An Ordinary Day...

Wednesday, April 12th started off as an ordinary day. The alarm sounded off at 6:00 a.m. like it always did. Reggie did his work day morning ritual, showering, grooming, selecting a suit and accessorizing with the perfect accents for Read more

Why are some people mean?

Why are some people mean? I'm not talking about a little mean, but bazaar, go out of their way to be mean. Recently I've encountered a few mean people, I remind myself that these situations will make me a stronger Read more

Maldives

Our last trip of 2016 was to the Maldives. Last year was one full of excursions, We traveled to Cameroon, Paris, Bali, Hawaii, New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Lake Tahoe, Atlanta, Napa, San Francisco, Dubai, and I must say Read more

Quote

It's okay to venture out of your comfort zone... Lately I've been doing it quite often. This weekend is going to be one of renewal, my personal Super Bowl. What are your plans? I will be working today and tomorrow. Happy Read more

Do you enjoy yourself?

Both of my kids are in New York, my son is in school in the Hudson Valley and my daughter is living in Brooklyn and working. So we are officially empty nesters, and have been so for a while Read more

Closet

START SUBTRACTING…

Posted on by Gigi in Aging, My Closet, Well-Being 7 Comments
Quote

Quote

Came across this quote today, and really thought about how it applies to my life. For me the message was SIMPLIFY! “Start Subtracting”, get rid of the junk that is taking up space, both physically and mentally.

In a couple of weeks I will celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary and my 55th birthday, I really wanted to have a celebration/party of some sort, but as I began to plan it started to feel like a heavy weight was hanging over me. Some of my dearest friends were going to be traveling on the date I selected so that was a bummer. I received an invitation from another friend for a birthday party dinner cruise on the same day. My guest list was growing and getting a bit out of control, since it was going to be a birthday/anniversary celebration, there are so many that have touched our lives that I wanted to include, so my little house party was becoming an “event”.  My day to day life right now is pretty crazy, with all the driving I’m doing taking my son to all of his obligations, I had no time to properly plan anything, so I made the decision not to have a grand celebration and I feel great. I have no idea what I am going to do, other than it will be something simple, meaningful and intimate.

Normally this time of year I make my rounds to all the mid summer sales scoring deeply discounted treats, perhaps I’m maturing or I’m questioning how much stuff does one person need, but for some reason the desire is not there.  A few months ago I downloaded this app Stylebook, basically it is a closet organizer that keeps track of your “stuff”. You take pics of your items and put them in categories etc., by doing this I discovered how much stuff I have accumulated and that I need nada, matter of fact I have been getting rid of stuff and focusing on my lifestyle and what really serves me…photographer most days, and for shoots I wear black, and of course I need my workout clothes, jeans, and I love dresses for when I go out and pretty shoes, the rest I don’t need anymore. I have not worked in an office environment in over 5 years, so why do I have suits and work pumps taking up space? Why do I have things from 20 + years ago? Why do I have shoes that hurt, life is to short to walk around in shoes that cause pain.

Gigi

Gigi

Once good thing about driving all over southern Cali everyday, is I am able to go to the gym in between appointments, perhaps I will “subtract” a few pounds, which is always good. I find the older I get, working out is not an option, and the mental peace I get from my yoga practice is priceless. I am able to clear my mind, subtracting distracting thoughts and focusing on the future, working on my goals, personal and professional.

The next area I need to attack is being “connected” 24/7. Start having “time outs” from my i phone, i pad, laptop, kindle, fitbit, i pod, facebook, instagram, pinterest, and any other devices I may have forgot–so much time. The mystery of being unavailable is gone…I remember the days of a “dial” phone, and no call waiting and only a couple of area codes and how can we ever forget the “busy” signal? Yes, time to unplug a bit.

So think about subtracting “junk” from your life, once you start it is not that difficult, the letting go is so empowering!

Gigi

Gigi

Happy Thursday!

XOXO,

GIGI

 

 


Where does GIGI Work?

Posted on by Gigi in My House Comments Off on Where does GIGI Work?

My work space…

Gigi's Home Office

Gigi’s Home Office

Working at home can be convenient, but it  takes a lot of discipline to stay on task. I have to put myself on a schedule, so I don’t get distracted, which is easy to do at home, especially when there is always something to interrupt your flow. So for me, it is important to have a relatively neat space, so I can think clearly. I’m really working on editing and getting rid of things that no longer serve me. I switch back and forth from my laptop and my desktop, depending on if I am uploading images. One of the perks of when your kids go away to school, you gain space, and rooms to repurpose for other uses. My office/closet/pilates studio/ hair salon, used to be my 22 year-old daughter’s nursery.

love pretty paper

love pretty paper

stationary cabinet

stationary cabinet

I love pretty paper, and still like to write letters the “old school” way, there is something special about taking a nice pen to beautiful paper-different experience from a text, email or tweet. I love to pick up stationary when I travel, this cabinet is perfect for storing all my goodies.

I took the doors off this "sliding door" closet

I took the doors off this “sliding door” closet

 

always need extra shoe storage

always need extra shoe storage

my favorite built in

my favorite built in

My contractor “found” dead space in the wall and built this cabinet out, it is about 3 feet deep, and has glass doors and space at the bottom for storing boots.

love sweaters

love sweaters

facinators

fascinators

I don’t ever wear these, but they make fun props…

neclaces

neclaces

Gigi on the wall...

Gigi on the wall…

The  trompe l’ oeil by Cynda Valle, was painted 22 years ago, I was about 6 months pregnant in the piece, I don’t think I will ever change it.

reformer / pilates

reformer / pilates

desk setup from crate and barrel

desk setup from crate and barrel

Do you work at home? How do you stay focused? Do you have a “space” or room in your home where you can escape?

Xoxo,

Gigi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original trompe l’ oeil by Cynda Valle, was painted 22 years ago, I was about 6 months pregnant in the piece, I don’t think I will ever change it.

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Closet Cleanse

Posted on by Gigi in My Closet 3 Comments

I really want to organize my home, especially my closet. No more shopping until I “cleanse” my closet. Easier said than done! 2013 is the year of simplification, if I am going to “make every day count” I can’t waste time searching for stuff in my closet. Figuring out what pieces work for my life and getting rid of things that no longer work for me is the goal. Here is my plan of attack:

1. See what I have and take inventory.

My Closet

My Closet

Close Up

Close Up

Major editing is needed, everything is squished together and difficult to find.

2. Take everything out and get rid of items that have not been worn for 2+ years unless it is something special.

Do I love it? Do I feel good in it? Does it work with my lifestyle? Does it fit today? If Yes to all of these questions, it is a keeper. I’m going to treat my closet like prime real estate, only items that are worth the space will remain. The rest will go into piles: A) Goodwill/women’s shelter B) Consignment/girlfriend swap                  C)  Alterations D) Trash

3. Rehang and fold items and organize by color and style.

4. Shoe-mania-same rules apply, with the addition of comfort level. Do I really want to wear a shoe that I have to take advil before wearing?

I know this project will take a few evenings, but the time I  will save will be worth it. I want a stress free environment for 2013–quality versus quantity.

Are you a hoarder? do you still have outfits from college hanging around? Bridesmaid dresses? Special designer collaboration dresses from Target that you never wore? Mini skirts that have expired? Gloria Vanderbilt jeans? Sasson jeans? Tube tops? Maxi coats? Take a closet cleanse, get rid of that baggage that is weighing you down and share your techniques for purging.

Xoxo,

Gigi

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