Every morning I wrap my fingers around a toasty cup of coffee and step outside to watch the day begin. I ponder the mist rising above the sleepy woodland, the leaves rotting on the forest floor, the air thick and damp allowing a generous coat of green moss to prosper.

This is the moment I fall in love with the day, silent, hopeful and posed with the unknown. With the steam rising from my cup, I give thanks for my life and everyone in it. I close my eyes and breathe in the heavy air. I’m thoughtful, thankful and ready for the day to begin.

I give thanks for my life and everyone in it…

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends

xo-jj

 I’ve been up to something in the last few weeks and I’m now ready to share it with you. I’m never happy unless I’m wearing at least 2 or 3 hats and my latest gig makes about  4.

I’ve been asked to write Lansing’s budget fashion column and well I just couldn’t turn it down. It’s done under my legal name- kind of essential if I want to get paid.   Check it out here   I’d welcome your ideas for future articles.

Hear we go into a new season with the same old wardrobe that looks a little tired. If only there was a way to wake up your closet without costing a fortune. It’s time for a secret weapon to give that Plain Jane outfit a little attitude. Every wardrobe needs the perfect pair of sexy boots for a punch of confidence. It’s the ultimate accessory to spice up your favorite pair of jeans or add a kick to that sweater dress hanging at the back of your closet. A great pair of boots won’t cost you an arm and a leg if you know where to shop. Forever 21 has a plethora of sexy styles in a number of chic finishes. You can choose from a great little number like the Addiction ankle boot with great sex appeal or the Madrid riding boot. Forever 21 will deliver great style for around thirty dollars. At these fabulous prices you may want to take home more than one pair. So bring the magic to your wardrobe by making a visit to Eastwood Towne Center’s Forever 21 or shop on-line at Forever21.com

xo-jj

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Sometimes you can’t ask for more. This was the scene outside my windshield saturday evening as I was driving home. It was just beautiful and so surreal.  It made me feel thankful for everything in my life. No things aren’t perfect, far from it, but I am blessed to have what I have and that includes all of you. Although, I don’t like the cold and I still dream of living in a little cottage on the beach, you can’t beat the wildlife, turkeys, deer, raccoon, blue heron, etc, livng  just beyound my window or the gorgeous midwestern landscape surrounding me. Sometimes I can’t believe that I live right in the middle of it all. Now go out and enjoy your day- every tiny moment of it!

xo-jj

Its time to get down to business, make a plan, a theme, or at least a menu for goodness sakes. I’m looking for that extra something that makes a Thanksgiving dinner special. The wonderful smells coming from the kitchen as the turkey turns to a golden brown are nice and the festive look of a crisp white table-cloth and fresh flowers certainly helps but there’s something else I’m looking for. It’s that feeling of welcomeness, the sound of engaging conversation and oh yes, that intimate connection of family. Every year I scurry around in an attempt to make everything look just right, details, details, and prepare something  a little out of the ordinary to make the dinner extra special. When none of that really matters at all because all of the ingredients needed for the perfect meal over a sumptuous table is already in place the moment the family arrives.

*Not five minutes after posting this I looked out my window and no more than three feet away was a big tom turkey strutting himself across the yard. I guess this was his way of reminding me who is really the star of most Thanksgiving Day tables.

xo-jj

This little pile of rocks lives on a pedestal in my great room. I love, love smooth rocks from the cool waters of Lake Superior. The flat rocks are perfect for painting little messages. The trust rock encompasses so many areas of my life; my trust in family and friends,  trust in my faith, and trust in the universe. You have to trust!

Trust me when I say, “everyone has a purpose and everything is on its way to somewhere- I promise!”

Have a great day!

xo-jj

Have a warm and beautiful day- keep it simple!

BTW I’ve made a few tweeks and sent my book back to the publisher, it should be available soon. (opps that was a secret)

wahooo!

xo-jj

Several years ago while on a vintage treasure hunt I came across an old chair. It was simple and sturdy but what I found most intriguing was the chippy paint and delicate details.  I didn’t have a plan for it, so there it sat in my office, lonely and bare, until a few months ago when I decided to give it a purpose and adorned it with a quirky vignette in pink. The hat was found at a vintage clothing shop and the umbrella was used for a recent photo shoot but the shoes are special. They are seldom worn and aren’t the easiest things to walk in but when I do, I become a princess. Why you ask? Well, it could be the silky fabric or maybe it’s the ruffle detail and perfect craftmanship. They are beautiful but I think it’s the way they delicately grace my foot and come to the perfect little point that make them special. It takes me back to a time when I was a little girl playing dress-up in grandma’s closet. 

There is a part of me that desperately wants to de-clutter this place and live in a house of clean lines and open spaces but then that other girl with her quirky style comes out and leaves her trinkets and treasures all over the house. There are days when she really gets on my nerves but at other times she makes me smile and reminds me of the little girl living inside this woman in the mirror.

xo-jj

Drizzle, drizzle, no rain just a little frost melting off the branches. I wish you could have seen the beautiful trees in the woods this morning as the sun twinkled through the branches. The sound in the forest was that of a mild rain shower as the ice slowly melted off the trees. It was lovely….

A few berries were left on the trees and the sky was the perfect shade of blue. It was very cold but the sunlight reflecting off the drippy branches made it dreamy. There were so many other things I should’ve been doing but there was no other place I wanted to be. The sun makes everything better- I crave sunny days and we get so few here.

Last June I began to think about what makes a home cozy and for some reason I thought a big fat cat added that cozy feel and helped make a house a home. I didn’t own a cat at the time so I pondered the idea of getting one but didn’t. Well not long after that a big fat bob-tailed cat showed up at my door, followed shortly after that by momma cat and her babies. How did they know?  A few days later I started thinking about an old friend and began wondering what had happened to her,I wrote about her in my diary and then two weeks later she contacted me.  Hmmm… Over the past few months I have been applying for jobs in hopes of supplemented my very minor income but my heart wasn’t in it. But just a few weeks ago I started to feel a little more motivated and wished for a little work outside my studio and guess what happened? I got several calls for an interview and got hired.  It’s funny and sometimes a little scary when that happens. I guess the moral of this little story is be careful what you wish for…  Sometimes it happens!

Have a great weekend y’all

(p.s. I’ve always secretly wished to live in the south, near the ocean with a little lemon tree in my yard)

wink, wink…

xo-jj

      Are you looking for that perfect Christmas gift for the hard to please woman on your list? Me too. I found this little goodie on Anthropologie.com a few weeks ago and feel in love until I saw the price it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $300.00 Whoa! well Fobot Betty is no longer available but that got me to thinking how easy it would be to make a little betty out of a few odd and ends I have around the house. So one of these days when I have some spare time, ha ha, I may just whip something up. I mentioned in my last post that I have started shopping for the princess and Dear Renee asked what kind of gifts I had in mind. Well, this year it is all about strawberry shortcake, the movie the dolls, and yes the doll house. She’s crazy for little Strawberry Shortcake- loves everything about her.

She is adorable and smells even better than she looks and if that’s what the princess wants thats what  she gets. Most of my gift buying will be done at Pottery Barn this year, I work there and get a 40% discount, plus the merchandise is wonderful.

The sparkle collection and the peace tree accessories are my favorites. I love to mix rustic and elegant together. Just this morning I trudged out to the words and cut off a big knarly branch to display in one of my vases. It’s the perfect rugged touch. It looked better when I first brought it in because it was covered in glistening frost, hmm, maybe I’ll spray it with a little frosty glitter and seal it.

Now if I can figure out a way to not spend my whole pay check I’ll be doing much better.

In other news the cable guy is coming over again tomorrow to try to figure out my intermittent service problem. That’s one of the reasons for my inconsistent posting. Yeah I’m sticking with that excuse!

I know, I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet but I’m getting in the Christmas spirit already, even though the weather has been frosty in the morning but a gorgeous 50 degrees and sunny by mid afternoon- only in Michigan.

xo-jj