I Heart .......

Ever think about what you truly love? Family, loved ones and friends aside, can you think of life’s smallest treasures you heart? 

I treasure things that make me smile and if I stay present, immediately, I can feel a surge of endorphins and a mini internal hug.  So here’s my short list of things I heart:

I heart so much more and this list could go into infinity. As I go about my day, I look for things I heart. It ups my happiness factor and helps me stay in present moment gratefulness.

Now it’s your turn! Please tell me what you heart-and the tinier, the better?  

Letters from the Heart

I developed a re-fascination with offline written communication a.k.a. snail mail correspondence.  Do you even remember those hand written surprises and treasures that use to appear in your mailbox and you couldn’t wait to open? What happened to that? Email, texts, posts and tweets just seemed to take over those snail mail delights.

How did this re-fascination begin? Well first, I love pretty stationery and sometimes I just can't help myself. When I see it in the store I just can't resist. So I can't just buy it and then not use it; that would be a tad ridiculous, don't you think? LOL

Secondly, I joined a book club at my youngest son's former elementary school. Although he is about to graduate middle school, I continue to participate because it’s a fun experience and I am reading books that might never been exposed to. Although our discussions are focused on the stories we read, they are infused with our own experiences as well. I truly love connecting with people’s stories, understanding their unique perspectives and sharing my own story as well.

Every year we have a culminating luncheon where all the in Queens, New York book clubs, sponsored by the United Federation of Teachers, come together to share our book club experiences and the books we read in the form of a project, presentation or oral account.  My group decided to do a letter theme project since many of the books we read contained letters as part of the story content.

Each member wrote a letter to whomever they wanted - our children, our younger self or in my case, a high school teacher (I’ll share that in a later post).

The letters are emotional and heartfelt, thus giving way to the title, “Letters from the Heart”.

This experience has inspired me to withdraw somewhat from digital communication, embracing handwritten notes and telephone conversations instead of resorting to email, texts and posts on social media. I find this return to yesteryear, for however long it lasts, is my way of relearning and investing in a one-on-one communication with intention, focus and intimacy - qualities somewhat diluted in our digital exchanges.

How do you feel about the way in which we communicate today versus offline methods? When is the last time you wrote or received a handwritten card, letter or note? 

Time to Garden

It's time to transplant the seedlings outdoors. I started them about three weeks ago from seeds I had left over from last year.  

I thought I give the seedling process another try as I had a successful harvest last summer. 

This year, however, instead of buying a plastic seedling tray, I decided to go into reuse/repurpose  mode and use eggshells and egg cartons to get the seedlings started.  I carefully washed the eggshells in hot soapy water and punched a hole for drainage. If the shell was too shallow, I would stack two of them together to create a taller and wider vessel.

So far I started onions,

Beefstake tomatoes,

and Sugar Daddy peas.

I thought the peas would take longer to sprout because the seed was so large and hard, but it shot up in a matter of days. Look at them now!

I  was hoping to have a vertical garden structure ready before transplanting anything but it looks like I will be in for another season of ground level gardening. No worries, I will continue to dream of a vertical garden oasis and rely on Pinterest to keep me inspired.

What will be growing in your garden? Have any gardening plans or stories to share?

Vintage Rustic Retreat

Do you have a picture or scene that you love to look at? One that just draws you in and almost takes your breath away? A picture that gets under your skin, interacts with every fiber of your being and makes your heart sing?

via  

This picture of a shed turned retreat photographed by Julie Ranee does all of the above for me. I love the colors (that turquoise stove, oooooh la la), eclectic decor and it's vintage charm. It evokes serenity and relaxation.

via

I could see myself sprawled out on that bed, hands behind my head staring into that pitched wood ceiling goodness daydreaming, meditating and refilling my inner peace bucket. I'm smitten, over the moon in love with this room/shed and putting a copy on my dream board. A girl can dream, right?

So what does it for you? Have a special picture or scene that brings you into present moment clarity?

Dish Towel Curtains

I happen to love dish towels. The beautiful prints and 100% cotton fabric tug at my heart strings every time I spot them in the store; I just can't resist; however, I don't just use them for their intended use.

Since I have a small kitchen window, they're just about the right size for curtains. They could be a tad bit longer but perfection is not something I strive for these days.

When I spotted this print in the store, I thought I would trim the lover edge with whatever I could find around the house.  

Don't have a clue when or where this doily collection came from but I thought I could use them in a way that didn't scream "OLD FASHION".

After bleaching them to remove the tea stained color, I cut the scalloped motif from the center section of the doily.

Next, to straighten it out, I made a diagonal cut into each corner, pinned and overlapped the excess together and tacked it in place with a few stitches to create one long piece of trim

The "V" cut out section is hidden by the grosgrain trim I used to attach it to the lower edge.

And there you have it, another simple and easy project that makes me smile each time I glance at it.

Truth be told, my sewing machine wasn't fully cooperating. Perhaps, it was getting back at me for not using it for a very looooooong time. I think some quality time together is long overdue. Sewing use to be such a major and significant part of my life and then everyday life just got in the way. I took it to the repair shop to have it overhauled so it will be ready to go for my next creative idea. Already, I have some ideas brewing in my head for a table runner. Like these curtains, it will be simple, incorporating found materials I already have. 

I find such joy in the smallest of things, so much so, that I devised a new mantra to express my not-so-new found appreciation for life's tiniest moments: Life is about the "small and the now" instead of the "big and the wow".

If any of this resonates with you, from your creative endeavors to your meaningful tiny moments,  I sure would love to hear your thoughts.

When is Enough, Enough?

Last year, I started on a minimalist journey. I made a promise to myself to rid my home of all the excess stuff that served no purpose yet occupying valuable real estate in my home. Yet no matter how much I have donated,sold, given away or recycled, I feel as though I still have a ways to go on this journey.

Excess stuff overwhelms me. I have even pulled back on my Do-It-Yourself projects because it encourages the acquisition of even more stuff. My garage was bursting at the seams and it got to the point where I ran out of space to work. I decided to get real about what I was going to actually complete and use.

Now it's time to cull the bookshelves again. Both my husband and I love books so it's not an easy thing to do. However, it needed to be done and I will be donating these to a local charity thrift store.


 
To avoid this process in the future, I will give ebooks another try and/or use the library a little more often.

Almost done sorting through my children's school and artwork as well. OMG! I saved way too much! I have to say my Neat Scanner made it so much easier to part with some of this excessive sentimental paper in favor of digital copies.

 

And then there are the photos. Oh the photos. Although in chronological order in photos boxes, they're just too many. When is enough, enough? First, I started tossing the duplicate sets, blurry and overexposed shots. Again, a digital solution is where I'm headed. I plan to have the negatives digitally converted; however, I wanted to have the camcorder tapes done first. I can't wait for my Legacy Box to arrive in the mail.

So when is enough, enough? It's going to be different for everyone, of course. For me, however, it's when that overwhelming feeling starts crowding my everyday joy. That's when enough is enough for me and when it's time to act. I refuse to allow excess stuff to steal my thunder. How about you? When is enough, enough?

Have You Met Midori?

First meet Faux-Dori,

cousin to the Midori.Traveler's Notebook. When I discovered it a few days ago, immediately I was smitten.  Midori is a Japanese company that makes the Traveler's Notebook; however, this product is not limited to traveling as implied by the name. Rather, the Traveler's Notebook was designed to become ones "company in the journey called life".

Available in various sizes, ranging from passport size to a larger traveler size, the Traveler's Notebook, aside from being infectious, is an organizational tool with elements of scrapbooking, journaling, scheduling, planning and documenting and so much more. It's simple design, consisting of a leather cover, one or more notebooks and filler accessories (ie. folders, pockets, etc.) allows you to collect your thoughts, ideas and  meaningful remnants of  the everyday in one place with the functionality of easily modifying it's contents to suit your changing needs. How wonderful!

It didn't take long for me to discover it's DIY (do-it-yourself) version, the Faux- Dori, and seize the opportunity to create a special one of a kind personalized notebook. Need I say more?  I am hooked. This design concept is so me! I made two covers already



They can be made from leather, vinyl or fabric. I used a vinyl remnant leftover from a another project.  I adore the simplicity and colorful elastic and of course my favorite word, "dream"; because its my favorite thing to do.

Here is a great "how to " video to show you how to make one.

As for the inside, I will save that for another post but here's a sneak peak; a purchased mini book and a larger one I made below.

In the meantime, I hope you will get acquainted with the "dori" concept and maybe try one out for yourself .  I love, love, love both the Midori and Faux- Dori. Does it appeal to you too?