How adorable is this Vintage Valentine silhouette I created a few years ago?
I love how it looks on this pillow and think it will be darling sitting on the antique bench in my foyer.

If you love the pillow too, you can find it HERE!
Or if you're the creative type and would love to make your own Valentine's Day cards, home decor or art prints using this image, I've uploaded the .png file and made it available as an instant download in my shoppe.

Happy Friday Eve everyone!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Still only have one wall painted in the Master Bedroom - but the color is wonderful and I love it.
And wow! Is that the shortest blog post I've ever written in my life? Yes, I believe it is. #less

ONE LITTLE WORD 2016 | Less :: Perfection - a photo with a story

It's January 20th and I am finally mailing out my "holiday" cards, which, as you can see, are actually "New Year's" cards this year.

The perfectionist in me grumbles a bit to myself about this, and gives me a familiar look of disapproval and disappointment - like something one might expect from the stereotypical hyper-critical mother-in-law. 

However, the person who's learning to be a little more gentle with herself is tossing confetti since I'm putting them in the mail, high-fiving myself for not giving up and celebrating the fact that New Year's Cards actually make a lot more sense. Who's idea was it anyway to add one more stressful thing to our list of things to do, smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season? *wink*

Either way you want to argue it, the photo on the card has a story;
A humorous one actually - with some life lessons mixed in with it.

The storyline is all about "perfection".
One of the ways I happen to be utilizing my One Little Word, (LESS), this year is with regards to perfection.  I'm making a concerted effort to choose less perfection because PERFECTION IS AN ILLUSION, friends. And I'm working on ways to stop chasing after it.

So, speaking of illusions, let's talk about that photo on our New Year's Cards;
It's one of the reasons for the delay in sending out our cards in the first place.

First of all, as many of you have experienced, it's no easy feat having family pictures taken.
And for me, it's always a dilemma because I'm the photographer, making it harder to get a great family photo because I'm on the other side of the camera typically.

This being said, wrangling up all three of my girls on the same day is difficult - especially with one of them in college now. So, we decided on a day in November so Clara could meet us after work one afternoon in downtown Mt. Dora. This really gave Clara very little time to change and try to meet us before the small window of natural light disappeared on us. But we went with it anyway.

Clara was thirty minutes late, I was stressed and grouchy and this, my friends, is what ended up happening...

Lots and lots of overexposed, blurry photos. 

I couldn't believe it! I was in such a hurry, scrambling to utilize the disappearing light, I wasn't paying the least bit attention to what my camera was trying to tell me. I kept dismissing the overexposed images that kept showing up on the LCD monitor as if they had something to do with my 12 year old DSLR that had been giving me strange error codes previously.

So there I was, staring at photos upon photos of blurry photos on my computer I couldn't possibly use for my Christmas cards, knowing there was no fathomable time to gather all three girls together again for a do-over.

I thought all was lost. I seriously made the decision to not even send cards out. After a couple of weeks of stepping away from the photos, I looked at them again and decided one picture out of the bunch showed some potential for being salvaged; The very last photo in the bunch...taken just as the sun had literally disappeared from the sky.

I altered the lighting a bit... 

and then changed it to black and white.

There.
A little bit better.
I could totally pass this off as an intentional "artistic" image of my girls. *blushing*
I wasn't convinced I could really get away with it but uploaded the photo to Shutterfly anyway.

Is the photo what I had originally envisioned? No.
In fact, the girls have a sort of "ghostly" feel to them which creeps me out a bit.
But you know what I do love?
I love that this photo tells a story.
It tells my personal story of progress...not perfection.

This perfection-seeking mama of three has come a LONG way my friends. I still have a long way to go but I can tell you the previous me would've stressed out my kids, (and myself), with a re-do photo shoot.

This messy and imperfect and "not what I had dreamed of" photo will remind me for years to come that perfect is an illusion and that letting go of perfection keeps me humble...and human and HAPPY! 

To the family and friends receiving these this year...
"Now you know the whole story!" *wink*

Thanks for being here you guys! And for being part of my journey!
xoxo
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Until now, I've been too embarrassed to confess to my family that my camera settings was what was responsible for the blurred photos. Although I'd assumed it was from my ancient camera, I discovered later, the dial on my camera had been changed. (by a higher power I'm presuming? To teach me such an important lesson, perhaps?) *blushing*

LET'S TALK TUESDAY | No. 1 :: Hand-lettering, Less + Valentine's Day Ideas

Welcome friends!! It's a very chilly Florida morning here today;
Perfect for a hot cup of cocoa and getting cozy for our first official "Let's Talk Tuesday".

After having shared this idea of gathering as friends on a weekly basis to dive into some friendly conversation, I have received some awesome feedback and great questions from you!!

Let's dive in, shall we?

QUESTION #1

Q:  I've been a reader of your wonderful blog for a long time.  I wanted to ask if you have always loved to draw and have always had that talent since a child or was this something you cultivated later in life?  I love to draw and doodle and have really nice handwriting too.  I've been this way all my life, though. :) Karen W.

A:  I love this question!! As I sat down to begin to answer it, I stumbled upon a blog post I'd completely forgotten about...specifically about my love for hand-lettering. It was so fun to read back over it and it addresses this question perfectly. Hop over there to read it and then come back here - I promise you're going to love it and that I'll be here waiting when you are done. *wink*

Back already? Did you love that little bit of insight?  Do any of you remember purchasing pens + stickers from the Hallmark store when it was all the rage? I definitely think that's where my obsession for paper products and stationery really began. And as far as being able to "draw" - I don't think I'm very good at that. But I do love to DOODLE!! I thought it'd be fun to share this photo I found from 2006 (above)!

QUESTION #2

Q: What made you decide to make your life more enjoyable by doing less, and how do you decide what is less without finding yourself back in the trap of taking on too much?
I am also trying to prioritize with doing less and living for purpose and not for perfection. I find myself back into taking on more again, although I know it takes away me time and family time.  - Kathlene T.

A: I chose LESS as my focus word not because I've perfected the concept. I chose LESS because I firmly believe by continuing to work towards this concept, I will be left with MORE OF WHAT MATTERS. I was once the person who said yes to everything and wanted to do and be everything! It's super easy to get caught up in the rat race or even in the comparison game and fall into the "trap of too much"!   Expect mistakes + regrets along the way because this is life + it's a learning process. Just know that despite the mess ups along the way, you have the opportunity to get it right the next time.

How do I decide what is less? Life provides us with refining moments we don't always ask for or want to experience. (see this Life + Loss post). These moments provide us with the chance to "re-evaluate" the direction we are going. Figure out what really matters to you and write it down. Reference it often when faced with decisions related to time + commitment and re-evalute often.

And by the way, I'm always re-evaluating! (see this post on time management,  periods of re-evaluation, The Fringe Hours Book, + Navigate just to name a few.)

Here's a glimpse into what makes up my "What Matters Most" list

Ella and I - November 2014

As Lara Casey says...progress not perfection!! I've gotten really good at saying no. And I've gotten even better at stepping back and taking a minute to really evaluate something before saying yes.  Now that's progress!!

QUESTION #3

Q:  I know I'm a little early but I like to plan. Do you have any advice on making cute classroom valentines? Melissa S.

A: It's never too early to start planning - especially for fun classroom Valentine's Day treats!! Here is one of my my favorite ideas from last year...

Sparkle + Shine Classroom Valentines

MORE VALENTINE'S DAY IDEAS
Sprinkles to My Cupcake Valentine's Day Cards
Colors in my Rainbow Valentine's Day Treats - includes links to some other fabulous ideas!
Sprinkles on my Sundae - great for a teacher gift
"Crush" Collection : candy + soda printable

I'm working on a NEW set of FREE printable Valentine's Day tags for you guys.
I'm skipping the sugary treats for Ella's classroom this year and will be handing THESE out instead.
I'll be sharing the cute packaging details for gifting THOSE so if you like that idea too, stay tuned for the upcoming post.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It's been so fun sitting with you to answer a few of your questions.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

If you've been inspired to ask a question, here are some
DIFFERENT OPTIONS TO SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS
1. Email me directly: pnpflowersinc AT gmail DOT com
2. Leave a question on my Instagram feed anytime.
3. Leave it as a comment here on the blog.
If you ever have any issues at all being able to leave a comment on my blog, please email me directly to let me know so I can figure out how to resolve it for you: pnpflowersinc AT gmail DOT com

KEEPiNG iT REAL
In keeping with my one little word LESS...I'm attempting to do LESS sugar this year. (not my favorite choice by the way). Hence the non-sugary Valentine's Day treats for Ella's classroom this year. Yep! That was intentional. And...because I won't be making anything in the kitchen, it will take me LESS time to prepare these...giving me more time for other things. See how that all works out like that.  *wink*

And man...this whole "LESS" concept has certainly been challenging when writing blog posts.
I'm so used to getting "a bit wordy" and now I'm finding myself erasing entire paragraphs at times in order to keep things simple. This is so good for me. And for YOU too! *giggling* 

iNSPiRE | One Little Word for 2016

A photo posted by Jessica | Pen + Paper Flowers (@pnpflowers) on Dec 31, 2015 at 8:35pm PST

Happy New Year,  friends!!!
It's that time of year for resolutions, promises, goals, dreams, motivation, changes...right?!

Well instead of getting all wrapped up and overwhelmed in all of that, I'm focusing on my one little word for 2016...

less.

Yep! That's it. That's my word!
A word that in actuality encompasses all of those before-mentioned things but in a nice, tidy, simple little package. 

It sounds pretty wimpy and unglamorous, doesn't it?
Don't be fooled though.
There's a lot of power that can come from that little word and I'm expecting big things!
I'm figuring that by focusing on the word "less" in all areas of my life...
I will actually end up with "more".
More of what really matters.

less clutter - more clarity
less distractions - more focus on my family
less sugar - more sustained energy, health + vitality
less comparisons - more creativity
less time in the studio - more focus during business hours
less procrastination - more productivity
less social media - more time blogging...because that's what I love!
less second guessing - more confidence
less fear - more faith
less time in my head - more time in my world *wink*
less excuses - more doing

And there's more I could share but I'm keeping it "less" today. *wink*

I was led to choose "less" by this blog post I read from Emily Ley.

And then I realized, as I typically do with all of my words each year, I've been on a journey towards this word over the last year.  Funny how things work out like that.

I've slowly been gravitating towards a much more simple life with regards to home decor, eating, work load + just taking time to smell the roses.

I'm really excited to watch the powerful changes I anticipate will unfold over the course of this year.

With that said, I've decided it would be fun to share a weekly update on how + what I'm doing with my word so you can watch my progress and cheer me on. I do hope you'll cheer me on! *smiling*

I'll pop in later this week to fill you in on the magic that's already taken place from this simple little word...and it's only Day 4 of 2016.

If you are new to the concept of choosing "one little word" and want to know more...or if you are curious as to what my past words have been, here are a few different links...

2015 - Shine
2014  Navigate
2013 Push
2012 no word - I was lame and didn't pick one...*blushing*
2011 Fresh

I'd love to hear what YOUR word for 2016 is!!
Share it in the comments!
I'll pick someone at random to send something special to.

Here's to less...so we can all have more! More of what matters!

xoxo,
Jessica

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Speaking of "what matters"...after a chest x-ray today it's been determined Ella has bronchitis. Boo!
She's been sick for the last week with a nagging cough and after a week of meds and no real improvement I took her back into the doctor today!

Lucky her though...she and Ema built a blanket fort just before New Year's Eve and she got to sleep in it for 3 nights in a row! She thought that was pretty awesome! I finally had her take it down last night so we could have some semblance of order back in the living room. Although she was definitely disappointed to have to take it down, I've promised to have a "sleepover" with her on Friday so we'll be setting up the fort again and this time I'll be sleeping in it with her. *wink*