You Are Not Alone: Suicide Prevention and Therapy Help

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Like most people I was shocked and saddened by the recent suicidal deaths of two illustrious and inspirational people: Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain.

The shock felt around the world centered around the perception of two people who appeared to have lives that was the envy of others, including family and friends who never predicted their untimely deaths.

What added an additional layer of shock was the fact that both Kate and Anthony inspired a lot of people around the world to live their best lives and do it with compassion (Anthony encouraging fans to explore and learn from other cultures through food) and a whole lotta style (Kate encouraged fans to envelop the joy from bright colors that added aliveness to your outfits and home).

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In my own personal life I have been indirectly touched by suicide.

I've had to talk at least three people out of committing suicide (of which two incidents I had to franticly show up at their residence and one over a long distance phone call).

And more recently, two weeks before the Kate Spade suicide a young man jumped from the balcony of his luxury highrise apartment building in a neighborhood I frequent. All the other high achieving professionals in this compact urban Uptown area were shocked but you also saw some faces of acknowledgement.

The acknowledgement was one of questioning whether the cost and sacrifice of the high level of success they were experiencing is giving them a life of happiness and wholeness that they always assumed came with success.

Instead of being like most of the world who only talks about the tragedies, I found an anonymous resource that is an every day option to support you long before you get the points of feeling hopeless.

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TalkSpace
With the advancement of technology, thankfully that is making traditional models of accessing resources and support more widely available, including therapy.

TalkSpace is anonymous therapy platform that matches those seeking help for life's tough situations with a professional therapist.

And I'm not talking about a therapist he you have .make a complicated appointment and take a half day off work to physically show up at a counselor's office.

TalkSpace gives you affordable options (plans start at $49/week) of communicating with your matched therapist through texting and emailing or one on one voice calls.

You get to decide how you want your therapist communication and frequency to be applied.

Here's some of the ways in which therapy can help, including those who feel their hope being impacted by all that's going in in their lives and and what going on in the world...

I pray you know that you are not alone and that help for processing life's tough situations is only a click and matched therapist away with TalkSpace...blessings to you.

Dining Amongst Art with Bernardaud

Every since I purchased my first set of fine dinnerware from Williams Sonoma when I was 23 years old, I've been obsessed with gorgeous fine china and beautiful dishes.

No matter how casual our culture gets, if you can get a few people to gather for a sit down dinner with food served on elegant fine china and dressed tablescape, you will create a sense of special-ness that is rare.

No need to wait until the holidays or special occasions.

You can create a sense of special-ness at anytime!

Pictured in this blog post are by Bernardaud, considered one of the premier brands in fine china.

It's like dining amongst art masterpieces.

You could serve a simple dinner of roasted chicken with a couple sides and it would be just as special as serving something more fancy.

Bernardaud offers investment worthy fine china and I have included links to The RealReal's Bernardaud that is consignment level prices.

And I hope you find a set that inspires you to plan a sit down dinner amongst yourselves favorite family and friends.

Beyond the Sea with Michael Kors

Michael Kors Sloan

If you want to get your fix of the sea, what better way to do it with this gorgeous Michael Kors Sloan shoulder bag.

It will keep you pacified until your next beach vacation!

Celestial Design That Reflects and Refracts to Light Up Your Life

Pictured: Lee Broom, Aurora Chandeliers

To those outside of the core design world, approaching a design project is mostly about selecting pieces that can inspire everyday life but that doesn't venture too far into the sphere of being dynamic.

That was my general thoughts when I had the pleasure of attending one of the North American tour stops for Lee Broom's "Observatory" lighting collection at Scott+Cooner in Dallas' Design District.

I would never call myself a design novice. This lifestyle blog is filled with mind bending stories of great design and decor with people whose passions celebrate how we live in our everyday surroundings. However, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

But after seeing the vibrancy of the illustrious crowd who had gathered to celebrate Lee Broom, I knew there was something different about this collection than anything I had ever seen.

To introduce you to "Observatory", listen to this short video of Lee Broom describing the inspiration for this four part series...

As you can tell, like all great fashion designers, Lee Broom chose an inspiration from one genre of our world (space, ceestials) and used it to create mind bending pieces that create synergy with the world of design.

And what was even more surprising to me was how practical Lee Broom's pieces are to everyday life!

I had always relegated fussy design into the same bucket as haute couture: jaw dropping to look at but not really serving a useful purpose for living.

How Lee Broom is able to strike a balance of reimagining high design with celestial inspiration and pieces serving a real practicality is what makes the Observatory collection genius...even obvious to someone like me who is outside the core design community.

Here are some of my specific notes and descriptive thoughts on Lee Broom's "Observatory" Collection and I can say I certainly understand why he has already won a couple of global awards while showcasing this powerfully practical high design collection.

But unlike haute couture, it is offered at chicy design showrooms like Scott+Cooner, therefore making preeminent design available to all...and that's fabulous!

Eclipse: Front View, Wall Cutout

Eclipse: Side View, Wall Cutout

Four Sub-Collections: Aurora, Eclipse, Tidal, Orion

Collection Collective: Seven individual pieces

Key Aspects: Solar system, celestial bodies, simplicity in shape and silhouette, constellation, modernity

Stand Out Features: reflection and refraction using lenses and light

Brilliant Aurora LED Chandelier

Orion: Horizontals and Verticals

Scott+Cooner Lee Broom Launch Party Pics

Lee Broom at Scott+Cooner

Lloyd Cooner and Party Attendees

Up Close and Personal: Eclipse Chandelier

Vibrant Crowd (Lens Flair Pieces in Foreground)

Dare to Own Your Space

In West Village Dallas, most restaurants and store fronts are occupied with just the standard red and tan building construction the developers created. 

And then there is Suit Supply!

Suit Supply is in a league of its own. 

Instead of having the typical brick storefront, they first created their standout space with a black vertical, textured facade.

And they didn’t stop there...they also created a side walk appeal that hardly any other West Village store front ever does! They regularly change out the plants bordering their sidewalk space and the plants in their vast flower pots. 

I caught these pics as they were changing over and installing their fresh seasonal plants. 

In other words, Suit Supply takes command of their space and #ownit!

Question: are taking command of your space and owning it? 

You can never hope to stand out and be considered a game changer if you are just operating amongst the tan and red standard bricks. 

Own it!

Reminder: Being Yourself

This was my look doing freelancer press for Dallas Diner en Blanc. 

Just because I was doing media coverage didn’t mean I wasn’t going to show up with a unique look based on their all white party theme.

I painted my hair white and added these faux diamond appliques to my eyebrows...so avant garde!

I loved my look until I started sweating and the appliqués started coming off one by one! 

No worries though because I danced the night away! 

By the end, I had no appliqués left on...it was a fantastic night!