Joy and Happiness

I love quotes, so much so I have a diary of quotes that I refer to often.  Recently, my sister and I had a conversation about happiness and she shared a quote she heard on rebroadcast of Super Soul Sunday with Shawn Achor: "Happiness is the Joy we feel striving towards our potential ". Love that!

This aligns perfectly with my  "year to dare"  2016 state of mind as I am happy, joyous and excited about my vision for the new year. At the same time, fearful, cautious  and  apprehensive thoughts infiltrate my pysche as well. As  the seesaw of emotions totters within me, I make a point to focus on the bubbling joy, rather than allowing fear to consume me.

About 5 years ago, I realized that I had a book inside of me begging to get out. Although, I wasn't sure just what type of  book, I just began writing  from within. Three years ago, things started coming together and I have been working on it passionately ever since. Yet there's a small part of me that doubts the message, my abilities as a writer and whether or not future readers will be receptive. With trepidation, I forced myself to attend a writer's group and  writer's conference in search of feedback. Suffice it to say, for the most part I have remained protective and that protectiveness is rooted in fear. This year, I vow and dare to do better.

As I strive toward my potential, I can prevent self-sabotage and indecisive behavior from taking over.  It's only normal to feel angst and discomfort as we push ourselves beyond our comfort zone, right? Remaining mindful and present of all we are feeling, especially when feelings are at opposite ends of the spectrum,  can be a beautiful blessing, don't you think? It allows us the opportunity to acknowledge and recognize fear for what it is, disengage from it, so that we can press on.

So how about you? Experiencing any tug of wars from within? What or how do you keep the negative thoughts and feelings at bay?

Happy 2016!

Happy New Year!!!!  From the start 2016 had a very different feel so I decided to do something different than my usual end of year/ new year reflection. 

Instead, I gathered past issues of my favorite magazines, got down on the floor, kid style, and started collaging my thoughts. 

No resolutions  for me, just a promise.

A promise to play
  with an open mind and heart
to dream
  with no limits
to do
  without fear or expectations
or not do
   wallowing in stillness when necessary
to continue to recognize
   joy in the ordinary
to approach everything
    with all that I have and all that I am
and to make
  every moment count!

That's it! A simple promise. So many ideas and things I want to accomplish and feeling very optimistic!

My 2016 be a good year for all.

Do you have any plans for the coming year?

Opening a Drawer to Thankfulness

Nothing gives me more pleasure than making with whatever you find lying around. And so an orphaned drawer turned Thanksgiving centerpiece remains on the table because like many simple things, it makes me smile.

I was planning to construct a box from leftover pieces of wood, however,  in my search for suitable pieces of wood, I found  this drawer and thought, why not?

Found some old hardware and wooden knobs and well. 

Removed the drawer front and decided on the round pull. Cleaned it up just enough to retain it's old world charm.

Reinforced the bottom and added the knobs for feet.

Made some chalkboard paint using some leftover unsanded grout and flat paint.

So simple and quick. Using what you have makes for the best kind of crafting.

Yep,  our official day of giving thanks is over, however, this drawer will remain open as a reminder to bask in thankfulness all year long.

A Little Holiday Angst

I love the holiday season, really I do, but it seems like every year it comes around faster and faster. No sooner than you pack away the holiday decorations, then it's time to pull them out again and start all over. Is it just me who feels that way? I sure hope not.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love that the  focus is on blessings, family and food. Speaking of food, although there is nothing better than sitting down to a nice spread,  quite honestly, I find the process of getting it to the table a bit overwhelming. I envy people who look forward to preparing their holiday meals. For me, however, by the days end, I'm exhausted. I sound like a holiday Debbie Downer, don't I?  I assure you, I'm not.

Now when it comes to table decor, that's where I love to dwell. Although my table never looks quite like the grandiose ideas and pics I see in blogland and on Pinterest, I have to say I sure have fun trying. LOL.

I love tablescapes, however, I don't love the storage requirements that come with accumulating tabletop accessories and multiple sets of dinnerware. Instead, I prefer to repurpose  reinvent, rearrange and use what I have. I have to say, it's extremely hard to resist all that retail tabletop goodness, especially around the holidays, but I'm getting good at doing just that.

I love this centerpiece box. I am putting this on the top of my DIY to do list.

You can find instructions for this one at The Idea Room.

I'm on the hunt for grey plaid napkins. I'm turning into gray fanatic.  Haven't found any just yet so I might even settle for a grey print or solid grey.

I found these linen napkins at Anthroplogie. The color description reads neutral but they sort of have grey undertones, I think.

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Although they are adorable, the $118 price tag, most definitely is not. Ouch!

And since blue is my other favorite color, these caught my eye as well.

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This lovely is $12. A set of 6 for $72? That's still a little pricey for napkins. Perhaps, I will  resort to making them as well. Hopefully, it all will come together in time for the big day.

How about you? Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Do you enjoy the large meal preparation?

An Unexpected Presence

Hey! Where did you come from? I didn't plant you. You planted your own seed. You arrived all on your own.  So unexpected. But noticed and welcomed by me.

I cleared the garden for the winter soon to come.  You're all alone, thriving on limited sun and unpredictable temperature changes characteristic of fall weather.

I will water you, notice you and appreciate the surprise of your unexpected presence.

Repurposed T-shirts

Can you recognize the origins of this crocheted piece?




I don't know why, but I have a fondness for undershirts, specifically white undershirts that are no longer suitable for their intended purpose. Yet after they have yellowed or lost their shape, their softness lingers, making them deserving of repurposing.

I wanted some color so I dyed some of them in varying shades of blue and grey.

Next, I ripped the shirts into strips and started crocheting the strips together. Since I was making a bath mat, I wanted to capitalize  on the natural  softness; however, the softness disappeared into the texture.

I needed some inspiration and happened upon this Pin.

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Immediately I was smitten and used some blue yarn I had laying around to try out this technique.

I like the result, however, due to the thinness of the yarn there was openings I really didn't want. I will have to invest in some thicker yarn and give it another try.

I do enjoy the experimental  phase of  maker projects; it gets the creative wheels turning,and imagining different scenarios while incorporating inspiration all around. It doesn't matter that things don't work out as intended. Making is a process that doesn't need to be rushed but savored.

To be continued......

What have you repurposed lately?

Tiny Living

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I am in love with tiny homes. How about you? Although not for everyone, I finally realized why I am in awe of them; they require you to live consciously and with intention. 

The limited space forces you to make hard decisions about all of your possessions, choosing the ones that matter most. Each choice has to be necessary and everything has to have a purpose. 

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I am drawn to tiny house living because it reminder to rid my home of the needless stuff that is not serving a real purpose so that I live life with only the possessions that reflect my intentions as well.

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I’m thrilled that HGTV has tiny house programming. Multi-function design ideas are necessary for the small space footprint, DIY construction, solar panel technology and mortgage free lifestyle is so engaging.  

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I know it looks cozy and wonderful on the big screen. In reality, it will most likely remain a fantasy I will forever entertain in my head. Just the same, tiny house living is a great source of ideas for anyone that lives in a space challenged home where square footage is almost as precious.

How do you feel about the tiny house living? Fad or here to stay?