stop. reset. move.

Good morning 2015. How the hell are ya?

Ahh the first day back. This is always a hard/exciting day. As a mom I'm thrilled to be back on schedule and have a break from the constant bickering that occurs between siblings that have spent a lot of time together over the past two weeks. But as an individual (parents can be both despite what my children think) I am mourning the end of one of the best breaks I can remember in a long time. It was heaven. I did all of those things you imagine a vacation to be but feel too guilty to actually do. I had day(s) when I didn't get out of my pjs. I read books, not magazines but actual books. I spent one full day watching nothing but wonderfully bad TV. But we also went out on a lot of adventures, did lots of baking, went out with new friends and old friends and laughed each and every day.

I also turned off my computer on the first day of break and didn't turn it back on until this morning. Scandal.  I can count on one hand the number of times I checked Facebook and Instagram and the iPad was used mostly for watching Netflix. A much needed tech detox of sorts.

And as usual when you have a lot of relaxation, your brain tends to think about the things that in your busy daily life you push aside. One topic that popped up often was the blog. The blog (that would be this blog) that I love but over the past few months has felt a bit more obligatory and less fun. I've realized that a lot of those feelings come from my own push to follow the blog rules in fear of loosing my place, whatever that means. You know those rules: post several times a week, always post at the exact same time each day, always include pin-worthy pictures, always tweet and pin and Facebook, always always always.

But in trying those 'rules' I've realized two things: (get it, light over my head. ha)

1. When I follow someone else's rules, I start to plan and write thru someone else's voice.
If I were starting a business, I would take classes, read books and research the necessary formulas that have been proven to launch and sustain a successful business. But this blog is not a business. This blog is my own personal outlet that should follow the ebbs and flows that personally work for me. Do I sometimes share things about my business on the blog? Of course. Do I sometimes get work because of this blog? Proudly I say yes. But this blog is more than just a digital advertisement. I don't want to be selling all the time, and you lovely people don't want to constantly be sold.

2. If I don't follow those rules, the world will not end.
My goal for this blog is not to make millions of dollars so who exactly am I helping with these rules? The point of this blog has always been to talk about and share what I love (interior design) and do it with a community full of like-minded individuals. When the focus starts to shift to simply driving traffic (I believe) the content becomes hollow and all of that traffic will quickly dry up. No one wants to read post after post of pictures from Pinterest that they've probably already seen or post after post of sponsored content. Yawn. Does that mean I won't ever post pictures from Pinterest or work with sponsors? Absolutely not. But I can guarantee it won't happen just so that I have something to post about.

I say post when you have something you want to say. A passion should always be about the want, never the need.

And rather than calling it a resolution for myself, I'm calling it a promise to you. I'm going to work at keeping this blog the same thing that brought you to it in the first place. This could mean that I post four times a week or four times a month but it will always be genuine. And if the lack of a consistent 'schedule' from me leads you to not read this blog at all, then I suspect you weren't very interested in the first place.

I say we keep this love letter to design as pure and as FUN as possible.

And on a totally unrelated note, cucumber water is the bees knees. Give it a try.

blog hop: a tour thru blogland

Happy Monday one and all! I hope your weekend was all you had hoped for. And if not, I hope you at least got to take a nap. Thank each and every one of you who commented and emailed me about the office reveal. Y'all know how to make me smile, that's for sure. And now whenever you imagine me working away, you know exactly where I am. Although, I doubt you ever imagine me working, but you know what I mean. That took a turn.

So today I get to play in the latest round of blogging musical chairs with the now well known blog hop. I was tagged by two lovely girls that I've long admired. First up, my dear Kimberly from Swoon Worthy.

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Kimberly and I have been buddies since the early days and we share a deep love of color, and a good stiff drink. Her taste and skill is inspirational and I've loved watching her take England by storm as she gives them a big dose of expat style.

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She is pretty much a big deal, and I will never stop twisting her arm until she opens up her Etsy shop, because on top of her design prowess, girlfriend is an artist!

And the other person who tagged me is the one and only Sarah M. Dorsey. If you don't know Sarah, let me be the first to congratulate you on finally crawling out from under that rock and give you her URL ASAP.

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Sarah is pretty much the MacGyver of DIY. Anything you could think of Sarah can make and chances are it will look a million times better than the inspiration piece that she started with.

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And she does it with such ease, and explains things so perfectly that she makes me completely believe that I could do those things too. I've learned so many invaluable tips and tricks from her, and to top it all off, she couldn't be any sweeter.

Thank you ladies for having me join in on the fun. Now to the questions...

Why do I write?
I don't really know how best to answer that (ironically, since it is a question about writing). Why do some people dance, or paint, or sing? Because it feels good and it feels natural. I've always written stories, I just didn't always have a forum in which to share them. I write in much the same way I chat with people in person in an attempt to be as authentic as I can with you because what is this whole virtual community about if not to build relationships, right? But with that said, I've always treated this blog (and the writing) as a selfish act, something I do purely for myself about something that I truly enjoy: design. So I write because I love to do it and I love to talk about design.

What are you working on?
For the first time in Little Black Door's life I find myself with far more going on outside of my home than I do inside of it. I have a few projects planned for this fall that include some renovations and repurposing but mostly I am working with a lot of amazing families in St. Louis and beyond on some pretty awesome projects. This will be a good test for me, because as I've discussed before, (here and here) I tend to want to talk about anything except myself. I've always focused the blog on my own house rather than talking about what I do for others. But as I get busier with others, the time to do stuff just 'for the blog' gets harder and the cat continues to chase its tail. So I'm just going to have to cut that tail clean off and move forward. Eww. So I guess that is a long winded way of saying, I'm working on living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. And I swear I'll get off my arse and start sharing them.

How does your blog differ from others in your genre?
I probably mention cocktails more than anyone else. Does that count? This really is a hard question as I think one of the things that is so valuable about reading design blogs and being apart of this community is that every single person is different in the way they express their style. I would say I'm more color heavy than some and I do my very best to attain something out of the box, but relatable. I'm very drawn to things that have already been around the block and have a story to tell and I hope to encourage others to try a local antique or consignment shop before going out to buy new.

What is your writing process?
Well, I'll tell you, it is not one that sets a good example, that's for sure. Everything I've read about blogging, and to be honest it hasn't been much, says you should have a schedule and plan out your posts in advance etc. And well, I'm the opposite. I am a fly by the seat of my pants type of writer. Any time I've tried to follow a schedule I find I don't have much heart in what I write. It begins to feel more like a task rather than a pleasure, and that is when you've lost me. So because of that, I write when I feel inspired and when I have something to share. I'm of the opinion that you'd much rather like to read something with some teeth two or three times a week rather than a bunch of filler 5 days a week. Am I right?

So there I am. This was a great exercise really, I'm glad I did it. Thanks again Sarah and Kimberly!

And to keep the ball rolling, Sarah at 702 Park Project and my dear Albertina at Mimosa Lane, I want to hear your answers to these questions next Monday.

Do you like a good old fashioned Q&A? Who would you interview if you had the chance? Does a constant stream of questions from your children count as an interview? No wait, that's an interrogation.

2014 goals

The time has come for me to put down my goals for the year on paper, or uh screen, so that I am held accountable come December 31. If I don't put them out there for y'all to read I won't have the fear of judgement as my motivation. And really, isn't that what gets us all out of bed in the morning? Right. So I spent the weekend shaking my magic eight ball and I've narrowed down my list to these five challenges, in no particular order. In honor of the Golden Globes...may I have the envelope please.

1. Fix the backyard.
I've whined discussed my backyard as long as this blog has been around (and even before that). And each year I talk about working on some privacy, but this is the year. And here's the reason - I can't look at my neighbors any more. They really are lovely people, but I just can't. While our side yard is vast and relatively private, our backyard, the space right past our deck and patio is rather close to our neighbors. And over the years our neighbors have added on to their homes, making our breathing room even smaller. And with the addition of a new neighbor and his many outdoor apparatuses, this is the year damn it.

Pinterest

 And while I'd love a tall ivy covered stone wall and boxwood hedges,

Almbacken

we are probably looking at something more economical. I know, economical and landscaping never really go together, but I'm going to try my best. We were able to redo our deck on a budget, so who knows what we will come up with. Maybe we'll find more $5 trees.

2. Organize closets
I have something that is a rarity in a house this age and size - two walk in closets. But I'm ashamed to say that I don't use them to their full potential. And in a house this size, that just isn't cool.

Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti's amazing closet

So I've got painting, construction, elbow grease and a lot of DIYs up my sleeve for these suckers. Note - I can not guarantee they can stay organized. (Do I hear a goal for 2015?)

3. Find a dishwasher that doesn't suck and a vacuum that does.
I told you how much my Maytag sucks and this is the year I'm doing something about it. There has got to be a high performance dishwasher out there and I am on the hunt.

Zoey cleans better than my Maytag does

I also have a vacuum on its last suck. Hmm, I need a new dishwasher and vacuum. Maybe it would just be cheaper to get a maid.

4. Focus on the details.
I find myself looking at different things these days. Table linens, candle sticks, picture frames, vases. The cherries on top of the sundae. The things that take a room from done to complete. And a hard, and dangerous rule for me this year - only permanent pieces. I'm not getting something just because it was cheap. I have a basement full of those purchases. Quality, unique and long term are the key this year.

Lesley Glotzl

5. Post more.
I really do have the best time getting to know you all and I think we have a really good time together. And well, we've been dating for a few years now, so I think it's time to take our relationship to the next level. Do I sound like The Bachelor?

I've got a lot to say, a whole backlog in fact, of things that I just don't get around to. So this year I'm going to make a hard effort to work four posts a week into my schedule. Gulp. And I want you all sharing more on here with me as well. You all are the best and I want to give more. 4 days a week. There I said it.

So ta-da, there she blows. My list for the year. What do you think? Do you make yourself a guideline for the year? Did you think Tina and Amy did a good job last night? Can you believe that Jordan Catalano won an Golden Globe?!