Living a Beautiful Life

Alexandra Stoddard is a breath of fresh air for me. Any time I am feeling down or blue I pick up this book "Living a beautiful life", and I instantly smile. Everyone should have this book.

As a former working mother (working outside the home, I mean), I am grateful for books like these. Having been raised by one of the first working mothers in the 1970s, I didn't learn all the skills of homecaring, or the little niceties that make like more enjoyable and beautiful for myself and my family. Like one of the guys, I was sent out into the world of business and expected to compete there. I did, but I was miserable and felt something was missing from life.A good friend gave me this book as a gift -- and what a perfect gift it was, at the time I most needed it. Yes, the ideas are simple, and perhaps, to some, this whole domestic goddess thing can be "syrupy" as one reviewer put it. So sue me -- but I love being at home, love rediscovering what it's like to live like a human being, not a "human doing", and to make my home a place of beauty. I love this book, and plan to give it to other women like myself, and I will be looking for more like it!

"Living A Beautiful Life" provides simple do-able touches for making your life a little more special. Alexandra Stoddard's ideas do not involve complicated projects using special ingredients or materials that you can only acquire in New York City and Beverly Hills--or for a ridiculously outrageous price from her own store. I discovered her book when I a broke writer and continued to incorporate her ideas when I was a broke grad student. "Beautiful Life" is arranged with special ideas for the main rooms in your home--living room, bedroom, kitchen, bath. Ms. Stoddard's conversational style makes it an easy read, and each chapter includes "grace notes"--simple things that you can do without spending a fortune. In a sense, she encourages ordinary people to experience the zen of decorating--doing something special for yourself, doing some tiny extra to make things a little more attractive. Her ideas are as simple as putting your apples or lemons in a glass bowl in your refrigerator instead of hidden away in the vegetable drawer. Writing with a fountain pen or picking up a seal and sealing wax for a special addition to personal notes really do make thank-yous feel like less a chore. She provides great ideas for getting organized without making it feel like work. Much better than anything I've seen from Martha Stewart!

I really love this book; it appeals to the senses, with vividly described ideas for pleasures that anyone can treat themselves to - whether it be a painting, a daily journal, a soft blanket, a glass jar with flowers in it, a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables, a bubble bath... there are plenty of ideas. It's about gaining greater appreciation for the things around you, and taking conscious steps to surround yourself with beauty and things that please you. And no, many of these things don't require you to be wealthy to do them.