As a participant in BlogHer and P & G Life Well Lived editorial blog panel, I was asked to name my favorite resources for inspiration on style, fashion, beauty, and living life well. I will admit that I've never been a designer clothing fashionista. I attended parochial school from grades one through twelve, where I was always required to wear a uniform. While I attended nursing school and college I lived on a tight budget with little money to spend on clothes, and when I began my career as a Registered Nurse I wore either a nurse's uniform or scrubs. Since wearing a uniform of some sort was the "de rigueur" for most of my life, amassing an ultra fashionable wardrobe was never a priority. My closets are filled with the traditional basics and an occasional dressy outfit if I need one for a special occasion.
Most of the time I choose my seasonal wardrobe essentials from Lands' End and LL Bean catalogs, or I shop in J Crew and The Gap for comfortable sweaters, turtlenecks, tee shirts and jeans. I like a classic look and these stores suit me well.
Lately, I have to say that Pinterest has become a major obsession of mine and a tremendous resource for links to blogs and magazine publications full of inspiring ideas. The old adage of "a picture is worth a thousand words" is certainly true on Pinterest, and as I scroll through the "Everything" category, or look at the pins of the many I follow, I happily fill up my boards with more pins.There I have a board devoted to Beauty, where I pin makeup and beauty tips, hairstyles I like, and nail care and nail polish colors I'd like to remember. On my Fashion board I pin clothing styles, bags, shoes, and specific items I'd like to buy. I still prefer a casual, comfortable style of clothing which is reflected in my pins, but I also love to "virtually shop" for outfits I'd love to wear if I were a few sizes smaller. This is where my Healthy Living board becomes important, as on this board I pin diet, exercise, and all around health tips. Perhaps these sources will be the motivation I need to shed some pounds and get back to my ideal weight?
I am also a "foodie," so of course I pin lots of delicious recipes on my many food pin boards. Recently I was surprised and excited to learn that The Huffington Post's "Kitchen Daily" named me as one of their 'Pinterest Users You Should Follow" for the category of Candy! Woo hoo! I've always had a sweet tooth!
As far as living life well, I look at all my pin boards as a springboard towards leading me to do just that. I was always one who liked to clip ideas out of magazines and newspapers for future reference, and now I can do this easily on Pinterest without cluttering up my desk. My Get Organized board has helped me de-clutter and organize my house, and my Tips and Tricks board is full of interesting information to reference about how to do household tasks more easily.When I take a few minutes out of the day to pin my interests on boards such as Books, Gardening, Photography, Inspiring Words, Social Media and Blog Ideas and Do It Yourself boards, I feel inspired by all these new ideas. If I want to take a mini vacation, I pin photographs that remind me of Places I've Visited and Dream Destinations. For me, browsing through Pinterest is a wonderful way to de-stress.
I unabashedly love Pinterest, and I feel it is one of the most enjoyable resources on the web!
So what are your favorite resources for style, fashion, beauty, and living life well? Why not share your answer on BlogHer's Life Well Lived Living With Style post, and see what other readers have answered.
Also, if you'd like a chance to win a iPod Touch, please enter a sweepstakes by leaving a comment on this Life Well Lived link*
*The BlogHer Life Well Lived Moments sweepstakes 8 runs from May 17, 2012 to June 30, 2012 and is only open to individuals who, at the time of entry deadline, are legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec), are 18 years or older and who are registered users of www.blogher.com at the time of entry. Winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Click here for official rules. Good luck!