At Home: A Fun-A-Day Project Week 4 {Final} Update

Well January came and went! January to me is usually one of those months that lasts forever with so many slow days stuck inside from the cold, snowy weather. Not this January. This January felt more like late March and like March does, it flew by. Over the month I took part in a photo a day project called fun-a-day and while I can't say that I was actually able to get a capture every single day {traveling, sick days blah}, I loved what this project forced me to do - get behind my lens much more often than I usually do this month and think creatively about the objects and areas in my home that are important to me. I chose as my focus for this project to reflect on the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo because it truly changed my life. {I highly recommend reading it and going through the exercise.} At a high level, she has you hold each object in your home {yes, every single one} and determine if it brings you joy. The result? A ton of bags to go to charity and a huge appreciation for those which you hold on to and what they bring to your life. Here are some of mine.

l2r: A sculpture in front of a fashion sketch by my late grandmother, Liti (short for Abuelita)

A painting by my Liti - I noticed it in the background of a photograph of her with her art students. She dug it out of storage and refinished it for me about a year before she died. I love that it adds a harsh pop of color to our home. And I love that that is evident even here among the greys, whites and leafy greens.

Part of my favorite peaceful kitchen windowsill, my Jade plant, given to me from my late step-mother, Jane

Another piece from my Liti, a framed article about her winning a case for women's rights

My living room as the sun sets

Our "T+T" {Tracy + Thomas} champaign cork art block, given to us from Thomas' step-mother, Stacie

My little birdie on top of my favorite Lizzie Baker Designs piece to date, a green, white and gold marbled jewelry dish

My collection of first cameras - two Minolta film cameras, a Canon Rebel film camera {my first trip to B&H in NY to purchase it}, yes, there's a Polaroid in there, a DIY pinhole camera, and a silly point and shoot. And, I recently found a few rolls of film left unshot. It's time to get on that! 

My Nana's crystal lamp which now has a home in my office

Laura Hopper calligraphy kit to expand my creativity in the new year

Sugar in my late nana's baking container

My sage bathroom

Vegetables in the sunlight

A few holiday cards from my 2015 Fall Family Mini Sessions

A few plant in our living room, shadowed by the intense afternoon light

Fresh lavender from my garden in a terrain vase

Inside a bag of homemade soft pretzels I made

The view from my hallway to my living room, focused on a brush stroked printed bag I just loved from Anthropology

My dream catcher

A stool from my Nana

Photographs from my wedding displayed as a gallery wall in our living room

Agate coasters, a Christmas present from my husband that I just love to look at

A birdie hanging art piece from my husband's aunt and uncle who send us the most amazing care packages full of fun items like this one

Another shot of my favorite afternoon spot

A dried lavender wreath above my desk

Those same homemade soft pretzels sitting to cool on my Nana's baking tray

A close up of a placemat my husband got us for Christmas - I just love the woven texture

A wider shot of my peaceful kitchen window display featuring a gift from one of my closest friends and a jade plant from my late step-mother

A mini gallery wall of yoga photographs from sessions held years back

A wooden rooster in our kitchen from our trip to Bali, Indonesia 

At Home: A Fun-A-Day Project Week 3 Update

I can't believe the third week of January has come and gone. This year is certainly off to a quick start! Here is an update on my Fun-A-Day Boston project, a collection of photographs of my home, inspired by the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. You can read more about my inspiration in my Week 1 update. 

Below are the items I have photographed to date:

l2r: A sculpture in front of a fashion sketch by my late grandmother, Liti (short for Abuelita)

A painting by my Liti - I noticed it in the background of a photograph of her with her art students. She dug it out of storage and refinished it for me about a year before she died. I love that it adds a harsh pop of color to our home. And I love that that is evident even here among the greys, whites and leafy greens.

Part of my favorite peaceful kitchen windowsill, my Jade plant, given to me from my late step-mother, Jane

Another piece from my Liti, a framed article about her winning a case for women's rights

My living room as the sun sets

Our "T+T" {Tracy + Thomas} champaign cork art block, given to us from Thomas' step-mother, Stacie

Call me silly, but I just love this bag from Anthropologie. I have a thing for brush strokes.

My collection of first cameras - two Minolta film cameras, a Canon Rebel film camera {my first trip to B&H in NY to purchase it}, yes, there's a Polaroid in there, a DIY pinhole camera, and a silly point and shoot. And, I recently found a few rolls of film left unshot. It's time to get on that! 

My Nana's crystal lamp which now has a home in my office

Laura Hopper calligraphy kit to expand my creativity in the new year

Sugar in my late nana's baking container

My sage bathroom

Fresh lavender from my garden in a terrain vase

Inside a bag of homemade soft pretzels I made

The view from my hallway to my living room

Photographs from my wedding displayed as a gallery wall in our living room

More dried lavender

Another shot of my favorite afternoon spot

A dried lavender wreath above my desk

Those same homemade soft pretzels sitting to cool on my Nana's baking tray

A wider shot of my peaceful kitchen window display featuring a gift from one of my closest friends and a jade plant from my late step-mother

Stay tuned for my final update!

At home: A Fun-A-Day Project Week 2 Update

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As part of the Fun-A-Day Boston January project, I have been taking photographs of my home and all of the things in it that bring me joy. In my Week 1 update, I wrote about my inspiration for my focus, my home.

As a quick recap, I was incredibly inspired by Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and went through an exercise this year where I held every item in my home in my hands to determine if it brought me joy. It was incredibly rewarding and made my home even more so my sanctuary.

Here are the items I have photographed to date:

l2r: Part of my favorite peaceful kitchen windowsill, my Jade plant, given to me from my late step-mother, Jane

My living room as the sun sets

Our "T+T" {Tracy + Thomas} champaign cork art block, given to us from Thomas' step-mother, Stacie

My Nana's crystal lamp which now has a home in my office

Laura Hopper calligraphy kit to expand my creativity in the new year

Sugar in my late nana's baking container

My sage bathroom

Fresh lavender from my garden in a terrain vase

Inside a bag of homemade soft pretzels I made

The view from my hallway to my living room

Photographs from my wedding displayed as a gallery wall in our living room

Those same homemade soft pretzels sitting to cool on my Nana's baking tray

A dried lavender wreath above my desk

A wider shot of my peaceful kitchen window display featuring a gift from one of my closest friends and a jade plant from my late step-mother

Check back next week for my week three update!

At home: A Fun-A -Day Project Week 1 Update

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l2r: Laura Hopper calligraphy kit to expand my creativity in the new year, sugar in my late nana's baking container, my bathroom, fresh lavender from my garden in a terrain vase, photographs from my wedding, a dried lavender wreath above my desk, my kitchen window display featuring a gift from one of my closest friends and a jade plant from my late step-mother <3

Last year I read a book that changed my life. I have always been a compulsive organizer so the title, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, resonated with me to the nth degree.  But this book doesn't talk about the typical magazine suggestions of using over the door shoe racks to store wrapping paper and magnetizing your spice rack. Instead, at the heart of it, it tells you to hold every possession you own and ask yourself, "Does thing bring me joy?" You literally take everything out of its place, hold it in your hands, decide what it brings to you and then find a "home" for it in your home. It sounds simple but then you do it and it's like the best cleanse you've ever done.

So, when I saw the information come out about funaday, an annual January project that fellow photographer Cara Brostrom spearheaded and shared with me a few years back, it didn't take me long to figure out my subject. I wanted to focus on my home. And all of the little bits and pieces that make it a place of joy for me. I love the way the golden hour light hits my kitchen table, the way both of my grandmothers' trinkets and homemade gems have their place now in my home, and, yes, every single one of my snuggly West Elm throws. And if this is starting to sound materialistic, I promise you, it's the opposite. It has actually encouraged me to become more minimalistic, and to appreciate every teaspoon and tank top I own.

The funaday project encourages artists to literally do something every day. At the end of each week, I will share an update of the images I have captured so far. Today is my first post for this project.

Enjoy.