Yesterday was so beautiful outside, which made for a lot of light shining into our little apt. and me wanting to bask in it, read, and eat chocolate. I'm almost done reading "The Simple Home" [it's a quick 4 hr. read] and am currently stalling on the last 40 pages....I don't want it to end! Here are a couple things that really stood out to me:

1. "The ancient Greek Philosopher Epicurus was a sage of modest pleasures and simple abundance. He believed that anxiety about status, wealth, and having more was the single greatest obstacle to human happiness. No matter how wealthy we are, we can't be happy if we crave more riches; ......Epicurus understood the good life as a simple life where the modest pleasures of home and hearth, good foods, gardens, and conversations...are the ultimate luxury. Contentment arises when we feel a gratitude for what we have, when we revel in the "luxury of enough."

2. "In designing a home, thrift can be a pathway to long-term bounty. Quite appropriately, the word thrift, as derived from Old Norse, is historically tied to the word thrive. By 14th-century Middle English, thrift meant the condition of thriving and prosperity, a far stretch from its austere and budget-driven connotations today."

3. "It takes a lot of knowledge to do things that look simple."

4. "having just enough of the right things is a privilege rather than a compromise. In a world of advertising messages that shout, "Buy this to express yourself!" having less translates into more."

 As I was reading, it mentioned "slow down and begin a place journal, a quiet written diary of the feelings, sounds, and movement in your envisioned den or porch or cabin."  I was then inspired to take a break and make my own little visual "place journal" for me and Jesse's apt. right now & future home. I love the idea of writing about sounds and movement, and adding to that : light, shadows, where you want people to gather...etc.  This book has taught me so much, has encouraged me to take a real good like at my lifestyle, the things I surround myself with and how then can add or detract from the kind of life I am creating for myself. If you too are wanting to really and truly simplify your life, I cannot recommend this book enough! If you're local, I am happy to loan it out. :)

Later that evening, Jesse made a wonderful/flavorful dinner : Lemon Ginger Chicken, with sauteed vegetables and home made sweet & sour sauce over rice. To drink, we mixed Elderflower syrup with seltzer...one of my new favorites - & from Ikea. That meal was so good. I will share the recipe here soon...he is sleeping right now. :]

There is something really pleasant about a quiet evening at home. I can't get enough of them, especially in the winter. After more organizing and de-junking of our things, I sat down at my desk [with some ice cream] and started working on painting more prints.

The last little while I have been working & reworking a mini print collection that I plan on submitting to some fabric companies here shortly, as well as compiling them all into a little book [zine] to sell. 

All last night while I was painting I had been thinking about this book "The Simple Home" [that I recently got on Amazon for 1 penny.] and what I need to do to continue with achieving the feel talked about in the book. This book is really straightforward and not complex one bit. The pictures are ever so slightly dated, but the principles remain the same. "The Simple Home" is broken up into 7 chapters: 

1. In Search of the Simple Home  2. Simple is Enough  3. Simple is Flexible  4. Simple is Thrifty

5. Simple is Timeless  6. Simple is Sustainable  7. Simple is Resolved Complexity

I really admire those who have a natural knack for not wanting a whole lot. Everyday for the last year, this has been my goal: simplify, have & want less while maintaining a cozy and welcoming environment. I feel that by working hard on this goal, it will not only make me a better designer [less distractions/messes] but also a better mother. There is not a lot to clean when you have a simple home which means more time to spend with  loved ones. 

This page below says this: "the once "remuddled" house blooms again with restful wooden floors and plaster walls that catch the subtleties of light and shadow. This is a house of many textures, where nothing looks fake or feels manufactured." Light, shadow, & textures...natural elements that help create a cozy environment. :]

Aside from thinking about all the themes in that book,  my mind was also excited about the new drawings and "special" little fabric items I have made for my new shop [at bigcartel] that I will be stocking here shortly. I am really excited to share the new items, especially because I finally have business cards in the making right now [it been 8 years since I last had cards made] some "official" Roxy Marj stamps along with better packaging, note-cards to go with the packing and a couple other things. And I know I have given a couple "sneak peaks" of things in the last little while that didn't really come about, with the reason being...I took on way too many projects at once. But now all my time aside from work is dedicated to making...and it feels good. I am so happy. :)

A great source book to own, if you're into this kind of thing. You can purchase one here.

Could you live at any of these four places below and be really happy?

The peace and quiet that comes from these images have me longing so bad for a place of our own, where

we are surrounded by nothing but flowers, tall trees, grazing animals...really anything similar to the photos. However, for now we are bundled up in our cozy apt. that I do like very much, and luckily where I sit I have four windows to look out and see many trees. That makes me happy. :)

Breathtaking images found here via and nothing matters when we're dancing.

Austria

Japan

Colorado

Love this short, by Lost & Found Films made for This Must be the Place TV - which is "a series of short films that explore the idea of home; what makes them, how they represent us, why we need them." <- how fun to make films on that topic alone!

    

I love the packaging of Saipua soaps and their styling... 

and the smells are just as wonderful..coffee mint is my favorite. 

aside from soap Saipua also makes flower arrangements

This one is just soo beautiful.

lastly, I recently came across this little shop Fondue, while sourcing floral inspiration.

Their vintage wallpaper light-switch covers would add a sweet touch to one's home.

You can also get scraps of wallpaper from their store as well.

Happy Valentines Day friends!

I have been thinking about Valentines Day for the past week and what I specifically wanted to share with you all on my blog. And it really wasn't until this morning that I realized I hadn't talked about one of the best books that helped me get to know myself better and those around me. The 5 Love Languages written by Gary Chapman and recommended by my dear friend Kamilah Cole.  For those of you who haven't read this book ---- GO READ IT! It is short, simple & straightforward! You will learn how to communicate love better and hopefully expect a lot less from others, in a way that makes you so much happier.

The 5 love languages are: 

words of affirmation

quality time

receiving gifts

acts of service

physical touch

My love language [in-case you're interested] is acts of service...and Jesse's is physical touch.  The book talks about how whether we know or love language or not, we expect our partner to know it and to know how to always make us feel loved. Well, that's not realistic or healthy to put our "happiness" onto someone else's shoulders...that's a caaaaaaraaaazzzzy burden if you ask me! <- But that's a whole other topic a little farther down...:-[) That's right, this post is crazy in love about all things having to do with love! Read on my friend. :) annnyways...after reading this book, it helped me not only learn about what makes me feel loved [acts of service:  my good friend Megan who has been picking me up from work every day for the last month because of Jesse having to work late each night...and not only does she pick me up, but she is always happy to see me and never once has made me feel like I am a burden... She is such an example to me and I look up to her in so many ways. This simple act of kindness from Megan has made me love her so much more. ] but to try and figure out other people's love languages.  I knew Jesse's right away because when we started dating, one night I was rubbing my fingers through his hair and basically melted right in my lap. It was so cute...he becomes this little puppy...and one of his favorite things is having me hug him as hard as I can...which then wears me out afterwards because he is a very big man. 

Another thing I wanted to share is this article I found titled "How to Know It's Real Love" by Martha Beck
This article is a great read. Especially if you are someone who has been struggling with find true love. What I got from Beck's advice is that first, you need to love yourself by figuring out what you like and do those things on your own. Don't live your life through your partner, and allow your partner to live his or her own life as well...[this will make more sense if you read the article] and she mentioned honesty and communication multiple times. For a relationship [ANY RELATIONSHIP] to be real and lasting....you need honesty. You need to be able to be honest and except it as well...how your communication is delivered is a whole other topic, hopefully it is with the utmost love and concern for the other person to grow and be better, but you get what I am saying right?

With that said, having a relationship where there is open communication and both parties are totally honest about everything <- which means, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and maybe even feeling uncomfortable will result in having the best relationship ever. Especially when intimacy is concerned. I tell my girlfriends this all the time: Communicate. Be honest, and trust that he or she will love you no matter what....

Lastly, a dedication. To my best friend : Whom I love spending as much time with as possible, but I love it just as much when he is with his buddies or even working on his own projects alone. I love seeing Jesse learn and grow, and love that he allows me to do the same... I heard this song "4th & Vine" just yesterday from Sinead O'connor's new album coming out appropriately titled: "How About I Be Me [And You be You] and thought: "Ah! I have to dedicate this song to Jesse!" :-[)  listen....and you'll see why! xo

p.s. Jesse's grandma made this birthday card for him last year....sooo cute!

Free Roxy Marj print-outs for Valentines Day ....
just click on the image & print :)

~~~ enjoy ~~~

If I could have a work uniform...it would be this:

sunglasses and all...well except for the ring actually...

image found via JAK & JIL

Awhile ago my friend Vivi sent me these little pieces of broken china that she find while exploring down on the river Thames. I hadn't found the perfect frame to display them in until the other day.  I took the glass out of the frame , glue gunned the china on the cute little envelope they came in, and then glue gunned that onto some nice artist's paper. I also like to snuggle in pictures on-top of other pics we have around our home, I think it creates a fun collage type feel...if you're into that sort of thing.

This type of project would be fun for large collections of one's findings...I have been on the lookout for a huge frame to go with this old collection of mine that has been in storage.  I am thinking of just buying a large ugly one at the thrift store and then paper-macheing some flowers or basic shapes all around...I think that could look really lovely.... If you yourself have done that or have seen pictures of it somewhere, would you mind sharing? :)

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I FINALLY delivered my hand made book I made for my friend Eva's daughter Ingrid. If you want to look inside...click HERE. 

I wish I could have been alive when the Wiener Werstatte exsisted.

 One of my favorite artists who was part of that community is Dagobert Peche. 

I can't get enough of his textiles, wallpapers, furniture, sketches etc.

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if you want to learn more about Peche, you can get this book about him over at amazon... a used one is starting only at $85! *sigh* :[

images found via:

vienna textiles

venetian red

neue galerie

dorotheum

My best friend Hye Jung recently did this drawing of Jesse and I. She is an amazing illustrator and designer, and I look up to her in so many ways. :)  I am posting this particular picture of Jesse and I because today is our 1 year anniversary! :-[)  We celebrated it yesterday since we had church today and Jesse having to go to work as well.  

Some thoughts on our first year together:

There have been a lot of learning curves for the both of us. Mine being more mental and emotional and Jesse's being more physical. Physical meaning, learning to get in the habit of putting the toilet seat down, helping with dishes, making the bed...mostly household stuff.  And then some specific issues that I have had to start dealing with and facing head on were and still are, things like: learning how to communicate better, NOT going to bed with hurt feelings or being angry, asking things of Jesse instead of assuming he will do them, and then having a reason for being upset.  Honestly, I would much rather deal with Jesse's issues than my own. Emotional stuff is more ingrained and deeply rooted, whereas learning to be better about picking up the bath mat can easily be cured in a year or two.... Our marriage is not perfect. If you read my blog and ever think to yourself "oh...their life is so perfect" well I am here to say that that is not the case. Because if we were perfect, then I honestly believe we wouldn't even be living on this planet, there would be no need to, because we have learned everything there is to learn obviously. 

 Jesse and I are far from perfect. What is perfect between us though is the "perfect" understanding that we both want to live to make each other happy. I believe that will never change between us....most days are fun and filled with tons of laughter and inside jokes, awesome activities etc....but then there are days where one of us or both of us is not on our best behavior, and that's okay...because I know that no matter what, we won't go to bed angry [Jesse won't allow it] and that each year will get better. I have learned so much from my best friend and have grown a lot emotionally in just one year. The main thing I admire most about Jesse and have been trying to work on with myself is how quick he is to say he is sorry. A huuuuge difference from my first marriage! I admire Jesse for that ability and hope to be as loving and patient as he is and to be just as quick to say I am sorry as well.  God blessed me with the best companion for me, and I thank him every day for Jesse, I can't imagine what my life would be like without him. With that said....

Every year we plan on alternating who has anniversary duty, and this year was Jesse. He booked us a beautiful room at the Hotel Monaco here in downtown Salt Lake City and then took me to dinner at Cucina Toscana. The ambiance was perfect and our meals were soooo good, that the bread and olive oil could have been dinner itself! If you have never been to either places, I highly suggest going!  Everything about last night was so special, I can't wait till next years! :)

Happy 1st Anniversary Jesse, I love and admire you so much!! xoxo

My darling friend Vivi has made an etsy shop for herself where you can buy her endearing copper house pendants! I have one of her copper house pieces and wear it all the time.  I love how sweet and simple the pendant is and the braided cord she pairs with it.

Made by Vivi