New! DIY Feng Shui Kits

It began as an idea, as all good things do.  It really stumped me that there was no one-stop shop for the feng shui cures that I was giving my clients.  So I thought:  I should make a kit.  So I did!

It's had many evolutions and here it is (on the shelves in a recent test run in a local store) -- in today's version:

A kit full of fun goodies that will have you giddy and ready to implement feng shui easily and effortlessly in your life!

Here's what the label on the back of the box says:

Feng shui specialist Katie Rogers brings the ancient Chinese art and science of feng shui straight to your home with this fun, eco-friendly, Do-It-Yourself Feng Shui Kit [DIY FSK]. 

Feng shui has the power to improve your life in all areas, including health, love, money, creativity, and career.  The simple yet effective “cures” included in this kit are:

·       The DIY FSK User Guide by Katie Rogers

·       White Sage Smudge Stick to cleanse negativity

·       Round-faceted Crystal for balance & harmony

·       Wish-Come-True Box by Bluedogz Design

·       Good Energy Spray to revitalize your home & office

·       Good Intention Candle

·       Red Ribbon Cures for prosperity

·       Bonus Feng Shui Tips*

And here are some photos of what's inside.  Ensured to bring smiles and good fortune!

white sage smudge stick

crystal in red velvet pouch

candle inside cute little box

smells great!

And my favorite!  A Mini Ribbon Box designed by Nadine Lerner of Bluedogz Design that I've dubbed as the Wish-Come-True Box.  (P.S. There's a surprise inside!)

And yes, it has appeared in InStyle Magazine.

wishes come true with this box!

And of course, there are instructions on how to put these and the other cures to use!

I'm really excited for these kits.  I've set the intention that they find great homes and bring great energy to whomever receives them.

I'm selling them for $34.99 which is a DEAL!  If you order more than 4, you will get 10% off total price.

Order from me directly.  Email katierogersfengshui@gmail.com with your name, quantity, shipping addresses, etc.  I am going the old-fashioned way so you'll have to send me a check when I get the total to you.  Supply is limited, so hurry!

Happy Holidays!  I hope I can make yours brighter!

festive red door (from pinchomez.com)

Roll Tide!

My parents both attended the University of Alabama.  In fact, they met there on a blind date.  Therefore, I was raised as an Alabama fan.

There is a certain percentage of the world that knows what that means -- "to be raised as an Alabama fan."  Most of them live in the state of Alabama, but not all of them.

It means:  although I attended a different university, Roll Tide Roll is in my blood.

My grandfather used to take people by the busloads (literally) to the games to tailgate, including we children on occasion.  Our pantry held some very special Coca-Cola bottles that were never to be touched because Bear Bryant's picture appeared on them.  Pompoms of red and white were part of our toy collection.   And it was really fun to see my father on TV when he had his stint as President of the Mobile chapter of the Alabama Alumni Association.  And I despised the colors orange and blue.

However, I admit it.  I forgot all about football while living out west.  I'm a chameleon of culture this way, and because of this trait, it's also the reason why I've become a re-born Alabama fan after having moved back to my home state.

To celebrate this re-sparked passion for my parents' alma mater, and because I had a wild hair the weekend of November 5th, I strapped a boxed 4 x 4 foot canvas to the top of my car and drove over to Tuscaloosa to carry out my vision.

I wanted to paint.  I wanted to paint big.  I wanted to paint Big Al.  And I wanted to do it in the middle of the action.  So I found a corner near the stadium, set up my oversized easel, squeezed some reds and silvers and whites onto my palette, and I went to work.

almost done

It was such a blast!  Alabama fans of all ages approached me to comment on the painting.  The cop who was tending to this particular corner happened to have a camera, and he was very accommodating to my artistic endeavor, to my relief.

good cop

Oh, and in case you missed it, that LSU/Alabama game on November 5th was dubbed "the game of the century."  Of course, the ending was not so happy, but this is why the "re-match" on January 9th is going to be one heck of a game!

As for the painting, I had several offers that day, but the painting has yet to find a home.  (It may have had something to do with folks not wanting to carry a huge canvas INTO the game.)

Christmas gift, anyone?

Garden of Eden & How to Paint on Unstretched Canvas

Adam & Eve.  The classic.  The second painting in the series of "Miracle Paintings" of scenes from the Bible.

I wanted the Tree of Knowledge to be front and center.  And I wanted color.  And pretty things like flowers and animals and a stream.  And of course, a very innocent Adam and Eve.

Here it is on the easel.  I think the colors are more true to life in this shot.  I have yet to get professional photographs of these...obviously.

I thought I'd share my process on how to paint on unstretched canvas, as when I started, I found there was little information on how-to.

First, I buy a roll of unstretched high-quality canvas.  Because I want the scrolls/paintings to be durable, I buy canvas that is already primed.  The problem there is that the primed side is a white primer, and I like the look of the natural canvas.

I had Lowe's cut me a piece of heavy particle board to the size of the paintings.  Then I lay the board on the floor and place the roll of canvas over it, and I cut it (carefully) to size.  I then take these sturdy pieces of wood that you see in the picture and some clamps that I found at the hardware store, and I stretch the canvas taut onto the particle board.  This step is important because no one wants to paint on a buckled canvas!

After the canvas is stretched, I slather a generous coat of clear Gesso onto the unprimed side.  This keeps the integrity of the natural look while still preparing it for painting.  I let it dry, then I move it onto this easel built especially for this project.  (Thanks, Dr. Foss!)

And I'm set to paint!

When I'm done, I take the canvas to my favorite alteration ladies at ABC Sewing in Homewood.  They sew the top and the bottom so that I can slip a rod into it for hanging.  I then tie some nifty gold-tasseled rope on it, and walah, I have a "scroll" ready to hang in the Children's Sanctuary!

Creation - the Miracle Paintings series

Last year I was commissioned by St. Paul's Church in Mobile to do thirty paintings for their children's sanctuary.  Every couple of months, I sit with the pastor there, and he tells me which scenes from the Bible I am to paint next.  Each canvas is about 3 x 4 feet big, and they aren't stretched so that they can hang scroll-like around the room.

This gig has been such a blessing.

I call the series the Miracle Paintings for several reasons, but mostly because I realized that the Bible, in its essence, is a collection of amazing, bizarre, and completely miraculous stories that happened a long, long time ago.  I'm a big believer and lover of miracles, having experienced quite a few of my own, and this seemed more tangible than "the Word of God" or anything of that nature.

I was never that great of a Sunday School student so some of the stories are brand new to me.  I have to say -- getting to know the Bible in this context has been enlightening and fun.  I mean, these are some great stories!  I, for one, believe in God (or Great Spirit or the Universe or whatever you want to call "It"), and I like God a lot, so I'm happy to be taking these stories to heart and then hopefully doing them some justice with paint and canvas.

In the spirit of the upcoming Christmas season, I've decided to post and chat about each painting that I have done.  The pastor's (awesome) vision was to do them chronologically according to the Bible, so...  I hope to have a nativity scene for Christmas Day, but I haven't been assigned that one yet.  Ha!

Here is Creation.

I think the story goes without saying, but if you want to read it again, here's a good link to the passage in Genesis.

I am in absolute love with color, so when God spoke, "Let there be light," not only did I imagine the brightest beautiful light, but all the colors that come with it.  And He created it all in seven days, and there are seven colors in the rainbow, so I rolled with that.  Sky, water, man, woman, earth, creatures, light.  It's the ultimate miracle -- that all of this exists at all.  Bask in that thought for a few seconds.  Big one, right?

Better Sleep and More Sex? Yes, Please!

Topic of the day:  Bedrooms!

Bedrooms should be for two things:  sleep and sex.  (Okay, and perhaps getting dressed.  Or, better yet, undressed.)

Ideally, this important room should feel calm and comfortable (i.e. sleep-inducing) with just enough spark to keep the romance alive.  Because you are literally spending a third of your life in this room (do the math:  there are 24 hours in a day, and 8 of them are spent sleeping), this room impacts your life greatly.  Without establishing healthy sleep, your whole life is affected!  Better sleep equals better quality of life.  

In fact, back in 2005 when I was living in Sun Valley, Idaho, I was lucky enough to hear the Dalai Lama speak live.  When an audience member asked him the keys to a happy life, he responded with,  “sleep” first, and “water” second! 

Please don’t underestimate the advice of the Dalai Lama.   You gotta love a man who keeps it simple.

So let’s start with sleep:

• 1.     Bed position.  Your bed should be against a wall, preferably one without windows, and have a view of the door to your room.  However, the foot of the bed should not be directly lined up with the door.  That’s an oldie but a biggie feng shui no-no. 

This photo shows what NOT to do with the bed in front of the window and (you can't see it but...) the foot of the bed pointing directly towards the door.  

a feng shui DON'T

Better to move the bed to the right wall!  

Much better bed placement!  (We'll talk about the desk another blog...)

• 2.     Type of bed.  Bedding should be clean (let’s hope) and be of soft or deep colors.  Loud designs and intense color schemes are too yang (aka “active”) for a good night’s sleep.  Headboards represent support and can help you feel more grounded.
• 3.     Patterns and colors. Same goes for the entire room – patterns need to be on the calmer end of things.  Artwork should soothe, not over-stimulate.  Ideal colors for bedrooms are blues and greens and purples and neutrals and deep, dark colors in you're into that.  Whites work too for certain people.  This bedroom showcases lovely color choices, while the sumptuous textures keep it inviting and not too sterile.

• \

  Design by Jane K. Hirsch
  
  

• 4.     Soften the edges.  If the corner of your armoire is pointing to your bed, you may be under the line of fire of a “shar.”  Shar is negative energy – like an arrow – that can affect your sleep.  Drape some fabric over that corner, or better yet, move the guilty piece of furniture. 
• 5.     TV is a big no-no.  Televisions are active and carry a lot of EMFs which can definitely affect sleep.  Think of all those channels and all those people and lights and colors and sounds and storylines and DRAMA.  Who wants all of that in the bedroom?  Even when the television is turned off, it has a powerful effect!  Get that TV out, and find yourself sleeping more soundly (and having more of a sex life to boot). 
• 6.     Nothing under the bed please.  If you have a lot of clutter under your bed, or even a little clutter, you are taking all of that into your system when you should be recharging.  Get rid of it, or find a new home for it.  If storage really is that tight, please only put items that don’t have emotional charge or highly yang energy (like sports equipment).  Very neatly folded sweaters are okay, but it’s still ideal to leave it clear!
• 7.     Window treatments.  You want to keep the energy contained in the room, and you want to feel at peace and safe.  Think: privacy.   Also, even a little bit of light can disturb sleep so consider this when choosing your next set of drapes.
• 8.  No computers or work in the bedroom.  If you must bring your work home, please leave it out of the bedroom.  That includes reading documents in bed before you fall asleep, or typing away on late-night emails on your laptop.  

8.   Okay, now that the sleep part is taken care of (first priority, please!), let’s talk about sex.  

• 1.     Pairs.  Since it takes two (traditionally anyway), you will want some things in pairs.  If you are single, and you look around your room and you see a lot of “singles,” then you are sending your subconscious a message that being single is fine with you.  Start pairing things up, and your subconscious will take the cue and do some work to attract a mate!  If you’re attached, same thing – items in pairs will strengthen the bond.  Two matching nightstands with matching lamps are not only design-friendly, but they also represent equality and harmony in the relationship -- like, you’ve met your match. 

  

  Pair of pillows, pair of plants, pair of lights, pair of nightstands  - yes!
• 2.     Photographs.  Okay, so I know you love your kids and your parents.  But it’s really not sexy to have them watching you do the deed.  So minimize the quantity of photographs you have, and please don’t have them facing the bed directly.  The bedroom is for you and your sweetie, so keep the kids – and grandparents – in their proper place, like, in the living room or den or dining room or anywhere else! 
• 3.     Artwork.  Art holds a lot of energy.  If you have a scene of a poor woman in a dark field with a dark sky with ravens flying over, do you think that this will inspire sex?  No, me either.  In fact, I don’t think that painting will inspire much of anything except depression, so you may want to just get rid of it.  (I don’t care how “artsy” it is or how much it cost-- it can go to a museum and not your house.)  Images in the bedroom should be beautiful and serene, and yes, sensuality helps too  -- a lot.
• 4.     Type of bed.  Sorry, I know how popular king-sized beds are, but if you look at how it’s built, it’s two twins put together, therefore representing a divide in the relationship.  Trade it in for a queen or full, or call me for a cure, if you really are more attached to your bed than your mate. 
• 5.  Colors.  I know I said stick with the soft neutrals before, BUT, it doesn't hurt to throw in a pop of red or a splash of yellow or orange here and there to represent the daring and unexpected and excited, right?  Just don't overdo it!  

• 

  sensual material and colors.  add a headboard and it's a feng shui DO!  from honestaesthetics.tumblr.com 

• 5.     What is your idea of romance?  Candles?  Flowers?  Fluffy pillows?  What colors say romance to you?  What materials?  Even a little bit of your Personal Romance Symbolism placed in your bedroom will send a very, very positive message.  Some flowers here, a little leather there – you get the idea.

I thought I'd throw in a cute quote:

It is not economical to go to bed early to save the candles if the result is twins.  

~Chinese Proverb

Ah, the good ol' days before electricity.  


And in the end, if you want to throw most of this information out the window and go for something like this...

talk about sensual!  (from missindiedesigns.blogspot.com)

...you'll have my feng shui blessings, because let's face it, this just feels good.  

Good night!

Clearing the Energy in your Home

An extremely important aspect to feng shui is clearing the space.  Energy can linger in a home or office, and some of it may not be wanted!

There are several ways to go about this (see books by Denise Lynn and Karen Kingston), but, as usual in feng shui, a little goes a long way.

1.  Clean.   Yep, put on the yellow gloves and give the house a good scrubbing.  Cleaning the home is akin to cleaning the spirit, and who doesn't need that?!  Hiring a housekeeper works too but have them get into the corners!

2.  Clear the clutter.  I feel like I say this in every feng shui post I write, but, truthfully, I cannot say it enough.  If you have items that you do not love or use in your home (you know -- that vase your aunt gave you for your 26th birthday; the coat you got on sale that you've never worn; the armoire that has been in the family way too long), then it needs a new home!  Keeping so-so objects in your environment tells the Universe that you want a so-so life.  When you get rid of the so-so, you make room for the amazing.

3.  Open the door and windows.  There's nothing like fresh air (especially delicious fall fresh air) to get the energy moving in a home.

Jack Wild/Getty images

4.  Ritualize it.  Turn on your favorite beautiful, upbeat, or inspiring music.  Dance like you mean it.  Say prayers out loud.  Ask the angels to come in and help clear the space.  Tell the house you love it.  Ask the old energy to move on or transmute or purify or get the heck out.  And invite the good stuff in!

painting by Marius Michel-George

5.  Smudge.  As you are "ritualizing it," I suggest some tools.  White sage is one of my favorites.  It gets the job done.  Simply light it and woft the smoke around (aka smudging), setting intentions as you go.  (You may want to carry a tray to catch the ash.)  Sage is and was used in Native American rituals and is considered quite sacred.

from Incense Warehouse

Be sure to "thank" the sage when you are done.  If the sage smell isn't your favorite, you can also use frankincense or camphor.  Even spritzers with essential oils of your choice will work (lemon is good), and if you are super sensitive to smell, sprinkling salt water around is another option.  However, some places need more powerful solutions than these last suggestions.

If you're moving into a new place, or you and your ex have just had a fight, or you've just been in a funk, clearing your space is a must!  It's the quickest way to improvement, and it works.  It helps to do it from time to time anyway, but especially in those transition or tricky times.

Happy clearing!

Homewood's Change of Scenery

Anyone who lives in Birmingham can agree with me here:  the weather has been STELLAR!  To celebrate yet another sunny, perfect–temperature day, I called up a friend to meet me for an early dinner at my favorite local Mexican place: Pinches Tacos. 

If you haven’t been to Pinches Tacos in Homewood, quite frankly, you’re out of the loop.   If you like easy, casual dining and consistent, fresh fare (not to mention great vegetarian choices), then you like Pinches. The atmosphere manages to walk that nearly-impossible line of being simultaneously kid-friendly yet cool.  There is even a mural inside the building by the “You are Beautiful” artists.  Oh, and did I mention the outdoor seating?  There’s a nifty little patio made for this amazing fall weather.  And it's super-easy on the wallet.  I like Pinches so much, I go just about once a week.  This is not at all in character, but I do it.  I highly recommend the ”regular” veggie burrito.  It never fails.  I’m addicted.  I get it every time.  Again, not in character.

Therefore, you can imagine how strange a feeling it was to be driving down Oxmoor Road yesterday and then almost miss the turn!  How many times have I taken that turn?  I’m serious.  I had to do a triple take!  My brain shot off neurons that shouted something along the lines of:  “Is this it?  Wait?  No.  There’s Pinches.  That’s it.  That’s the patio.  But what?  Where are the…?  WHAT?  Wait a minute…”

What my brain was looking for without realizing it was a dense row – a canopy, if you will – of large, gorgeous shade trees that lined 19th Street S at the corner of Oxmoor. 

You know the saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”  Well, these trees, across the street from Pinches, were G-O-N-E.  Yesterday was Tuesday.  I had just been there on Friday night!  I KNOW they were there.  Right?  Was I imagining this?  I mean, unless I’m crazy, those trees were big! 

What stands there now is a long green temporary fence.  Behind that fence is an impressively large construction site.  

Here’s a picture:

I discovered that seven large trees were taken from the site on Monday.   Seven!!!   To get an idea of this, imagine if your back yard had seven trees that had been growing there since, oh, 1960.  That’s over 50 years ago.  And then you woke up one morning, and they were gone.  The only difference here is that the trees pretty much lined the street.  One would think this made them city property.  But…I guess not.  Arlington Properties, who is building an apartment complex at the site, owns the land, and therefore owned the trees.  Therefore, it was their right to cut them down -- affecting all of Homewood with it. 

Supposedly, the trees were removed because the roots were quite large.  I understand this.  Roots on large trees can cause problems.  This is why it is so important for the “right tree” to be planted in the “right place” in a city environment.  Yet I still find this cause to be “curious.”  I intend to research the reason for these trees’ removals.  After all, when you remove a gorgeous tree that has been living for at least forty years, you are taking away forty years of beauty, shade, and oxygen, as well as homes for birds and other fair creatures.  Multiply this times seven, and it’s impact is hardly recoverable, at least not in an adult's lifetime.  In the least, the citizens of Birmingham need a thorough explanation of why these trees were killed, and what Arlington Properties is going to do to make it up to us.  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEWFLASH: After writing this piece, I decided to glance on Google Maps to see what the canopy looked like before the bulldozers came in.  I hope you are as shocked as I am.  I'm wondering if I am way off with the "seven" count.  What do you think?

Pinches is the round-like protrusion on the white-ish building on the right.  The trees lining the street were the ones cut down on Monday.  THINK:  anywhere you see green on this photo would appear as red dirt (aka construction site) by a helicopter-cam today.  

Now check this out -- I panned out to see a bigger view of SoHo.  Wow.  Seems like this no-green is a trend in the business district.  Not good. 

That expanse of trees in the lower right hand corner is now GONE.  

How to Clean Out Your Closet

As  a feng shui consultant, I rarely enter a home where I don’t give the following tip:

Clear Your Clutter.

Alas, as a naturally disorganized person myself, I find this feat challenging at best.  Lucky for my clients, I have complete empathy.  Yet after all my years of studying feng shui and putting it to practice for myself and others, clutter-clearing is hands-down the number one thing a person can do create miracles in his or her life.  I’m talking miracles.

{Stay tuned for the Why? on Clutter Clearing...}  

This past week, we had a few rainy days here in Birmingham, and with the change in weather (it’s finally cooling down a bit), I decided to tackle my clothes.   

Because, lately, every time I go to my closet – and I’m talking just to go over to the grocery store – I struggle with what to throw on.  This is a problem, as my closet is packed full of clothes.   

Funny, because I felt like I had just cleaned it all out.  After all, it wasn't long ago that I was wearing all maternity clothes, and I've moved in the past year, so yes, I've tossed some stuff along the way.  Goes to show, however, that clearing clutter is a process.  After all, we are always accumulating things, so it's really about maintenance, isn't it?

So what was all this stuff in my closet???  This stuff that I didn't even want to wear???  

If you are like me, you have a few favorites from fifteen years ago.  And, if you are like me, you have not worn them but four times in the past ten of those years. 

For example:

Betsy Johnson LBD.  Very cute.  I have had some fun times in this little number.  So how to know whether to keep or give?  After all, it’s an LBD.  They always are in style, right?  And it’s designer.  And I’ve had it for soooo loooong.

And how about this fun tunic that I bought in Urban Outfitters in Austin in 1998?  Hot pink is a favorite of mine to wear.  I seem to get a fair amount of positive attention in this one.  But every time I go to put it on (which is probably twice a year), I say “Naaahhh.” 


And then there's the BCBG wrap dress in brown:

When I bought it, it said "feminine class."  When I put it on, it says, "Blah."  

So what gives?  How do you know what to keep (things really do come back in style) and what to say ba-bye too? 

I’ll tell you!

What I was inspired to do – and I’m telling you, I had to get brutal – was to write down every piece of clothing I owned, try that piece on, then rate it.

Yes, I rated my clothes.

I know what you may be thinking.  I have too much time on my hands.  Or that I'm excessively anal retentive.  Both of those could not be farther from the truth.  But, being a single mom, juggling freelance jobs among a zillion other things, I’ve become pretty good at the time management thing.  I have found that when you take the time to make a big pot of soup at the beginning of the week, it saves you time during the week.  Same goes with streamlining your closet – put in the time now, it will save you those evenings of trying on four outfits and then just settling with one that you don’t like that much anyway.  Trust me.  I’m not patient with this sort of stuff.  For me to be doing it should be telling you something. 

Here’s how it went:

I started with the dresses.  I tried them all on, making sure I had shoes to match.  The system went like this:

4 stars – I felt 100% in it!  It fit great, it was my color, and it’s in style. 

3 stars – Cute but not killer.  Not a knock-out, but definitely a keeper.

2 stars – Didn’t fit, not a great color on me, reminded me of an ex-boyfriend or a not-fun time in my life, looked cheap or out of style and not cute enough to save for another season.

1 star – Just bad.

Occasionally, I was between and 2 and a 3, so I invented 2.5 stars.  It’s a little bit of a cheat, so try not to do it if you try this at home.  Basically, those items are still in a smallish pile.  I need a second opinion on those.  (On the opinion thing: be sure you get someone who knows your style and who loves you and wants you to look beautiful.  Hate to say it, but girls can be catty, and you never know when someone’s telling you it looks awful because she wants it!)

The 4 stars went back in the closet.

The 3 stars went back in the closet.

The 1 Stars went in a pile on the floor along with the 2 stars.  These items (I don’t care how long I’ve had it, or how badly I wanted it to fit) were outta there. 

Oh, and during this process if there was something I needed to buy – shoes, belt, certain jewelry – to take it to the next level, I’d write that down next to the item.  This is VERY important as we move onto….

Pants and tops.  I tend to buy in pieces rather than entire outfits (despite my mother’s instructions), and this had gotten me in trouble.  The beauty of having pieces is that you can find sudden inspiration in pairing a top with an unexpected bottom, the day of, and to me, this is part of the fun of getting dressed.  It’s not just putting on clothes – it becomes creative expression in those moments.  But my closet had gotten to the point where I couldn’t even see what I had so that nothing inspired me because it was hidden behind a bunch of 2 stars. 

For example, I bought this precious pink jacket by Theory (one of my favs) a few months ago.

 I'm proud to say that I found it second-hand at Crossroads in Santa Monica, and I just had to have it.  (The $15 price tag may have helped!)  However, I haven’t worn it because I didn’t have a shirt to go underneath – so I thought! 

Can you believe that I actually have a lacy little tank in the exact same pink!

How did I miss this?!

I'll tell you how.  Buried.  Under 2 starses.  

I had a BIG pile of giveaways.  It feels GREAT.  Putting my clothes back in my closet – the keepers – was a reward in itself. 

The next step:  Finding the gaps in the wardrobe.  Like I said, I have tons of pieces, so in order for me to be able to keep some of these cute items that I never wear, I have to find something to go with them to make them a complete outfit.  One thing I have discovered:  shoes make the season.  You can wear something from 1940 or 2001 in year 2011 but only if you have the shoes of the day to bring it up to today’s fashion.  Accessories count for a lot too. 

Here’s my personal must–haves for Fall 2011.

1.  A gold chain-link belt  (to drape on my hips for some of the A-line looks that are passé)

2.  Tight short skirt  (to wear with some of my looser tops)

2.  Thick tights in several colors (to wear with the short skirts and to give a boring outfit some umph) Note:  NOT leggings – unfortunately, leggings are on the out, unless they look like tights

3.  Clunky shoes (to modernize anything)
These are 7 For All Mankind:

4.  Short black wedge boots (because I’m obsessed with boots)
These are Donna Karan: 

Final step:

Before I shop, I search.  A favorite place to visit is the Lucky Magazine website.  I click on Street Style for wearable things first.  I take note of what looks I like.  Of course, I’ll browse the designer sections.  I found myself loving the shorts look with fun shoes, and I realized I definitely need more red in my closet just because, for me, red is an instant burst of fun. 

My final inspiration in my “home shopping,” was this photo.

When I saw it, I thought, THIS IS IT.   Isabel Marant's design.  This is the kind of look I adore.  Although I don’t see myself wearing this exact thing in Birmingham, it's what it evokes that I love.  Basically, it's got attitude.  It's bold, modern, fun, playful, yet sexy.  

Which reminds me -- one more must-have:

5.  Amazing fringe boots.

Skin Food Report....

I was putting off the follow-up blog to the skin care regime, because 1. I find it sort of boring, and 2.  I was afraid I wasn’t going to give you very good news.

BUT THEN – My dear friend whom I haven’t seen since January made the comment of comments – “Katie, your skin looks really good.”

O.  

M.

G.

Just when I was about to relay to you-all that I’m not estatic about the Weleda Skin Food, I get this beloved compliment.  So maybe it is working better than I thought. 

Pros:

• It smells good.
• It’s definitely moisturizing.
• It’s all-natural.
• It’s affordable.
• It’s easy.
• It smells really good.
• It’s gives a dewy effect.
• It’s European.

Cons:

• It’s thick.
• It’s not a miracle wrinkle-fixer (i.e. my friend is still singing botox’s praises to me – unabashedly too.)
• Some people translate “dewy” as “greasy.” 
• It very rarely, occasionally causes a tiny breakout, mostly if I’ve been lazy about cleansing my face.

So there’s my report:  I am not totally freaked-out in love with Skin Food.  But I’d rather be putting nature on my face than rat poison (euphemism: botox) IN my face!  And with winter around the corner and its skin-drying tendencies, I’ll stick with this until someone can sell me on something else.  

NEWSFLASH: Mobile Bay polluted?

I sat down with the intention of following up on my oh-so-exciting skin care adventure, but after a quick check on Facebook, I cannot sit silent, knowing what I know.

I grew up in Mobile, Alabama.  One of the finest things about that town is that it sits smack on a gorgeous bay.

There are also rivers with its wildlife and mystique. 

And all of it opens up into the beautiful Gulf of Mexico...

...where there really is some of the whitest, powder-soft sand on this entire globe. 

Probably the best thing about growing up in Mobile were the summers.  Yes, they were one hundred degrees.  Yes, there were mosquitoes.  But those summers “over the bay” and “at the gulf” are imprinted into my very being.  Waterskiing, warm nights on the wharf, Jubilees, 360s on Waverunners, sleeping on screened-in porches, and yes, never buying a bathing suit with white in it, because after being in the bay, it’d be a deep beige. 

Growing up in Mobile really is the stuff of stories.  "Idyllic" is the word that comes to mind.  After living in many a land-locked town and many a too-busy city, I know now how ridiculously fortunate I was that Boston Whalers were our vehicles at age 13 and dropping a ski at age 10 was the norm. 

But then I glimpse Facebook, and I’m reminded.  We can love it, we can enjoy it, but really it’s not ours.   

Let me explain.  (And I must give TreePeople, the non-profit environmental organization where I used to work, props for this, as I learned it while there.  Thanks, Peeps.)

Mobilians live in what is called a watershed.  Think: gravity.  Think:  all the rivers that are connecting to the bay which then connects to the gulf make a watershed.  And all the creeks and streams that lead into these rivers.  And all the streets with their gutters that lead into the creeks and streams. 

Here's a picture that depicts the watershed for Mobile Bay.

In Los Angeles, they have cute little plaques over the storm drains (aka, the “holes” in the curbs in our streets) with dolphins on them to remind people that we live in a watershed and must do our best to protect our watershed.

What happens when it rains is that the Earth is getting a good cleansing.  In the old days when trash didn’t exist, rain would fill the creeks and flow into the rivers and flow into the bays and oceans where clouds would accumulate and then the whole cycle would start over again.  Nice and clean…and natural.

What is happening today is obviously a different story.  Here’s what I saw on Facebook today that sparked this blog:

These days, our precious water isn't ours.  It belongs to Styrofoam.  It belongs to BP’s gushing oil.  It belongs to anyone who throws a beer can, not only out of their boats, but also out on the street, say, in Birmingham, Alabama.

A disgusting disgrace.  This is embarrassing, disheartening, and sickening to me.  Mobile’s most valuable asset is being treated as a garbage dump.  Let me say it again:  Most Valuable Asset… Garbage Dump.

And who’s to blame?   Rednecks who toss their McDonald wrappers into the water?  Maybe a garbage truck took a wrong turn into the river!  Or, oh, I know, Wal-mart already had too many Styrofoam cups on their shelves, so they had a big party, and they forgot to bring the garbage bags. 

Uh.  No.  Have you ever let a piece of plastic fall on the street and not pick it up?  Have you ever bought a drink out of a Styrofoam cup?  Have you ever sat there and watched someone else litter without saying anything to them?

This may seem extreme to some of you, but it’s not.  We have a major TRASH crisis on our hands on this planet. 

My mind flashes to Wall-E, the Pixar movie, that gives a strong message about this.   And if we don’t start doing something about it N-O-W, we are literally going to be swimming in it.  Oh, wait.  That’s already happening. 

I feel a need to be clearer.  Stay with me here.

Say a trash can, waiting on a curb, accidentally gets dumped over in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Say no one bothered to clean it up before one of our afternoon showers comes through.  What happens to the trash?  It flows into the gutters with the rest of the rain.  Then it makes its way into the storm drains.  The storm drains need to be there, as pavement does not allow water to permeate, and the water has to flow somewhere, or it will flow into our houses.  So all the water and the trash goes into the storm drain which leads to the nearest river which eventually leads to Mobile Bay or the Gulf of Mexico.  So, not only is Dog River getting pollution from the folks who live or play there, but it’s getting it from the entire state and beyond! 

Okay, so the trash can example is just to give you a mental picture.  Try this one:  Think of how many people there are in the state.  How many of them litter?  Probably quite a few because our education system here is not the best and research shows that educated people litter less.  Therefore, there are a lot of people littering.  And say all those people litter just one day that week.  Just one item.  But how many people are doing it?  Adds up.  I’d say it was equal to a whole lot of trash cans dumped over, wouldn’t you? 

Sad to say it, but Mobile’s at the end of all that litter.  Well, almost.  Actually, there is no end.  The Gulf and then the ocean is the end.  But that’s a whole other (very-linked) issue.

Because this is what it looks like in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific -- right now!   It's called the
Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and the main culprit is plastic.

[A friend, Anna Cummins, and her husband, Marcus Eriksen, have taken this issue on in its entirety.] 

The point is, y’all, it’s up to us.  It’s up to the people of Mobile, the ones teaching their five-year-olds to ski, the ones having a gin and tonic on the wharf, the ones bringing back the biggest catch of the rodeo, to take care of this situation. 

It starts with personal responsibility.  When you drive a gas-guzzling SUV or when you don't carpool, you are telling the oil companies it’s okay to keep drilling without giving a damn on how it affects our waters.  When you buy a stack of Styrofoam cups or cases of plastic water bottles, you are risking years and years and years of the trash that came from one little drink sitting in our landfills or floating on our rivers or doing who-knows-what to our oceans.  When you throw a cigarette butt out your window in Auburn, you are basically using our gorgeous beaches as an ashtray. 

I know there is a general consensus among a lot of folks that think that little actions don’t make a difference.  But they do!  If everyone did the little actions, it adds up to a lot.

Isn’t a river full of litter proof of that?   Isn't an OCEAN full of litter proof of that?  Aren't landfills after landfill after landfill proof of that?

It CAN be turned around.  I know so many people that love and cherish our waters.  If all of those people began to really take care of it, nothing would get in the way.  If there is one thing Mobilians have, it’s passion.  Passion plus educating yourselves plus speaking up and caring could just do the trick.  No, it will do the trick. 

And when you’re having that gin and tonic on the wharf as the sun goes down, knowing that you did all that you could do to protect the bay or the Gulf for this generation and the generations to come, that cocktail, my friends, will taste all the better. 

Here is a good article I found from WKRG News on how you can help.  And check out Mobile Baykeeper for volunteer opportunities. 

For my Angeleno friends, here is what TreePeople is doing in LA in regards to the watershed.  Also check out Heal the Bay.  Or call Anna!  She lives there!

Please post comments if you care to elaborate further, and give people tips on how they can contribute.  What other organizations are out there?  What else are people doing?  What do you think?????

This is a vast topic, and discussion is one step in the right direction!