I was so honored when Paloma invited me to be a part of her Personal Style, Defined series. I am still in awe that she considered me worthy of being in the company of such an amazing and talented bunch. I admire every one of these ladies for their ability to carry their unique style so effortlessly. After some whooping and hollering, I simmered down and worked on writing my contribution piece for the feature.
Have you peeked at Paloma's blog? Talk about effortless style. It's a daily read and a constant source of inspiration for me. If I wikipedia'd "style", there should be a picture and bio of Paloma. If there isn't, I will not hesitate to write a strongly worded letter to the Wikipedia clan. Anyway, I hope you get a chance to pop on over to La Dolce Vita to check it out.
Thank you, Paloma, for the opportunity to share my style on your lovely blog!
nameisgrace said... do you and mr. fc have any traditions that you do every year... We love to travel so we try to do at least one big trip a year. Some memorable trips we've gone on so far: Thailand, the Bahamas, Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon/Pacific Northwest. If we can't travel, we do what we call a "stay-cation" where we both take a week off and just stay local. We'll go out for a few fancy meals and do things we don't typically do, like visit the museums in Denver, catch a Nuggets or Broncos game, or attend a production at the Performing Arts Center. Always a fantastic time to take a breather from life!
what is your current must-have for summer... Does SPF count? I'm already freckley as it is, and being that we're at 5,800 ft elevation here, sunscreen is my BFF. Fashionista I am not! I'm pretty casual when it comes to my summer uniform. Tank tops and J Crew bermuda shorts or denim pedal pushers are the theme. I've been switching it up a bit with ruffly tanks or adding a fun rosette pin to my tank tops. My friends and Mr. FC make fun of me for this but I've also been partial to topping things off with a string of knotted pearls. Because I'm quirky like that.
live a colorful life said... Favorite book? A couple of years ago I read The Time Traveler's Wife and it really struck a chord with me. And of course, I read anything Jane Austen put on paper. She was a writer who lived way ahead of her time.
Favorite paint color? (ha, and I ask that because I got MY favorite paint color from YOU!) That was Coastal Villa, right? =] Love that color! My favorite is our living room color (Valspar Arid Plains) as it's a perfect soft cappucino color with grey undertones. I'm dying to try Farrow & Ball's Mouse's Back ever since I saw it in an issue of House Beautiful.
Favorite source of design inspiration? Blogs! I especially adore blogs that balance design, life, and DIY projects/renovations. live a colorful life said... Favorite music group? & J said... What is your favorite song? I doubt my taste in music would impress anyone as I listen to either classical (5 yrs of playing the violin and 3 yrs of ballet will do that to you) or main stream music. Currently in rotation on my iPod: Blackalicious (giggle at the name if you must, I know I did, but they are phenomenal), Jason Mraz and Regina Spektor. My all time favorite song of hers is Fidelity. The video's totally effed up, but the melody's sweet.
what is a typical day in the fc household. Typical weekday: My alarm goes off at 5:30 am sharp and I immediately get up. I'm a light sleeper and don't believe in the snooze button. Feed Hiro (he's a light sleeper too) and brew some strong-ass coffee. Hop in the shower, get dressed/do hair/make-up (and by make-up I mean lotion & chapstick) in 30 minutes flat. Take the dog on a stroll. Kiss Mr. FC good-bye, grab my coffee (no breakfast for me; I could just hear nutrionists everywhere reprimanding me), and hop in the car for my 20 min. commute to work. My work schedule varies depending on patient load and clientele. I'm fortunate in that I do have short days (7 - noon = AWESOME) but there are long days as well (7am - 7pm = YIKES), and days where I can work from home. Love my job, hate my job, get pissed at health insurance companies and attornies, feel rewarded, yadayada. If it's an early day for me, I head home to take Hiro on a hike. Then I usually work on whatever house project we have going on, tidy up the house, then work on a blog post for the next day. If that's not wild, I don't know what is......... If Mr. FC isn't traveling for work, we do dinner together. Usually out on our deck, with a bit of wine, and catch up on our days. Then I catch up on my blog reading and he watches whatever crap is on TV, or we both take in a Netflix movie. If he's traveling, then I've been known to stuff a whole Chipotle burrito in my stomach, then moan about why I thought that was a good idea.
Shannon said... I'm just here for the lemonade ;) ::pours a strong, ice cold glass and passes it to Shannon:: Cheers!!
G+D said... I've always wanted to know your first name. Dare to share? D, you saucy little minx! Sorry but I might have to plead the 5th on this one. I have such an unusual first name that I'm sure if someone wanted to track me down they probably could! Not that I'm a hot commodity or anything (Jonas brothers I am not) and call it paranoia if you will. I hope no one takes offense to me not revealing my name but I will honor Mr. FC's request that I still keep some sort of anonymity around here. Yes, I know that's ironic as I've plastered my face on some of my posts and a blog is hardly an anonymous endeavor, but this is our twisted logic. I will say that my first name starts with an "N". =]
Stay tuned for the final Q & A installment.
Please keep the cheers of relief to a dull roar. =]
I am in the midst of a couple of 60+ hr workweeks (I know, cry me a river), so please excuse my lack of creative posts! I thought I'd take this time to answer the great questions I received last week.
Here's Part I in deciphering the enigma that is Freckles Chick. =]
live a colorful life said... Oh, and other than writing a super cool blog, do you have a cool job/profession? & Audrey said... hmmm... what do you do for a living besides blogging? i always find it interested to see what people's real lives are really like. :P I don't think anyone in the blogosphere has ever asked me that before! I run 2 physical therapy clinics specializing in sports rehab, as well as a pilates studio. I know, it's like totally glamorous. Just for fun, this is what my drive to work looks like:
Chloe said... HOW DID YOU GET TO BE SO AWESOME? Oh! And favorite place to eat in Boulder area. :) Heh, you're awesome, Chloe. I'm a hardcore foodie! I love food and it loves me. I should look into this exercising thing I've often heard about because my metabolism isn't what it used to be. I've always said I can't live in a place that doesn't offer awesome restaurants and Boulder fits the bill pretty well. My absolute favorite is Jax (fun fact: Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg was Exec. Chef there). The food is phenomenal, the oyster bar is top notch (especially for a landlocked state; they fly in fish from the East coast daily), and their martinis are divine. They also give you the rest of the shaker contents to replenish your drink. AWESOME.
I'm also a huge fan of sushi and Sushi Zanmai is always a fun experience; especially love dining in one of their tearooms!
mrs.leah.mariasaid... Who would you hang out with for a day {'sides me of course, mkay?} Present day: Michelle Obama Past: Coco Chanel & Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis { But you come in at a close fourth, Leah. }
What's your favorite color? Without a doubt: any shade of grey. Charcoal, pewter, wispy grey, love it all. Grey paint, grey clothes, grey photos, you name it. I don't like: grey food and grey teeth. Ew.
What is your biggest regret? I'm such an anxiety-ridden second-guesser, and am slowly learning to just accept my decisions no matter how much I might regret them. My biggest regret however is that I never got to know my grandparents. They lived in the "Old Country" and by the time I was old enough to remember/travel to them, they had passed away. So I've never been able to relate when friends speak fondly of their grandparents, which is a little sad.
What is your favorite youtube clip? Fun question!! I have a few (can you tell I'm an animal lover?). The 1st one I actually posted last summer on my blog; the YouTube version's too blurry so here you go (having the music on is highly recommended). Blame it on PMS, but this video gets me all emotional.
J said... If you had $1000 to spend any way you like, how would you spend it? We donate to various charities throughout the year regardless if we have the extra money or not so may I be completely selfish here and spend it on myself? I would put the money towards adding on a mudroom to our house. Or put it towards a trip to France. Or go on a manic J Crew shopping spree, where I'd be able to purchase probably 3 things total knowing their pricetags.
If you could only watch one TV show for the rest of your life, which one would you choose? Would you believe.....I don't watch much TV these days?! So I'm clueless when people at work talk about Dancing With the Stars (Steve-O ? Ballroom dancing?! WTF?) and Lost (I'll probably never know if they ever get off the island--or have they?) and such. My guilty pleasure used to be Lipstick Jungle until they axed it. Hmmm.....I do love me the Food Network and HGTV, so if I had to watch a show for the rest of my life it'd be The Barefoot Contessa or Divine Design. So I'll always get my food and design fix. Edit: Oh, oh, oh! I do love The Office!
Jenna said... What do you love/miss about Iowa? Not knocking the Midwest or anything but since I grew up there, I just thought I'd never miss it.....guess what, I totally do. I especially miss my college town (a Big 10 education kicks ass, I don't care what prestigious/ivy league/specialty big city school you got into) , the "neighborly"-ness of everyone you run into (even strangers), the humidity (never thought I'd say that either), midwest autumns (because we don't get much of a fall season here in Colorado). And strangely enough, the beef. There's nothing like an Iowa steak.
::Dear vegetarians, please don't unsubscribe::
jbhat said... What are your favorite decorating magazines and catalogs? There's not much to choose from now that so many shelter mags have gone under. I still subscribe to: House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Martha Stewart, and InStyle (love peeking into celebs' homes). I stopped subscribing to catalogs because I thought it was such a waste of paper since I mostly peruse their offerings online!
What are you doing for the 4th? If you're bored, you can read about my 4th of July here. It's a heartfelt story involving flaming embers and a fitted sheet.
Melissa said... What's your favorite re-watchable movie? (This may or may not be your favorite movie, but it's the one you can watch 100 times and not get tired of it.) What I tell everyone: Roman Holiday, Love Actually, A Beautiful Mind What it secretly is: Old School and Bring It On Ha!!
Worst habit? Cracking my neck/back in public. It's not exactly healthy. And I wonder why people scatter when they see me.
Simone said... Do you have any siblings?. If so where are you in the line up. I have a younger brother (he's 28) who is tall, dark and handsome (and available). He works for the police force and has agreed to not judge my quirky perspective on the world. He even laughed at my marijuana post.
Thank you for your questions!
If you're still interested/not offended/strangely intrigued, stay tuned for Part II.
Are you sick of 4th of July weekend recaps yet? If so, then this post will bore you to all ends, I promise.
We had our friend from Phoenix stay with us for the weekend. It was laid-back times peppered with grilling out, baseball, and fireworks. All-American in the traditional past-time sense. The rain let up just before we all hopped on our bikes (how eco-friendly) to head over to the golf course for the fireworks show. It's been raining so much here that we were prepared with a tarp, blankets, and skeeter spray in hand. Well..........our friends Dave and Julie brought a fitted sheet to sit on because that's just how they roll. Then we all got into an argument on how to fold the damn thing afterwards (the "To hell with this, just bunch and roll" vs. "flag-folding" method). I'm sure the family of 6 sitting behind us were much entertained by our colorful language.
Also, I swear that everyone suffered flaming microscopic embers landing in their eyes during the show. I wasn't one of them, but I'm sure the family of 6 behind us also appreciated my words of support which were as follows: "Does it feel like burning?" and "If your eyeballs can still feel, you're OK." and "SHAKE IT OFF, PEOPLE! Do it for your country." And because I was the only one not getting embers in my eyes, everyone thought that was highly suspicious and plotted to leave me behind after the fireworks show.
Here is a blurry pic of our rowdy bunch, you know just in case you'd like to look at a bunch of strange people you don't really know.
And hey if anyone cares, I finally got bangs! It's been 4 days and I'm already sick of them.
They do, however, hide my vast cro-magnum forehead so............ I guess we all win.
We went camping for our anniversary, just to get away from it all. Unfortunately I have no interesting pics except for this one of Hiro on the drive there.
Just look at his ear hair wafting in the wind (Hiro's ear hair, not Mr. FC's).
Pure joy, panting with anticipation, and practically falling out of the window.
How do dogs always know they're heading somewhere fun just by smelling the air?
I can relate. I look pretty much the same way when I'm in the car, on my way to a decor store.
We are in the throes of a couple projects here in the Freckles Chick household, so I don't have any blogworthy material to post about yet. Sorry!
While these 'in the works' posts marinate in my draft box, I thought I'd take this opportunity to ask you all: Do you have any questions for me? I realize that I tend to keep things light and humorous around here.....I promise I'm not some vapid decor junkie. I thoroughly love when other bloggers do a question and answer post; it's like they've thrown open the windows of their lives for me to peek into for just a bit. Does that make me a blog stalker? ::creepy, raspy voice:: I love you, bloggersssss.
So please, come on in, have a glass of vodka-spiked lemonade (this is the Freckles Chick house after all), and feel free to ask me anything. Absolutely anything. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Got a bit restless in the bedroom {insert Beavis & Butthead laugh here} so I added some pretty pattern, a dash of capiz, breezy linen drapes, and a more polished bedside table (and nope, couldn't convince Mr. FC to give up his cruddy table, sorry Amy, believe me I tried!! Though by a happy coincidence, it ended up being pretty shadowed in these photos. Sweet.)
My photos do not do this trellis quilt any justice--it's a much prettier taupe in real life. Also, I totally do not iron, so wrinkly bed linens ahead. Are we still friends?
I'm thinking I need to upgrade to bigger lamps now that the headboard's such a monstrosity.
Whole Foods fuschia peonies!
Don't look too closely. I dust everyday, I swear but living in such a dry climate = constant layer of dust.
OK..................no, your eyes aren't playing tricks. I also dabbled with some framed photos above the bed.
trellis quilt: Home Goods $50 capiz chandelier: World Market medallion demilune table: Home Goods $60 paint color: Behr Toffee Crunch linen headboard w/ nailhead trim:DIY, click here linen fleur de lis pillow covers: etsy seller White Twig turquoise vases: Pier 1 juice glasses lamps: gifts (I think the bases are from Target & the drum shades--no idea, sorry!)
Note: I did have a round mirror I intended for the other side of the room, but I'm on the search for an old chair to make over for that little nook.............so more of this room to come!
{Boulder, CO} Thirty-ish Coloradoan who doesn't take life too seriously. Adores design, a fabulous bargain, random thoughts, & remodeling her fixer-upper home with her husband......who does just fine keeping up with her randomness.
