It is a material world and I am a material girl.

I love bling.  Fabulousness is fabulous to me.  I ain't scared.

Rings, shoes, shades, necklaces- big and dainty, accessories galore.  Clothes that hang well, show the right stuff off, fabric pattern itself an accessory.  It's all yummy to me.

It's art and attitude and expression is priceless.  Especially because it's so beautiful and daring.  There's a pride and security in feeling like what you adorn has that glamour.  Feeling sparkly can give a girl reason to go out and embrace the world, devour the night and make things happen.  (Hair done, nails done, everything did.)

My home is a constantly evolving canvas.  One of my new trinkets or pieces of art sets in motion change throughout the whole house.  If one thing moves generally the whole place is affected.  Each season- now grays paired with one bright accent color- the palette changes, my taste transformed and this habitat no longer what it was days before.  Keeps things interesting.  Fresh.  And so clean, clean.

Likewise there is constantly a new way to decorate my body with clothes, tattoos (yup), and jewelry.  Jewelry is a right of passage.  When my baby was born, I was practically walking around with my finger sticking up, swaying mid-air (kind of like a middle finger- but not) waiting for my husband to slide a new baby present on to it.  I love looking down at my wrists, fingers- any limb, really- and thinking, aww that's from my birthday, or our anniversary, or my first mother's day.  They're beautiful, special, and will play the role of heirlooms in due time.  My daughter will wear the baby bracelet my aunt bought me when I was born for her christening.

What we are drawn to is subconscious on a lot of levels.  But ask anyone who is into fashion or design and they can explain to you that there's is so much more to it than being superficial.  There's a gut feeling to be had when you layer all the right details to create an ensemble.  The whole is grander than the sum of its parts.  The room you've designed makes you feel a certain way when you walk into it.  The clothes and accessories and hair and makeup turns on certain parts of your personality.  It's fabulous- the whole thing.  Such a scrumptious way to manipulate your vibe and reinvent yourself and home.

These feelings have for so long been considered materialistic with a negative vibe to it and I think that's old fashioned, puritanical, and hypocritical.  Self expression is important- what you put out there directly affects your role in this world.  I think it goes against human nature not to partially prefabricate your persona and I think it's ok.  We are incredibly cerebral creatures and thought [typically] goes into every move we make.

I realize that for the most part this does require the collection of material items.  The motivation behind your desire for these things is what defines whether or not it's materialistic though.  There are plenty of empty, superficial people out there who don't have any other reason for obtaining such goods but simply to have them.  But if one uses their gut, their sense of art; if passion clicks in when they find the perfect artifact- then its more than materialism.  It's love.