I realized last week that if I could find a beautiful way to marry minimalism with a rustic aesthetic, I might find my perfect happy space. I had no idea how to blend these two very different ideals, but some inspiration came to my inbox just today! Check out these beautiful rooms on Bloglovin that combine both of my interior design goals (plants included).
If you know of any other places where I can find similar minimalism + rustic combos, let me know! Maybe one day I'll be able to add some of my own pictures to the internet!
P.s. Would you say rustic minimalism? Or does minimalist rustic make sense? You might also be interested in this collage of minimalist planter ideas or this Atlanta treehouse available on Airbnb (now up to $350/night, though!).
Last month, I stumbled across Me + Orla on Instagram. As simple as many of the photos are, I found the feed enchanting. Neutral colors, simple settings, slow living, it all seems like my kind of perfection captured on film (well, technically on a screen, but still). Just take a look!
Not only are the pictures beautiful, but I learned that the Instagramer made it a goal of hers to become excellent at it, which I highly respect. She's since accomplished that goal, and she's sharing all of her tips she learned from experience on her blog. I spent hours reading through everything that first night I found her, and I am now a die hard fan of Sara Tasker, the artist and writer behind the lovely photographs.
I have to say, Sara's advice for getting better at Instagram doesn't involve any of the flimsy "The one little thing that will brings you thousands of followers!" tips you see bouncing around the internet. Sara is legit, and all I've seen her share is completely practical and easy to understand. For example, her main suggestion for building a popular Instagram is to post truly excellent photography. (Duh, why didn't I think of that?) Followers and likes will come if you do good work. Of course, there's more to building a tribe, but that's her main focus, and it just strikes me as genuine. It's not sneaky, it's not necessarily difficult, but it's also not necessarily easy. It's something to have to work for, but if you do put in the work, you will reap the reward.
Anway, I could fawn over this woman for ages, but I would rather you read up about what she says. Even if you're not into Instagram, photography, or social media, Sara takes beautiful pictures, and you deserve some eye candy for your day.
It's a somewhat secret wish of mine to be famous (I care only a little as to how, but I could work with being Insta-famous), but I also care about the art I produce, even if it's not displayed in a gallery. For about a month and a half or so, I've started taking my own Instagram more seriously, and it's been interesting to see how my approach has changed since reading about Sara's story and process. After going through all her blog posts, I signed up for the free Insta-Retreat workshop to get even more. The Insta-Retreat is emailed out as a short e-book, and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to take their Instagram to the next level. Prepare to be challenged and brought to the edge of your preconceptions and your comfort zone. You won't regret it.
I have been mooning over the cherry blossoms in the courtyard and cozying up in the sun for a few minutes almost every day this week. I am completely in love with the spring weather Atlanta has been enjoying! We're supposed to have one more cold snap this weekend, but then it's going to be easy breezy springtime till next fall!
Not that I have the cash to go out and buy new decor pieces each season, but I wanted to share a few things I wish I could have around to complement the beautiful weather.
While roaming the blogosphere last month, I came across the Japanese art of Ikebana on FTD. It's a very strict and lovely form of flower arranging, and the pieces look different from anything I've seen before. Ikebana literally translates to "giving life to flowers" or "arranging flowers", but artists use more natural pieces than just flowers to bring in movement, lines, and shape to the piece. Arrangements often include branches to add height and leaves to add lines among the flowers. The results are unique, emotive, and stunning creations.
If you're still looking for a calendar for the new year, how about some of these simple, beautiful, and streamlined options? By the way, when I went through the internet to find some great examples, the obvious themes were hand lettering and clipboards. Ha!
4 : Hand lettered, boxed calendar from Chantel Emma
If you have any others you'd like to add to the list, please include them below in the comments! I had a harder time this year finding ones I really liked; a lot of the blogs and websites I've used calendars from before didn't make a new version this year. Also, you can always edit things online and make your own or splice a couple different ones together in an editing software or online! I often use picmonkey for things like that, and that's how I make my image collages, too!
Last night, while Caleb worked on a project, I got bored and decided to put together a little comic showing the story of my married life. It's entirely silly (though also entirely true), and I was much more pleased with it than I expected to be. Therefore! I'm sharing it with you here!
I was able to edit all photos with the Studio app on my iPhone, by the way. It's completely free and has a ton of tools for adding personality to your pics. Enjoy!
New polishes are always fun, but here are some things besides polish that can take nails to the next level. If there's someone in your life who loves to do nails, I can guarantee that she'll appreciate anything off this list. By the way, this post is very information heavy, but it's all for you!
Guess what! I've been working on my Christmas present to you guys, and I'm planning on releasing it next week! (Here's a hint.) I've been working on it bit by bit since August, and I'm hoping it's going to be really valuable to you. In the meantime, though, here is some night sky gift inspiration for the stargazers among you.
With Black Friday just around the corner and holiday shopping gearing up around the hemisphere, I wanted to share some causes I care about and great ways to support them while getting presents for family and friends!
I love-love-love plants. Inside plants and outside plants. My parents' house is nestled in the perfect Southern wood with ferns everywhere, and it's one of my most precious places. My parents will be moving next year, so I won't be able to visit my precious place anymore, but instead of being super sad about it, I've decided to try and bring some of the ferns from the woods into my apartment. What I really want to do is make some hanging planters for them. I think seeing my childhood ferns hanging from the ceiling would be so cool and pretty! My ideal is something that looks simple and clean and that doesn't involve any macrame. Lucky for me, lots of other people have the same idea!
Minimalist and modern hanging planter inspiration:
To be honest, lace isn't typically my style, but I've found some subtle ways to bring it into my life that I really like. Take this cuff, for example. I think it's beautiful, and I love how I can make my own and completely customize it. Here's the tutorial at Verily Mag!
Looking through the tutorial gives me a lot of ideas. What if I fixed two bands together? What if I sewed on small beads or jewels? What if I used thin lace or wide lace or fastened it with a button? I've used lace trim before for a few projects (here and here, sorry for the poor photo quality), but I had never thought that fabric stiffener could open up so many possibilities. Like this!
Here's some more subtle lace project inspiration...
My boss, Diane, likes to throw dinner parties. We'll usually have two a year for the whole office plus dates.
Now, Diane is a part of high society here in Atlanta. To my embarrassment, I was not prepared for her high society dinner party. We arrived right on time and came empty handed, both major faux pas I was unaware of until I saw everyone else arriving "late" and bringing gifts for our hostess. Dear oh dear, I'm never letting this happen again.
To save yourself the same embarrassment, read this article from Dinner, A Love Story for the low down on proper etiquette. Then the next trick is figuring out what kind of hostess gifts you can bring after being invited over so many times. Don't want to seem repetitive, you know? Here are some ideas and tips.
I found this Tea Garden in a Box idea on Martha Stewart's website. I like it so much! Herbs to supplement your tea or to create your own blends, how cool is this? I've wished of having my own herb garden someday, but I hadn't even considered using the herbs for tea. Have you ever made your own?
I learned of the wonders of dry shampoo in 2012 and found that the Batiste brunette variation was my favorite. The dark color meant my hair didn't look like chalk, and the nice smell was fun. It soaked up the oil in my hair and let me start washing my hair only every other day, which was a great time saver, too! However, after finishing the first experimental can and loving the dry shampoo, I realized that it was mega expensive. The brunette formula I used cost upwards of $8, and it only lasted me a couple months! Plus, that pretty smell wasn't enjoyable anymore, because the propane and everything else in the formula started to aggravate my lungs each time I sprayed it.
So another branch from the mori girl is the yama girl. Yama, 山, means mountain in Japanese. Some chicas have taken the natural vibes of mori and have turned them more rugged.
Hiking is a serious hobby in Korea, and I assume there are pockets of
Japan that are quite similar. And, a girl wants to look cute while
trekking up a mountain, right? So right. Thus, Yama fashion: Colors beyond the neutrals, warmer layers, and usually more functional clothing.
Starting at the more serviceable end of the spectrum and tapering off int the more mori-inspired interpretations, here are some examples of yama gaaru (山ガール、mountain girls) in pictures.
I've come across a few things lately that I really like. Em at Hip Hip Gin makes wish lists. I bet she doesn't get all of the things she wishes for. And, as long as I don't dwell too much on wanting them/not having them, I bet it's okay for me to make wish lists, too. Just for fun.
By the way, I saw two of these things over at Shoko Wagner's Pinterest or her blog, Sho & Tell. This girl knows what's up, and I recommend her as an internet personality to follow.
I want a coconut cake. My
parents brought home a piece of one from a Bible study last month. I'd
never had coconut cake before. This one was so moist and lightly sweet
and deliciously aromatic and tasty. image by Julie Marie via Always With Butter via Shoko's Pinterest
Would you look at this Big Dipper constellation earring? I
have a thing for the stars. I love them. I love them so much. I like
star charts, star globes, the colors of midnight and gold, and Van
Gogh's Starry Night. I have yet to go star gazing under the biggest sky, but it's on my Bucket List. via Sumally via Nojess, and I saw it first on Shoko's Pinterest. This
earring is from the Japanese company, Nojess. I really wish I knew
Japanese and that I could figure the online shop website. I wish even
more that someone on Etsy would craft something similar and provide
English shipping instructions. I guess access to international jewelry
is just one more reason to start up on all Earth's languages.
Keeping with the astronomy theme just a little further, I really like this calendar, too. for sale for approx. $13.11 by minudesign on Etsy (I found it on Etsy's Pinterest board, Stuff We Love.)
An excellent and simple tie dyed shirt. Because, you know, summer's just after spring. This one also came to me from Free People's We ❤ DIY. This tutorial comes from Sweet Paul.
A kangaroo. More
specifically, I want a kangaroo at my wedding. I don't know where the
idea came from, but it came, it's here, and it's not going anywhere. I
think the presence of a kangaroo would make everything better. Image by Rob Griffith via NBWNews
Caleb and I were walking through a CVS this week, looking for ponytail holders, when we came across some nail art tools which I was so surprised to find in an American CVS. Caleb asked if he could buy them for me. I was surprised and so happy and of course said yes. That small present made me very, very glad.
Wish lists are fun, but I am most definitely thankful and satisfied with things I do have and even more with the intangible things I have. :)
I recently confessed my fascination for the Japanese street style of Mori. The earthiness and ethereal atmosphere of the forest in the form of fashion. I love it.
My house is in the woods. I see tall trees outside my bedroom window, and I can hear sweet crickets in the summer. My heart reacts in a childlike way to the green and the sunshine and the scent of the woods. I would love to even get married in the woods.
I'm actually planning my very own wedding with my best friend in the world right now. We're on a tight budget, we're blissfully in love, and we're so excited for the first day of our marriage and everything that comes after.
Our ceremony will be inside, but the reception will be outdoors, and I want to have as much brought into the atmosphere of my wedding from the forest as possible. The leaves and the bark, even the dirt, it all makes me feel at home, at rest, and alive. I love it.
Perhaps you are familiar with the fact of the many, many different street fashion styles that have been cropping up in Tokyo, Japan for a good while. Around the internet, I've seen super cute and fake Lolita, Gyaru, and Ganguro girls (with their many facets), the OTT-Lolita dolls, the Kigurumi who dress like adorable animals, and the different facets of the dark Kei fashion, to name a few.
This popular mori girl checklist will break it down for you in 60 steps, but here's a sum up:
In Japanese, mori (森) means forest. The idea of the mori girl is to look like she's just come from living in the woods. A mori girl starts her wardrobe with the colors of the earth like white, cream, brown, and gray. Other added colors tend to be dusty and gentle. Light layers and loose silhouettes are a must, and then come the accessories. Long necklaces, low heeled shoes, natural makeup and hair, and plenty of lace complete the look.
Here's what I thought when I first saw some examples of mori style. Okay, first I thought that it was really nice and pretty, but then I thought, "Oh hey! Isn't this what the hipsters are going for these days?" Not the spirit hood type of hipster now, I mean the indie thrifty hipsters. I'll show you what I mean.
(There are so many different ways to express this style! I would flood this post with pictures if I could.)
I know that dance is gushed about as being this transcendental experience that goes beyond the physical and reaches form the innermost being to something beyond through some ecstasy of movement. How awesome would it be to be able to stand firm on that and to hold it as a banner for what would be my passion. Perhaps that will happen one day, but for now, I'm just super psyched about the many opportunities for expanding my reborn hobby of dancing.
I wish I could say that I started young, that I have a good foundation, and that I have natural talent. I don't have those things, but I've got rhythm, diligence, and serious interest. My first shot at any kind of dance was the Sunday night swing jam off campus during my college days. Then there were the occasional girl dance parties, one carefully choreographed hall project, two semesters of dance class, and I was involved in a small dance performance and dance team. When I got to Seoul and learned that it's the Lindy hop capitol of the world, I started to hit up the swing bars in hopes of honing what I want to turn into something serious. (Seriously awesome, that is.) A few of my friends have started to come with me, two of them have gotten me hooked on the idea of trying out their salsa clubs, and, to top it all off, a dude at my church started offering a free hip hop class! I'm religiously attending every Tuesday night session.
A lot of the people from my Bible study group are in hip hop with me. We hang out a lot at Sim's place, and, the last two times, we've ended up watching battling dance movies. Last time it was Stomp the Yard, and tonight's choice was Step Up 3. Those movies combined, that's about 3 hours of awe, exclamation, and groovin' right along as best as I can.
I feel like I missed the boat to be excellent at hip hop (I'm already 23), but I will kill at lindy hop one day, and it's just fun to imagine myself as some great dancer with smooth moves and flair. These movies are perfect for inspiration. I'm going to recommend Dirty Dancing: Havannah Nights for next time.
Want some snapshots of the glory? I've got a couple of my favorites for you! (It took a long time to narrow my choices down, I tell you what.)
Sick step moves brought to you from Stomp the Yard
K, last one: The trailer for Step Up 3D which shows some sweet action and wraps in the happy good feelings that are associated with the freedom, the sweat, and the dedication of dance
