Before I even start this post I feel compelled to clarify – I don’t exactly appreciate frustration while I’m frustrated. But I do feel that it’s a great emotion – and energy – that in some ways accomplishes a lot more than some of the more pleasant ones we crave so much more. I think sometimes it’s not the wanting of something amazing that keeps us moving forward as much as it’s the frustration with what’s not working right now that keeps propelling us forward. You’re definitely not going to relax and get too comfortable when you are frustrated. Hands…

I finally got tired (enough) of just wanting an awesome patio with lots of plants and a nice place to sit and relax, so I took the leap and made it happen. I’m really good at wanting things, but I’m not always the best at shifting gears and actually having them… so bringing this space to fruition is a pretty big deal for me. More on the energy of wanting vs. having in another post though… for now, the amazing goodness of my first ‘big girl’ – built it with power tools and all by myself – DIY project! I…

Remember just a few posts back when I was saying how important it was to be flexible because unexpected things always happen? Well, most of the time I love being right… but I could have used a smaller ‘unexpected’ curve ball than the one Belinda and I got last week. We ordered her sofa and bought the credenza before she had moved in, before I’d been into her building, much less her new apartment, and before we had taken an inch worth of actual measurements. The first plan below is the one that the building had given her and the…

This list of ’15 ‘things you should never have in your home after the age of 30’ was making its way around the internet today and it struck me as a great prequel to my next blog post which is all about making room in your life for new things to come in. The list, featured in Elle Decor, describes what we ‘should’ have outgrown by the time we are 30. Some of the things are kind of right, some are kind of funny, and some are kind of random – I’m sorry but this kid does not always make…

I had quite a few projects going on this weekend. One of the smaller ones was adding a little extra sass to some new bar stools I found last week. The girl who rented my apartment before me left these white bar stools behind. They’re fine, not the worst, but also not the best. There were so many other things that my place needed that I never even gave replacing them a second thought, especially since I most likely won’t be bringing them with me when I move out. But the other week I saw these cute colorful stools at…

I was about to post something completely different today when I felt compelled to give a nod to the upcoming holiday tomorrow – good ole’ 4th of July. Tomorrow’s holiday is about freedom, which is a really fascinating thing that has a lot of positive and negative aspects. You can choose what to do with your freedom, whether it’s good or bad. Whether you think things in America are wonderful and it’s the picture of success, or completely fucked up and an example of what not to do – I started thinking today that there is, in a way, real…