leahbrier.com

Found via Susannah Conway who found it via Vivienne McMaster

My half birthday just passed on July 13th and in case you were still searching for some gifts here are a few things I have been eying to spruce up my apartment. If you haven’t already caught on my apartment is in perpetual “sprucing” up need!

(From left to right)

1. Jonathan Adler Druggist Love/Hate Lamp

2. Crate&Barrel Paloma Square Dining Table

3. CB2 Taxi India 16” Pillow

4. CB2 Taxi London 20” Pillow

5. CB2 Un Homme/Un Femme Vases

6. CB2 Buddha Head

7. CB2 Metal Trunks

8. Jonathan Adler Capricorn/Cancer Zodiac Pillows

9. Crate&Barrel Delta Side Chair

I have been making lists for years. When I have a lot on my plate I always find it calming to stop everything, find a pen and paper and jot down everything I have running through my mind. Lately though my lists have departed from the norm; groceries, household chore, things to purchase on my next shopping spree, and have moved into more serious territory.

Things I am looking for in a man:
A man who buys me flowers
A man who will read in bed with me
A man who is willing to love and be loved
A man who’s not afraid to laugh out loud, or cry
A man who is okay with sharing: thoughts, dreams, goals and clothes!

Things I want to accomplish before the end of the summer:
Go to some estate sales for jewelry, art and furniture
Buy new paints and all together update my art bin
Spend a day reading in the park
Design the outline for my book and begin writing
Lose the last remaining pounds stopping me from fitting into my uber skinny shorts

I think lists are just fun reminders of things we want, what we are thinking about and what we should strive for. And really, what’s the harm in jotting it all down? If I end up not being able to cross everything off the list I can just make a new one and set a new deadline — the only pressure is the pressure you put on yourself

I have been seeking the perfect double finger ring for months now and I have finally found it! This amazing Parrot from Forever 21 fits my middle and ring finger perfectly and has been great inspiration for new nail polish choices. My new favorites are Red My Fortune Cookie, Green-Wich Village, Need Sunglasses OPI.

Life is made up of tiny, little opportunistic gems that are given to us to take and make our own. Deaths, break-ups, jobs, broken finger nails, botched haircuts — just ab0ut anything that seems like the most devastating thing in the world (at the time) is actually life’s way of shining new light on a new path that provides you with the chance to do whatever you want from there…

Life has not always been easy for me, but I guess it comes with the territory of being a combination of very outspoken and open emotionally. For me, when life got hard recently, I fell into the lap of Reiki, and that has changed my life. I also started painting and writing and for the first time I am starting to look at those activities as more than just creative outlets, maybe there is a future there for me.

I guess what I am trying to say is that as heartbreaking as the hardest things you encounter may be, there really always is a silver lining (however small or hard to see as it may be). I want my life to be about taking advantage of each silver lining I come in contact with and using that moment to create new lives and new paths for myself that will make me a better, happier and more fulfilled person.

I keep seeing these pictures of peoples’ apartments, dorm rooms, bedrooms, etc. with these different words spelled out in big letters. While I think words like ‘live’ and ‘love’, ‘peace’, ‘happiness’, ‘joy’, ‘friends’ and ‘family’ are all great words, they do nothing for me in terms of motivation. Instead I have decided to take the road less traveled, as I so often do, and choose words that mean something to me but little to others (in fact I get many questions from people about what the word in my living room even means!)

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Moxie (spelled out in my living room)

–noun Slang.

1.     vigor; verve; pep.

2.     courage and aggressiveness; nerve.

3.     skill; know-how.

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Gumption (hanging over my bed)

–noun Informal.

1.     initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness: With his gumption he’ll make a success of himself.

2.     courage; spunk; guts: It takes gumption to quit a high-paying job.

3.     common sense; shrewdness.

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Day 3 of inanimate object portraits. I love these chair pictures because even though the chair is the main feature of the photo, the unique setting they exist in gives the chair and the whole picture a personality and story. If stairs and doors as bedroom art play the role of the pathway and gateway into a dream world, what would a chair be? Maybe stairs lead to doors that open to one of these unique spaces and the chair acts as the place to relax and dream?!

In my imagination, yesterdays’ stairs lead to these doors — regardless of the fact that the stairs were all indoors and these are all exterior doors. I think its amazing how a door can set the scene for what you experience when you step inside. There is so much personality in all these images and they are all so inviting. All that’s missing is a welcome mat and a key! Come on in!

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I was thinking about taking some pictures of different staircases that interest me. I think hanging them in my room (I have a blank wall that I stare at every night) could be a new twist on the idea of a dream catcher. Instead of something catching the dreams you have, stairs can be the pathways to new dreams… Ahhh isn’t it dreamy?

These are the 5 Reiki principles ingrained in the amazing healing technique, but they have become goals that I set for myself every morning.

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Just for today, I will not be angry.
It’s not a matter of never getting angry, but rather, when anger creeps in try to deal with it accordingly and then let it go.

Just for today, I will not worry.
Again, there is no way to absolutely avoid worrying, but rather than worry about what happened before or what will happen next, be present and let the worry pass.

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Just for today, I will be grateful.
Be grateful for simple things and as well as the things in the larger scheme of life. Even difficult things can give way to things such as thanks, forgiveness, smiles, good words or gratitude — all things that worth being grateful for.

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Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
Believe in the work being done and do that work respectfully. Life should be lived honorably and with a head held high.

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Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.
Bring loving-kindness into every personal encounter. Treat things as you would treat people, and as you would like to be treated in return.

images via Little Garden