Small Things

There is a different sound going on for who is willing to listen. It's a quiet sound, an undercurrent. It is drifting away from over-yelling, over-spending, over-consuming, but although it speaks softer, it is more clear, it consumes less but enjoyes more. I have got my ears wide open. 

Something to celebrate!

My declutter-journey (getting rid of 50 items per week in 2013 and 20 per week in 2014 untill no longer needed-and that will be soon) is finally starting to show in my home and I could'nt feel happier! Today I cleared out my big table (for dining, painting, and storage) it feels so good to see clear space again. To me that is something worth celebrating.

Something else worth celebrating is a collaborative I am working on with my all-things-creative loving sister, which will be about celebrating holidays, milestones, and everything else worth celebrating in a simple but sweet d.i.y. way. 

There was a big threatening cloud blocking our view in the passed year (when one family member has to go through chemo therapy every one is affected as we soon dicovered) Learning to live life day by day and finding something to celebrate in every day was a real life saver for us.

Find something, anything, worth celebrating today. I promise it will make you feel a little (or a lot ;)) better!

(Thanks Ibb for the theme today)

Slow

Going slow takes courage in my experience, but if we're in a hurry all the time we miss the best things in life. I try to regularly remind myself: Don't forget to smell, to taste, to daydream, to dance in the rain. Don't forget to live.

A good read

So many stories I want to dive into

Self Portrait

We (participants of ´corner view´) were challenged to do a self-portrait this week, so this is me..trying to live lighter. Less clutter,  less projects and even less hair. Getting rid of half my clutter (in many ways) made me twice as happy. It´s an easy equation really..

Like Wine

There really is a time for everything. If I think of all the things I´ve been through the last couple of years; I´ve played, took risks, I struggeled, fought monsters (both real and imaginative ones) I flourished, I was frustrated, I was happy, I dreamed, I created and I cried. I am starting to see that it was and is all part of my unique journey. Al those times together helped me mature my vision on life like a good wine.

(1. detail of the painting I am working on currently 2. treasures from the marketplace)

For lunch

I´ll miss those simple summer lunches

this summer was hot, beautiful and hard (*

one thing I will take with me into the next season

is the beauty of simplicity,

I think summertime was designed to remind us of that

 

*) my fathers started undergoing chemo therapy, intense times..

 

Flowers

 

It has been pouring for days now. So no picking flowers in the sun, but still enough flowers to enjoy inside.

1. I forgot what seed I planted, surprise surprise..
2. Tile wisdom best translated with ´there is no place like home´ I replaced the dark brown frame with this bright pink, really happy with how it turned out.
3. Portrait of my little sister making big descisions

Feet

My mind and feet are having a discussion, my mind wants to stay where things feel stable and secure, my feet want to go wherever the road takes them. Not an uncommon discussion, but this time my feet seem to be winning.

1. An illustration from my archive, I miss those moments
2. The first glimpses of spring

Starting with L

 

Lists are a life saver for brains wired like mine and visual lists, as  I am discovering lately, are even better! What about you?

Small Pleasures

 Black coffee on cold mornings (and every other morning :))/ The room suddenly bathing in sunlight/Books that make you look differently at life

Thankful

Counting your blessings is such an easy way to improve life. It doesn't always make challenges
 go away, but it helps me see how small they really are compared to the Blessings in my life. Lots to be Thankful for!

I made a plate (and lots of other stuff) to remind myself of that fact every meal :) Thanks to my brother-in-law & siss who bought me these glass and porcelain pens..the best gift ever!

Longing

I love trusting my longings to paper, its their first step into existence

Leaf

The trees are dropping their leafs. I'm doing the same. Learning to 'let go'. Making room for new things to grow.

(autumn is also the time of...creating! more about that tomorrow)

Street Art

In some places (like Berlin) they take the phrase the world is my playground quite litteraly :) I love spotting street art whenever I feel creatively stuck, It always reminds me to forget about rules for a moment and play! 

Impression

An impression of something I'm working on. Feels good to paint again!

Countdown (from 10.000)

Today I walked pass a house where someone was practicing what appeared to be one of his first saxophone lessons. A somewhat unstable do-re-mi was repeated over and over. It made me think how we all know you can't just pick up an instrument and play like a star right away, but somehow expect to be able to do things perfect immediately in most areas of our lives. The only thing that makes perfect is practice. According to Ericsson you need 10.000 hours to master something. I say let's start the countdown!

pics: Apperently I already liked Roger Hargreaves

when I was a kid, I found this drawing in one of my primary school boxes

SUN

Sitting in the sun and thinking about the balance between thankfullness and discontentment. Trying to be thankfull enough to be happy and positive about the things to come and dissatified enough to make the changes that need to be made.

(pics made with instagram)

Imagine

If imagination really is the preview of coming attractions, like Albert Einstein claimed, we should spend much more time imagining the best.

(ps I'm working on solving some problems with my blog, thanks for letting me know & when I do I will post again on full speed, promised :)

On the ground

With my head in the clouds & my feet on the ground, that's my style of walking