Each friend represents a world in us,
a world possibly not born until they arrive,
and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.
(Anais Nin)

Hello friends. I’m sorry for being so out of touch. I hope you are doing well and surviving this crazy winter weather!

Many of you have sent your love and support via comments, emails and tweets. My new job is going really, really well. Since this is my first week, I have been shadowing one of the top performers in the company. I’ve learned a ton and am excited to get up to speed quickly. It feels great to be a part of a firm that cares about my success. I think I definitely made the right move.

Unfortunately, I came down with a terrible sore throat on Monday and have been going to bed super early every night this week. Between starting the new job and trying to get healthy, I’ve had little time to keep up with things in the blogosphere.

The beginning of this year has been full of twists and turns. I’m certain these changes are for the better, and I’m hoping to reclaim my time-management skills soon!

In the meantime, please know that we are soul sisters and miss you with all my heart.

photo credits: via weheartit ~ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.
(Wayne Dyer)

Hello my lovely friends. It has been way too long since we last spoke. Your kind emails and comments have been wonderfully overwhelming. Thank you for all the sparkle and support you have sent my way.

Some fantastic, exciting and unexpected things have happened lately. It’s funny how life throws magic your way when you begin to believe in the beauty of dreams.

My silence here and on twitter is in no way a reflection of my love for you, my dear readers. Have you had a chance to follow me over at Tranquility du Jour? I have posted a few things I think you might enjoy.

If you are a relatively new reader (or if you enjoy vintage), please take a moment to read a few of my favorite posts. You deserve to know a bit more about me, my dreams and what makes me sing.

I anticipate life settling down soon. I will be back in full force. Better than ever. I promise!

photo credit: laura burlton

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.
(John Barrymore)

Friends, I am elated to announce that another weekend is on its way. This week has been full of exciting moments and challenging times and I’m looking forward to spending the next two days enjoying creative bliss.

I have more than enough inspiring items on my to-do list for the weekend ahead. I hope the links and ideas to follow help inspire you to pick up a sketch book, sing along to a favorite tune or type out a bit of poetic prose.

Whatever your weekend holds, please share your creative plans with the rest of us!

order this organic (and inexpensive) tomato gift box

consider the possibility of an oceanside retreat

develop a morning routine renovation plan

get cozy at starbucks & check out their new healthy treats

email a friendly reminder to the future

journal about style icons

clean the apartment & get to know a few corners

make love packages for sweet friends

remember to shine brightly

forget to care about what other people might say

photo credit: aunt owwee via flickr

No kind action ever stops with itself.
One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed.
A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions,
and the roots spring up and make new trees.
The greatest work that kindness does to others
is that it makes them kind themselves.
(Amelia Earhart)

I have connected with some amazing people through this blog and twitter community. One of those ladies is Micaela over at Dolce Vita. After a confusing series of events we quickly became email buddies—discovering a shared love for the great state of Texas and the idea of “paying it forward.”

Then one day, the most wonderful present found it’s way to my doorstep.

Her blog is an inspiring collection of love, words and images. It was no surprise that the package she sent suited my taste—down to every detail.

Micaela, thank you for sending me a little of your sparkle and for paying it forward. I will repay the favor when you least expect it.

image credit: ScarlethWhite via Flickr

When we feel love and kindness toward others,
it not only makes others feel loved and cared for,
but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.
(Dalai Lama)

Together, we have journeyed through Martha Beck’s The Joy Diet and over the weeks we have learned a lot—about ourselves and each other.

The tiny discoveries and slight shifts in behavior from reading this book are not significant or profound, but I hope they endure the tests of time.

Finishing this chapter on Connection, I took away these two points:

You will win emotional security neither by finding some infallible person to love, nor by controlling people who are fallible, but by constantly using your ability to connect.

Becoming still will link you with those who are meant to love you.

As we finish the book and our journey together, my deepest hope is not that Beck’s words stay with us, but that we are able to carry our friendships and connections with us on journeys to come.

image credit: me

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked,
in which you can walk with love and reverence.
(Henry David Thoreau)

I’m so happy the weekend is here. After a week of cold and dreary weather, I am ready for a little sunshine. This week I was really looking forward to all the fun and creative things on my to-do list, here are a few:

saturday morning yoga class
shop for trinkets at my favorite outdoor mall
sip on flavored chai tea lattes
cut beautiful images out of magazines
paint my nails a new romantically dark color
make a fun cd for a new friend
consider my gift for the ornament exchange
work on my blog, catch up on google reader & redo my twitter background
respond to emails
cook a yummy dinner
soak in the tub and really read
shop for new jeans and wintery shoes
work on a top secret project
breathe
listen to new podcasts
clean my apartment
reorganize my artist’s desk
start to think about holiday decorations
snuggle with my mister

It brings me so much joy to know my weekend plans are full of opportunities for creativity. Even though clean my apartment is on the list—there are many other fun things planned.

What creative to-dos are on your list for the weekend? If you crave a bit more inspiration for your weekend, check out this list and these two completely creative videos.

photo credit: vogue nippon via coco+kelly

these soul sisters live all across the map
inspiring, writing, reading
reaching out to one another

creative
yoga-doing
sparkle-loving types

i knew you were there all along

inside we’re all so similar
tiny little girls wearing tutus & soccer cleats

grown-ups now
still playing in the mud &
coloring outside the lines

(written with ♥ by me)

I have spent the last few days soaking up an overwhelming amount of inspiration from so many of you. Your comments, emails, tweets and soul hugs travel from far away—and I welcome them with open arms.

I started this blog with the hopes of connecting with kindred spirits, but I did not realize the kind of impact you would have on me. In just a few short weeks, I feel transformed. There is a new light inside me. Thank you for letting yours shine.

The poem above came to me today in a quiet moment. Immediately, I wanted to share it with you. I feel lucky to be a part of your universe. Thanks for sharing bits of your world with me.

photo credit: playwithbrushes via flickr

Delicious autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns.
(George Eliot)

Happy November! I can’t believe how quickly this fall season is passing by. The days are shorter and the weather is cooler. It is time to find comfort in hot tea and warm blankets. I decided last month to participate in a festive Autumn Swap with a group of other bloggers, and am so I glad I did.

Today I was excited to open my package that traveled to Raleigh from Australia…

The talented Kate over at Love You Big blog sent me a collection of goodies that I can’t wait to indulge in. I am looking forward to treating myself to a DIY spa date complete with a pumpkin face masque and yummy tea.

Here is a little preview of the package I sent along to my swap mate…

It was so much fun gathering treats to delight the senses—comfort drink, comfort food, comfort for the soul & a comfort surprise. I enjoyed baking cookies with love, putting together an autumn playlist and finding a new book to send.

Even if you did not join in the Autumn Swap festivities this year, you can still put together a thoughtful package for a friend—or treat yourself to some comforting goodies like warm socks, hot cocoa or a new journal.

photo credit: pjan vandaele on flikr

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere
without moving anything but your heart.
(Phyllis Theroux)

Can you feel it? The holiday season is quickly approaching and the time for thoughtful homemade presents is here. With the current economy, many people are looking to save a few pennies with gifts from the heart.

A friendship journal is great for anyone who lives far away. It’s a heartfelt gesture that keeps giving throughout the year. The idea is to add a few pages at a time before mailing it back to your journal buddy. As time goes by and pages are filled, you and your friend/sister/cousin/niece/etc will have a book full of inspirational images, thoughtful musings and lovely journal entries.

Follow my easy directions below to make your own, or check out this pretty and fabulous store-bought version if you prefer.

Ingredients:

• Journal—the dollar store kind is perfect!
• Magazine cut outs, favorite quotes and any other decorative accents
• Crafting basics—scissors, markers, stickers, tape glitter and glue

Step One: Decorate

Pretty up that plain-jane journal with stickers, sparkle and glitter. I like to make the cover simple at first so my journal buddy and I can add to it as time goes by. Make it custom by infusing your style with creative touches.

Step Two: Journal

Use the first page of the journal to explain the idea behind your thoughtful gift. You may want to include a favorite quote or inspirational photo. This is a great place to tell your journal buddy how much you miss them and how excited you are to keep in touch with them in this creative way.

This is really where the fun starts. Allow yourself to be silly and playful when creating your journal pages. Each one can follow the same theme or be totally different. Personalize it. Love it. This is your friendship journal.

Step Three: Send!

Once you have completed a few pages, wrap it in pretty packaging and send it off into the universe with love. Before you know it, the journal will be making its way back in your direction with newly completed pages, ready for you to dive in and play some more!

photo credit: me

Take that first step.
Bravely overcoming one small fear
gives you the courage to take on the next.
(Daisaku Ikeda)

It is hard to believe that we’re well into the middle of Martha Beck’s book, The Joy Diet. It seems to me that every week I fall behind—and then I remember this is not a race.

I am beginning to accept that I won’t be implementing this diet “by the book” but rather slowly folding it into my preexisting routines. Thinking about The Joy Diet as a practice instead of a requirement has softened me in a way that is hard to describe.

Thank you for showing me that we are all on this journey together. Reading so many blogs on the same topic has helped me realize there is no right or wrong way to practice Joy.

I am living between the sentences in Beck’s narrative and discovering simple moments that were always there, even though I never noticed them before.

Yesterday was rough, but by the end of the day, I was content and happy. With your help, I found my smile. I took myself to Starbucks after work, where I enjoyed the comfort of a purple armchair and the sweet warmth of a pink Raspberry Chai Soy Latte.

The past two weeks of Creativity and Risk have blended together, and all I can say is that I am learning…

to try something different when the patterns of my actions hold me back.
to embrace mental yoga poses that make me feel uncomfortable.
to examine why some goals scare me.
to be ok with being afraid.
to know I am ok.

I am excited to enjoy treats while I continue my practice of nothing, truth, desire, creativity and risk. Thank you again for sharing your journeys, you are all the best teachers in the world.

photo credit: me