Handling down times

☕ ☕ ☕ Coffee out and about
(actually I had peppermint tea but it doesn't have the same ring to it 😊)

 
Hello chic friends!

 

I haven't had a lot of mental bandwidth for much lately. It's just how I get at times and I try not to feel bad about it.

I think by now I've gotten to know myself, and it's not that there is anything wrong, I just feel like pulling back. It's like this internal handbrake being on and everything takes 100x times more effort to do.

At times like this I want to read books, be at home, write a little, and be offline. I know I'm so lucky to be able to do so. When I worked full-time in an office I’d just keep life really simple too.

If you can relate, please say. I admire people who are 'linear' and can just do whatever they need to get done. I think it might be part of the creative mind that works differently for those of us who aren't like that.

I've seen a funny picture and it shows A to B and a straight line from... A to B. That is one type of person. And then there is A to B with a giant squiggly unravelly ball of wool leading from A to B. That is so me sometimes!

When I get to be the straight-line A to B person everything is sooooo easy. That’s when I write book after book and post regularly on social media. But at the moment I'm the squiggly ball of wool and have a dozen books started that I’m keen on none of 🤣

Amazingly enough my work looks way better to me when I’m in a more helpful state of mind. When I’m the unravelly ball of wool all my writing looks terrible 🤣

But I am writing each day and working on a book that feels good, so hooray for that.

And I’m up to recording my 21st audiobook, almost there! I think there are about 25 or 26 in total. At least those I can narrate without overthinking things. I just turn up and do some recording. (Find them at my Linktree)

I hope you’re doing good, and if you’re not, I’m right there with you 😊 Let’s all be kind to our squiggly balls of wool that we call our heads, if we’re not feeling it right now.

~~

 

 

🍂🍂🍂
Autumn colours and bright blue skies

This has to be my favourite season and I'm really enjoying my outdoor walks each morning before breakfast. I know there are many other fans of autumn too.

For us in the southern hemisphere, it's perfectly normal to have March/April be the start of autumn.

It's completely foreign for us to have it be the start of the festive Christmas season!

Although I actually do enjoy getting into 'fall vibes' later in the year too, joining in on all the northern hemisphere fun 😊

Whether you are in spring or autumn, I hope it's treating you well 🧡💛

~~

 

 I bought these cute popcorn cups from the dollar store for a movie afternoon with friends at home. How cute are they? Afterwards I handwash them and put them away until next time 😊

 

 

I love little details like this that make life fun!

 

 

 

Wishing you a fab week :)

 

Love Fiona

My favourite success tips

 

Hello chic friends!

The beginning of the year is such an inspiring time, so I thought a fun idea would be to share my favourite success tips on living a good life. To me, success isn’t just money, it’s happiness, feeling good in my mind, being fit and healthy, and having a good balance of fun and productivity.

 

💫 My favourite success tips 💫

💌 Know how to inspire yourself. I’ve been doing lots of delicious journalling each morning with my cup of tea: goals, visualisations, how ‘she’ would be’, idea, things that are ringing my bell right now, so much goodness 😊 I also read glossy picture books, magazines, novels, and listen to audiobooks, writing down quotes when they speak to me.

💌 Please yourself. Many of us are so used to considering others and what they might want that we never think to ask ourselves ‘What do I want?’ Even when by myself! So my practice now is to think of what would be most ideal in that moment, and go and do it. Sometimes it’s a comfort thing, sometimes a doing thing. And if I really don’t feel like doing something, I don’t (maybe I’ll skip a walk that day because I feel like cleaning and organising my environment instead).

💌 Love your life. Instead of being envious of other, glossier people either online or in real life, I choose to love the life that I have right in front of me. I can make it feel sparklier all with the way I am being. I appreciate my home, the way I have set up my daily life, and how I spend my time. It’s like 3D gratitude. I’m not just writing down in my journal all that I’m grateful for, I’m living it every day.

These are just three of many, but they are the three that came to mind today 😊 Please tell me your favourite success tips if you have any, and if you don’t, what might one be that you’d like to cultivate for yourself?

 

~~

 

I just started book three in the Housemaid series, yay! It goes well with a glass of Prosecco and fresh raspberries 😍

 

I don't think stylish people put fruit in their bubbly but I don't care. I love the festive look of it, and even better to eat at the end. Delicious!

Sweet Daphne dog is always near me.

My cousin's little boy (aged 5) loves dogs, and always gives our dogs lots of hugs when he visits. He calls Daphne 'Daphanee' with an extra syllable. Soooo adorable!

(Freida's Housemaid books are on Amazon here. If you love a good and creepy psychological thriller I would recommend!)

Wishing you a wonderful rest of your weekend 😊

xx Fiona

PS. Check out my book ‘100 Ways to be a Chic Success and Create Your Dream Life’, available on Kindle, in paperback, and as an audiobook on Amazon here or in my eStore (eBooks and eAudiobooks).

My first jigsaw puzzle!

Lisianthus flowers brought to me by my mum this week :)

 

Hello chic friends :)

 

Last month, inspired by the lovely Katie on Instagram, I bought myself a jigsaw puzzle. The first one I've had since I was a little girl!

At first I was overwhelmed and thought I'd made a terrible mistake 😂 I didn't see how it was possible to put all the pieces together within my lifetime. It was just so difficult! I googled puzzle strategies, asked people I knew who did jigsaw puzzles for their tips, and didn't really get far beyond putting the outside pieces together.

 

Galison brand 'Michael Storrings Christmas in London' (1000 Pieces)

 

Now that we are into a fresh, calm new year with Christmas behind us, I gave it another go. And I'm hooked! Once I got over it being 'a waste of time' and 'a job I needed to complete', I now enjoy treating my jigsaw like reading a novel.

Taking my time, enjoying the doing of it, admiring my progress, and feeling very happy when a pieces slots in. Plus I am building a wonderfully atmospheric picture as I go. And can I just say, I also love running my hands over the smooth, shiny surface of the completed parts as I work on it.

 

It's almost like doing meditation too, because you can't really think of much while you are finding the puzzle pieces. The mind can slow down and be still. And for mental health as I get older I'm sure it must be doing something good!

One morning this week I got up really early and felt like a bit of puzzle time, so I lit candles on the table and spent a little while there.

So thanks Katie, for showing me this wonderfully restorative act of relaxation and self-care :)

 

 

My fan club...

 

 

This bouquet of doggies is always near me, and most often together too which is lovely.

From left to right, Chloe (9), Micky (11), and Daphne (7).

Underneath this bench seat there are pet beds. I live in a house with a million pet beds, haha. They all go in them at night though! And don't get up until the alarm goes off. I don't know how I got them so well trained but they are very good doggies.

Although sometimes Daphne will have 'a night' where she tries to get up on the bed every fifteen minutes. When I feel her paws on the side of the bed and see a face peering at me I say 'in the crate' and she goes back to bed.

It hasn't happened in a while but when she does and tries to get up many, many times I have to repeat 'in the crate'. In the morning my husband Paul exclaims 'I almost got in the crate myself last night!' 😂😂

I hope that gave you a giggle today!

 

And please tell me, do you do puzzles? If so, what are your favourite brands/types?

 

xx Fiona

 

 

(My Amazon puzzle and book links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!)

Happy New Year!

 

Happy new year to you, chic friend!

 

On New Year's Eve we opened a very special bottle of champagne that we received as a gift some years back.

It's not many times in life that we'll have a bottle this fine, so we thoroughly enjoyed it, served in our Waterford flutes, of course!

The flutes were also a gift, from my mum for our birthday this year (my husband Paul's and my birthday is on the same day in October, but we're one year apart). Thank you Jo, we love them!

And of course, keeping it real, the laundry is hanging in the background of this photo, haha. I couldn't not take advantage of a summery day to dry some washing!

We have created our home and our lifestyle to have a resort feeling, that way we can pretend we're on holiday but still have all the comforts of home. And, the pets can come too!

 

 

Apart from our three dogs, we also have a sweet cat. My darling Nina is a good age now - 13 this year at a guess. I adopted her and her mother Jessica from a cat shelter when Jess was a teen mum :) Jessica is no longer with us, she died a year ago, but Nina is still going strong. She has slowed down over the past few months and sleeps more but overall is very vibrant, active and healthy. We call her ‘Kitten’ because she is perpetually youthful.

 

 

I love these LED candles so much. They don’t blow out when we use them outside, and the leftover wax from real candles gives them a little something extra I think.

They each take 2 x AAA batteries which last for aaaaggggeeesss too. Yay!

Who’s excited for the New Year? It’s so fun to dream of 2024 and all the plans and goals. Fun, gentle, and enjoyable plans and goals that is :)

It’s such an effervescent time of the year too. I hope your New Year's Eve was relaxing and fun, and that you got to do something special as well. 

 

xx Fiona

 

PS. My latest book '100 Ways to Be a Chic Success and Create Your Dream Life' is perfect for New Year's inspiration. Order your copy today - in Kindle/eBook or paperback, and create a happy time for yourself :) My motto is to always make things fun and enjoyable, and setting goals is no different.

Order from Amazon Kindle or paperback.

Or order the eBook from my eStore for an Amazon alternative.

 

(My Amazon link is affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at 

no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!)

Big book sale ends soon + your author dreams

:: Holiday Cheers ::

 

Hello chic friends,

 

I took a little time out to celebrate my new book release this past weekend :)

Rugged up with a cozy blanket in my satin pajamas loungewear. As you do.

It is SUCH a nice feeling to have a book completed and put out. You all know the satisfaction when you have finished a project!

And onto the next one! I love the boost that finishing one gives me for another.

I hope my US friends had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. Even though we don't celebrate it here in New Zealand I've enjoyed all your festivities on social media, so thank you for that!

~~

 

 

 

If you have ever wanted to take my online home study course ‘Create Your Dream Life as a Successful Author’, I have a super-fun special offer for you. For Black Friday/Cyber Monday, I am offering 60% off, which makes it $199 instead of $497.

The course is delivered over six weeks, and you get to keep everything forever – all lessons, audio tracks, bonus PDFs etc.

I created this course in 2018 and have pondered updating it over the years, but I haven’t because there are many things in this course that I have forgotten the finer details of now. I do much of what I do almost by autopilot and I know there is a ton of goodness in this course exactly as it is. I don’t want to mess with a good thing!

There is a money-back guarantee for the first two weeks, so if you receive the first two modules and two weeks of bonuses and decide it’s utter rubbish or just not for you, I will happily refund you, minus a small fee that is taken for payment processing (9%).

If you want to give yourself the best chance of success and get serious about writing and publishing your book, join me today and learn how you can create your dream life as a successful author!

(And I also want to say, it's not really 'serious' work. As with my books, this course is fun, playful, light-hearted, enjoyable, and inspiring. If you are like me and can't be bothered doing hard, difficult, dry things, I think you will love my course!)

You can see more details here, and of course enroll if you like.

Use the coupon code SUCCESSFULYOU for your special pricing.

 

~~ 

 

 

I don't just have followers on social media, I have them at home too!

These three doggies trail behind me everywhere.

When I am writing in my office they are there - Daphne and Chloe in their bed under my desk and fluffy white Mickydog sleeps in the doorway like a protective bouncer.

And while I am in the ensuite having a lovely long shower and moisturising session they all lie on the bedroom bench waiting for me. So cute! We will have to have the top of the bench seat recovered one day but that's another story... so many paw prints!

You'd think it would be relaxing being a dog but no, they are always watching me to see what I'm going to do next. If I do an about-turn in the hall because I've forgotten something we all collide!

And when I go out somewhere they can't go I have the three saddest faces looking at me. Even if I'm only gone an hour they give me the biggest welcome home too. Micky runs and gets a toy for me.

They really are adorably co-dependent!
 

My friend Jennifer talked about 'Velcro dogs' haha these ones certainly are! Do you have Velcro dogs too??? Tell me a cute story about them :)

 

~~

 

And, it's the final days for my big once-a-year book sale too. Prices go back to normal on the weekend for both paperbacks and Kindle/eBooks.

 

 

You can make some last minute purchases to set you up for a fabulous 2024. What better person to invest in and work on than yourself? I love self-development and that's why all my books have personal development principles running through them, in a fun, feminine, soft way of course. It's my favourite way :)

You can find all sale books here on Amazon, Kindle and print.

And for an Amazon alternative you can download all titles in eBook format from my eStore here.

My books are on various topics, but all come under the umbrella of living a beautiful life without spending a ton of money. They are a blend of cultivating a fabulous mindset, and of elevating our daily life and surroundings with luxurious touches. Plus, everything has to be fun and easy, because why would we want to do it any other way?

I hope you enjoy the sale, and if you have any friends that you think might like my books, please share this message with them!

And, let's all go for our goals and create our dream life!

xx Fiona

PS. My Amazon link is affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!

New book out now!

:: NEW BOOK OUT NOW ::

 

Dear chic friends,

 

Yay! I'm so happy to announce that my newest book is out now, in paperback and eBook.

'100 Ways to be a Chic Success and Live Your Dream Life' is all about going for your goals and living how you'd really love to live, but in a soft, gentle, feminine, enjoyable way.

In it I share all my little success tips - both mindset and practical - on how I have created my dream life. Don't worry, you won't have to become a homebody self-published author if you don't want to! But you will find out what you DO want and how to get there. And above all, you will enjoy yourself as you do so.

I hope you join me in this book. It was fun to write and really motivating too :)

If you need a boost of inspiration, you can find the paperback and Kindle copies at Amazon here.

And for an Amazon alternative the eBook is in my eStore here.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and happy reading!

 

xx Fiona

(My Amazon link is affiliate which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. Thank you if you choose to do so!)

Reader Q&A - Cultivating Your Secret Garden

 

Hello dear chic friends!

 

After my busy time, I have been easing into the Christmas season with little decor touches around :) I'm not putting up my proper Christmas tree this year but I have small things displayed, such as these pillows.

Are you going all out? Or doing 'Simple Christmas' like me? Both are perfect :) I love the all-out look, but this year I am keeping it simple.

 

 

The view on our dog walk this week

 

Reader Judy asked: ‘Can you do a post on your Secret Garden idea. please. Love it and would like a bit more detail if possible. Loved your book on Summer and will be using many of your ideas. Thanks.’

In my book ‘Thirty Chic Days’ there is a whole chapter dedicated to this topic and it’s in ‘Day 5. Create and guard your secret garden’. In this chapter I write: ‘A secret garden is that sacred, private place where you are free to dream about your greatest desires safe from the judgement of others.’

Have you ever had a delicious idea – perhaps it was a new outfit style that is quite different to what you’ve worn before, or even something major such as a change in career. And you are so pumped with the thought of it that you can’t stop talking about it to whoever is closest to you. By the time you’ve explained it, all the energy has gone from it because you’ve let it out. And the person you were talking to isn’t so enthusiastic either, because they can’t see the vision that you do.

Plus, if you’re just blah blah blahing all your ideas to everyone all the time, you’ll be that flakey girl who is all talk and no action.

This scenario has happened to me more times than I can count, and that’s why I recommend letting new ideas incubate in a safe space – your own mind – before you let them out into the world. They are like a tiny seedling that needs coddling and protection to start with.

So next time you have a lightening bolt idea, write it in your journal, expand upon it with more detail, and move in silence. Become known as the person who is always trying new things without necessarily having to get the buy-in of those around her. People will be intrigued, and you will enjoy yourself more as well as finding it easier to do your little mini self-improvements here and there.

There is more in Day 5 of Thirty Chic Days, so if you haven’t read that yet, check it out at Amazon here.

Thanks so much for your question, Judy!

 

And, I look forward to seeing you next week - Christmas week! Eek! Are we ready? Of course we are :)

xx Fiona

(My Amazon links are affiliate, and via Amazon Smile which donates money to the ASPCA. The price you pay isn't any different, so thank you if you choose to use my links

 

New spring clothes for moi, and my journal organizing tips

 

Hey everyone! I bought two new spring tops last week and they made me feel so happy and cheerful!

This one is slightly silky and the other is a light weight knit. Something I love about having a wardrobe that is not too big is that I can buy new items without guilt.

I hope you are having fun choosing some new season items whether they are for autumn or spring. Let me know what you’ve got lately!

 

~~

 

 

Obviously I am having ongoing problems with Jessica and my journaling time!! She loves to help 😂
 

A lovely reader wrote to me with her dilemma:

“How do you organize your notes, research, ideas, journal entries, etc? I find that, when I am doing some journal writing, I often get ideas for seasonal projects, or something I want to research, or a product I want to find. All my notes end up in my journal and unorganized. In order to find a note I waste a lot of time digging through journal pages. My favorite method to capture thoughts is in writing, with pen and paper. How do you keep your notes and ideas separate, but organized, and easily retrievable?”

I thought this was such a great question, and I actually have a loose system I use. Keeping different things in only a few places is what works for me. For example, I have:

:: A daily journal that I write in every week. I date the page and write my current inspiration or brainstorm inspiring ways to upgrade an idea of my life that I want to work on.

:: The same kind of document on my computer which I call ‘Fiona’s Journal’. When I am more in the mood to type my inspiration, I use that. I also date each entry here.

Mostly I use the ‘one journal’ system. I don’t have tons of journals because then I really would get into a mess. If I want to look back over my notes, I can generally find what I want. It’s more inspiring for me to have everything in together 😊

Something else I do which is separate to journals, is to save inspiration snippets into folders on Pinterest. Often these are private folders just to house certain topics. You could even photograph notes to put there so everything is saved all together, and you can access it at home or out.

I hope this helps, and if you have any tips on what works well for you, please chime in too!

 

~~

 

 

 

I took this photo the other day because it was so icy here : 4 deg C (39 F) at breakfast time. Can you see the snow on the distant hills? It was a beautiful day though, it always is with a frost or near-frost.

It's Friday here tomorrow and I often join my mother and aunt in town. They always meet up on Fridays for lunch, and when my grandmother was alive the three of them would - it's a tradition that has lasted decades!

My uncle called it 'the triangle lunch' and if someone else like me went along it became a square.

When it was just my aunt and mother we called it a straight line.

But when I'm there it is a triangle again! I find all the shapes funny and cute, but it's also just part of the family vernacular now.

And I've been writing this week. My next book is shaping up nicely, and I have the cover saved as wallpaper on my computer. It is SUCH a beautiful cover, I love it. I just can't show you yet sorry because I want it to be fresh with the book :)

Whatever your day brings, I trust it will be fabulous. And if it's not, see how you can bring a sparkle into it. You have the power!

 

xx Fiona

 

 

PS. You can find all my books on Amazon here or through the images below 😊

 

 

 

 

 

(If you use my Amazon links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much if you choose to!)

September Update

My sister made me a beautiful - silk! - mask to wear when I need to.

 

Dear chic friends,

I have received some messages of concern – “where are you!” and I am sorry to have caused worry for any of you.  I am perfectly well, and don’t have the covid or anything like that.  I am just naturally quite a shy person, and sometimes don’t find it natural to be online all the time.

In a perfect world I would wrap myself up in my book writing and only pop out to say, ‘There’s a new one here!’ then scurry back into my tucked-in little nest.  But life is not like that, is it?  We all have to get out of our comfort zone and be present.

I have been writing yes, and have a new book that is currently in the editing process.  I’ve also been having a lot of thinking time, and wondering what new projects I want to do next.  I have also been considering just how my future plans fit into how I like to work best.  Also, I’ve been doing a lot of journaling and private self-development work which feels indulgent, but heck, why not.  Just writing in a notebook and seeing what comes out.  It’s free and fun and yields fascinating results.

We are coming out of winter here in New Zealand, and it’s nice to feel that spring is just around the corner.  Today is a deliciously drizzly day – so cozy!  Our country is currently in lockdown, not so bad where I live, but our biggest city – Auckland – is fully locked down and has been for many weeks.  We ‘only’ had 2-3 weeks of full lockdown here by comparison.

I sincerely hope you are well and happy, and wish you the best of the new season whether you are going into spring or autumn.  And I will continue on with my next book and hopefully have it ready for you soon!

~~ Fiona ~~

PS.  You can find all of my books here on Amazon.  I’m not surprised that ‘The Peaceful Life’ has been my most popular book since it came out.  We could all use some soothing at the moment as our worldwide phenomena rolls on.  But for many places there is light, so we cling to that.  xx

 

 

 

Day 2: A Week of Christmas Self-Care

 

Day 2: A Week of Christmas Self-Care

~ Let yourself be light ~

There has been so much to worry about this year, and the new year is completely unknown.  We look forward to the 1st of January as a fresh slate for our goals, dreams and plans, but I'm sure I am not alone when I say I am approaching 2021 with trepidation and thoughts of, 'What the heck next!!'

Yes, definitely do everything you can to keep yourself and those around you safe, but beyond that, forget about what's happening in the wider world.  Switch off the television, delete news apps from your phone and don't buy into the scaremongering.  Do you know what doesn't sell well?  Good news.  Calm news.  Relaxing news.  Feel-good news.  Facts are sensationalized and made extreme because they are the headlines that will catch our attention.

Don't buy into the crazy.  Create your own bubble of well-being where you can feel light, optimistic and hopeful.  Lavish love on your family.  Care for your home.  Read happy books and watch fun movies.  Don't scare yourself silly with gruesome horror stories or work yourself up into a frenzy over what 'could' happen in the future.

Make plans, even travel plans!  I can't wait to visit New York City, visit the Sagrada Familia in Spain, and have an extended holiday in England one day.  It doesn't matter if we can't do any of those things now.  There is time.  And in the meantime my husband Paul and I watch YouTube walking tour videos on tv instead of bad, sad and scary news.

And if it turns out that we never leave New Zealand again in my lifetime, that's okay too.  My happiness is not dependent on outside factors.  Of course, to a certain extent it is, but mostly not.  Dirty water becomes clear by leaving it to sit still, not by shaking it more.  Let your mind become still and clear.  Let yourself feel light and festive.  Find a pocket of calm in the corner of your mind and dwell there for a minute.

Sometimes I just lie on the carpet at home and close my eyes for a few minutes and breathe. The lying down makes a difference!

See you tomorrow for Day 3.

xx Fiona

PS.  Of course my newest book 'The Peaceful Life: Slowing down, choosing happiness, nurturing your feminine self, and finding sanctuary in your home' is the perfect accompaniment to Day 2.  Check it out at my Amazon affiliate link here if you haven't already :)

My secret success tip :)

I had a big box of my paperbacks arrive this week, and it was like Christmas opening them!  It was lovely to see all my new covers together, and my new book 'The Chic Author' too.  I have already posted three books off to readers in Australia, who can't order from their Amazon.  If you are in New Zealand or Australia and would like me to post you a copy rather than have it sent from the US, just email me with the titles you are interested in at: fiona-at-howtobechic.com, for availablity and pricing.

The chapter I have had the most feedback on in 'The Chic Author' is 'Chapter 10: Write fast', and I'm not surprised.  Doing anything quickly is my secret success tip it seems.

Whether it's reorganising the pantry, writing a chapter or doing a task I've been putting off, doing it with speed brings me the best results.  Instead of doing a substandard job, the opposite is true, plus I bypass my analytical mind and don't overthink things.

Doing something fast gets me motivated and moving!  I can't moan to myself 'it'll take ages, I don't have time', because if I give myself, say, thirty minutes to something (and even set the timer), I get it done in that time.  It's quite magical.

This is a winter’s day view from my office this week as I finish up editing my newest book ‘The Chic Closet’.

When we first moved into our home three years ago (I know! Time flies!) I set up my office on the other side of the house. The side with the swoon worthy views over apple orchards and vineyards. But I ended up moving to the driveway-side and love it. It’s weird, but because I can see the road I feel part of the world which is nice.

This is our very first daffodil, and a fully loaded lemon tree :)  We also have oranges, tangelos and mandarins.  I love the coziness of winter and nature’s bounty too.

I hope your weekend is going well and that you are safe and happy wherever you might live.

xx Fiona

~~

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