Snail Mail!

Back in October I challenged myself to send more bits of sparkle, snail mail style. Sending and receiving mail definitely something I enjoy, especially if I can spread a little nonchalance!

I have a lot of fun making/finding things and sending out those bits of randomness! I love making presents for my friends - partly because I really like the fact that my friends are the type of people who appreciate and enjoy swapping handmade goodies! The necklace is from a local market artist and the earrings I made myself. Fun and funky decoupage (ish) packaging and these babies are ready to ship! 

 

I also like to decorate the outside of the packages, quotes, pictures, glitter, stickers, whatever! Why should they be plain when they can be fun and weird?! 

Reflections

My last post, about three weeks ago, was very positive and it was a little hard for me to maintain that level of positivity recently. All in all, it's been a rough few weeks. Not to say that the world isn't without pain everyday but from a national level to a very small personal level, there has been too much bad recently. My thoughts are with the victims and those affected by the terrible acts of violence seen in Boston as well as the tragedy in Waco and my own hometown. Death will always been a side affect of life, at once being the most horrific and the most empathetic of axiom's and also one of the most complex symbiotic human experiences; for we each battle, we each have both lightness and dark raging within. This relationship can bring a community together but it can also isolate feelings of hopelessness, blind confusion, hate...then we each have to make the choice of how to battle with ourselves. 

These past few weeks I've felt a lot of hopelessness out there. Helplessness. And that is my dark side winning. Then, someone gave me flowers totally out of the blue. And I remembered to smile, and it felt so good, and I was reminded that there are still good people in this world. And then I remembered Dumbledore. Ok technically I remembered the words of JKR but whatever, it was just what I needed. 'Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.' I've been holding onto that and really trying to cultivate appreciation and love for allll those little things. I made myself a few little easy goals but they really do help, I've been taking photos as often as possible, in any little moment I can, being more in contact with friends/family, adventuring, sending packages and cultivating happiness!

I realized I enjoy sharing happiness just as much as I enjoying sharing in others' happiness. And that, it the light side winning ; ). Like an incredible view on a beautiful, clear day in Seattle. And the beautiful evening light in my kitchen, on a rainy day after getting surprise tulips. 

Every time I see the tulips I can't help but smile! They are really so beautiful, and I seem to have gotten several different types and colors, yay! I wish I could send them to people, but I think there will definitely have to be some guerrilla tuliping from me in the near future...

 I found I have a collection of pink on my windowsill.  

Tulips enjoying showing off in the light of the sunset

I wish that life could always be silly breakfasts and elevensies of tea and bites, but it can't, so I savored every moment of such a morning while tackling 12 impossible things (before lunch).  

It isn't selfish to take care of yourself. You need to take care of yourself. Find time for yourself and enjoy it however you can. Even if it means a fancy donut breakfast, or a teacup of mandarins. 

A Good Riddance Rant, and A Welcome New Year!!!

You know when it feels like your getting the short end of the stick, over and over and over? And when it feels like the last ounce of bad luck HAD to have been used up but it just keeps on coming, and you can't even cry anymore because now life is just utterly hysterical?! The last few months of 2012 were a whirlwind and I am glad to have left them behind! Good riddance 2012! While there were definitely some good times to remember over the past year, the past 3 months have certainly been trying and I am so glad to be moving on now.

The great news is that I am currently writing from my new new apartment in Seattle! Wait, new new? As in, not the new apartment that I just moved into a few months ago?! Yeeeeah.....It turns out the new apartment was NOT in livable condition although this was not brought to our attention until AFTER we moved in. The problem was supposed to be fixed, while we drove all the way back to California to retrieve our 'things,' but alas it was not. So great, we have to move. Again. The annoyance here is that when you spend a bunch of time and money moving (and do not have anymore time or money), the last thing one expects is to repeat the process immediately - this isn't shampoo people! Between work stress (I swore I would never work more than 12 days in a row again...what happened?!?!) and holiday stress, the last thing you want to add on top is house stress. It just doesn't feel good! There was a moment (or two) where I wanted to throw in the towel and just go back to California because it actually seemed easier but thanks to our families, our new friends here in Seattle and old friends at home we stuck it out and I have to say, I'm pretty excited for 2013!!!

The highlight of the holiday season for me was definitely New Years because it's been a good number of years since I was actually available to do something fun! And fun it was! We ended up dancing in the New Year at the Paramount (our first Seattle venue!) for the Beats Antique show along with some amazing friends that I'm so glad to have met! Happy New Year!

A few down and dirty shots (meaning quickly and badly taken!) of my Christmas day and New Years Eve ensembles!

My Christmas outfit was a last minute frenzy of anything remotely Christmasy..so snowflake necklace, skiing geese, red cardigan, gold polka dot tights, a quicky DIY set of earrings, and present ribbons - yeah, tooootally works!

My New Years eve outfit was intentionally as sparkly as I could make it! At the last minute we decided to make fascinators although mine kind of became something else! I wore a sparkle feather crown of my own devising, a FABULOUS faux fur coat over a sequined skirt and beaded shirt, blue sparkle tights and silk flats. Sounds crazy but it all ended up coming together, making me deliciously happy : )

Here's to a WONDERFUL and HAPPY New Year!!