Hey lovelies,

Sometimes you just need to slow down.

It’s nice to be able to take a day for yourself and find a moment to rejuvenate your spirit. After a long weekend, I welcomed the fat raindrops that splattered against my windowpane and the allure of staying in during a rainy day. I felt relaxed, spiritually centered and safe. I swear if I had a fireplace to curl up in front of, I would. Honestly, I’ve pretty much done nothing more than drink lots of  honey vanilla camomile tea, fiddle around on the guitar composing super simple melodies, listen to music and flip through magazines collecting visual inspiration. Here’s to more rainy days!

The following image is the truth. I firmly believe that in order to be truly happy you have to do what you love, you have to be authentic to yourself. Life is short and you have to relish in each moment. I’m not telling you to print this out and post it in a prominent place in your house – but it couldn’t hurt, right?

Aloha Lovelies!

To welcome in this glorious season, I am leaving you with a Spring Mix Playlist for you to entertain your ears with.

A little Kate Bush, Steely Dan (blame my Dad for my love of the song Peg), Dirty Projectors and Solange to get your foot tapping.

I will probably be listening to this, sprawled out in the green, green meadow at the park, sipping on raspberry lemonade.

Source

Word…

♥ the alchemist

On this Monday, I would encourage you all to start doing what you love so you can start loving what you do.

Sometimes all you need to know is that someone will catch you if you decide to take that leap. I truly believe that you can’t feel fulfilled in life if you are unhappy with how you occupy your time. What gets you going in the morning? Think about the things that excite you. Start thinking about feasible ways to make a living from it.

Don’t think that it can’t be done. Everywhere there are real life examples of people who have made it work for them. Define your own personal level of success and then figure out how to bring more joy to your life.

Go for it. Do what feels right. It always works out in the end. Don’t sleepwalk through life. I try to live by these ideas.

Some background information on this photo: Shot in 1937 for a Dutch Magazine on the Seaside Life.  More historic photos can be found here.

♥ the alchemist

Okay, I have a quick confession to make. I’ve never seen the complete version of the movie Stand By Me. I thought I had because I know what the movie is about. I can recall watching it a couple of times and seeing enough of it to have been convinced for all these years that I saw the whole movie. I just assumed I couldn’t remember all of it because it had been forever since I’d seen it.

However, this past weekend the boy and I went to a midnight movie screening of Stand By Me in the Lower East Side. It was then during the film that I realized that the main reason I couldn’t remember all of it is because basically I hadn’t seen the whole movie. Granted, it was only a few scenes that I couldn’t remember. Oh well, that didn’t stop me from being inspired by the costumes and settings.

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Hello lovelies!

For the most of us, this is the start of the work week. Even though, I don’t have to participate in the morning commute aka the rat race to work sometimes even I still need a little reinforcement for dealing with Monday morning.

Imagine if you had this view of the sunrise every morning!

photo by: Muse

♥ the alchemist

For anyone who isn’t in the NY city area, you may not know about the ridiculously lovely weather we’ve been experiencing lately. People have been walking around practically in a daze, stunned by the warmth of the sun and the thought of not having to wear five layers in order to keep warm. I think we say this every year, that the winter was the worst we had but this year takes the cake. I mean we’ve experienced about three blizzards! The latest one happened on me and the boy’s date night and we went out into the slushy abyss anyway in defiance of the weather gods.

So, we’ve been granted a reprieve and the warm weather has been wonderful. I can’t help but think about all the things that I want to do, all the spring clothes I want to wear. The lace dresses, shorts, sandals. I want to dig my bare feet into the grass and smell the lush aroma of cherry blossoms. It’s no surprise that I have been collecting a few photos. With the threat of rain looming for the next several days, I’m gonna use these images to keep me warm and inspired.

♥ the alchemist

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a style muse. I know, I know: bad alchemist.

Anyway, the interwebs are filled with inspirational images and somehow I stumbled onto this lovely lady’s (Kennedy Holmes) blog and this outfit.

At the very least, each individual piece is simple (except for those shoes!) but together it creates something really lovely.

♥ the alchemist

Hey guys!

It’s about that time of the year that I start to get a little antsy. Winter is taking its toll on me. I’ve avoided getting sick thus far and I am determined to not have a cold this season. That is until I woke up yesterday morning with what felt like the beginning of a scratchy throat. Oh hell no!  Theraflu, Vitamin C and rest has been my friend and I pretty sure that it will not progress any further.

In order to celebrate this success, I’ve decided that what we need around here is another GIF party.

In case, you’ve missed it. A GIF party is where a whole bunch of moving images get together in one space for both yours and mine entertainment.

Below is an re-enactment of yesterday’s events.

This was exactly the face  I made when I realized I had a itchy throat.

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I missed the opportunity last year to write about the sadness and shock I felt when Michael Jackson passed; a childhood hero, a person who shaped pop culture forever. As more and more time passed, it started to feel like there was no real way for me to talk about that influence from the King of Pop.

Life is fragile and each one is precious. It’s hard to explain to someone how a person you’ve never met or knew could impact you in such a huge way. Lee Alexander McQueen is one such person. An enormous inspiration in my fashion aesthetic, his genius could be felt and appreciated by many. Someone who used their creativity to the maximum, always pushing the boundaries, bringing something new to the table. This kind of innovative freedom is what I strive for and want to nurture and appreciate in others.

♥ the alchemist

I’ve been a big fan of stockings, tights whatever you want to call them for forever. I still remember my mom dressing me in white cable knit ones to match my outfits. Also, there’s a picture of me not even two years old in a blue dress with a white pinafore, a blue barrette in my hair, white lace-up shoes and blue tights. Because my mom is so gangsta at color-coordination.

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I have a thing about the mail. I love it.

I love getting little postcards, greeting cards and the best are letters. Magazines and catalogs are also very much appreciated.

Bills and junk mail…not so much.

When I was in seventh grade, I had a pen pal exchange set-up through my school and I received my first letter all the way from Japan!

Unfortunately, that was the only letter I received as they unexpectedly ended the program.

My cousin and I exchanged letters for the longest time and I still have those to this day.

As I watch old movies or period pieces, when someone writes a letter or receives one, I get all tingly. It’s all been built up so romantically in my head. The art of writing.

I’ve decided that I want to revive the art of hand-writing. I want  a pen pal, someone that will actually write back and hopefully we won’t get bored of the whole thing.

Any suggestions?

♥ the alchemist