I am firmly committed to the art of living life through a rose-tinted filter. Of course I do not pretend that horrible things do not happen, not that I can control every element of my life, but I find that by making the simplest of tweaks every day, life feels a whole lot more charming and wonderful. I thought I’d adapt a recent post I did for Glitter Guide (‘How to Sparkle More in 2012‘) so that I can share a few of my favourite rose-tinted fixes here.
1. Don’t save your favourite things for ‘a special occasion’. Life is the special occasion! Treat every day like a party and pile on your favourite jewels each day, wear your favourite party dress often, and spritz your favourite perfume as you rush out the door each morning.
2. Whenever you have a spare day, act as though it’s your birthday. Eat cake for breakfast, dance around the room to your favourite songs, throw a frou frou tea party or movie night for your best friends, go to your favourite places… do whatever it is that makes you smile out loud.
3. Practise random acts of kindness. Always demonstrate impeccable manners, tell a stranger in the street how great they look, leave a little note with a tip at your local cafe saying how perfectly they make their coffee, send handwritten notes on your favourite notecards, volunteer for a worthy local cause. It doesn’t really matter what it is, but doing lovely, selfless things often will make you smile on the inside.
4. Add loveliness to your home. Buy yourself flowers (they needn’t be expensive; in spring, I love nothing more than $2 bunches of daffodils and white narcissi on my windowsill), buy bed sheets that make bed time feel like a hotel stay, ensure you have a good stack of books that you don’t want to put down, light a gorgeous candle when you come home each evening, and collect treasures that evoke happy memories.
5. If you’re in wardrobe rut, make an effort to do your hair and put on your cutest heels for no particular reason at all. You’ll spend the day feeling that little bit lovelier.
6. Don’t let grey skies get you down. Treat it as an excuse to wear a poppy pink lipstick, an adorable umbrella and perhaps a shot of pastel or fuschia in your outfit (the same optimistic rules apply to bad days or frustrating situations).
7. Don’t get stuck in a grey rut; tweak your everyday routines to make the special rituals. Can’t function without your morning tea or coffee? Have it in your prettiest china instead so it feels like you’re having a tea party every single morning!
8. One day every week (without fail), go on a date with someone you love. It doesn’t need to be grand or over the top. Why not go somewhere fabulous with your best friend on pay day every single month for a single cocktail? Or get dressed up and go and see a musical you’ve been wanting to see for ages all by yourself? Or a bike ride at sunset with your loved one? Whatever it is, make time for special moments with the people you love.
9. Treasure small moments of happiness. Have breakfast in bed on Saturdays, smell every rose you pass on an evening walk, put on a movie that makes you laugh out loud, pause to watch the sky turn pink at sunset, have picnics and walk barefoot through the grass on warm summer evenings.
10. If you’re feeling uninspired, broaden your horizons. Make plans to take a trip to a city you’ve always wanted to explore, visit a new museum in your area, or go to your favourite bookstore for something wonderful to read this week. Instant inspiration!
How to you make life a little more rose-tinted each day? I’d love to hear your favourite pleasures!
Love, Miss B xx
Sometimes it feels really great to sit down and hand-write a good, old-fashioned letter to someone. Occasionally, I also like to indulge in a lazy afternoon of pencil-drawing, something I have only done rarely as an adult, but I loved it as a child!
These are both two of my favourite small pleasures too! I don’t get to do them often, but always smile when I do. Thanks for sharing!
B xx
Unknowingly have been practising many of these things, and let me tell you, they work!!
Don’t they just?! Have a lovely weekend.
B xx
Do yoga and then have a proper breakfast with croissants and freshly squeezed orangejuice. Thats luxury for me.
Thanks for a lovely blog!
With love from
LYWM
This sounds just lovely! And thank you so much!
B xx
🙂
What a beautiful post! All of those things are making me sparkle on the inside right now! Pity it’s night time out because now I want to go out and buy beautiful bed sheets to laze in! I love hand written notes too- letting someone know you have taken the time to write something just for them. I love sitting in Trafalgar Square and watching the world turn and without a doubt I always feel rejuvenated. x
Just lovely! And thank you!
B xx
All very good suggestions…the basic lesson is (for us workaholic bloody DRONES) to make sure we carve out time every single day for some unadulterated pleasure.
I buy fresh flowers, sleep in pretty sheets and today (yay!) spent a perfect afternoon with a dear friend…long lunch then a new-to-me museum.
You are SO right! For years my day job (being as demanding as it is) was so all-consuming I was forever exhausted and felt I was just working and sleeping. Now I determinedly carve out blissful ‘me time’ and it makes all the difference in the world.
And your happy moments sound just blissful! Thank you as always for your comments!
B xx
This post has inspired me! Whenever I start feeling like all I do is work, eat and sleep all I need to do is look on this blog and remember the difference those little touches make :).
You’ve just warmed my heart, thank you so much!
B xx
Absolutely completely follow this approach to life. Life is too short not to try and enjoy every single moment.
Isn’t this just so true? Have a lovely weekend!
B xx
Love this post! I especially like, and plan to put into practice, what you said about not saving your nice things for special occasions. What a lovely way to live!
Thank you so much!
B xx
This has nothing to do with your post, but I thought since you are super stylish and have also graduated from university that you could give me some pointers. I have my graduation in March and am already freaking out about what to wear. I want to wear something stylish, but also classic so I don’t cringe when I look at my graduation photos 20 years done the track. Do you have any tips for graduation style??
Ooh congratulations! Without a doubt, a classic but fun little black dress (or a solid colour if you want something a bit brighter). I wore a black silk dress (mid thigh length) with favourite black heels and jewels and even years later, it still looks classic (and didn’t clash with the graduation gown – which is also important!).
B xx
Absolutely love this post, pretty much my new years resolution – to dress up more for everyday. I don’t go out partying as much as I used to and all my pretty things get forgotten!
Thank you so much! And love that this is your resolution (I too party less these days, so try to dress like I’m going to a party on perfectly ordinary days – it feels so fun!)
B xx
i love all of this! putting on my favorite necklace and heels is the best way to run mundane errands! i am hoping to put more of these into practice in 2012 as well
cheers
xx
Thank you! And I love the sound of this!
B xx
Agree with all :)) xoxo from Paris
Thank you Catherine!!
B xx
Just thank you. x
Aww, thank you!
B xx
What a heart-warming and inspirational post!
I’m a long-time reader of your blog but I’ve never commented, so just wanted to tell you how much I love reading it. It’s my online happy place! 🙂
Aneeka, thank you so much, what a sweet thing to say! Lovely to have you around 🙂
B xx
Love love love this post! I love dressing up for no apparent reason, special dresses just makes my day so much better 🙂 xxx
Exactly! And thank you 🙂
B xx
I love this!! You’ve inspired me, I will do more of this more often:) thanks!!
Great post! Particularly guilty of the first point 🙂
Maybe tomorrow I’ll whip out something I’ve been keeping ‘for best’
Thanks!
Samantha Avena xx
Love this post and you’re right: it doesn’t take much after all to add some beauty and pleasure to our everyday lives. I’m lucky enough to live in an incredible city like Rome. Even going grocery shopping to my local market can brighten up the dullest day.
Thank you for always being an inspiration B.!
Thanks for this! I did read the other post on Glitter Guide which I also loved, but this and everything you said is “so me”, when I picture what I want my life to be like, this is it. It’s nice to see it written down this way. It’s so easy to get stuck in a funk or rut, but these are definitely sure fire ways to get out! Love it!!
What a wonderful post – I am so glad I have discovered your blog! I’m off to buy some daffodils x
Great tips! Definitely going to try some of these , if not all 🙂 Was nice to randomly stumble upon your blog 🙂
Have a nice day 🙂
-Maja
ofwonderswildandnew.wordpress.com
What are darling list this was to read!
I especially love not saving things for a special occasion. I have been getting so many compliments on my makeup and accessories since doing this!
This is a lovely post. I sometimes make these kinds of efforts, but I definitely need to turn ‘sometimes’ into ‘all-the-time’.
I’m bookmarking this for future reference.
Betty
x
This has cheered me up immensely on an otherwise pretty dull Monday morning. Thanks B! :o) xx
What a wonderful, wonderful post! I can’t tell you how much I loved reading this. Thank you. xxx
This is soooooo lovely!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great ideas! Thank you for the inspiration. XOXO
#5 is so true. If you’re feeling a little down, going out in sweatpants makes you feel worse. Wearing something nice makes you just feel awesome!
Great list
so many lovely and inspiring ideas! thankyou so much for posting them.
Love this! I do no 1 all the time – there’s not much in my wardrobe/life that gets saved for ‘good’! I totally love having a day off where I have no obligations, so I can go charity shopping, to the library then knit and watch movies all evening (in fact I may be doing that now, with pizza dinner!). Thanks for the list, I’m going to bookmark 🙂
Pink everywhere!! Lovely.
What a lovely Briony! I found that the best way to brighten my day is to be nice to everyone, be it co-workers, strangers or waiters. Everyone appreciates a smile or a kind word and will give it back to you in return.
love this list… it just made me happy and determined to make life more blissful. you’ve got a new follower!
I just found your blog and i LOVE this post. Sometimes you need reminders on how to brighten up your day or life. Thank you for the reminders 🙂
I think your list is a perfect reminder on how important it is to cherish life and the little things! Often we get too busy to remember and stop and enjoy ourselves and the people around us! Thanks for the reminder to take the time!
lindseyyoung
Lovely post! I needed so badly some reminder and ideas like these! Thanks
all the best
xo