Dream Big Too

Time to take action! No more thinking about all those dreams I have...I wanted to get a journal that I could dedicate specifically to my life dreams and my blueprints of how I saw myself accomplishing those dreams...So here is what I found at Barnes and Noble in the way of journals.

I wanted new, functional, and reasonable...

Honestly this beautiful marblized one just scared me. There was something that felt like concrete about this journal, and I need something that was going to be more forgiving.

These leather bound ones were going for $40 I just couldn't bring myself to spending that kind of money on a journal that could potentially end up like so many of my other journals which had become a conglomeration of study, inspiration, chronology of my life, lists of things 'to do', phone numbers addresses... so I went with this green one.

Besides, if I bought this one the publisher would give one to a child or someone who needs a journal.

I have to confess it took me a couple days to start writing something.  And when I did... I found that I was evaluating my life and if I had actually accomplished any dreams at all. I warn you this can be a very emotional exercise. It has some highs and lows. Highs because I realized I had accomplished many dreams that I wasn't really paying attention to.  And lows because there are still some dreams that I have been working on ALL MY LIFE that I still have not accomplished. Sometime we have dreams about our lives that we almost take for granted.  Like getting married.  Staying married.  Having children. Loving your children. Teaching your children. Welcoming grandchildren.  That all by itself can be THE DREAM. But somehow we can look at it as a course of nature. Like learning to ride a bike or learning to swim, it's just something we expect to happen and do.  But that is really not the case.  We have to want and dream every part and particular of our lives everyday. So Hoooray for dreaming today, and all that we are making happen imperceptibly.

So, yeah, here is my 'Green Rethink Book of Dreams'... and I'm pretty dang excited about it!  I'm really breaking this dream/blueprint/accomplishment/declaration down. I want to think of all the details...make sure that it is what I want it to be. And right now I have become aware at how varied my life dreams are. I like this adventure. I feel hopeful, and a little nervous, but also excited because the process of writing my dreams down with a detailed blueprint of accomplishment is helping me to see if it is a real dream or not and also helping me to recognize what really is my most important dreams for myself.

Dream Big

For those of you who read my blog yesterday I was going to talk about Homevestures and an inside look at it but I have to put that aside for a minute and talk about Dreams because it feels so relevant. It might be at the root of everything I write and do. So lets talk about it now for a minute.

I want to share with you a fantastic quote by Sterling W. Sill on dreams. He says..."Just suppose that you had a special book where you kept a written list of those dreams and ambitions for which you had an unquenchable thirst.  A good book of dreams and some well thought-out blueprints for accomplishment will turn ambitions into realities.  Among the amazing inventions of man and the miraculous creations of God, nothing can match the human mind,which is the instrument given us by God with which to think, plan, imagine, love, and dream.  The Bible tells us of many inspired dreams that have been put into people's minds by Deity himself.  The fact that we have been divinely equipped for dreaming indicates that the function is important and that God certainly did not intend to do all of our dreaming for us."

Ok, the first assignment is to get a SPECIAL BOOK (I think I want to follow this to a T) and think...think...think... about my dreams.  What the heck are they? My sister helped me realize yesterday that I love the furniture part of owning the business...but not the dealing with people everyday who have a hard time making up their minds or deciding whether they are going to spend the money, or the paper work. My real estate instructor said "price overcomes ALL objectives". So I know that sometimes in retail you don't get your price and you often lose your shirt on pieces.

I want to get past the think part and really write what my dreams are. What do I and you have an unquenchable thirst for?  Is there a burning that is always there that never goes away, like a leaky faucet? I'm reading this book called 'The Fire Starter Sessions' (a gift from my big sister, sharing her crayons again...). Danielle Laporte asks a VERY relevant question..."How do you want to feel"? For me I know I want to be creative...but last night after leaving a missionary setting apart I realized that I want to feel 'important'. Really my creativity is the way that I do that.  I love being creative...but I want something more from creativity and that is feeling important. And when I say important I mean valued. Like people value my work and what I do and feel that it is important.  Who the heck knows why I want to feel that way but I do.  For me I knew that feeling important was at the core of 'what I want to feel' because it brought me to tears.  And as I've thought about how I want to feel the feelings that bring an emotional charge seem to be at the essence and root of everything for me.  And some psyco analysis might look at my desire and come up with all these things and reasons.  It doesn't matter. It is what it is, and we have all been endowed with a great capacity to dream and feel.  Which capacity will allow us to design and craft our lives. Bruce R McConkie once said... that if we put our foot on the path to the celestial kingdom we will get there. Really?! Think about that...? That has got to be one of the hardest dreams out there! So, all I'm saying is we can actually take baby steps at practicing dreaming with other stuff and eventually grow to realize that 'HEY' dreams are possible and if yours is the celestial kingdom 'Go for it!'

For me right now I think I'm at a more telestial groveling level. WHICH...will make it all the more rewarding as I do progress...!

I have ambition...! Do you?  What the heck is it though???? Well I'm not going to lie, right now I would like my creativity to bring financial reward.  I've been selling myself cheap and free and now that I'm pushing 50 I'm ready for the money! But do I have a GOOD BOOK OF DREAMS? No....What about a WELL THOUGHT OUT BLUEPRINTS FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS? No again... I have some work to do...and I'm okay with that because this sounds and feels like it's going to be exciting! So, would you like to join me in this journey...would you like to put this to the test...are you afraid...? I really believe this is a true principle.  I'm in...first get the book, think of how I want to feel, think of my dreams, draft a well thought-out blueprint (and go to lunch with a bunch of girlfriends at noon).

Let's check back in and see what we've come up with...Remember that 'God did not intend to do all our dreaming for us...

Need to be Creative

If your the creative type or not... you might get what I'm asking...Have you ever felt like a five year old who loves to color without crayolas or paper? This was me this morning...and when I thought about the people around me that could help me out, it didn't seem like there was anyone who'd be willing to share their crayons or paper. I think I would have been satisfied by just looking at and smelling a new box of crayons....thats how desperate I felt. So I decided to text my big (as in she's older than me and yes she is a big deal and extrememly talented) designer sister. In relative terms I told her that I have no crayons and no paper. So, like a champ she whips out her 96 box of crayolas with the built in sharpener...and boy was she willing to share.  I told her my delema, no start up capital, no clientel, and no location. She's like... wow, you do have a problem..., and here's the reality.  Do you want to help people make up their minds everyday about furniture that they love but don't want to spend the money on?  I'm like, No Way! I want to put together this amazing product line and just let everyone come fall in love without me having to work to sell them on it or the price.  I want to create these WOW spaces that enliven and inspire. Then I asked her if I was being realistic? Maybe, and maybe not...

She later texted me and said "I've got it! Write a book. And use your pinterest as inspiration."
I texted her back and told her I'd need a little more convincing...but I was feelin it.

In this virtual world we can dream BIG! But also remember there IS someone out there who is willing to share their crayons and paper and sharpener. God puts them there.

My next post is going to be an inside look at the meaning of 'Homevestures'.

 

Passion Ignites!

How does one know when passion becomes the driving force in our lives and specifically when and what ignites it...?  I was having another throw back while looking at my more than amazing and talented architectural design sister Sherry E's blog post on wall stickers. Go see she will tutor you on all the do's and don't! Here are just a few of the images that she posted!  I KNOW!


http://www.fermlivingshop.us/


red paint spiral wall mural by www.eazywallz.com


http://www.eazywallz.com/products/Dandelion-blowing-seeds-in-the-wind.html

So back to the original question...what ignites passion? For my sister and I and now my daughter Dawnelle and Sherry's daughter Kirstin we all have this passion for DESIGN!!! Gosh I loved seeing Kirstin's face the first time she came to my house...she was just a little girl...you could see her taking it all in through her eyes...what a happy memory for me.  I remember being EXTREMELY conscious of my surroundings because it was very different than what Kirstin grew up with 'clean lines' and on the cutting edge of the design world as she unconsciously became immersed in this fascinating industry at her mothers side. I knew this little one had a keen eye even at a young age.  But she just seemed to enjoy everything around her.

So about these wall stickers...my sister and I came up with our own version of this... ohhh...when we were 7 or 8. I'll never forget it... we got these new bed spreads that had a bright American blue background with various sized hearts patterned all over it.  We decided to replicate the motif in these spreads out of red construction paper and proceeded to tape red hearts all over the walls in our room.  We were so proud of ourselves and it must have been there in that small room with a mother that said 'oh what the heck' that passion had ignited...at least for me!

So today I'm smiling, and thinking as I look at my 7 and 9 year old and even my 15 year old what will ignite their passions and be their driving force all their lives. And hopefully I won't get in the way but say as my mom said 'oh what the heck'!

Sherry was a great inspiration to Dawnelle...it was when we went to Sherry's graduation that Dawnelle decided she was going into design. So this is dedicated to Sherry my beloved sister.

We love having you visit!

Nailing the Boho Style...

   
Bohemian-a person, as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules and practices.   ;-)


synonyms-Bohemian , avant-garde, boss*, contemporary,cool, cool*, deep, deep*, excellent, fabulous,fantastic, groovy, groovy*, hip*, hippie, mod,modern, modernistic, neat, nifty, offbeat, out inleft field, out of this world, rad, rad, radical,sensational, strange, super, swell, trendy,ultamodern, unconventional, unorthodox, veryunconventional, way-out, weird, wild, wonderful


 
 Where did the bohemian style start?  ;-) ;-)

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You can see Bohemia there right near Germany.  That's where my husbands people come from. No wonder it's creeped into our style...Could it have all started right near our beloved ancestors?

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Here's this amazing city of 'Bohemia' near Prague. After looking closely "I'VE GOT TO GO!" Everything from antiques to style and design, architecture, history...ahhhh...really, I do want this to be my next trip!
  
Bohemia Mansion and Slovakia Bohemia Castle...come on let's go pack our bags NOW! ;-) ;-)


The Art Nouveau era seemed to validate this ever evolving 'Bohemain' aka 'Boho' style.

So... for me it's kind of like a spice...Cayenne Pepper... some like it in small doses... and others can't get enough. Therefore, I warn you in large doses it can be VERY HOT! I'm probably in the mild-medium range.  With that said...does it mean I understand it? ;-)

Let me start with the 'Boho' girl...
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Her style is a little messy but gorgeous. The kind like 'I just rolled out of bed...AND...I'm still beautiful...!' ;-) ;-)


The Boho girl has a clear confidence.
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These beautiful dresses were shown at the D&G spring RTW 2012 gypsy fashion show in New York.



Her handbag is very important. It has to be handmade. And...it has to be able to tell it's OWN story.  It says... 'This is the bag that I got somewhere on the globe and has been with me in all my travels'. ;-)  Every part and piece of her has a story...hence, she is always fascinating us.


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She loves wearing multiple rings, bracelets and anklets...again handmade out of string, leather, beads, metals...  
                                                             Here are some creations my daughter Dawnelle and I made...they fall right into the 'Boho' lane. We call them Tressy Wrap Bracelets and Tressy Bracelets.

                 
Feathers are a BIG part of this distinct look...  ;-) ;-) ;-)


                                               
and so are scarves all year round for both men and women... ;-) ;-) 



'Boho' can make anything beautiful...;-)

Colors, patterns, textures all excite the Bohemian.
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Pillows are a staple in Bohemian decor...notice the sofa above... the pillows are arranged as if she just got up...in fact the couch is still warm from her being there.





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Anthropologie always resonates 'Boho'. Now we know why we are so drawn in...

I like boho today... it's better, fresher.
  ;-)

We are the music makers,
   And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
   And sitting by desolate streams; 
World-losers and world-forsakers,
   On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
   Of the world for ever, it seems.;-)

Dedicated to my beloved 'boho' daughter Dawnelle.

Check out Vicki Stecher on pinterest to see all my 'mild- med' bohemian images.

For the "HOT" and I mean "HOT" check out freshgypsy, thatbohemiangirl.tumblr

Thanks for visiting our blog!