New Month, Big Update

Happy Monday! I'm so excited to share that Towerhouse is now live on substack! I've been working behind the scenes to update my look and think about what I really want for the future of  Towerhouse. I took the first step by hitting publish on my first post and I'm excited about everything that is to come. It will be a few more weeks before I'm ready for a full scale launch, but I wanted to give you all a sneak peek before sharing it with the rest of the world. I really hope you'll join me over on Substack - subscribing would mean the world to me. Looking forward to seeing you over there! 

ARS xx

S U B S C R I B E

On Turning 37

As someone who was such a birthday person, I have not properly celebrated the last few birthdays. Turning 35 threw me for a loop, turning 36 was such a whomp whomp I didn't even want to write about it and turning 37 has me feeling neutral. I don't think I've gone backwards so to speak, but I don't feel like me. My body doesn't feel right, I'm not the fun person I was and my apartment is a constant mess but on the flip side I've made a few new friends and I adopted a dog. The last year as a bit of a roller coaster and 37 will be all about balance! I want to get back to where I feel like myself - no more, no less. I want to rebuild a grounding routine and make headways in my personal goals. Cheers to an optimistic outlook for the year ahead and leaving 36 behind! 

ARS xx

F O L L O W

Trip to France

Earlier this summer I was excited to be able to check off visiting France for Oliver's wedding from my 101 in 1001 list. Like most of the world I adore France. For many reasons Paris holds a special place in my heart and I was thrilled to go back there before going to Oliver's wedding in Provence. I had a list a mile long of things I wanted to do and I was so happy to check off almost all of them off my list! 

When I plan trips I prefer to focus on visiting museums, galleries, gardens and boutique shops. Paris has an overwhelming amount of each. I fully enjoyed going to both the Musee Marmottan Monet and the Musee Rodin.  I also couldn't resist stopping by two of my favorite french boutiques, Vanessa Bruno and Cire Trudon. No trip to Paris would be complete without a stop at Le Bon Marche, the second best department store in the world (Bergdorfs is number one, obviously). 

A special treat was booking a photographer to take pictures of my family in Luxembourg Gardens. I realized we haven't had any pictures taken of us in years and why not change it up and take some fmaily photos abroad. We always take pictures and never print them out, so I wanted to make sure we had an extra special treat. Shoutout to Courtney for being such a great photographer and putting usu all at ease! 

Post Paris we went to Oliver and Lily's wedding, in Provence which was beautiful and just so much fun! There was a fabulous costume party, a gorgeous mass, a dreamy reception and the most fun dance party. I was really excited to explore Provence for a bit and while I didn't feel like we got enough time there, we got a good enough taste to know I want to go back.  

A bientot, 

ARS xx

F O L L O W

My Second 101 in 1001 List

I'm broken. I love to do lists and get a thrill at starting each week with a new list. Last week I gleefully made a new list of 101 things I wanted to get done in 1001 days. I'm determined to accomplish more with this list than I did my last one, especially now that we are out of the pandemic. My last list gave me a sense of purpose when I was struggling and now that I'm in a much better head space I'm excited to see where this list will take me! I invite you to join along and start your own list - or you can just follow me as I bumble along. Either way, you will have fun, which all of us needs more of in our life! Without further ado here is my second 101 in 1001 list. 

Cheers to the next 1001 days,

ARS xx

F O L L O W

Thursday Goal Check In

While I wish I could have accomplished more on my first 101 in 1001 list, I'm proud that I even tried to do one and I'm actually looking forward to finalizing my next one. Spoiler alert: this will be one of the last things I check off my first list! I'm going to spend a good amount of time thinking on what worked, what didn't work, and what I want to accomplish when I write out my next one. While I don't have anything new report this week, I'm sure I'll have a few updates for next week. 

My weight loss has completely stalled, but I think once I get back to my regular diet and meal planning I'll get back to a more comfortable weight. I had a slight ankle injury so I haven't made it to the gym yet but I'm hoping to start going next week! I need to amp up my cardio and try a few classes. 

I'm just about there with my down payment for my condo! As I mentioned yesterday, I'm going to be buying a condo soon. While I won't be closing this week, it's happening in the very near future and I'm SO excited! All of my hard work and saving paid off and I'm ready for this next chapter. 

Feeling good about the summer,

ARS xx

F O L L O W

Five Things for May

These is a lot going on for me this month! May is all about getting everything in order for the summer, so I can enjoy everything with ease. There is lots of travel, expensive, and milestones happening and it's all coming together now - exciting but also a bit overwhelming! Below are the top five things I'm figuring out this month. 

 

I'm buying a condo! I've been talking about big things happening and now that we're in the home stretch I'm ready to share that I'm moving forward with buying a condo. I'm SO excited for this next phase and can't wait to finalize everything - hopefully this month! 

I'm also upping my health and wellness game. I love living with my parents, but the scale and my waistline does not. Unfortunately, I pick up their bad habits when they are in town, but with my first of three family weddings around the corner the pressure is on to feel my best! I'm also taking the time to slow down and focus on my stress levels 

Now that I'm buying an apartment, I'm pretty much on a spending freeze. That means I'm shopping my closet, finishing all of my pending needlepoint projects, and catching up on a massive pile of books I've been meaning to read. Sadly this spending freeze is happening right before all of my trips, but I'd rather have a home than a random assortment of knickknacks! 

This month is also all about planning out my summer trips and nailing down the logistics. There are so many moving parts for the summer I'm just a tiny bit overwhelmed. Once everything is finalized and booked I know I'll feel better, but just the thought of planning everything out is giving me a headache. 

Lastly, I'm taking my interior design classes and pulling inspiration for my apartment. My vision for the apartment is coming together and once I have a plan I can start executing it all. I'm excited to decorate and make something my own, but the cost of it all is very daunting. 

Almost halfway through the month,

ARS xx

F O L L O W

Happy St. Patrick's Day + A Small Update

This Monday morning I don't have any new and exciting finds or any inspiration posts to share. OK that's a lie, I always have inspiration to share, but there is only so many inspiration posts a girl can share in one month!

As mentioned in previous posts, I've been working on a fun project and I'm going to start sharing some updates with you all! I'm excited to announce my new instagram account is up and running (hence the picture) - be follow along for all the updates! It's the first hint I'll give you guys.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Xx,
ARS

image source

Update: March Goals

As I mentioned last month, I opted not to make a New Year's Resolution but instead to reach monthly goals. First on the list was amping up my Gold Gala promotion, which I did verbally, not exactly through social media. This month I'm vowing to work out 5 out of to 7 days each week in an effort to stay in shape and to get ready for Spring!

Maybe I should put up something like this in my room as a visual reminder?

To add some variety into my week and increase flexibility I should probably add in some yoga to my routine. 

Having a fitness friend will be helpful. Anyone out there want to be the Dionne to my Cher this month? Let me know on twitter (@towerhousemag)

In case no one wants to work out with me, I'll be composing an amazing playlist (or stealing a few from pandora). 

A great outfit would be an added bonus. Sorry Lululemon, but Solow (GASP, I know) might tempt me  into cheating on you. 

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PINTEREST * BLOGLOVIN * INSTAGRAM * TWITTER

Future Home: Blue + White Decor

I'm definitely having a major blue and white moment, inspiration-wise. Ever since moving into my new apartment, I've been trying to figure out the best way to decorate my bedroom, and it's proving to be a bit tricky. Needless to say, I've been living in a half decorated room for far too long and it's time to fix that.

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PINTEREST * BLOGLOVIN * INSTAGRAM * TWITTER  

It's 2014 and Sparkles of Life is Back!

My 81 Dedicated Followers,

I apologize for leaving you hanging for the past month and a half! It's not in my nature to drop off the face of the blogging world without any notice, but I did it. For awhile I found myself struggling to be inspired to write and what started out as something fun, turned into a chore. I read a post on The Barn Blog about the benefits of taking a blog break and made the decision right then and there to take some time for myself. Which was definitely the best move I could have done because it allowed me to focus on more exciting and interesting projects.

So, I'd like to say thank you for your understanding and hope you'll continue to follow (and share) my adventures, obsessions, inspirations, and stay tuned for my latest and greatest project!

XO,
ARS

image source

pinterest * bloglovin * instagram * twitter  

It's Merry Month!

While December is not one of my favorite months, I do enjoy a good New York City winter. Mainly because of the Bergdorf window displays, ice skating in Central Park, and walks fueled with hot cocoa!

Inspiration: Kitchen Table

We've been using my old outdoor/balcony table and chair bistro set for the past couple of months, so I'm really hoping to get table and chairs sometime soon. Needless to say, I've been searching nonstop for ideas on what I want. Ideas and inspiration include...

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Ballet Beautiful

I'm on a health kick and Ballet Beautiful is just the thing to get me started. I've always (and I mean always) been obsessed with ballet, so this just might be what finally gets me into working out! Hopefully this will whip my arms into shape, strengthen my abs, and tone up my legs. Considering she's worked with Natalie Portman and the Victoria Secret models I think I'm in good hands!

image

Artist Love: DonaldDrawBertson

If you aren't following him on instagram you totally should. What great inspiration to see throughout the day! I love how much fun all of his work is, and I feel like some of of his other work could be amazing as prints.

all images from pinterest

Happy Halloween!

To my fave devils: I hope your Halloween is as spooky as mine's going to be!

Monday

I totally have a case of the Mondays and am going to take a bit of a blogging break to recharge and get reinspired! XX

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Top 3 Beauty Buys for an (Almost) Effortless Morning

1. James Brown Haircare - I mean, who doesn't want Kate Moss style hair? This gives me hope I'll get there eventually, especially because it's her hair stylist's brand.

2. Binchotan Facial Puff - I'm going to be obsessed with anything that cuts my already short morning routine in half, so yes, I'm going to use a recommend this. ''

3. Soap and Glory Night in Shining Armour - You need a strong foundation and this basically does almost all the work over night so all I need to do is use the facial puff.

Falling in Love with Fall Again

I'm trying my best to be excited about fall, but to be honest I'm totally a Summer girl myself. Hence my frequent Palm Beach trips. However, there are a few bright sides to Fall/Winter, including but not limited to...

Wearing cozy socks, if you're into that. 

Essie's Hot Cocoa is an appropriate nail color again. 

This basically is my mantra to get me through Fall + Winter. 

These add a cutesy element to drinking tea.

Oh yea, I guess you get to snack on some amazing carmel apples. YUM!

Cath Kidston Obsessions

My Dad introduced me to the Cath Kidston brand years and years ago, with a set of amazing pink and white polka dotted towels. Ever since opening that box Christmas morning, I've been a fan and was super pumped to finally make it to the store in London. 

I picked up this super inspiring book. 

Obsessed over the really fun fabric that I couldn't bring home...

Which ended up working out because I snuck a few tea towels into my suitcase! 

(and maybe a few bath towels)