"Everyone knows somebody that needs to read this book (Perseverance) !" –Kathie Lee Gifford, Live on NBC’s Today Show
"Perseverance offers… profound insight for all of us seeking to lead a meaningful life." –Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of A Whole New Mind
Confession: this color board was the hardest to create so far! Yet, it’s my absolute favorite to date :). Chartreuse is a tough color—with so many different shades between yellow and green. I found tons of images but as I put them together, the shades were totally off. As I worked on this board, I encountered an additional difficulty: completely forgetting the name of the color! After looking the name up about ten separate times, I finally wrote CHARTREUSE on a post-it note and stuck it on my computer (this did the trick!).
What I learned: this color is tough to design with for a novice like me (i.e., someone who calls it that crazy yellow-greenish color). To overcome my color knowledge deficit, I realized that the trick is to use this color to add an unexpected splash of cheer to a space or outfit. I adore the use of it in patterns (e.g., ikat, chevron, herringbone), especially for smaller accessories like throw pillows, jewelry trays, or tea towels. But to add a spectacular bold statement, I am loving the use of chartreuse to cover a sofa or even painting a door or wall in this gorgeous hue.
would love to know: love or hate chartreuse? what color is inspiring you this week?
Note for new readers:Throughout December, I will be posting my personal responses to Reverb11. My posts will be a bit different than usual—more vulnerable, less polished, more frequent, and probably more interesting! However, you can expect some “special” posts during the month as well. If you’re interested in reading more typical content, check out a few of the most popular posts. Regardless of what you’re reading (or not reading), welcome and happy December!
18. Ordinary Sparkling Moments. Reflect on the ordinary moments that bring you joy (e.g., the tea pot whistling, the sun setting). What moments would you like to relish in the coming year?
For this prompt, I decided to approach my response using a more visual technique. I created the mosaic above to reflect ordinary sparkling moments from 2011—moments that I hope to continue to cherish in the coming year. This mosaic represents such extraordinary happiness. I highly recommend putting together a little personal collage of happy moments/memories from 2011 that you can look back on at any time and feel a surge of joy :).
My Technique (Love reading others’ step-by-step processes so I thought it would be fun to share the nitty gritty details!)
(1) I spent about five minutes journaling ordinary sparkling moments from 2011. After this exercise, I had a list about a page long of happy moments + memories.
(2) Next, I brainstormed how I wanted to share this list. I could type the list and publish it in its raw form or capture the list in a more visual form. Since I have relied on words for most of my reverb11 responses, I chose to move outside my comfort zone and use the visual approach.
(3) I selected a mosaic photo template created by Pugly Pixel for Photoshop.
(4) I searched for photos* to capture a few of the ordinary sparkling moments on my list. After finding about 20 photos, I cropped and edited until I got down to just the right number of photos for this particular mosaic. I knew I was done when I looked at the mosaic and felt a strong emotional response to the collection of images all together :).
*I keep track of images that I find online by creating a new bookmark folder for particular blog posts. For example, for this post, I created a bookmark folder with the name: OSM (Ordinary Sparkling Moments). As I find photos, I bookmark the photo and save it to its post folder so I can easily find the image sources to link back to when I’m finalizing my post. I very rarely will share an image if I can’t find the source to reference.
Ordinary Sparkling Moments 2011 (Image Sources and Notes)
Blogshop Boston (Group Photo) | Carolyn + Lila Rose (Oct. 2011—I remember playing with Lila and feeling such joy. It was a weekend evening and my hubby and I were having a casual cosy night in. I asked him to take a spontaneous photo to capture this ordinary moment of bliss.) | Twinkle Lights (always make me happy) | Pink + Gold Wrapping (this is my new favorite color combination and inspired me to get more creative with my own holiday wrapping this year!) | Book Styling Photo (Leah Verwey shot and styled the most beautiful photos of my book. Looking at this photo and acknowledging this experience makes me incredibly proud and grateful for my book’s journey.) | Carolyn + Ben (Oct. 2011 in Paris—This photo was taken at a fabulous bistro in Paris on our first night. We were so excited to be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary in such a special place, just the two of us.) | Cocoa and Hearts Painting (My hubby bought me this painting for our apartment. It has the most beautiful pinks and golds in it. In the evening, the gold sparkles and just looking at it brings a smile to my face.)
Ruby Red is one of my absolute favorite colors! I think that’s because people called me “ruby” when I was growing up (a shortened version of my very long last name!). Nonetheless, there is something about this color that adds a sense of surprise when used in small doses. For example, I love wearing a pair of red heels with jeans and a plain t-shirt. And when the Starbucks cups turn to red for the holidays, I get so giddy! Below is a ruby red mood board highlighting a few beautiful pieces of red inspiration. I hope you enjoy this festive board and are beginning to transition into a peaceful and relaxing holiday state of mind :).
One final note: this is my first mood board created in Photoshop! I’m still experimenting with the program and trying to learn as I go so hopefully these boards will improve each time!!
In Boston, it feels like everyday is a gray day. The sun rarely shines in the winter. While gray is forever associated with shorter days and chilly temperature, I still adore the color and the coziness associated with its presence. I put together this color board about a month ago and enjoyed looking at it so much on my desktop that I completely forgot to post it! I hope it brings a sense of coziness to your day, regardless of the weather where you live. What is your cozy color?
When I think “emerald,” I am immediately transported back to my childhood—to The Emerald City (from The Wizard of Oz). I must have seen that movie over a hundred times! The yellow brick road leads to The Emerald City—oh such happy memories! If only we had yellow brick roads leading us to our destinations in real life :). Aside from transporting me to my childhood, I also associate emerald green with high intensity. I love its presence, but only in moderation.
I am feeling a lot better (finally!) and am back in action with my favorite type of post, a color me happy inspiration board! I began this color board almost a month ago and added the final touches today. Since 90% of my wardrobe is black, I couldn’t get excited by a color I already see so much on a day to day basis. And I thought this would be my favorite color board of all (silly me!). Insight gained: I need to add more color to my overall wardrobe. This is going to be a tough assignment, but one that I’m willing to tackle. It’s interesting to find patterns in your wardrobe. Do you notice that you lean towards one color palette? Or are there particular colors you avoid wearing? For example, I noticed that I adore wearing yellow but own practically no everyday pieces in this color (time to change this pattern).
How does black make you feel? What color is inspiring you today?
I’m really loving these color posts—hope you are too! Today, the color of choice is PURPLE. I really don’t have much purple in my life, which is surprising, since it is such a beautiful and lively color. It adds a certain depth and sense of life to inanimate objects. I’m on a mission to incorporate a little purple into my daily scenery. How about you — is there a color that is missing from your life?
I’m really loving these color posts—hope you are too! Today, the color of choice is GREEN. To be honest, I’ve never really thought about the color green. However, I noticed when thinking about a color for this week that I surround myself with lots of green. It’s the main color on A Beautiful Ripple Effect and the color on a wall in my apartment (oh and I just noticed it is also the cushion on my desk chair!). If you look around your own living environment, do you notice a color that you’ve been taking for granted as well? It’s fun to realize new things about ourselves by merely opening our eyes and looking around!
I’m really loving these color posts—hope you are too! Today, the color of choice is YELLOW. Oh, Yellow. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with this color. Currently, our status is definitely weighted towards the LOVE side. It just makes me smile—and that my dear friends is powerful medicine.
Last week, I had so much fun learning about some fabulous new Etsy boutiques from the Share Your Hearts giveaway (giveaway winners to be announced this week!). Thank you for providing a wonderful distraction from the chaos and excitement that fills my life during these last two weeks of wedding preparation.
To be honest… I don’t feel ready, which is strange since we’ve been engaged for 2.5 years and dating for 8 years. I have ZERO nervousness surrounding the decision to spend the rest of my life with my best friend and prince charming… but I’m nervous about being “good enough” on the actual day. There are the silliest worries, but rather than hide behind a facade of everything is just “perfect” and “wonderful”… I thought I would share some of the randomness running through my mind, right now :). Any advice or “I totally had that thought or… have you had this random thought…” are one hundred percent welcome and would be lovely to read so I can know for sure that it’s not just me!
:: unfiltered random + somewhat embarrassing thoughts ::
… i wish i had done this and that for this person or that person to show my appreciation
… i could do something different than the “this and that” mentioned above to show different people my appreciation (but when do i have the time?)
… i am a horrible bride and should have done x, y, and z a year ago (why did i wait so long?)
… did i pick the right dress? it’s gorgeous, but is it the right dress for me?
… i have no idea how to write my vows… i’ve tried and tried but the words aren’t right
… will i have time to truly enjoy the actual day or will i be too busy pleasing everyone else?
… i wish i had done more cute little stuff for my hubby to be for the wedding day (and his birthday – the day before)
… will i be a good wife? what does that even mean — a good wife?
It has been a long journey to get to where I am today… where we are today as a couple. And I want to focus on that element of our wedding — this new chapter together. I want to relish our special moments and stop worrying about perfect anything. It’s a struggle, but one that I’m going to embrace rather than ignore. I want to enjoy this time as a couple and forget about expectations and labels. And the hubby to be is my partner in this battle — I couldn’t be luckier.
:: must share this video – you and me by dave matthews band – soo deliciously good ::
Disclaimer: For the next couple of weeks, I will try to balance my sappy wedding posts with “regular” posts but be prewarned that I haven’t prescheduled anything so I may be blogging a bit more about the journey down the aisle and all that comes with it!
… Anything you want to know about this time? Chime in and I’ll be sure to write about it!
