Lately I’ve been cross pollinating between my Instagram photos and blog photos. I read recently that that wasn’t “allowed” in good social media management, that all photos on your blog and Instagram account and Facebook should be separate and unique. But then I pulled up my sweat pants and remembered that I should probably put on deodorant while reading an article about fashion do’s and don’ts. There’s a theme of not doing stuff in my life. And also laziness.

Hang onto your hats, I’m all over the place in this post.

In other news, I love my dining room.

There are a lot of un-done spaces in this house, but the dining room is like “ahhhh” when I walk in there. I spent years decorating with a lot of red and turquoise. And I still love those colors. But when we bought this house I remember someone telling me that if you need to know what colors to decorate with, you should look at your closet. And I was all, “Hello purple and green and blue, why aren’t you in my house?”

So purple and green and blue are everywhere now and I love it. I still love red, but it’s less dominate.

Oh who am I kidding I love all the colors.

And in further news (but also somehow related to the dining room), I started drawing and painting again. I have a project to share soon, but let’s just say that this season of the witch and my love of creepy houses is leading the charge.

I just woke up one morning and thought, “I used to draw, what happened?” Isn’t it funny (and by funny I mean totally not humorous at all) the things that derail us from the childlike loves we once had? Depression, “real” careers, struggling relationships, illness, over-demanding self expectations (especially for creatives who keep thinking that the things we love should make us successful or pay for groceries). I think, for me, I put so much pressure on myself to produce something perfect. I somehow feel that my writing or drawing or anything else should be top notch or else what’s the point? And… that is some *incoming profanity for anyone who needs to earmuff-up” BULL SHIT.

So I started drawing again. It doesn’t make me money, it doesn’t look professional, and I’ve never enjoyed myself more. It’s the ACT of it that makes me zen out and feel a fraction of the childhood joy I used to have when I was being creative. I have zero expectations about these little paintings and drawings. I drink tea, I watch The Gilmore Girls, and I create just to create.

 

I also took over the dining room and my family was all “hey, um, are we ever going to get to eat in here again” so I moved a larger table into my office.

And it made me realize that my writing should be like this drawing. It should be a joy. Because if not, what’s the point? If it’s simply my meal ticket, or the hinge on which my identity hangs upon, or something that makes me feel stressed, again, what’s the point? Because under those conditions, the writing won’t be good. I won’t be happy. The folks that live in this house with me will be like, “Um, you’re not very fun to be around.”

And then no amount of pretty dining rooms will help.

So I’m drawing again. And I’ve decided to write like I draw. To take risks, and write, even if it’s crap, even if it doesn’t pan out, and enjoy it. Enjoy it anyway.

 

So let’s stem the creativity rant for a moment and talk back-splashes. Our kitchen doesn’t have one, and the pale linen color wall paint really wasn’t standing up well against food splashes. We want to remodel someday, but for now I didn’t want to spend money installing a back-splash. I investigated those faux stick-on tiles but I just didn’t love them when I saw them in person. They felt squishy and plastic-y to the touch.

So I painted. I got some navy chalk paint and painted the back-splash. It’s dark and scrub-able, but I have stencil design ambitions.

 

I started a Pinterest board to collect the ideas, but instead of focusing things, it confused me even more. Mermaid scale patterns! Circles! Moroccan patterns! I want all the stencils.

This is by far my favorite one, but this isn’t so much a stencil as it is hand-drawing precision and I’m intimidated. So for now we just have a navy painted back-splash.  But I hung a plate on the wall above the stove so I’m not a total slacker.

Lastly, can we all just take a moment and say “ahhhhh” over the gorgeousness of this stairway and blue paint color? I feel like this paint color is the perfect New England shade. The perfect mix of sky and robins egg and gray.

We recently visited Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (another post for later), and visited The Old Dutch Church (think Washington Irving and Ichabod). It felt just like taking at time machine back 300 years (except for the whole taking-pics-with-my-iphone-thing).

 

So okay. I think I’ve covered all I could possibly cover in one scattered post.

So what to do now?

I need to patch some gouges in the basement walls.

I want to sit in my pajamas and watch Stranger Things.

This would be a sure bet of a bookie taking bets.

Happy weekend!