Title: “Dream” by Kokabella

As I was unpacking and hanging wall art, I shot a photograph of this handmade porcelain charm and instagrammed it before polishing it off in Photoshop.

I printed it out on platinum paper and wow, it was so gorgeous, I am definitely going to add it to my store when it launches on etsy (without the watermark of course). The colors are vibrant and shiny!

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Photo credit: photograph of boots by Elsie Larson. Photographic art postcard by Kokabella.

{Seriously the cat’s meow of all DIY fashion tutorials!} Head over to Elsie’s A Beautiful Mess blog for a full tutorial and do yourself up some flowery boots that will make ‘em all drool!

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Photographic Art title: “Taste” by Kokabella

I had just completed this photograph with wording, textures and elements when I found this article by writer and creator of zenhabits, Leo Babauta. It went along perfectly with my new art piece. Special thanks to Leo for such wise advice. Enjoy!

Do you eat while reading? If so, you might have noticed the phenomenon I’ve noticed: sometimes you can eat an entire meal without even really tasting the food. This applies to a lot of things in our lives: we can spend an hour with our family without really talking to them. We can go to a park or the beach, and not really notice the things around us.

Here’s a tip that seems so simple, and yet can be difficult to maintain in practice: stop, and notice what you are doing in this moment. Become more aware of the present, instead of always thinking about the past and the future.

This is hard to do throughout the course of a day, but being perfect isn’t the point. Stop and do it once in awhile, at different times of the day, and just notice the little things. And enjoy them.

Try these little exercises (they’re very easy, so don’t be scared by the word “exercise”):

• When you eat your next meal, don’t read and don’t think about anything else except the food you’re eating. Really experience the smell of the food, the texture of the mixture of food in your mouth, the heat or coolness of it, the multiple flavors. This is best if you’re eating something you really enjoy (berries for me!).
• The next time you’re with someone, whether it’s a loved one or a co-worker, stop what you’re doing, clear everything aside, and take a few minutes to really talk to them. Really listen to what they’re saying. Really appreciate this person, and try to understand them. Really be with that person, fully.
• The next time you’re outside, stop, and look around. Appreciate the incredible beauty and simplicity and complexity of nature. Notice living things, from plants to birds to insects. Notice the elements – air and wind, water or rain, the earth, the sun or the moon or the stars. In fact, tonight, go outside and look up at the stars. The stars and the ocean always give me incredible perspective.
• When you shower next, try not to think about anything else but the shower itself. Think about the feeling of the water beating on your skin. Really enjoy the sensation. Feel the suds slipping down your body.

You can probably think of other things, but these are just a few ideas. And if you really experience these things, they can be incredible. And life won’t pass you by as quickly as it normally does, which can be a good thing.

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For the past seven months, we’ve been living at the beach. We leased a fabulous little cottage-style furnished casita in a beautiful gated community in the hammock area of Palm Coast. As many of you know, we moved there for a Montessori school for our toddler. When it didn’t live up to our standards of a traditional Montessori program and was not even a recognized Montessori school, we had to bid farewell to our shabby little beach life and move to Jacksonville where there were Montessori-accredited schools.

We took possession of our new home as soon as it was ready and have had the past few weeks to move out of our beach pad. We’ve traded in the sound of the ocean waves for a large natural preserve where the birds sing and play. I’m surprised how much I love it to be honest! I do miss the beach (above) but happy for the time I had there.

It’s funny how we have the ability to turn lemons into fresh lemonade. This is a perfect example of that. We had a beach for seven months, built a new business, formed lasting business relationships {love you, Office Divvy} and learned that we must do our own due diligence before getting involved with a school, business or service. It’s an absolute must in a world where anyone can appear to be all that and then some.

After this week, my new home studio will be set up and I’ll be photographing, designing and blogging from “the preserve!”

Thank you all for sticking by as we made this change. Keep your head held high and eyes wide open to wonderful new opportunities!

Terry-Anne

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New Year’s Day is January 1st. The celebration of this federal holiday begins the night before, when Americans gather to wish each other a happy and prosperous coming year.

Valentine’s Day is February 14th. The day was named after an early Christian martyr, and on Valentine’s Day, Americans give presents like candy or flowers to the ones they love.

Easter varies from year to year and falls on a spring Sunday. Easter is a Christian holiday.  For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Earth Day is on April 22. Earth Day is designed to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water.

Mother’s Day celebrates mothers every second Sunday of May. Carnations have come to represent Mother’s Day.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed the last Monday in May. It originally honored the people killed in the American Civil War, but has become a day on which the American dead of all wars, and the dead generally, are remembered in special programs held in cemeteries, churches, and other public meeting places.

Father’s Day celebrates fathers every 3rd Sunday of June. Father’s Day began in 1909 in Spokane, Washington, when a daughter requested a special day to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his children after his wife died. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.

Independence Day is July 4. This federal holiday honors the nation’s birthday – the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag is widespread.

Labor Day is the first Monday of September. This federal holiday honors the nation’s working people, typically with parades. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season and the start of the school year.

Columbus Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the 2nd Monday in October. The day commemorates October 12, 1492, when Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. The holiday was first proclaimed in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31. On Halloween, American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go “trick or treating” by knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbors are expected to respond by giving them small gifts of candy or money.

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11. It was established to honor Americans who had served in World War I, but it now honors veterans of all wars in which the U.S. has fought. Veterans’ organizations hold parades, and the president places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Thanksgiving Day is a celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest.

Christmas Day is a federal holiday celebrated on December 25th. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking the birth of the Jesus Christ. Decorating houses with lights and decorations, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards have become holiday traditions even for many non-Christian Americans.

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Wow, time has been flying by like crrrrazy. After driving back and forth to Jacksonville for the last month, it’s finally time to pack up the coffee maker and a few other things and start nesting in the new house! It’s absolutely gorgeous!

I’ll be away from blogging for a couple weeks while we get settled and I get my studio set up. I’ll see you all real soon.

{I never stop tweeting, so be sure to follow me on Twitter!}

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