self love in 2018

December 30, 2017 by Taryn Antoniou in healthy living, inspiration, love

always, around the new year i feel this surge of creativity. this hint of inspiration to write and to paint again. it must have something to do with all the time off from work. it frees my brain up to think about and to feel the energies that make me tick.

i really dislike nye itself, but what i do love about a new year is the chance for a clean slate. the opportunity to create new goals. 2017 was rough for a lot of people. it brought a lot of challenges to my life both personally and professionally. 2017 really, in all sense of the word, challenged me. it also brought so much love and sense of purpose to my life. it brought the decision to spend the rest of my life with the man i spent my life waiting to meet. the man that makes me feel incredibly loved, supported, and respected. 2017 really shook things up. i think when we get comfortable in life we tend to coast. we tend to forget about things that excite us and entice us, and it's hard to remember the things that we are passionate about. what i'm trying to say is that 2017 drudged up a lot of painful bad feelings but it brought a lot of people to life again and gave them a sense of purpose.

my new goal and resolution in 2018 is simply to be kind to myself, and this means a lot of things, and i'll list them out..

stop insulting your body
love and appreciate where you are in life
know that you are intelligent (as i spell intelligent wrong about 3 times)
trust your gut
don't allow yourself to be bullied
don't feel like you have to react if someone challenges or confronts you.. you owe it to yourself to gather your thoughts
stop overthinking other people's possible actions, thoughts, or behavior.. you can only control yourself so stay peaceful and mindful
work out simply because it makes you feel confident and good, inside and out
be thoughtful about what you consume both physically and mentally
know that you have a skill set that can't be taught

zach and i recently started leasing a car and now have sirius radio. we have been listening to a lot of howard's 'best of 2017' interviews and it helped me realize something that is both obvious but important. i learned that no matter who you are, how famous you are, what your job title is, how talented you are, everyone and anyone can feel intimidated by someone or insecure, or second guess themselves, and feel like what you have to offer just isn't good enough. i'm sitting there listening to these people who i see as confident, smart, and insanely talented feel less than and i'm like completely dumbfounded by it. but it shows me that i am not alone in my feelings and that as an outsider it seems crazy. i want, in 2018, to look at myself the same way i see other people. i want to see myself as a talented, inspired, smart, confident woman. i want to be my best self, especially as i enter into marriage. it is a process but i've been my best self once before and i can do it again. 2018 will be about self love and respect and i will enter in as i enter every new year, with optimism and love.

interior inspirations: paris

April 07, 2015 by Taryn Antoniou in childrens rooms, decor, flowers, home, home decor, inspiration, interior design, interior inspirations, love, wall art

Now THIS... is the second theme for the children's rooms that I am styling. Paris. This was the first concept board that I came up with. My first step was to get far away from the cheesy Eiffel Tower furniture and accessories that you would find in Homegoods and create a more updated and modern design concept. I wanted it to be graphic and bright and super girly! Oversized floral with details of gold against thick black and white stripes. I think for an initial jumping off point it was great and it got the creative juices flowing. After analyzing it a bit it was a little too "girl in her 20's". When I go back in I will be sure to sprinkle some innocence and cuteness into the mix!

This is SUCH fun project. I can't wait to meet the little girls! Their mother tells me that the oldest loves to draw and has been looking through my illustrations. That seriously melts my heart.

inspiring sundays

January 25, 2015 by Taryn Antoniou in brooklyn, decor, Food, healthy living, home decor, inspiration, interior inspirations, Local, love, nyc, store design, sundays, wall art, weaving, yoga

Today I found some inspiration on Franklin Street in Greenpoint. Sadah and I had the most adorable brunch and then walked around. We hit up People of 2morrow, Home of the Brave, a few other cute home decor shops. The store designs were all just as beautiful as the product. Makes me excited for the day that I have a whole house to design instead of just one room.

I also got closer to finishing my frame wall. Very excited about that. I think I need maybe three more and my collection will be complete!

So the shopping therapy was taken care and now we take care of the mind and body...

Lately I've been doing two videos a night. That's just how I function... I'm in my zone and I want to keep going. Day 10 was nice and is why I love these videos so much. They are challenging but they also allow you to relax and not feel like you have to have this crazy difficult work out everyday. It's nice. I also just think she's hysterical.

I hope some of you have tried these videos or at the very least they have inspired you to get out and move around in your own way. One of my best friends, who was also a yoga instructor, would always encourage me to just simply move around a little. It doesn't take much to release stress and make your body feel good.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

baby's first painting

June 22, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in sundays, astrology, art, horoscopes, illustrations, love

Everette Mica Rhee was who inspired my horoscope series. My little Aries inspiration. She is the brand new daughter of one of my closest friends. I knew I wanted to paint her something and I wanted it to be a subject that would be relevant throughout her life. When I showed her the painting she could not stop scanning it side to side and then smiling. Aries was officially baby approved. That moment made my stomach drop.

From meeting Evers yesterday, I get it. I totally and completely get it. She is perfect in every way and all you want to do is stare at her and hold her. It was a cool and strange realization when I was holding her last night. This age is pretty cool. You get to see the people you love the most having mini versions of themselves that you can hold and cuddle. It's pretty amazing in every sense of the word.

Evers and Jess were just too photogenic to not include photos of them.

The illustration was done in pen, ink and watercolor. The frame is an authentic vintage frame I found at an antique store back in Massachusetts (that kind if vintage look can't be replicated). I have been holding on to the frame for a while now and it was always the odd man out when it came to my wall decor. Now I know why... it wasn't meant for me it was meant for Evers. I adhered paper flowers onto the frame to give it a softer look. I really think it came out quite nice!

Happy Sunday!

love in the new moon

March 30, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in tarot, love, sundays

As a hobby.. and sometimes to make huge life decisions.. I read tarot cards. The tarot deck I love and know so well is The Enchanted Tarot by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber. The book and teachings are very easy to follow but really, it was the illustrations that really reeled me in. I am someone who proudly judges a book by its cover and to be honest, it has worked in my favor. It is part of my job to buy books that will never be read and will only serve as a visual prop. So don't judge.

The card illustrations are so beautiful that I have played with the idea of buying another deck so that I can frame some of the cards. If you are into tarot I highly recommend this set.

Last night I did a Three Level Spread for myself. The Three Level Spread offers knowledge of your past, present and future as well as your mind, body and spirit. As many people do I asked a question involving love. My present was the Ace of Hearts which, by definition, is Love.

The book tells of each card in three parts. It tells of The Dream, The Awakening and The Enchantment. The Dream is basically the story and concept behind the card. The awakening is the actual straight-to-the-point meaning of the card and the enchantment is basically a little ritual you can practice to enhance your reading. They say... if you preform "The Enchantment" of the card you see as the most appropriate, then it helps to "reinforce your awareness of, and belief in, the unseen forces that surround you." Now I know this sounds like a bunch of witch craft cult shit but all they really are, are just little forms of meditation.

I thought the one for the Ace of Hearts was particularly nice, especially for a Sunday night. It also involves the new moon, which incidentally, is tonight!

Ok it's either this.. or I sign up for OkCupid... or do both!

If you think this is ridiculous or just plain silly it's totally fine. However, it is important to enter a new moon phase with an open heart and an open mind. Have a wonderful Sunday and a great week. Namaste.