Ramblings, ideas and memoirs of a joyous adventurer. Absinthe aficionado. Empathetic thinker-feeler. Verbose writer. Avidly authentic. Hydrangea fanatic. Snow leopard lover. Joy huntress. Promising my devotees a honest glimpse into my life as I live with freedom, power and full self-expression in an unfiltered and sometimes distilled way. CHEERS!
“With color, for the price of a pot of paint, people can express their own style and individuality. But, as with style, a gift for color has to be developed by experiment. If you don’t dare, you are doomed to dullness.”
Shirley Conran (English Author and Designer; September 21st, 1932 to May 9th, 2024)
“To build a wardrobe with staying power, invest in classic colors for the foundation—black, white, navy, gray, beige, camel, tan, khaki, ivory, and the ‘reds’ including wine and russet.”
“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.”
John Ruskin (English Art Critic; February 8th, 1819 to January 20th, 1900)
“I like the idea of selecting color chips from a paint store to begin building your color palette.”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 110-111 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“Adornment is never anything but a reflection of the self.””
Coco Chanel (French Fashion Designer; August 19th, 1883 to January 10th, 1971)
“To build a wardrobe with staying power, invest in classic colors for the foundation—black, white, navy, gray, beige, camel, tan, khaki, ivory, and the ‘reds’ including wine and russet.”
“I like the idea of building my wardrobe based on classic base colors to build upon.”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 108-110 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“For me, elegance is not to pass unnoticed but to get to the very soul of what one is.”
Christian Lacroix (French Fashion Designer; May 16th, 1951)
“…less is more.”
Robert Browning (English Poet and Playwright; May 7th, 1812 to December 12th, 1889)
“Elegance is the art of restraint.”
“What sets an elegant woman apart from the crowd is her quiet self-assurance, she knows that she is what’s worth focusing on…”
“The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it.”
Diana Vreeland (American Fashion Editor and Columnist; September 9, 1923 to August 22nd, 1989)
“I am returning from my native journey feeling more of my authentic power and with that the elegance of my roots. I am the elegant woman…sexy, hot, fun chic!”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 106-107 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
Secret Lives: Gleaning Tips from Our Imaginary Selves
“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.”
Pearl S. Buck (American Writer and Novelist; June 26th, 1892 ~ March 6th, 1973)
“Each of us leads many lives vicariously and often simultaneously. By acknowledging our secret lives and tapping into the wisdom of our imaginary alter egos, we can glean tips to help us develop our own personal sense of style.”
“Now write down who you’d be if not you. Now write down your secret selves.”
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
Singer (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
Writer (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
Musician (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
Own a pair of snappy cowboy boots (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
Build a daily medicine bag and learn native medicinal healing (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
Get or have made a cool signature hat (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
Make some moccasins (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 105-106 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.”
Emily ElizabethDickinson (American poet; December 10th, 1830 ~ May 15th, 1886)
“Verve is the special ability or talent to pull something off with panache, from a fabulous outfit to an exquisite couplet of poetry. Verve comes into our lives when we dinally trust our instincts. When we take riskes and they payy off. Verve is passion. It’s also the secret of personal style. Verve is focused creative energy, a sense of vitality or zest.”
“And how do we learn to develop a finey honed sense of verve? By paying attention to the details. By accepting each day’s attempt to teach us more about our authenticity. By being constantly on the lookout for the ecstatic experience: what excited us or moves us to tears, what makes the blood rush to our head, our hearts skip a beat, our knees shaky, and our souls sigh.”
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“I need to be bold in my exploration of my style to find the balance between panache and simplicity.” (Heather Houston 4-2-22)
“I am finding my style lives in fusion. I love eating in fusion, so why not in my style too. I need to undress this to find out what fusion style means to me authentically.” (Heather Houston 4-2-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 104-105 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
Vita Mary Sackerville-West, Lady Nicolson, CH (Known as: Vita Sackville-West) (English Author and Garden Designer; March 9th, 1892 ~ June 2nd, 1962)
Playing Dress-Up: Empowering Your Authentic Self with Fun
“Learn the craft of knowing how to open your heart and to turn on your creativity. There’s a light inside of you.”
Judith Ann Jamison (American Dancer and choreographer; May 10th, 1943 ~ )
“What the heck! The delights of self-discovery are always available.”
Gail Sheely (American Author, Journalist, and Lecturer; November 27th, 1936 ~August 24th, 2020)
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“Spring has arrived, time to go through my closet and look at my clothes newly.” (Heather Houston 4-1-22)
“Today wearing my NICWA Conference shirt in native community was powerful. I saw so many relatives wearing items I have rotated in and out of my closet over time. Reassuring that my authentic self speaks to me in this way. Soaking up on as much as I can on the last day of the conference.” (Heather Houston 4-1-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 103-104 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel (French Fashion Designer and Businesswoman; August 19th, 1883 ~ January 10th, 1971)
“Fashion is a dhow-off, concerned with the cutting edge. Style has seen it all before and knows that the classic tenents of simplicity, beauty, and elegance have staying power. Fashion is a cult; style is a philosophy.”
“Fashion can be bought. Style must be possessed.”
Edna Woolman Chase (American Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Magazine; March 14th, 1877 ~March 21st, 1957)
“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-31-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“I would prefer to have style than to be fashionable.” (Heather Houston 3-31-22)
“My indigenous roots are calling to me to maybe craft a ribbon skirt. I saw so many beautiful ones at the NICWA Conference. I feel inspired to create one for myself to reflect my roots.” (Heather Houston 3-31-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 99-102 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
“Taste concerns itself with broad, lifetime progress and never makes mistakes, style moves by fits and starts and is occassionally glorious.”
Kennedy Fraser (American essayist, and fashion writer; 1948 ~ )
“Celebrating your authentic style through the clothes you wear is an art form. But like any of the arts, a sense of style is one that needs to be nurtured after it is initially divined and devised. Style begins when you seek and discover your strengths, then bank on them for all they’re worth. Personal style flourishes when you realize that you really don’t need as much clothing, accessories, jewelry, or makeup as you once thought you did because you’ve got attitude.”
“We all know style when we see it–Bogart and Bacall, Garbo and Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Hutton, Lena Horne–all different, and all synonymous with style. Their clothes, however grand or simple, proclaim not simply taste but intelligence, wit–alittle darling. What you see is self-definition rather than trendiness. Style is the intersection of what you wear with who you are.”
Leah Feldon-Mitchell (Author; UNKNOWN)
“Styles, like everything else, change. Style doesn’t.”
Linda Ellerbee (American Journalist; August 15th, 1944 ~ )
“Before my story began…” (heather Houston 3-30-22)
1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
“I think I need a stylist to help me find my style.” (Heather Houston 3-30-22)
“Today is my birthday and I am 58-years young. My scale thinks I’m 56-years old, so there is that too. I am dressed to explore my life today and reconnect with my roots on my terms to unfold what is there for me. No matter what I am living into the day with STYLE!” (Heather Houston 3-30-26)
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 99 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
My Distilled Life 