Now that I live in a remote place translated: a shopping wasteland. I have to force myself to shop on-line. Let me remind you I hate on-line shopping- Please take this short quiz: When you order online which of these experiences is true:
A. The size is wrong
B. The color is soo off
C. Not as pictured
D. You’re thrilled it fits no returns!
E. All of the above

As a decorator I feel the need to change the decor of one room in my house about every two years. This year it is my bedroom. First I will say that of all the rooms in my house I always save the best for last. In the case of our shared sanctuary I want dramatic without sleep deprivation and my husband thinks less is more. So agreeing on color, window treatments and the lot is hard to negotiate when he says she says. So I said to my husband I want a modern graphic yet serene retreat. He responds what’s its going cost? Well it depends.
If you want a large rug under a king size bed it costs more. Now Larry has never met a rug he didn’t like – we have many nice carpets but mostly red ones and I have a different vision for the floors of our bedroom now. Carpets or area rugs are like an expensive dress you adore but have grown tired of seeing. Of course you keep it but it doesn’t get out much now.

So many carpets so many duds

First of all, if you have a queen size bed your choices are 8 x 10 which are relatively affordable and easy to find. But a king bed set needs a much larger rug underneath it to properly fit the room and give one a cozy landing in the morning or middle of the night. Most king beds are 7 feet by 7 feet…so 9 x 12 should fit the bill right? Not exactly.

But let’s back track for now. After a 4 hour search on a designer website I found one. You narrow your results by style, size and price point. So after seeing at least 2 hundred I narrowed even further to two: one lavender leopard print and another more ethereal called the fade away like a Rothko painting. I veer towards animal prints as they are timeless. My husband preferred the fade away…so I gave in and ordered said rug. I took 10 days and I ordered the “white glove service,” for an additional $90 which means they bring it in and set it up. The size was 9 x 12 and the price $899.

When it arrived suffice it to say the only white present was the truck it arrived in. “Well I guess we’ll have to go it alone” I said. Long story short lots of steps and then…the torture of having to disassemble our king bed to position the rug underneath evenly.
Once opened and unfurled we had to lift the mattress, and box springs while vacuuming the remains of old dog hair…embarrassing. Once placed under the bed, and many bruises later remorse set in.
The colors were faded to point of looking like a cheap motel…the size was rectangular not square so that most of the rug was in front of rather than squarely centering the bed and even if I had flipped said rug hubby’s side of the room is smaller than my side as there is a built in closet that lessens the space for the widest end of the 9 x 12…it was a Horror! I could already hear my husband’s voice “Why do you insist on shopping online? Next day: I say:
“I have learned my lesson,” please forgive me honey? A week later I ordered another 2 rugs smaller ones I could put together to form the perfect square round my king size lair.
This time, I read the reviews about color, shedding and quality and proceeded to place my order. Hours later I jolted- thinking what was the return policy? After checking- it turns out to be TRICKY. So I got persnickety and demanded a Full stop of my purchase. It took some doing and calling out on twitter but my will was done.

So now my floors are still unadorned. To ease the pain, I jump into a pair of red slipper Uggs that makes my descent fleece footed instead of bare footed- less jarring until Aladdin’smagic carpet arrives…..OM

Having lived around the world collecting Fabulous stuff I learned that I am a three star, no make that four star ACE Shopper. When I spied with my little eyes recently a pair of boots- a personal footwear obsession of mine since childhood-A whole nother story- But I digress….I was on a Mission from God to find the Right boot and with so many choices and price points  I told my husband this would be my Christmas present.  This season I wanted to add to my growing “these boots are made for walking,” collection. The hunt was on for two styles…..one smart casual; the other, G-l-a-m-o-r–o-u-s.  But there were two caveats: round or square toed only (I dislike the pointy toes) bad Feng Shui and no Towering Heel please and thank you.

The first ones I considered were Tory Burch’s ankle grey suede gold logo utilitarian ones but then I thought this is a big investment and the boot Must serve double duty and these were only  casual in the end. So then I turned to online shopping which I dislike immensely but will become my New Normal  as I no longer live in a shoppers paradise like Miami Beach. On the West Coast of Fl. one must drive one hour to Naples for variety,quality and the high end stores we do not have here in abundance.  I found a second pair of ankle strap low heeled Tori’s again in Cognac….they are not cheap and they are stylish…..BUT listen up when you are buying a quality pair of Spendy shoes I frown on and reject synthetic soles. These boots fit my first bill but at $480…Why oh Why should these boots have Synthetic Soles? These cheapen what could have been a very classic staple. Compressed rubber or whatever……Show me the Leather or return to sender. So unless I find a similar boot with real leather soles…these will be returned. But the story has a happy ending: To be brief I scoured other retailers for my next shoe wish list: the modern boot with panache – and then………I found it! or should I say it found me. I don’t know whether to talk about the boot first or tell you about what I think is my new favorite store Anthropologie.  The boot wins: It is simply divine…Black suede zipper in gold in the back and wait for it…..a LUCITE heel. I’m sorry but I am a sucker for Lucite anything. I called customer service and they had a little trouble finding them….when that happens it generally means Sold Out you’re out of luck. But being plucky and knowing that these boots where my statement accessory forever. I called their corporate headquarters in Philadelphia. My call was directed to Jennifer Leary director of E-commerce for Anthropologie I left a message and hoped for the best. It was a Friday. On Tuesday morning the 23rd my phone rang and it was a 215 area code my heart jumped. Hello she said I am calling to take care of your request to purchase the Air shine boot out of stock in almost all of their stores nationwide. I told her it was boot love at first sight and I was on a mission to acquire these $600 numbers.  Let me see what I can do she said, noting my desperation.  I left to work the political phones and upon my return several hours later….another message. “Vivian you must be very lucky as I was able to find one last pair in your size in a warehouse outpost,” her message said. “call me with your credit card info and I will ship them to you….So if there is a shoe god I knew it all along…and I got Geppettto’s last pair…..Now that’s real Satisfaction.

OK  I just moved to the west coast of Florida. I have been here a mere two weeks but enough time for this city girl to observe this: are Americans as a whole getting too comfortable with their appearances? Let me explain. I chose to attend a charity function on this small island where I now reside. I went alone not knowing anyone and hoping to find women like me who are fashion conscious but not slaves to it. I do not want to appear to be catty at all really, but of the 40 women gathered their only 2 were au courant. The others may have had decent dresses or ensembles on but they all were wearing flip flops!!! Flip flops at night??? On what planet does a woman go out to an evening event with a nice dress on and don a pair of drugstore flipflops, be they high heeled or flat??? I was so stricken by  the causalness of their footware that I felt like they had just left the beach and thrown on a nice dress and forgotten to change their shoes. In a non- scientific manner I would say that 9 of 10 women choose ugly and comfortable over fashion and style. When attending any event there is appropriate footwear for each occasion. The beach is yes flip flops. The grocery store perhaps a closed shoe but still  a fashionable choice. Walking calls for a stylish shoe of which today their are many choices. And then evening: need I say more?? Appartenly so. Since when does anyone go to an event between the hours of 5 and 11 p.m. with comfy frompy shoes on??? It’s no wonder that Europeans can pick out Americans travelling abroad by their choice of comfortable footwear, ie. sneakers or other inappropriate shoe options. Just because one lives on an island does not give you license to abandon the rules of simple professional dress etiquette. If you are a woman no matter your age when you are attending a function at night even in the heat of summer FLIP FLOPS are a definite Faux Flop. I know that this is going to make some women angry, while others who wear 5 inch heels will laugh at my 2 and 1/2 inch specimens and say why isn’t she keeping up to their towering heights. Well my answer to that is I buy pretty shoes but not shoes that require me to get on a ladder to remove them safely. On the other hand if you only wear low and comfy shoes your lovely dress or skirt becomes a joke the minute one spies inappropriare footwear on your feet. Evening is the magic hour. Whether you’re single or married one takes time to dress and shoes do make or break an outfit.  As a trained observer I flinch while also trying  to contain myself. I want to go up to said woman and ask  her ” can I give you a fashion footwear intervention”?? I am not judgemental;  but there are rules even when we live in the tropics “mon,” that remain imprinted if you will on my fashion psyche. Night time means heels or a pair of beautiful wedges, pumps or sparkly sandals. This maxim I assure you  has not changed one iota with the exception of a lovely ballet slipper preferably metalic or designer in nature. So I end this solefull diatribe much like Carey Bradshaw would- with a question. Have we become too comfortable in our own shoes?? And maybe it’s time to walk a mile in another pair just for fun and beauty please.

Well for those of you who follow this blog here’s the latest - I sold my house. For those of you who maybe new to my world, welcome, the news is I am moving to another Florida locale. At last writing I was none too happy. But low and behold, shortly after the sign went up the calls began. Three people came and went, but the second couple returned two more times and then “made us an offer we couldn’t refuse.” And just like (snap), after a mere eight days on the market we had a contract.  So what does this have to do with beauty you ask? Let me explain. First I am a trained professional so I staged my home. It took 2 weeks of hard editing, decluttering and de-personalizing the entire space. The same advice I have given countless clients I had to apply to my formerly cozy home. Gone were family photos, too many collectibles and anything in closets that made them look stuffed. Winter clothes got boxed and stored as well as all miscellaneous “put-arounds” that are distracting to potential lookers and buyers. A clean slate remained but each room still retained its distinctive charm minus clutter and too many personal items. There is a fine line between sterile and homey. So make sure it is clean yet stylish at once. To achieve my results you’ll need some basic products that I couldn’t live without: 1. A good odor remover. For a fresh smelling home go to Bed Bath &Beyond and purchase an expensive bottle of Zero Odor for $12.99. I purchased two spray bottles as well as the gel form. The spray lasted almost 2 months, and it does the trick of completely eliminating odors whether they be food, dogs, or what not.  The price is worth it. Secondly at your local grocery store buy several bags of scented rocks. These placed in the right rooms waft a subtle scent that is not overwhelming or faint. Finally following the rules of fend shui I left my pool fountain on all day, the sound of water brings luck they say and is relaxing to boot. I also purchased a new plant which I placed in a red pot at my entrance paired with a matching chair. In the living room I placed another architectural living plant in a corner to warm the room. Finally new bedding and a sparkling clean home does wonders to bring brightness and light; and as they say cleanliness is next godliness which is next to sold. It worked! I hired an excellent pro to come in and do the major cleaning that I had no time for. It pays off enormously. Finally after buyers leave and you get a break, I unwind with a hot soak with epsom salts at least 3 times a week de rigueur no? It is great for aches and pains and more importantly doesn’t leave a residue like other bath products. Your beauty products must be pared down and placed in a container (I used a plastic shoe holder). I  placed my daily essentials like mascara, creams and concealers with maintenance products like toothpaste, eye drops etc., in this clear plastic box which simply got stored under the bathroom sink and Viola!, tidy and organized at once. Your garden should be neat and attractive just like you and your home. And finally breathe a lot as moving is the third most stressful event in ones life next to death and divorce. I was lucky because I know this freight train of change is clearly heaven sent. So take time to buy and smell some fresh flowers because the entire process can be managed successfully and pleasantly without too much pain. Hence beauty is not just limited to our physical selves but to our surroundings as well so please add beautiful touches to every room that reflect your inner spirit and true self. Because I believe that selling your home is like living in a fish bowl – your home is a reflection of self and your selling the whole package to total strangers who will” buy you and your home” or not. It takes hard work and a little divine intervention but staying true to thine self  may just sell your home and make you look good too!