Some Holiday Lovelies for Inspiration

On one hand, Pinterest often seems to whittle life down to a series of never-ending to-do lists and never-satisfied to-purchase lists. It can be easy to be overwhelmed by the numerous ways one could look/do/be better.

On the other (and more dominant) hand, Pinterest has been enormously helpful to me in defining my sense of style--if I weren't able to collect these images (I was never really one for making collages/binders), then take a step back and view it as a whole, I'd have no idea how to articulate what I like/don't like. It seems funny for someone who works with words to have trouble describing something so basic, but so it is. I'm not (never have been) one of those people who can look at an object and just "know" it fits into my style. I've made a lot of bad clothing/decor purchases in the past--loving something in the moment, getting it home, living in/around it, then positively hating it within days. I used to think I was fickle; now I realize that narrowing my focus a bit and asking myself whether an individual item works within a general image/tone/set of visual values. I've realized that the overall tone and image something inspires is much more important to me than whether I actually really love any specific item. Thinking this way has helped me make much better choices; it would have been impossible without Pinterest. Sometimes I pin things as examples; sometimes I pin things that I don't specifically like, but love what they do to an outfit/space in general. (I think there's a deeper life lesson there, but I'll look for it another day.) Sometimes I pin the impossible, because I find that time on Pinterest is a lot like reading--you don't look for real life as much as you look for the reflection of an ideal; however far away that ideal may be from reality.

Bottom line, Pinterest serves for inspiration, leads you to other people with similar views of the world--and most of all, lets you see what your own individuality is; no one's taste--however similar--will be exactly the same as yours. And that's something worth celebrating. In any case, here are some particularly beautiful things I've discovered recently that have helped me define a greater sense of my personal style. Aren't they pretty???

1. Gold place settings. Yes. Clean lines, bold statement, entirely simple in design, something different from the norm.

2. My favorite color palette. Blues, greens, yellows; calming, inviting. This picture also shows my ideal proportion of patterns to solids. Mostly, I like straight lines and angles; a few curves, even fewer curly-cues. In spite of the straight lines, there's a friendliness and softness that dominates the tone of the space. Also, everything you see serves a practical purpose; no decorative excess=visual nirvana.

3. My favorite spaces to travel are places where I can feel alone, even in a crowd. I like an inward journey as well as an outward adventure. I like places that feel isolationist (even if they are actually crowded with people), almost sacred. Where I can feel that the earth and the people are connected and that God is close at hand.

4. Romantic things. I used to think I'd become too 'pragmatic' to appreciate romantic kinds of things. This is perhaps something that rather has been buried beneath the endless day-to-day needs that seem far from romantic ideals. Example: this necklace. Romantic, earthy. But that sharp tip of the arrow is a no-go around babies, as it would inevitably end up swallowed or in an eye. Am I right? I put these things in my mind on a "someday" shelf. In the meantime, they're on my Pinterest boards to remind me that they are still part of me; just temporarily dormant. Like exotic and romantic trips in #3.

5. Contrast and crisp lines. There is a lot going on here that I appreciate. I love that it's menswear-inspired yet feminine; simple but elegant. There's a big contrast in colors, but those colors are separated by strong lines. Paisleys and such are too confusing for my eye. The colors are often pretty, but usually too complicated. Patterns like polka dots and stripes are good, because they are often also structured (and once again, lend themselves to contrast).

A couple more things. I found this article to be endlessly helpful. Even though it's about design/decor, it applies to wardrobe as well. Also, am I the last person on earth to discover Oh, Joy? Love her!