Friday Gems

Gems? Yes gems. Like diamonds in the rough. At first glance it looks like nothing, but look closer and a treasure can be discovered. My treasure in that heap of mess above? Well, two treasures really... the process of creating and the book I'm currently reading about it. 

A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman, has struck a chord with me. At times, it has struck a nerve. And I like that. It's opening my eyes to so much and driving me to create. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. Here are just a few excerpts from the pages I read last night for the chapter entitled, "See"

"When I am free and in good places, I trust their art {the art others make} and look to them to learn more of myself..."

[When I'm not] "Instead of being a friend, their art becomes the enemy... "

"To carry on [like this] is to worship the art rather than the Artist with a capital A. To carry on is to be pushed around by fear."  

"Fear drives out the love."  

Hello, Can I get an amen? This isn't what God wants and it isn't what He created me for. She proceeds on a positive note...

"The world needs you awake and alive. Does the world need another book? Song?  Painted living room? Not necessarily. But the world does need you to come alive right where you are and not where you WISH you were. If writing books or songs or painting living rooms is what makes you come alive, then that's what you'll need to do." (emphasis added by me.)

He has given each of us gifts and talents to be used for His glory. Far too often I squelch the fire within me to create because of a fear that it isn't good enough. No more. The idea is to create period because when I do, I feel connected to The Creator. And that is good. That is a gem, no matter the end product and how many "likes" it receives. Get ready world!!! I'm not quitting!

This little guy is one of my greatest creations to date. By God's grace I get to pour into his heart and help shape his world daily. Both of my boys inspire me in so many ways. 

For a little more motivation, check out this great video on "How to be Awesome" by the lovely Alison of The Alison Show. It's good stuff. So, what's your gift? What is the passion God has put within you? And more importantly, what are you doing with it? xo

Forgotten Without Departure

It wasn't intentional. I didn't mean to walk away from printed pieces of goodness. It just happened. So unexpectedly. And then Tuesday happened... With 30 minutes to kill and a bookstore on the way to my destination, I found myself enamored, engrossed and inspired by books all over again. I got completely lost. It felt so good. Like chocolate and red wine good. For some reason, inspiration was back and my inner critic that compares self to everyone else was gone.

When I look at other blogs, my inner critic is quick to point out that any idea I have is "not good enough." "That idea has already been done." "No one cares about that." "You can't do anything as well as her." And it leaves me paralyzed. That is one of the many reasons for my recent hiatus. I felt so stuck. With nothing to share. No desire to write or create. I seemed to have completely forgotten my love of books and magazines. Flipping the pages. The smells. The sounds. Every single sense being engaged. There's something quite beautiful about it.

The irony is that I'm surrounded by stacks and stacks of books in my home. I think I just forgot how engaging (and apparently non-threatening) they can be. They are so much more than the simple adornment I have relegated them to being. Their pages are filled with ideas, color, escape, possibility, teaching and on and on the list could go. Before Pinterest and the blogosphere, I would go to the book store almost every Sunday for 1-2 hours. I would find a comfy chair, stack my books high beside me and have my sketch pad at the ready. Now it seems, that I barely pause long enough to capture the detail of images; let alone be truly inspired by them. For some reason, books provide a separation between myself and the artist. There's no "follower" count, "likes" number or anything else that allows me to compare. I'm not so quick to judge myself. And honestly, think less of myself. It is simply creation, beauty and inspiration without measure. I like that.

Oh Lord, please don't let the internet do to books what MTV did to music videos. Books and magazines, both old and new, will forever have a place in my heart. And I promise, printed goods, I will do my best to never break up with you again. It's clearly bad juju for me. 

Let the flipping of pages, long pauses and inspiration commence! xo

Fox. Bull. Owl. Meow.

I'm not "kitten" you, sometimes I shop in themes. Unintentionally of coarse, but it happens. It's been a while since I've done any shopping. Most of my days are spent with my sweet family and or hunched over the sewing machine. Lovin' it! And yet, sometimes a girl just needs to take a coffee break and get in some good ol' fashioned girl time while hitting a few estate sales.

Last Saturday I did just that. I scored a couple of things for me, a few gifts and a precious goodie that I think I just may upcycle and sell in my shop. Y'all, I go crazy for books. Books I have no intention of reading but can't leave behind because they're so pretty and cost next to nothing. Not so with the books I picked up recently. I may just have to read both of them...

Crazy Like a Fox by S.J. Perelman - I'v only read a couple of excerpts while flipping through, but it looks funny. (Has anyone read this?)

And this little jewel - Not For Children. I die. Funny, silly little poems about animals that give me a smile. I might be taking our relationship a little too far when I share this, but it's the perfect bathroom book. Too much? Sorry.

And because I'm so in love with wall hangings, and the like, I might have to disassemble my handmade owl chimes to make some sweet accessories for nurseries inspired by the wood bead sculpture from Fine Little Day. 

The kitten coasters seen in the first image are for my Grandmother-In-Law. She's a cat lady and has a wonderfully kookie aesthetic that I love! Meow. 

Happy Friday Homies! Here's to a new weekend and more theme shopping. xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Furniture Makeovers - The Book

Once in a while a person comes along that makes you think, "when I grow up, I want to be just like her." Well, Barb Blair of Knack is my girl. (Yes, I'm older than her - whatever.) Not only is she a total Bad A when it comes to furniture makeovers, but she's an amazing friend, wife, mother and believer. (Oh, and she laughs at my jokes! Love her for that.)  For years I have been telling you guys about her brilliance when it comes to bringing discarded furniture back to life. Well, she has teamed up with Chronicle Books to bring you a book aptly titled, Furniture Makeovers, that teaches you how to do it on your own. Come on! Is it Christmas or something?

So now, all my little dumpster diving soul-mates, you have a one stop guide that shares tools, tips and tricks on all things transformational for your treasures. There's also the added bonus that her styling is to die for...  every page provides inspiration out the yang!

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Furniture Makeovers. It will not disappoint. Promise. Oooh, and it would make the perfect Mother's Day Gift. Don't you think? xo

PS - all images via knack studios.

PSS - all opinions are my own. I have not been given a copy of the book or asked to promote it. 

Follow the Line

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It all started with a book that we checked out from the library. Follow the Line. My oldest and I loved the illustrations, the "story", the adventure and the color palettes. Since this discovery, we have joined Laura on her line adventures Through the House and Around the World. Each book is amazing in it's own right. Countless hours have been spent following Laura's lines while giggling and making little discoveries about one another thanks to her questions found on each page.

Imagine my surprise when I received an email from THE Laura Ljungkvist telling me about her new book. At first I thought it was an assistant signing off as Laura. Ha!  Complete cynic and skepticism on my part - sorry Laura. (PS. brilliant marketing) Laura asked me if I'd like to review her new book...Follow the Line to School!  What? Hello perfect timing! So without further delay, here's a little peek into Laura's latest book, Follow the Line to School.

Although I miss her more extensive line drawings found in her previous books, I know this one will become an instant favorite in our house. It's so much fun isn't it? Well done Laura. If you want to follow the line with Jude and I as school starts at the end of the month, be sure to pick a copy of your own - it's available now! xo

Dr. Seuss and Teachable Moments

Teaching a six year old to be humble and love himself can be a tricky thing. They're kind of polar opposite struggles, but easily fit hand in hand. I hear a lot of, "I'm the best soccer player on my team." AND "I can play basketball really well." Some days it can go on and on. On the flip side I also hear, "I wish my feet were as big as so and so." OR "I don't like my hair." Yes, I'm aware that he's six, but I want him to be confident and have a humble heart. I want both my boys to know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. So in addition to our bible stories, I have enlisted the help of Dr. Seuss and his wonderful characters found in Yertle the Turtle to drive the point home.

The Big Brag tells the tale of two critters fighting over who's the best. Awesomeness! When asked who he'd rather be, the bear or the bunny, Jude knew right away that both weren't very fun to be around, nor were they honoring the Lord and how He created them.

Gertrude McFuzz was the perfect antidote for comparison. I tell my boys all the time that God made them perfect and special just as they are and that every Batman needs a Robin. Sweet Gertrude finally accepts that single lonely little feather on her backside and stops comparing herself to Lolla Lee Lou. Priceless.

Humility and Confidence... I'll take a double dose of each thanks. xo

Say Good-bye to Dog Ears

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I think it's high time we show some respect to our beloved books and stop dog earring every page for place-saving and highlighting purposes. Once I've finished a book it's more like origami than a rectangle. Oh come on; you know you do it too. It's like biting your fingernails - once you start it, it becomes a hard habit to break.  Here's a look at some fun and easy ways to save our places and our books.

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free download

But when you have kiddos, the bookmarks seen above inevitably fall out. So, I cut up the cheapo free fridge magnets and hot glue them to the ends. This prevents these handy little suckers from ending up on the floor. Take a look...

1. cut paper

 2. cut magnets

 3. fold paper

 4. hotglue magnets to inside of paper/bookmark

 5. folder over page in book and voila!

 stuck like chuck!

Happy book reading! xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Book Art

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There are very few things cooler than the love of words and art colliding. When I saw these amazing prints on Pinterest, I almost fell out of my seat. All of the images above and the two below can be found via Etsy; but if your thrifty like me, you can make your own like Dis over at Ruffles and Stuff.  

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Look at the end product from Ruffles and Stuff... so fun!

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Yeah, you know I'm doin' this one. A completely breathtaking way to produce art on the cheap and the upcycle. Now that makes me happy. xo 

Printed and Bound

Trips to the book store make me happy. Whenever I have free time, it's one of the first places I go. Rows upon rows of stories, pictures, colors all gathered together for a beautiful journey of the mind. It's a dizzying delight.  Last week I took the boys to Half-Price Books. We totally scored!

Bird book - check (and the intended reason for the trip) 

The other two books were stumbled upon and for only $1.00 each, I couldn't leave them behind. I mean, who doesn't buy a book that is a lovely turquoise, has a fun font and is entitled Horse Dung Trail? The icing on the cake is that it's a book about the American Circus! I just may read this thing. Sooo cool.

My oldest found the amazing book above. I'm kind of drooling over the gold cheetah on the cover. He loves to look at all the pictures and talk about the animal, where they live and who/what they fight. Oh well, boys will be boys. I'm just over the moon that he is discovering the love of books as well.

Do you have a favorite read or a favorite picture book? How about your kiddos? Do you love the smell as you turn each page? I kind of think it should be a candle scent. xo