With Gratitude & Love

Today I am truly filled with gratitude & love.  

It has been a challenging year and yet through it all I have never lost site of or taken for granted the extraordinary people in my life.

For these special people, for their kindness, for their compassion, love & support I am truly grateful & blessed.

 May today be full of love, may you see the beauty in those around you, and may you have peace in your heart & lives. 

With gratitude & love, 

Champagne Rain

I am never indecisive. I always know what I like & usually I make decisions quickly, with little effort & without second guessing myself. Well not lately! With projects galore & more on the way, our home, backyard & lives are a little on overload. I've literally been wanting to paint my fingers for the past two weeks but between being exceedingly sick for over a week & attempting to get the house ready for Thanksgiving that didn't happen until tonight. 

:: Playing with Colors ::

When I was finally ready to sit down for what I had anticipated to be a quick manicure at 12:30am I suddenly found myself unsure of what color I wanted to paint my nails. I didn't even have an idea of if I wanted to choose a light color or a dark one? 

:: I literally painted ALL of my fingers before deciding on a color ::

Why not try them all & every combination in between? What I love most about fashion & style is the ability to take mainstream pieces or products & transform them into your own. I've always had a propensity for mixing & layering nail polish & tonight was no exception. I like to be different than others, not in a I need to dye my hair black and rebel against everything kind of way, more of I've just never been one to follow the crowd. And so tonight I finally settled on a color...

:: Champagne Rain | An Original by Lady Grace ::

:: 1st Color | Drops of Champagne | OPI Bring On the Bling ::

 I had painted my nails a soft gray earlier in the month and the tone suited me then but I either wanted to go dark or keep things on the lighter side. I'm kind of in love with this delicate creation. What I fancy most about it is it's depth. It completely changes colors with the light. In bright light it is exceedingly demure, appearing sheer and literally like the bubbles in champagne. In quieter lighting it transforms into a metallic heather gray. 

:: 2nd Color | Slick the Champagne with a Light Sheen of of Rain | Essie Mochachino ::

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love, 

Friends

One of the things I cherish most in life are my friends.  I think to be a friend and to have friends is such a special relationship. I absolutely love sharing my life with my friends and being privileged enough to share in theirs. 

The past six months have been some of the hardest months of my entire life. I've been really hurt and disappointed by a couple of friends, especially because I felt like when I needed them the most in my life they just sort of disappeared. I know how busy and crazy life can be and I wasn't expecting much. But a phone call, an email, a quick text or just to have grabbed a cup of coffee would have meant so much. 

On the other hand I have some truly remarkable and amazing friends who have shown me more love, compassion and kindness than I could have ever imagined. Who check in and call or text just to say. Some days simply hearing their voices or seeing their messages made my entire day.  From boozy dinners, to great catch up sessions, crazy glitter art adventures, Skype dates from afar, and hikes in flip flops these friends have been and are incredible. It's truly hard for me to find words to properly express my gratitude, my love, my respect and the loyalty I feel for these beautiful souls who I am so lucky to call my friends. 

 Thank you for making my life better. 

Thank you for making me a better person. 

Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for making me smile. 

Thank you for listening to me. 

Thank you for ensuring my glass is always full & for making nearly anything better with you & a bottle of wine.  

Thank you for loving me and showing me such kindness. 

I value you all, your actions and your presence in my life more than you will ever know. 

With love & gratitude,