October 2024 - Decorating with Less

🍁 A while back I got the question/comment: “I'm not a big seasonal decorator, but I have some things for Christmas, Easter, Halloween.. what about changing out for the season or celebrating holidays with/without decor?” I love this question because I love decorating!

Since it’s October, and most of the holidays I personally celebrate will be happening in the coming four months, I felt inspired to go into a little more depth on that question. I believe making our spaces look and feel great is part of an all-round approach to taking care of ourselves, so this month’s blog is about all things “decorating with less,” not just seasonal (though I will of course cover seasonal).

I’m going to keep this intro short because I’m really excited for you to get to the rest of the content! 

This month's newsletter is centered around being intentional with our stuff: 

• Decorating with less
• The Circular Economy
• Decorating in practice

Something by me

Creating a space that aligns with your taste and personality is, in my opinion, really important to happiness. Coming home to a place where you can relax and feel safe to be yourself has such positive downstream effects on everything you do in life that it should not be ignored or underestimated.

I mean, why would you not spend a bit of effort on turning the place you spend most of your non-working hours into a place you enjoy being in? In this post I talk about decorating, specifically “decorating with less.” Making your space cozy and personal doesn’t mean filling it up with stuff or maxing out your credit cards, there’s a balance between overconsumption and spartanism.

READ MORE

Something by someone else

Title: Ellen MacArthur Foundation - Instagram Account and Podcast (but anything they do really..)

Description: “We’re a charity committed to creating a circular economy, which is designed to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. It’s an economic system that delivers better outcomes for people, and the environment.”

Why I like it: I talk about (and show) ways of consuming less while not completely rejecting what it means to be part of the society we live in, because I believe balance and realism are the only ways to achieve our collective goals when it comes to sustainability. 

What I love about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Instagram account—and, if you want to go a little deeper, their podcast—is that they showcase different ways in which institutions, companies, and individuals are exploring more attractive and sustainable alternatives to how we consume today, from all perspectives (economic, social, environmental, etc.).

The things they share make me think and inspire me, but most importantly, they show that there are desirable ways forward when it comes to a better future: progress, not perfection. 

CHECK IT OUT HERE

Something by you

This month, after reading the blog, I invite you to pick a space and intentionally play/experiment with functional, consumable, and intangible decor.  

• Have you ever considered these categories?
• Do you have things you can use as functional decor that you didn’t realize you could?
• Or do you still prefer to keep things out of sight?

Refine updates: Behind the scenes

I consider anyone signed up for this newsletter part of a cool, smart, down-to-earth community. We like nice things, but we don’t believe in overconsumption. We want to do well in life while also retaining our peace. We are curious about how the world works and open to learning new things. That’s why I feel safe sharing these honest, behind-the-scenes snippets with you. I feel like you get me and appreciate the transparency.

Refine is part hobby, part side gig. Lately, I’ve been enjoying letting myself geek out about all things Luxury Minimalism and Slow Success, without putting too much extra effort into selling my course, Refine your Devices.

While this may not be the best business practice, I intend to keep doing it because it keeps things enjoyable for me. When I enjoy what I’m doing, I feel more creative, you get better content, and it’s more sustainable in the long run.

Here’s my side-gig/business solution: to prevent “sales” from interfering with my content, I’m creating a separate sales funnel for my course. It’s an experiment to see how I can market the course without squeezing digital organization content into every post (there’s too much else I want to talk about!).

The funnel isn’t ready yet, but it will consist of a free resource and some follow-up emails (if you’ve spent time online, you’ve probably been in a sales funnel before, hah!). I’ll let you know when it’s ready, and you can sign up for it if you’re interested. Just so you know, I will not be signing anyone up automatically—I hate when people do that. If you’re only here for the newsletter, then you’ll only get the newsletter!