Something Fabulous

Something Fabulous by lesliekelley featuring layering tops

Something fabulous IS out there, & it's not the boogie man! It's your future, as told by your inner voice. I've only recently been listening to my inner voice. Before, when I heard it, I was pretty convinced I was in the early stages of schizophrenia... But I finally came to terms with it & decided maybe this voice & I could be friends.. It's a good inner voice! It tells me positive things- "You can do this! Believe in yourself! You've got this! You'll be a huge success! BUY THOSE SHOES!!!" (Yes, she tells me to buy things. My inner voice is better than a girlfriend when it comes to shopping.) And I've noticed when I feel good about myself, the voice is an even better friend. She's my biggest fan, my own personal cheerleader always rooting me on, taking my hand, helping me to believe..So listen to that inner voice. Become her friend. And find your fabulous future! (And buy those shoes if she says so. As Marilyn said, you can conquer the world in the right shoes.)

Get out of Your Comfort Zone

Everyone has different sized comfort zones. And the size of the zones vary depending on subject matter... My risk-taking comfort zone is tiny! My fashion comfort zone is medium. I don't do the whole "this outfit doesn't match AT ALL" thing. It's out of my classic comfort zone. And I really like matching... BUT, I do think it's important to step out of my comfort zone sometimes, to test the waters, to try new things, to take small risks... It helps me to grow and opens my mind to possilibities. The outfit above mixes floral with stripes. When I was a child, that would have been considered in poor taste. Now it's a fashion trend! And I rather like it. At least I like it in my outfit above. Because, as you can see, everything matches almost perfectly. Baby steps. Little tiny baby steps out of my comfort zone. :)

Marilyn...

Marilyn... by elliskay featuring butterfly jewelry

Marilyn knew what she was talking about... What is it about the perfect pair of shoes? I don't think there's anything else I wear that gives me such a feeling of... Happiness? Power? What is it exactly? And I know this isn't something that has been ingrained in us by society. How do I know this? Observation. Pure and simple... When my daughter was small, she was quite coy. When people tried to talk to her, she'd get a shy grin on her face, turn away and stick out her foot. She wanted them to notice her shoes!!! "If my shoes are fabulous, I'm fabulous! Now leave me alone.." When she wore her pink, plastic, sparkly Barbie mules, she walked taller and even acted superior! She was TWO. This is not something she learned from me nor anyone else. We lived in a small, unfashionable town at that time and I lived mostly in slippers and flip-flops. I was NOT walking taller or feeling superior in those dirty slippers... SO where does this shoes fetish come from? We may never know. All I know is that if I wear the perfect pair of shoes, especially heels which are the greatest creation of all time in my humble opinion, I walk taller and maybe, just maybe, feel slightly more important.. And if those shoes are red? My attitude is, "My shoes are fabulous. I'm fabulous. Now leave me alone!" Like daughter like mother...
P.S  Share your favorite shoe stories with me by commenting below.

Live a Creative Life

Live a Creative Life by elliskay featuring gem jewelry

Isn't that the truth?! And why did it take me such a ridiculously long time to figure this out?!  Probably because I tend to be a perfectionist. And possibly because I tend to be very left/right brain balanced. Creative but very logical. (It's my own inner battle. I'm working on it...) I always thought there was a right way or a wrong way. Or at least a "best" way or a "worst" way. And if I didn't live up to the best, then I must be wrong.. Even when I first started Polyvoring (I think I just made up that word!), I started to compare my sets to all of the top sets. Since mine were different, maybe it meant mine were wrong... I got over that when I realized I could never move forward if I didn't just create sets that I loved. Sets that reflected me and my own personal sense of style. Being creative must be about being yourself. And enjoying yourself in the process. No rules. No right and wrong. Just YOU and your creations. So lose your fear and have a creative day! (or life!)

When I look good...hiccup...

When I look good...hiccup... by elliskay featuring chunky jewelry

When I look good, I feel good. This is true. Most of the time. When I dress up for a special event, when I wear a particularly stylish outfit that fits perfectly, I generally feel really good... But, there are those days when wearing my old faded sweats and a hoodie feels best. There are those days when my torn Levis, favorite t-shirt and gardening gloves accessorized with dirt under the nails, feels best. There are those days when staying in my pjs feels best... SO, I suppose it's not really the clothing that makes us feel good, but our attitudes when we wear certain clothes. When we feel most like our true selves in our clothes, we feel good. Put me in an adorable tight-fitting neon sweater dress and pumps, and no matter what my attitude, I won't feel good. Neon is not me.. SO, in summary, perhaps we should try wearing what makes us FEEL good, and then we will LOOK good... At least after a martini or 2... hiccup...

Green

Green by elliskay featuring old navy tank tops

Green... Ahhhhh. This color is my favorite. It can make me feel happy, give me energy, calm me down, help me to relax and feel refreshed... It's like my soul color. It's a major color in my wardrobe and in my home. I have a green couch, a few green walls, green vases, flower pots, etc. I LOVE green. If I could, I'd even dye my dog green. (Okay, that went a bit far. I wouldn't do that. But his name is Kermit...) "Psychologists believe that the color green increases relaxation by helping us breath deeper and slower... It helps us balance and sooth our emotions. Some atrribute this to the connection we make between green and nature."  http://theflowerpotva.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-does-color-green-make-you-feel.html And nature and green bring me to inchworms... How can something my favorite color cause such fear? Nothing brings me to such blood-curdling screams as inchworms! (Okay, another exaggeration. Sorry. Someone trying to break into my home might cause these screams. But this is about My Dream Closet, not nightmares. So let's not go there!) It all started when I was on a walk in the woods with  my family when I was a child. Or perhaps I was a teen? Who knows. It seem I have blocked out some of the details. Traumatic experiences will do that to a person... Anyway, my younger sister looked at me and said, "Don't move!" I think I replied with something like this, "Oh My GOD! What is it?! What is it?! Get it off me! GET IT OFF!!! HURRY!!!" She took something from my hair but refused to show it to me. Between the look of complete terror that must have been on my face and my possible temporary insanity, she decided it might be better just to show me. (Wrong move on her part.) It was the greenest, plumpest, largest inchworm I had ever seen! It probably weighed a good 3 pounds... Shut-up. It's my memory... And from that day forward, I have detested green inchworms. No, they are not cute. No, they are not funny. No, they don't grow up to be anything beautiful. THEY. ARE. HORRIBLE... BUT, they are the most lovely color of all. At least they didn't ruin my love of green. :) Enjoy your day!!!

Taking Risks

Taking Risks by elliskay featuring sequin tops

Okay, let me be honest. I am NOT a risk taker. Anyone who knows me well, knows this. I don't downhill ski (avalanches), water ski (deep water!), mountain climb (again, avalanches), hike in the deep woods (cougars, duh), travel alone (bad guys), play sports (a broken nose is a real threat), swim far from shore or dive, etc... I don't really even take fashion risks. But that's because of personal style and taste not because I'm afraid. The "risks" that I'm taking these days are more about pushing myself to follow my dreams. Sending in that manuscript. Going to that conference. Meeting new people. Not risky is most people's minds, but risky to me. Moving away from my safety net is a new thing. And guess what? When I like how I look or love the clothes I'm in, I'm much more likely to brave these risks. And I'm actually really enjoying this new me!!! Who knows, I may go into the woods today. Brave those potential cougars.. Hahah Yeah, probably not. One baby step at a time.