Bonjour, mes amies! Currently I'm home and settled back into daily life, after a nearly month long visit to France to prepare for, teach, and host - The Academy. At the moment, I'm finding it somewhat difficult to express how I feel about my experience without using words that make me sound like a simpleton - amazing, memorable, and truly inspiring come to mind. But then, they do accurately describe the time I spent with those who attended, as well as my friends and team that help me pull off such an enormous event. Something remarkable happens when you bring a diverse group of creative women together. Friendships are born, creativity sparked, dreams and goals revealed, and authentic encouragement envelopes the group as a whole.

Recently I was able to hit the flea market with my neighbor. She's new at the treasure hunting game but has certainly caught the bug. It's nice to have someone close by who will also get up at o'dawn hundred to make the trek with the only guarantee being hot coffee. Because as we all know it can be hit or miss at the flea.

One of the items I found was this metal vase with perfect patina for our guest room. Fortunately my neighbor also let me pick flowers since our gardens are pitiful right now. I've actually been buying vases whenever they catch my eye because it's the one prop item I'm constantly having to source or ship from my inventory. So I'm happily stocking up in that department. Here are the other finds that came home with me....

Spring cleaning is in full force over here. What began in the bathroom with tossing out long forgotten shampoo bottles and jars of expired aspirin has now moved on to the kitchen. Since the task felt a bit overwhelming I decided to break it up into blocks of time. The refrigerator was first to get a makeover and it gave me enough satisfaction to muster on with the rest. My list still includes sorting through the coffee accoutrements (located in the cabinet below the coffee station), adding liners the cookware drawers, and cleaning out the spice drawer - but over the weekend I tackled organizing the walk-in pantry. Here's what I did to accomplish the project...

You may recall from this post I've been yearning for some personal creative time. As an introvert, a quiet sabbatical at home seemed the perfect solution to renew my creative mojo. I have a tendency to work, work, work with a self imposed need to accomplish business tasks first and foremost in my day. I suppose if I were on a therapists couch (namely you at this moment) we would discuss why I embrace hard work over things that may or may not produce tangible assets - such as an empty calendar. And although it's taken me years to realize the value of creative breaks (and be ok with the fact it's basically "me" time) I firmly believe I should have been scheduling them all along and have plans to continue exploring this new routine without guilt or expectation.

If there were awards for slowest decorator on the planet, surely I would be a top contender. Often times I stand in awe of those who seem to finish rooms at break neck speed. How do they do it? I mean they just moved into a new place and wham...rooms are pulled together and posted on IG lickity split.

Now, I can produce styling results for magazines at a pretty steady pace (mainly because there is a deadline) but choosing items for my own home takes time. Apparently lots of it in my case. It's not that I'm not looking for items that make a house a home, it's that I'm looking for vintage, antique, or one of a kind items. And there in lies the rub. Finding antique furniture that fits a certain height, width, depth, as well as having simple lines and timeless style isn't something I'm going to find easily. And I've learned to let the process be what it is - an investment in patience.

I'm circling back to our adventures in Italy and sharing some of the memorable places we found in Florence. Our apartment located near the San Lorenzo Leather Market was also just steps from Mercato Centrale where I had the best vegan "burger" of my life. Even my carnivorous loving husband thought it was amazing. Veg & Veg is located on the second floor where there are dozens of other scrumptious and tempting places to grab a bite. If you're traveling in a group, the Mercato is a great place to suit everyones taste.