Hi Sweethearts.

I always liked feng shui. You know; staying zen, living like a strong reed that bends with the wind and then straightens back up again, allowing the corners in my flat to be uncluttered (don`t know if this has anything to do with zen at all, but it sounds like it, no?) (if so I am going for an eclectic approach to zen in which the dust in the corners take on some deeper meaning) (which would be handy as I tend to do my best vacuuming all glammed up in heels, singing Say My Name to the Hoover in a slight dominatrix manner)(nothing zen about that)-  and getting rid of old stuff when buying new stuff.

Zen. Not choosing to be weighed down, choosing lightness in this complicated life.

I used to be a horder. I accepted everything and everyone. I still do, but from a far. I am learning that my peace of mind and joy of heart is closely linked with letting go. With being selective. With knowing my worth. With reckognizing the dynamic of something, with really listening, with acting on the information I receive. Because it is always there.

The wilderness of loss. The joy of hope. Walking into the clearing. Feeling the peace. Giving thanks. Welcoming new beginnings.

How`s that for zen.

Now, who gave the help the day off?!

Zen. Ish. originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 26/12/2012.

Hi Sweethearts! 

The fully reckognizing who you are. Who I am. Where I am. How I got here. Where I need to go.

The act of transformation. Of my self.

Do you ever observe your self? I do. All the time. And then I marvel at the act of it, at the being of forces within me, forces that are in motion even when I am not aware. It is like walking through a forest, getting to a clearing in the woods, resting there.

And suddenly, wearing a tea coloured shirt that hangs on my gadoinkadonk feels ok. Two days ago it didn`t. All my admiring of other womens bottoms and shaking of my own has me at the clearing. Has me at peace with it. Feeling happy with my observation of my self.

Has my butt transformed. Because I have transformed how I see it.

The outfit: Black dress, H&M. Shirt, Bik Bok, pursposfully misbuttoned. Scarf, Zara. Chains, Bik Bok. Earrings,  Kapp Ahl. Wegdes, Din Sko. Absent tan, Norwegian summer.

Tell me my darling friends, are you in the business of transforming your self?

Also, I love you so very much. I have missed you greatly, and will visit you all. Forgive me for checking out there for a moment.

I would love to connect with you!

For the full impact of your wonderful comments go to #byanikareaders where I quote and share your best ones!

anikack@gmail.com   @AnikaByAnika   Facebook

The act of transformation. originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 11/07/2012.

Hi Sweethearts!

See me, all decked out in snake? Curly hair out of control, with that funny-looking smile showing teeth and double chin? Wrinkes from crying and laughing? Soft tummy, ass with angles from here to heaven and totally untoned thighs?

Yes, I am confident. Now. Yes, I work at it. Every day.

Looking at pictures of my self is a mixed experience for me. Sometimes I love what I see. Sometimes I don`t . But I always embrace what I see.

I could choose to only show you pictures that depict me from my best angle. That, however is not how I roll.

I don`t want to only show you pictures of me in my best profile. I prefer to laugh at my self, breathe trough some discomfort at seing what I actually look like mid-spontanious-having-fun-and-finding-my-self-very-funny-laughter. Dear me.

I want to let you see me. Look if you want to, don`t if you don`t want to. The most important thing is that I look. And love.

I don`t want controlled perfectionism. I want to be my own biggest fan. And I want to be your biggest fan. I want fun. I want the real thing. So I am staying real, and I am not apologizing for it. This is me.

In my own picture I am (imperfectly) perfect. It is more practical for me to think so. It means I get to relax.

You know?

The outfit: Snake dress by H&M that I made to fit by adding stripey fabric to the sides before shortening it to provide my self with ample opportunity to love my chubby knees. Statement neckless (that doubles as can opener) by Gina Tricot. Bling by Gina Tricot. Wegdes by Vagabond with laces added by moi.

I would love to connect with you!

For the full impact of your wonderful comments go to #byanikareaders where I quote and share your best ones!

anikack@gmail.com   @AnikaByAnika   Facebook

Picture perfect? originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 29/04/2012.

Hi Sweethearts!

I am very grateful to say that a post of mine was included in IFBs links a la mode! I have been doubting my blogging lately, so I really appreciate the encouragement, and also all the support from you, my darling friends.

Enjoy these wonderful posts!
 

Change

Edited by: Sonia of In Pursuit of Style

Beyond just the change in temperatures, something key to this time of year is spring cleaning. Whether it be your closet, desk in your office or your body of toxins, its a great time to get rid of the old and be open to change. Make an effort this week, or this month, to add a little loose change into your life, be it changes to your fabulous blog, purchasing that sparkly skirt you’ve had your eye on and never thought you could wear or even adding some sassy leopard to you look!

THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: APRIL 12TH

• The Merchant Project: Some Sparkle For Your Week

• Designer Purushu: Time To Change

• The Style Confessions: Clothing Tells A Story

• Coming Unstitched: Blogging Tips & Tricks

• Life / Style / Flash: Spring Cleaning Tips

• By Anika: Texture

• Opening My Closet: White Easter Downtown

• Blue Perk: Interview with Eric Jennings, Fashion Director at Saks

• Real Girl Glam: What Makes A Budget Blog?

• Sequined Sprinkles: Collared

• The Stranger Blog: Paris in Mint Green

• Fashion is Evolution: How To Make A Vintage Birdcage

• Clones And Clowns: DIY Studded Denim Shorts

• Beats Fashion: Street Style: Grimes

• Nadalyn Margaret: Lifestyle: Summer With Mojitos

• Style Delica: One Dress, Three Ways

• Pins, Needles & Fashion: Outfit Post: Welcoming Spring

• Fashionably Geeked: Flower Power

• In Pursuit of Style: A Touch of Culture

• Homes & Heels: Black & White

 
SPONSOR:

New Sale at Shopbop: Some Odd Rubies, Anya Hindmarch Bags, See by Chloe Handbags, Jerome Dreyfuss Bags, Cut25 Dresses, Sunglasses, Foley + Corinna, Women’s Hats, Charlotte Ronson, Vera Wang Shoes, Result Wear, Loeffler Randall Sandals & Platform Sandals

PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE

If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine

Links a la mode – avec moi originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 15/04/2012.

Hi Sweethearts!

I always feel the need to mix it up!

A single colour is never enough for me. One pattern is unfulfilling. One language is limiting. Too much safety is stifling.

You know what I love? Individuality.

I love that we can mix the same staples in so many different ways. I love that we move through similiar phases in our lives in such varied manners. I love that we all perceive, think and express our selves in a myriad of ways.

There is inspiration everywhere -mindblowing experiences waiting to be shared, new travellers to join forces with, new kisses to be exchanged, new prints waiting to be created, new dresses to be sewn, new jokes to tell and completely screw up the point of, new thoughts to be pondered.

The way I live my life is specific to me. My fashion an expression of me.

We are all mixing it up -all of the time.

It is the texture of life.

The outfit is typical of me I think, flowers meets stripes: Bolero by H&M and reworked by moi, the dress is my design, bling is mostly H&M and Gina Tricot, the hair controlled still, but rendered completely bloody curly after a full night of salsa dancing. AAAAArriiiiiivvvaaaa!

Thank you for being a part of the texture that is my life, friends!

Tell me, how do you mix it up in life and fashion – in that way that only you can do?

I would love to connect with you!

For the full impact of your wonderful comments go to #byanikareaders where I quote and share your best ones!

anikack@gmail.com   @AnikaByAnika   Facebook

Texture. originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 09/04/2012.

Hi Sweethearts!

You know, I have worked really hard for my body.

Do you know how many pints of B&J`s I have worked through to get my ass just right? How many laughs it has taken to get those smiley wrinkles? How much dancing to get my legs curvy enough?

This is my body. I`ve got stretchmarks lighting the way to my hips. I`ve got freckles in suprising places. I`ve got ears that I can move to impress (want a vlog?) I`ve got a waist-hip-ratio that has had me give up on jeans.

My point? My body is unique. I don`t compare it to anyone elses body.  There is no need.

I don`t want to feel bad about my body compared to bodies that I see in magazines. I also don`t want to feel good about my body compared to anyone elses body.

I love enjoying the beauty of other women. It has nothing to do with my own.

The outfit: The dress and bolero are my own designs. I made the bolero from a dress. Am so loving this electric blue lately! Bling mostly H&M, scarf by Zara, mysterious looks a result of trying to look va va voom. Hihi.

I confess it:

I love my body, regardless of weight. It is much more fun this way.

Tell me darling friends, do you compare your body to those of others?

I would love to connect with you!

For the full impact of your wonderful comments go to #byanikareaders where I quote and share your best ones!

anikack@gmail.com   @AnikaByAnika   Facebook

My body is unique. originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 05/04/2012.

Hi Sweethearts!

Have you ever sat next to a stranger, suddenly feeling aware of a connection to the the other person? Have you ever been in a room filled with people you know, suddenly feeling disconnected from them?

Have you ever sat alone somewhere, feeling deeply connected to your self, to something outside your self?

I have. I happens to me all of the time.

I`ll be on the tram, meeting someones gaze, sharing a smile, holding the moment before letting it pass again. I`ll be experiencing intense joy and gratitude watching a sunset with music blasting on my head set. I`ll be talking to someone, feeling a sudden loneliness upon realizing that they seem to think they know me better then they do.

I`ll be getting my glam on, walking out into the world. Curious to see what the day will bring.

Alone. Connected.

In prints.

The outfit: I sewed this dress from two skirts last year. The belt is from a skirt my mum bought in Paris when I was little. Reworked jacket, Monki with stripes by me. Scarf and clutch by Zara. Various bling and god damned unruly hair.

Tell me darling friends, do you ever share moments with strangers?

I would love to connect with you!

For the full impact of your wonderful comments go to #byanikareaders where I quote and share your best ones!

anikack@gmail.com   @AnikaByAnika   Facebook

Alone. Connected. originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 27/03/2012.

Hi Sweethearts!

You know how people often comment about how something is fair or not? Deserved or not? Relating it to being a good person or not?

I think we all are worthy. We should all have high expections. We should reject disrespect. We should all know our worth.  We should all only include people in our lives that mirror our self respect.

In my life I don`t find this business of deeming what is deserved or not useful. My concern is, how the heck did I get here?

What choices have I made faced with my reality that have moved me into this very exiting/demanding/sad/happy place? What people am I choosing as my fellow travellers? What lessons have I made possible in my life?

I need to own it. I need to acknowlegde it. I need to take responsability. I need to take credit.

It is life. Life is.

 The outfit: I sewed this dress a while back, it is one of my favourites, with the sheer paysley-printed fabric. The fabrics come from various dresses. The scarf is from Zara, the shoe laces an old skirt that I shredded.

Tell me darling friends, how do you hold your self accountable in your lives?

I would love to connect with you!

For the full impact of your wonderful comments go to #byanikareaders where I quote and share your best ones!

anikack@gmail.com   @AnikaByAnika   Facebook

Life is. originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 20/03/2012.

Hi Sweethearts!

See this jacket?

According to the rules for dressing as a curvy woman it is all kinds of wrong.

It doesn`t highlight my waist. It doesn`t showcase Thelma and Louise. It does highlight my generous buttocks and hips and legs. Curves and bulk coming together nicely. I felt shy in the jacket at first, exposed exposing my gams. But you know me, I took it for a walk anyways.

See, I love the jacket. I like that it is relaxed in a sort of chic-ish way with a touch of bonkers (thanks to the stripes I added to the sleeves, well, to one sleeve and a half seing as how I ran out of fabric but nevermind, now it is a feature -much as the massive lamp that I almost mangaged to drape).

So what if it is all wrong? I make it right.

That is the thing about life. And about determination. And about mixing lots of prints and bling and stripes and hips.

Go for it. Let it rip. Got something wrong? Make it yours, don`t stop until you get it right.

Your way.

The outfit: Massive arseenhancing jacket with added stripey oomph, Monki. Scarf, Lindex. Dress by petit moi. Blush thanks to still feeling shaky from recovering from the flu. Cheek bones making an appearance, a sign that I have been neclecting Ben and Jerry`s for too long.

Tell me my darling friends, do you also screw fashion rules and just get on with it?

I would love to connect with you!

For the full impact of your wonderful comments go to #byanikareaders where I quote and share your best ones!

anikack@gmail.com   @AnikaByAnika   Facebook

All kinds of wrong. Made right. originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 15/03/2012.

Fajr and I each chose a favourite picture of the other for this post.

Howdy!

My name is Fajr and I run a site called StylishThought!

Anika is a good friend of mine and I’m honored to be here and share a few words on digital friendships.  

There’s this beautiful thing about blogging; if you blog long enough you’re readers (and the bloggers you read) become your friends and ultimately become your family. You start out intrigued by a blogger’s words, personae and heart. You devour their posts and jump in to join them. You comment and before long you’re a regular participant.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I discovered Anika’s blog. But I do know the feeling it gave me when I did. Her vivaciousness, her spunk, her tongue-in-cheek approach to life. She’s a woman that leaves a lasting impression and one you can’t forget. She wrote about loving yourself, about being true to who you are and I couldn’t get enough. Though she lived clear across the globe, I felt as if she were right there with me.

Fast forward to the IFB conference last September and I got to meet my blogging crush in person. Anika jumped off the screen and into real life, a walking embodiment; real, honest, funny and herself. We’ve continued our friendship with lovely emails, Facebook chats and a mutual love and respect for each other. Friendships like this come a dime a dozen.

 It’s no secret that I’m a huge advocate of lastingfemalefriendships. To me, whether you see the person daily or only communicate online, our gal pals are the pillars that lift us up, lean on us and support us through it all. I’ve been blessed to have women who have helped me through my ups and downs and hopefully I have been able to do the same for them. Women who have laughed at my ridiculous jokes (and outfits), who have listened to my bitching and moaning, added amazing color and commentary to Stylish Thought and have made my life much richer.

As bloggers we put ourselves out there for our readers to get to know us and over time, you guys become those friends who support us and lift us up. .And in turn it’s our hope that our words support and help you. In our digital world, friendships manifest themselves through the fibers of a computer screen, but true lasting friendship transcends all technology.

 I wanted to write this post to say thank you, not only to Anika for being so near and dear to me, but to the lovely, amazing women who I interact with daily and who have become true friends.

 Thank you.

Darling Fajr, my sweet, thank you so very much for this amazing and moving guest post.  I adore you.

Let`s all tell our friends how much we love them more often. I`m starting with you all. I love you!

Digital Friendships: An Open Letter to My Loves by Fajr of Stylish Thought originally appeared on Anika Campbell on 26/02/2012.