Pretty simple little things

Hello my dears! Today was a bit of a rough day. I know I owe you a post about my apartment, but I didn't feel well enough to clean. The apartment's a mess, but I'm not beating myself up. The mess will be there when I'm ready for it. To cheer myself, I photographed a few of the pretty things around my place. Nothing precious, nothing expensive. Just simple beauty. A few small, simple touches can go a long way in making a place feel like home.

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Darling little kimmidoll. A gift from my sister-in-law, who gives me the nicest gifts. I look around the apartment and see her gifts and I feel the love. This sweet little doll is so photogenic, she inspires so much creativity. I adore her.

Little toy poodle, named Doug. I named him after the dog in the movie Up, because I love him so much. Look at that sweet face. I believe he's a pencil topper, and he cost all of about $.49 at the dollar store. A small price to pay for such good cheer.

My kimmidoll with a little wooden pig from Indonesia. I bought the little pig at Chinatown, for about a buck. It was on a day when the best group of co-workers I ever had and I ate lunch at Chinatown. We had a wonderful time and lots of laughs. When I look at this little pig, I think of the good time we had, but he's more than that. He's a symbol of my love for other cultures and my desire to travel.

A mod yellow vase and Bon Bon postcard. Love them both. I found the vase thrifting, and the postcard was about ten cents. I love to juxtapose mod with Asian design. Bon Bon is too fab. This jetsetter is part Asian and French and loves mod design.

A tea bowl, pink chopsticks and a wooden box. A nod to my love of Asian design. All found thrifting and cheap.

Tea bowls and yellow prayer beads, also a thrift find. I love these. I can stare at the beads forever, and I love the sensuous feel of the tassel.

A little Buddha statue. This is Hotei, the Wandering Buddha. Also known as the Laughing Buddha. He reminds us not to take ourselves so seriously as we travel through this thing called life. He also reminds us to laugh at ourselves. We really are funny creatures and cultivating the ability to laugh at ourselves helps keep things in perspective. Most of what we worry about is temporary and not that important in the scheme of things. Remembering this eases our suffering and ultimately enables us to stop engaging in thoughts that cause suffering. In short: Live, Laugh, Love! What are the little things that make your place a home?


All images by Peggy.