January marks the beginning of a new year, a new focus; a month that's full of resolution and change and growth.
In this month of newness, I wrote about how I feel myself growing and changing, learning to
press in to the uncomfortable. Over the past few weeks, I've been slowing down and taking the time to refocus. I feel more myself now than I have in a long time, and a major part of that can be seen in my bedroom-- it's an outward reflection of what's been going on internally. It's more me-- simple, intentional, meaningful.
In early high school, I came up with a brilliant idea: decorate my room in black + white, with pops of yellow. It seemed great at the time, but in reality.... just, no. I painted three walls yellow and one wall black. My bedspread was black and white floral, and there were bright yellow florals and photos of high school (read: glory days) everywhere. I loved that black wall especially, but over the years the room became more cluttered and the bright yellow just wasn't me,
at all. I joke that it was like living in a giant bumblebee. It really wasn't that bad, probably because of the 30+ picture frames I had covering the walls, but it
was time for a change.
I wish I had more photos of my room before this redo, but somehow I forgot to take them? No matter, what's important here is that there's been a beautiful change.
My Christmas present this year was cans of paint & hours of covering these walls with paint + hanging frames and shelves. (Thanks, dad!) And just like that, everything's different. And I never want to leave this room.
Before, there were pictures taped up everywhere. But now? I'm much more intentional. There are watercolors that I bought from a roadside shop in Chitwan, Nepal. There is a canvas from Pokhara, Nepal and prints of Sakina and of a memorable day in Himalayan Java. There are world maps and hand lettered reminders of truth on my walls.
And my favorite-- a canvas painted with the lyrics of
Good, Good Father. I came across a canvas like this as I was scrolling Instagram one day, and immediately thought, "now there's painting that I can do." So I did. It was simple, and really great stress relief. (There's a fabulous tutorial
here, if you're interested.)
One of my problems this past semester was that I could never, never find jewelry. I had it all in a bowl on my dresser (so awful, I know), so the necklaces stuck together and the earrings never had a pair, and oh-- I own bracelets and rings? So I decided to solve the issue by making a simple jewelry stand out of copper pipe. It's as easy as looking at the picture and copying it-- cutting pipe to whatever length you need it to be (mine stands about 18" tall, with the sides extending 6"-7"), adding caps, and sticking it in a 2x4. It's a grand way to make jewelry both easy to find and pretty to look at.
I'm crazy picky about my desk being clean and uncluttered, so the shelves we hung are a blessing from above. (I know I've only been back in school for two days, but I really am much more motivated to work when my desk is clean and my room is full of natural light.) Also-- my new dresser beside my desk has a filing system in the bottom drawer, and it makes my organized/nerd-heart so, so happy.
See that quote in the frame? My teammate Chloe made that for me on our flight back from KTM, and it's seriously my favorite. She's a brilliant artist. And the Nepal/elephant string art? That was made by my friend Ashley. She's also a wonderful person.
It's so neat to have meaningful artwork and reminders of the beautiful relationships in my life, scattered all around my room.
Most things in this room now have a story behind them. Postcards from 1907 and an iron jewelry hand, found at that antique shop in Tryon. Jhilimili candles from Five14 Guest House in Kathmandu. Painted, markered, and crayoned pictures framed. A mug that I made holding my paintbrushes. Tiny succulents, a photo book of memories. Perfume bottles from my grandma. . . It's so special to be surrounded by meaningful things. They act as a constant reflection of the Father's love and grace all over my life. It's a beautiful thing. Something as simple as a fresh coat of paint and moving around furniture can completely change the feel of an entire room (or, in my case, even a whole life perspective).
