vignettes and other changes at home

Have been enjoying moving things around, having a bit of a tidy and declutter as I go along.  Its amazing how bits and pieces start collecting around the home.  I resorted into colour and packed quite a few things away for a while.  Its made me think of so many projects I want to do, a little hard with a busy 2 year old at your feet, but we will get there bit by bit.  

Moved the candles from inside to outside for a while.  They melt in the summer heat so winter is a good time to enjoy them outside for a while.  I am really enjoying how this area looks at the moment with the new black covers and mix of cushions.  These couches get a lot of winter sun so we use them a lot.

It is the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee on a sunny winters morning, and fabulous for midday snoozes.

Now the cushions are all fixed I am planning a low hanging solar powered lantern for the corner between the day beds.  Its in my head but we will have to see if it works out.  So many projects I want to try!  Watch this space.

Meet Altar'd State

A few weeks ago I received an email from someone over at Altar'd State, a brand I had not heard of and was actually super excited to receive an introduction to. Austinites, this store is brand new over at The Domain (near Anthro!), and if you haven't stopped in yet, it's a must. The interior is absolutely beautiful and the products well made and more affordable than you might think. But what really makes this store stand out is the heart behind the brand. Their slogan is "fashion focused, cause motivated," and you get that feeling as soon as you walk in the door. Read a little more about their story here, and explore the brands and causes they support here. The proceeds from many of your purchases give back, and on "Mission Mondays," 10% of net proceeds go to local charities. Neat, huh? 

This Monday I had such a nice time with the girls at the store, trying on outfits and snapping some photos of the gorgeous touches all around the place. I loved everything I tried on, but ultimately this little number came home with me - lace and leather and gold? Don't mind if I do.

Dress, necklace, and bracelet c/o Altar'd State

Below are a few snapshots from inside Altar'd State at The Domain. Be sure and check them out online or shop around the store, if there's one near you! Also, Altar'd State is now a sponsor of Texas Style Council, so if you're attending (which you should be!! only two weekends away!), be sure and visit them there, too. :)

Have a great day!

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Happy.

The other day Matthew came home from school and announced that he was a changed man. He had watched a documentary on Netflix called “Happy,” and he had decided that he was ready to try lots of new things and have lots of new experiences. According the documentary, intentional behaviors and novel experiences make up a whopping 40% of one’s total happiness, and Matthew says he’s ready to claim that slice of his pie, so to speak.

This brand new outlook of his pleased me greatly. I am all about trying new things and having new experiences (maybe that’s why I’m a generally happy person?), and thus far, I often didn’t feel I had him on board with me in that regard. I mean, I totally understand that he’s been a little busy with law school the past couple of years, so he got a free pass for a while. But now that school is winding down (he only has two more weeks, omg), things are about to get real. Pretty soon maybe we’ll have some semblance of a normal life, and we’ll be able to incorporate normal activities and habits into our lives. We have grand plans about how fantastic that will be. But happiness only exists in the right now, right? You have to figure out how to be that now, or you’ll never figure out how to be it.

So out of curiousity, I watched the Happy documentary, too. Have you seen it? It’s a few years old now, I believe. (Here's a short trailer.) I was both intrigued and touched by it. It covers happiness research over the last 25+ years and people’s stories all over the globe, and it was just so great to be reminded that there’s so much more beyond our little bubbles, so many other ways to be and so many other definitions of happiness. According the research, only 10% of our happiness comes from things like our wealth, our health, our jobs, and our social status.  50% of our happiness comes from our genetic makeup, which I found especially interesting. The documentarly claims that most of us are born with a set happiness range that we typically fall into, regardless of whether good or bad things happen to us. I find that to be pretty true with myself and people in my life.

And the final 40% is that intentional behavior. Researchers recommend making even the tiniest changes in your routine, like running a different route on your jog or going to a different grocery store or what have you. It’s all about tricking your brain to produce more dopamine, the happiness chemical.  So if you’re someone who often finds themself in a rut or even depressed or just not as happy as you’d like to be, perhaps try signing up for a cooking or pottery or watercolor class, or hitting up a new lunch spot, or just taking a different route on your drive home. Worth a shot. ;)

What type of activities do you find make you most happy? Personally, I get a mini-happiness-high whenever I’m around dogs, beautifully presented food, and when I’m doing things that fulfill me, like writing and photography. It also feels really great to connect with other humans - whether they be people already in my life, or someone I just met in line at the grocery store.

Hope you have a happy Wednesday. :)

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