Minimalist Journey 01: Discovering the Innate "Click Point" + Finding Yourself

Have you always felt a magnetic pull toward open, clear, minimalist spaces? Isn't there something calming about it? Doesn't the lack of clutter soothe your mind and soul? There's science behind this, and there's a reason why many of the great philosophers throughout history have preached about less being more.

More stuff means more maintenance, and more problems. More stuff clutters the composition of your home and stresses the mind. This doesn't mean someone can't live very happily with thousands of items or in a bit of organized, non-hoarder chaos. I've put countless hours into unraveling my unhealthy relationship with Stuff, in action, and in research. I find there's a natural "click point" where you feel satisfied with the Stuff you have and don't acquire more. I'm deliciously close to the end of my struggle with finding my "click point" and wanted to share some of my crazy journey.

First Apartment, 2006

When I first moved out about a decade ago the apartment felt just right. At the time I simply worked a day job then came home and worked on leisure projects. I explored on the weekends. I lived more, and acquired FAR less.

My Second Apartment, 2009

By this time I was a copywriter working long hours and spent nearly all of my free time on building side businesses. (See a full tour of the living room here.) The amount of things I owned started to grow..and grow...and grow... Not that it looked disorganized on the surface. It always looked clean because I had a huge hallway closet and a little carport outside to hide my stuff in! It was at this apartment that I'd evolve from regular blogger to "thrift" blogger to reseller. I was stressed and my space reflected my internal chaos. (Final photo in the shots above from moving day.)

My Current Apartment, Early Years, 2012

Since moving to this apartment it was mission; unload! Much on the shelves was merchandise, but a lot of it was mine, too! I had my "office" (spare bedroom) for a few days before my best friend needed a place to stay and moved in. (An AWESOME turn of events.) Much time was dedicated to figuring out how to live with all of the merchandise required for me to make a living as a reseller. (See when I first moved in.)

Merchandise lived in my pantry, kitchen cabinets, wherever I could get it out of the way. I shifted from tactic to tactic and looked for spaces to rent locally but all the options were too expensive, which would require MORE stuff to pay the rent...

The Beginning of the End, 2013-2014

Eventually my then-boyfriend let me use his sunroom to store my merchandise! (See the full tour here.) I sold and sold like mad until it all fit back into my apartment easily.  I often confessed that reselling was driving me crazy. I soul searched and realized although I adore vintage, my love with my business was related to the creative/design side. I loved taking beautiful pictures and curating the line, not toting merchandise from place, to place, to place! I wanted a light, easy future. I worked hard and sold off as much merchandise as possible and transitioned to different income sources.

Looking back through the posts, it's amazing how much I've sold in my life. Thousands of items! It's been a long, confusing journey to get where I am now with my home and my life. Doing the KonMari method, Feng Shui and reading loads on the psychology of why we buy + minimalism manifestos helped me realize why I impulse purchased at thrifts. You move out of your natural "click point" and it can take a lot of work and soul searching to get back to it.

When I help people get their life back on track by getting rid of what they don't need I see their souls light up, I see them find their purpose, and it's incredible. I hope I can help anyone else who needs it via this series on the blog. (Or anyone who needs help locally, I already surprisingly have a couple of potential clients!) If you feel 100% content with your life, maybe you don't need any of this. But if you know in your heart something is wrong, or you know your clutter has reached an uncomfortable amount, keep coming back to read more!

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Life Lately: Organizing All The Things, Non-Profit, New Business, Creative Craziness

It's been crazy non-stop busy and creative times. I have so many ideas I haven't been able to sleep enough, I want to keep working and working! That's not exactly a good thing, looking back at how I've spent my time I definitely need to take more off-time, but it's been fun to ride the fresh wave of inspiration! Above is one of the few extended "breaks" I've had lately, a shot of the free inn stay I won at the Fernandina Beach Prince Party.

I got to help our non-profit Giving Greens some more hosting events, participating in a sustainability themed cocktail party and spreading the word.

We're still doing as many markets as possible. Right now we're still in front of The Landing for Art Walk and there'll be more coming. It's nice to be at a phase where we're not in production so I can focus on getting the website properly updated, wholesale sheets, PR materials and all the other tons of marketing tasks that need finishing!

Behind-the-scenes on photo-taking for the booth's signage, I change it up at pretty much every market. I've got some tiles there to keep the fabric taut because I was too tired to steam it smooth again! Right now every $10 purchase comes with a free essential oil perfume/massage oil. I can't wait to share more about our completed line as soon as every element is put together, it's been so fun to test it, perfect it, and get the happy reviews back.

Above's a shot of AJ's parent's new RV. They sold their home and have moved into the RV temporarily to pay off their debts before getting into a new home. I'm proud of their commitment to do it! It has me thinking (even more) about my future portable/RV life. I know we'll get there one day, even if it's just for the summers, but there's a lot to enjoy about the chaos and fun of my non-portable life of now, too.

Photos above are of my friend Nicole's art. This has been my least travel filled summer in a while but at least I've been able to catch up with my roomie and other creative friends again. I'll be collaborating on some more creative projects soon too.

I'm now in the closing stages of finally properly doing the KonMari method. I finished it twice before but realized afterwards I never even touched a lot of the things I thought "sparked joy"...because they didn't, turns out I hadn't fully honed that ability to tell yet. Along with other issues like just assuming I should keep every item related to work, I've had to admit I never fully completed the method all along. But it's been amazing to be able to dive into fully completing it correctly this time. Of course, lots more to come on the topic but you can see a lot of my recent advancements with it on Instagram.

And I almost forgot, I did have a pretty awesome fourth of July. My roommate's dad's friend has a condo on the river facing downtown so we had a pool party and were treated to an amazing fireworks show.

From the balcony we watched the sun set and sky change hue. The sky darkened and was illuminated by colorful firework explosions set off from the stately river facing homes. I felt myself losing energy and then...getting really sick! Luckily I managed to keep my food down and made it upstairs (with help) in time for the fireworks show. I don't know if it was swimming on a full stomach or the mix of foods I don't normally eat and a beer (yep, singular) but...never again! It reaffirmed my desire to keep my meals light/healthy, I couldn't get off the floor for a while there!

Right now I'm working on sorting all of my digital files and paperwork and the final steps will be sorting everything related to the body care business, giving my apartment a good scrub, and setting up future prevent-the-chaos routines. I'm excited to share all the steps I'm taking to set up a paper-free life so I don't get a build up again. I have pages of ideas to get to, work forever! But it's exciting. Hopefully there will be a couple of trips squeezed in before summer's end, too. There's a tentative Charleston South Carolina trip and Virginia/DC trips being planned.

* Note: If you sent an e-mail lately and didn't get a reply PLEASE e-mail me again, my inbox was full and I couldn't receive any new messages. Thank you!

What have you been up to this summer? Any fun adventures? Any travel recs or reads for me? Would love to know 'em.

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3 Tarot Problem Solving + Learning Techniques for Beginners: No Meanings Needed

I'm excited that I connected with others on the art of tarot reading for problem solving via the first post in this series, thank you for the comments! I started casually playing with my deck five weeks ago (pictured: the first day my roommate and I used her deck, the candle wax and cat fur got all over the fabric I use as a photo backdrop!) and feel like I had the card meanings mostly memorized in three weeks. More importantly, I can lay them out and (usually) quickly interpret them.

The first time using a deck is daunting. The cards may as well have been undecipherable alien pictograms my first try, and as a mostly-secular person, but former catholic, the pentagram and Devil cards hit a panic button buried deep within; mayday! Fortunately, the beginning confusing stage is the best one to be at for interpreting your cards.  Sans pre-conceptions you can really use your cards for self-discovery and productive problem solving. I believe it's helpful for every reader to eventually know the card's historical meanings and uses, but it's also important to create your own personal meaning for each card. To use your cards for intuitive problem solving it's almost vital.

The following exercises are good for learning to use the deck intuitively for problem solving, and self-discovery without having to know each card's literal meaning. Designate a fresh new notebook for your tarot reading and take notes as you learn and go along.

1) Lay out the deck in numerical order. Write your first impressions of the deck as a whole. Be detailed here. Do you see an overall story unfolding when you follow the cards in order? What is it? What pops out at you? What colors pop out at you? What colors are in the deck? And what personal meaning do those cards have for you? What is the general symbolic meaning of the colors from a chromotherapy perspective? What symbols pop out? Go for as long as you'd like with this exercise.

2) Pick apart every element of the cards in order, one at a time. You can do several at once or one a day. First notice the person on the card and/or the action taking place. What do you think's happening? Often the card's meanings are literal. What do you think that card could predict? Record all of your thought and ideas about the card, your initial intuitive impressions are important for how you'll use them to interpret and find solutions to problems in your life.

3) Pick one card per day asking "What might I experience today?" when you draw it. At the end of day try to decipher how what happened that day could relate to the card you drew. Over time, you'll have a comprehensive library of real-life experiences for each Tarot card which will bring deeper meaning and insight to your Tarot readings.

Just for this beginning stage of learning the cards, put down the books, and simply relax and figure out your own interpretation for each card. It doesn’t matter if your interpretations end up being different from what you'll read about a card in books or online. Sitting with your cards and a fresh Tarot Interpretation notebook is a relaxing way to start or end the day and figure out the cards- and yourself! If you try it, let me know how it works for you! And of course, feel free to comment or e-mail me with question anytime.

See Also: Five Ways Tarot Cards Can Help Your Toughest Business Decision-Making Problems

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Riverside's Monsters in My Closet: Vintage and Modern Toy and Collectible Store Tour

I was excited when I drove by the beautiful Monsters In My Closet sign on Stockon Street near my house. I knew the inside would be a nostalgic treat and in the end I wasn't disappointed! Come take a look at this beautiful vintage toy store with me!

The colors are perfection and the shelf of kitsch, horror and retro VHS tapes + display case of deliciously blocky generation 1 Transformers made my heart swell. They had some of my favorite horror movies there.

I found out the VHS tapes are actually a rental club! It's funny, I've actually be asked in business consultations more than once if a VHS rental store would be a viable business option as a retro revival. To make a living, probably not, as one part of your business model or out of passion, why not? The owners tell me they're actually out of VHS players because they sell so fast. I of course, adore the Creepshow sign for their VHS rental club and the masks purchased specifically to decorate the store.

The owner's a tattoo artist so the collections are displayed with an artist's eye for balance and composition. Beautiful to behold, like a toy museum.

And the space has a cozy vibe, like hanging out in the living room of a dedicated collector. Actually the wall color makes it a little like my second apartment.

I sold the owner one of my godzilla toys and a megazord and was kindly allowed to roam about taking all the pictures. I learned he also happens to be vegan and there's a vegan hotdog cart the first of the month so I'll definitely be back for that and to absorb the energy from all those beautiful, well-cared-for toys! Our area needed a nerdy pop culture collectible hub. I'm so glad they're here and doing well, bringing nostalgia and happiness to their customers.

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My Favorite Things. Gallery of the Past Me + Mega Art, Collectible, Pop Culture Sale

I'm nearly finished with a third "full" Kon Mari method processing of my home. Why trice to get it right? I tied my identity to items, which is hopelessly wrong.  I'm the colorful, eclectic kitsch, robot, and horror loving person without the clutter. 
Magic happened when I set the items free. It was like each one had a voice crying for release; and they were finally silenced. Energy flowed, weight lifted. The door to the past was closed, the bright future illuminated. I was reborn. And my beautiful collections were free to go to people who they truly Spark Joy for.

All of the items below are for sale. Read on to learn their information, prices, and stories and e-mail me if you'd like to buy one or if you'd like more detailed photos. I hope you'll cherish them!

(By the by, Here's Kon Mari Purge 1 + Kon Mari Purge 2)

Category 01. Artwork

01) From Vagabond Coffee Co when they held an impromptu Ramona flea market vintage sale to fund their start-up. When I look at them I feel like I'm in the chilly moonlit Japanese scenes. Beautiful. - $30.00 - set

02. A Room Without Books is Like a Body Without a Soul. A gorgeous chunky piece of wood with my favorite paint color and rustic texture. Folk art purchased during the first run of Riverside Art Market. - $15.00

03. Three perfectly rendered origami kokeshi style girls immaculately framed in gold with a matching gold bamboo frame. A stunning piece or any Japanese art collector. - $25.00

04. A collectible Ninja Turtles piece of Original Production Animation Art, MWS Inc 1989. If you don't buy this gorgeously framed and preserved piece, it's your loss! I just love it. Happiness in a frame. - $25.00

05. A large Octopus lady art piece I purchased from a nice girl in the "artist alley" of an anime con in St. Augustine, Florida. My cephalopod art collection is formidable and although I adore her, she felt redundant. I hope you'll love her right. - $10.00

06. A trio of framed Junko Mizuno art pieces ripped from the pages of Juxtapoz magazine. One day I'll own an original from this funky psychedelic feminist artist. But these do in a pinch. - $15.00 trio

07. Duo of beautiful watercolor paintings of an artist duo's collections. -$15.00 for duo

08. Another beautiful watercolor still life print by the same artist. - $10.00 

09. Super Mario Brothers Art Clipping. - $5.00

10. Bagno bathroom sign from anthropologie. - $5.00

11. The artist at the anime con called him "Bishie-Juice" a portmanteau of Bishounen (beautiful boy) and Beetlejuice and I was sold. Goodbye Bishie-Juice, go inspire joy in the hearts of others who love Wordplay. - $5.00

12. An adorable little Whale on sanded wood that softens the heart and soul, from the first run of Riverside Arts Market here in Jacksonville Florida, he's made a lot of people visitors smile, lifting hearts, the little imp. - $5.00

13. Purchased from a tall new aged dreaded Flagler College Student. He was so laid back it was like he floated through like horizontally. All those chakras had to be aligned and buzzing. Nice guy, nice piece, nice message. It gives me a touch of melancholy, like an older couple on a stroll in the autumn of their life, or a metaphor for paths in life we don't take until it's too late. - $5.00

14. Adorable double-sided Halloween decoration from my fellow witches. - $3.00

15. A favorite photo for a long time. I bought those three stuffed toys at an anime con and stayed the night at the adjoining hotel. Those hotel sheets with so soft and fluffy I now know what it feels like to sleep on a cumulonimbus cloud. I had too much fun arranging the dolls into X-rated positions and snapping photos of them in X-rated positions. I matted and framed them as a collection and actually sold a lot of them. This is the last piece. It still calls to my heart. Taking me back to my early twenties, my silly adventures before the cares of the world tied me down. A time when I was like that Flagler student, floating around untied like a loosed helium balloon. I work hard just to have a time like this again, to save up and have location independent work so I can float from hotel bed to hotel bed experiencing the unique energy from each room. - $25.00

16. A stunning vintage Japanese souvenir. The texture of the mixed media is a treat for the eyes. The kimono is a thick plush fabric and the backdrop, paper on wood, has a depth with paint and wood. I have a nearly identical piece by a talented artist or I'd keep her. Sure to Spark Joy in any heart. - $15.00

17. I had this gorgeous custom Apothecary sign made for my soap selling booth before I re-branded. A lovely industrial addition to any home. - $15.00

18. Adorable mermaid artwork by some nice vendors at an anime con. - $6.00

19. Another Super Mario Brothers Artwork clipping. - $5.00


Category 02. Komono Toys, Mid Century Modern and Collectibles

1. Large Gold Maneki Neko kitty. Arm is hot glued on. Still Joy-Sparking! - $8.00
2. Tibetan Bowl with a beautiful little voice. - $15.00
3. Adorable Japanese Bunny tea cup, lonely after he kitty companion broke. Ready for a new home. -$5.00
4. Gorgeous plastic Japanese display dish, I like it for holding keys and sunglasses. $5.00
5. The thrift core icon! He has hot glue on his back, but makes a fun photo or display piece. $5.00
6. Amazing local piece of pottery. Large, had signed, I love it lit up. Fun Halloween piece. $25.00
7. La Muerte handmade serving tray. - $8.00
8. Las Vegas coin bank. A kitschy souvenir from my amazing adventure out west. - $5.00
9 & 10. Ojays Records, with their famous Love Train and Backstabbers classic soul songs. - $5.00
11. Two adorable Japanese kitty bowls. The green one has a small chip. - $5.00
12. Gorgeous little Japanese tea scene, small miniature. - $5.00
13. My favorite skirt, the forces governing joy are strange, it just tells me it's ready to move on! $5.00
14. Amazing Mega Man toy! - $5.00
15. Ready Made magazine collection, out of print, and so inspiring! - $15.00
16. Adorable little cactus necklace I made, the last in a line I made and sold once. $5.00
17. Mid Century Modern serving trays, perfect for parties and protecting your table! $5.00
18. Adorable Chococat bento Japanese lunch box! - $5.00
19. Neon wooden letters, all pictured. - $5.00 set
20. Kawaii green kitty cat bento box holder. It fits the chococat bento box perfectly! $5.00
21. Amazingly cute owl teacup and pot. This has a little strainer inside for easy use. $10.00
22. Small cement easter island head, I love it in potted plants. $3.00
23. Tiny robot toy from an anime con, once a favorite find. I love tiny things! $3.00
24. Small white and gold vintage origami crane pin. - $5.00
25. Tiny bulbasaur toy. Adore him in potted plants, too! - $5.00
26. Tiny ceramic Smokey the Bear toy. Been meaning to make a small joint for his outstretched hand (an ex's suggestion) for years! - $5.00
27. Dino-Kun (more detail here!) a tamagotchi my dad sent me when he was stationed in Japan. - $10.00
28. Transformers Monopoly, all pieces included. I love the teenie generation 1 robot playing pieces! - $10.00
29. Bob Kane Batman calendar page. The whole set was my first apartment's statement wall. This one is my favorite. - $5.00
30. Five Prince special edition magazines published after his passing. I read and cherished each one, and now they should go to another super fan to read and enjoy. - $45.00

31. Miniatures collection! Like Warhol's wet dream. Be still my heart. $10.00

32. My famous, often-requested-for-purchase gorgeous ceramic stegosaurus! - $25.00
33. Gorgeous pot, perfect for succulents, with drainage holes Rare for ceramic pottery. $5.00
34. Gorgeous blue ceramic pot, would house vining succulents deliciously. $5.00

As I look back at these collages I feel relief, nostalgia. It's like saying goodbye to a recent me but also having a memento to remember her. I feel I assembled a gallery for my past. Please e-mail me if you'd like any of them, they will ship to you beautifully packaged with free little goodies from my trip to Japan! The deadline is the end of this Wednesday July 18th for sales.

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Go Green Soil Shop: Selling Natural Body Care at a Free Soil Screening Event

Saturday July 16, 2016 from 10am to 2pm - If you're local, see you there!

I'm so excited to announce I'll be set up this Saturday at the beautiful 3 Layers Cafe selling wares and participating in a free soil testing event. It's usually very expensive to test your soil for lead, so if you're growing food in Jacksonville, Florida, it's worth it to stop by with some soil from your yard in a zip lock bag to get it tested!

There's also a FREE back to school height/weight BMI screening for children, Kid Zone Fitness Activities with rock climbing towers, live entertainment and backpack giveaways!

I'm trying to bring our nonprofit, Giving Greens, along as well! Of course, our Body & Soul brand tent will be there with a sale on a wide range of products. We have healing all-purpose salve, tattoo salve, piercing cleaner, personal lubricant, luxury skin care products, soaps, lotions, eczema/psoriasis care, baby products, and much more! This is just a small sampling of all the goodness we'll have. I'm very grateful to have been invited to such a unique event, it'll be a lot of fun!

As you can imagine with all this going on + blog + purging the living HELL out of my apartment (more on that to come) + working my ass off on a new editorial calendar and a BIG-ass sale of nearly all of my favorite personal possessions (if there's something you've seen on the blog you've lusted after, stay tuned for the sale, I'm not keeping much)...I am le tired. Energized and passionate to keep going to also physically exhausted in that achey way.

I'm taking a break from posting this week, but I'll be back on Monday with my regular Monday, Wednesday, Friday posting schedule. This way I can put more research into the content before I hit publish, I'd rather wait and post my best work than more filler! I'm sharing lots of the behind-the-scenes of all the crazy going-ons on Instagram if you want to follow along. I'll follow ya back! /Comments Off

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Five Ways Tarot Cards Can Help Your Toughest Business Decision-Making Problems

Do you have a hard time with decision making? Are you often struck with crippling decision paralysis when presented with two seemingly equally good opportunities? Do you struggle with occasional creative life and business block? You may need to practice your intuitive decision making skills. A finely honed intuition is the secret weapon of many talented, successful artists or designers. And believe it or not, I've been using tarot cards secularly and scientifically to help refine business decision making and design processes.

You can use any card set with pictograms (like Loteria cards) but classic tarot cards (like my Rider-Waite deck) are designed with a balance of archetypal, relatable imagery that fires up the brain's reticular activating system for imaginative problem solving. The history and symbolism is fascinating and the illustrations are gorgeous. If I haven't convinced you to play with the cards yet (colors, symbols, history, with those accolades alone, what's not to love?) here are five reasons how tarot cards can help solve your toughest business decision (or life decision) making problems!

1. It's a tool for self-discovery.

Doing daily or monthly tarot readings, or learning your deck, will help you discover yourself. Different cards will jump out at you, take note of the ones you're drawn to and what that could mean.

2. It makes a meditative ritual.

Starting or winding down your day by drawing one card or doing a simple card reading to ask a question or evaluate your day makes a meditative ritual. Bonus points if you incorporate some essential oils or incense. It's healthy to make this time for yourself to evaluate your direction.

The Cards Said: Stop micro-managing every project and focusing on details to the point of self destruction and a time of prosperity and balance will follow. I'll be able to make the vision of balance I want come true. A time to charge forward full force with my business is coming shortly.

3. It helps you find the answers you already know, but had trouble finding.

You may feel twisted in knots about making a decision, but deep inside, you know the correct answer. When you interpret your own set of cards you're using the iconography in the cards to solve your issues.

4. They provide alternative views and fresh perspectives on your problems.

Whether you lay out cards and have another person read them, get a professional reading, or do it yourself, the imagery and meanings behind the cards sometimes offer a point of view for problem solving you didn't consider before.

5. Daily use could help you awaken your intuition so you "see signs" better in your daily life.

Daily tarot use is similar to vision boarding in that it can help exercise your reticular activating system (RAS). Your RAS controls why you randomly see people driving your new brand of car everywhere right after you buy it when you didn't before, or how someone whispering your name can bolt you out of sleep when you slept through the neighbor's car alarm all night. Training that awareness-to-the-right-stimuli response can help you see signs that solve problems. You may see the perfect line design in a potted plant on your morning walk that helps you complete a graphic you've been working on, or that barely-visible flier for a new business opportunity you'd be remiss not to sign up for. I feel like daily use of my cards has helped me refine my label creating process.

If you're open to it, tarot cards can be an excellent way to refine cloudy ideas or get past your toughest decisions. Studying the symbolism of tarot alone is enlightening because it's referenced in everything from classic literature to modern screenwriting and music.  Biochemist L.J Sherpard and retired psychiatrist Anthony Lewis, among others, use and write about the use of tarot cards for self-discovery and problem solving. For me, recent study and practice of the cards is personal because my grandmother (from very Old World Mexico, she died of old age before I was born) believed in paying good karma forward by offering tarot readings to anyone in need of guidance in exchange for one penny. I'll follow-up soon with specific exercising your using your tarot deck for problem solving if you want to find a deck that speaks to you and follow along.

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Happy Independence Day: Go Enjoy Sunshine, Swimming, BBQ and Fireworks Fun

[First photo from my free stay at Surf Shack in Fernandina Beach & a beach-homework excursion]

Happy July 4rth to my American readers! I hope you're enjoying a fun day off and squeezing in some swimming and outdoor time! It's our rainy season in Florida so we hope we'll get to dive into the pool before it rains. My roomie and I are crashing a party at her dad's riverside condo where we'll get a perfect view of the fireworks downtown. Then it's off to a block party! But first, because I cannot give myself a day off...some writing...just a little. So addicted! See you with a new business help post on Wednesday. 

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