I'd like to add one more tactic to the summer game plan

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." — Maya Angelou

A few weeks ago, I wrote to you outlining a summer game plan for grown ups ~ and amazingly, I've been sticking to it pretty well.

In a nutshell, it is (1) enjoy the mornings, (2) savor summer food, (3) read for fun, (4) go to the pool, and (5) unplug. (For a full recap, here's the blog post that letter turned into!)

This week, I've successfully practiced all five strategies while accompanying Chris to a work (for him 😉 ) conference in Florida.

If I may, however, I'd like to add one more tactic to the game plan:

(6) get creative

Creativity can take many forms, and it actually can be woven into several of the other tips (such as exploring new recipes, taking photos on your morning walk, etc.)

I felt that familiar artistic itch while planning our summer window displays and was soon on the hunt for a big piece of furniture to carry out my master plan.

Oh my, did I get lucky, discovering a solid wood dresser in great condition at a thrift store. Painted primary blue with outdated handles, it was ripe for a makeover. Jackpot!

Yes, in answer to your question, it did indeed take a long time ~ but what a great project to get lost in!

I worked on it a few hours a day for over a week. (You may have seen some of the progress on Instagram.)

Sometimes I zoned out (as you can imagine, with all those lines, lines, lines!) and let my mind wander. Bliss! Sometimes I popped in my ear buds and listened to podcasts. Fun!

Oh, and yes ~ I did the whole thing IN THE SHOP WINDOW! Therefore, sometimes I was chatting with people through the glass and as they entered the shop. At one point, a tourist even asked to take my photo!

By the way, those wide stripes were just the beginning. I then painted small stripes on either side of them using tiny diagonal brush strokes (go look at some mattress ticking fabric and you'll see what I mean).

I can't wait to reveal the finished product, set within a beautiful new (themed) window display, in next week's letter.

But if you want to see it before then, pop by the shop!

xo,