A Sorta Stylish Life

Is anyone else in South Florida frustrated by all of the NY-based and international fashion blogs talking about dressing for “almost-Spring?” As far as I’m concerned, Spring has sprung, and I am looking for some serious styling inspiration. For now, this blog from Runway Hippie caught my eye. Rather than styling a dress-turned-maxi-skirt with a heavy leather jacket, I’d love to see it with a chambray shirt (go casual with this, or dress the look up with this) or a transparent white button-down. Add a light, flirty scarf and some chunky wedges and I am in Spring heaven. 

What are you wearing for Spring?

So I’m currently in the process of getting interviews all set up for my next big freelance project. I’m doing a feature on the Treasure Coast Red Cross Designer Showhouse for a local mag. Our publisher is an honorary chair, so I get to go in early and poke my nose around the West Indies-themed redesign before things are 100% complete. Sooo excited. 

For those who may not know what a showhouse is, the fundraiser is basically a collaboration of more than 14 local designers who are each decorating a room in a Sewell’s Point mansion. Once the house is done, the Red Cross will sell tickets for people to view the all-made-over home. 

Me+home design+writing=one happy camper :)

Sadly I won’t be able to share pics since the house doesn’t open until March 18…but you can buy your tickets here.

So I am in the midst of my first major-ish home improvement project at the rents’ house (moving furniture, painting accessories, hanging a few window treatments and organizing/throwing crap out were some of the “minor” projects). Around the Fitz residence, there is a general move to do some home improvement-y things—like replace flooring, re-tile bathrooms, etc.—which I am totally stoked about. However, as the freeloading kid, my projects (aka things to improve my bedroom and bathroom) get the least monetary and physical support—meaning I am undertaking my projects solo and on a strict budget. So what is the current project, you ask. It is painting my bathroom. HALLELUJAH! In addition to covering an awful slimy green paint color (which I chose myself 8 years ago, *shudder*), I’m also covering hair dye and makeup splatters that are currently staining the walls (I was pretty rough on the poor room). And I’m covering all that with a gorgeous, serene aqua-y light blue called “Cool Teal” by Behr. It’s a beautiful color, but unfortunately will probably take at least two coats, and I’m hoping not three.

Last night, before the painting started, I also replaced the doorstop (which was broken, causing the door to swing open too far and make a little hole in the wall), spackled said hole, removed the light fixture and spray painted it crisp white (like I said, pinchin’ pennies here), scraped some water-damaged dry wall off the ceiling and spackled that and had to scrape the icky green paint off of the tile, trim and vanity everywhere I messed up last time I painted (who let a 13 year old paint alone? Terrible idea, but I’m paying for it now). Phew—exhausting, right?

Once I’m done painting all this, the plan is to repaint the ceiling, scrub all of the surfaces, tiles and fixtures, replace the shower curtain and then I’m hoping it will sparkle like new. Hoping. 

On a side note: to be clear by “my bathroom” and “my bedroom,” I really mean the guest bed and hallway bath. MY childhood bedroom became a sewing room when I moved away. :( So what I’m really doing is improving the guest spaces so I can enjoy them most of the time and whenever we actually have guests, I get kicked out back into “the sewing room.” The nerve, I tell ya.

 So now it’s just another 3 hours ‘til I can paint another coat…..

*twiddles thumbs*

So for most people, becoming vegetarian is a challenge. However, I’ve been veggie since I was 7, so it’s become a completely natural part of my life. (Well, full disclosure: I have actually always been “semi” vegetarian, meaning I eat seafood and poultry.) About six months ago, I cut chicken out because I decided I wasn’t really a huge fan and chicken is pretty inhumanely raised. 

Which was all fine and dandy until about two months ago when Mom and I decided that to celebrate my graduation we were going to Italy to take cooking courses. FAB, right??But I’m sorry, you simply cannot go to Italy and learn to cook and maintain diet restrictions. Not happenin’. And I am also not about to go to Italy and get sick from eating red meat for the first time in almost 15 years. Hence, I’m undertaking the adventure of becoming a meat eater again. A humanely-treated, grain-fed, free-range meat eater, of course.

Things are moving a little slowly at first. I’m starting with just eating chicken again, and I’m finding that fresh, grain-fed chicken is actually pretty delish. Way better than I remembered. 

Since I’m doing a majority of the cooking around the house, it’s pretty much solely my responsibility to find new meat dishes to try. Eventually. Tonight, I’m still sticking with chicken. But I’ll work my way up. On the menu: Rachael Ray’s “A Little Bit Country” episode-Chicken and peaches, cheddar (turkey) bacon biscuits and sweet onion potatoes gratin. Mmmmm. I’ll report back :)

So I realized that whilst doing all of my explaining in Post Numero Uno, I didn’t explain my blog’s title. It basically has to do with the fact that being here in elderly country and living with my parents in a small town may—seemingly—cramp my style. Working from home means that pjs have become an unavoidable part of my life, and every night I’m in bed by midnight. BUT that doesn’t mean that beautiful things are no longer a part of my life. I still get dressed up any time I can, and being at home has meant I’ve been a big part of my mom’s home redecorating decisions. In fact, now more than ever I’m voraciously devouring fashion magazines and style blogs of every sort. Being out of college has created a beautiful balance in my life. Yes, I do occasionally sit in front of my closet and drool over all the shoes I have nowhere to wear, but more often, I enjoy the extra time I have to cook and try new recipes, to cut out inspiration rooms for the house, to write as much as I feel like and to read whenever I want. Add to that the occasional yoga, and I’m feeling pretty good about this Sorta Stylish Life I’m living at the moment.