Dear Devotee: How to unleash your creativity and begin your creative journey

Dearest Devotees,

I got an email from one of you wonderful people who take out time from your busy schedules to read this blog of mine asking me how to unleash their creative mind. She wanted to know how you begin to explore your inklings and how to find your home art form and was wondering if I could give her a list of references and things to explore and aid her in her journey. First of all, to that lovely devotee, I'm really flattered that you thought to ask me about this. I think it's great that you are making this effort and seeking help in it as well. Secondly, I thought it would be a great idea to write a post on my list of references since I know that a lot of you are here because you have beautifully artistic and creative spirits as well and may like knowing of some references to strengthen your creative side.

• Join online/offline community projects like ScriptFrenzy, NaNoWriMo, Art Everyday Month, 365 day challenge, etc. These are great ways to get involved in the ever growing online creative community as well as a wonderful way to kick yourself out of a rut and to create with abandon for a while.
• Have a Creative Genius Day/Night: This is a wonderful idea I got from Jenny's post on her blog Life After College. It involves setting out blocking out some specific time in your schedule to create a day or night just devoted to creating and engaging your imagination. Think of it as a really mini artistic retreat.
• Get out and try random stuff. There are so many different forms of art out there, so many different experiences just waiting to happen. Just get up and try stuff until you find something that you find interesting. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you may find.
• Engage in Artist Dates or an Artistic Retreat: Engage your creativity by feeding the desire to have new experiences inside you. If you don't have much take some time to see that new movie you've been dying to see, or if you happen to have a free week coming up (spring break anyone) why not commit yourself to exploring different inspiration sources through an artistic retreat.
• Read and work through books like The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and Art and Soul by Pam Grout. They are wonderful for overcoming the initial feelings of apprehension.
• Creating a regular time to create and partake in artistic exercises weekly , if not daily: Make your artistic pursuits an official part of your day by giving them a specific time slot in your day. I know it may sound obvious but you would be surprised at how much of a difference it will make to your level of artistic output just by giving them an actual time slot instead of waiting until you are free and feeling inspired.

These were just a few of the suggestions I would give to any friend seeking to begin their walk down the more unconventional path to the discovery of your inner artist. Whether you are new to the concept of artistic self exploration or whether this is a path you've been treading for quite a while now, I would suggest looking into the suggestions above to help you take the next step in your journey.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What would you recommend to those seeking to unleash their creativity? What advice would you give to them? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to know if you're a Music Producer

Dearest Devotees,

In the How to Know if You're a Songwriter post I mentioned I would do a couple more music related posts, because of how much music means to me. I really like doing these kind of posts because they give you an insight into the person I really am, and all the things that make up an average day in my life. I also really love these posts because they give me the opportunity to connect with other like-minded spirits and also to appreciate the diversity of characteristics and characters that make up my devotee base. Much like the previously mentioned post on being a songwriter, the things I list below are just characteristics I've noticed in people who are/ want to be music producers. So without further ado here is my list of ways to know if you have music producer potential:

When you hear a song for the first time a video you have instantaneously created begins to play in your head.

You sometimes check up lyrics and analyze them for plot possibilities and video potential

You predict how well a song will do on the charts and at award shows.

You are always very interested in new musical talent.

You try to learn as much as you can about every aspect of music, constantly.

If you are in school you can probably be found taking widely different music and/ or dances classes at the same time.

When your friends invite you to karaoke you give them performance advice and sometimes critique their vocal quality.

You find audio engineering, music theory and even music history oddly fascinating.

You are always clued in with the latest innovations in technology and programming.

You manage crises well.

Business is not your foe.

You know what’s happening in the music industry as its happening in the industry.

After seeing a band perform for the first time you already know their image, style and genre.

Beats are constantly on the end of your finger tips.

You think life should have a soundtrack and may have created a few playlists for important events , describing them.

You know the names of all the top producers in the music industry.

When you hear about a music video for the first time you ask for the label/ producer not the artist

You love bringing music to life.

You critique videos that you see on TV (or youtube) and sometimes envision how you could have done it better.

You appreciate all the different genres of music and sometimes draw inspiration from two widely different genres, to create the next big thing.

You know that songwriting and producing through social networking are two major ways to enter the industry.

You try to create the perfect environment and medium to transfer the emotional quality of the music from the artist to the audience.

You are always on the lookout for unexpectedly amazing collaborations between artists in the music industry.

You are aware that music production is really tasking, and sometimes not as glamorous as it’s made out to be but you love it anyway.

Photos from: We Heart it.com

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What qualities/characteristics do you think a music producer should have? Are there any music producers out there? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to Know if You're a Songwriter

I started poetry when I was 8 and though it wasn't what I'd call great art, it was definitely an amazing medium for expressing myself. Ever since I was in preschool I have loved literature. I know this because, one of my earliest memories is of my dad teaching me to recognise words and to read and memorize short sentences and paragraphs from a small book of classical poetry and tales ( I know, its pretty crazy). He would do this before he travelled and quiz me on it when he returned. I also remember my mom reading to me and encouraging my intense love of books at the ages of 4 and 5. I just loved being able to escape into another world so much so that whenever I read I became complete oblivious of my surroundings and entered a state of flow (or hyperfocus).This early admiration for the written word led to desire to write and express myself like the authors and writers I admired. I also had a healthy appreciation for music and after trying out several forms of dance and music groups like tap, ballet, hip hop, orchestra and chorus, I decided to try my hand at songwriting. My first song was really silly but it had a catchy tune and my siblings thought it was pretty cool so I kept trying and have been writing songs ever since.

Anyway, that was just a brief intro to my history with songwriting. Lately I've been meeting a lot of musicians and fellow songwriters so this got me thinking about how you can know if you are a songwriter. Here's what I came up with:

Music is constantly going on in your mind, whether its your own song or someone else's song that you really like.

When you walk down the street you are either listening to music,humming or singing (hopefully softly :P) to yourself.

You've been known to study music theory in your spare time.

You carry paper and a writing utensil around with you always in case you have a "lyric moment".

Friends sometimes catch you dancing to the music in your head. This is because it is so loud that you can forget that it's not technically playing anywhere.

Singing in the shower is near superhuman habit to break for you. After all, its where you get some of your best ideas.

You sometimes walk according to your beat of the moment.

You either know how to or are trying to learn to play, at least one but usually several instruments.

You can read and write music.

Your everyday words tend to have a poetic quality to them.

Music is VERY important to you.

You associate your emotions with music automatically.

You have been known to come up with songs in the weirdest places (toilets, at formal dinners, during important ceremonies).

You feel like you could use a song to describe almost anything in your life.

Your ipod, mp3 player, or computer may be full to the brim with music.

You have songbooks...of your own music.

You may be working on a demo or already be writing professionally.

You can not imagine a world without music.

You have a recorder to record tunes that you spontaneously create on your way to class. This recorder is likely to quickly fill up memory-wise.

You analyse lyrics and melodies of songs for fun.

You take personal offence when a song does well in the pop world and lacks what you would see as substance and quality.

When you're playing around with your instrument of choice, or even humming it could lead to your next masterpiece.

If you are not a singer, you already know what singer would best suit your songs.

When you get into a talk about great songwriters, composers, lyricists and musicians, you could go on and on and on...

Some of these characteristics are characteristics of a composer (someone who writes music- melodies, harmonies and instrumentals) and others are characteristic of a lyricist(someone who comes up with the words). When I refer to a songwriter I mean someone who comes up with both. Anyway, if you liked this post, I intend to do a couple more about music in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for that. And if you have anything in particular that you want to know about music, you could email me at aury4eva@gmail.com, and I will try my best to help.

Photos from: We Heart It

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Are you a songwriter or musician? What do you think identifies a songwriter? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Being Indie: Indie Appreciation Week

Celebrate your individuality and love your independence.

My Dearest Devotees,

I love being myself. I am independent, and to me this means that I am independent thinker. I form my own opinions and I do not mass think. I try to make sure that never follow the crowd blindly or accept information without questioning its source. It also means that I am quite adventurous and curious about the world. I always want to know the why behind everything. Knowing the why behind things helps me makes informed decisions. To me, being independent also means that I love to explore. Trying out new things and travelling to new places is almost constantly on my mind, and meeting new people is par for the course.

When I was younger, I couldn’t wait for the day I would go away to university, and this was because I looked at it as a huge adventure. It was never something I feared and distance from home was never a factor. Now that I’m here I still don’t feel differently. Some days I wake up and can’t still believe where I am and how far I’ve come. When I catch myself doing “grown-up things” like paying the bills and making doctors appointments I still wonder the time has gone. When I came to university I never really felt homesick. I missed my family and friends, but being able to do my own thing sits really well with me. I’m the kind of person that likes to dance to my own drum and be my own person. Since coming to the blogosphere (almost a year ago now!) I’ve met so many lovely and wonderfully unique people that are beautifully independent and strong in their own ways, and I’ve decided I would to make this week “ Indie Appreciation Week”. I know that there has been a subculture built around being ‘indie’ with particular things to identify but I feel this is against the whole point of being independent. Therefore, the list below is what being independent means to me.

Doing yoga to de- stress

Making my own decisions about my faith and actively taking part in it.

Making my own decisions about all sorts of topics- big and small.

Owning my personal style.

Wearing loads of chiffon and billowy shirts.

Taking loads of seemingly random classes (but not really) that challenge me and make me think.

Reading tons of non-fiction and fiction books.

Getting on top of things by being organized in my random and sporadic nature so that I can do all I want to do.

Being comfortable in my relationships with people.

Standing up for what I believe in .

Living in beautiful floral prints.

Wearing flowers in my hair.

Essentially emulating gyspy style and making it mine.

Buying a fabulous leather trunk – vintage or antique

Go vintage/flea market, etc shopping to get unique pieces for my room

Finding out about tarot cards.

Learning widely different styles of dance- I’m taking ballroom and hip hop this summer.

Wearing lots of lovely, lovely vests.

Having an owl- a snowy one like Hedwig.

Hanging ethnic printed carpets and fabrics around the room e.g. wrapping a TV in jewel toned sarong and (false) peacock feathers.

Wearing loads of beautifully colored scarves

Enjoying fabulous poetry

Learning to ride a horse

Travelling as much as possible by plane, train or road

Chemically developing my black and white photos with my vintage Canon SLR camera.

Always seeking to experience different cultures.

Reading loads and loads of books on different cultures and about people that are different from you

Meditate upon every topic under the sun.

Wear loads of gold colored jewelry.

Trying out loads of crafts: knitting, basket weaving, jewelry making, etc.

Trying out loads of art forms: painting, designing, drawing, etc

Dancing with abandon but to the beat and with rhythm in my room and in wide, open fields.

Listening to folksy, vocal and instrumentally dominant music. Think Iron and Wine, and Furlough but also to any kind of music that takes my fancy and speaks to my soul.

Recording my music and putting them on CDs.

Visit parks and open fields. Keep in touch with nature.

Learning to control my range vocally and to play piano.

Being open to different culture and the possibility of learning new languages.

(All photos from: We Heart it)

Love you all and Stay Inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What does being independent mean to you and how do you celebrate your independence? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Trendlight/How to Rock: Feathers and Flowers and Bows oh my!

I'm not exactly sure when it happened but somehow, over the course of the winter, statement hair accessories have risen to the top of many a stylista's must-have list. From big beautiful bows to dainty feathery hairbands, these statement hair accessories add instant glamour to any outfit and are quite easy to wear well. I adore them! When I cut my hair short at the beginning of winter, I was looking for something to accessorise and play up my new haircut and when I got to So Good Jewelry on Newbury Street I was astounded by the selection. They are like cocktail rings and dearest devotees, I love cocktail rings. If you haven't already bought some I totally recommend that you do while sales are still on because these are really good transition pieces that you can use to accessorise as it gets warmer.

How to rock

Like I said before they are relatively easy to use but here are a few tips on how to work them into an outfit.

1. Let them take centre stage on your face: I find that when you wear a really gorgeous hair accessory, earrings and make-up should be more low key, so that they don't have to fight for attention.

2. Pick a complementary or contrasting colour: Either will make a statement.

3. Be conscious of your hair style: It goes without saying that certain pieces go better with certain hair styles. Find the one that works best on your favorite hairstyle or get a variety like I have.

4. Try using using pieces in unusual ways: Why don't you work a scarf into your next updo? Or you could try attaching a flower pin to a gorgeous but simple headband.

5. Redefine the meaning of perfect occassion: Wear a vintage pearl and silver wedding-esque piece on a fun night out or a glamourous evening feathery band to class.

Photos from: glitz4girl.com and pluma

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What do you think of this trend? Do you own any fabulous hair accessories (vintage or otherwise)? How do you rock them? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to Budget Shop: The Ultimate Shopping List

Photo from: Photos8

This is part 5 of the Budget Shopping series. If you haven't already, please check out part 1- How to Budget Shop: The Rules, part 2- How to Budget Shop: Investment Pieces, Basics and Classics part 3- How to Budget Shop: Sales, Thrift stores and Shopping Your Closet and part 4- How to Budget Shop: Income,Outcome and All that jazz .





Even though you don't know it darlings this is what you've been waiting for. The solution to the endless days of frenzied shopping sprees and nights of the evil known as buyer's remorse: The Ultimate Shopping List. This is a list that acknowledges the fact that we are human, we can't always be perfect and therefore need to be allowed to get things just because we want them and not because we need them. I personally really love it because it helps me organise my shopping in order of priority and necessity, and desire. I'm going to give you the categories and advise that you use this list not only for clothes shopping but for all your major shopping. I feel like if you can see all the things that you want/need written down as you shop, you can know what will make you happiest to have and therefore avoid buyer's remorse. That being said, here are the categories for the ultimate shopping list:

• High Priority Items: These are things that you need to have urgently either for a particular event or in order to accomplish a set goal . These vary widely with time and need to be bought first when shopping. They include: a dress for an elegant ball or dinner a couple of nights before the event, supplies for a major project, etc.
  



• Basic Items: These are items that you need for everyday life but that you may not need right away. In your wardrobe : they are closet essentials, outside of your wardrobe they include certain household appliances such as vacuum cleaners and fridges. Basics are usually upgraded to high priority items if they are not bought in a while.

• Fantasy Items: These are the least attainable items that you usually don't need but really really want anyway. They can be anything from that gorgeous Elie Saab wedding dress I aspire to, or a million dollar mansion complete with orchard, Olympic-sized swimming pool and horse stables stocked with several thoroughbred horses. These are things that you usually have to work towards to and save up for in order to attain them one day.
  



• Splurge Items: These are items that you also really want but they are slightly (or not so slightly) out of your price range. You may or may not need them and the level of desire at that moment and the cost-per-wear determine whether or not you will buy them. They include: Designer shoes on sale, overpriced but extremely gorgeous $40 hairpieces, a compact digital camera, etc.

Remember that what falls into one category for a certain person may fall into a completely opposite category for another, because people are different and therefore have different wants, needs and means. Update your list regularly and make sure it reflects you all the time, and it should help you shop better. I discovered this list in a book I believe was called The Pink Book when I was about 11 years old and wrote it down in my diary knowing that it would be useful to me and it was the inspiration for this whole series. This is the last post in the budget shopping series and I hope that its helped you in your journey to lead a more budget friendly life.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you use a shopping list? If so, how often? What kind of stuff would be on your ultimate shopping list? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to Budget Shop: Income,Outcome and All that jazz

This is part 4 of the Budget Shopping series. If you haven't already, please check out part 1- How to Budget Shop: The Rules, and part 2- How to Budget Shop: Investment Pieces, Basics and Classics and part 3- How to Budget Shop: Sales, Thrift stores and Shopping Your Closet.

How many times have you looked at your bank statement and loudly exclaimed "I've been robbed!" , only to realise minutes later that you actually made all those purchases and withdrawals and not some creepy computer hacker/highly skilled robber? I don't know about you, darling devotees, but I've only been living in a dorm for 4 months and this has already happened to me too many times to be comfortable with. Darling devotees, I can honestly say that I learnt the following lesson the hard way: In order to live on a budget, one must have a budget to live on. It is really asking too much of yourself to resist than $300 purse, if you don't monitor (or even know) how much money is coming in and going out of your account. Last semester I would tell myself that I technically knew how much money I can spend this month, and expected that I would be able to keep track of my expenses in my head. Clearly, that didn't work out and after much research, I have come up with this list of activities that should help one live on a budget:

1. Set up a visible monthly budget: It can be on paper or on Excel, either way is fine as long as you actually have it written somewhere. The reason I love Excel is because you can update the figures easier, but having a little notebook where you record your income and expenses as well as your monthly plan is fine too. When creating your monthly plan, look at your total income (or the amount of money you have or will soon have for the month) and list all of the categories of expenses you will have to take care of over the course of the month e.g. rent, food, clothes (!) , school supplies, transportation, emergency, miscellaneous, etc. Allocate a certain amount of money to each category and try to stick to your budget as much as possible. As time progresses you'll be able to predict how much money you spend better.
   
2. Monitor your income and expenses: Whenever you spend money, reflect that in the expense column of your budget according to its category. Do the same whenever you receive money. You don't even have to say what exactly you spent the money on, that's why we're using categories. By doing this you get a better idea of where all your money goes to every month and can therefore know where you need to cut back, if necessary. Evaluating and monitoring your budget also lets you know what options you have on how to use your money i.e. more shoes or more trips to the movies.


3. Cost-per-wear: As I've mentioned before one of the major keys to budget shopping is calculating the cost-per-wear. All you really have to do is guesstimate how many times you will wear an item (e.g. 1 a week for a year= 52 times) and divide it by its price. The problem with this is that people sometimes overestimate the durabilitiy/quality of an item, which causes them to get a wrong cost-per-wear. A couple tips to help you better determine high quality items are:

-Check the seams of the clothes: If threads pull apart relatively easily or if buttons are hanging loose, it probably wasn't well sewn.

-Check the quality of the fabric: some fabrics just look cheap, others really are. Being able to tell the difference between the two is something you can only learn with experience.

- Weigh the trend factor: Will you even want to be seen wearing the item in a couple of months? If not, will it be good enough to resell or use for something else?

If you want more help on setting up a budget or organising your finances, check out Suze Orman, particularly her advice on Oprah.

(Photo from: toolmantim )

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you have a budget plan? Does it work for you? How do you determine quality of an item? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to Budget Shop: Sales, Thrift stores and Shopping Your Closet

This is part 3 of the Budget Shopping series. If you haven't already, please check out part 1- How to Budget Shop: The Rules, and part 2- How to Budget Shop: Investment Pieces, Basics and Classics.

A major part of budget shopping is knowing how to make use of your limited resources and stretching these resources as far as they can go. This is why knowing how to make the most of sales, thrift stores and your personal closet is so important. The better you utilise these low cost places the less money you will spend on trying to achieve that 'whole new look' every morning.

Sales: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all the sales we know and love:
Everyone loves a good sale so I'm not about to tell you not to indulge. I mean what's not to love?Its the perfect opportunity for a little retail therapy without the accompanying debt. However, if you don't keep the following things in mind you may end up with a more chaotic wardrobe situation than you bargained for.

• Always ask yourself how much of the trend factor does the item have- truth is, if its on sale the trend really is on it's way out anyway. However, if it is currently a trend, is on sale, but suits you and flows with your personal style buy it anyway because its a deal.




• Remember the cost-per-wear (or use): If it's on sale because its already defunct, really low quality or won't last as long as you'd like please pass it over. Because, even if it cost $1 and you only wore it once, instead of buying the $7 sister, you would have worn at least 14 times, it still wasn't worth the $1 you paid for it.(Do the math)




• Don't leave the list at home: It'll stop you from buying things you just don't need, in the heat of the moment.
  



• This is perfect time to buy your classics and basics, investment pieces will have an even greater cost-per-wear than they have usually.




• Don't rush to the cashier: Please try it on when possible, and if you can't try to visualise yourself wearing it. How do you look? Does it flow with the rest of your wardrobe? If not, its a no.

Thrift stores, vintage shops and other discount stores:

From Ebay, Amazon and Etsy to your local thrift store, discount stores are the not-so-secret gold mines of many a budget fashionista. Whenever I walk into (or end up on) one, I feel like a child let loose in a candy store, on a mission to discover the next precious treasure to add to my wardrobe. A few tips to improve your next shopping trip include:

• When shopping online look for sellers with a good reputation and a good return policy.




• Look for quality material first before anything else: if the material is still good it can be fitted to your size or used in a DIY project.




• Be resilient: It took me a couple of days of rummaging through several flea markets and vintage shops to find the brooch of my dreams.




• Classics (not really basics though) and unusual accessories that reflect your style are things you should keep an eye out for when shopping in these stores.
  

Shopping your closet:
For a lot of people the idea of 'shopping your closet' became real when the recession hit. 'Shopping your closet' is when you arrange your closet in such a way that it becomes very clear to know what you have and what is available to you, so that coming up with an outfit becomes a whole lot easier. Also, when your wardrobe mimics the clarity of your favorite store, it is easier to identify the gaps in it, which will enable you to know what to buy the next time you shop.

• Hangs ties, scarves and belts so you can easily get to and see them.




• Hang long necklaces and earrings on jewelry trees if you can.




• You can pin smaller earrings on a board or something similar.




• Keep rings in a little partitioned drawer if you can.




• Hang as many clothes as you can.




• Get rid of any and everything you haven't worn in at least a year.




• Keep similar items together.



• Store away things you will not use for awhile e.g. winter clothes in summer.
  
  

On the next part of this series I will talk about making the ultimate shopping list, budgetting and the financial nitty-gritty in budget shopping. If you liked this post and what to follow the series, follow this blog either by email or using one of the RSS feed links in the sidebars.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you shop your closet? What are your favorite budget shopping venues? What's the best thing you've ever got on sale? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

(Photos from: drinksmachine and zach_machester)

How to Budget Shop: Investment pieces, Basics and Classes

Now that I can finally get round to following up on the previous post in this series How to Budget: The Rules, I hope that I can completely cover all the bases on the mastery of budget shopping. As I said in the previous post in the series, when budget shopping you should be willing to spend the most money on the 'investment pieces' of your wardrobe. In case you were wondering, an investment piece is any piece that forms the basic foundation of your wardrobe and that you can mix-n-match with several other pieces in your wardrobe in order to make an outfit. While these pieces should still have a bit of your personal style in them and should fit you, this should be generally be toned down as much as possible so that it does not compromise their versatility. I believe that there are two major categories of investment pieces: basics and classics.

Basics
These are articles that every woman cannot and should not go without regardless of age, lifestyle, and personal style. They form the basic support of your outfits, and the skeleton of your wardrobe. Although, people's ideas of what constitute the basics varies, there are a few things that are constant from list to list they are:

• a winter hat, scarf and gloves, and coat (climate sensitive)



• a good strong umbrella and rainboots (partially climate sensitive)



• comfy, but cute flats and flip flops



• gorgeous yet workable heels in a neutral colour



• blazer/hoodie/ cute light jacket and sweater in a neutral colour



• bras of 3 types: push-up, sports and t-shirt



• seamless underwear



• simple tanks in neutral colours



• simple t-shirts in neutral colours (short and long sleeve)



• jeans preferably in a dark wash and a pair of normal pants



• sneakers, socks and neutral toned pants



• a simple but durable bag and wallet
  

Classics:
These are clothes that have survived the test of time and therefore have incredibly low cost-per-wear because you will be able to use them for as long as they survive. They are seen as important pieces to achieve the simple but polished look and usually have infinite possibilities in terms of when and where you can wear them. They also do not have to be bought in a haste and can be acquired as you become more financially stable. They include:

• A little black dress



• A white 'mens' shirt



• bootcut or straight legged jeans



• a gold or silver jewelry set



• pearls and or diamonds



• black tailored pants



• a trench coat



• black pumps



• a flattering skirt of medium length



• a cashmere sweater



• your perfect bag



• a pair of black sunglasses
  

Please Note: When buying your investment pieces remember the following:

• They must suit your body type and represent you without being trendy.



• You must love it. If you are going to invest in something, it being just 'alright' is not going to cut it.



• If you have to choose, make sure you spend money on your basics before you invest in your classics simply because they are more capital intensive initially and less urgent. But that depends on you.

(Picture from: Anahitox at Flickr)

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What are your investment pieces? Do you own any classics yet? Which is your favorite? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

How to Budget Shop: The Rules

Ah, the ever-present problem of the newly independent: how to make the money you got, stretch to cover the stuff you want. Ever since the first time we gain any kind of financial independence, be it a weekly allowance as a kid or a starting salary as a recent graduate, we are faced with the dilemma of finding out how to spend what we have to get what we need (and some of what we want). Whether you fancy yourself a bohemian babe that doesn't need much or an easy going guy with a laid back attitude to life, you really need to know where your finances go. And unless you discover the fabled "money tree" this will always be an issue. So why not learn to manage your money? Dearest devotees, I promise it won't hurt.

To me, budget shopping has more to do with approaching it with a goal in sight and a well thought out plan, rather than seeking out the latest bargain. And while this series will touch on bargain hunting and thrift store shopping, I believe the best way to shop wisely is to shop thoughtfully and consciously. Also, even though this series will mostly deal with clothes and accessories shopping, some of the rules can be applied to all types of shopping. After all, if you actually know that buying that $300 bag is going to leave you struggling to meet ends meet for the next couple of weeks, it'll be a whole lot easier to let it go. So, here are a couple of basic rules that I see as the foundations of successful budget shopping:

♥ Make and actually use a comprehensive shopping list: It doesn't have to be written down on a little piece of paper or anywhere really if all you need is to get a few groceries (and if you know that you will be resist that lovely D&G bag in the window). Better yet have a running one on organising programmes like Evernote and OneNote. I will explain this more later on in the series, too.

♥ Know how much you have available: In order to avoid those high stress days at the end of the month spent wondering where in the world all your funds went to, you need to note all your sources of income, their amounts and all of your expenses, too. Then you can actually know how much you can afford to spend without going overboard.

♥ Always calculate cost-per-wear: This becomes hugely important when you start buying designer labels. Determine the worth of a particular item by dividing its price by the approximate number of times you'll use it, or how frequently you will use it. Also, avoid buying stuff just because its cheap. Chances are it won't last long and it still won't be worth the price tag anyway.

♥ Spend money on investment pieces and classics: When shopping the trends of the season, the first thing you should do is look for pieces that have the least of the "trend" factor i.e. it suits you and your personal style fabulously, is in a colour that you love and that works with most of your wardrobe, and is of good quality. Examples: dark wash jeans of the latest cut, clothes in neutral colours or your favorite colour, etc.

♥ Shop your closet: Know what you have and make it work. When shopping look to fill the gaps in your wardrobe. Try to avoid buying multiple copies of outfits. It may sound obvious but chances are if you liked it enough to buy it in the first place, you may actually buy it or something similar to it again.

♥Remake and Recreate: Simple things like changing the buttons of an old coat and adding accessories like a corsage to an old top can breathe new life into your wardrobe. DIY is all the rage right now, and if you can't bear to part with your stuff, why not hit the thrift and vintage stores. You could find your next signature piece there.

These are the rules that I feel are the basics of good shopping skills. In the next part of this series I will go more into detail on the concept of investment pieces, basics and classics. If you want to follow this series and be informed of the next post, subscribe via Google or FeedBurner or sign up to receive email updates.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What are some of the things you keep in mind when you are stripped for cash? How do you stay out of the red? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

(Pictures from: Daniel Y. Go and Skulled )

How to Rock: Over-the-knee Boots

Pictures from: couturesnob and chic chocolate

From the streets of New York to the runways of Milan, over-the-knee or thigh-high boots have been everywhere lately and are one of this seasons hottest accessories. Ever since they came out on the Spring/Summer 2009 runways they have been seen on everyone from Blake Lively to Sienna Miller. On the F/W 2009 runways, this trend held its own among the power shoulders and leather gear of the 80s revolution and now its going to be in all the major high street stores this fall.
Personally,I think thigh-high and knee-high boots have always oozed sex appeal. They've never really been girl-next-door kinda shoes and have practically always been associated with the more "exotic" industry (ahem).When worn right they can add inches to your height making anyone look like as leggy as a gazelle. But when worn wrong they can make you appear to have shrunk (not a good look on most). This style of boots were my first fashion love and it fills me with nostalgia just looking at them. Over the years, I've gone from ankle-length to knee-highs, calf-length and back. I know that one shouldn't allow the winds of fashion to influence your personal style, but this season's boots are so hot, its highly unlikely I'll pass up on this trend.


Now, how to rock these Fabulous shoes?


Like most accessories, these shoes can be highly versatile, you just have to know when enough is enough. Here are some tips to keep in mind when getting ready to flaunt your new boots:


With skirts: This is when the boot-to-leg proportion thing becomes very important. If you're wearing these boots with a skirt, it's best to wear the boots with matching tights so as not to
break your silhouette. Otherwise, use a long cardigan or boyfriend blazer without a belt to ensure that your legs are the focus of the outfit.


With tunics and dresses : Go all out Rocker Chic like Vanessa by teaming a dark studded or glitzy dress to stay on trend. Or you can go the other way and rock thigh-high boots with cute tunics and flirty dresses to channel your inner Bohemian. Its the perfect way to transition smoothly into fall.


With skinny jeans : This is practically my favorite look of the season! Just throw on one of the extra-hot-right-now plaid shirts or draped tops with bleached grey skinny jeans tucked into black thigh-high boots for a look that is totally fashion-forward. Or simply follow the lead of Blake Lively and tuck your favorite pair of skinnies into a complementary pair of thigh-highs to look catwalk ready.




Warnings and Words of Wisdom:

• Be wary of stilettos to avoid veering into hooker territory.
• If you are curvier pull-on boots and stretch skinnies might be enough to convince you to try out the last look.
• Let a common base or colour pull the whole outfit together.
• Work with textures instead of contrasting colours in order to create a flow.

These were just a few of my ideas on how to rock these boots. I hope I've inspired you to experiment with them and give them a shot if you haven't bought them or to actually wear them if you have.


Love you all and Stay inspired,









P.S So tell me what you think. Is this a trend you are willing to try? If so, what are your favorite ways of rocking it? And do you think it's an "investment piece"? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.


(last two pics from: flickr)

How to have a fab (low cost) Holiday by Bringing the Resort to You

Its officially summer for almost everybody and here in Geneva people have already begun to head out to their various vacation hotspots. Unfortunately, times are hard and not everyone can jet off to some fabulous exotic beach for the summer. And even if you do get to go somewhere for the summer, chances are there are gonna be days that you are at lost for what to do. So with this in mind I've come up with a few ways of battling the boring summer blues.

• Create your own personal getaway: If you've been blessed with loads of sun but no beach or pool for miles get a beach blanket, towel or lawn chair, some shade and a good read and go out. Even though its just the park or even your own yard, getting out and getting fresh air instantly releases feel-good hormones, not to mention the fact that any kind of fresh air is good for you. When I do this in my yard I usually go the whole nine yards: bikini, large sun hat, a pair of sunglasses and a cool drink but if you are going to be in public and don't want to seem too odd here are some outfit ideas below:
  






• Curl up with a good book/zine and get cosy: Feed your mind! The right book can give a previously dull holiday an instant makeover. Novels and magazines are more acessible and portable than good tv and therefore are generally in high demand this season. You can take them to the park, to a café , to the beach or even to your front yard. And on a rainy day, you can just curl up on your couch (or hotel bed) with it and continue your vacation fun from the comfort of your space. Some of the books I've been loving this summer are:
  

1. Princess Diaries: After Eight, To the Nines and Ten out of Ten by Meg Cabot
2. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger
3. Tuesday's Child by Louise Bagshawe
4. Revenge of The Wedding Planner by Sharon Owens
5. What You Wear Can Change Your Life by Trinny and Susannah
   

Numbers 1 through 4 lists books that are generally happy go-lucky, romantic comic yet totally engaging novels. Book 5 is an interesting look into the fashion forward minds of Trinny and Susannah of the show What Not to Wear. Although the book doesn't really focus on the adolescent/young adult demographic it does give a lot of basic style advice that can be applied to females of all ages. Personally, its one of my favorite style books because its written in a witty tone that screams Trinny and Susannah. All in all, these books are light-hearted and fun, which makes them perfect for a bright summer day.

• Get out and hit the town: Go to places that you've never been before: Cute, little hidden shops and tourists sites and parks. A lot of people never really see the place that they live in because of the hectic nature of everyday life. Now its summer, you can actually take out the time to see it.
  

• Dive into the cultural tide pool: Visit museums, art galleries, photography and jewelwry exhibitions, and other cultural related stuff. These places can serve as huge sources of inspiration to anyone with an artistc nature including fashionistas. After visits, you can work on a holiday related inspiration book to pull you out of dull phases. Who knows, your next look could be found in a museum near you.
  

• Discover yourself with hobbies and internships: Summer is the perfect time to try your hand at new things, especially stuff that you may have develped an interest in but never really had time to pursue. Take me, for example, I took a digital photography course in school last semester and realized I really like photography. So this summer, I've been taking a summer course in photography for fun. And if you've been exploring the idea of working in the magazine industry, this could be a good time to gather experience. Of course, internships do need a lot of preparation time, organization planning in order to work, but most universities are willing to help with this process.

• Do random fun (and sometimes useful) stuff: have a barbeque with friends, do spa days, keep an eye out for free or really cheap festivals, concerts and parties. After all, this is the best time of year for such things and you would amazed by the number of parties and festivals you could find just by looking in the paper or online. And if you're anything like me and the idea of spicing your wardrobe or living space to reflect your style better excites you, this is totally the best time to do it.
  

• Volunteer your Time: Christmas isn't the only time of year people need your help. Instead of vegging out in front of the tv, why not play a part in making this world a better place. You could either work locally, at a nearby orphanage or humanitarian organisation, or you could decide to make a trip out of it and travel out to help people in other places. Either way, you can be ensured that it will definitely be an experience.

So, I really hope that the ideas in this post will add a little spice to your summer holidays. Have fun and Happy Summer!!

Love you all and Stay Inspired,

Aury


P.S. How are you spending your summer holidays? Are you gonna be travelling somewhere exotic or mostly sticking to your homebase? Feel Free to comment below...


Photo credit:All photos from flickr.com via CC