Winter Inspiration for January

Hello, my friends... I hope the new year finds you well!
I'm currently enjoying these rare rainy January days by embracing a slower schedule - filled with reading, journaling, refreshing the house after the holiday season, and considering ideas for future projects. Rather than rushing around making plans and exhausting myself, I'm finding this new approach fills me with much more joy!

Isn't that what we all hope for in January? Energy for a fresh start? 

How nice it is to be able to choose for ourselves just how we will embrace that in our own lives - and as I shared in my last post, I'm listening to Mother Nature and my own energy cycles to make that 'fresh start' one that isn't fueled by expectations and habits that just don't work for me anymore. For instance, I've made the decision to change my habit of creating 'one project per week' content to share here on the blog.

Instead, I'm going to be publishing a post the first week of each month, sharing the things that are currently inspiring me... something I've changed or created in our home, resources I've discovered that I think you might enjoy, books, quotes, music, scents, places I've visited, even a simple recipe once in awhile! You'll still see a full-on project tutorial occasionally, and posts sharing my content when it is published in magazines. 

My hope is that sharing bite-size doses of inspiration at the beginning of each month will encourage you to enjoy the seasons in truly simple ways, inspiring you to join me in embracing the art & craft of seasonal living (not just seasonal decorating) all year long.

Continue reading to see what's inspiring me this month!

( LINKS are included for your convenience - they are not ads. )


Tunes: Music with an upbeat mood 
⬦'January Vibes' playlists by Happy Melody on YouTube here and here
⬦Pink Martini international jazz station on Pandora here

Decor: Small changes with big impact!

⬦Interpreting a trend on the cheap...
The viral photos of the new KitchenAid mixer with a wood bowl intrigued me, but I don't NEED to buy one. By replacing the stainless bowl on mine with a wood bowl I already had, I get the same effect at no cost!  (NOTE: This change is just for appearances. I'll still use the stainless bowl with the mixer.) 


⬦Improving my mood in the kitchen...
Deb does not like using the overhead lights. I wanted some small lamps for our kitchen counters and searched online with no luck - then found two of these at TJ Maxx for 14.99 each. They fit the space perfectly, and make a HUGE impact in our kitchen at night and on gray days! (I use small 40 watt incandescent appliance bulbs for warm light.)


Reads:
⬦Ted Kennedy Watson | Style & Simplicity 
⬦Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams | Let's Get Comfortable
⬦Mary Engelbreit | Leading the Artful Life

TIP! Find great deals on books at ThriftBooks.com 


Resources to help me get my act together!
⬦paper desk calendar | Sugar Paper at Target
big pages, large squares, space for notes, easy to personalize!
⬦'Dig Deeper' journal | Inside Then Out  (more print + digital versions available)
non-dated pages, insightful prompts/questions for self-reflection.


Scents to refresh our home:
⬦'White Tea & Sage' candle | White Barn Candle Company
I love this refreshing, clean scent. It is currently unavailable at Bath & Body Works - hopefully it will return soon! (Meanwhile I'm going to check out this one in person, to see if it is similar.)


Treats to fuel my creativity! 
⬦vanilla almond tea by The Republic of Tea, available at World Market
.
⬦roasted rosemary almonds - a healthy homemade snack!

Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 pounds raw almonds (I get mine at Costco in a 3 pound bag)
1/8 cup virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp flaked sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
dash of garlic powder + onion powder + fresh ground white pepper
1/8 cup of fresh diced rosemary leaves

Recipe: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let 'marinate' in bowl at room temp, stirring every half hour for four hours. Pour onto baking sheet and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 1/2 hour before placing in airtight storage jar. Store at room temp. 

Moments that make me smile:
⬦ Something caught my eye out the kitchen window while shooting the photos for this post - a red squirrel was running fast across the top of our fence like it was a freeway! (My brain was shouting 'SQUIRREL!' LOL)

⬦ Raindrops on our backyard tree sparkling like diamonds in a quick sunbreak between rain showers.

More Winter Content:
⬦ Instagram  ⬦ Pinterest  ⬦ 'winter' tab on blog sidebar ➽

Happy January!
~ Deb