First and foremost, thank you so very much, from a place so very deep in my heart, for all of your kind words on Tuesday’s post. You have no idea what it meant to me to read those, how each one was like a gift. I hope to be sharing more personal posts, going deeper into my life with you more requently, so something for us all to look forward to! In the meantime- one of my favorite photographers, Sharon Montrose, shared this incredible space makeover (pop over to her blog to see the before photos- SO INSPIRING!) I’m in love with that light and airy plant in the corner, the rug, the couch, and the buffalo print! It’s all just so beautifully designed- bravo Carter Design! Ok, off to tackle another big home project in our own space… more on that soon too. Have a great Thursday! xx- Sarah
I think with yesterday being the last of my series with Tommy Bahama that today is the perfect time to share today’s post! I’ve been wanting to write it for years but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was too afraid, and too attached to the image I’ve cultivated of myself.
I’m assuming you know that when you see photos of me, and our home, that they’re the creme de la creme of the photos. That I’ve styled, prepped, edited and tried hard to make everything (including myself) as pretty as possible. I’ve done this because it’s nice to look at lovely photos, one only has to spend 3 minutes on Pinterest to understand that it’s a part of our current cultural language. Also, as a photographer, it’s always felt like my job- to make things appear even better than life, if possible. But it’s important to note that this site and the photos featured are very much an edited version of reality!!
I’m not saying these photos aren’t real, of course they are, but they’re a partial truth. Here are some other truths: for the past four months the dogs have napped on a gigantic pile of papers in my office. Our couch pillows are so very rarely perfectly fluffed, they’re more often haphazardly tossed in various spots on the couch. There are piles of dog fur the size of small bunnies that blow like tumbleweeds through our hallway. If I’m ambitious enough in a day to put on makeup I most often wear it to sleep and through the next day, if not two. I have an amazing ability to reserve proper showering until my hair is nearly in dreadlocks. I eat meals that are comprised of leftovers or what others might consider snacks, or sometimes I just eat spoonfuls of nut butter because I’m too lazy to cook. I can be jealous, greedy, hot tempered, rude, sad, and an entirely other spectrum of humanity than what you see here. It’s not all quinoa salads, skirts and crop tops at our house my friends, it’s just not.
But I don’t think that you’re necessarily here to look at piles of my paper on the floor, you didn’t wander over from Pinterest one time because you saw a photo of me wearing yoga pants and on the couch typing away on my laptop sitting in my own filth. (HA!) So I’m here to remind you today, this site- and ALLLLL of the others like it, are partial truths. I’m sharing beautiful inspiration photos because it’s JUST that, inspiration. It pains me to think that someone would aspire to anything visually featured here.
I’ve shared some of my real, less polished truths above, and here’s a bit more – circling back to the Tommy Bahama bikini photos. I used to be 165 lbs and you can see the photos of me above. I barely recognize myself. I was a girl that scooped ice cream up with potato chips after coming home from high school. I was depressed, I was unhealthy, I felt trapped. I realize that in looking at these recent photos of me doing yoga poses on the beach you might never have thought that. I’m also aware that I’ve never been brave enough, or ok enough with myself, to say YEP, THAT WAS ME. That IS me. That overweight girl has been like a cobweb: clingy, frightening and better avoided.
I had a complicated childhood, I’ve worked hard to become a stable and healthy person, but the truth is that I’m very much a work in progress. What I’m learning these days, the most important lesson of my life so far- is that the greatest freedom, the greatest happiness lies in LETTING GO. Right here, right now I’m letting go of my need for you to think that I’m anything but exactly who I am. I’m not who you see in ANY of these photos- I’m the words that you’re reading here. And with that, in case you hadn’t, you can also realize that you’re not the photos you’ve seen of yourself. You are not the size of your jeans, the length and color of your hair, the style of your clothes. You are not your body, as strange as I know that sounds.
If you’ve found that in reading the above you feel acceptance for me- that reading about my flaws softened you towards me somehow, please turn that right back around to yourself. Soften to yourself, your own flaws, your own very human-ness. If you reaction was negative, or judgemental, notice that too. Turn that around in your head as well, examine what part of yourself you’re struggling with that may relate. And try to soften to yourself.
I can only write that because I’m in the thick of softening to myself. I’m changing that conversation from “Hey former overweight and unhappy girl, you’re a mess!” to “HEY FORMER OVERWEIGHT AND UNHAPPY GIRL! YOU ARE AMAZING AND HUMAN AND BRILLIANTLY, PERFECTLY, WONDERFULLY IMPERFECT! THE WORLD SHOULD SEE YOU!” I’m facing fears. I’m turning towards the cobwebs and walking towards them instead of running away. Letting go. Learning to love myself.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for every bit of love you bring into the world. We are all connected. I feel it. xx- Sarah
Today we’ve got the last of my four part series with Tommy Bahama and SELF coming to an end! I hope you’ve enjoyed the inspiration as much as we enjoyed producing this series (see previous posts here, here and here). It really inspired me to get in shape in a way that only knowing you’re going to be photographed in swimwear can. HA! Kidding! But in all seriousness, I’ve loved bringing some fitness inspiration to the site and plan on finding other avenues to inspire you down the road. I’m still working hard with my favorite fitness pro January (who I am very much indebted to for helping me get stronger and healthier) so this won’t completely end here!
The first part of today’s post is all about the perfect beach cover-up! I’m loving palm print ANYTHING these days, and this little number is no exception. It’s such an easy piece to throw on for a beach stroll, which I’ve been doing a lot of lately as we’re feeling extra lucky to be near the ocean again! And the second part of today’s post is all about stretching it out before and after a stand up paddle board session. Stretching is my favorite part of any workout- when I had a gym membership I was the girl who spent the first 15 and last 30 minutes of an hour long workout STRETCHING. Which is probably why it’s a good thing I cancelled my membership and started getting exercise doing things I love instead! But even when I’m super into a workout, I still look forward to the stretching session at the end- it just feels so good. So below you’ll find some of my favorite stretches for before/after a stand up paddle board adventure. Click through to see more! xx- Sarah {Photos: Lou Mora}
I’m so excited to be partnering* with True Value to share some DIY projects that we’ve been tackling around this old house to make it our own! I’m sharing how we dove right into the project of transforming the bright red (oddly faux-finished) fireplace in our living room! This post is the first of four, so there’s a lot to look forward to and I hope they’re helpful and inspiring for your own home projects! And if you’re looking for more DIY inspiration – check out True Value’s #DIYaDay Instagram challenge starting Monday! They’ll be sharing simple DIY ideas and giving out great prizes all month! All you have to do is follow and tag @TrueValue in a photo or video of your DIY project (there will be different themes each day) and use #DIYaDay. I’ll be participating in a few of the challenges so you can see more of my smaller projects on my Instagram too!
I’m a firm believer that paint is the easiest, most affordable way to make HUGE changes to a space. It’s my go-to if there’s need for improvement in a room. So, spoiler alert: these DIY’s will all involve paint! Ok, let’s dive right into it- this red fireplace with what appear to be faux bullet holes covering it from top to bottom- NOT our jam. Not our jam at all (see more of the empty room and red fireplace here). I was thrilled to discover that the previous owners had painted the rest of the room a creamy white. Meaning that at one point THE ENTIRE ROOM INCLUDING THE CEILING WAS THAT COLOR RED. {insert wide-eyed emoji face} Even though it was an easy project to complete, the impact on the space was HUGE. It felt like a whole new living room. That’s my favorite kind of DIY! See photos below for more of the transformation and then click through for instructions on how to tackle a project like this! xx- Sarah
Greetings my friends! I’m currently reading The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up (alongside almost every one of my friends and possibly a good part of the rest of the internet!) Are you familiar? It’s amazing! Like, as the title states, LIFE CHANGING AMAZING. The principle of the book is that we all have way more things than we actually need or use, and these things weigh us down and clutter up our lives- not just physically but mentally and emotionally. The solution for this, according to the author, is to go through every item in the house and ask if when you look at it and hold it in your hands, it sparks joy. If the answer is NO, the item goes. {Read more after the jump!}
I was a little suspect at the beginning of my process, thinking that since my closet is so organized there was just no way that purging it would make me happier. But purge it I did and OMG! Walking into the space and having LESS CHOICES is actually hugely liberating! Every single item in that room is something I LOVE and will wear- not maybe someday wear or might need for a very specific special occasion wear but something I’d 100% wear- and most of it I’d wear TOMORROW. The truth is that less is actually more when it comes to a wardrobe, and things in general- and that the real joy comes in having only things that you LOVE LOVE. There were somethings that I thought- no, this doesn’t necessarily spark joy but it’s necessary (ie: trashcans) and so I had my own approach of do I NEED it when it came down to more utilitarian items. The books is incredible (at times funny and a little kooky too). It will certainly make me a far more discerning shopper- I will be asking so many more questions of myself before I buy- such as: Do I need this item? Will it spark joy in 6 months from now? A year? Or am I buying it to just spark a little joy right now and will need to purge it shortly thereafter?
We’re having a garage sale on Saturday and I’ve spent the better part of the past couple of days going through the house- every cupboard, drawer, closet, nook and cranny finding the items that don’t “spark joy” or aren’t 100% functional/necessary to have and putting them in a pile to prepare for the sale. You’d be amazed at how large the piles are.
And the BEST thing is happening- I feel lighter! The energy in our house feels lighter! I’m feeling an itch to go further, to have even less. And to replace the utilitarian items that I have and don’t love with those that I do (hello flatware, knives and mortar & pestle- I’ve got my eyes on you!) This has just been such an amazing experience that I had to share it with you! Wishing you all the very best with your own Spring cleaning projects! xx- Sarah
Happy Wednesday my friends! I’m very much in the thick of decorating still and scouring the interwebs for all of the pretty things, so today’s post is a few favorites I found at Candelabra! As usual I’m a fan of organic, modern and all gold everything! And mixing them all is my absolute favorite. Friday I’ll be sharing the second half of our living room, and our fireplace makeover,which I’m extra excited about! Since we’ve moved my nose has been to the ground trying to tackle project after project and it’s so fun to see some of them wrapping up and be able to share with you! Ok, have a great day and happy decorating! xx- Sarah { 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 }
