Homework

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I believe everyone has the ability to be creative in their own way.  Some people crave or yearn for the opportunity to create daily (this would be me), whether it is in food, an outfit, writing, music, work, crafts, making a home, etc.  While others seem to be afraid, and decide they "aren't creative"--or have never viewed their lives as a creative experience.  I hear this often, and I just don't believe it.

We all have a sense or knowing of who we are on some level.  We respond to words and images and people that fill our souls and make us happy.  We feel it and we know it.   This is the beauty of our individuality.  We are divine.  We must connect with it.  If we choose to embrace it, then we can live a uniquely creative life...I love this message of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf...

Celebrate and honor what you discover, take baby steps, and trust the process.  You will find that everything you need is already inside you. Please don't worry about what anyone else is doing--the key is that you will always be different--Always (easier said, then done. Trust me, I know.)  But, that's how this thing works, and I promise, that's the best part about it.  You are you, and they are them. Period.

The exciting (and hard) part is actually doing the work and beginning the discovery process, BUT, what you will discover is that you are unique, and you will LOVE what emerges, immediately--I promise. promise.  I am doing it and I couldn't be happier...in small ways, cause it doesn't happen all at once.

Baby Steps:

What do I like?  Make a list.
What makes me happy? (people, things, activities, etc)  Begin a collection of those things.
What can I connect with on a regular basis that brings creative joy?  Make a commitment to yourself.

xo

Haute Couture

No words....well, just a few... Sophistication. Elegance. Feminine. Gorgeous. Magical....escape to Paris for Valentino Haute Couture Spring 2013 Show--the fabrics, the details--and the setting...I can't take it.  I love it--this makes me so happy.  

I find that when I truly appreciate the talents of others, I am inspired to be a better version of me.

xo

Anticipation...its making me wait

When I do things that are nerve-racking, I get this anxious pit in my stomach, my heart starts beating faster, I can't think clearly and I start to worry with anticipation....fairly typical, I think?  So, my question is this--Why do I get the exact same feelings--and even worse, when I watch my kids do nerve-racking things?

Like trying to qualify in the 800m, this weekend, for example.  I mean, its my daughter, not me.

Instincts, I guess.
And because I have a Mother badge, those instincts come full throttle...sort of like when you're nursing and you "let down" when you hear a baby cry-- and other weird mom stuff like that.  I decided that those feelings come mostly when I see my kids set goals and work so hard to accomplish things in their young life, I start wanting it for them just as much.  I want to see them succeed.  Not because they have to, or because I want them to, but because they want to...its exciting and crazy stressful and fun.

And then sometimes in life, you miss it by 4 seconds--and its still great, because life is about working hard, setting goals and not always reaching them, but walking away knowing you gave it everything you had...over and over again.

What goals are you not reaching, but walk away satisfied?

xo

Where there's a Will

Overcoming obstacles can be super intimidating.  Trust me, I know.  But when you are 2 years old and you watch your older brother swing with delight from that rope swing--you want a piece of the action.

Well, take it from Henry.  It takes some ingenuity, a plan and precise execution.

I love that smile...

What obstacles are you waiting to take on?  Get creative.  Make a plan.  Do it.
{look at the joy that's waiting on the other side}

xo

Hallelujah!

I have been looking for this Annie M jewelry that I made last year since Thanksgiving.

And I finally found it! Whoowho!

Now, when I say I have been looking...I mean I have been racking my brain,  tracing my steps, searching through boxes and praying to remember where I could have possibly put this jewelry...ahh! Thank you and Hallelujah!  I am not going crazy, I mean not entirely...

Now, you are probably wondering where I found it?  The answer might surprise you when I tell you in my kitchen pantry, exactly where I put it when we moved in last year.  Crazy and clever, don't you think?  When I texted my friend to tell her I FOUND it!  She said, "but of course!! Where else do we keep things that are delicious?!!"

So true, and sweet.  Thanks for being so patient, Cheryl.
xo

All about the paint

What is it about face painting at a carnival?  It makes you want to stand in line for 30 minutes just to have some lines drawn on your face.  The idea of having the perfect mustache transforms a little 2 year old into a real Italian sinore.  And a grown 7 year old into a real live cheetah.  Its exciting and thrilling and it just feels right....but the minute we walk in the door, "this stuff is itching my face like caraaazy!, Mom--get it off!"

I love it.

  

This got me thinking--What am I willing to wait for in my life that I immediately disregard?  Is it a waste of time? Or is the experience worth the wait?

xo

Browsing....May 2012

Just some browsing in some of my favorite magazines....and some getting some inspiration along the way too...yippee!

Traditional Home. May 2012

I am loving these horse ribbons...they seem to be everywhere lately...I love how classy and contemporary they look here framed with a simple frame, and the dark matte makes it.  Especially in a really cool grouping of nostalgic pictures and memorabilia.  I always love pulling together pieces that feel masculine, well-traveled and sophisticated for my boys rooms and dens.  I love the richness it creates.

I am in LOVE with prints right now!  The long 70's style maxi dress...perfect.  It looks and feels, soft, feminine--and approachable.  I would totally wear this...today--with the cardigan and some great wedges.  The hair pulled back is a really contemporary feel to this look.

Country Living. May 2013

Again, horse ribbon, framed....so great. Another perfect application.

LOVE this grouping!  The vintage music sheets with the frame and mount is such a perfect vignette (I actually wish the frame was a bit bigger in relation to the grouping, but...).  This could be used anywhere really.  In a little space, or for a cool wedding or party....Love it!

OK.  Genius.  This is right up my ally!  I need a bundle of big coffee table books, and one with these secrets hiding inside...a big spot for the remote and a little one for the apple TV remote....

The large-scale layers are pretty awesome.  I wish I had this door and eagle right now.  They are soo cool paired together!  Again, I love the masculine pieces that add strength and drama to a room.

Slider "barn doors" are going crazy right now.  They are everywhere.  I think this is a cool idea in a bathroom setting with the glass.  I am also, ca-razy for hanging maps right now! I love the texture and colors in a room--the backwards books add some interest in a clever way...

Now, what can you dream up in your own home to make it your own?  Make a secret remote book, buy a map or switch those books around?

Sometimes making little changes can bring you tons of happiness in your everyday life....try it.

xo