Personal Reflections: FRESH

February 23, 2017

Hello Lovely Studio

It's time for fresh.
Fresh and new.
Fresh sheets.
Fresh flowers.
Fresh secrets for you.

Sheets: Judy Ross Textiles "Brushstrokes" for Garnet Hill, Necklace: Splendid Avenue, Wall: Stikwood (Hamptons); Candle: Diptyque (Oyedo); Lamp: RH

I am about to get fresh with you.

The New?

A new front door!

Ours is a Knotty Alder 2-Panel (walnut finish) from
Pacific Entries...it's rustic with an arch, v-grooves,
operable speakeasy, and clavos.

Nothing rustic about the hand feel.
The oiled finish is smooth as silk to the touch.
Oh my goodness, it freshens the curb appeal, and
paired with a handsome San Jose Bronze Handleset
(also from Pacific Entries) is bound to provoke whistles.

Find our latest fixer upper stories here.

Rustic alder Pacific Entries exterior door open to European modern farmhouse living room by Hello Lovely Studio

Knotty Alder Door With Speakeasy (Walnut Finish) at our fixer upper

Rustic alder wood exterior door with speakeasy and handleset by Pacific Entries

Knotty Alder Door With Speakeasy (Walnut Finish)

Closeup of bronze San Jose handleset from Pacific Entries

Pacific Entries Bronze San Jose Handleset

Learn more about the doors we chose for the fixer upper right here.

Rustic alder exterior door with walnut finish and San Jose handleset from Pacific Entries

Knotty Alder Door With Speakeasy (Walnut Finish); Handleset: San Jose

Rustic alder exterior door with speakeasy in walnut finish from Pacific Entries

Knotty Alder Door With Speakeasy (Walnut Finish); Pillow: RH

Fresh Sheets?

Oui. As a member of Garnet Hill's Inner Circle
(doesn't this sound mysteriously fabulous??)
this chapter's challenge brought beautiful new

sheets from a fresh collection by Judy Ross Textiles.

The "brushstrokes" print is hip and young--a perfect
mix with the Eurofarmhouse style I enjoy.

Judy Ross is a New York-based artist and textile designer
with a background in design for high-end homes and hotels.
Her fanciful designs begin with a painting or hand drawing including her "Brushstrokes" design you see here.

Brushstrokes cotton sheets in light silver by Judy Ross for Garnet Hill

Judy Ross Textiles by Garnet Hill

Enter Garnet Hill's Giveaway!

Judy Ross Textiles by Garnet Hill

Fresh Flowers?

The fragrant creations within Fresh by Sybil Brooke Sylvester
(Glitterati, 2017) bloom with inspiration and reflect
the brilliance of southern floral artist Sylvester's
distinctive designs and innovative arrangements.

This lovely title with breathtaking photographs
of nature's bounty kept me engaged the whole
volume through, elevating my mood
as I daydreamed in juicy saturated color of
the greener days of spring just 'round the corner.

Brushstrokes light silver sheets on bed and Fresh book by Sybil Sylvester

FRESH by Sybil Brooke Sylvester (Glitterati, 2017)

Fresh Secrets.

Do you want to know an important piece of wisdom

gained on my spiritual journey since 2014?

Since I was 9 years old, I have longed for wholeness.
Until recently, my heart longed for this wholeness to come

together as a mosaic does...for all of my broken pieces to be

arranged into something wholly beautiful and worthy.

(This is truly how egoic and control freaky I am...YES,

I will even attempt to creatively orchestrate the

mysterious processes underpinning my

journey to wholeness!)

Yet as long as I relied upon the tools in my

self-transformation kit, I remained at a distance

from fruitful abundance, locked out of the garden.

I clung to broken pieces as if they were gold,

collecting shards and remaining attached to

wounds, hurts, joys, and splinters of identity

I feared parting with.

What a surprise to discover that, for me, wholeness

emerges and blossoms not as a clever, ever-evolving,

integrally arranged portrait of brokenness,

but as a brand new creation.
Brand new.

FRESH and breathing...

without any need for grout lines.

The cost?
Surrender.
Allowing the mosaic to shatter.

Even the idea that wholeness

is a thing--a noun--or an abstract shape--

had to go.

Because wholeness feels more like a verb.

Like the opening of a door to the eternal.

Like the stroking of a brush upon the canvas.

Like the blooming of a rose as it unfurls.

Like freefall leaping into trustworthy air.

I share this discovery not as a seasoned
spiritual practitioner but as a
baby fresh soul whispering beauty
on a journey toward peace.

* * * * *

Peace to you, right where you are.

Hello Lovely Studio Michel pointe shoes ballet slippers denim

Thank you, Pacific Entries for partnering with Hello Lovely
and providing superior alder doors we love living with!

Thanks, Garnet Hill, for inviting me into the Circle to
discover new Garnet Hill goodness and spread the word.

Thanks, Glitterati, for publishing so much lovely
content I treasure and for collaborating with me
to create excitement for titles I believe will resonate
with Hello Lovely's audience.