Under the Weather

My brain is a little fuzzy right now so I'm going to snuggle with Cooper for a while.

 

Image via dogguide.net

Staying Motivated

If the view outside of your window looks like mine then you may feel like hibernating for the rest of the winter. Mr. Groundhog has assured us that we will see an early spring, but for those of us who have piles of snow lining our walkways, well… that’s little consolation. This time of year it can be especially hard to stay motivated, so this weekend I decided to try and change my attitude since I couldn’t do anything about changing the weather.

The target: my office. Thankfully I had the foresight to paint the walls a warm green a few years ago so there was no need for any big changes. (Green is one of my favorite colors, but I wasn’t thinking that the color would remind me of greener days ahead when my world would be blanketed in white. A nice little bonus.) I had gotten rid of piles of paper and spent a good deal of time re-filing the rest – the only thing left to do was thin out the bookcase and surround myself with inspiration. New books, with new topics, were placed on the shelves. I changed out some accessories and added mercury glass candle holders to brighten my mood. Finally, I replaced a piece of art with a decorative bulletin board from my studio.

That’s when the real fun began. It’s still a work in progress, but this new board is meant to reflect what I’m doing now. Heart-felt notes, words of wisdom, and a few of my old magazine columns now greet me each day.

I know how important it is to surround yourself with the things that you love, I just had to get snowed in to remind me.

Color: Just A Whisper

I'm dreaming of chocolate. Shades of malted milk and cafe au lait look lovely paired with a touch of vanilla cream and peach.

Color Inspiration

BM Chocolate Mousse 1025, Farrow & Ball London Stone 6

Valspar Milk Chocolate 2007-9B, Farrow & Ball Buff 20

Top image via thecherryblossomgirl.blogspot.com

Thanks For the Memories

I like to save and I like to toss. After I've lived with something for a while, it either gets stored or sent away. When we have a fire on the weekends, there's nothing I like better than to weed through a pile of papers and send them into the blazing flames and up the chimney. But there are certain things that I have to keep: letters, ticket stubs, my children's artwork... and it can really pile up if you don't pay attention.

Years ago I came up with an idea to turn my favorite magazine clippings and keepsakes into a collage. My first one was made from a large piece of heavy-duty cardboard (about 3' x 5') and covered completely in fashion photos. This rather large 'keepsake' was placed over my desk and stayed with me through my college years, and through several moves, until it just got too big to deal with. I was sad to see it go, so I took a picture of it and happily tossed it into the dumpster. Years later, when my children were young, I would keep very special art projects, and with a heavy heart, toss the rest after taking pictures of those too.

Creating a collage of some of your favorite items could be the answer to your get-rid-of-this-clutter prayer. Just make sure that you've taken a nice clear photo before the tossing begins!

Image scanned from unknown magazine

Vintage: Bringing Back the Love Letter

Remember mail? Not the bills cramming your mailbox, but a good, old-fashioned letter with a hand-written address scrawled across the envelope. I try to write notes and letters as often as I can, but like many of you, I’m more inclined to send off a quick email to save time – another thing on my to-do list complete. The pony express was lucky if they returned a letter within months (sometimes years) never mind weeks, yet it seems unimaginable that we would have to wait for a response to anything longer than a matter of minutes in our world of instant messaging and texts.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my computer, but I would be lost without paper, in any form. When I begin a writing project, I write my idea or outline long-hand first. Even after I type an article or essay on my computer, I print out the first draft and edit it by hand, and I continue with this process until I’m done. An arduous task perhaps, but I love putting pen to paper. I make notes and record appointments in a datebook that requires me to take out my pencil and find the page I’m looking for. Yet when it comes to sending a note of praise, love, or thanks, it takes a great amount of effort.

When my children were younger, we crafted hand-made cards from scraps of red construction paper and gobs of glitter. By the time they were in school, store-bought Valentine’s replaced the scissors and glue so I could save time, my sanity, and money. (You really couldn’t beat 1.99 for a box of 20 cards.) But I did have one hold-out; they had to write notes to each other, and of course, to me and their Dad. We fashioned heart-shaped pockets from red felt and gold ribbon and hung them on our bedroom doors. The rule was you had to fill each person’s heart with a note or token of your affection every day of the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. Sometimes the notes were funny. Sometimes you scored a candy heart. Sometimes the notes were sweet and full of lipstick kisses. I miss those days.

Husbands are another matter. When we were dating, every day seemed like Valentine’s Day, but fast-forward twenty odd years and life tends to get in the way of romance. As much as I adore him, he is not the type of man who can easily express himself on paper. That’s my job. I’m the one who writes the sappy love letters – to him and my children. But if the words don’t come easily, does that mean that we’re doomed to a life without love letters? Perhaps we all need a little help.

Love Letters of Great Men is a book that didn’t actually exist until recently. In it, you will find love letters written during a time when letter writing was the only means of communicating; when lovers would spend most of their time apart instead of together.

“I wake consumed with thoughts of you.” Napoleon to Josephine

“I cannot exist without you - I am forgetful of every thing but seeing you again - my life seems to stop there - I see no further. You have absorb'd me.” John Keats to Fanny

“My thoughts go out to you my Immortal Beloved. I can live wholly with you or not at all.” Ludwig van Beethoven

Books of poetry and music lyrics can also be a great source of inspiration. A verse or two from a favorite song is music to the ears. A quick note in a lunchbox or left on the kitchen counter is greatly appreciated. A love letter does not need to be long; it only needs to come from the heart.

Carrie asked Big if he ever sent her a love letter. “A love fax perhaps.” It all counts.

Photo: hubpages.com