10 things that brought me bliss this week...

Can I just say…..I miss writing blog posts. Like, a lot.

I’ve been blogging for well over 14 years. And I think for about 8-10 of those years, I woke up every single morning and wrote a blog post or two. Ever since I started my podcast, I just don’t blog as much as I did. I pour my heart into my podcast and sometimes it feels like I don’t have much left for blogging. But my heart has always had a very strong love for the written word.

However, there is one thing podcasting can’t do and that is create a visual representation of the things that truly inspire me. So I decided to bring back one of my favorite blog columns, 10 things that rocked my world this week…but with a more elevated twist. So, here you have it, 10 things that brought me bliss!

1. My favorite little hidden massage spa, Blossom Massage, revamped their entryway. I love the combo of pink and green, the plants and the hanging chairs just make such a sweet little touch. Everyone that I have seen there is great but I especially love Karina! If you are in the Houston area, I highly recommend.

2. I’ve gotten back in the swing of deep daily journaling again even before I get out of bed and I just have to tell you…what you learn about yourself when you allow yourself to just dump out everything in your mind is incredible. I’ve experienced a lot of personal growth in the past few weeks and it honestly just feels really good. My latest podcast episode 225. 3 tips for staying grounded in your feminine energy for the holidays, will really help you understand where I am coming from.

3. I just love this photo from one of the girls in my community, the House of Bliss, Manifest Bliss Membership. This is a shot of some of the workbooks she has worked on. We just did an End of the Year Reflection 2022 workshop that was incredible. All of the workshops are available for replay inside, join here and take this workshop so you can join us in what we are creating for 2023.

4. I upgraded my coffee experience and joined the Nespresso bandwagon. Literally, it has put a whole new spin on my mornings. I went with the Nespresso Vertuo Next coffee + espresso machine and I am obsessed. I wanted the white one to go with my SMEG tea kettle and they both looks so glamorous against my mirrored backsplash.

Out of all of the coffees/espressos I have tried, I love the Melozio the best. It’s like a medium strength, it makes a full cup and I feel like my energy has been the best with that one. Also, they are 7.77 oz. You know I always love an angel number.

5. I don’t know what it is but I just am craving everything around me that I see in green. All the different shades of green have been so beautiful these days. I stopped into HomeGoods to see if I could find some ornaments for my tree and ended up coming home with a basket full of green things to put around the house and honestly, I couldn’t be happier.

6. I especially love the shade of green in these pillows. It is just a vibe. It kind of brings my entire art wall and pillow combo together. Now, I’ve seriously been considering that it may be time for a new sofa. As much as I love this sofa, I am so over the color gray. I just want all white everything right now. So, I am on the hunt for the perfect sofa.

I found this white boucle chair I am in love with and I think I may want something like this to match the sofa.

7. And here is the tree. I just love her so much. Last year, I kept her up through March and decorated for several different seasons. She is the perfect size for a smaller home and because she is only 6 foot, pencil pre-lit tree, it adds just the right amount of glow when the nights get dark much sooner than I like.

I went with a rattan drum base instead of a tree skirt because I think it looks more chic and minimal. I also got this adorable blinking star that Roman just loves.

8. Over the weekend we went to a new sushi spot called, Aiko. The entire place was decked out in the most beautiful shades of green and to me, the ambiance is everything. The sushi was also incredibly delicious, I can’t stop thinking about the spicy tuna handroll ( I ordered three! ) Definitely on my list for best sushi spots in Houston.

9. I just love when I get photos from you girls and how you are using your Daily Bliss Journal. Literally, journaling will change your life when you get into the habit and this journal is designed to help you do just that. Even if you don’t know what to journal, this one will help guide you.

10. This excerpt from a book I am reading really just left me speechless this week. A perfect way to soothe a worrying mind…..”i’m okay and since most of my fears are never realized, I’m not wasting another moment worrying about this.”

Hope this helps you to move through and navigate and otherwise usually stressful holiday season so you can be grounded and keep your inner peace.

Love you,

Ashlina

Decorating my new home & Why thrifting is always a good idea

Decorating is so much fun.

As I have been working on putting together the finishing touches of my new home, I have literally been living in domestic bliss. Like full on, focusing on my home, feeling all of the feels and the process has been so joyful. Nothing can break this full hearted flow.

Luckily, most of my furniture that I had before fit perfectly into my new living room. It’s like my sofa was made for the wide open but small living space. But I found myself stuck with what to put above the sofa for the wall because ever since I purchased my sofa ( literally the most comfortable thing ) it’s been a floating sofa in the middle of the living room. Never has it been up against a wall.

I also was finding myself stuck on a coffee table. Do I want wood? Do I want all white? Do I want marble? Oooh, I love marble. Do I want round or square? Large or small? Something tall or lower?

Oh the joys of decorating.

Whenever I need some inspiration, I head to my Villa Verde Pinterest board to see what I might come up with. This one photo had always stood out to me when I first started pulling images for my new home. I love the look of a clean and modern white wall mixed with the look of a vintage or thrifted art wall. And I just love the neutral color palate, too.

REASONS WHY I LOVE THRIFTING

You guys know how obsessed I am with curating and creating a HIGH VIBE HOME, I have an entire course on how to do so. Now, here’s the deal. I have an entire collection of gold framed art from all the years I’ve been shopping and decorating. As much as I love buying new, there is something so special about re-using things that you have or re-purposing something from someone else. So I knew I could use my gold framed art collection as an art wall above the sofa.

I also knew the coffee table needed to go with the art wall. So a new piece of furniture wasn’t going to work because in order to use thrifted or vintage pieces, they have to be a nice mix. So, I knew I needed to be on the looking for a vintage style coffee table. It needed to be something small enough to fit in the living area. It also needed to be light enough to not feel too dominating or heavy. I also wanted something with enough room to place large coffee table books and other beautiful things I love.

So, I set out on my Saturday to find some more gold frame art pieces to re-create this art wall look that I had in my mind. At one of my local favorite thrift shops, despite not finding any artwork….and I found this stunning BRASS and GLASS square vintage coffee table. How perfect would that look in my space. I thought?!?!?

SCORE!

So, reason numero uno? There really is nothing better than finding the perfect thing, like a diamond in the rough. If you know what I mean, then you know.

Another one of the reasons is that finding something thrifted, vintage or antique is amazing in that your home won’t look like everybody else’s. When you look at homes in AD, Veranda or House Beautiful, very rarely are homes filled with things that look like every other home you see out there. Like that Anthropologie mirror that everyone and their mother has, it just screams ‘basic’ to me.

More reasons why shopping second hand is a good way to go:

✨ It helps environmentally. Reusing old pieces of art, furniture or other decorations helps to not create so much trash and waste.

✨ So much of what is out there vintage or antique is so well made. One of my first pieces of furniture I bought antique in Manhattan and it has lasted for years, moved across the country and several cities and still is in excellent condition.

✨ The thrill of the hunt and finding something perfectly fit for you is as rewarding and satisfying as winning the lottery.

✨ Your home will look completely chic and stylish when you have a mixed look.

✨ Several of the things in my home were actually hand me downs from different family members. I love to keep my things from my grandparents home that bring me the BEST memories. This can be really good feng shui and energy for your space.

Here’s a little peek of my dining room / bar area. The cabinet is filled with things I have thrifted, glassware from family members and beautiful pieces I have picked up along the way. My dining room chairs were in my grandparents breakfast room from my childhood. Original chippendale chairs. Obsessed.

On the opposite side of my sofa wall, I have a black wall and I absolutely love the way it looks. Also, notice my color coordinated bookcase. This part of my home brings me so much joy, I highly recommend doing this with your books, it is definitely a game changer.

FENG SHUI TIP:

Everything you bring home has meaning. So always be intentional with what you are surrounding yourself with. When I work with my clients on curating a holistic and high vibrational home, we get very intentional with what areas of the home need work, what needs to stay or go…(you can read more about my feng shui services here)

Whenever I am at a thrift shop, I always keep my eyes out for unique things that would look cute in my home, would bring me joy when I look at it and things that represent positive, high vibe energy.

Typically animals + other figures represent positive feng shui.

THE TIGER:

I found this cute tiger art to add to my gold art wall and I just loved this print. Tigers are a powerful symbol of leadership, protection and success. It supports the female head of household and promotes luck and fortune in home and business.

THE SWAN:

Swans symbolize love, grace, beauty, balance and elegance.

Typically, you want to keep swans in pairs to represent soul mates because swans mate for life but you can also keep them in your home to remind you of being your highest self. I think they are just such beautiful animals.

COME ALONG WITH ME MORE ON MY DECORATING JOURNEY….inside my workshop HIGH VIBE HOME.