A Nice Reminder

Never was there a child more suitably named than my Emily.  (Her name means "industrious.)  There really isn't much down time in that brain of hers.  The other day she was waiting for me to get ready to run errands with her and suddenly our leafy front yard became her ginormous canvas.

Whoever creates the crop circles in England has nothing on my girl.  She made a really beautiful design in the leaves while she waited on her dawdling mother. 

How liberating it is to just enjoy the process of creating...to simply enjoy exploring and expressing.  It doesn't require a fancy art studio or expensive supplies and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of our efforts.  Thank you. Emily, for for reminding me to see potential in everyday objects and sieze the opportunity to play and create and enjoy this beautiful world.

A Change of Scenery

One of the greatest things about seeing and appreciating beautiful things is that I can employ that inspiration to bless people I love.  The lovely potting shed/bedroom installation I shared with you yesterday encouraged me to surprise my family with a special outdoor setting for our lunch today.  I love the way a beautiful table setting looks against the backdrop of nature.

It all started with a white canopy and some patio furniture placed under the big oak tree in our front yard.  Several patio plants helped to anchor the grouping and help it feel "set apart" from the surrounding area.

After choosing simple table linens, I searched the house for items that would add visual interest and personality to the environment.  One of my favorite ideas was to personalize each place setting with a message composed with scrabble tiles.

Once the table was set, I added several items meant to encourage the family to "linger" a bit after the meal...

...nice fluffy pillows in the seats and a soft blanket nearby, in case someone felt chilly (we had a cool front move in yesterday!)...board games...a few sketch books...and more scrabble tiles. 

We had a simple little picnic, made extra special by the beautiful environment. 

The piece de resistance was the beautiful sunshine and the fresh, cool breeze that graced our entire afternoon.  Just as I had hoped, we spent much of our day together in our beautiful outdoor room.  A simple change of scenery and a little creativity turned a simple meal into something extraordinary.

Rockin' Out on a Lazy Summer Afternoon

Around our house, soaring summer temps are the perfect excuse to stay inside and create something. Today we painted rocks. It gave us a chance to laugh and talk together while we got a little messy.
The result?...A pretty plate of colorful, inspiring and encouraging messages to pass on to friends and strangers. For now they grace our patio table with a whole lot of charm...
The water we used to clean the brushes was so pretty...I just had to take a photo. I may use this interesting color combination in another project. (Inspiration comes from the most surprising places.)