This time of year I wonder, how can it be this time of year again?!  We're already talking holiday plans, craft sales are on the calendar, gift lists are being finalized.

Last year during the holidays I overdid it.  Planned too many sales too close together, promised to be too many places with not enough time to get there, didn't spend enough time with the people I love most, didn't even put up a Christmas tree - or a single decoration.  It just didn't feel like Christmas, and that literally has bothered me all year long.  But this time I'm going about it all differently...

Recently I had a self-imposed creative hiatus at our cabin up north.

No pressure.

No expectations.

No overdoing it.

Nowhere else to be.

But here.

I set up a comfy work station at the kitchen table, complete with a stuffed chair borrowed from the living room.  Most days were spent in my fleece jammies, wrapped in goose down blankets and watching old seasons of Gossip Girl on Netflix while I made jewelry and painted.

I wasn't on a schedule and could work into the early hours of the morning if I wanted to, then take a power nap in front of the fireplace.  Here's my dog Pompeii, showing how it's done.

It really was an artist's dream to have that much uninterrupted alone time, to let the ideas flow.  Didn't have to prepare meals or clean up my messes.  When a piece of jewelry was finished, I hung it on a peg in the hallway, and before long the pegs were overflowing with glitzy bits!  In the kitchen, the countertops were covered in newspaper and a variety of mixed media to play around with.  I folded, cut, tore and glued down bits of paper to form a single layer on a canvas, then let each layer dry.  Didn't have a plan in mind, just let the shapes come into form as the layers were built upon the canvas.  This one took the shape of a cozy little house.

Every afternoon, my sweet dog would get antsy and bump me with her nose, letting me know it was time to go for a walk.  It was nice to stretch my legs and get some fresh (albeit chilly) air, and I always took my camera along to capture little surprises along the way.  

The entire time I was up there, the sunrises were spectacular!

What a gift.

So very inspiring.

I'm so blessed to have spent this precious time at my happy little place.

Can't think of a better way to initiate my mindset for this year's holiday season...

No pressure.

No expectations.

No overdoing it.

Nowhere else to be.

But here.