Leading An Extraordinary Life

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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsWUlznBbmL0H5dbGLQ38kBbyGDQcFN7GK4rTBCQ2URugjheaRFKV_2d5AYOFWTYdGh5HBchCPybacusgGnMoGJ9v4HnTk3JSd-ySvILyI5pSIwnYvt5qSa_dDOTLSZGwOu9wfaHXY40/s1600/065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsWUlznBbmL0H5dbGLQ38kBbyGDQcFN7GK4rTBCQ2URugjheaRFKV_2d5AYOFWTYdGh5HBchCPybacusgGnMoGJ9v4HnTk3JSd-ySvILyI5pSIwnYvt5qSa_dDOTLSZGwOu9wfaHXY40/s640/065.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTOppjS2R928FhKVgovVjLd6runyKwOrtCTR6IkhLNbwNB-rjtyFNVWi7_lJqZnc4PZMTCJlyaLRPYBhylw3hCDfU70JHAGN-MEB5e6QUdsC2tPv7OvCxYGFOCCBa_sumhiF7rFxVjOs/s1600/075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTOppjS2R928FhKVgovVjLd6runyKwOrtCTR6IkhLNbwNB-rjtyFNVWi7_lJqZnc4PZMTCJlyaLRPYBhylw3hCDfU70JHAGN-MEB5e6QUdsC2tPv7OvCxYGFOCCBa_sumhiF7rFxVjOs/s640/075.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="justify"><em>I write like I talk and collect... <strong>A LOT</strong>! *LOL* I wasn't certain how that would be received in Blogdom since the majority of Blogs I visited seemed to have more photos than words? I planned to have many photos too, since I take a LOT of them also... see a pattern emerging here? *smiles* But, I decided if I was to do this at all I'd have to keep it real and just be me, excesses and all! If there was a prize for excess, I'd definitely be in the running, if not a winner! I needed an outlet for my many passions to come together and be shared, so this seemed to be the perfect venue. You too? Well, perhaps that is why you found me and are now here..., and I welcome you to my world! An eccentric one it may be, but its the one I thoroughly enjoy and feel comfortable in nevertheless. I may be stuck in a bygone era of Hippie Bohemian proportions, but I want it no other way, it suits me. </em></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>Yes, I'm the Gramma who takes the Grandkids to the Hippie style Tea Houses to have Mad Hatter style Tea Parties together... savoring, discussing and selecting our favorite Organic Teas and rating them as if at the Olympics Of Tea. We have them at home too and its a ritual we enjoy almost daily, we keep expanding our Tea Sanctuary areas, indoors and out, to give various ambiance to our little Tea Parties and transport ourselves to those places envisioned on the canvases of our imaginations.</em></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>The Grandkids know the benefits of medicinal and culinary herbs and can identify them on sight, they choose our favorite Vietnamese Restaurants to have Pho (soup) and delightful Vietnamese dessert drinks with Boba (Tapioca Pearls) over any fast food chain on a regular basis. We're a cross between Woodstock, Gypsies and the Addams Family in our preferences and tastes, weird to some, uniquely different to others... but never, ever, ordinary... leading an extraordinary life and hearing the beat of a different drummer is at the core ouf our being. </em></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>No matter how beautifully and artfully we feather our nest indoors, being outdoors is preferable regardless of the weather. Yes, we're the ones still outside doing our thing in fierce 100+ degree heat here in the sunny Southwest or out in the Monsoon torrential rains! Perhaps that's why we're such a hardy bunch? No matter what beauty and Art I've managed to create in my private world and surround myself with, it simply pales in comparison to the absolute splendor of all God's Creation around us... given so freely and so abundantly to all! His presence is so evident in all of Creation and I stand in awe each and every time and feel so thankful, so grateful, so very Blessed. for those who have been given the gift of being inherently creative too, perhaps it is why we can appreciate creativity and creation all the more and see beauty and potential in the most unlikely places? I know that I often find extraordinary beauty and a creative outlet where many see only rust, junk, decay, something past it's prime or the ordinary. Being able to transform, reveal or bring attention to that which is not so evident or hidden to many is deeply satisfying to me. Being a nonconformist is freedom and has helped me to think outside of the box and express myself in ways that have provoked thought in others... and that's not such a bad thing... being and thinking differently... standing out. When you are comfortable with who and how you are, I believe it is attractive and has an attraction, maybe a strange one *wink*, but it is interesting to others, if nothing else *smiles* and has sparked many a conversation with strangers, for me at least.</em></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>Through Blogs and Decorating/Style Books and Magazines I've read (and collected *wink*), I realize that no matter what makes you distinctive and makes your Heart beat a little faster and sing... there ARE others who are so similar to you that you might have been separated at birth it seems!!! You can relate to and understand those who are kindred Spirits, even when those unlike you couldn't possibly fathom you and seem perplexed by your passions, interests, style and way of life. That's a comfort my Friends, because though I celebrate who I am and enjoy what I enjoy even if it makes no sense to the masses, to be able to find those like-minded Souls in this world and connect to them is sheer Joy! Sometimes we have the privilege of connecting to those who share so many traits and passions with us in person, establishing relationships and deep bonds, doing what we do as a duo or a group... and that is like iron sharpening iron and we're the better for it as it enriches our lives and stimulates our creative juices and exudes positive energy that fuels us. Other times we may be disconnected and doing our thing solo in our expressions and passions, connecting instead through mediums that are less personalized, but nonetheless can still enrich and stimulate us. May you gather with the like-minded Souls, in person or some other medium, often... so that you can have a beautiful day and live a beautiful life continuously. A big Morticia Addams kiss to you... Dawn... The Bohemian</em></div></div></div></div>

Leading An Extraordinary Life

I write like I talk and collect... A LOT ! *LOL* I wasn't certain how that would be received in Blogdom since the majority of Blogs I vi...

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Incurable Collector

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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQuIwZuPe9pGPhw16LPFSdTyN8nV5NfZSGam7zXRsEqkzaQ93Mg313P4VxfkjSMIKpMNFkuQxZForvSzvUOlOpgybpxkgNsSMVPd8YZJ-Pe67Pw0P6CEOBtwd9SSEdHyAuYwpb-Y78A8/s1600/635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQuIwZuPe9pGPhw16LPFSdTyN8nV5NfZSGam7zXRsEqkzaQ93Mg313P4VxfkjSMIKpMNFkuQxZForvSzvUOlOpgybpxkgNsSMVPd8YZJ-Pe67Pw0P6CEOBtwd9SSEdHyAuYwpb-Y78A8/s640/635.JPG" width="412" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X0rk9G1qyWwSmpgK9ldplmCOlUcIhcag0zo7-pzIZfkOCAB_3BUrN3I7J6ruu1rIm_qI2Ml9i3kkD-eTfOYzkKNLJUfv_Pb-YjUHfUX95EkBb3wEJ6A7l3cJJNAFEk-4lst9K-XAqig/s1600/638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X0rk9G1qyWwSmpgK9ldplmCOlUcIhcag0zo7-pzIZfkOCAB_3BUrN3I7J6ruu1rIm_qI2Ml9i3kkD-eTfOYzkKNLJUfv_Pb-YjUHfUX95EkBb3wEJ6A7l3cJJNAFEk-4lst9K-XAqig/s640/638.JPG" width="474" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="justify"><em>I'm an incurable collector, almost anything can develop into a collection with me, whatever catches the eye, sparks the imagination, speaks to my Spirit and draws me to it... can amass into more than one... in fact, many!!! A minimalist I'm definitely not, though I can appreciate that discipline of strong editing, my beautiful clutter is comforting to me. If they ever profile a keeper of all things beautiful and uniquely interesting on a segment of "Hoarders" I could be among them! *LOL* Many of my collections are useful and often used, though some serve no purpose other than to be beheld as eye candy.</em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em></em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em>I enjoy rituals and traditions passed down from generation to generation. The ritual of Tea especially is enjoyed often by my Grandchildren and I as we sip wide varieties of freshly brewed organic Herbal Teas from my collection of mismatched Diner cups and mugs. Hot Jasmine Tea and iced Prickly Pear Tea are my favorites, stirred with the vintage Silver Iced Tea spoon collection. Often enjoyed alfresco in one of our many Bistro styled seating vignettes I've decorated with Salvage architectural finds, vintage linens, Garden Art and Oil paintings discovered at Thrift Stores with a decidedly relaxed European scene reminiscent of our years spent abroad. As I sip fragrant Teas or robust gourmet Coffees from these cups and mugs I imagine all of the past conversations and gatherings spent sipping from them in their past. The History, craftsmanship, individuality and character of these old treasures I've amassed just can't be found in today's mass produced machine-made products. I hardly ever find myself buying new or retail, it's against my sensibilities and just doesn't appeal to me, we've been going "green" long before it was fashionable.</em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em></em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em>Hand-made and OOAK products are my favorites, my wardrobe is decidedly Gypsy Bohemian Chic, once an old Hippie, always an old Hippie at Heart I suppose! *smiles* I'm an Artist and creating with my hands and imagination is something my Native American Father and Welsh Bohemian Mother encouraged as we were raised... creativity was in our blood... wearable Art our fashion statement. Many of my favorite Artists have also inspired me to stretch and challenge myself and work with new mediums. Necessity is often the Mother of invention, when I could not afford a favorite Designer piece I'd simply make something similar out of my stash of salvaged treasures and put my own spin on it so that it was exactly what I had a vision of and wanted... at a fraction of the price! *LOL*</em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em></em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em>Making some of my jewelry and bags has given me even more satisfaction than the fabulous hand-made pieces I've acquired and collected from my favorite Artists. I have a penchant for rich vintage fabrics and old gaudy Bohemian jewelry, when Bling and excess was seriously overstated and decidedly costume. Learning to utilize some of the fabrics and jewelry together in wearable Art form has given me a way to pass down some of these treasures in a form that my children and Grandchildren will also utilize and cherish... rather than discard when I'm gone... a legacy left by me in the form of my Art. who knew the old carpet bag style would be such a hit again in 2010 with my Daughters and teen Grand-Daughters! *wink* since I'm always reluctant to overuse my beloved "Magnolia Pearl" bags lest they become damaged and ravaged by time, I hang those as Art in my Home and Design Studio Cottage and use the bags I make daily instead. After all, I can always make another or repair the ones I made that become time worn! It was an honor and flattering when Family and Friends began asking me to make bags and jewelry for them too, after admiring those I'd made for myself. A properly appreciated and loved hand-made gift is worth the time and effort put into the creation of it for the recipient. My label has my favorite photo of my Bohemian Mom when she first immigrated to this Country. She was so ahead of her time, a true original exotic looking Fashionista! Her long wavy Blue Black hair was the color of a Raven's wing in her youth, contrasted by pale Gray-Blue eyes, long flowing bright skirts, roaming free Spirit, she was a dancer in her younger days... as a child I envisioned her stepping out of a colorful Vardo and mesmerizing people with her Dance. A Romanticized version perhaps, but I'm a hopeless Romantic anyway... and why not make your own memories and story as beautiful as possible!? Sadly she gave up her dream of becoming a professional classical Dancer to become a loving Wife and Mother. But, she ALWAYS filled our home with beautiful antiques, exquisite crystal, lace, lush Kasbah Tapestries and rich European fabrics, delicate China, Wedgwood, Religious Art, flowers and spirited Music. Growing up around that abundance of beauty made a lasting impression upon me. Mom is so proud to carry the OOAK bag I designed and made for her with her image on the label and I'm thankful she always believed I could do anything with excellence that I set my hands to, even when others doubted or scoffed.</em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em></em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em>"But you have no Seamstress experience and don't even know how to use a sewing machine or pattern!" most scoffed when I decieded I'd make my own bags... but I had my hands, my imagination, inspiration from other work I admired and the God given talents passed down through our lineage to be Artistic and creative Souls... and... Mom's encouragement and belief in me. Making it all by hand means you can take it with you anywhere to work upon in the most inspiring locations... the Gardens, a Mountaintop, the Desert, the Lake... you don't have to rely upon machinery or eledctricity when a needle and thread is all the equipment you require to make your Art. Maybe one day I'll learn to use a sewing machine so I can be a more prolific Artist... but its perfectly okay if I don't... profit has never been my motivation to create Art and most of my creations I give away as gifts to those I cherish far more than anythng that can be merely bought or sold. I'd definitely have been the proverbial starving Artist if I'd made a living from my Artl... so perhaps its best I channeled other careers into making a living in the Corporate world! *wink*</em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em></em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em>Sadly, Dad never lived to see this segment of my Artistic journey. Dad was of Blackfoot and Apache ancestry and he taught me about making things by hand and about a reverence of Nature, the Earth and all life upon it. About making useful and yet beautiful hand-made items and expressing oneself Artistically, especially intricate beaded pieces. I only wish now that I hadn't been such a lazy Youth when he, my Grandmother and Aunts tried to patiently teach me the old ways of Apache beading... now the dying Art of it is forever lost to me since they've all now passed from time into eternity, taking those skills with them that subsequent generations didn't want to bother to learn. *sigh* So, it's no wonder that I love what I love, I am a product of the environment I came from, and a beautiful one it was and still is.</em></div><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify"><em>along with the urge to create and collect is another passion of mine, yes, I have MANY *LOL*... the great Outdoors, I'm outside more than I'm inside regardless of the weather. The planting and harvesting and tending of my Gardens isn't work to me, its energizing, Spiritual... witnessing all of Creation connects me to the Creator like nothing else can!!! The sights, sounds and smells of Nature, the Earth and it's bounty, deposits in me that which is necessary after life makes withdrawals and can leave one feeling empty and depleted. Eating the vegetables, fruits and herbs that you have grown, freshly picked from the Garden and Orchard, nourishes not only the body, but the Spirit within each of us... no fast food or junk food can compare IMO.</em></div><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify"><em>It is said that if you do the things you love you'll never work a day in your life... I believe this to be absolute Truth my Friends. I hope you've found what you love and take time each day to pursue it? Blessings and continue to Dream and Create Beauty every day... Dawn... The Bohemian</em> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

Incurable Collector

I'm an incurable collector, almost anything can develop into a collection with me, whatever catches the eye, sparks the imagination, spe...

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Favorite Haunts

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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLs4hVqGA9F3rGyJOeIL34g2yInOosD7evWs2C1hmm4tIMBcFjwrnxRj4DqCsQ-GLEaFs0o2rrtcmrLArDT10GSM9VFfd8I9IIXOIISULMJKu54rlRX6aF93aA9kCA3u1vucFrElLJczo/s1600/1888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLs4hVqGA9F3rGyJOeIL34g2yInOosD7evWs2C1hmm4tIMBcFjwrnxRj4DqCsQ-GLEaFs0o2rrtcmrLArDT10GSM9VFfd8I9IIXOIISULMJKu54rlRX6aF93aA9kCA3u1vucFrElLJczo/s640/1888.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiVzp7FXqAGt1zA5au-eTfjGMZnrSOAQ7omKQPIVFCPEqa7vcF3MODkqO7Red0WI32r3KwOjSXrO1LClU90qe_JOAfaWxSODQ52ys-cx31193uCfjDfqQUdbG2-gPn-Fy1AeMdTO_jCY/s1600/1891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiVzp7FXqAGt1zA5au-eTfjGMZnrSOAQ7omKQPIVFCPEqa7vcF3MODkqO7Red0WI32r3KwOjSXrO1LClU90qe_JOAfaWxSODQ52ys-cx31193uCfjDfqQUdbG2-gPn-Fy1AeMdTO_jCY/s640/1891.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><em>"SAGE" - Phoenix, Proprietor Kendra Vermeer</em></strong></div></div><div><div align="justify"><br /><em>There are those certain shops and markets that are my very favorite haunts and I just love being there even if I'm just looking around and come home empty handed. Have you ever found a shop that is just so "you" in the way they have their product displayed and picked that you could just move in and make yourself completely at home? For me it is "Sage" in downtown Phoenix, a delightful dilapidated French Country Junque and yet opulent style of faded elegance. My home could look like the displays, ambiance and particular style there and I'd feel totally comfortable and revel in the atmosphere it creates. I've bought some of my favorite antique and vintage French pieces there, especially the chandeliers... one can never have too many chandeliers! *wink* Original French Bistro chairs, the wood worn to perfection and still ever so comfortable... and some of my favorite pieces of Bohemian Salvage style jewelry! They've been kind enough to allow me to take a few photos of their displays, which I've shared above, so that I could attempt to recreate that ambiance somewhat in our home... as inspiration for that "ideal look". I'm not sure I will ever narrow down my collections to just one genre enough to acquire a "certain" look though, however much I adore it... there's just SO many I can and do appreciate and love, that our home tends to be more an eclectic conglomeration of styles... Gypsy Kitsch. I do lean towards some styles more than others, but I'm not such a purist that I manage to have it ALL looking a distinctive style or theme that you could put your finger on or describe.</em><br /></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>I have so many ideas in my head that being decisive about which to implement and focus on feels like one of those design challenges on Reality TV! I'd have to own several properties and houses to express myself fully and decorate with complete abandon in the specific styles and themes per location that I adore! *LOL* I've done the individual themed room thing where one style of decorating or color can take center stage in a part of the home... but only for a time... often the flow from one room to the other doesn't gel and other styles start slowly creeping in because my restraint in keeping it pure wavers. I've always loved the shades of White look, but I'm just too attached to and drawn to color to pass up something beautiful that isn't a shade of White! Not to mention we still have wee people and pets in our home and I'm more of a laid back housekeeper... hence the dusty look of many of my photos! *wink* So it wouldn't stay shades of White for long I'm afraid. There are times I could definitely use the services of a professional organizer and maid service to keep it all pristine, organized and tidy... after all, beautiful clutter is a lot more work than beautiful minimalism. Especially if you don't live alone where you are often running damage control behind the Family and pets to keep your vision of a personal Bohemian Valhalla in order!!! I've had Friends suggest that I should have our home showcased in one of those specialty decorating magazines, but I don't know that I could get even one room photo-shoot ready while we're still LIVING here?! *wink* The homes featured in those publications always look so tidy, so perfect, so CLEAN... I'd have to hire a hoard of Merry Maids to spend a week here to accomplish that level of clean! Our home tends to be clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy..., so even though we have a ton of interesting and beautiful things displayed, its not exactly a spread from any of my fav publications geared towards the things I love. I'd be apologizing for the mess while trying to get the Photographer a photo op that could actually be published! *LOL*</em><br /></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>I do admire those featured homes in publications and blogs that look dreamy, inviting, and give me so many great ideas. I've got so many Inspiration Books filled with photos gleaned from years of perusing them and keeping my favorite visuals that I have an extensive Library of inspiration now! Did I mention that I ALSO collect decorating books... why of coarse I do, why wouldn't I? *smiles* I may not have every one published, but in the decorating genres that I adore I've come pretty darn close I think... Barnes & Nobles, Borders and Waldenbooks Home Decor sections can barely hold a candle to my decorating book Library! One room of this ole' house is designated as the Library and Reading Room and it's about at capacity. Nothing can transport you to so many places via the imagination than books, so can one really have too many of them either..., especially those with pictures to enjoy again and again? When I want or need to "get away" alol I need is to curl up with a good book, a cup of Tea and some soothing beautiful Music and I'm instantly transported to whatever magical destination I choose to go! May your journeys be memorable, either those you actually go on, or those you merely go to painted on the canvas of your imagination. Safe journeys always... Dawn... The Bohemian</em></div></div></div></div></div>

Favorite Haunts

"SAGE" - Phoenix, Proprietor Kendra Vermeer There are those certain shops and markets that are my very favorite haunts and I just ...

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