Stories like Mary Delaney’s give me hope. It was in 1772 (yes, you read that right!) and she was 72 years old when in an unexpected moment of observation, Mary Delaney noticed that a piece of colored paper (presumably, watercolored paper) perfectly matched the petal of a geranium. In a flash of inspiration, a creative…
One of the secrets to a happy life is, without a doubt, that feeling of fulfillment at the end of an ordinary day. As simple and obvious as this sounds, identifying whatever it is that makes us feel fulfilled is not necessarily easy. I also like to think that it can change or shift depending…
I love surrounding myself with an evolving collection of interesting resources, whatever the topic. After building a career in publishing that was not especially gratifying, I was on a quest to figure out how to build a work-life that would include my artistic self within a profession that offered a reliable means of support. Early…
There’s a big life change underway for me. It requires packing up home (again) and moving to a new city (again). But unlike the move two years ago, this one feels like I am moving towards the light. I am making life-altering decisions with a happier state of mind and relishing the fresh start….
I don’t know about you, but the internet’s plethora of how-to articles on new year goal setting sends me into a self-doubting panic. I want to keep moving forward in the direction of self-improvement, but what shiny new approach is the right fit? After consuming advice from various time management, lifestyle and entrepreneurial gurus, I settled…
While trying to figure out when and how — and even, if — I would haul myself back into a regular blogging practice, I have also been re-prioritizing my interior life, purging all kinds of stuff that is no longer of use. The great thing about decluttering is that fresh space appears. A predictable scenario, but thrilling,…
Lately I am drawn to Julia Cameron‘s facebook posts, single-line emissions dense with wisdom, as if they hold the The Ultimate Solution. Of course, every single one is fodder for reflection, a catalyst for assessing and reframing, but it was Wendy Thomas’s post about a recent Writers’ Retreat at a Buddhist center that really rocked…
I haven’t read the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie books in decades, but a happy memory that lives on is the image of women crafting, their hands busy with making things both beautiful and useful. The women are seated around a table, enjoying a break from regular routines as they engage in…
Welcome to my new bathroom! Thanks to the straightforward DIY instructions in a recent West Elm catalog, walls that were once a neutral beige are no longer. Hello, fun factor! Here’s the how to do it yourself from West Elm: 1. Pick your palette. Choose three shades of one color. (I chose the two lightest…
