Valentine 

is pleased to present

new wall drawings and works on paper
by
Judith Braun                                                                                     Linda Herritt

                   










                             
Oriane Stender  
 

 The show opens on Friday January 10
from 6-9

and runs through Sunday February 2
Valentine is open Friday through Sunday
 from 1-6 
and is easily accessible by the L and M
 

style: leopard print coat

  
 

My leopard print obsession reached new heights when I ordered this bad boy online last month.

I've owned leopard print scarves, shirts, skirts, cardigans, dresses and even a toque but a coat was kind of a crazy big step for me. Was I ready to be covered in spots from head to, almost, toe? Yep, I sure was!

This coat is teddy bear soft, cozy, warm-ish (I won't be wearing it while walking Lucy in minus 25 weather that`s for dang sure) and most importantly, I feel chic wearing it. Consider me coat-struck, people.

Here it's styled for running errands or reading magazines for free at Chapters, but for a night on the town with my mister, I'd like to give this inspiration ensemble a go.

Hope you're all doing well and aren't too flustered Christmas is only 9 days away! Here's to a fantastic week ahead!
_____________________
Coat: Zara (similar)
Shirt: J.Crew
Jeans: Anthropologie
Lipstick: Mac's All Fired Up

happy birthday, scott!

Dear Scotty,

Happy birthday! I love you to pieces, dude. You make me laugh, give spot on advice and make a mean grilled cheese. You're hilarious to gossip with and such a joy to confide in.

Most importantly, you're my favourite pal. Thanks for always making me happy when skies are grey.

Love, Dajo

P.S. Thanks for bringing back the beard (:

Card via Slice of Pie Designs. This one's pretty fab, too.

Valentine is pleased to present

new and recent paintings

by

Todd Bienvenu & Gili Levy

with

Katherine Bradford

Opening Friday December 6 from 6-9

The show runs through December 29

Gallery hours are Friday � Sunday 1-6

and by appointment.

The gallery is easily accessible by the L and M line.

 718 381-2962
valentineridgeood@gmail.com

navigating the roads of friendship

I�ve been struggling with a challenging friendship situation. And while part of me wanted to just continue on with things, without any real resolution, I knew that wasn�t the best way to handle the situation. It didn�t feel right to continue hiding my feelings (I�m not very good at that to begin with since I wear my heart, well, my entire being, on my sleeve).

 Instead, I took the advice of St. Paul who expressed this universal principle beautifully:

Everything is shown up by being exposed to the light, and whatever is exposed to the light itself becomes light. 

Instead of continuing to withdraw from the friendship in order to protect myself or remove myself without any explanation, it was so much better to discuss my feelings and needs with my friend, openly and honestly, without any pretense or bullshit. There was much more to be gained than lost and this was definitely a friendship worth mending.

Now that we�ve talked and I�ve shared my feelings, I no longer have anything to hide, protect, or project. The darkness has disappeared and everything has come into the light.

And you know what? I also feel lighter mentally and physically - a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. No matter how the future unfolds, I know I was authentic and genuine and that feels really good.

Ideally, I�d like all of my relationships to be founded on love, trust and reciprocity. With that being said, it�s important to realize that we�re all human, we all make mistakes and we all need forgiveness and understanding. Myself included.

Have you ever had to navigate through a difficult friendship situation? What did you do to improve things? 

P.S. Can you tell I�ve been reading books by Bren� Brown? Highly recommend. And make sure you watch this, too. It�s inspiring and thought-provoking.

anthropologie giveaway

It's my 150th post, friends! And I can�t think of a better way to thank you for your friendship, comments (gosh, do I ever love & appreciate your comments) and support of my consistently inconsistent blogging than with a giveaway.

From now until next Wednesday, enter to win a $50 Anthropologie gift certificate & a box of my favourite Croatian chocolates!

Interested? 

Here's how to enter:

1. Like all kinds of lovely on Facebook.

2. For additional entries, follow all kinds of lovely on Instagram or Twitter.
3. Please leave a comment below for each entry (and tell me what you're currently coveting at Anthro). Don't forget to leave a way to contact you via Facebook, Twitter, your blog or email. 
4. Cross your fingers and check back next week to see if you've won. I'll also announce the winner on Facebook and Twitter.

Yep. It's just that easy. Best of luck!

Update: The winner has been contacted. Thanks to everyone who entered and commented! 

style: the perfect black mini

These two pieces from Joe Fresh are rockin' my boat lately. The black mini skirt is a bit shorter than I would normally wear, but I figure that when worn with tights it's not as scandalous. Did I mention it has pockets? It truly is the ultimate staple -- suitable for almost any occasion, super chic and dare I say, sexy even. I've been wearing it with my ankle booties almost every weekend since I bought it. And the sweater? What's not to love about a soft and comfy camoanimal print (try saying that ten times).

This picture was taken at a random farm outside of the city. I desperately needed a change of scenery a few weeks ago, so Scott and I went for a spontaneous drive in the country. We stopped and trespassed through a farmer's field to get near the hay bales, but only for a few minutes because I was scared we'd get caught. My idea of living on the edge. Well that, and wearing a hat in public.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
________________
Sweater: Joe Fresh
Skirt: Joe Fresh (on major sale, btw I'm wearing a small)
Jacket: Zara (last season)
Tights: Hue
Boots: Aldo
Hat: Target
Purse: Similar
Necklace: Anthropologie (last season)

grateful...

the way is long. let us go together. 

Today, I'm grateful for the people who love me, for those I love and for all of life's experiences -- even the more challenging ones. I'm also grateful to those of you who commented and sent love and prayers after reading my last blog post. This may sound hokey, but I truly believe your positive thoughts and prayers helped bring my brother home from the hospital just in time for Thanksgiving. And for that, I'm thankful.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, friends!

sometimes life can be overwhelming...

I've been feeling a little overwhelmed these past few weeks. Sometimes it's hard being a grown-up, especially an anxious one. 

It all started about three weeks ago when I received a phone call at work letting me know that my brother Ivi had been in a serious motorcycle accident. Since then, my heart has been perpetually stuck in my throat. And most recently, as if we didn't have enough on our plates, Scott and I had our cars vandalized, our garage broken into and a bunch of items stolen. 

I was feeling like I couldn't take one more piece of bad news and then I read this woman's advice on Humans of New York, which I follow fervently. It speaks so beautifully to the strength we carry with us.

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?"
"When a wave comes, go deep."
"I think I�m going to need an explanation for that one."
"There�s three things you can do when life sends a wave at you. You can run from it, but then it�s going to catch up and knock you down. You can also fall back on your ego and try to stand your ground, but then it�s still going to clobber you. Or you can use it as an opportunity to go deep, and transform yourself to match the circumstances. And that�s how you get through the wave.�

So that's what I'm concentrating my energy on these days -- going deep -- while still trying to keep things in perspective.

How are you feeling lately--good, bad, ok? Does this advice resonate with you as much as it did with me?

P.S. After two surgeries, my brother, although still in the hospital, is on the path to recovery. As for the break in? Although it was completely and utterly unnerving, everything can be fixed or replaced. Upwards & onwards, I say!

Top photo from Secret Holiday.

 

Valentine

 is please to present 

Judith Linhares 

and 
Loren Munk

with 
Rebecca Litt  

The opening reception is Friday October 18 from 6-9.

This exhibit runs through November 17.

Gallery hours are Friday � Sunday 1-6

and by appointment.

The gallery is easily accessible by the L and M line. 

 718 381-2962