A Mini Vacation For My Soul

Ever since we got home from the wedding-family reunion I keep catching myself slipping toward a bit of a Blue Funk :( I'm sure it's because of all the excitement of wedding preparations, running in high gear for 2 weeks, and having all those request to create something for this or that. Then to come home to ......... no one is calling to ask "Mom what do you think, or could you make this". All of the family Christmas gifts were given to them to place under their trees. There are no projects staring me in the face. And Annalise is begging me to slow down on creating necklaces because she says her neck can't hold up with any more weight :( Besides this kinda jewelry is a bit ostentatious for a swimsuit at the beach don't ya think???

Last evening I finished up a necklace and a couple of pairs of earrings and put all my pretty beads away. Yup you can see the bottom of my desk!! :) I'll get some pictures and post them in a day or so. But it was while I was putting things away I finally realized that I was wallowing in that not so good feeling. So I did what any good soul keeper should do for the well being of the soul we've looking after. I took us on a bit of a vacation.

First I put a CD of Vivaldi on to play and fixed myself a lovely cup of Prince of Wales tea

I fluffed up the cushion in my ever so comfy rocker. I love my rocker. It sits in my Little Art Corner at the desk, sewing table, computer desk. I love to rock, it's sooooo medicinal, comforting, soothing and a great activity for those of us who have trouble sitting still for more then 30 seconds!! :)

After I was all tucked in and comfortable I decided to go a-visitin some of my favorite European blogs. By European I actually mean the Scandinavian, French, Germanic country blogs. If you look over there on the right side I have a list of Blogs under Visual Noise, see it?? That's where you will find some of the most beautiful amazing I mean take your breath away blogs. I swear you have to be a genius home DYIer, decorator, gardener, seamstress, and a complete ocd about cleaning house in order to be allowed to blog there!! :) If you haven't visited any of these true pieces of eye candy you really should. Oh and most all of them have translator buttons on them.

This is such a wonderful creative time of the year and no one celebrates or prepares more for the Advent-Christmas season then Western Europe!! :) What you find is one after another sharing their decorating ideas. I dare you to visit 5 and not find 5 awesome projects to want to try!! They are not eye blinding, get in your face, over decorated, loud, how many colors can you shove into a 2 foot square, kind of ideas. They are so much more beautiful in their quite calm simplicity.

For me they are soooooo soothing to my over stimulated soul. The photography is absolutely to die for. I can only hope that one day will lots of practice I can come anywhere close to taking pictures like theirs. Hmmmmm I wonder if you have to take a photo ability test before you can have a blog on thatside of the world???

Of course it's right about now, that little voice in my soul pipes up with how the hell..heck do you think you can live in or maintain an ALL WHITE home??? I mean you can't even be trusted to keep a white tee shirt clean for 5 minutes. OH and ya remember those 5 furkins that live with you??? :) And if I'm really truthful all white environments and my addiction to visual noise (color&textures) tend to be at opposite poles. But that doesn't stop me from drooling over all that magical whiteness!! And I always seem to come away with lots of different inspirations to create. I just have to add a bit of color !!!

Okay, I have my tea, I'm rocking in my big hand carved and painted rocker, Holiday season voyeurism is in full swing what else does my little soul need??? Hmmmmm how about a bit of yarn and knitting needles?? I have always used knitting to calm my spirit, clear out the chaos and appease my tactile desires. Well yes I do live in the semi tropics and yes there isn't to big of a call for knitted clothing, but sometimes in the Winter a nice light throw feels nice. Besides when we were up in the Northland I accidentally stumbled in to the yarn aisle and before I knew it I was touching yarns.... Well come on now you know that's all it takes to stimulate the "oh my gosh I have to knit something" chromosome :) So there I was elbow deep in the most amazingly tactile-y soft--no softer then soft bamboo yarn. OH MY GOD, yarn this soft could have only been created by tiny plump cherubs!!! Heck I don't care if it never gets cool enough to need a lap robe, I GOTTA knit with this yarn!!!!!!!!!!

Okay back on track of that mini soul vacation. There I was last night. Rocking away listening and humming along to the four seasons (NO not the band the man.. Vivaldi), skipping through some of the most beautiful sites in Bloglandia, sipping tea and knitting with the yarn that makes angel wings!!! I'm telling you there is nothing better to lift a soul out of the planet of " wooas me" !!! Give it a try the next time you feel your spirit start down that slippery slope. :) If nothing else take a tea break and visit some of these amazing Bloglandian Sisters' blogs. The pictures above are from Anna Truelsen's blog My Lovely Things She is a writer, photagrapher for a number of Scandinavian home magazines. One is the incredible Jeanne de Arc Living which now by the way is also published in English!!!!! And if you haven't set eyes on that mag you are missing by far the most beautiful Home magazine being published!!! Ha and it's published by two Danish women artist wanting to bring magic and beauty to their homes. But then there's a whole nother post there.

Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are p;)