Life As of Late + a 2015 Calendar

I have started this post probably 10 times.  My thoughts are such a jumble that I've had a hard time pinning down exactly what I want to say.

You may have noticed I've taken an extended leave of absence, which has me feeling a little neglectful of my blog, but life lately has become more of a priority and I can't say I'm super upset by that.  But it's a new year, full of new opportunities, new objectives and an obvious excuse to reevaluate things.

My blog will be 5 in April.  When I started it, there wasn't much of a "blogosphere" and making a living blogging was nearly unheard of.  But in the last couple of years, blogging has exploded until any and everyone has some sort of online diary.  Not that there is anything wrong with it, but it's causing quite a stir in the blog world.  And I admit to sharing in some of the feelings being put out there.  (I'm not going to really go into what's being said.  Just google "state of the blog" if you're interested and you'll see what I'm talking about.)

But it has made me step back and think about why I started blogging, do I want to continue my blog, and if so, what do I want my blog to be about?

I was totally one of those bloggers that got caught up in the numbers game.  And it was exhausting, and quite frankly, took the fun out of something that I started for fun.  And it had me seriously considering hanging up my blogger hat.  

I am a doer.  Always have been.  And I felt like I was always doing something with never a moment to do nothing but enjoy what I've done because I had to keep doing to do my blog.  You follow?  And in the past few months I've purposely tried to not do things so I can enjoy try to enjoy life more.

And my husband and I have been busy doing just that, taking each day at a time, being spontaneous, doing things we've talked about doing forever.  It's been wonderful, and I really hope we can keep that momentum going in the coming year(s).  We have also been drastically de-cluttering our house and making things simpler, cleaner, maybe a bit more modern.  If you follow me on Pinterest, my "Design Love" boards are full of Scandinavian inspired designs and I can't get enough of them, so I'm trying to emulate their design philosophies in my own home.  No knick-knacks unless they have meaningful value.  Keeping items only if they serve a purpose or serve a particular function I need in my life.  Working with a neutral palette and keeping things quiet, but incorporating my love of color.  Finally letting go of things I held onto of my mom's simply because they were her things.  (That last one has been the hardest to work through, but I'm getting there.)

I have had little baby projects here and there around the house as well, but nothing I've felt was "blog worthy."  Sure, I've done the photographing and staging just in case, but I haven't felt the desire to sit and share.  (Although you might say I've got a "micro" blog going on with my Instagram account.)

And I think, therein lies the issue.  I started my blog with little baby projects that probably weren't "blog worthy" but I shared them anyways because I enjoyed creating, I enjoyed sharing, and I enjoyed writing.  I wasn't worried about it being photographed perfectly, or it being the "next big thing" on Pinterest, or going "viral."  None of that mattered.  I just shared for sharing's sake.  Ok, and because I'd hoped it might generate a bit of business for me BUT I wasn't obsessed about it.  It didn't consume my life.

So, what does all this mean?

It means that I'm making life a priority, not this blog.  It means I'm going to be doing things to better enjoy what I have.  It means I still am, and will always be a doer, so I still plan on blogging.  It means I may blog about things other than design/DIY because I'm making it more about what makes me happy.  It means I'm blogging because I want to, because it makes me happy, not everyone else.

*************

So that was a much longer version of what I'd hoped would be a short explanation of my absence and the future of my blog.  :P  But I'm looking forward to what is to come, and what I have lined up to share, because even though I haven't been doing like crazy, I have been doing some that I'm excited to share.

One of them, I've got for you today.  This was a project I actually created last year but never got posted because that big ol' cloud of doubt hung overhead.  But I really liked it, so I figured, screw the doubt!  I know we are already well into January, and 2015, but maybe you don't have a calendar yet, so I've got a cute little one for your free printing pleasure.  (:

There's probably lots of ways to display it:  bulletin boards, picture easel, washi tape.  I just hung it on the wall with a binder clip.  So easy!

You can download it for free here!

{Cute Sidenote:  the colors of each month correlate to that month's birthstone.}  (:

So, my goal for 2015?  Less really is more, or at least it is in my world.  Less clutter in my home, less worry about what project will I do next, less stress of trying to be like everyone else, less unnecessary anything.

TTfN!

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Linking Up Here Like a Party Animal:  On Display Thursday * Flaunt It Friday * The Party Bunch * Show & Tell Saturday * SNAP! Show & Tell * Be Inspired 

Love-ly {Valentines} Printables

As I previously mentioned, I have the flu.  Ugh.  And I have discovered I do not do well just laying in bed with nothing to do except blow my nose.  And cough.  And drink water.  Such fun.

And although my body doesn't have the energy to do what normally entails my day, my brain apparently does.  I've had my no-more-drugs-I'm-too-foggy moments where I can barely grasp a coherent thought, but otherwise my brain has had those hundreds of tabs open.  So I sit here in bed with my laptop making stuff.

I actually haven't done any graphics just because lately-- only for clients -- so to keep my mind occupied and to keep me from going crazy with boredom, I designed a couple of little printables for you.

Inspiration in the Bathroom {Free Printable}

It's funny where you can find inspiration when you're least expecting it.

That would be me, finding it in the bathroom hallway at a Buc-ee's convenient store.

If you are from or have ever traveled in Texas, and even more specifically South/East Texas and the lower region of the Hill Country, you have more than likely seen or encountered a Buc-ee's.  Because they have the funniest billboards within at least 40 miles of the nearest Buc-ee's, and they have THE cleanest bathrooms EVER!  Like, when we travel, that's the ONLY place I'm ok stopping at.  {TMI??}  

via

{I am not affiliated with, nor am I being compensated for my opinions by Buc-ee's.  I'm just sharing with you one of the best pieces of travel advice when traveling through Texas.  (:  }

But, not only do they have the cleanest bathrooms, their flagship stores have really awesome shops: t-shirts, home decor, gifts, jewelry, hunting gear, candles....etc.  And with all this awesome stuff at their disposal, they decorate the hallways to their bathrooms with it -- more so on the Ladies side.  We can probably guess why.  (:

So, on one such visit, I was perusing said bathroom hallway decor, and an art piece featuring a few words caught my eye:  "The purpose of life is a life of purpose."  What was so significant about this piece was that it totally fit with some questions I had been having with myself.  What am I doing with my life?  What am I accomplishing?  Am I making a difference somewhere with someone?  I suppose after losing my mom, I looked back at all the things she had done with her life -- which was a lot! -- and I wanted the same for my life.  To look back and be proud of all I accomplished and who I am.

So when I saw these words, they really resonated with me.  And I wanted to share that inspiration with you folks so I created this lil' graphic.

You can click just below the picture on the size for a printable image.  (:

5x5

Great food for thought if you ask me.

Have a great day!

ta-ta for now...

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Keeping Up With the DIY Jones'

I had an epiphany a couple of days ago.  And it unnerved me.  A lot actually.  

I guess its been about three years ago that I started this blog as a way, quite frankly, to show off.  It was a way to show my family what I was up to since we didn't live near one another at the time, and to possibly generate more business.  I also saw it as an online portfolio, a digital documentation of all my design work, whether it be interior or graphic.  I really enjoyed sharing what I was up to, as well as sharing a little bit of me.

Source

Happy New Year?

I was having a terrible time getting myself focused in this new year.  And I really cannot fathom why.  Those of you who stuck by me this past year know I had a good list of projects that needed to be {Spit*Shined}.  You also know I didn't get them all done.  :/  I'm being lenient with myself on that because 2012 was full of unwelcome surprises in my life.  So I have those to complete, as well as a few others I've added in my head since then.  But I just couldn't get myself going.

 

Maybe Christmas burned me out, ha ha!  If you followed those posts, you know they were packed full of projects I did in a very short time frame.  I don't think I've ever accomplished so much in one month's time.  On that scale, anyways. 

 

But I am finally trying to get myself together.  2013 has some promising projects, and I'm hoping by letting you guys in on them, it will light a fire under my bum and get me going even more!