pedal on

i want a bicycle. i have wanted one for quite sometime and after spotting the urban outfitters bike shop where you can customize a bike i have been on the look out.

i have been watching a few on ebay. there are so many restored vintage ones but a wicker basket and white frame would have to be the way to go.

images: urban outfitters, ebay

list

in just over three weeks M and i have accomplished alot on our to do list. we got the house and now i have a car and a mobile phone too. i feel a bit more settled now that i have a few things that connect me to the outside world and as of wednesday when the car is dropped off i will be able to venture out by myself with O. i am very excited about the car, it is much more spacious than my last and has 4 doors so no more leaning over to get O in the back seat... my back will be saved. well aside from that i am thinking craft stores and thrift shops will be a good start on where we can go as i want to start getting a few more things to fill up the house since we are only two weeks away from taking possession.

we have also had to start planning so of the specifics for the renovations for our new home. we are going to be doing a bit of work before we move in and then continuing on the not so tricky things later on. the three big things on the list are refinishing the hardwood floors, repainting the whole house including trim and doors as well as a new kitchen. i think the kitchen is the most fun part for me because i really want it to be the center of the home and have dreamed of the style i wanted for sometime. to finally be able to get it. the feel that i want throughout our home is for it to be calm and organic by using natural and rustic materials.

corners

the idea for the felted acorns goes along with the nature table that i want to create in our home for things that we find on little walks and such. the nature table is a waldorf home essential that it typically changed seasonally.

on my search for some inspirational tables i also discovered the blog of soule mama who has her nature table in the front entry of her home. i think it is a wonderful idea to have it right at the entrance to the home so that it can collect wonderful bits of the outside. the blogs keeper is amanda blake soule who had two fabulous books both of which are on my list to get. with some many things to look at online i never get the chance to look further into little things that i find inspire me until it jumps onto my screen as amanda's blog did today. just never enough time to read about what everyone is doing when you have your own life to live but this blog was a welcome break today as i took a little look into her life as an author and mother of four.

image: soulemama

hello oz

so we arrived a few days ago and are recovering from jetlag. we had a very good trip, O did so well and i couldnt be more pleased by that. M is already back to work today so i am at home for the first day by myself. there is a fairly long to do list so i dont feel too lost but sometimes a little bit of fear about what i need to do to keep me busy creeps in. all in all i am glad to be back here and relieved that the trip portion is over. looking forward to all the fun stuff to come in the next few weeks. so the journey continues.

my first little project that i am excited about is creating a few terrariums. they seem to be all the rage on etsy right now and was so excited to find some moss hanging around here that insisted on being dug up for my little gardens. these are some of the cute terrariums and accessories that i found.

i think this is just the type of gardening that i should start with as well because they only need to be watered every few weeks.

images: made by mavis, the oak leaves, weeds and wild things, mudpuppy

nine.

yesterday i took most of the stuff that i am taking with me to oz over to my mums. all the material things that i have collected over the past eight years are to fit into six suitcases. as well i believe i have done with purging there is still more to be done because i do not actually think it will fit in just those suitcases. it is time to get brutal and break free of material possessions. something like Os baby clothes and such i cannot bare to part with, they are a reminder i need to keep as he is getting so big and looks less and less like my little baby.

i think one of the essential keys to simplicity is minimizing material possessions. and that is a huge part of this journey that i am on so i will keep that in mind when i repack my suitcases for the tenth time.

images: simply photo

change

you must be the change you wish to see in the world

~ mahatma gandhi

image: pocket full of poesy

inspirational studio

who doesnt love amy butlers fabric but her studio is so so beautiful. i love the simplicity and the contrast of light and dark. 




and need i say anything about the balance of mid century and rustic. 

images: amy butler

shop {humanoid}

tunics, over sized shirts, scarves and leggings. it doesnt get much comfier than that. 

this is the kind of simplicity i hope for in my wardrobe.

images: humanoid

moroccan interiors

yet another corner of the world to find inspiration in is Morocco. 

i have been inspired through the patterns of fabric, tile, artwork and especially henna. but i enjoy the simplicity of the crude window frames surrounded by the white plaster. 

images: shootfactory

law of love

the law of love could be best understood and learned from little children.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

image: sharon montrose

white

for me the essence of simplicity is white. 

in a home with white walls it feels as though it is a blank canvas and the people and things in it are the elements that bring it to life. 

a bed fitted with crisp white linens looks inviting. i'd like to think i could live this simply but i guess we will soon find out. 

images: shootfactory

consider the journey {me}

to follow up my previous post about the change i feel that i need in my life summed up by a simple but powerful statement. i wanted to share a few things in my words rather than borrowed ones. 

i have come to a point in my life where that i feel like if i continue on it i may look back in a few years and regret that i did not make a change. the fact that i have got caught up in expectations of society fueled by the illusion of security by financial means is somewhat disheartening to me. from here on i want to put more importance on those that i love and creating a life that is more simplistic. for me this also means putting a focus on my childs future by being available to him to share in the wonder he finds. 

i don't expect what i share with here to be something that changes your whole life but perhaps a few of my words or findings will creep into your life by reminding you to love deeper, have more meaningful friendships and relationships, consider the things around you and basically live consciously. that is my only hope with this blog. 

image: me

8,683 miles

my beau and i are separated by a great distance for what has seemed like an eternity. to deal with the additional issue of the time difference we frequently email each other little findings on the net or whatever is on our minds so when there are hours between other methods of communication we still have that. 

one of the recent finds is a website zen habits which contains alot of lists (which i love) of ways towards simplicity etc. but there is so much information that i havent had a chance to even scratch the surface. however i have my personal sifter as M sends me links to the pages that he finds that might be of mutual interest. the most recent was just what i like to read a simple reminder but so effective.  it makes me feel not so far away when we read the same words and have the same focus.

image: kristybee

statement

I have been attempting to find the exact words to express the extent of my transition from my current life into my future.

This statement sums it up so well.

"I lived what most people call the good life. I was happy, but deep inside I always felt that, with the short amount of time we are given to live and love in the world, we spend too much time loving things instead of people." ~Antonia Brenner

It also makes me feel as though I am not alone in my quest for the simpler things in life.

image: futurogirl

take a moment

i so often get caught up with daily life that i need reminders. this is the most basic but so essential.
just for a moment consider only yourself and dont forget to breathe.

image: yeehaw

return to simplicity

i have been given an opportunity for a new beginning.  i am returning to where i have always considered my home and since my heart belongs to another that also resides there, it is time.

along this journey i hope to share what i discover and what it inspires me to create. i desire simplicity in my day to day life and hope to surround myself with constant reminders of just that.