Something To Think About!

I have a question for all of you, do think of yourself as a grateful person?

It sounds like a simple question and an easy answer doesn’t it? 

I like to think that I have a grateful heart, and I am thankful for all the blessings in life God has given me, but  I have come to realize there is a big difference in being thankful, and having a spirit of gratitude.

It is so easy to think we are thankful when we say, “ I am grateful for all of God’s blessings he has given me.” Do you realize that every time we complain about what is going on in our life, we do NOT have a spirit of gratitude.

I will never claim to not complain, trust me I do, but it is a choice when I do. Sometimes I think we forget to have a spirit of gratitude in all things. 

If we truly believe that our heavenly father loves us, and knows what is best for us, we need to be thankful for all things.

I have to remind myself to trust in God’s omnipotence.

There is a big difference in accepting, or liking what happens in our life, and trusting in God, and having a spirit of gratitude.

As humans we can not possibly accept the loss of a loved one, but as a child of God we need to trust him in all things. 

I think we often mistake acceptance as thinking what has happened is okay with us. I learned this very hard lesson when my Dad died when I was only 24 years old.

I spent about 5 years trying to accept it, and then one day while praying I realized I could not accept it because I was a human being that God made  to love  and to love deeply.

 

When I  quit trying to accept the loss of my Dad, and started trusting in my heavenly Father’s omnipotence, then and only then could I truly have a spirit of gratitude.

I don’t have all the answers, and believe me when I say I have several questions that I would love answered, but I am trying to have a spirit of gratitude and  not just using lip service by saying I am thankful.

Is your spirit full of gratitude, or do you just say your thankful without truly believing God is omnipotent and that he knows best in all circumstances?

Something to think about this week!

FASHION ON A FRIDAY

 

Are you getting ready for a fun or maybe relaxing weekend?

You are about to see some outfits that would take you to the beach, shopping, movies, and out to dinner, all in black and white. It doesn’t get any simpler than that…..

It is summer and it is hot! Even if it is hot I still like to look fashionable. Black and White is my go-to color combination for the summer.

I often see outfits that I probably would not wear the entire outfit, but it still will inspire me to put some of the pieces together.

For instance the outfit above. Obviously I won’t be wearing shorts that short, since my legs are not that long, young or tan, BUT I can wear every single other piece pictured with my white jeans or walking shorts in white.

This is my go-to outfit! I love the pop of green in the shoes with this all black and white outfit.

I am loving the return of the maxi this season. It is a dress-up, dress-down piece.

The biggest mistake I see women making when wearing a maxi is to place a regular lenght and weight cardigan over the dress. 

If you choose to put a light weight sweater over your shoulders, make sure it is a shorter length, one that hits right at the top of your waist, and is close to your body. It also needs to be a very light weight knit.

Leather Sperry’s will stay in your wardrobe forever. Love the black and white top with the pop of cobalt blue.

Of course this lady will be wearing a longer pair of shorts. What I like about this outfit is the addition of the brown leather. It makes it look like you did not try too hard to make an outfit. The aviators make it fun and current.

I can see myself wearing this blouse for years.

You all know I love stripes. I also have fun wearing polka dots from time to time.

Using accessories is what makes this simple maxi a stand-out. I would probably eliminate one of the cheetah prints. 

I would switch out the purse, or the shoes for simple black. Since the model is wearing tortoise sunglasses there needs to only be one more cheetah statement. IMHO

This is just fun! I would add a pop of color in the small belt. I can see bright yellow, bright green, or turquoise in a patent belt.

Each and every piece I have shown you today I would wear and could plan my summer wardrobe with the above pieces.

????QUESTION FOR YOU????

I normally write about design on my blog, but fashion is another love of mine. I am thinking about taking one day a week to write a blog post about fashion.

Would you all enjoy this, or do you prefer all design/lifestyle related post? Kathysue’s inquiring mind would like to know.

You can see all of the above images, and more of what I like, on my pinterest board……..

SUMMER LOOKS

 

 

 

My Method For Displaying White Ironstone

   

via

Are you a lover of white ironstone, but have a hard time displaying it in your home? I do, and I am about to tell you why, and how even I could have a nice display in my home.

White ironstone is a favorite of mine. I have always had solid white dishes. Somehow even as a young bride I knew that all white dishes were the way to go.

In this very house I had originally planned on adding a plate rail around my eating area displaying different sizes of white ironstone pitchers. 

A nice display of varied styles and different shades of whites like my friend Jennifer from Town and Country blog has displayed in her charming kitchen, in the above image.

via

 That never happened but I still have all white dishes, and they are displayed inside my cupboards.

Once in awhile I run across an image that makes me want to have shelves of ironstone displayed.

I am a bit of a neat-nik so I truly can’t live with a lot of stuff in view. That is why I have never done a plate rail in my home to display pitchers.

However, there is a way to have a neat, and orderly display, and I have a few images that show what I might be able to live with.

via

I realize how much is enough is always going to be subjective. 

Today I am talking about how to display things in an easy flowing manner that makes sense, and does not look cluttered, or busy. 

An arrangement where your eye will flow easily from shelf to shelf.

Varied shapes, textures and shades of white will keep it interesting.

via

The varied color of whites keeps this arrangement interesting. My eye flows easily from one piece to the next. The shelf looks interesting and orderly.

via

This is one of my favorite displays. I love the mix of the baskets adding texture to the whole display. 

My eye easily moves from one shelf to the next. Never stopping, or jolting from one piece to the next. I actually think I could live with this display.

DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE:

Sometimes I think we can make a mistake of thinking just because it is all white we can just keep adding, and adding to the shelves.

Even when using all the same color, or type of element you should remain mindful of editing.

Below is an image that  is a bit cluttered and it appears to have no rhyme, or reason to how it was displayed. 

I would imagine the homeowner was trying to achieve a collected over time look, but a little editing would have been welcomed here, IMHO……….

via

(way to much going on in this display)

When viewing the above image my eye has to stop to try and comprehend exactly what is on the shelves and then it brings forth a question of…… What am I looking at and why did they put it on this shelf. 

These are questions that one should never have to ask when viewing any display in our home.

Here is a very small shelf and the ironstone is displayed in a manner that the eye flows easily from one shelf to the other.

Notice how your eye just wanders easily from shelf to shelf. That Is what I call visually flowing.

Tips to Remember:

• The eye should flow easily over the entire display.
• Vary the shades of white in your ironstone to keep it interesting.
• There should be highs and lows from one item to the next.
• Don’t crowd the pieces
• Start the display by placing the largest items first.
• Place smaller items to add dimension  and depth to the display.

I hope this helps you look at displaying ironstone a little differently.

Even if you are a more is more person, you still need to keep in mind there always needs to be a flow to your display.

For those of you who are like me, big is better less is more, we still can have a nice display as long as we keep it very well edited.

There is always a way and a method for everyone in design, just remember to ……

“Enjoy the Process!”