January Reads

To be perfectly honest, I did not read all three of these books in January. Otherwise, I would have had to read three books in ten days, which is simply not possible. At least not for me! These three books comprised my holiday reading list, and I have to say that I was not disappointed. 
The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson I selected this book on a whim from our local library, intrigued by its author's credentials (Iowa Writer's Workshop, a Fulbright scholarship, all the spectacular whistles and bells). Jackson's colorful  portrayal of life in Barbados is reminiscent of one of my favorite writers: Zora Neale Hurston. Set in the late 1980s, the novel follows two young girls who leave New York to live with their grandmother in Barbados. Their coming-of-age story explores some hefty topics: mental illness, culture clashes, American identity, family, and young love to name a few. I completely agree with all of the newspapers and critics singing Jackson's praises; it's a spectacularly well-written book. 
Dead Wake by Erik Larson I cannot stress how much I enjoyed this book or how highly I recommend it. The story of the Lusitania is one I thought I knew but wow was I mistaken. In my middle and high school history textbooks, the significance of this regal ship was relegated to a stingy paragraph, glossed over as America's impetus for entering the First World War. No glossing over in this book. Instead, Larson dives into the story-- bringing to life a world of finery and gallantry that clashed against the modern, terrible machines of war. This book had me gasping out loud one second, crying in another, and sputtering in outrage the next-- it's an amazing story that will boggle the mind. Easily one of the best books I've read lately. 
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee I had some mixed feelings about this book. I've always been a huge fan of To Kill a Mockingbird, I mean who isn't? So I was both excited and nervous for Lee's illusive other novel. While decent in its own right, to me, this novel wasn't as well-executed as the classic To Kill A Mockingbird. Although I did love getting a glimpse into grown-up Scout Finch's life and enjoyed Lee's honest, bare-knuckles handling of the South during the Civil-Rights era.
What's on your reading list? 

Our Creative Goals for the New Year

A few days ago, I shared this post regarding my goals for the new year. Today, I thought I might share some of my creative goals for the new year. It seemed a good place to start. After all, the creative side of things is my favorite part! 
This year, one of my main endeavors will be to live more intentionally. Perhaps this is more of an attitude than a goal. What I mean is this: I want to live each day with intention. To be more mindful of and purposeful with my time, to use it wisely and well. Obviously, every day will have some spontaneity in it, but I do want to be less wasteful. Not just wasting time scrolling mindlessly on my phone, for example.
I hope to apply this intention to my creative work as well. This year, I'd like to be more focused with my creative projects, specifically my Etsy shop. Here are a few of my creative goals, for the year
1. to work on my Etsy shop images: better lighting and photography
2. to utilize better shop strategies such as promoted listings, coupon codes, and giveaways.  I know that I haven't used all this tools as much as I could have in the past, but I'm working toward utilizing more in the coming months. 
3. to grow the shop's social media following (of course-- isn't that always the case?) I recently employed some of Hilary Rushford's strategies for growing your Instagram following and saw my followers increase by 100+. I defintely plan to continue using her tips and highly recommend her free classes! 
4. to start marketing my murals and hopefully get a few clients See my Birch Tree Statement Wall in this post. It was one of my most popular posts in 2015 and I hope to complete more like it! 
5. to work on my photography skills and eventually begin offering photography sessions. 

What are some of your creative goals for the new year?

Winter Walks

One thing I love about Frederick is how many great walking spaces this little city has. Every weekend, Mark and I love taking Solo for walks in nearby Baker Park, a 40 acre park about two blocks from our house. This past Sunday, the weather was sheer perfection. While still chilly, the sun was shining in full force. Overhead, the sky was not just blue but cerulean. And cloudless in every direction, as far as you could see. 

Every building and tree stood out in sharp relief, as if some cosmic photographer had turned up the sharpness while editing his image "Perfect Winter Day." Even though it was the beginning of January, Mark and I both remarked that it felt like an early spring day. Maybe a very early spring day, but a spring day nonetheless. 

Solo's main objective on these walks is to chase every squirrel and duck he sees. Poor thing is largely unsuccessful in this endeavor. But that doesn't prevent him from whining piteously or barking at the duck quacks. You just get the sense that he's thinking "One day, Mr. Squirrel, one day." 

What's your favorite place in your city?

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Help Us Pick a Living Room Color!

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of using bold color in your home. My own home is an eclectic mix of jewel tones and dramatic dark hues. For the most part, I feel like I never go wrong with going bold. It suits my eclectic style. However, I've gotten a wee bit tired of our living room color.
Currently, our living room is painted a snuggly warm shade of chocolate brown. I still really like this color. It's very warm and sophisticated and works well with the natural light the room receives during the mornings. We still get a lot of compliments on the room, usually from people surprised that such a dark paint works in a small space.
Our living room has been this chocolate shade for over two years, but lately I've noticed my style changing somewhat. I'm leaning more toward blues and greys and have begun to feel somewhat trapped by the chocolate brown wall color. As if I must forever and always use warm spice hues and only warm spice hues. Meanwhile, the rest of the house is grey and blue. So, while I still love the chocolate brown... it's the only room in the house that's brown. It's time for a change. After all, it is a new year. 
Here's a look at the room currently: 

I'm leaning toward using grey on the walls, similar to the color we used in our master bedroom or the kitchen. I think it would preserve the cozy-study feeling while blending with the rest of our home. However there's still that one rogue part of me that wants to go crazy and paint the room blue... although I'm not sure if that would be the best call. 
Here are some spaces that have been inspiring me lately. 

What do you think? Go grey? Go navy? Or go bold, like the bright turquoise? 
What color is your living room? Do you have an over-riding color theme for your house? Or do you just kind of go with it? 
All images curated from my Pinterest boards.
Original image sources:  1. via Style Me Pretty / 2. via Orange Drive Design / 3. via House of Turquoise / 4. via Centsational Girl / 5. via Decoholic / 6. via Residence Style

New Year, New Goals, New You

One of my favorite things about a new year is that blank-slate feeling. Everything ahead is new, untold, unexpected. Anything is possible. 
I've never really been one for making New Year resolutions. At least not simply for the sake of having a resolution just because everyone else does. We all know that adage "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." I guess I've always had the attitude of whatever comes, comes, but lately I've been thinking more about goals. Obviously, we can't see the future, and we don't know what lies ahead. We can only plan so much and so far. Yet, I do think it's important to have a goal or two: short-term and long-term. It gives us direction, let's us know what we're aiming for. It adds to our sense of purpose and direction.
 Last year, I started working on a goal that has lived within me for years: the goal of writing a novel. Before I could even write, I would scribble squiggle-lines onto stacks of paper, staple the sheets together, and then proudly march the finished product around the house as my "book." At the end of last year, Mark and I decided that I should take a few months to actually work toward making this goal a reality. Now, I'm 12 chapters in and, although the process has been filled with ups and downs, I don't know that I've ever felt more fulfilled as an individual. Or more grateful to my husband who has been nothing but supportive as I work and write. 
As the new year began, I debated whether to actually post any resolutions for 2016. But the reality exists that we need to have goals toward which we steer ourselves. After all, we will never accomplish something if we never aim for it, if we never even try. As Erin of the blog Reading My Tea Leaves stated, "You'll never accomplish what you don't attempt. Literally. And thinking of something to attempt, well, that's the first step." 
Rather than present a long, meandering list of goals (which frankly would bore both you and me), I plan to share a short series of posts regarding the main goals I have forged for the new year. Each goal somehow relates to the main topics of this little space: living creatively and being more intentional with my life and time. The upcoming goals will fall under three categories: personal goals, financial goals, and creative goals. 
Along the way, I'll share my progress, whether its forward or backward. I hope that my little efforts will somehow inspire you to lay out and aim for your own personal goals as well, come what may!
Thanks for following along thus far. And Happy New Year! 

10 Things You May Not Know about Me

1. I used to train horses and had two paint mares, a dam and filly duo named Precious and Jazz. 
2. I used to have a dreadful self-image and be painfully self-conscious. Only in the past year, as I've started weight-lifting and exercising almost daily , have I begun to see my body as something to be proud of rather than embarrassed of. Trust me, it took a lot of effort to get to this point! Plus, I absolutely love working out with my husband in the evenings. It's a great way to blow off steam and reconnect after work.  
3. Most of my teenage years, my goal was to join the Air Force. It wasn't until I got a little older that I fell in love with writing and literature and moved in a more creative direction instead. 
4. I met my husband when I was 14 years old, but we didn't start talking until I was 18 years old. 
5. I used to be as country as a country girl could get-- I'm talking feeding baby calves, wearing Ford and Chevy Tshirts, and sporting Justin boots everywhere I went. Now, I am considering moving to D.C., one of the busiest cities in our nation. 
6. I'm a huge advocate for pitbull-type dogs. The surest way to get me in an argument is to insult my dog or his breed. I mean, look at Solo... how cute is that pup? 
7. I'm currently working on a novel which I hope to complete this year. At least, that's my resolution... no pressure right? 
8. My favorite music genre is rock, yes the hard stuff. I may be cute, but I can sing every word to Slipknot songs-- a trait that my husband may either find endearing or alarming, I haven't determined which yet. 
9. Someday, I would love to own a fine art studio and gift boutique. Or maybe a florist shop. Or maybe an interior design studio. Who knows. Anything that allows me to work with my hands. I'm still figuring out my career goals. 
10. I graduated valedictorian from my alma mater Piedmont College, a liberal arts college in Northeast Georgia. So I must have some brains rattling around in there somewhere. Although honestly, I just worked my butt off. 

Happy New Year from Patina & Purl!

Happy New Year from Mark and Abi!
Hope your celebrations are safe and happy!