On many chilly nights I will end the evening with a spicy chai tea. I love to hold the mug warming my hands and with candle light glowing, reflect on what the day held. I few nights back when I finished my cup, I noticed what was left in the bottom…a heart…and thought the timing was so appropriate for valentine’s day. Hope your day is made a bit special while you take some time for yourself. xo

This is what I saw from my window a few days ago…I could not help but grab my camera and capture the calm and quiet morning…so peaceful and still. I tend to lose track of time doing things like this…

As we are well into the new year I wanted to share the phrase I chose as my guiding beacon for the upcoming months. Last year I chose the word restoration and it was a year full of change and momentum. It was quite a challenging year as well, but restoration certainly did take place, in mind, body, home and spirit. This year I wanted to continue with a similar thought, but somewhat less aggressively. After much consideration this years phrase is…

refinement through gratitude…

There are many areas within my life that I would like to see refinement, not in the ‘elegant, fine bone china tea cup’ kind of way, but a ‘clerifying, purging, purifying’ kind of way. I also want to be much more mindful again in my gratitude, being thankful for the small as well as the not so small happenings.

Like the beauty of this frosted misty morning…a little later the sun began to peek through and everything seemed to glow.

Do you like to chose a word or phase to see you through the new year? What other traditions do you like to carry on from year to year that helps you move toward the life you see as your most complete? Take care…

“To have his path made clear for him is the aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous existence.”

Joseph Conrad

“An aspiration is a joy forever, a possession as solid as landed estate.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

“It takes a certain level of aspiration before one can take advantage of opportunities that are clearly offered.”

Michael Harrington

“You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration”

James Allen

“Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration.”

Stephen S. Wise

“Commerce is of trivial import; love, faith, truth of character, the aspiration of man, these are sacred.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we come to the close of this past year, we can take a bit of time to reflect and ponder all that went into filling it…what we might have hoped would have been different and what we are grateful for that took place. We can also give some thought to our aspirations for the upcoming year…

As a writer I like to have a special place to put my thoughts on paper. I found this lovely ‘one line a day’ memory book this past November at one of my favorite stores in Stillwater, Rose Mille. It is always such a pleasure to have a peek at their offerings and get inspired to create something or just dream. This little gilt edge book allows a line a day to be written for five consecutive years, I thought it was so clever and had to get one for myself.

One of my hopes for this coming year is that I would like to do more hand crafting and enjoy the slowing down that this mode of creativity often requires. There are no plans for elaborate projects, but I would like to try small, useful, simple projects for myself and gift giving.

Never far from my reach is a favorite cup of tea, always welcome, soothing and uplifting at the same time. With the beautiful melodies of Enya in the background, what more could one want.

I am looking forward to my first entry in this lovely little book; such a great idea to have one special place to write a quote, thought or plan and see what is revealed over the five years. There is so much to inspire us, we just need to slow down a bit and see it. So as one chapter closes with the end of 2011, what do you aspire to for the new chapter of 2012?

dawn xo

Being in the midst of holiday preparations has many of us using our kitchens more fully than at most other times of the year. To have clear work surfaces, organized cupboards and  ample lighting adds to the enjoyment of using this hub of the home.

This is a kitchen I recently updated with simplicity, order and light in mind. The home owner and I took our cues from Sweden and purged the clutter, expanded the white color pallet and added simple user-friendly details.

before…

after…

 The soffits were removed which allowed the cabinets to extend to the ceiling. New doors and drawer fronts in a Shaker style were fitted to existing frames which were then enameled. New contemporary hardware adds a streamlined feel to the space. Using subway tile is always a timeless option and quartz composite countertops offer a very durable and low maintenance option. Color is brought into the room with bright accessories from travels abroad including the Swedish light fitting above the sink.

fun details…

a cozy corner…

Hope you enjoyed this sneak peek…

seize the day…

enjoy all life has to offer…

and live each day with gratitude and love in your heart…

Have a lovely weekend xx

Hello everyone! I had such an unexpected treat last Wednesday evening. Anthropologie added one more visit to Holly Becker’s book-signing tour and it was right here in the Twin Cities. How exciting! Her book Decorate launched this past April. It is full of design ideas, great photos and bunches of quotes from top designers.

The evening began at 6:30 with a mood board presentation given by Holly Becker of Decor8 and to my surprise Leslie Shewring was assisting in the demonstration. Holly gave hints and tips on how we can all access the looks we are drawn to by collecting items we love and placing them on a board to get a feel for a certain room or project. This helps us keep our focus and enthusiasm for the project.

We then got to sample some lovely treats that were so pretty to look at and tasted even better…

It was lovely to take a few moments and be able to have a chat with Leslie of a Creative Mint. She is sweet, calm and down to earth. Anthropologie made such a festive setting for Holly to sign her books, there were so many unique things to look at while we waited.

It was a real treat to be able to have a few words with Holly face to face. She is encouraging. bubbly and enthusiastic. It is very apparent she loves what she is doing. Having taken the Blogging Your Way e-course this past spring, it was so much fun to meet these dear ladies face to face. They have vision and dedication, are gifted and warm. It was so much fun to spend the evening engaged in this event.

“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.”

Dr. Samuel Johnson

“Victory belongs to the most persevering.”

Napoleon Bonaparte

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”

John Quincy Adams

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

Benjamin Franklin

“Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.”

Napoleon Hill

“For the righteous man falls seven times, and rises again”

Proverbs 24:16

“Perseverance… keeps honor bright: to have done, is to hang quite out of fashion, like a rusty nail in monumental mockery.”

William Shakespeare

“When the world says, ‘Give up,’
Hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’”

Author Unknown

So, we are just over half way through 2011.

How does your year look so far? Is it unfolding the way you had hoped it would? Have there been more bumps in the road than you were expecting? Are you still contemplating your new years resolutions and perhaps modifying them somewhat?

we all need encouragement…

No matter how much we focus upon our chosen vision, are aware of the intention for our vision and embrace the clarity we need to undertake our vision; we all still need to feel a sense of encouragement. To feel as though we are not alone on our journey, to feel we have support for our dreams and desires, to feel that what matters to us also matters to those that we come in contact with. We all have the same desire to feel a sense of value and worth and this can be bolstered when we are given encouragement.

not discouragement…

We live in a wonderful world of beauty and blessings, but often what is portrayed on television, in movies and song lyrics is despair, destruction and desperation. Discouragement can drain our wells of enthusiasm very quickly. It can make us doubt ourselves, draw us into poor decisions and in some cases lead to depression. It can be a slow and incremental undermining that sneaks up to erode our sense of purpose and well-being.

We each look for bits of encouragement daily, whether it is someone saying ‘I love you’, a stranger smiling at us as we pass on the sidewalk, or a card in the mail to let us know someone is thinking of us. We all welcome the words ‘well done’ and ‘I appreciate your hard work’ in our day to day routine. 

encouraging others…

So how can we encourage others, which in turn boosts our own outlook? Here are nine simple ways to make an impact on others and brighten their day. Try to do just one or two each day and see a difference.

E engage:
:: clear distractions, focus and give undivided attention, even for a short time

N nurture:
:: place your arm around a shoulder or give a hug to break down barriers

C connect:
:: smile at a stranger, compliment a store clerk, thank the postman 

O offer:
:: hold the door, help carry something, let someone ahead of you in line

U uplift:
:: buy from a kids lemonade stand, send a card to someone special

R relate:
:: briefly tell your own story and listen to theirs

A attend:
:: show support by being at events important to those important to you

G give:
:: share time, knowledge and resources with others

E express:
:: life is short, don’t wait to say what is in your heart

Vicente Wolf  is an iconic designer for me and has been a strong influence in my design journey. The interiors he creates are calming, light filled, balanced and absolutely impeccable from a design stand point in my opinion. I have had the fortunate experience to meet him twice when he was a speaker at our local design center International Market Square. He speaks from the heart, is aboveboard and when asked a question, answers with openness and directness.

This same quality is evident in his blog. I particularly enjoy the posts that relate to the interior design community from a business point of view. He struggles with many of the same  issues that other designers do and expresses his thoughts as though he is sitting face to face with us. This opens the conversation by honestly addressing the complexity of this profession. He also shares the joy he finds in his work and it’s ever evolving process. I invite you to take a moment and have a look.

I would also like to take a moment and thank-you for letting me share these special blogs with you over the last few weeks. I am sure you can see how they relate in some way to my own, as influence and inspiration come from many places.