The last week of 2012 has been a wonderful gift to slow down, reflect, and appreciate all that the past twelve months have been to myself personally as well as here on the blog.

One of the primary concepts of cultivating a simply luxurious life is that every person will create a unique way of living that correlates with their values, passions, loved ones included in their life, and any other detail that is necessary to incorporate when designing an ideal life.

As I went about updating my “About” page yesterday, and tried to remember back three years ago when the blog first began, I realized that while so many amazingly wonderful things have transpired that I could have never fathomed in 2009, the foundation of living a simply luxurious life remains the same – a life of substance, passion, quality, sensibility, sincerity, appreciation and continual growth.

So while I have already written my own resolutions that I will keep to myself, I would like to share with you today on this first day of 2013 what living a simply luxurious life looks like for me. And what I hope you will see is that while you and I may have similar ways of living simply luxuriously, there will also be differences, and that is perfectly fine because that is what makes each of our lives uniquely our own – refusing to follow societal dictates that don’t feel right, and finding the strength to tap into who we are authentically and share these discovered gifts with the world and those we love.

A simply luxurious life is . . .

• . . . making time to have intimate one-on-one conversations with loved ones.
• . . . nibbling on a chocolate truffle late in the evening, paired with a hot cup of lavender tea to help me unwind.
• . . . walking my dogs in the early morning hours as we greet the day (and sniff every nook and cranny – not me, the dogs).
• . . . living in a home that is free of clutter.
• . . . listening to old jazz vinyl records in my living room while reading a book.
• . . . having peace of mind knowing my financial house is in order.
• . . . taking advantage of opportunities to continually learn new and interesting things about my passions and the world.
• . . . writing on signature stationery.
• . . . meeting fellow bloggers and readers who have similar passions.
• . . . exploring the cobbled streets of locales as far away as Paris or as near as the local businesses in my own backyard.
• . . . cooking a pot of risotto while sipping a glass of crisp white wine.
• . . . staying abreast of the news enough to be an active participant if necessary, but not too much as to incur unnecessary stress and angst.
• . . . perusing through a museum to observe a new collection.
• . . . attending a cooking class to channel my inner Julia Child.
• . . . snapping photos on a walk or while visiting a favorite shop or boutique.
• . . . watching taped favorite television shows after a long, exhausting day at work.
• . . . sipping decadent homemade hot chocolate from Colville St. Patisserie.
• . . . slowly but surely decorating my home in such a way that best reflects who I am, but is also welcoming to guests.
• . . . using all white dishes for meals and choosing brilliantly colorful flowers, tablecloths and napkins to accessorize.
• . . . knowing when to use social media and when to turn it off.
• . . . hosting a simple tapas soiree for close friends and family to celebrate important or everyday occasions.
• . . . letting go of what is no longer used (material items) or supportive of the life I’m creating (people, responsibilities, etc) and having the strength to know I am worth it.

I know I could continue, but this is just a taste of how I live simply luxuriously. May you establish your own simple pleasures, rituals and favorite pastimes so that your full potential can be attained and shared. Happy new year everyone and thank you for stopping by. I look forward to sharing with you all that awaits us in the upcoming twelve months.

P.S. If you’d like to share what living a simply luxurious life looks like to you, feel free to list it as a comment below, or snap a photo on Instragram with the hashtag #mysimplyluxuriouslife. I’d love to hear and/or see how you’ve created your very own simply luxurious life.