We threw a Parisian themed baby shower for a dear friend, Shela last weekend. The party preparations started several weeks prior to the event. The mother-to-be has a gift for graphic design, so imagine her enthusiasm when she went hands-on in designing water bottle labels, onesie banners, blog site, gift box logos, save the dates and invites for the party. She has an eye for small details. I, on the other hand, had a great time getting all the stuff together, buying decorations and transforming a 2-bedroom apartment into a baby shower suite for the weekend with the help of friends and family.
Wishing you all a happy Monday!
XOXO,
Arni
I've been missing in action for several days and my apologies for not being able to visit all of your blogs back during this period. I've been swamped with activities this week-- an on-the-spot apartment make over which is still underway and the Parisian theme baby shower yesterday.
Photo Credit: Lito Flestado |
I'm excited to feature this fun baby shower on a post this week. With all the baking and the decorations, lack of sleep, it turned out to be a creative fest of food, color and games. Mini Eiffel Towers popped in the apartment and check out dragées for the party favors. We even created a blog site for the party, where we will post all party photos that the guests can visit and check later.
Living in the gulf means being more attuned to Arabic designs. I would like to post some snapshots of this beautiful internationally awarded hotel in the middle of the desert. Al Maha Hotel Luxury Collection Desert Resort and Spa. This was how it looked like when it was opened to the public.
Photo: Arni |
co-hosted by Helen of Eat.Enjoy.Live.
It is a virtual coffee date with friends from a thousand miles away,
It is a virtual coffee date with friends from a thousand miles away,
over drinks, laughter and discussions on life.
The theme for this month's Couch Talk Series is "being financially chic".
Vanisha: "I thought that this would be an interesting topic, especially for women young, but would still be relevant to everyone. I found that with blogging and the internet and access to goods and services, it's so easy to get into debt. To keep buying and trying to keep up that we can lose sight of being financially secure and stable."
Arni: Being financially chic is a broad subject. I'd like to expand on self control and that important pause before purchase.
I learned a whole lot about managing money from my husband and his family, which I never learned from my own. He got all his training from his parents. On the contrary, I was raised in a household struggling to make ends meet and was always suffering in debt. I usually let the hubs manage our finances, because I'm impatient with numbers. I'm still learning though.
When I was still single and with a taste of freedom earning my first paycheck, being surrounded by all these "sales" and now the internet, I can imagine, it could be too tempting! The ''free shipping" doesn't help either. Comes the credit card of course and all the various freebies we get in obtaining one. I think my greatest breakthrough was when I finally cut them all in pieces and that felt really good! What I learned through the years was taking that pause every time I find something I want to buy. It's not easy especially, during those occasional splurge moods where I would end up buying three pairs of shoes in one go.
I think it is important to set a personal objective. Mine is "To purchase quality with a good deal." With that, I take a brief moment of silence as I internally bombard myself with questions, like: Do I need it? Do I need it now? Tomorrow? Next week? If next week , can I buy it next week? Maybe there's something better looking or better priced than this? Have I read the reviews? Should I have a look at the other stores/ sites first? Can I buy it next time? Are there upcoming sales in this shop or in this site? Then this allows me to investigate and find out further. The important trait I learned from my husband was canvassing. Checking out various shops, comparing prices, weighing pros and cons. I wasn't born with this gene, or I rather grew up complacent and impatient in exploring various options. Later, working in sales, I learned the world of profit margins and etc. and took a course on negotiating skills and thought, "Yeah, this is something we could learn and apply in real life."
As I target myself with these questions, I'm able to counteract my impulses to pick up the item and pay for it at the counter. Arriving at a conclusion whether I really need it or it's just plain wanting. It just happened to me recently. I went inside a trendy fashion store and was trying on a dress that I particularly liked. I paused and started these barrage of questions. It turns out- I didn't need the dress immediately after all. The event is a month away, so I still have time to find a better one, or at least I could hold on to that amount of money that I have, which might be needed for something else. I walked out of the store feeling okay for not buying the dress. I'm glad I didn't, because I realized, I had an unworn dress hiding behind my closet that I have completely forgotten about.
I'm a strong believer that it's okay to treat ourselves every now and then.
We work hard and we ought to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Learning to balance need and want, being aware of our choices
and our motive behind a purchase is my philosophy.
Small things lead to big things.
XOXO,
Arni
Little Luxuries recently launched The Bella Cottage offering one of a kind vintage, Shabby Chic, French-style furniture.
Source |
We'll have a Parisian baby shower theme and
I'll write a blog post about it after the event.
Have a lovely week!
XOXO,
Arni
Source |
Re-painting the piano to a colorful hue to match the shelves is a great idea to boost the bohemian spirit in this apartment featured in Contemporist designed by Incorporated Architecture and Design in New York.
Source |
Bonjour & Welcome
Designers' Journal, Material Library and Works in Progress.
About Author
Arni Nauleau. Interior Architect. Artist. Coffee Addict.
You can also find me on the Hive Blog https://hive.blog/@discoveringarni
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