“Berlin is probably the ‘New York’ city in Europe. Because of the much lower cost of living we have here, however… no pressure. With a less stressful pace. New York, just comfortable.”

“You can be spontaneous here.”

Is there a neighborhood in London that you find similar to Berlin?
I can’t really compare. I feel like the standard of living is higher here, you can still rent places you couldn’t dream of renting in London. I love the greenness of Berlin too—the big open streets, and that I can ride my bike everywhere. And when I get on a tram or a train I always get a seat! I don’t get this claustrophobic feeling like in London. I’m just a happier person in Berlin.

“Berlin is colorful, freaky, vintage and very young.”

I could really place myself in the interviews of the expats who had moved to Berlin particularly because it was almost us (could be us) and because it reminded me of again of how exciting it is to freelance, live off your creative work, and set up a home in a city that isn’t in your native country or speaking your native language. Reminders like this are a good touch to your life routine, no?

Already so many reasons to love this September:

J.Crew will be opening an outlet store online  - yup, you heard me – online!
Feel inspired to wear Fall colors in Stockholm as captured by Hanneli
Lanvin for H&M september 9th oops, well, we can get excited for Nov 20th!
The Nate Berkus Show September 13th!
Making adorable Back-to-School crafts
Host cozy fall outdoor gatherings &
plan a harvest dinner party menu
Pull on the rainboots!
Brew an indulgent cup of Mariage Frères herbal tea
Feeling that fall feeling

Happy weekend!

HUNT: Whenever there is a redhead on screen, I tend to take notice on how they are styled, especially what colors they are wearing.  It can be tricky to get the right colors to work with the my coloring:  Blue eyes = cool colors & Red hair and freckles = warm colors… which colors work best? Tuning in this way, I’ve actually found a lot of good inspiration, as silly as it sounds. Most recently I fell in love with Joan Holloway’s yellow ochre coat and thought how pretty it looked against her red locks and that swellegant blue eyeshadow!

GATHER: I found a similar harvest color hue in this modern sculptural jacket at Anthropologie. I really love the unexpected silhouette! Pair the retro color with some gold jewelry and a messy updo… I think I’ve found a wardrobe staple for autumn. P.S. Mad Men‘s costume designer Janie Bryant was once asked if the show’s vintage style rubs off on her current wardrobe. “Sure,” she replied, “But there’s a fine line between looking like you’ve been influenced by the early ’60s, and looking like you’re going to a theme party for the early ’60s!” In other words: A little period styling goes a very long way.

I love this particular Q& A from an interview that Jordan just shared on her blog.

Jordan: I like that you included “Positive attitude” as one of your nine qualities of a successful freelancer. Forgive this question for sounding too chipper, why do you think a positive attitude is so important?

Joy: A positive attitude is everything. As a freelancer, you get work by convincing others that your work and skills (and ultimately you) are worth hiring for a project. Clients (and people in general) respond far better to positive people because who wants to be around (or working with) a Debbie Downer? Also, a positive attitude doesn’t mean you need to be uber happy all the time. It’s more about being able to stay positive even when some projects or clients aren’t your favorite, when thing aren’t going as planned, and being able to make the best out of any situation.

This is just one of many of the reasons I feel so drawn to Joy: her positive attitude and ability to churn out inspiration and beauty around her- she effortlessly radiates that in all of the creative work that she touches. Congrats on the new book, Joy!

You know those days. We all have them. Today was one for me – too much seemed to press on me, overwhelming me into auto-pilot.

I’m fortunate to end such a day with the love of a man who stopped his short to stay with me and bring me into the sunshine.  We took my favorite route to walk along the water and watched the boats go by.  All along the way he reminded me how all the things I was sad about… it was not my fault. And it never was. Ah, I really love this man. I feel like I have a very big secret if you don’t know my husband – the best secret I’ve never wanted to keep. (How did I get so lucky??) I wish you all get a chance to know him in your lifetime. He’s changed mine for the very best, in every way possible. So you can run and tell that, homeboy.