In My Solitude Boutique Blog

January 1, 2008

Welcome to the first edition of my blog. Yes, I know the company is called, In My Solitude, but sometimes a girl has to break the silence and talk about her journey. So here we go...

When I started the boutique online six months ago, my goal was to make beautiful, handrafted, eco-friendly things and share them with people who might appreciate my work.

But in order to grow my business, I had to cut back on a lot of wonderfully expensive habits that I could no longer afford. At first it took a while for my inner "Kimora Lee Simmons" to get the message that the spending spree was over. But eventually, "KLS" sashayed away out of pure boredom with her collection of Louis Vuitton luggage in tow.

Who knew that selling my quilts and pillows, online and now in several stores, would open the door to a much larger conversation about what is a "good life" and was I truly living it?

One of my biggest lessons in "07" was seriously learning how to love the life I could afford to live right now... so I can have the future I want!

There are so many ways to live a luxurious life for less. I've produced many shows on the topic of "simplifying your life" over the years, so I know all of the tricks. But, "2007" was the kind of year that had you digging for change at the bottom of your handbag to pay for a cup of organic coffee and coming up with lint. I don't mean to be so "Sex In The City" about it, but I have to ask the question, "Where's the beauty in being well heeled if you can't afford your shoes?"

I discovered that many of my friends were in the same boat and we were constantly sharing information about how to cut corners and still be fabulous. This bi-weekly blog was inspired by those talks and our sincere desire to live well, but not at the cost of our well being. So, if you too are wearing sunglasses from the season before last (just kidding... never that!), my hope is that you find useful and unique ideas here on how to make your home and life more gorgeous, cozy, cool, organized, joyful and most of all affordable.

I'm really excited about some of our recurring features. If you're like me, it's impossible to walk through a store without saying, "I can make that!" Well, this year I'm going to make things I never thought I could make and show you how to do it, too! And if we can't make it, Derek will tell us where to find it at a really amazing price.

Who is Derek you say? We all have a best friend in our life that is fabulous and "fiercely" frugal. Well, Derek Che is my best-kept secret and now I'm sharing him with you. Whether we're in Chinatown, Crenshaw Mall, or the Coach store, he knows where to find THE low cost luxury or high-end bargain of the moment. Derek is a notoriously, tight-fisted fashionista and an Emmy award-winning TV producer. He will be a regular contributor to this blog, so start thinking right now about how to invest all of the money he's going to save you this year.

I know, living with limits is not especially glamorous especially if you're not working toward a goal. But now that the new year is upon us, decide what you want to accomplish over the next 12 months and go for it! And while you're busy creating and visualizing a better tomorrow, try to remember that a "good life" is the life you can afford with ease... today!

January 15, 2008

Most of us were on a quest for clarity in our lives long before Elizabeth Gilbert ate her way through an entire city in Eat, Pray, Love. Still, like everyone else, I devoured the book like it was free sushi from Katsu-ya. After watching the author on Oprah, I was struck by how hungry we all were for a story that spoke to our spiritual lives as women.

That's got to change! Each of us has an inspirational story to tell, but in the midst of living we often forget to journal and write down the most important details of our memoir; the chapter about how we transcended challenging circumstances and filled up our own cup.

I usually don’t write enough in my journal when things are going well. Sometimes, I’ll write a concise passage about my latest epiphany and then at other points, I’ll just scribble sweet comments in large, loopy cursive letters like “life is beautiful today!” Life is beautiful? What? How is that possible when in the previous day’s entry I wrote that I could “barely drag myself out of bed?”

Somehow my life went from famine to feast overnight and I didn’t leave a clue on that page about how I flipped the switch on my emotional state. I’m sure I said a prayer, forced myself to meditate and then came out of it with some pearl of wisdom, but who knows what it was because I didn’t write it down. Only the sob story seemed to be worthy of more than a sentence or two. I realize that I rarely go back and read my journals because they’re filled with "Oh God! Why? Why me's?" and the meatiest part of the tale isn’t always there. You know, the part about how I got “through” … how I got “over it.”

In “Eat, Pray, Love,” Elizabeth Gilbert told us “how” she nourished herself spiritually “through” the roughest period of her life. Luckily, her publisher recognized that other women teetering on the brink of spiritual starvation needed a way out, too!

So, one of my resolutions for the New Year has been to write both sides of the story in my journal. That way, when I veer too far away from my center, I won’t be afraid to revisit my thoughts and learn from the past. I’d be able to read a balanced account of the amazing woman I was in the process of becoming at a tenuous time in my history. And I’d be willing to recall not just the emotion of that painful unraveling, but the courageous steps I took to patch myself up.

Abundantly yours,

Evolyn

Sample Size Skin Care Secrets

I always get nice compliments on my skin so I wanted to share a few of my most cherished, but inexpensive beauty secrets. Crème de la Mer is my favorite moisturizer for dry skin, but it’s not cheap! I use it all the time, but I never pay FULL price for the stuff. Why? Because the price of a 1 oz. jar is $125. I must admit, I do have a relationship with someone who reps for the company, but like the crème, it is to be used sparingly. So, how do I keep La Mer in my lair? It’s all about the .24 oz sample size jars of the cream. Those divas behind the counter don’t tell you about them because they like to save them for their best customers.

The last time I was in Vegas visiting my friend and fellow product queen, Gwen, I got three .24 oz jars of the original moisturizing cream. Now, you can’t dig it out of the little container like it’s Vaseline, but it’s enough to decide if you like it or tide you over until "God forbid" you decide to buy it yourself.

After you get your free jars of LaMer, slide on over to the ReVive counter and load up on all the freebies you can hold in your sly little fingers. When you get home, log onto ReVive and select the samples they claim to have run out of at the counter. I love the Moisturizing Renewal Cream. ReVive was developed by a plastic surgeon to help women who went under the knife have younger looking skin. Because we all know that you don’t look younger after plastic surgery, just refreshed… if you’re lucky! I know the day is coming when I will only agree to be seen by candlelight, but until that moment arrives I will do everything I can to stall for time in a non-surgical way.

The Moisturizing Renewal Cream exfoliates my skin and gives it a beautiful, luminous quality. I’m not saying it will absolutely do that for you, but it’s worth a try! Get at least five samples and they should last a month if you prick a tiny hole in the package with a safety pin. Of course, you can just break down and pay for it, but then you miss the “thrill” of getting a great product for nothing. At the end of the day, both of these crèmes cost way too much and beauty really does begin on the inside.

So, if you’d rather improve your skin from the inside out, I’ve got to take you back to the “old school.” Squeeze ½ of a lemon into an 8 oz. glass of water and sweeten it with a little bit of honey. I’ve been drinking this concoction at night about three times a week since I was a teenager. I’ve never had acne and believe me it’s not all genetics. So pucker up beauties! A glass of lemonade beats micro dermabrasion any day!

Ev

I Know It's Healthy, But How Does It Taste?

One of the best ways to save money is to know from the start, which products are worth the price. I find this to be especially true if I’m shopping in a store like Whole Foods… AKA “Whole Paycheck.”

My parents raised me as a vegetarian, but I was always curious about what other people were eating. So to their dismay, I ate whatever my little heart desired when I was out of their reach. Nevertheless, my early training in being a healthy eater stuck with me.

These days, the problem isn’t that I don’t want to eat an organic or vegetarian diet; it’s just not always affordable. I see so many great looking products in the store, but I’m not paying $6 for a box of crackers! But then again, if something is really amazing I want to be in the know. If you feel as frustrated about this issue as I do, you now have a secret weapon. Kim Mayhorn!

My friend Kim is a vegetarian and about 75% of her diet is raw. She has agreed to be our taste tester of sorts and let us know what product is a “winner” and what taste like tofu on cardboard. Did I also mention that she’s an award-winning editor, installation artist, one of Essence magazines’ 30 Women To Watch, a Whitney Museum Fellow and her website address is www.kimmayhorn.com?

Anyway, with such a specific diet, Kim can’t just eat anywhere, so she always has a bunch of next level snacks in her bag. If she’s not munching on Goji berries, she’s eating some kind of candy made out of seaweed. Kim has turned me on to a lot of good foods like Rice Cheese and raw pizza to name a few. To my credit, when she's in L.A., I take her to Café M de Chaya on Melrose. She loves their macrobiotic cuisine, especially the strawberry cupcakes.

So, look for Kim’s contributions to the blog. We can all live vicariously through her adventurous taste buds. But most importantly, we’ll know why that cool looking bag of sun dried, yucca potato chips tossed with pink crystal salt from the Himalayas in “Whole Paycheck” … needs to stay right there on the shelf.

Ev

30 Day Pass
By Derek

It’s Derek and I’d like to welcome you to my very first blog entry. Since we’re going to become really close friends, I’m going to let you in on my first big secret... Promise not to tell? Well, ever since Evolyn asked me to write for her blog, I’ve been having night sweats! Yes, night sweats! It’s all because the WHOLE WORLD is going to know just how CHEAP I am! I’m the type of guy that will ask the cashier at the 99 Cent Store if they take coupons (FYI: They don’t). Now, everybody and their stylist are going to know! I feel naked and exposed. But I have to realize that if I can help one person save at least a penny, then my ego is well worth the sacrifice.

Since I’ve suffered two sleepless nights over this whole drama, my eyes have been left with two MAJOR (As Posh would say!) bags beneath them. (Actually they’re more like LV trunks!) In the past, I’ve tried everything under the sun from cucumbers to Hylexin to fight my bags but so far I’ve had zero luck!

Well, the word on the streets here in West Hollywood is that the Vichy Oligo 25 Yeux Eye Cooling Stick is the real deal! Four days ago I decided to find out if this is true. I actually plunked down the somewhat reasonable $20 for the stick and I have been using it religiously twice a day. Although, all of the “Boys Who Sip Cosmos and Mojitos” swear by it, I have yet to see any results. Evolyn asked me to give it a full 30-day trial to find out if it really works. I’ll give you my report next month! Wish me luck!

XOXO Bargain Boy

New At In My Solitude: Sashay, Sachet!

There is nothing more beautiful than a whiff of lavender, especially when you pull out your lingerie drawer or open a closet. Last month I decided it was time for new sachets, but I was less than inspired by what I found in the store. So, I made some quilted sachets for my home and the boutique. Each set of two sachets is $20. They all have the same color palette, but the design and fabric pattern are one-of-a kind... just like you! Click here to purchase.

New You… New Year… New Yoga Mat
By Derek

It’s the start of 2008 and you know what that means, it’s time to get fit and fabulous through yoga. If you’re anything like me, there’s nothing worse than feeling and looking uncoordinated in yoga class. Well, I certainly can’t help you with your tree pose but I can save you money on colorful mats to match each of your yummy yoga outfits. For just $7.99, “Ross Dress for Less” offers an assortment of mats by “B Active” in fantastic colors like tangerine orange, avocado green and pocket rocket pink. The best feature of these mats is that they are a comfy ¼ inch thick! A comparable mat by Giam will set you back at least $22! With the money that you’re saving, you can get another mat for a friend, buy an extra yoga class, or put the change right back in your pocket.

XOXO Bargain Boy

Where's The Sweet Spot In Your City Or Online?

Nichole Shellman is one of my best friends and she lives in New Rochelle, New York. We definitely did our share of discount, power shopping when I lived on the east coast. These days, Nichole's sweet spot is this store called Fox’s. Now, the name alone would have stopped me in my tracks, but she ventured in and says the deals are “FAB-U-LOUS!” You’d love Nichole because she really talks that way and is sooo much fun to be around. So check out Foxs.com for a list of locations. Now, if you have a favorite spot to shop...throw us a bone! I’m not asking for all of your goodies… just a little something for the girls to nibble on.

Ev