it, I buy all of it and freeze it. When I have it – honestly – I lose weight because I can reach for it instead of chocolate. I don’t drink much coffee, I am a big tea drinker. This Revere Whistling Tea Kettle is the one that was a kitchen staple in my childhood home. When I left home, I made sure I had one to take with me on my journey into adulthood. I am on my third one since I left home on that journey. They are hard to find in stores, but you can get them on Amazon.
I love pops of color and seeing these on my desk every day is like a dose of therapy – color therapy for when I get overwhelmed or stressed.
Just like my clothes, I like simple and classic and have worn the same earrings forever. I make my own or I guess you can call it making them in a semi-designing way since I don’t actually make them from scratch. I like short dangles –which are hard to find, so when I see earrings on which I like the stone or dangle, I buy them and then transfer them to short earring wires. Almost all earrings that are sold are too long for me; I have a really short neck. These two pairs are my favorite and what I wear 98% of the time.
Last, but not at all least. A water view – aaaahhhhhhh!… this by far is my absolute favorite thing. Being out in nature with a view like this is like going to church for me. The beauty of the natural world is so amazing that I can never get enough. I dream that I will be able to live by a body of water with a view like this some day. I would be happy with a little run down cottage along the banks– it would be my most favorite thing/place in the world. This view is of Lake Champlain that creates a border between New York State and Vermont. Thanks Melissa for letting me share my favorite things with you and your readers. I am looking forward to reading all about the favorite things of the other bloggers who are part of your series this year. Happy Holidays!
We share a lot of favorite things. I put on my Christmas list a red whistling tea kettle. Boxes of all kinds. Doris Day and Audrey Hepburn movies, and flat shoes. I need a new pair of black ones. Mine are a bit worn out.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas
Love this post, Diane - it really tells a lot about you. Can't wait to try out the makeup!!!
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