Happy New Year Y’all!!! 😘😍 If you are reading this post, you are alive and you’re one of the fabulous and lucky ones who made it into 2018. The last couple of days leading up to the new year, I felt like I was holding my breath. In my own way, I felt I was doing my part in ensuring I made it in. I wasn’t alone in this. I noticed that traffic wasn’t as intense as it usually is. I guess no one wanted to be ‘that’ person who almost did but didn’t see the new year…LOL😂😂 Anyways, I hope you got to spend time with family, friends and just kickback and relax. I most certainly did and it’s time to get back into the flow of things again…Yay!!

A Quick Recap of 2017!

The year was hectic to say the least but equally rewarding. At different points, I felt that I was doing a balancing act and needed an extra pair of hands to handle everything on my plate…but at the same time, it was one of the most peaceful years I have ever experienced. I also learned to sit still, listen to quiet music and just enjoy short moments of peace…I don’t like to use the word ‘tranquility’ because the picture that comes to mind is of a wild bear that needs to be tasered. 😀 😀

The Birth of Periwinkle Starr-Glam Fest!!

There’s no denying it….I love clothes and have always had an eye for fashion and the fun of putting together items of clothing for different occasions. A lot of times, I’ve been stopped at random places and asked where I shopped; where I bought a particular item or just complimented on outfits, even on days where no effort was involved. And being an avid enthusiast, I’ve  always been happy to oblige.

If you’re like myself and millions of other people, you’re busy and on the go almost 24/7. You (like myself) do not always have the time to shop much less scroll through a hundred items on one website only to find one or two pieces that are chic, elegant, practical or fairly decent. 😣😥

Periwinkle Starr-Glam Fest is a site that offers trendy items of clothing and accessories from different vendors that have been hand picked by a team of fashion lovers and trendsetters like myself 😁. We find the needle in the haystack so you don’t have to!! If I won’t wear it, we won’t advertise it. So take some time and check out the website below and let me know your thoughts. Your feedback is golden! We have literally hit the ground running and will keep at it for the long haul.

https://www.periwinklestarr-glamfest.com

Until I come your way again; Be safe and relax your mind because 2018 will be awesome-tastic!!

Periwinkle Starr

Hello Starr readers!! The countdown has begun. I hope you’ve got a game plan for the holiday season which begins with the stress of getting everything done, figuring out a plan to see E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E and getting in extra hours at the gym to offset all the excesses. 😀 Its been very busy lately juggling what almost looks like 10,000 things at once that it feels like I haven’t had as much real estate in  my head to write a new post lately.😌

Most bloggers every now and then tend to have this ‘blank space’ where there isn’t much to write about…’just living every day life’; and I kind of understand what they meant now.

This year has been scandalous to say the least😨 – An example would be the sexual harassment/assault saga that just keeps on giving. From those who use coercion or stimulants to those who have buttons under their desk to trap their desired victims. Now I always thought those buttons were supposed to be alarms in case of danger or robbery 😒😱 …these days you never know what lengths people are willing to go to get to their desired end.

As we wind down to the end of 2017, there are a few things I have taken away from this year as a whole and I’m going to share some of them with you:

• To not be afraid of change. The people who succeed aren’t necessarily the bravest, they’re just the ones who put one foot in front of the other in spite of how they feel.

• Positive energy is essential to long term success – keep your circle of friends and close associates positive. 

• When you make good things happen for others, it comes back to you. The universe never forgets.  🙂

• When going after your dreams; sometimes, riding with your blinders on is the only way to get through to the other side.

• Sometimes, its toughest before a big break; hold the line and don’t give up!

Until I come your way again which will be right before the Christmas holiday, have a wonderful time with your family, loved ones and friends. Tell me what your takeaway from the year is in the comment section below. I would love to hear your own version of 2017. I have started on my decor but still have some ways to go, here are a few pics of my tree 😀

Periwinkle Starr

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Hello Y’all!! Its fun-day Monday and I hope your week has been off to a great start? Happy Veterans day to all those who have laid down their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today. We thank you and we will always remember your sacrifice. Have you noticed there is something festive about the holiday season this year? The spirit of Christmas is already here. 😀 Decorations are going up earlier than normal and the excitement is contagious.

Today’s topic is one that anyone can relate to; whether they have in the past or are yet to figure out in the future. I find that for some people, this comes easy. They were born and as soon as they could speak, they knew what they wanted to do. For others, it comes with first knowing what they like and figuring out if that’s the thing they ‘really’ want to do for the rest of their lives – and if it’s practicable or sustainable. Being an eccentric person myself, finding my place had to come with trying my hands at different things that I loved to do – from arts, clothing, outdoors, food e.t.c This has drawn me to different kinds of people and I have often joked that my friends cannot be friends with each other because they wouldn’t have anything in common. 😀

A Puzzling Reality

I was flying back from a work trip and was seated beside a pleasant gentleman and we got talking about literally everything from countries visited, life, family and hobbies. He worked at a job that paid him to travel all over the world. He had the lifestyle he had always dreamed about and could now afford the luxuries he did not have growing up. He was set for life. As we chatted, I asked him, ‘Do you like what you do’? And after a pause, he said ‘No’, he didn’t like what he did for a living. The money was good but deep down, he wasn’t happy.  😐 I was taken aback. There was a look in his eyes I didn’t see prior. It was as if there was a crack in the facade he had put up and for the first time I could see deep down into his soul. 😦 He could be honest with me because I was a stranger and the probability of our paths ever crossing were next to nil. But still, it was a puzzling revelation.

A colleague of mine is the most compassionate animal lover I have ever seen in my life. This is someone who stopped in the middle of a highway to rescue a stray dog so it wouldn’t be knocked down by speeding traffic. One day after she had finished telling me of her hectic weekend spent at a shelter. I jokingly asked her if she was sure she was in the right profession (architecture) and she jokingly said that many years ago she had seen a palm reader who had told her she would be a veterinarian but she scrapped that for a more prestigious field – architecture – and hates it every day but feels shes too far in to quit.

The Bottom-line.

We don’t all get 120 years to waste rolling around in the hay doing things that don’t count or really fulfill us. Even if you’re stuck doing a job you loathe, find time to do what you ‘REALLY’ love because only then will you truly be at peace. When you lay down at night, you can rest easy in spite of life’s imperfections. You’re content that you’ve found your place in the world!!

Feel free to share your story on your journey to finding ‘your’ place. Until I come your way next time, take care and be safe!

Periwinkle Starr

Hello Y’all! It finally feels like Fall right now…54 °F at last!! The question I ask right now is whether it will stay this way because in Texas, you just can’t ever tell 😀 😀 Anyways I hope your week has kicked off to an amazing start and you ‘kinda’ have your ducks together at least (rows and lines are for the ‘perfect in heart’ LOL). Its been a minute since my last post and I have to admit; its been a lot of long hours juggling work and family but so worth it.

There’s just something about the last quarter of the year that I absolutely love. The holidays start rolling by one after the other. All the craziness starts to wind down but for some, that’s when things actually start to get really busy.

The Big Reveal!!

I have been working on a project that’s very dear to my heart for a while now. Its a passion that I’ve had all my life; something I have always wanted to do for many years now and finally having the courage and discipline to embark on. My goal is to share this with y’all in the coming months and I – just – cannot – wait! And yes, I am literally doing my happy dance as I type! 😀 😀

So please stay tuned for more from Periwinkle Starr and thank you to all who read, like, comment and follow this blog from all over the world – I still have to pinch myself every time I say this – Y’all are amazing!! Enjoy the rest of your week, have fun and be safe!!

Periwinkle Starr

Hello Y’all! I can’t believe its the middle of June already My mind goes back to scary movie 3 (I think it was) where the guy is screaming ‘Nooo!!, with both hands in the air while he’s left behind with that weird dude with yucky fingers and I can’t stop laughing because that’s exactly how I feel about this year running by too fast.

Thank you for all the comments and personal messages on the last post. They meant a lot and I may do a part two on that topic in the near future but this time, my focus might be on progress we’ve made so far – in training ourselves to run in the right direction in all areas of our lives! 😀

Over the last couple of years, we as designers have seen an increase in the need for pet friendly housing projects here in North Texas. The demand has gone up 26 percent especially among the millennial generation. Its so high that our multi-family housing clients require us to have dog parks, wash and groom stations as a vital part of our marketing package which wasn’t the case just a few years ago. In my mind, this is such a positive change that speaks volumes to how we as people have evolved.

But I find that the term ‘pet’ means different things to different people 🙂 What comes to mind when you think of a pet would be a dog, cat, maybe a cute pig, birds, rocks or pebbles (I was perturbed when i heard about having rocks and pebbles as pets but its true). For others, they might go the exotic route by owning a pet that can eat them up just because they forgot to latch a cage door OR the ‘wild animal’ just happened to break free after studiously watching them lock and unlock that cage door a zillion times…ha ha.

I was having lunch with friends a few days back, the conversation turned to pets. Everyone had stories to tell of the good, the bad and the oh so frustrating experiences of past and presently owned pets coupled with the effort plus the responsibility needed to keep them healthy and active as long as we could. There was no denying the fact that the benefits far outweigh the discomfort. Its said that pet owners are happier, they appear to be more active and to an extent less stressed than the rest of the populace 😀 😀 which I think is true. I’m by no means implying that this is the green light to visit the pound and grab the first thing that barks at you just because you can but knowing that animals possess personality traits unique to their breed.  If you happen to work long hours and are out on the weekends or gone for days on end; shoving bowls of food and water at an animal that wants to play, be talked to, cuddled or taken for rides is not going to cut it. You may need to start off with a rock or a bird.

Caring for an animal is such a beautiful thing and you do know that life is so much more  colorful with a pet in it than without. 😀 I hope you have a fabulous week ahead and feel free to share your most hilariously funny pet tales. Until I come your way again, I remain

Periwinkle Starr

Happy- Hump- Day Y’all! I hope your week has been great so far. Its been so much going on but also so busy lately and at this point I wish it was Friday already 😀 We do have Memorial Day coming up so its going to be snooze central in Far North Dallas ha ha! Anyways, I hope the weather is great in your part of the world; a quick shout out to all the Starr readers in Europe, Asia, Africa and the US!!! I am humbled – so much so – that I have to pinch myself each time I look up the Stats and see the different countries representing readers from all over the globe. Just a couple of months back, these posts would have been snippets in my journal or conversations I have with friends or just  thoughts and memories in my head.

Thank you for reading my scribbles, allowing me share my thoughts and my humor, my views, opinions and snippets from my life. There’s so much to come and I intend to ‘blog on the go’ and try to post as often as I can.

If you haven’t already signed up, please do so by clicking the follow icon on the right hand side of your screen to subscribe .

My heart goes out to the victims of the Manchester Attack and their families. May their souls rest in peace 😦 😦

Until I come your way next time, I remain

Periwinkle Starr

Hello All! Hope your week is going really well so far. I will be speaking about something that affects each and everyone of us (myself included) and would welcome your thoughts and comments on it. 🙂 So lets start off with a pop quiz question!

Do you know what the cheapest commodity on the planet is?…And I’m not referring to air because clean air is not even cheap. The cheapest commodity on the planet are “OPINIONS”. And if you stand still long enough, I can bet you there’s someone waiting to dump one on you…because they can. 🙂 ha ha

One of my industry favorites is renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. My fascination with architecture is not so much with bold and complex designs because any artistic individual can draw up the first weird – and often times a tad bit crazy – thing that comes to mind; but how that design is translated into a form with structural integrity…now that is what i call pure genius.

Santiago started out as a young man wanting to be an artist but a series of events led him to architecture school, and then to civil engineering becoming one of the few architects fully trained as an engineer. He has an amazing line up of successful projects over the years; but it wasn’t overnight. He endured many struggles and harsh opinions along the way to become the icon we applaud today. When he was first trying to break into the New York design scene through a showcase which he themed ‘sculpture into architecture’, he is quoted saying ‘ I am not aspiring. I would just like to contribute with a couple of gestures’. It was tough but he was persistent.

When I look in the eyes of little kids, I see dreamers who haven’t become tainted by the opinions and cutting remarks of people, family members, close friends and strangers. As adults, a lot of people have abandoned dreams, ideas and opportunities because someone said it couldn’t be done and had never been done before. A lot of people have been cowered into submission and conformity for so long that they do not know what might have been had they dug their heels in and stayed true to their dreams. The fear of  the backlash that comes with standing up for your dreams and daring to think differently is so strong that a lot of people are content to just tow the line like everyone else.

But guess what guys; as safe and secure that lifestyle might be…realize that we only get one shot at this thing called life and its better to try and fail than to never have tried at all. Its a new year and a new day. Shut out and shut down all and any opinions that are not stretching, challenging or pushing you towards reaching your fullest potential. You are worth it and you owe that much to yourself. 🙂 🙂 So until I come your way again next time, its ciao for now!!

Periwinkle Starr