Welcome!
In the past few months, I have finally been able to pinpoint the ingredients in my recipe for happiness. It's my guess that my criteria for a rich life are not unique to me, and that's what the Pink of Perfection is all about.
A lot of people I know want the same things in life: to give and receive a lot of love (from a cocker spaniel, Mom, or, ideally, a sexy playmate), and find a way to express themselves creatively. I've found that if I can manage to also cook dinner for my friends and loved ones on a regular basis, I am well on my way to to a pretty peachy mood.
From there, a lot of other stuff seems to fall right into place: I find myself having cheerful exchanges with the guy at the deli, the line at the bank bothers me less, and I roll my eyes when I spill my coffee rather than having a Starbucks-style breakdown. In general, I am more present in my daily life and I look more kindly at the world around me. Not a bad worldview adjustment for anyone, I'd say, all for the price of pulling out the knitting needles or inviting a friend over for a slice of lemon pound cake.
I think of the Pink of Perfection as a guide to good living, thrifty la dolce vita. "Thrifty," isn't necessarily about doing things the cheapest way possible, but rather knowing when to splurge, when to pinch, and always being happy with the charming imperfections of doing things yourself. There's no reason why a lush life should come only to those with a plush bank account. When you put your precious time into your apartment, your birthday gifts to friends, your outfit, and your dinner, instead of just handing over dough at the cash register, you're living in the Pink of Perfection.
In the Pink of Perfection, we love the highs (homemade pate and Charles Jourdan) as much as the lows (street hot dogs and three-in-a-pack Hanes tanks), and we adore lots of vintage charm (ladies with gloves and cocktails served with rooster embroidered napkins). We are young, and we live in basement studio apartments with kitchens that may leave something to be desired. We pick up furniture off the street, and we buy chandaliers at yard sales. We plot to make throw pillows for the futon and we roast chickens in cake pans. We have to improvise a lot, but we have a lot of curiosity, creativity, and we love beautiful things.
Personally, I want to turn off my television more often and actively add more beauty to my life with sewing projects, big pots of stew shared with a gaggle of friends, and more red heels. If we're purposefully crafting a life, then we're consciously adding to its beauty. I have one window in my apartment; I need all the beauty I can get. Don't you?
So this website is at once my promise to myself for a creative, yummy, party-packed life, and a place to share those ideas with you. I have some party tips up my sleeve, lots of ideas for crafts with ribbons, and I may even break out the fondue pot.
Lest there be any misunderstanding, the Pink of Perfection is not about doing things flawlessly. I will make mistakes along the way, rest assured, and I will definitely opt for the lazy route in my projects. I'm not a faultless maven of the domestic arts, and I'm still learning along the way, too. After all, perfection is so boring and inert, but the Pink of Perfection -- that's dynamic, totally fun, and imperfectly lovely. So thanks for reading, visit often, and comment as much as you like. Let's play!
--Sarah
Comments
HOMEMADE PATE? Does this really exist? I can't wait for that high. Is that like, keep a goose and turkey baster in your closet, wait two months, and voila?
Anyway - Congratulations Pink of Perfection! Can't wait to keep hearing more on the pink life.
Posted by: Gregor Clark | January 16, 2006 1:44 PM
Sarah makes a MEAN homemade chicken liver pate!
Posted by: Amanda Kazdoy | January 22, 2006 5:17 PM
Wonderful! I can continue to take baby steps out of my academic, monastic lifestyle and into the bright sunshine of the "practical arts". Congrats, Sarah and Sebastian. The good humor and delightful charm of the site make it a smashing success.
Posted by: Patrick Brooks | January 22, 2006 7:34 PM
Well,well...not only the young and restless can appreciate and enjoy the lighthearted, creative, yet practical offerings of this site! Bring them on!
Posted by: Kerry O'Rourke Conley | January 23, 2006 12:38 AM
Sarah McColl is the closest I have ever come to having a spiritual guru. This is a girl who will send you a homemade Valentine, recommend the right shoes for a date and comfort you after the date goes wrong with lines of poetry she has memorized and her last cigarette.
If there is truth and beauty to be found in the world, Sarah will know how to find it and, hopefully, she'll post directions on Pink of Perfection.
Posted by: Emily Hume | January 23, 2006 2:41 PM
How about a recipe for really fudgy brownies?
The Pink of Perfection originated April 17, 1982.XOX
Posted by: Allison Conley | January 23, 2006 10:27 PM
miss pink, this is my favorite show! i can't wait for the pate episode!
Posted by: Katy of the Luke | January 24, 2006 12:16 PM
Bravo, Sarah, bravo!
Posted by: Dawn Anderson | February 10, 2006 11:07 PM
Holy crap, Sarah. I just logged onto Nerve to get a dose of good, old-fashioned titillation and find myself, quite suddenly, face-to-face with your lovely face. You're looking saucy, lady.
Posted by: Loren Smith | February 17, 2006 12:34 AM
Just wanted to add my thanks for a show that brightened up my day.
You are quite the charmer!
Posted by: Velokitty | March 31, 2006 8:29 PM
Hi Sarah,
I am a friend of Alison's from back home. She has been telling me about your website for quite awhile and I finally checked it out. It is so cool! I love it! I have been reading your articles all week. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Emily Austin | April 4, 2006 6:38 PM
Thanks so much, Emily! I'm so glad you like the site!
Posted by: Sarah | April 5, 2006 10:08 AM
we want to be pink too! we love pinkness! your videos make us very happy. so pretty.
*
Posted by: appleturnover | April 20, 2006 1:24 AM
I just discovered your vlog through vlogmap.org (Howdy, neighbor!)and I absolutely LOVE it. Keep it up...
Posted by: Monika | May 2, 2006 11:52 AM
Sarah,
I just found out about this site at 4:07 am at work.
Thank You!
Ilove you site, I will forevr be a fan...I have been trying to describe the feling that comes with giving an awesome homemade dinner party...and this is it THE PINK OF PERFECTION! Thank you for the site...and that DIY horse wall dec...genius!
Eunice
Posted by: Eunice | June 6, 2006 4:11 AM
cutest site ever! i'm so glad i found it :)
Posted by: kristen | June 22, 2006 3:52 PM
Hi! I just discovered your site and wanted to comment on how much I enjoyed watching all the videos! When I was a little girl I used to "Play Martha" and everything I did that was creative or when cooking I would pretend I had an audience. I am so jealous of you! You come across as so lovely and intelligent...and it's really refreshing to see a bright young woman bringing beauty to the world with simple but ingenuitive ideas! Anyway...kudos to you..."Pink of Perfectition" is an AWESOME name and concept and you are a fabulous hostess!
Posted by: Scarlett | June 28, 2006 4:47 AM
What a perfectly charming site! I am absolutely tickled by your cute instructional videos (not to mention your impossibly cute style) Keep up the good work, lovely!
Posted by: all dolled up | June 28, 2006 2:50 PM
I just discovered your vlog through vlogmap.org (Howdy, neighbor!)and I absolutely LOVE it. Keep it up...
Posted by: Motivation | September 3, 2006 5:16 PM
Hello, from Canada, fellow blogger, DIY'er, cook and lover of beauty.
I opened my email today and there you were. Which is to say I thought you might want to know (if you didn't already) that the Globe & Mail's daily "Style Counsel", today has featured you and your website.
Here's the blurb they sent out:
Thursday, March 29, 2007
"HOT LINK: pinkofperfection.com
Let�s get one thing out of the way: Webmaster and blogger Sarah McColl makes the rest of us mere mortals look like a sad bunch of slackers. But we love her anyway.
The adorable overachiever�s online guide to a stylish life, dubbed �The Pink of Perfection,� includes a multitude of tips, recipes, photos and videos on everything from making felt coasters to planning out your ideal spring wardrobe.
Teeming with gorgeous photographs and written in the pleasant conversational style of the cool girl next door sharing her secrets, Pink spills over with juicy content, making us wonder how on earth the spunky New Yorker manages to find the time to do it all.
McColl describes her site as �a guide to good living, thrifty la dolce vita,� but we can sum it up in just one word: perfect. Check it out next time you're procrastinating.
Visit www.pinkofperfection.com.
�Maggie Wrobel"
Super blog which makes me feel better about my own DIY life in a converted attic. I may have no boyfriend and be twice your age almost but I have a cat and 3 windows. Keep up the great work and may you find a place you love with as many windows as makes you happy!
cheers!
Posted by: Dianne | March 29, 2007 12:58 PM
Much like the car talk guys, you have drawn me in to a world I might otherwise avoid (as neither engines nor cake tins naturally elicit my delight :). I just plain feel good when I'm watching your latest installment, and want to thank you for doing what you so plainly love!
Posted by: Susan Benner | April 28, 2007 7:06 PM
Susan, Your car talk analogy is so funny -- I know exactly what you mean. I am so glad that my love for all things POP is so transparent, and that my feel-good feeling spills right through your computer monitor! That is the best compliment I could receive. Thank you.
Posted by: Sarah | April 30, 2007 11:36 AM
Hi! I read about your site in Jane magazine, their 30 under 30. I think you're great! You have really unique ideas and after I read the Welcome section I just fell in love! I'm so glad I've found a place where there are other people just like me :)
Posted by: Randa | June 2, 2007 9:38 AM
Wow! I think I just found my new favorite website. I just stumbled onto by googling "yoga mat bag" because I want to make them for my friends and I. Awesome! We could be new best friends, I swear! I'm going to have fun on your website, I can tell already. THANKS!
Posted by: Lindsey | January 23, 2008 8:12 PM
Welcome, Lindsey! Let the fun begin! :)
Posted by: Sarah | January 23, 2008 11:11 PM
I'm so glad I found The Pink of Perfection!!! I look forward to each and every visit!
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa | January 30, 2008 2:18 PM
WOW I'm surprised that you kind of read my mind
I feel identified by the way you describe your point of view about life
Can't wait to dive into your blog
:D
Posted by: Becky | January 31, 2008 7:09 PM