Mindfulness is often talked about in relation to serious topics like mental health, nutrition and career choices but did you know that being mindful can be a useful tool for things like home décor?
Most of us try to decorate with things we love and colors we like but sometimes that may be tricky to identify. Learning to pay attention to what we are attracted to in different areas and staying curious can help uncover elements of our style and get creative with choices that truly reflect our personal taste.
When asked what my favorite color was, for years I would say, “blue.” I used to think: red is too flashy, nobody likes orange or green, I’m pretty sure I don’t love yellow…so blue it was. I mean blue is nice but was it my favorite? And why exactly did I like it?
I started questioning this choice after a boy asked me that same question a few years ago and when I stopped to think about it, proceeded to say, “I don’t have one.” This was unacceptable for a child – “everyone has a favorite color,” he said. He wasn’t wrong but I was done saying blue for the sake of saying blue…so I started paying more attention to my surroundings and what I was drawn to in order to be prepared the next time this critical question came around.
I soon recognized a pattern of positive feelings emerging when I saw green. The crisp look of grass when I walked through a park in the Spring energized me, I loved how I felt when I looked up at the trees from the hammock in my backyard during Summer. The mountain bike in my garage I suddenly recalled selecting because of the bright green paint stripe on the dark gray frame (performance clearly came second).
With this new insight I started to re-decorate some of the rooms in my home. My home office got a dose of happy with accent pieces in bright green tones and next up was painting the guest room. I didn’t want anything that would turn guests off but still wanted it to reflect my personal taste.
Narrowing down a green wasn’t difficult (the final choice is on the right) but I was stuck on the palette for the rest of the room.
I could have gone with neutrals or pastels but that felt too much like a spa theme which was not the look I was going for. This is one of the brightest rooms in the house – it’s a happy room and it called for something different.
For weeks I did nothing with it – not knowing what direction to go in and then my friend posted a photo of what she was about to eat:
I wasn’t big on avocado back then, nonetheless, her lunch of vibrant greens and bright red peppers looked so pretty!
Red is one of my least favorite hues but by combining the bold color with a pale green and perhaps a gold metallic, I knew this salad inspired palette would create the fresh and energetic vibe I was going for.
When I wasn’t trying so hard and simply noticed my reaction to a photo, I was able to use that information to update our guest room with décor that I’m really happy with.
Crown molding and a wider baseboard was later added:
A little back story on the purple room:
When we moved into our house, what we ended up using as a guest room was lavender (as seen in the ‘before’ pic). The previous owner’s teenage daughter painted it along with flowers and inspirational quotes on the walls.
Part of me was sad to cover it up because it reminded me of the years when my sister and I would pretend to be interior decorators and change things up in our shared room to meet our personal tastes as we grew up. Sometimes this meant paint, often it was just new comforters or curtains and one time my sister even made a DIY headboard (this was before online tutorials, Instagram and Pinterest) for our bed.
While I went ahead with the color change I discovered these painted flowers on the window sill and decided to keep them there to celebrate that creative spirit. Hope you feel that spirit and a little sunshine today.
I love adding little touches of personality to our living space. Whether it be mine, my husband’s or a mix of both our tastes, I treasure making our house feel like home. Living in New England makes it particularly fun since it gives me an excuse to switch things up decor-wise and celebrate the upcoming season. Wreaths are my new favorite item to personalize and I love that you can customize one easily and have it hanging from your door in minutes!
To decorate my front door for the Fall I used a grapevine wreath that was purchased online along with a few faux floral accents purchased from a local store:
Here comes the complicated part. Are you ready? Take the wire stems from your accent pieces and wrap them around (or gently wedge into) different sections on the wreath. I know, I know, you may have to read that part again but that’s really it.
Now comes the ribbon – it’s like putting the topper on a Christmas tree! You can go with something traditional, whimsical, elegant…I opted for a black and white gingham pattern that felt a bit country chic. To me it evokes a cozy and inviting feeling and hopefully for my guests as well.
I saw my sister make a bow once and tried to recreate it from memory…lucky for me metal wired ribbon is VERY forgiving. There are thousands of online tutorials for how to make a beautiful bow, so I’ll spare you my “bunch it up and hope it looks good” approach. I used a bit of twine to attach my bow to the wreath and here’s the final look:
As you can see there was no complicated tutorial here but that’s the point – adding personal touches to your home decor shouldn’t be intimidating. This project allows you to create a unique wreath at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a decorated one and since there’s no glue-gun involved you can repurpose the same wreath by using different accents for various occasions.
Let me know if this inspired a little wreath DIY in your home.
If you love DIY, then you’re probably no stranger to spray paint. To celebrate the start of Autumn, I rescued half-used cans of spray paint from the cobwebs in my basement and prepared for my first decor project of the season.
I don’t go extreme with Fall decorations but love mini pumpkins and wanted to incorporate them as accessories on our mantle. The problem? I wasn’t feeling how the bright orange pumpkin color stuck out in contrast to the mostly neutral color palette of that room. I decided white, brown and sage would look much nicer against our brick wall along with a metallic spray paint. My first pumpkin was painted all in white (stem included) followed by a few quick sprays of gold that naturally dripped down to create the effect you see here:
Others were haphazardly sprayed to allow the natural pumpkin color to peek through. I also purchased tiny gourds, layering on different spray paint colors for a subtle shimmer or speckled effect.
Make sure to allow time for the spray paint to completely dry before moving your pumpkins to their final location – I left mine outdoors for a few hours before moving inside. The final touch was finding this bit of wheat (left over from a party the year before) to arrange in a small vase and my Autumn inspired decor was complete!
Proud of your DIY fall decor? Feel free to share ideas in the comments below.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard on photographing children is to let them take the lead. Sometimes a photographer or client has specific ideas for how a shoot will unfold and often children have other plans! Rather than trying to force the “perfect” shot, I’ve found it works best when you work with the child’s personality and mood. I was photographing two sisters recently and one was in a modeling mood while the other wanted to hide her face. In one instance she put a flower in front of her eye and when I asked if she’d lower it (to capture more of her cute face), I was met with giggles and a head shake. Instead of fighting it, I kept shooting. The result is one of my favorite photos of the day. So, play along with children…they will always remind you to stop and smell the roses (lillies, tullips, daffodils, etc.)!
A few thoughts that come to mind when I look at my beautiful new niece:
Let’s focus on that second thought for a minute. Isn’t it funny that we think of the future of a baby, or young adult with so much promise but may feel like it’s too late to make a change or try something new for ourselves?
How odd that someone older, with more years of experience can actually trick themselves into thinking that it’s too late for them and that a baby (from Day 1), has the upper hand. I get it – we have more responsibilities, aren’t as “wide eyed,” but too often it’s just us. We get in our own way, make excuses, worry too much, think too much.
In fact, it’s part of the reason I started this site.
To remind myself:
I don’t know yet what will come of this blog but I know that it feels good to learn something new, to take a sweet photo, to share my thoughts and write this post. These are steps to something bigger. Baby steps mind you (pun completely intended) but steps forward none the less.
What will you do today to get closer to achieving a new goal?
If you’ve ever been invited to someone’s home for authentic Puerto Rican food (usually prepared by a mom or grandmother but sometimes dads too), licked your fingers and said, “that was deeelicious and so tasty, what did you use for seasoning?” This may sound familiar to you. The response you probably received was: “you like it because I made it with love.” Well, I am Puerto Rican and am here to tell you there’s more to it. It was love… and a little Adobo.
Normally I wouldn’t reveal this secret ingredient (a staple in most Hispanic households) but it doesn’t matter because it’s too late. The secret has been out for years. I’m increasingly seeing Adobo show up anywhere from entree descriptions at fusion-style restaurants to on the shelves at most major food retailers.
I kind of liked it when I had to travel into the city to a Hispanic specialty food store or ‘Bodega’ to pick up this bottled salty, garlicky goodness. I guess it’s not a bad thing that Adobo is now available at my local Starbucks. Just making sure you were still with me.
If you’ve never used Adobo Seasoning and are tempted to purchase some on your next supermarket run, be forewarned…once you start you can’t stop. I’m not kidding. Your hand will somehow make its way across the counter various times to grab the Adobo when preparing meals. Even when something is pre-seasoned.
A sprinkle for taste. A few dashes just in case…and one more shake for good luck!
It’s definitely a problem (in my house at least) but a tasty one. Go Goya.
What’s your favorite “go to” seasoning?
What do you do when it’s 90 degrees outside without a cloud in the sky? You take your out of town friends to a nearby farm for some sweaty fun. Why? Because you mentioned to your friend’s daughter how great it would be to “pick your own” fruit and after that…there’s no turning back! So, off we went to Wardsberry farm. Blueberry picking was a breeze but we spent quite a bit of time digging through the strawberry patch since it was so late in the season. Alas, check out all of our beautiful blueberries and strawberries (and the precious smile on this child’s face):
Despite the heat, we had a blast. The farm also has daily hayrides, picnic tables and play areas for children. But the best part comes after – snacking on this delicious fresh fruit.
How do you enjoy your fruit? Please share a favorite dessert or smoothie recipe in the comments below. As for me, I’m thinking blueberry pancakes are a must for tomorrow!
My first visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was a short but tasty one. The main purpose of the trip was to get to know my brother in law’s family which didn’t leave much time for sightseeing but we wasted no time to start bonding, laughing and eating! Getting absorbed in a new culture, meeting new people and trying new food is my sort of trip. We snuck in a couple of tourist attractions including a visit to Christ of the Redeemer statue (make your way there in time to catch the sunset and witness an amazing array of colors). But this post is not about heavenly views or attractions…it’s about the heavenly food found in and around Rio.
My first meal was a dish lovingly prepared for my family by my brother in law’s mom. What can be more welcoming than being greeted with a smile and home-cooked dinner?
The next day we started the morning off right by stopping at one of Rio’s popular juice stands. My favorite was Suco de Maracuja (passion fruit juice).
No trip to Rio is complete without a visit to the beach (this was taken at Ipanema) and all of that fun in the sun is sure to build up an appetite…
…which is not a problem when you can easily find “Salgadinhos” sold in just about every corner of Rio. These savory bites range from fried pastries filled with cheese to shredded chicken and other fillings:
Kids if you’re watching don’t play with your food – until you get to be an immature adult like me!
If you’re feeling jet-lagged like I was, wash it all down with a soft drink made with Guaraná fruit. It’ll provide a temporary energy boost and it tastes good too.
And just because I’m a sucker for Watermelon…I couldn’t say no to this:
After some freshening up, it’s time for more food! Not just any food – Churrasco. Meat that is expertly grilled and simply (but perfectly) seasoned with coarse sea salt:
End the night with a VERY CHILLED local draft beer:
Before packing up to return home, don’t forget to buy some snacks for your plane ride back:
Hope you enjoyed this post. Now wipe that drool off of your face and start planning your trip to Rio!
I don’t know what they look like but the twins in my sister’s belly have stolen my heart. Today I had the chance to take pregnancy photos during the “golden hour,” the perfect time to shoot! Put simply, it’s the first hour of light after sunrise, and the last hour of light before sunset. The natural light and my sister’s pregnancy glow were unmatched. You may want to plan ahead and take advantage of the amazing light revealed during this short period of time – plug your location into this Golden Hour calculator to see exactly when it occurs in your area.
I believe it’s important to make a home comfortable for you and your family’s needs. It makes me sad when I visit someone and they say something like, “that’s our formal living area but we NEVER use it, I wish it was an office (or playroom, study, etc).“ If you don’t have use for a space as it was presented to you when you purchased a house or in its current layout, don’t be afraid to change it.
For this reason I have converted our dining room into an office and creative studio space. Don’t get me wrong, I love a private dining area and one day that’s what the room pictured below will be. For now, when week-night dinners at our house are consumed in front of the television and guests inevitably gather around the kitchen island, I am happy to use the room in a way that makes sense for me today.
Here’s a peek at a section of the room I will begin to use as my home office:
BEFORE
AFTER
Before and After (alternate views)
The room was originally painted in butter cream-like tones (a bit darker than what the photos reveal). I decided to change it for something that would allow bright artwork and colorful accents to really stand out.
I almost chickened out on the selection of white – would it look too plain, too boring? By selecting varying paint sheens (semi-gloss white for trim and matte white for the walls), it is anything but. The walls beneath the chair rail are painted in a satin finish (Benjamin Moore’s Iron Mountain Gray) and I absolutely love the result.
