"I'm going to make everything around me beautiful - that will be my life." - Elsie de Wolfe

Ever since I came across this quote, I made it my goal to make everything around me beautiful. Since making more effort in places I normally didn't, I feel more at peace. I feel more happy.

You might be thinking "Well, duh Haley. Why would I surround myself with ugly?" Well, give me a second to explain.

It's not that you're surrounding yourself with ugly. But more so, what can you surround yourself with that will make you happy or happier? That will make you feel inspired? That will make you feel like you've got a day to conquer? That will make you feel comfortable and one with yourself? What little things can you do to add richness to your life?

But Haley, why does this matter?

It matters because being surrounded by beauty, and doing things in your life that add beauty, well, they make you feel beautiful. Redundant much? Yes. But beautiful is the best way to feel, internally and externally. In my opinion at least. 

A little bit about where this post sparked from:

I've always been intrigued by aesthetics. I love looking at beautiful things - photographs, art, flowers, landscapes, smiling people, magazine designs, wall decor, gourmet chocolate cake, you name it. Beauty makes my heart happy and keeps my mind at ease but at the same thing, constantly inspired. When life seems dull or down, I've made it my mission to find beauty in the simplest things (for my own sanity.)

As I'm growing up in my twenties, I'm really discovering what it is that I like and what I don't. Who I am and who I'm not. And I want to surround myself with the things that make me happy and that give my life fulfillment and joy. And that's beautiful.

So with that being said these are some things I do in order to surround myself with beauty. Try them out or do your own thang! 

Candles

Light a candle in the morning as you're making your cup of tea to awaken your senses. Place a candle on your bedside table as you tuck yourself into bed. Maybe even light one as you're eating dinner for a sensory overload. Beautiful smells count, too! And the romantic feel of the dancing flame never felt better, am I right?

Where to buy the best candles:

1. Anthropologie (best on the market in my opinion!): 

2. Diptyque (because you're trendy):

Flowers

1. Buy or pick bouquets of flowers.

I'm obsessed with flowers, especially wildflowers. That's just something you need to know. Obsessed. So with that being said, I love being surrounded by them. I always have a bouquet of flowers on my bedside table. I wake up to their beauty and fall asleep to them as well. Their sweet smell and delicate petals warm my heart. Every glance at them widens my smile. I either pick my own bouquets or I purchase them at Trader Joe's.

2. What to do before the flowers die:

I am currently in the works of creating a dried flower section on my bedroom wall. (So Haley of me, I know, I know.) It's just that I don't want the flowers to go to waste; I can't just throw them away in a trash can, are you kidding me?! So when I start to notice my flowers turning, I take them all and hang them in my window to dry out. (Not all flowers are suited for drying. Go for roses or baby's breath to start out.) Once they're done drying after about a week, I gather them in a bouquet, tie them together, and hang them on a nail on my wall.

Quality over Quantity - And I'm talking about clothes!

I invest in high quality clothing. Why? Because high quality clothes are carefully crafted with an pleasurable aesthetic and a long lasting functional life. There is no use in buying large quantities of clothing that will only last a year before the quality diminishes. "Well, they were cheap." So be it, but don't you think it's more expensive having to repurchase lots of clothes each year to replace the ones that aren't good anymore? See my point?

Because I've been more into fashion than I ever have been at this point in my life, I really value quality clothing and putting together killer outfits. Killer outfits make for a killer confidence boost. And when I'm feeling confident, I'm feeling beautiful. And I'm sure you are too!

What are your favorite clothing brands you're loving lately?

Slow down.

Because I work at my day job and run my own business, I'm on the clock 9-14 hours a day. It's really hard for me to take a break because I feel like if I'm not working, I'm wasting time. One thing I'm sure to do when I leave my day job is to drive home in the slow lane and admire the sunset. I even pull over at the top of my hill to watch the sun go down (if I'm not completely exhausted from my day.) Something about watching those painted skies reminds me that I live in the most beautiful world. It gives me a sense of pleasure, calmness, and peace. It slows down time. I can finally take a breath.

Style Your Food

When I have a super long morning before work or I have a lonely day to myself, I sometimes take the time to make my meals look like they came out of a Martha Stewart magazine. Please, call me chef Haley. I whip up the best meal I can think of and carefully arrange the food on my plate. There's something so pleasing and artistic looking about a dish all made up (before I shove my face like a starving cave woman.)

Check out some of the dishes I've made and arranged:

Tea Cup.

If you're any sort of a normal human being, you either drink tea or coffee at least one time a day. Personally, I'm a tea drinker. A little moment I will always treasure is sipping my Trader Joe's Mango Black Tea. And something I love more is the mug I drink it out of. 

I never thought to personalize my tea drinking experience with a beautiful mug. I would just grab whatever mug was available in my cabinets (which was always a plain white one. Whoopie.) I challenge you to do a little shopping and find the most beautiful mug in the entire world. Trust me, it'll #elevate your tea drinking experience.

My go-to mug is currently from Anthropologie. I bought myself a blue one and bought my mom a coral one. (I know I've mentioned Anthro in this post already... I'm a sales associate there and let's just say I'm obsessed with everything in the store and highly do recommend their products!) 

Final Thoughts:

You've just read my tips on how to make your life beautiful starting now. Little things you can do to spice up your life to give it some flavaaa flaaaave. I think it's so important to surround yourself with beauty, no matter what the form may be. Trust me, it'll make your life sparkle a little more.

Love,

H

How do you make your life  a bit more beautiful?