dangled love.

Remember the love hanger sneak preview I posted on Friday? Well, here's the complete "hanger" project.

{my love hanger :  learn more about it at fritzi marie}

Read about what's on my hanger on Kat's blog, Fritzi Marie. The series continues, so you can also make your own and send your strung-up love to Kat.

And if you don't have time to create a hanger, I would still love to know...

What would you put on your love hanger?

friday present: sweet vintage love nudges.

This week's dose of gratitude goes a little something like this. Thankful for...

streusel, 

{photo by elaine ashton}

First the word streusel throw me off a little. It sounds wet, like a drizzly goo. But it comes from the German verb streuen, meaning to scatter or sprinkle, (similar to English's strew). Contrary to its juicy name, struesel is more or less dry (with a healthy punch of sugar, butter and flour), and I think it's best with brown sugar. Real brown sugar--the kind you can "pack" down--is hard to come by here. But this week I found me some brown sugar, baby. So I can perfect my blueberry coffeecake with streusel topping, a recipe my dear friend Jen sent me a while back.

vintage clutches, 

{from YellowBirdd Vintage via From Skirts to Skillets}

And good luck! I won this giveaway from Lynzy at From Skirts to Skillets. A floral clutch with gold chain courtesy of YellowBirdd Vintage. I'm diggin' this floral affair dress too, though I won't be able to fit in anything like that for a while. Incidentally, Lynzy is having a closet sale right now. Get in on the action!

heart hangers,

{my love hanger preview : photo by serkan yalin}

Once upon a time Micaela from Dolce Vita posted about a love hanger art project that Kat at Fritzi Marie is hosting. A few nights later, I found myself on the floor collaging and stringing up pieces of my life. It's a simple, meditative project that, I think, helps us reunite with ourselves a little. For me, writing about my dangling vida took me a little deeper into the love hanger journey than its initial creation. Read more about Kat's inspiration and how you can enter your hanger here. (Note: Kat has extended the deadline for entering.)

a safe haven... 

{photo by melina souza}

For (sexy) trash. Yep. Garbage. Basura. It's a real problem here, compounded by several factors. 1a.) The city does not provide garbage collection bins. 1b.) All stores give out flimsy plastic bags in horrifying quantities. Almost everyone uses these leaky, holey bags as their trash receptacles come trash day. Some toss them out as-is on the curb; most try to hang them on fence posts or in trees. 2.) Street dogs are a real problem here. They're feral, they're hungry, garbage day is thanksgiving--twice a week. 3.) Patagonia is windy. Every place has a main character, and wind is ours. 100 km/h winds are summer's norm. End result: a bloody mess. Plastic bag flags more prevalent than the obligatory Chilean flag.

The trash situation here has always stressed me out, but not in our current place. Our tiny front patio area is gated, and comes complete with a raised metal basket to safely stow our trash. Whew.

+ baby belly. 

{circa 23 weeks}

Lots of kicks and nudges these days (sometimes, we can even see the squirmer through my clothes). Of the five sense, he can now hear and he's working on his sense of touch. When he pokes, I poke back. 

What are you thankful for right now?

happy spring / happy fall / crazy moon!

There's something so comforting and cyclical about our round world. 

{photo by ianton}

Some of us are splashing in spring puddles reflecting the greening around us, appreciating warmer temperatures, shedding layers to the sun. 

{photo}

Others of us kick up golden leaves fallen on the wet cement, look forward to wrapping up in scarves and brick red pea coats. 

{photo}

At different times, tonight, all over the world, the full moon will make us feel crazy, relaxed or excited. I have to say after spending an under-the-weather day in bed yesterday, the full moon has me feeling creative!

How have her super powers been affecting you + your weather?

while i gather my thoughts.

{photo}

In my nest research yesterday, there was so much more I wanted to share! Like these wall decals from Simple Shapes on Etsy.

 

Or another necklace from Wildwonderful's Etsy (who is currently away, life is like that...)

We don't know how much longer we'll be here, could be another 2-6 months. So, our current nest is temporary to be sure. Temporary's length is what keeps me up at night, woolgathering + worrying...

{photo by samantha lamb}

But it still feels good for things to look settled, do a little spring cleaning, find some old books and lost bracelets.  

{more paintings in trish grantham's etsy shop}

What helps you gather your thoughts?

to grow old like this.

{postcard nest from etsy}

Yesterday I nested. Finally. If you've been following me a while, you know I've moved a lot. With only what would fit in my car. With truckloads of borrowed furniture. With truckloads of my own furniture. And, then, once I started living the transient life of a hobo at the end of the world: With only what I could carry with me on foot. I've moved boxes into storage. To my aunt's garage. To Good Will. I've stored things in not-so-reliable places during the Patagonian winter months, only to come back to find them subsequently moved (practically) outside, growing black blotches of mold.

{scrub by danske}

Step one in my moving process includes new rubber gloves, bleach + elbow grease. Step two, here in hoboville, paint + more paint. Step three-ten, is moving, unpacking, weeding out what I don't really need (if I wasn't able to do that while packing up the old abode), shopping + decorating. Or, here, just putting up what little we have to decorate with. This usually happens within a few days of pulling all-nighters. Not so with our current digs. We've been here since the end of July, and I only finished yesterday. 

{photo by alexis mire}

Yes, friends, it's true. I've finally cleaned out and decorated our bedroom. Hello, most sacred space in the house. So sorry for neglecting you for months! You can feel that there is extra room to breathe. It's not that things weren't put away, they were (mostly). But a few odds and ends on the floor patiently waited to go up. Now that everything has a home, I feel like our mirrors and photos--even my earrings--smile upon us beatifically while we sleep. Perhaps they're just as happy as we are. 

{robin's nest necklace on etsy}

After all of my vagabonding, I am ready to settle down, have a porch, plant a garden, actually design my interior. It's a huge commitment, but I think I'm finally ready for it. My daydreams have always involved movement + travel, accomplishing something out there. Now I dream of nesting, discovering the perfect place to root down (and whoever said this has to just be one place?). I dream of living life; running marathons; traveling to new places + visiting our old stomping grounds, family, loves; all the while always having our home to return to. 

Have you found your nest? Are you afflicted by wanderlust?