by Candice DeVille | Jul 10, 2015 | Self
Image by Nina Friday – Available on Etsy
I’ve been in a bit of a hole lately. It happens like clockwork every winter when the clouds roll in, the rain starts and the social life drops right off. When you have grand plans of hibernating in knitted socks by a fireplace in Pinterest worthy glory, but all you can muster is a cup of tea and a book in bed, exhausted from the day. When your wardrobe seems dull, lifeless and overused; and nothing says “oh how fabulously jaunty” the way it did in Autumn.
I’ve also been without proper internet and t.v for weeks and weeks, something which should soon be remedied, but means that none of the usual visual feasts or binge watching has been there to light that fire. Even Game of Thrones finished! Yes, they are such first world problems but we all have our slumpy times. I am excited to report however, that my groove has been sighted in a few places.
Inside my suitcase of lingerie where I had packed away my favourite corset; it’s laces and firmness like a perpetual hug always makes me feel instantly better. It peeked out from a large delivery of Blinc cosmetics this morning, full of new eyeliners and potential.
I’m fairly certain I saw it wink at me as I cruised through some of my woman crush Pinterest boards too. It perked up when I took out a box of coloured pencils and a sketch book, something I haven’t done in years, then it even stretched a sleepy arm when I unpacked an envelope of vintage dress patterns I hadn’t opened yet.
When it realised I’ll be hopping on a flight to Sydney for a few days this time next week, it even started to shimmy a bit thinking of the party plans and catch up with friends. It began to think about all the fabulous things on the horizon for Spring and the joy of planning; planting new flowers in the garden, pruning roses so their blooms are full and heady. It started to think about this year’s Camperdown Cruise, all the fabulous cars, music and dancing. Then it turned a corner and began to think of all the cool things I haven’t yet tried with my hair and how much I love to experiment with new techniques.
Suddenly my groove was there, waiting to get dressed, meet up with friends and hit the town to watch a fellow vintage lover and burlesque beauty perform in Shake this evening.
If your groove has been hidden away in the cupboard with mine for a while, let’s send them an invite to a mid winter get together and see if we can get them dancing in the kitchen again.
by Candice DeVille | Feb 17, 2015 | Self
The moon rise in the Dubai desert -Image by Melbourne Girl
I spend a lot of time talking to myself. I am a great conversationalist with a million ideas, but sometimes it gets so noisey in there it makes it hard to hear what I’m really saying. Sound familiar?
When we began this year I shared with you my plan for 2015 The Year of Living Bravely, and since that time, although the journey began long ago, I have been taking small steps every day to get me closer to this reality. When I looked at the insurmountable piles of ‘things’ that my life had accumulated, I didn’t know where to begin. When I saw how many things I was attached to, I had to force myself to ask hard questions and determine what that stuff really meant to me or how it enriched my life. Even the smallest challenge, like jumping into the pool, was a big deal for me. And so with each day I have taken on new challenges, big and small, all in the process of becoming more aware and in control.
I had the opportunity last week to talk to a group of other Nuffnang bloggers about my time in Dubai and what I loved about it. While there are so many things I can say about the incredible adventures on offer, the food or the sumptuous malls, I found what I really wanted to share was a moment that happened in my mind.
In one singular moment as I stood in the Dubai desert, I watched the sun setting in front of me as the moon rose behind me. Connected, together filling the sky with fire and the warmth of its reflected glow. The expansiveness of our world, our universe and just how small yet integral we are, washed over me like a wave. All of the minutia of our daily lives, the irritations and the stresses fall away in an instant under the eye of those two great forces. And suddenly I see that the door to the cage we create for ourselves had always been open, you just need to walk through it.
Seeing the multitude of pins, and quotes appearing on FB and Twitter, I get the very real sense that we are all sitting in our self created cages, staring out through the bars at those we think are somehow magically on the other side. Those that have what we wish we did; more time, better wardrobes, Pinnable lives. The more time we spend watching these edited realities with their Valencia filters, the further away our release seems to be. I am yet to meet someone who does not suffer from some degree of life envy of another, no matter where that may stem from.
While I stood bathed in the amber glow of the Dubai sunset I listened to the ‘me’ I always chat with; the one who has always said, “You create your own realities”. For once, there was a silence, a peace and tranquility that let that often said phrase stand alone in its simple glory. The only thing that is truly within ourselves to change, the catalyst from which everything springs, is ourselves. That shifting of a mindset, that penny that must drop and suddenly you realise, you had the power all along.
(image via Pinterest)
by Candice DeVille | Jan 29, 2015 | Self
I think I need to stay home and not leave the house for the next two weeks.
I’ve never been a big follower of star signs, the universe etc… I mean, I enjoy the odd well timed meme as much as the next person, but these sorts of signs are not the type I regularly seek out or consult. But I have to say, the last few months have me questioning this.
I believe that you make your own luck, that seeing the silver lining is the way to go, and you should always have your eyes open. Then fate comes along and does these tricky things and says, “Ha ha! Try to ignore that one!” It’s got me checking out all kinds of new sources of information especially this evening after this whole Mercury in Retrograde decided to play with me.
I thought I’d spend the last day of the school holidays doing something really great, taking my girls and their friends to the zoo. A lovely serene day was had until I got to the car and discovered a parking ticket. Damn it! My own fault for not realising this was a paid parking area. Right, I shake it off, put of some appropriate Taylor Swift for them to all sing along to and head off down the road. Not more than 15 minutes later, we are seriously sideswiped by a learner driver who has taken off a large piece of my car and ruined four panels! Again, I’m looking on the bright side that no one was injured, but I certainly don’t need the extra hassle. Now I’m feeling a bit gun shy and wondering what else I shouldn’t do these next two weeks.
This kind of paranoia goes against my nature. The idea of waiting for planets to move to the right bits of the sky before I can change my hair / buy something / make a decision etc.. I’m the kind of woman who likes to just get things done in the most snappy way possible. Then I find out that as a Virgo my ruling planet is Mercury, (clearly I haven’t been paying attention). So that should stuff the whole thing up. But honestly, I just can’t handle that thought. The idea that some measly planet and it’s whims giveth and taketh away, is too much for a control freak like me. (Seriously, I love planets though) I refuse to let this beat me, I have to much to get done and too many things to win at!
As tempting as the thought sounds, I’m not going to wrap myself in bubble wrap for the next while (new fashion statement anyone?); but I am interested to see how this plays out. I’m also very interested to know what your experience with this sort of thing has been. Are you a big believer in signs and how far do you take that? Is it “batten down the hatches” at your place right now?
In spite of all this, tonight I am continuing on with my new evening routine of productivity; packing more boxes for this decluttering, making appointments, making decisions and choosing to rule this destiny with the proverbial iron fist.
I feel like should start making this into tee shirts though.
by Candice DeVille | Jan 19, 2015 | Self
While going through the multitude of pieces I am culling from my wardrobe today, I had an interesting thought about my clothes and their personalities.
Everything in our wardrobes has a personality, take that blue velvet dress for example. She is for romantic evenings, dinner dates and impressing with elegant ease. She doesn’t shout, but she likes to be noticed. She is simple, yet luxurious. In stark contrast are things like the very functional denim jeans, a loyal friend that is ready to go out at any time, whether that be to the grocery store, to a party or to bail you out of jail. The friend everyone needs.
So I began to think, what if we looked at the contents of our wardrobes as we do at our friends? Are there relationships that just aren’t working anymore? Perhaps there are creatures in there with those negative personalities that always bring you down. The ones who tell you you’re not quite special enough, or you’d be ok if you lost a few kilos. The sneaky ones that sit quietly until you need them, then they turn around and stab you in the back with their overly clingy fabrics and bad hemlines. No one needs mean girls in their wardrobe.
Decluttering with clarity can be the hardest thing when emotion is involved, especially when it comes to memories, but just like the girl friend from high school who once held your hair back, they are now just poking you on facebook. They aren’t actually serving any enriching purpose in your life right now.
A lot of the ‘personalities’ I’m clearing from my closet are actually lovely. They’ve been there for the tea parties and shopping outings, but there are now so many friends, the conversation has become so loud that it gives me a headache. Time to clear the deck.
I don’t want to see new and inspiring pieces “hang out” with the negative in my closet, or their purpose will be drowned out in the noise. Instead, I’m looking at this task with a more creative set of eyes, forming positive new friendships between old pieces, letting go of those who just aren’t cutting it at this party. I want friends living in there who always make me look my best, help me out when I’m in a hurry and make me feel like a million bucks.
If you look at your closet right now, I’ll be you could find at least five “negative” culprits in there. Start weeding them out and make room for more positivity in your wardrobe, and the rest will begin to follow.
Have you got Mean Girls in your closet?
by Candice DeVille | Jan 12, 2015 | Community, Self
As vintage lovers, we spend much of our time looking backwards.
Backwards into the history of pieces we love, romantic, nostalgic versions of the past. We live for a great part, in our memories. It is habit forming and perhaps not the best of activities for those wanting to bring about change in their lives.
During my usual Pinterest rounds, I came across this;
It was then that the penny dropped. I have stopped looking back.
So much of my past has defined me as I’ve gone forward in life. The words in your head, the things people have said you are or are not, the mistakes you’ve made and those chances you wish you’d taken. One of the sayings I hate most in life is “You’ve made your bed, now lie in it.” Which to me translates as, “You made things this way now you have to put up with it, forever!”
Nope. That is about as defeatist as you can get.
How about remembering who is master of their own destiny, the only one who has the power to change anything, the one who has the power to change by starting with their own mind. This is why I believe we need to be much more cautious in looking backwards.
Instead it is time to use your imagination, tap into your creativity and imagine a future where things are as you wish them. Begin from the point that is now, with all the lessons you’ve learnt, the skills and talents you have, and then start to build.
As I’ve been going through this massive process of culling all my belongings, I’ve become very aware just how much stuff holds a type of security for me. Reminders in memories of things I haven’t yet achieved, projects left unfinished stop me from moving on to new goals. What a waste of space and a waste of a perfectly promise filled future; that is why it is suddenly so easy to let it all go.
2015 is my Year of Living Bravely, of moving forward and taking new adventures that have so far only lived in my mind. There are no do-overs, and looking backwards will only keep you behind the starting line.
Let’s change our habit together, stop looking over our shoulders and instead, out at the sky.
