A Kiwi In Kona

A few months ago I had the privilege of going to Hawaii. Some people understood why I was going before I had my vaccination… and believe me, it was a long thought-out decision where my husband and I consulted several professionals, but I can get depression bad and I needed the sunshine desperately. 

Anyhoo...,I promise the following has to do with your vision and the life that you want to create.

If you want a short cut - scroll down to the next bold sentence. 

We had a hilarious time getting…

One of the ways I sidestepped the reality of 2020 was to throw a lot of energy, time and money into a relaunch.

I’d stepped away from The Happy Wardrobe in 2019 due to my annual Seattle slump, which sent me in another direction for a while. But just before Covid became a thing, I’d made it to Arizona and sunshine kickstarted me back to my love of clothes and the women who wear them.

Relaunch! New website, looking into virtual assistants for accountability (knowing the slump would hit once the …

On my vision board (yes, I'm hugely pro these, reach out if you want help creating one, they are a ton of fun) are the words "inspire and be inspired."

The podcast I created called Conversations About Closets With My Closest 1000 Friends has been blowing my mind. So far I have had conversations with 40 incredible women. Most of the time we are laughing, but there's a few like Mahtab's and Cindy's where I've cried. I started off awkwardly. I need to go back and edit out a few "Can you hear me? I…

Dear Shonda Rhimes, 

I wanted to say thank you.

The world has been extremely stressful and very strange for a long time now. But thanks to you I have discovered a happy place I can go when things become overwhelming.

 That's not to say that my life isn't wonderful, I'm safe, loved, grateful and surrounded by SAD lights. I do wish I wasn't in Seattle, but it's an 18 hour plane ride and two weeks in solitary confinement in a hotel if I wanted to go to NZ to see my family and some sunshine, so t…

In the 70's, when I was nine, my family went to Te Puke for Christmas.

Te Puke is about three hours from Auckland, where I lived and back then, I think it was famous for kiwifruit. Yes, it is kiwifruit, they are not called Kiwis - that what you call people from NZ, FYI. 

My auntie Jeannie lived there and it was her turn to host. I got to sleep in the caravan parked by the house, which was super cool, though I probably had to share with my younger brother.

It was a really good year for Christm…

I'm lousy at group events. 

I mean the ones where there are many people in a room (this goes for parties as well) and the idea is to mingle. With business ones, the intention is to "network," you know, find out what others do so you can collaborate or refer, or hire each other. It's efficient but I get tired super fast so leave early or hide in the kitchen (if it's a party). It's just as tiring online. I like people as individuals and I don't mind speaking to a crowd, but interacting with a lot…

I had no idea who Nanette Lepore was. 

I was at Thrift Culture in Bellevue square, pre-Covid. It's run by LifeSpring and supports programs that feed, clothe, educate and provide emergency support for local children living in poverty. They pay $1 a year in rent, in one of the highest cost-per-square-foot locations thanks to the Kemper family who own and run the mall. Insert applause here!

I was browsing because I believe in wearable fun and part of my entertainment budget goes to thrift stores.…

I'm not a fan of virtual backgrounds on Zoom etc. though you can get really cool ones. The thing is, every time you move there's a good change you'll look really weird and we all know you're basically hiding a pile of laundry or clutter. But yes, if you have no alternative, they are much better than holding meetings where everyone can see your bed or fridge. 

A really quick and easy way to create a Zoom background without resorting to virtual is to zip down to a fabric store. Pun unintended. Ye…

The delightful Jami, who helps me with Pinterest says I should have titled this as....

Best Outfits for Short Women: 7 Wardrobe Must Haves for Petite Women

Jami, I promise you, on Pinterest, you can call it whatever you like.

Meanwhile...

If you have ever had to ask someone tall to reach things for you, read on.

Oh short ones! Pocket Venus's. Petites. Those of us under say, Five feet 4. We’ve always had to cut, fold, or sew up the ends of our clothing just to get the right fit, even if th…