I'm still alive!

It's been a crazy year and I miss my blog friends.
 I made some major life changes for myself and my son to have peace and serenity.
It hasn't been easy, but my son is doing wonderful in school and I am as happy as I will ever get.  I was just baptized on Easter Sunday.  That was life changing in itself.

I will make time to enjoy all of you again.
As, my creative side is craving the beauty you all create.
So, I just wanted to drop in with a quick post to say
"Hello and I miss you so!"

xoxo,

Christina

My Spread in Romantic Homes Magazine

My Mother, Shirley, and I were blessed to be featured in the

Romantic Homes Mother's Day issue in 2009 as

'"Mother - Daughter Decorating Styles".

It was such a treat because we both had our homes in the magazine

at the same time and we got the perfect opportunity to dedicate

it to my dear and precious

Grandmother, Nadine, that is in heaven.

She would have been tickled pink to know

her girls that were mostly self-taught like herself

got recognized for the talents she passed down to us.

You see, my Grandmother had six children and was married to a minister.

She made their clothing and cooked all their food. She didn't have any extra money.

So, when she did later in life she began to acquire the finer things in life she could afford. Waterford, silver, crystal, china, glassware became her passion. And, many of these things are displayed in my home as homage to her and reminds me of patience.

My Mother still to this day can create the most magical tablescapes. I am still in awe of her talent. She still shows up on holidays at my home with the perfect topper for my table. She has it and has a way of making everything magical.

I was blessed to have Janet Solomon of the blog Frenchblue as the author of my article. I couldn't have been mesmerized any more from the way she spins the written word.

So, I thought today would be the perfect day to share this special part of my life with you.

Dream big. Create a life full of magic. Leave a legacy.

What are your thoughts?

xo,

Christina

Calm

Calm... the definition is not showing or feeling nervousness, anger or any emotions.

I don't know about you, but a room like this does bring up the feeling of sighing in relief. Kicking off my shoes and wanting to get cozy for a while.

What does calm mean to you?

How do you achieve calmness?

xo,

Christina

Old School Glamour

My friends, I have been through a lot. A lot of growth.

A lot of challenges. A lot of amazing opportunities.

Even more amazing new people in my life.

So, I come back stronger, smarter and

full of more life more than ever before.

I have a new sense of purpose.

Of direction. Of knowing what path to take.

Time to rejoice, enjoy friends and family.

And take time to enjoy the little things.

No time to look back.

Looking forward to the future a whole lot wiser.

It's time to be the best woman I can be.

To embrace my inner woman.

So, please continue to be my friend.

As, I know I have been gone and I miss you all.

So, hats off to us!

And, cheers!

We are here, alive and still creating.

Anyone relating to this or been through it?

Or, have any advice how to handle major life changes?

Please share.

Much love,

Christina

Easter and Hats, Go Hand In Hand...

I can wear a hat or take it off,

but either way it's a conversation piece.

Hedda Hopper

Cock your hat - angles are attitudes.

Frank Sinatra

I have a hat. It is graceful and feminine and give me a certain dignity, as if I were attending a state funeral or something. Someday I may get up enough courage to wear it, instead of carrying it.

Erma Bombeck

A woman's place in public is to sit beside her husband, be silent, and be sure her hat is on straight.

Bess Truman

Wow, what do you link of that?

Do you have the courage to wear hats and/or

speak in public next to your husband

while wearing a hat?

He can still wear the pants. Ha... ha...

Thank goodness times have changed.

xo,

Christina

8 Simple Tips in Social Media **Suicide** Prevention by Bradley Will of The Free Blog Factory

How's your social media

presence stacking up?

Here are the 8 simple tips in

social media suicide prevention.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/bradleywill/videos/1/

(Click on link to view video)

Who is Bradley Will?

Well, he is a man that is up to many things.

Primarily, he is the CEO of the Free Blog Factory where he gives away FREE customizable WordPress websites/blogs with all the bells and whistles. If you are interested in making some additional money and helping your readers receive a free website, I will be posting about a contest Tuesday where you can earn an Apple Ipad 2!

Bradley is also is an advisor to entrepreneurs and small business owners in establishing their business vision and developing social marketing strategies. http://bradleywill.com. He is the author of Unstrapp'd blog that specializes in how gen-y does business. On his blog he has interviewed wine guru and author, Guy Vaynerchuck of "Crush It",

Michael Gerber of "The E-Myth" and Bob Burg of "Go-Givers".

Bradley was featured in Bob Burg's outstanding book "Go-Givers Sell More".

To keep up with ever changing social media world, follow Bradley via twitter.

Have you made any of these mistakes

in the past or present?

What's the most important rule to you?

xo,

Christina

Video found on Viddler

Fashion Bloggers & Social Media: The Perfect Match

Fashion Bloggers & Social Media: The Perfect Match

Edited by Joanne Faith

Fashion bloggers are natural social media experts. Beyond our blogs, you’ll find us on Facebook and Twitter, some are on YouTube, as well as a plethora of other connected communities (IFB!). I am confident enough in our abilities to say that we know how to use social media (effectively) better than most, and I probably don’t need to tell you what a wonderful skill that is to have right now! Naturally, a few of things weeks links related to issues around social media and I expect the topic to crop up only more often in the future.

I am excited to be apart of the first round of editors for Links A La Mode: Tech, and absolutely thrilled to encourage the sharing of these skills amongst other fashion bloggers. We are definitely not a brainless bunch, and features like Links A La Mode: Tech only prove that even further!

LINKS À LA MODE: TECH – April 5th

• Beautifully Invisible: Social Media Dashboard – Why You Should Be Using One


• Fuyume: A Guide To Adding a Favicon To Your Blog


• IFB: Why Fashion Bloggers should Love Instagram


• Joanne Faith: The 5 Essential Skills Of Fashion Blogging


• Miss Viki: We Are Not Alone! Counting The Number Of Active, Non-Spam Fashion Blogs


• Relatively Chic: How to Deal With Internet Scum, Part 2: Spam


• Style by Santina: Five Reasons To Replace Blogger’s Built-in Comment System With Disqus


• Styling You: How Do You Balance Your Blogging Time?


• Trend Alert Daily: Should Fashion Bloggers Protect Their Tweets?

xo,

Christina

Found at Independent Fashion Bloggers

Your life can be abundant with or without material wealth

Words of wisdom from "Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green" by Jay Conrad Levinson and Shel Horowitz:

"Your live can be abundant and full of blessings, with or without material wealth.

Abundance is fundamentally different from prosperity. Prosperity still works on the idea the you have to conquer others, that you have to strive for more money, and that pie is infinite and that helping others is one way to help yourself- the more you help, the more the whole pie expands.

It also says that you have to act and believe in the whole process. If you think and act from a scarcity model , you will find scarcity. If the energy you put into the universe comes from the mindset that you can easily get what you need and more, that's what you're likely to find."

I know you may have read this before, but I really wanted to share with you.

Does this ring true for you? Has helping others and coming from a place of abundance made an impact on the outcome of your life? If so, please share.

Thanks for stopping by, dear friend.

xo,
Christina

The Fresh Air Fund is in need of loving host families for the summer of 2011

The Fresh Air Fund is in need of loving host families for the summer of 2011

The Summer of 2011 is approaching fast!

The Fresh Air Fund is in need of loving host families.
We are looking for families in the following areas to host THIS summer:

• If you or someone you know is able to host, please sign up now. In 2010, The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.
  
  Thanks to host families who open up their homes for a few weeks each summer, children growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods have experienced the joys of Fresh Air experiences.
  
  More than 65% of all children are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year.
  
  Fresh Air Fund Host Families:
  
  "It is rewarding to see the smile on our Fresh Air child's face as she enjoys the simple things we take for granted..."
  
  Friendly Town host families are volunteers who live in the suburbs or small town communities. Host families range in size, ethnicity and background, but share the desire to open their hearts and homes to give city children an experience they will never forget. Hosts say the Fresh Air experience is as enriching for their own families, as it is for the inner-city children. There are no financial requirements for hosting a child. Volunteers may request the age-group and gender of the Fresh Air youngster they would like to host. Stories about real Fresh Air host families and their New York City visitors are just a click away!
  
  Click here to learn more about becoming a host or call (800) 367-0003!
  Fresh Air Children
  
  "We made s'mores and hot dogs over the fire. I've never cooked outside before!"
  
  Fresh Air children are boys and girls, six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for either one or two weeks. Youngsters who are re-invited by the same family may continue with The Fund through age 18, and many enjoy longer summertime visits, year after year. A visit to the home of a warm and loving volunteer host family can make all the difference in the world to an inner-city child. All it takes to create lifelong memories is laughing in the sunshine and making new friends.
  
  The majority of Fresh Air children are from low-income communities. These are often families without the resources to send their children on summer vacations. Most inner-city youngsters grow up in towering apartment buildings without large, open, outdoor play spaces. Concrete playgrounds cannot replace the freedom of running barefoot through the grass or riding bikes down country lanes.
  
  Fresh Air children are registered by more than 90 participating social service and community organizations located in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City. These community-based agencies are in close contact with children in need of summer experiences in rural and suburban areas. Each agency is responsible for registering children for the program.
  
  What do Fresh Air children enjoy?
  

Playing in the backyard
Laughing in the sunshine
Catching fireflies
Riding bicycles
Learning to swim
Running barefoot through the grass
Gazing at the stars on moonlit nights
Building sandcastles
Making new friends
Simple pleasures of life away from the inner-city

The Fresh Air Fund at the Five Boro Bike Tour:

Join The Fresh Air Fund at the Five Boro Bike Tour on May 1st! The largest recreational cycling event in America, the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour, leads bikers on a 42-mile fun course through the city and you can be a part of it! The Fund provides guaranteed entry into the event in exchange for a fundraising minimum. What better way to bike through an amazing route while knowing that the money you raise will help children from low-income communities who live throughout the city. Along the way, bikers will enjoy entertainment, rider photos, bike repair, medical support and the company of thousands of well-wishers! Click here for more information about the race! If you have questions or are interested in participating, please call Kate Brinkerhoff at (212) 897-8890 or email kbrinkerhoff@freshair.org.

Learn how two weeks can transform a child's life forever and you can make a huge difference in a child's life. What on earth could be better than that?

xo,

Christina

The Secret

As reading the book "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne a few paragraphs seem to jump off the page at me. So, I thought you may find it meaningful.

~~

"Everything we want, whatever it may be, is motivated by love. It is to experience the feelings of love in having those things-youth, money, the perfect person, job, body, or health. To attract the things we love we must transmit love, and those things will appear immediately.

The Catch is, to transmit the highest frequency of love, you must love yourself, and that can be difficult for many. If you focus on the outside and what you see now, you may trip yourself up, because what you see and feel about you now is the result of what you used to think. If you don't love you, the person you see now is likely to be full of faults that you have found in yourself.

To love yourself fully, you must focus on the presence inside of You. Take a moment and sit still. Focus on feeling the life presence inside you. As you focus on the presence within, it will begin to reveal itself to You. That presence is the perfection of You. That presence is the real You. As you focus on that presence, as you feel, love and praise that presence, you will love yourself fully, quite possibly for the first time in your life.

Any time you look at yourself with critical eyes, switch your focus immediately to the presence within, and its perfection will reveal itself to You. As you do this, all imperfections cannot exist in the light of this presence. Whether you want to regain perfect eyesight, dissolve disease and restore well-being, turn poverty into abundance, reverse aging and degeneration, or eradicate any negativity, focus on and love the presence within you and perfection will manifest."

~~

I truly hope you find some value here.

Do you have any other books

you would recommend?

xo,

Christina

Graphic from Wilson Graphic Designs