Gypsy By The Sea

Here in Northern California it has been non stop rain for over a week. As I sit curled up in a warm cozy blanket with an era transcending book, sipping on aromatic tea, my mind wanders to sun kissed days filled with salty sea air. For now I must wait for the seasons to change and travel opportunities to arise.

 Recently I was asked to share a vision of my dream living room. The above collection  reflects the textures, tones and elements that are natures beauty of the coast. Hathi gold beaded pillows are the perfect bohemi element to add to any sofa or to make a cushy back to the antique cream iron chair. Imagine the sun glistening off the Taza hanging pendant during the day and at night a warm glow illuminates the wall. A river stone bowl is perfect for holding your treasures, coins, or perhaps for burning cone incense. What a swirl of sand and water this Zara Tibetan rug brings to mind. The bleached root coffee table brings the outdoor zen inside, a perfect way to stay rooted and connected to the world outside your home. This living room vision speaks to me as being a

Gypsy By The Sea

 All these furnishings and more can be found  at ARHAUS.

Ocean Photo Credit: Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz California. Taken last summer on one of my seascape escapes,

Solstice Salutations

Season's Greetings from Casa Sol y Luna. Despite the many pin boards I made on Pinterest to find my decorating style this year I didn't end up needing them at all. Classic red, greens , and golds made the scene this year.

 

 We purchased our tree from a grocery store parking lot again this year, but I'm truly thinking of buying a faux one when they go on discount after the holidays. We got pretty lucky in picking a good one since we had no idea what it looked like until we cut the binding and the tree opened up like an umbrella.

After we trimmed the tree the stockings were hung with care.  I have four beautiful children but{E} being the teen girl she is requested I do not post her pic, that's why you will rarely see her here. Even Chico hangs his stocking!

A glimpse this may be into our festivities because I have truly been very busy with life in general.There has been plenty of baking , making, and planning for the new year that is quickly approaching. Today marks Winter Break for the whole tribe (except the Renaissance man) so hopefully I will post more often.  I wish you the Brightest Blessings on this Winter Solstice.

Manifesting Couches

{ The current living room...before it gets sprinkled with holiday cheer }

In June I woke up one morning looked at my old couches and was appalled to a point that I  had the Renaissance Man take them to the dumps immediately. They have been well worn by family use and spotted on by Chico (our dog) while gone on vacation. So I had moved the kitchen set into the living room as seating, which was okay for summertime but now the chill has officially set in. It's cuddle snuggle time with blankets and Netflix so new couches are a must.

So now for the manifesting part. I took Flora Sages's five day manifesting challenge not long ago. Basically it's the magnetic thought of attracting to you what you desire and knowing without a shadow of a doubt it's on it's way. I put out to the Universe that I wanted couches for free. I waited a month and then decided it's time to go and buy new couches. We shopped and  picked out a couch set but would have to wait for them about a week delivery  if we couldn't bring them home then. I called my Dad to see if I could borrow his truck and my Stepmom said" why are you buying couches, I was going to see if you wanted my set upstairs", enter the manifestation come to fruition.

Bonus to this story! After we brought the couches home we went to Home Depot to buy leather wipes and other home supplies. While there Renaissance Man said " show me those appliances your were talking about the other day as a Black Friday sale". It was just a random thought about having new stainless steel appliances I spyed online. After showing him and explaining the current state of our stove and fridge he was sold. The total came up to the exact amount of cash I had in my pocket that was for couches earlier in the day! I'm keeping my manifesting mindset well tuned and making improvements in many aspect of my life. Put out what you wish for and wait for it, don't forget the attitude of gratitude once it appears.

Breathe

There is all the space I need in my personal bubble now that all four of the kids are back in school, and my brain can breathe. Chico just stares at me and follows me around the house, I think he loves the attention because now theres no one to talk out loud to but him. The Summer was go on a whim non scheduled stretch of months. I'm pretty proud of myself that I let the perfectionist orderly in me take a vacation. Oh yes there is quite a few sides to me that I'm surprised my parents didn't  name me Sybil. Maybe I should let all of my personas take over this blog and suck you into the vortex of my everyday.

With this extra space and time to breathe freely, I think I will start this week off by doing around the house paint repairs. Fall is on my mind and I hope to get the house in order and cleaned out to start the season off fresh and inspired. Less chores means........more craft time.......and maybe a "Gypsy Spirit Goods" grand opening on Etsy. Truth is I created an account but do not have one single item to finish the set up process. I'm scared and unsure about this endevour but if you wait for the right time it nevers comes. There is technically no right time anyways, if you are pulled to something over and over most the time all you need is the euphoric jump off the cliff and revel in what the uncertian waters hold for you.

So with a deep breathe and a long exhale I'm opening the door to my full reality to all of you!

A Rose or Two for You

Hello and good Monday. A splash of color was needed to greet you when you stop by so I vibed it up a little. I also have roses for you. A side note about my participation in the April prompts. You will find a smattering here and there of the Dark Poetry for the Cruellest Month, if you happen to stop by and find something other than the poetry prompt please do enjoy whatever I have for the day to share. Also April Love 2016 is mostly photography that I share here GypsySpirit916 on my instagram. Now back to those beautiful blooms.

 All of my rose bushes are in full bloom. The suns warmth brings up their fragrance early in the morning and the breeze carries their essence around my home. I've been making bouquets to enjoy indoors also.

 Gathering rose petals for potpourri, lotion and potion making has been on my daily do list. I have collected a huge mason jar of dried petals already. This bowl of fresh red rose petals has been turned into a lovely beneficial natural beauty essential.

 I finally got down to making rose water. A pot of fresh water put to boil and the addition of petals left to simmer and then strain was all I did .The recipe is so simple and many tutorials and list of benefits can be found on Google and YouTube. I can't stop spritzing my face and body, this is a refreshing toner for sure. I hope you enjoyed your roses my beauty's and may this week bring about growth and blooms a plenty.

Lavender Zen

 Finally after promising for a year the girls got there room makeover. When we first moved in 6 years ago the walls were painted a coastal blue and the room was decorated in a beachy theme. The girls are getting older and their taste and style has changed. Getting them to agree on color and decor wasn't as difficult as I had thought. So without further ado here is the girl's room that they designed together......not bad for 12 & 10 years old's I must say. 

Can you believe this room was started and finished in one weekend! Here's the inventory break down.

Buddha Accents and Plant - ROSS

Paint Color- Violet Blusher GLIDDEN

Bunk Beds- SVARTA  IKEA

Dressers - MALM  IKEA

Shelving Unit - KALLAX  IKEA

Bedding - TARGET

Ceiling Fan - THE HOME DEPOT

Accent Rug - DD's DISCOUNT

Paint & Pillows

It sure feels like Spring around here which means cleaning , organizing, and projects! The front of the house got a little face lift with black faux shutters added to the windows and fresh paint to the front door.

Door Before

And After

Since painting the door red the living color pallet seemed a little off to me. I found this painting that had nice coastal hues and red tones so I used it as a base for accent colors. We are forgoing Santa Cruz season passes this year but I can enjoy the Coastal vibes in my everyday decor.

I purchased a few pillow sets for the couches. A coral set for this couch and light sea blue for the other tan couch ( not pictured).

 The mandala pillow is from Ross at a sale price of $2.45 and little one a slip cover for 99 cents from the Goodwill.

 A few more additions to what I call my "Cali Coastal Vibe". I love this hanging planter for our Wandering Jew plant. I felt a money tree would be a nice addition to our red door and I just realized we did this the weekend of Chinese New Year and I'm a Lucky Fire Monkey. Talk about synchronicity. The VW van beach print is from my recent thrifting trip. Say hello to our new member of the family "Frankie Blue" short for Frankenstein the blue beta.

 I wish everyone a Valentine's weekend full of love.

Christmas Tree - O Christmas Tree

 We finally have the tree decorated, all shopping done, and gifts for family wrapped and under the tree. Now it's also officially two weeks of Winter vacation with the kids.........oh what to do? This weeks weather forecast for my neck of the valley is rain all week, which is really great for the drought in California but not so much for doing activities outside. Tuesday is Winter Solstice and I may have to fore go an outdoor fire gathering. I have crafted a few Solstice/Yule/Christmas goodies I will share tomorrow. Chico's ready for this holiday week are you?

BOHO Holidays in Red

Tis the season to be Holly and that means decking the halls and furniture in Christmas hues. Check out these beauties I found at the Goodwill $4.00 total! I plan to cover my already existing pillows in a green Sari material also from the Goodwill. When decor is complete I will do a post tour of Casa Sol y Luna Holiday Edition.

Happy BOHO  Holidays !

December Reflections 1.2.3.

{D1} SPARKLE

I love these sparkly reindeer I got from the Dollar Store. Keep an eye out for my Dollar Store Holiday Decor post coming soon.

{D2} HOT DRINK

When the weathers agreeable I like to take a noon tea break and meditation outside.In my cup homemade ginger and cinnamon tea.

 {D3} BEST DAY OF 2015

Any day that I escape to the beautiful beaches in the West Coast is a bliss day. View from China Beach, San Francisco, California.

The Pumpkins Have Arrived

Happy National Pumpkin Day! According to the news today is celebration of pumpkin anything and everything. A Sunday stop at the grocery store ended up with us bringing home six beautiful orange orbs. We didn't make it to a pumpkin patch this year, they have become over commercialized and pricey. This weekend was also our last minute yard touch up and decoration finishing.

 I think only the two youngest want to still carve pumpkins which means the teens will help them and actually do the carving. I have some wicked long black nails that would be difficult to scrape out guts, and my hands get extremely itchy.

These porcelain beauties were transformed into "Children of The Corn". Might be a bit much for my younger nieces and nephews but they are situated in a corner of the yard not in plain view.

Oh the tangled web we weave, hopefully the predicted rain will be light and my webs won't blow away.

 On Friday the Hubby brought home some lumber from work. He had a plan up his sleeve for a small yard addition that would work well for the Halloween party. {M} is such a wonderful little laborer.

I love my open  pumpkin corral! To add even more effect  the neighbors roosters were crowing and the baby chicks were chirping. I think our next move will have to be ranch of our very own were I can have lavender fields forever.

 I have a feeling many photos will be taken here. Halloween is just around the corner and ready to pounce at you with a" Trick or Treat" are you prepared?

The Crossbones Inn Welcomes You { H.H }

Casa Sol y Luna has been buzzing with excitement as each new decoration, monster, and things that go bump in the night are put into place. The clock is ticking and the numbers fly off the calender as Halloween creeps upon us. When it comes to decorating for Halloween I usually have the inside of the house and front porch done but this year {M} is having a Halloween bash for his 5th birthday so the back yard has been transformed.  We have snuck in some time to enjoy two new spooky releases. 

Welcome ...... we hope you enjoy your stay.

A humble hallow bed and breakfast awaits your weary bones, come sit for a spell..or two.

  

While your here please enjoy the  amenities our lifetime staff provides. Oh dearies your not afraid to step outside are you?

                   Hmm..I wonder what's for lunch?                  Care to toss in a coin and make a wish?

 All fresh ingredients for our meals are grown in "The Witches Magic Garden"

 Spiderella spins the finest silk linens, and keeps the bugs at bay in the garden.

 Some of our visitors have had an extended stay. With Dia de los Muertos around the corner the nightlife is jumping.

Beware extra studious guest our help might want to pick your brains.

 If you happen to have an emergency we have a resident doctor on site.

 Oh wait please don't run off, you look famished and haven't had a bite yet!

Just try and escape past my  Guardian Werewolf.

 I hope you enjoyed the tour of our hallowed digs. Rainbows in photos courtesy of the prismatic protective bubble I have over our space...One more Haunted Humpday to go till Halloween. Thanks again to the Haunted Humpday Queen Marfi.

On a Citrus Note

Day 5 : CITRUS

 This talavera pot caught my eye yesterday with it's bold citrus hues and beautiful flowers. I held my composure and decided that I maybe I will create my own since I have tons of plastic black landscaper pots lying around.

Here is my own talavera type fruit bowl and bowls I picked up at the Goodwill to match the dashes of blue paint I added to the kitchen.

Day 6 : NOTEBOOK

 Call me oldschool, even though my phone and computer have a schedule and calendar I still prefer to jot down the day in my agenda. since grade school I always carried one.

A little note from my daily notebook, the big one that holds everything and yet is not so full as I share my life's pages with you here.