Looking for peace

"Instead of fighting anxiety, we can use it as a springboard to bend our hearts to God"

 Photo courtesy of:  © Prizler Photography  Quote from: "A Praying Life"

Tuning up

My daughters took piano lessons from a wonderfully talented woman who had played professionally in the symphony when she was just a teenager. Her favorite part of a concert was at the beginning when all the musicians were tuning their instruments.

When I was setting up the wedding on Sunday I realized that I had a favorite part of the wedding set up. It is that moment when I am concentrating on nothing but the details and not paying attention to anything but what I am doing ...

... and then the music starts up. It is that moment where the DJ plays his first song. How can I explain it?  No one is around except for a few of us working behind the scenes. Preparing for the special day. Concentrating on our jobs. And then the music begins and it becomes almost magical. 

When we were setting up the wedding a few weeks ago the DJ was in the background hooking up wires and moving things around. We hardly even noticed him. And then that first song came on. We all gravitated to the dance floor. For me, that is the moment that a wedding feels real. And that is my favorite part.

All images from Martha Stewart Weddings

Time management

Part of living an organized life is learning to manage time. And managing time requires that you leave space in your schedule (for unexpected circumstances), or margins. Richard Swenson, M.D. wrote a book on margins (Margin, NavPress 2004) and he explains that, "margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating." (p. 69).

In a nutshell, a life without margins is a life that is so crammed with stuff, whether emotional, physical, time or finances that there is no room to rest.

Richard Swenson explains it like this:

"What would you think if this page had no margins? What would be your opinion of the publishers if they tried to cram the print top to bottom and side to side so that every blank space was filled up? The result would be aesthetically displeasing and chaotic. Like some of our lives." (p.77).

Sunday my sister and I set up a wedding. It was not a paid job but rather a gift from my sister to a friend of hers. It was a small backyard wedding. Everything was planned and organized and the time needed to set-up thoughtfully scheduled but what we did not factor in was the weather. We knew it might rain and that was okay. Plan 'B' ... just move the wedding inside. But what we did not factor in was that it might rain in the early morning during the time we had planned for setting up, and then clear up later.

If it had stayed raining we would have just set up inside. But since there was that chance that it would clear we had to wait it out. Which meant that by the time the sun starting peeking out through the clouds and we could proceed with our set up, it was time to be at the church. Oops.

It worked out fine, my sister and I split up - she going on to the church and I waiting out the weather and setting up the wedding alone. It all worked out but it was not easy. It was rushed and stressful and there was less time to handle the kinds of things that always come up when you are working an event like that - things that you can not control.

Like the cake. The cake was a lovely chocolate cake with little curls of chocolate covering it. But it was windy and that wind blew those little curls right off the cake. All over everything. And then the sun, so welcomed, melted those little pieces of chocolate ... everywhere. It was fixable but it took time. Margins.

All photos  © Prizler Photography

 "To believe in the supernatural is not simply to believe that after living a successful, material, and fairly virtuous life here one will continue to exist in the best-possible substitute for this world, or that after living a starved and stunted life here one will be compensated with all the good things one has gone without: it is to believe that the supernatural is the greatest reality here and now."

- T. S. Eliot

    Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

    In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

-Proverbs 3:5-6 (Amplified Bible)

A colorful gallery wall

I love putting together gallery walls for clients. Whether using family photographs, artwork or a combination of, gallery walls always make a great statement.

I came across "That girl ... Erika Brechtel's office gallery wall and fell in love ...

I love the colors and that it shows her unique personality. (Have you noticed how much I say, "love"?) You can read about her gallery wall and see more photos on her blog here.

Be inspired! Have a great weekend everyone ;)

{By the way... Blogger freaked out yesterday and when I went to post there was a note saying it was currently unavailable ... and this morning I found that my post from the day before had been erased. I re-posted it from an email (cut and pasted it) but all the comments are lost. Is this my sign to switch to wordpress I am wondering???}

Lonny Magazine { via }

Love this room! Thought I'd share ;)

Hope you are having a great week. Mine is flying by faster than I want. Too much to do, not enough time. Do you ever feel like that? I joked with one of the contractors I'm working with that I thrive on chaos. That is not really true but sometimes it feels like that. This image is just the opposite for me ... it speaks calm to me. And creative in a quiet sort of way. Just looking at it gives me a sense of peace. xo 

SHCInsideOut@gmail.com

Finishing touches

Today I finished the psychologist's office that I had posted about here. Last week I had arranged the furniture and hung the existing artwork. The office is larger than the client's previous office and so when I left, the walls were a little bare. The client had a couple of large pieces of art that she was hoping to use in the office and so we were waiting for their delivery to put in the finishing details. (They arrived today!)

After reviewing the photographs I took last week, I could see I needed to add a few more accessories, small pieces of furniture and area rugs to give the office a more inviting feel. Nevertheless, I had to see what the artwork looked like in the space before deciding what was needed. Here is what the office looked like after the initial move-in day:

Upon arriving at the office today, the first thing I did was look at the artwork and assess if they would work in the office. Both pieces were stunning. The first piece that we placed in the reception area was painted by an artist named, Le Thanh Son.

Le Thanh Son was born in Hanoi in 1961 and graduated from the Hanoi College of Drama and Cinematography in 1986. His primary medium is oil on canvas. Son is a well respected artist and is famous for his distinct impressionistic style. He takes pleasure in filling his canvases with clear, bright colors and is well known for the interplay of light and shadow in his works. His works often depict life in Hanoi and in the surrounding villages.

Le Thanh Son's work is widely exhibited throughout Asia, Europe, Australia and North America. He has received numerous honors and awards and his paintings are held in public and private collections worldwide, including that of former US President Bill Clinton and Microsoft founder, Bill Gates.

Le Thanh Son was featured in "A Brilliant Life", a very successful solo benefit exhibition held at Shinsei Bank Headquarters in Tokyo in April, 2008.  {via}

Summer Rain 1

The second piece was painted by Hong Viet Dzung.

Hong Viet Dung was born in 1962 in Hanoi. He graduated with a degree in painting from the Hanoi Industrial College of Fine Arts in 1984. His paintings often depict figures standing in solitude, sometimes holding simple objects. He uses pale and distinctly muted colors to bring a sense of calm to his works.

Dung is a devote Buddhist and conveys his meditations in his paintings. He brings only the essentials into the foreground allowing the observer to use them as a stage for creating his or her own images and reflecting upon them. Dung produces a very limited number of works annually and his works are highly sought. He has exhibited around the world and his works are in the permanent collection of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

"I always paint people and views that surround me. This simple beauty is lyrical. In my paintings, I like to reduce details, according to the Eastern Style."  {via}

{via}

I had to move the furniture around to make room for the large pieces of art. Hanging them made a huge impact in both the rooms. After the art was placed I assessed what I needed to complete the room. I made a mental note (rugs, small benches, a small round table, new pillows to freshen it up ...) and ran up to the client's local Target. On my way I discovered (via my blackberry) that there was a Pier One Imports just down the street. I quickly shopped and came back and placed my new purchases.

Artist: Le Thanh Son

Artist: Hon Viet Dzung

The two large pieces of art were a very generous gift to the client from a long time friend of hers who had purchased them overseas. They turned out to be the perfect inspiration pieces for each of the rooms - one bright and vibrant; the other calm and muted. The art made a huge difference in the office and each one turned out to be just perfect for the rooms where they were hung. A few small pieces of furniture and some fun new pillows were all that was needed to create this perfectly finished office. 

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

A text from my client was the perfect ending: "Sherri you absolutely rocked today. You have created an incredible office space. Thank you so much for all that you did for me today."

Seriously! Does it get any better than that?