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10.12.21

Welcome To Autumn

Autumn, it sweeps in like a crisp wind bringing color and change with it. Early autumn is cool breezes and warm days with nights that make you shiver in your short sleeve shirt. Early autumn gives way to the cooler nights, bringing changing leaves. Now the true beauty of the season begins to unfold. Boots, sweaters, and down vests become staple pieces as lightweight clothing is packed away. Algonquin Park is a perfect place to see the full scope of what the trees are capable of in fall. The colors start to blossom, setting the hills ablaze with color and each year I see with fresh wonder the majesty that is nature. The vibrant reds, the glistening coppers, and the sunny yellow all work together to bring a palette for the senses to life. Welcome to Autumn.

These photos were taken in Algonquin Park in early October.

05.03.19

Why Brunch Should Be The Foundation of Every Meal

Brunch is a favorite meal of mine. The pace is slow, the company is almost always people you love spending time with, and it’s about enjoying the moment. Which is why more meals should be like brunch.

In North America meals have such a fast pace! I hear you, “Stevie! I only have 30 minutes for lunch! How can I stretch that into a brunch situation!?” MY RESPONSE: time is relative.

If you savor the moments you have with joy, 30 minutes can feel so satisfying, while an hour being stressed about your lack of time can feel like a nightmare! So make the most of what meal time you do have, and before you know it every meal can start to feel like brunch (or a mini brunch at the very least).
Here are five ways to start treating more evening meals, lunches, and every day breakfasts more like a Sunday brunch.

SAVOR THE MOMENT – instead of flipping through your iPhone between bites, actually be. in. the. moment! How does it taste, have you eaten this before, if so when? Where? What does it remind you of? What is your environment like? Even if you only get 30 minutes for lunch, you can make that 30 minutes feel like a refreshing time of enjoyment if you savor the moment.
MAKE IT AN EXPERIENCE – eat outside if you always eat inside, try a new restaurant, get dressed up for the meal, order something you’ve been wanting to try, come to the meal with a new idea or topic you’ve heard about, make it interesting. You’re trading moments of your LIFE for this meal, so make it worthy of your time!
TASTE YOUR FOOD – Think about what you’re eating. How does it make you feel? How does it really taste? If you’ve ordered or made something special that’s like treat for you, then take the time to fully be in the moment. This will also help you feel more full and satisfied once you’ve finished.
CHOOSE YOUR COMPANY – Typically people don’t think, “I can’t wait to go to brunch on Sunday with people I can’t stand!” So don’t eat other meals with people you don’t like either! If you eat in a lunch room but you don’t enjoy the company of your coworkers move to a different spot! You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, make. it. count!
GRATITUDE – You have food to eat. This is something to be so grateful for. Whether you made it at home, ordered it in a restaurant, went to a friend’s home for dinner, the point is; you have an opportunity to nourish you body. You can start doing that even before the food hits your palette by choosing to be grateful for having food. Gratitude for everything it’s doing to keep your body moving, growing, learning, adapting, stable, happy, healthy!

So next time you sit down to break bread remember to make it an experience. You’re engaging in a life renewing activity of restoration and wellness – treat it as such.

04.24.19

The #1 Reason You Should Only Buy Chanel In Paris

Paris is magical. It’s historic, culturally rich, dramatic (in the best way), inspiring and romantic….and really, the only place to purchase Chanel.

But not for the reason you think.

The #1 reason you should only buy Chanel in Paris…IS FOR THE EXPERIENCE.

Buying a Chanel bag in Paris is a TRUE EXPERIENCE.

But it’s not about just about Chanel, or even just about Paris.

When you wander the avenues of Paris, meet the people, eat the food, discover the culture, it’s east to understand why Gabrielle Coco Chanel was so inspired. Inspired by the Paris and its beauty. Inspired by the experience of life.

When you stroll into any of the Chanel boutiques in Paris, the welcome is, by and large, quintessentially French.

What I’m saying here is, it ALL COMES DOWN TO THE EXPERIENCE.

If you’re interested in Chanel, the experience of obtaining that coveted item it should be equally (maybe more) important to you than just getting the item.

Things to consider when purchasing Chanel:

The selection in Europe is often different from the US
The Paris boutiques seem to have a broader selection as well as more limited edition pieces.
Each boutique has a different selection, so if you see something you love but it’s not in the right color you can visit one of the other Chanel shops around Paris and you might find the unicorn you’ve been looking for.

From walking through the door and seeing all the designs, to interacting with sales associates. The moments of debating between which bags. Maybe even LEAVING to think your options over while having lunch at a cafe with an Eiffel Tower view! From the very beginning of your interest in Chanel, up to the moment it comes home with you and beyond, it was never just about the accessory!

It’s about the experience as a whole; from purchase to envisioning where you’ll wear this item.

Every time you look at the item; bag, scarf, shoes, accessory, etc. it should bring you memories of a full experience; of joy. It’s not really about the item…it’s about creating a life you love living, full of moments you treasure.

But ultimately, where you choose to buy Chanel, or Dior, or any special purchase isn’t what really matters. What DOES matters is the experience you create for yourself.

So maybe you stroll the Champs Élysée in Paris before purchasing your Chanel item in the flagship store. Perhaps you scour the best vintage shops in every arrondissements to find a discontinued gem. Possibly you even purchase it from the boutique closest to your home. All of these are great options – as long as you consider whether the experience you’re creating is the one you want to have. Make sure you’re enriching your Tapestry Lifestyle.

And if nothing I’ve said resonates at all, there’s always the VAT refund!

04.18.19

Tapestry Lifestyle

For the longest time I’ve been thinking how can I merge my loves of music, travel, and personal wellness and happiness into one site. Especially when each of these topics can deviate into so many avenues, and yet I’m one person who loves each of these areas of life. However, when I acknowledged that they all make up a large part of who I am, a new concept and direction came to me. Tapestry Living and the Tapestry Lifestyle.

A Tapestry Lifestyle at its fundamental core is “creating the joy in life”.

This means that ALL aspects of what you’re really passionate about should be embraced. A tapestry is a piece of art that is woven together with thousands of little threads that all make up something magnificent. Each of those threads are the moments of your life, the fibers of your masterpiece. Creating this idea of a Tapestry Lifestyle means to fully live in each of those moments, weaving your unique tapestry together. It’s gratitude for the moment and the invitation to embrace the opportunity of creating your next moments, projects, and achievements.

To pursue that business you’ve been dreaming to start, to fully enjoying your meals whether it’s at home with your dog, or overlooking the coast of Positano. It’s fully committing to read that book you’ve had for 6 months, or taking that trip to Europe and truly living in each moment while you’re there. It’s joining that yoga retreat. It’s showing up for yourself and the life you’re creating; a life that you TRULY love.

It’s acknowledging that you create your mindset and your perception. EMBRACE IT! Tapestry Living is treating life as the stage and canvas that it is, and living with the best intentions.

It’s knowing that when you give more than you receive you will always receive more than you gave.

Special thanks to the creators of The Kind Mural in Nashville for this beautiful art.

04.08.19

Experiences: You Are Creating Your Life

If life is a painting, a beautiful ceiling-of-the-Sistine-Chapel painting, what gives it color? Experiences.

If you didn’t have all the experiences you’ve had your canvas would just be black and white. You wouldn’t have that bright yellow from the summer you graduated. Or the deep red from the first time you felt love.

Experiences are what color our world.

Which is why everything you do, everywhere you go, and everything you see will add to the depth of your life. Take it in, let it move you. Let it add to the richness of your character. This is why it doesn’t matter if you’re traveling the globe or sitting in a cubicle; it’s your story, it’s your canvas, and it’s your life. No one will see it like you do, feel it like you did, remember it the way you saw it.

This is why comparison WASN’T really a thief of joy at all, the thief of joy is NOT REALIZING your life is being created right here and right now. The comparison NEVER EXISTED, because whoever you were looking at was NEVER LIVING your life, they were never running your race. So don’t let your life pass by because you’re not living the experiences; creating the experiences, that you want.

The next time your mind drifts off, maybe it will be to that garden in Bellagio Italy, or maybe to the first big job you landed, but either way, enjoy it, because all these experiences add up to make your tapestry; your life.

So how can you enjoy your experience more?

Be in the moment – this is a big one. It comes it a lot of forms. But the best way I can sum it up, is to “be” in the moment you’re in. So if you’re eating lunch, don’t play on your phone. Enjoy the food, taste it, think about where it was grown, and how it’s doing so much good for your body.
Try new things! – small steps are the best way to do this step. Start with trying something new at the grocery store, or at a restaurant and move up from there. Then you’ll feel ready to try bigger new things!
Gratitude – this can feel simple and complicated. But it really comes down to start small again. Just be grateful for breathing, and then move up from there. Before you know it you’ll be so grateful for the food you eat, the transportation you have, the roof over your head, your family, your future, and so much more.
Recognize – recognize that your life is being created RIGHT NOW. Everything you eat, everything you do is another page in the book that is your life. SO ENJOY IT!
Action – Everything you are doing is moving you to where you’re going to be next. So if you want that promotion, start working towards being that version of yourself right now. Because only you can create your life.

04.03.19

Nashville Wall Murals with Map (Updated Regularly)

So I made the Ultimate Nashville Guide, which you can read here, and now I want to share something else I’m loving in Music City – wall murals!

I just love art. Not all art, but most art. From music, or sculptures, to architecture, I just love seeing what can be created in beauty from the mind. So when I started taking an interest in the wall murals that were popping up all over Nashville, I started wanting to bring them into my own world by incorporating into my posts.

Then I realized other people might enjoy seeing these works of Nashville wall mural art as well. So I created this guide(with the map) of most of the murals I’ve seen around Nashville, but there are always more popping up, so I’ll be sure to add them as I find them!

12 South

Nashville Looks Good On You