8.8.11

1000 paths to happiness ~


hello there,
 it's Monday, let's talk about  h a p i n e s s, shall we?

I know some of you are back in their offices and this is not
always a good thing,
still, if you can spare some time,
fill up this cup of yours
&
think along what makes YOU happy,
while reading this post

all ready?

. . . . . . . . . . . . 

after a weekend fully at home, with only a late Saturday afternoon spent at Ikea,
{just to supply our home with a few every day basics}
there was a lot of time to engage in simple things I love
realise a little bit deeper what makes me happy

what actually stands next to the word happiness for me personally...


well, happiness for me is tranquility,
feelings of deep joy,
enjoyment of every day life's simple things, even its routines 

happiness is warm sun on my skin,
{oh and did we have the chance to lie down & sunbathe in our little, miraculous veranda yesterday!}
rainy afternoons inside, with hot drinks,
in an ambiance we love,



happiness is being genuinly creative,
enjoying contact with nature & animals,
seeing yourself grow & being pleased with the process,

happiness is waking up next to the one you love,
dinners under the moon,
candlelight... 



 happiness is hugging a friend,
making a present,
being understanding, compassionate...



happiness is communication
{no... social media is not what I had in mind despite their many positive sides}
for example, the process of actually writing posts
for this blog does indeed bring me happiness,
as much as knowing that they will be read by you,
still, 
I'm  rather referring to real talks with friends & people,
sharing & listening carefully,
with a heart & ears bright open

happiness is also knowing when to talk & when to be quiet,
cause sometimes silence is golden
and by this I don't mean stubbornly not talking,
but remaining quiet
just in order to hear your own self

happiness is giggling,  deep down from the belly
cause your did something silly!



for me happiness is freedom from ambition,
while at the same time setting off to achieve all we wish for,
being one with the present
&
in peace with things as they currently are,
leaving endless to do lists aside

............................

speaking of which my dears, the "to post" list on this blog is
increasing more and more,
as there are some posts meant to be shared
&
 then I always love coming here sharing life as it happens,
o.k...where does this
 naturally point to? ~> more posting!

of course : )

this means organising my day more around this blog,
spending more time on it,
which eventually leads to this becoming also part of my job.

As advertising in the usual & expected way found on blogs
doesn't seem to fit around these pages,
I have been developing a slightly altered approach to sponsorship,
for a limited amount of chosen sponsors.

.... any time soon I'll share more, being specific.



... but for now, I'll keep the posts today revolving around
white, grey & naturals,
occasionally with a touch of golden,
much as the pictures accompaning this post,
all made this weekend to support the {stylish we hope!}
appearance of our etsy shop

wishing you all to have the loveliest of beginnings in this new day and week
&
once more, thank you so much for your warmhearted "get well" wishes

will see you later with a mood board,
following exactly the colour palette of this one,
while elaborating on the "making of" process of it

and a few happy & usuful reminders:

a. there is 30% Summer Sale going on in the shop, till the end of August
for all sizes of prints. The code is ~>  S u m m e r   S a l e

b. as part of the {one year blog celebration}, there are still 3 days left for you
to become a subscriber of this blog & enjoy a 50% reduction to all shop items
till the 10th of August. The code is ~> "Domestic stories celebrate"

c.  you can enter the fabulous & generous give away right {here}, for a chance to win a Goodies bag from Domestic stories, sure to make you happy!


8 comments:

  1. What a lovely post!
    Thank you for sharing my friend, every word you said is so true.

    Have a wonderful week!
    Annaleena :D

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  2. Aww this really made my day :) Thank you Ivy, from the bottom of my heart :)

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  3. I agree with all of this and have one bit to add...happiness is finding the balance in all of those things. Balance every day between the things we have to do, the things we should do, and the things we want to do.

    Lovely post, Ivy. I look forward to seeing how you include sponsorships in your blog. My best to you!

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  4. ...it is always within our reach....we just got to pause, acknowledege and absorb it :-)

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  5. Hello and thank you all for sharing your thoughts here, along with leaving lovely comments :)

    I so agree with Madhu about happiness being always within our reach.
    And then I love that Sandra {photos & tea} brings this so important element of balance in the picture.

    Reminding me that today being a day with a long "to do" list, I have to balance in between needs, shoulds, wants & wishes...

    Wishing you all a lovely day & thanking you for taking part in the discussions here :) xo

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  6. Thank you for reminding me that it is the small things in life that matters. Sometimes I forget to reflect and to embrace the good moments in life, because I get distracted by the busy world. Such a shame...

    Thank you for a lovely post <3
    xoxo, Nina

    Oh, and thank you for your help on my curtain problem; You are thinking like I´m thinking - I actually have one of those roller blinds on my terrace door, and I love it!
    The thing is that Ikea does not make them in the width that I need. My window is too wide:(
    Otherwise they would be perfect!

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  7. Just bought some of your lovely photos btw. Can´t wait to get them in my mailbox! :)

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  8. i love this post. happiness is all around me :o)
    have a wonderful day. your photography is beautiful!
    hanlie

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