All posts in Dear Diary

  • 20th, May, 2013

    The Ugly Pin

    A Narrative Lesson in Pinterest Naivety

    a lesson in pinterest - the ugly pin - a narrative story

    If you are like me – Pinterest has become that secret online affair that you turn to whenever work, life or blogging gets you down. You type the letters into your URL bar, and instantly you are transported to a magical online world full of beautiful photos. Nothing is too expensive or out-of-reach as you gracefully click and pin away all of your hopes, dreams and fantasies. Your boards are your own personal vacation and there are no budgets  or responsibilities to limit the possibilities of imagination and inspiration. Each board is sacred – holding a small piece of your soul – and careful time and consideration goes into the decision to pin each and every picture onto your profile.

    And then, just as you are entering a state of ecstasy, you see it; the most awful thing that can show up in a girl’s Pinterest feed: The Ugly Pin.

    You don’t know why this joy-sucking leech of a picture has invaded your otherwise harmoniously tiled screen. You try to quickly click into the (evil) user who pinned it, unfollow them, and then return to your feed; but by the time you take those steps and refresh the page your Pin-flow has been interrupted and you just can’t achieve the same state of euphoria. It’s official – you’ve left Pinterest paradise.

    And we’ve all been there – stuck wondering how and why you ever followed the person who committed this abominable act. How could you have been so naive? Perhaps they once pinned something so amazing – it didn’t occur to you to check in on the rest of their boards – you just blindly followed them after seeing that one amazing pin. Maybe you followed this user when you first signed up for Pinterest and you were thirsty for content – your standards were so much lower then – you hadn’t yet learnt proper curation and discipline in following.

    Don’t get too down on yourself – we were all once new to Pinterest. We were more forgiving of lower-quality content. Our tastes hadn’t matured to the level at which they now sit.

    And if you followed so many regrettable users that your Pinterest feed is beyond saving – go unfollow every single user. Wipe your slate completely clean. It will take time to build back up – but it will be worth it.

    Bonus! Below are 7 ladies who you should be following, but you have probably never heard of. These women so carefully curate their Pinterest content – I have never once seen even an ounce of questionability in their pins. Follow them now or forever hold your piece:

    • Audrey, Owner of Urbanic Paper Boutique (LA)
    • Andrea, Graphic Designer at Julep (Seattle)
    • Paola, Fashion Design Student
    • Catie, Blogger (Seattle)
    • Marion, Illustrator
    • Hannah, Blogger (NYC)
    • Brittni, Owner/Blogger at Paper ‘n Stitch (Seattle)

    And you can also follow me on Pinterest (and on Twitter too).

    xoxo

    Natasha

    1 Comment / Dear Diary, trends /

  • 5th, Apr, 2013

    Friday Love Note to Jane Birkin

    dear jane birkin style seattle fashion blog chic curve 1

    My recent obsession with Jane Birkin and 60s glam is only intensifying as summer draws near. Her wispy bangs, thick lower lashes and pinched-rosy cheeks are beautiful, enviable qualities that I can only hope to emulate in the coming months. I’ll spend hours in the mirror trying to achieve the look that comes nearly natural to Jane. And I can’t wait for every minute of my Jane-ridden desire to push me into a carefree, poetic season of music festivals and love at first sights.

     

    dear jane birkin style seattle fashion blog chic curve 2

    xoxo

    Natasha

    No Comments / Dear Diary, the stylist /

  • 10th, Jan, 2013

    New Years Resolutions


    new years resolution fashion blog dress better in 2013

    The dust (or glitter) has settled and New Years Eve has once again come and gone. We have arrived at 2013. The world didn’t end (but there were some awesome parties anyway) and now it’s time to figure out your New Years Resolutions. You know – those things you write down every January but usually forget about by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around.

    So this year – let’s keep it simple. In 2013 it’s time to step up our game. Put some effort into our daily outfits (or more effort anyway) and try new things. Below are my simple yet fabulous New Years Resolutions for the fashionably inclined.

    Let’s see how long we can stick to these – how about aiming for at least March? Good luck!

     new years resolutions for fashionable people dress better in 2013

     

    xoxo

    Natasha

    2 Comments / Dear Diary, the stylist /

  • 31st, Dec, 2012

    12 Lessons from 2012

    Another year has gone by. I’ve now been blogging for over 2 years, and while I haven’t had time to post every other day as I’d like to, my posts this year were some of my personal best.

    As every year passes, and we arrive at New Years Eve, everyone thinks about the last 365 days of their lives and how each one has changed them. We also think about the next 365 days, and refresh our passions and drive for goals in the upcoming year.

    For me, 2012 has been a year of lessons. A year full of experiences, some which ended the way I was hoping, and others ending in ways I couldn’t have ever imagined (both good and bad). However when I look back on every decision I made, everything I consciously participated in, I regret nothing. So to close out 2012, I’d like to share 12 lessons I learned this year – things I learned by making mistakes, taking risks and putting myself out there.

    12 Lessons Learned in 2012

    1. Life is about nothing but relationships. Your relationships with other people, and especially your relationships with yourself. And not about shoes or clothes or cars. 
    2. Reading books can actually change your perception on life. You can leave your own mind and travel through someone else’s thoughts page by page – and your view on life and what matters can be altered by just a few amazing books.
    3. You are lucky to have even one good, old friend. So many people don’t even have this. A family member that you actually chose. Appreciate this/these people.
    4. You cannot rely on anyone else to make you happy. You may think you can, but eventually you’ll realize that the only person who can make you happy is you. 
    5. Sometimes a night out drinking too much with good friends and dancing like an idiot the the cure-all. You can make better decisions tomorrow. 
    6. You can’t solve all your problems at the same time. You have to tackle them one at a time.
    7. Sometimes things happen with no explanation at all, and you have to let it go. This has been my hardest lesson yet. 
    8. Don’t stress about things you can’t control. This is much easier said than done.
    9. People will disappoint you. It’s part of life (and dating, and friendships). Know that this will happen for the rest of your life. And people will also surprise you, in a good way, sometimes.
    10. Forgive your parents. And your best friends.
    11. Some of my worst decisions have been my most memorable moments. Bad decisions make good stories. 
    12. Happiness is actually about little moments, not big ones. You’d think that a huge anticipated moment would affect your satisfaction with life, however it’s the sum of little daily moments that actually do.

    And THANK YOU.
    Thank you for reading my words and looking at my pictures this year. Your kind comments, likes, tweets and emails have meant the world to me. Expect big things from The Chic Curve in 2013.
    xoxo
    Natasha
    1 Comment / Advice Column, Dear Diary /

  • 12th, Dec, 2012

    Apparently I’m 25.

    I’ve been doing a lot of reading by people in their 20s lately – and I’ve come to the realization that I am not the only person who is simultaneously happy, sad, excited, stressed out, intrigued and determined. Apparently I’m just 25.

    It’s an interesting (and bipolar)  time in life – I’ve been told it’s “quarter life crisis” time, but I think it’s more of “quarter life awakening” time. You realize what you want out of life – at least, you begin to figure it out. You start to see the natural separation between what truly makes you happy and what you thought would make you happy. And it becomes clear that you may not like yourself as much as you thought you did – but it’s OK because now is the time to fix it.

    In college, you completely let yourself go – you drink too much, you eat poorly, you don’t get enough sleep, you make bad decisions; and if you didn’t do these things, well you probably wish you did.

    And there comes a point after you’ve gotten a job, and maybe a place, in your 20s, after graduating, when you realize that you actually care about a lot of different aspects of your life, and in order to set yourself up for success in the future you have to start preparing and being proactive now. It’s why us ladies start buying eye cream, it’s why we all start going to the gym regularly, trying to eat better, trying not to drink as much (plus for some reason when you leave college your tolerance is cut in half, which you find out one embarrassing night out with coworkers) and maybe even trying to improve our *ahem* morals.

    You realize that you either love your job and see your future career path being laid out in front of you; or that you hate your job and you need to go back to school. You realize you may be more mature than your parents, which is both disheartening and empowering.

    You actually start dating (because that wasn’t REALLY dating in college now was it?!) – and a lot. You’ll meet (and kiss) lots of people who aren’t good for you. You’ll fall in love with someone who doesn’t love you back. You’ll have someone fall in love with you and you’ll feel bad that you just don’t love them back. You’ll have a couple close calls that you thought could have been “the one” – and you’ll think about what went wrong every time you are lonely.

    You’ll also realize there’s a big difference between being alone and being lonely – and you’ll start to cherish your alone time. And after all the dating and kissing (and maybe other stuff) you’ll start to realize what you really want in a partner – what you really need in someone who you may spend the rest of your life with. And you’ll get over some of your past loves when you realize it could of never worked, though you may have trouble getting over that one certain someone who you feel was “the one who got away.”

    And at the same time you’ll begin to discover what makes you happy. Music, playing or seeing it. Work (for some). Travel. Friendships (because they start to become few and far between). Family. Exercise. Reading books. Experiences.

    You realize that you are passionate – and you need to make time for those passions. You’ll actually start listening to the stories your grandpa or uncle tells you – in fact you’ll beg to hear them – because you begin to figure out that they won’t be around forever.

    The pieces of who you are – and who you are meant to be – start to float together. And at times, it seems like they are scattered around and a complete mess. And sometimes you are a complete mess. But then there are those times when you are so happy you can fly – you laugh so hard your face hurts. You love so deeply your heart aches. And you work so hard your head spins.

    It’s insanity. But it is so absolutely amazing – actually realizing that you are in the moment of trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be.

    And that’s all I know up to this point. I’m excited for life’s next surprise – and I’m starting realize that everything up until now has had a purpose.

    So instead of trying to “make it through” your twenties, or waste them all away – just be 25. Or 24, or 26 or however old you are. Live for experiences – not things. Stop saying you don’t have time to do everything you want to do  and MAKE TIME.

    And laugh at yourself – because yea, you are a complete mess. But I’ve been told in these next few years, we all start to make a little more sense.

     

    xoxo

    Natasha

     

    2 Comments / Advice Column, Dear Diary /
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