I’m a sucker for the sleek packaging of the iphone.

We got six inches of unexpected snow this week coupled with many gray, rainy days, but there was still lots to be excited about. I got a new iphone after two years of the galaxy. Yes I switched back, mostly because the iphone just appeals to my senses more. I also ran my first ten-miler and got an invitation to a good friends wedding.

A nice reward after running ten miles.

Looking forward to using these pickled peaches to make a pie.

I found this invitation so striking – both modern and glamorous.

I’ve been looking for a buddha and this is one of the best I’ve seen yet.

On one of my mom’s recent trips to see me in Charlottesville, she brought along a copy of Shannon Fricke’s book How to Decorate to share with me. Recently I’ve been investigated the “why” behind some of the things I love, and have not found a better example than Shannon’s words:

“Decorating is a form of creativity, an opportunity to express our unique style of seeing things in a legitimate way. I say legitimate because sometimes the world can look upon the act of being creative as a pastime, an indulgence of sorts, for those who have too much time on their hands and little else in the way of ‘real work’. What a shame, I say, that we don’t give the act of being creative the credit it so definitely deserves. Creativity in any form is a clear window into our soul, into who we are and how we see things. It inspires us to know ourselves — from our head all the way through to our heart. The experience of using our minds, our hands and our inner spirit in tandem is an opportunity to achieve a kind of peace. To just be…How lovely to have such a chance in this crazy, fast-moving, ever-evolving world!

The lovely thing about engaging with decorating as a form of creativity is that the outcome can be both functional and beautiful. It’s easier to navigate the footprint of a well-decorated house, and all who live among its virtues feel its influence on an aesthetic and spiritual level. And on top of all this, good decoration adds value to the property, which for some people is reason enough. For me, however, the true joy of decorating, the heart of the experience, will always lie in the act of creativity itself.”

I couldn’t agree more. Thank you Shannon for your words of wisdom and validating why decorating is so important to us.

I was lucky enough to grow up with two amazing women in my life. Some of my fondest memories as a young person were spending my weekends with my mom and my aunt. A typical Saturday might find us starting the morning over a long breakfast at a local brunch spot in order to fuel our souls and our bellies for the rest of the day. Our afternoons might be spent browsing local boutiques, re-arranging our furniture for the 12th time, playing in my aunt’s closet that also housed her collection of vintage clothes that once belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother, getting our nails done, pouring over our favorite shelter magazines, or going to an estate sale. These activities might seem somewhat indulgent, but they were not. For us, it was more about the creative process, about thinking about how we wanted to dress and the environment that we wanted to live in and also sharing these things with each other. Now that we all live in separate cities, thousands of miles apart, I find myself craving those Saturdays that were just our own where we could be creative and explore the world around us together. For me, this blog is a way to continue the conversation with these amazing ladies who mean so much to me even though I can’t spend every Saturday with them and hopefully to widen the circle to include other women who are also craving the same kind of creativity and connection in their lives.