Last night I was very excited to discover a new Grace Kelly movie added to Netflix that I had never seen, To Catch a Thief. Plug for Hitchcock movies, except Psycho!
Scenes of the French Riviera and elegant dresses left me binging on style pictures of Princess Grace and re-reading parts of her biography last night. Which then led to me thinking about simple ways to have style like the Princess of Monaco in 2016.
1. Pearls
One of Grace Kelly's favorite pieces was a simple string of pearls. They can make a simple outfit look stunning and come on how do pearls not make you feel a wee bit glamorous?
Pearls can be rather expensive. I have this set from JCrew I got on a big sale several years ago. When I was in Madrid several years ago, I did splurge and treat myself to a real strand of pearls with matching earrings and bracelet. Whether you buy high end or some elegant costume jewelry it is still a way to add something special to any outfit...and feel
2. Simple Hair & Make-up
Grace Kelly never struck me as fussy or high-maintenance when it came to her hair or make-up. For her, less was always more. Simple hairstyles that don't take a lot product or fuss can also make morning routines go faster.
With her make-up, Grace Kelly never went overboard, and more often than not, she seemed to apply it in such a way you would swear she wasn't wearing any at a all. She played up her natural beauty too. Oh and can we just agree that she rocked out the bold lip!? #swoon
3. Lace
No, not like your grandmother's old lace tablecloth. But lace (kind of like the pearls) just adds something special. Princess Grace's wedding dress is a great example of this. Even Kate Middleton, whom some call a modern Grace Kelly, is a fan of lace in how she dresses. My favorites? This and that.
4.The boat neck
I didn't realize until recently but the boat neck style is very iconic to Grace. What I like about that neckline is that a nice scoop is more visually pretty than a straight line. Maybe a nice strand of pearls would look good here ;)
5. Less is More
One thing that has always struck me on the style of Grace Kelly, was that less really was more. Another one who did this well too was Audrey Hepburn. Elegance was about simplicity and playing up the features of your natural beauty. I think more of that is coming back a little with the trend of minimalism.
Though you don't have the budget of a princess, you certainly can feel like one in little ways that make a big difference how you feel about yourself.
Who are some of your favorite fashion icons? How does their style inspire you to be creative with your own fashion?
Growing up there were parts of the Christian faith that left me feeling confused. One such thing was the Trinity, but more specifically the Holy Spirit.
God the Father? Okay yeah sorta. Jesus? Sure, of course! Holy Spirit? ummmmm.... #crickets
But the Holy Spirit left me just feeling confused, like it was some mysterious entity I never could fully "get." Scripture talks a lot about the Spirit, but the symbols of fire, wind, and dove sometimes are not terribly enlightening for the curious mind of a ten year old child.
As I have gotten older, I have grown past those mysterious symbols to really understand the Holy Spirit as a person moving, working, and involved in my life more than I realized.
For the ancient Celts, the wild goose was a term used to explain the Holy Spirit. That image illustrates the point that there is a wildness to the Holy Spirit, you cannot control it. And while sweet, cute images of a dove or wind are images of the Spirit, its much more than that. There is a crazy, beautiful, raging wildness to the Spirit. We cannot control how the Spirit moves or works.
Sure you've likely heard something about the Holy Spirit in church, but for many the experience of God's Spirit working in them is a foreign concept.
In a little over a week is the feast of Pentecost. Since Easter, I have been watching this AWESOME video series that comes to my e-mail, The Wild Goose. It is a journey for Christians to consider a deeper, richer relationship with the Holy Spirit. It calls people to see and understand the power of God in our lives. And for me, it has helped me better understand what it looks like to have a relationship with the third person of the Trinity.
At the core of the series is a deeper journey into the heart of God. And that is what the Spirit is all about, leading us to a deeper experience of the love of God.
The series is 14 videos long and you can have them sent to your e-mail.
If you're ready to move past cuddly doves and tongues of fire, I'd encourage you to check out this series.
It is very worth it.
Come Holy Spirit.
March was not a great budget month. I paid all my bills and saved what I needed but I did a little more fudging of numbers than I knew I should have. Definitely not something I want to keep repeating.
I want to stay focused and committed to the game plan of getting out of debt. And after my dose of March Madness, was looking for some ways to stay focused.
Over the last week I have been researching different money saving apps to that help not break the bank or monthly budget.
Here are some new ones + one or two personal favorites:
GasBuddy
Talked about this app earlier this year and I'm still hooked!
Driving an old white boat (aka 99 Lincoln Continental) I want to make this car last long as possible. And finding cheap gas is always at the top of the list in car maintenance.
For me, this is an app worth the time and use!
Checkout 51
I was reading about this one over the weekend. Checkout 51 is kinda like a digital coupon book with grocery savings upwards of $5.
After you pay, take of picture of the receipt and scan into the app. Then you are credited for the total amount of savings. The app updates itself every Thursday and payouts are available after reaching $20 balance.
I typically like shopping at Aldi because the prices are already pretty good, but this could be good for the occasional trip to other big name grocery stores.
EveryDollar
An oldie for me, but a goodie. Kinda similar to the money motioning app Mint, this app lets you plan and see where dollar of the monthly budget is going. You can add, delete, or tweak things pretty easily.
Oh also its free!
Doesn't have some of the other perks of Mint, but overall user friendly and I like how it is connected to message of Dave Ramsey (whom is helping me get out of debt slowly but surely:)
Groupon
This isn't really news to probably a lot of people but I know people who use it regularly for things like travel, date nights, etc. I knew of a couple who got a rocking deal on their honeymoon to Europe through Groupon.
Whether for a local date night or something more luxurious like a spa day, using Groupon for those planned special somethings can help stretch the dollar a bit more.
ShopSavvy
ShopSavvy allows you to scan barcodes of all types of products and compare prices of where to find the best deal for all types of things.
If you are committed and enjoy using particular products or food items, this could help you price compare and find the best local deal to near you.
Anything else you would add?
Do you have any particular money saving apps that you really enjoy?
Happy savings!
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