Home Decor: Flower Feature

I recently discovered  flower delivery by BloomNation and was inspired to do a post on how I use flowers to decorate my home. I love to decorate and I often use flowers to decorate my home and my personal space. With inspiration from BloomNations social media sights such as Pinterest and Instagram I began thinking of more ideas and ways to use flowers in my home decor.

First a little about my thoughts on flowers:

I love poppies and lilies

I enjoy flower prints

I think flowers add charm to any room

With a couple of ideas in mind I headed to the craft store in search of flowers and some more ideas. I quickly found them. I was drawn to the fall colors where I found some shades of pink I really liked. I bought them in long stems and had a perfect vase in mind.

This is my dresser in my bedroom. This is one of my favorite pieces. I found it at a furniture resale shop and scored it for $50. It's banged up and has character. I am a lover of antique flea markets and consignment shops. I love any piece of furniture with some character. The vintage look can be found throughout my house. 

Starting in my bedroom...

The vase I was talking about it an empty bottle of wine. It looks like a cat. I absolutely love it. The wine was very good as well, a Riesling... my favorite white.

Meow.

Also on my dresser a dried up bouquet can be found. This bouquet is from my best friends' wedding. I was bridesmaid in their wedding a couple of years ago. I loved the bouquet and have kept it displayed ever since. I think it gives the top of my dresser that vintage feeling. Also that is a vintage train case that I found at a flea market. I love it. It holds all of my spare makeup that I have on hand but are not a part of my every day used makeup.

I have many of these little vases around. In the summer I had wild flowers displayed in them. Now that it's fall and chilly outside those flowers are gone. I tried to recreate that look here with a touch of fall color in the mix. Plus a painting I did awhile back of some lilies, which are my favorite flowers.

Next up in my bathroom. I must say first my bathroom is my most favorite decorated room in my house. The mint green tiles are just the cherry on top. Last year at the Mount Dora craft fair I found these wild flowers.

They are dried and dead and give off that straw smell but I love the colors. My bathroom colors are blue, tan, and green. This splash of color adds to the overall look of my bathroom. I have them displayed in a vase on top of the toilet.

In the hallway outside my bedrooms are some flower paintings I did.

Another little vase in my office with wild flowers in it.

With a few more flower touches in my office space.

In my dining room are my house plants. I brought the peace lily all the way from my old apartment in Florida.

Basil and Rosemary. I want to add a thyme plant to my herb garden. And one day I eventually will.

This is my gnome and his friend the fox. I would like to add a couple more friends to my mix as well.

A few fall table decorations throughout the kitchen and dining room with some trimmed stalks of basil.

In my kitchen I have a flower in an empty hard root beer bottle, Not Your Father's Root Beer. I mean finally them come out with this stuff, taste just like root beer but its alcoholic. Delicious.

I also have a bonzi tree, a mint plant, and a beautiful air plant.

If you have never heard of BloomNation, flower delivery by BloomNation supports local florists through their online marketplace. They send fresh blooms from local florists to your doorstep or office space. I have checked out the bouquets online and must say they do some incredible work and have some amazing florists working for them. I even checked out their blog 5th & Hollyhock, which you can find here. There you can find all things flowers from playlists including flowers in the title to beautiful bouquets, even fashion finds in flower prints. Like these floral leggings. Next time you are looking to deliver flowers to that special someone or someone in need of some flowers check out BloomNation and support local florists in your area.

xo

*Shine like Glitter*

As the seasons change I will do an updated version of this blog post.

Again I am grateful for BloomNation reaching out to me.

This was a fun post to do.

And gives me an chance to show you a little inside my home.

And how I display flowers.

I only get so many hours of daylight and I am at work 9 hours a day.

By the time I get home it is already getting dark.

That doesn't leave me a lot of good light to get pictures.

It happened to be particularly sunny that day and I wanted to get these pictures done.

So I came home on break one day to capture these pictures.

Namaste.

Pain Can Be Good

Now I know what you all are thinking...
Kelly! What do you mean pain can be good?

Well today I was on Pinterest and found a great quote that talks about pain...
Just read it you'll understand.

.
*http://positiveandinspirationalquotes.blogspot.com/

I completely agree with this quote. Pain is something that is unavoidable and if you think otherwise you are just crazy! Whether it be physical or emotional pain it is something that we all have felt. If you are like me you feel it almost on a daily basis. I usually suffer from back pain and migraines on a daily basis, but I have also suffered from emotional pain. It's never easy to deal with pain, but is definitely not something that you should be carrying around with you. If it is physical pain breath into that pain, accept it, and then release it. If it is emotional pain you are suffering from breath, long slow breaths. And forgive the person that hurt you, it will be your ultimate release. Or look to God for answers. Pain will always be a part of life. But it doesn't have to rule how you live your life. Accept it, learn from it, and move on from it.


Now, if you checked out one of my YP of the week posts before then you know that often times I add a video from YouTube explaining how to get into the pose. I also mentioned in my last post, which you can find here, I find videos of classes on YouTube and do my Yoga at home. Well today while I was on break at work I was on Pinterest searching through Yoga stuff, which I often do. I happened to come across a pin about 10 Great YouTube Channels for free Yoga. Click on the link and it will take you right to the post. The author of this post, Krysta Shannon, has provided you with 10 different channels that offer a range of yoga exercises. If you live a busy life style and only have 15 minutes for a workout she's listed a channel for that. Or if you have an hour to dedicate to Yoga she's listed that. Since I had just mentioned this I figured I ought to share this great find with you! If you want more Yoga stuff go follow my Pinterest board Yoga Lifestyle.
2 of the channels on this list I am already subscribed to, before I had even seen this list:
Ekhart Yoga (where I get most of the pose videos from)
PsycheTruth (also has really great videos on healthy eating + informational videos)

Live life to the fullest!
Accept yourself for who you are!
Love yourself!

xo

*Shine like Glitter*
I often find myself going to Pinterest for Yoga inspiration.
There are just so many resources.
I mean just today I pinned about 10 different Yoga pins.
It is also a great place for inspiration.
And a great place to find motivating quotes.
I also have a board for that.
Which you can find here.
Namaste.

*all opinions are my own.

YP of the week: Supported Headstand

It's been a few weeks since I've done one of these posts.
Life has been a little hectic.
I've been going to Pilates about two days a week.
And on my off days I do a Yoga sequence at home.
I lay out my mat and find a video on YouTube, depending on what I want to achieve from that session. Sometimes I'll do a stretching video or kick it up a notch with a core video.
In the mean time I have been working on my supported headstand.
Right now I am still using a wall in my bedroom to support me.
But I've been getting better, where soon I may not even need the wall.
Just remember every day is different from one day to the next.
You may be really flexible one day and the next you'll be sore and hardly be able to move.
It's just how the body is.
So if one day you wake up and you can't get deep into a pose that you've known to do before, don't fret... It happens to everyone.

Supported Headstand

Salamba Sirsasana

(sah-LOM-bah shear-SHAHS-anna)
salamba = with support
sirsa = head

As with any Yoga pose there are going to be contraindications and cautions. Below you will find a list of these:

• Back injury
• Headache
• Heart condition
• High blood pressure
• Low blood pressure
• Menstruation
• Pregnancy: if you are experienced with this pose continue to do so late into pregnancy. However don't start practicing this pose after you become pregnant.

Benefits:

my favorite part.

Yoga has so many benefits to aid in healing the mind and body

• Aids in relieving stress and mild depression
• Calms the brain
• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
• Improves digestion
• Stimulates the pituitary ans pineal glands
• Strengthens the arms, legs, and spine
• Strengthens the lungs
• Therapeutic for asthma, infertility, insomnia and sinusitis

Sinusitis is in bold because it is something I struggle with on a daily basis, especially after moving to a different climate with completely different weather. My sinuses have been going haywire. I am constantly clearing my throat or blowing my nose. When I am inverted I can feel myself breathing deeper.

Also spine is in bold because I suffer from Scoliosis. I have an S curvature on my back. I have been working with my Pilates instructor, who also happens to be a friend of mine, on strengthening the left side of my body since the curve goes into my right side. With this pose I try to lengthen through my spine as I push my legs up higher and tuck in the tailbone and pelvis, squeezing the butt cheeks. Keeping the spine lengthened will get you into that upright position. It is also very beneficial to your posture.

This posture is one that will definitely take more practice. But each time I find myself getting into this pose it is easier and easier to accomplish. However my balance is what needs worked on most. 

Make sure to keep the breath calm and even when in this pose. And concentrate on clearing the mind. I like to play some mellow music. My favorite person to listen to while doing Yoga is Florence and the Machine. Recently it's been their song Third Eye. I just love Florence's voice. It's so beautiful and I find it to be very soothing. Especially during an intense pose like the supported headstand.

Getting into this pose I find that I place my forearms on my mat shoulder distance apart and side in a table top position. Then I'll push up into Dolphin and hold that for about 5 seconds. And in one motion push my legs up and come to find the wall behind me. Once I straighten out I push off from the wall and hold this pose for 10 seconds, longer if I'm feeling it. My arms could be tucked in little more, but like I said this will definitely need practice. 

And that's exactly what Yoga is... a practice.

xo

*Shine like Glitter*

I started off with making a video for this post.

But I didn't like how it turned out.

So I quickly forgot that idea.

This week in the mail I received the Franklin balls that I had ordered.

The Franklin Method is a method used in Pilates.

I will be using these babies on my feet, since I spend a lot of time on my feet.

As I sure most of us do.

I will also be using them on my back.

L showed me an exercise to do with this ball on my lower back.

Hallelujah.

I hope you all have a wonderful and beautiful week.

It's really beautiful here.

The leaves are all changing colors.

The air is cool and fresh.

Gorgeous.

Namaste, my friends.

Pumpkin Plenty

Okay so it is fall. And it is cold. The leaves are changing colors and then falling to the ground. Pumpkin everything is everywhere. Scarves and jackets are being warn. Pumpkin patches are on everyone's list. And so is apple cider.

Now back to this cold business. It's cold, like let's just skip over the 60's and 70's and go straight to the 30's and 40's. I think I would enjoy it more if I wasn't cold all of the time.

As I mentioned already pumpkin patches are on just about everyone's autumn list. This is definitely something that is on my autumn list. T and I headed north on Sunday up to Peninsula to go to Szalay's Farm.

The farmer's market was packed with local produce of all sorts. As well as baked and canned goods. And of course apple cider. And more pumpkins than I've ever seen before. They were pumpkins on steroids to be exact. I just wanted a small carving pumpkin and it took me about 20 minutes of wondering around back and forth looking over the same pumpkins I had checked out 5 minutes ago. Finally buried beneath other large pumpkins I found the perfect pumpkin.

There also happened to be a corn maze. Of course we weren't going to pass that up. We put off shopping until we went through the maze. Except for a cup of hot apple cider to warm our hands up. We paid our $6 and got our maps. Walking into the corn maze with a nip in the air and cider in our hands we headed off on a bigger adventure than either of us expected.

With a useless map we had no idea which way to go. We got turned around and turned around and turned around. We were going in circles. And at one point ended back up at the entrance.

HOW DO WE GET OUT OF HERE?

Both of us shouting as we kept following paths. And ended up hitting more than one dead end.

GET ME OUT OF HERE?

We started following some people to see if they would be of any help in getting us out of this corn maze. Well we decided they were going to slow for us and decided to turn down a different path.

Eventually we found our way out. And we both shouted for joy.
Lucky for us there was all sorts of kitchen utensils and wooden sticks for us to use to bang on pots and pans of all different sizes. After about 5 minutes of play time we headed back across the street to do some shopping.

I ended up with 2 pumpkins, an Amish bread, a head of garlic and a pint of apple cider.

The farm was beautiful and just buzzing with people. They had food booths offering different sorts of hot and cold foods including ice cream, hot apple cider, and franks.

The air started to drop as the sun went down. T and I decided it was time to head home and warm up.

Pumpkin

Another item on my autumn list is to try a new pumpkin recipe. Well I have tried 2 different pumpkin recipes so far. A pumpkin mac and cheese and pumpkin energy bars. Both recipes I found on Pinterest. I'll include them below.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites

I changed up both recipes to suit my taste. They both turned out to be delicious.

I also made some homemade Amish Apple Dumplings.
They turned out to be delicious.
I had a weekend full of baking.
I absolutely loved it and enjoyed myself.

I hope you are enjoying your fall as much as I am.
Ohio in Autumn is beautiful. The leaves are changing colors. The air is crisp.
Next weekend I am going on a lantern ghost tour in Zoar.
I am very excited.
I am looking forward to it.

I have been reading a lot and I am sorry I haven't kept up with my book reviews. I will try to do one soon. I've read a couple of great books. I look forward to sharing with you. I've also been working on Pilates with Laura and soaking up what she says and  incorporate it into my yoga. I've been working on my Yoga as well. I recently started reading a Yoga book about it's philosophy and science. I can't wait to share more with you.

xo

*Shine like Glitter*
I love this time of year.
The weather has warmed up the past couple of days and its been warmer out.
It has been nice.
An Indian summer.
Next on my list is to make a pumpkin roll.
You guys, my readers, rock!
Thank you for being so wonderful.
Namaste.

Ohio State Game

My day started off with a two and a half hour drive.
I had good company, good conversation, and breakfast!
All of those things made the drive much more pleasant.

We drove into Columbus.
The sun was shining, the air was cool, and not a cloud was in the sky.
There was no mistaking it was game day.
The city was a sea of red, white and grey.

We arrived about 2 hours before the game.
We decided to walk up and down High St., finding ourselves wandering into team shops, clothing stores, and scoping out a coffee shop.

It was a hike to the stadium but the scenery was beautiful. Autumn in Ohio is beautiful. The sun was shining through all of the greenery, reflecting off the golden and bright red leaves.

Mirror Lake

Inside the Shoe, or Ohio Stadium, the sea of red, white and grey grew in size. The stadium was packed. Buckeye fans were ready to cheer on their beloved team, who just happens to be #1. Our seats were high up but the view was perfect, we could see everything.

Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Maryland Terrapins

Before making it up to our seats we realized we had entered the stadium from the wrong side, which means we had a hike a head of us. We passed a mass of people walking in every direction, food vendors which were all selling some kind of game food: burgers, hot dogs, nachos, soda... etc.

The atmosphere in the Shoe was exhilarating. It was great being around so many buckeye fans.

It was a pretty good first half. The sun was getting hotter. There was a slight breeze in the air, which was very welcoming.

The bands came out at half time to perform. Maryland's half time show featured Star Wars. Ohio States's half time show featured Jazz. That is the drum major at the front of the band, the one with the red shirt who is bending over. He led the band well.

O-H-I-O

During the third quarter L and I decided to wonder around the stadium. We found our way down to the main level. Got some dippin' dots. And found ourselves at one end of the stadium. We were told to go back to our seats but instead we found we had walked to the other end of the stadium.

Go Bucks!

We got close to the field and watched a touchdown happen.
Touchdown Ohio State!

L and I stayed until the end of the game. I had thought about leaving early so we would not get stuck in traffic but she said we should stay until the end. Good thing we did because the fourth quarter was the most interesting. Ohio State with two touch downs. The turnover they received was a big help to their 21 point lead in the final.

The bands played together at the end of the game.

We stayed until the very end. And watched the band march out of the stadium. When there was no reason to stay any longer we started the journey back down to the main level.

I had to get a picture of this. Stained glass.

It was a great game with great company. Go Buckeyes!
The game wiped us out.
We stayed the night in Columbus.
And headed back home in the morning.
What a wonderful time.

xo

*Shine like Glitter*
Columbus was interesting.
It was definitely a wonderful opportunity.
One that I was lucky to have.
Things on this end haven't been going well lately.
But one thing that I can always count on is...
Family.
Thanks to them I have been trying to keep from having a complete meltdown.
I love them!
Namaste.