Happy 2020, everyone! I hope you had an absolutely wonderful holiday season; that you were able to slow down an enjoy some moments, and that you made many memories with your loved ones. We are just over a week into a brand new decade - how wild! As we all know, a new year is a time where people across the board do some reflection on their life. Whether that is looking at the past year and taking note of what they enjoyed most and felt good about, or looking ahead to the coming one and determining new goals they want to set, experiences they want to have, or general themes to cultivate, the vast majority of people tend to search themselves for these things and get excited about the promise of a fresh start. I love the idea of being very mindful in our day-to-day, so I think it’s wonderful that the concepts of self-improvement and awareness, as well as gratefulness, are acknowledged on such a grand scale during this time of year.
For myself, I have not been a big goal-setter in the past. I don’t personally find a lot of my motivation rooted in the prospect of “achievement” (just about zero ‘3’ in me, for those who understand the Enneagram), but I do really like introspection and mindfulness, so in this vein I tend to take stock of where I am at, and decide on a couple of things that I would like to work towards in order to feel as though I am more of a fulfilled individual and have more joy in my life.
Something I decided upon for myself as far as a “goal” goes, is to try and do one creative thing each week. Whether that is re-styling decor, taking some photos, writing, baking a new recipe, doing a blog post, etc. - it can be anything that is generally creatively-geared. This may even be something very small, but I find I thrive more when I am actively doing things outside of the mundane day-to-day routine. I am not a perfect person by any means, and that means I have struggles, so some weeks if I feel tired or sluggish I can get myself into a rut of not really trying to accomplish anything for myself or my household outside of the usual chores and things that I “have” to do. It can become more of a survival-mode mentality those days, which I would definitely not describe as thriving. Instead, I find during seasons where I am being actively creative in some way, however small, I feel much more energized, and even propelled forward to do more.
This week, my small creative project was to do a little table styling. For me, sometimes my dining table can be a tricky surface to style when it isn’t set up in a full-blown tablescape. I want it to look pretty and decorated cohesively with my home, but to remain functional for daily use.
If you have a table that is nice in itself, as a stand-alone item, then decorating it can definitely be as simple as putting a vase of florals or a nice bowl on top. However, if your table doesn’t really shine on it’s own…. like my small black ikea one with scratches on it that I just keep covered with a white tablecloth, for instance… haha, then I find it needs something a little more in order for it to feel styled. I wanted to freshen it up, use some things I had on hand in my cupboards, and create a new look from what I had on it during the holidays.
I had some fresh cedar leftover from before Christmas out in my backyard keeping chilled, so I put some of that in a vase. I used a turkish tea-towel that I enjoy styling with to create some textile layers since I don’t really have a table runner I like at the moment, then just added a few different plates and bowls, a small wooden bread-board, and a hammered copper votive holder. It came together within minutes, and I am personally liking it! This was my “creative” thing for this week, and I thought I would share it with you all. I suppose doing the photos and a blog post on it as well checks off a few more creative items, so I hope I don’t lose steam now! Haha.
My little buddy Oliver was lounging over here in the living room while I was snapping these photos. He looked so sweet, so I had to capture one of him as well.
I hope you enjoyed this simple winter table styling I threw together this week! It’s so fun to use what you have on hand to freshen up an area of your home, especially for the beginning of a new season.
Some other things I am being mindful of this coming year, or “goals” I have, are to learn a new skill/hobby (I’m thinking perhaps knitting), improving on my homemaking skills and femininity, and to work towards being someone who is edifying to those around me. What are some things you’re hoping to accomplish this year?
May this season for you be one filled with hope for the future, and gratefulness for the life you get to live and be part of.
Thanks for stopping by,
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