simple joy + a nesting secret + giveaway

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I'm adding a couple of new regular blog features. The first was my "Just for fun" - and those comments are still cracking me up. 

Today I'm introducing Simple Joy. I'm a serious nester! I love decorating, piddling, and filling my house and heart with simple joy. I thought it might be fun to share some ideas on the blog!

For example, I love my house. It's a small, but it's big on simple and joyful things. One of the most special things for me is my bird secret. I have at least one bird in every room of the house. It's intentional and lots of fun for me.

In my bedroom, I have three bird jewelry holders. I love the way the sun hits them in the morning.

I also have these awesome birds hanging from the door knobs in the hall.

Sometimes the birds are barely noticeable. The only bird in my kitchen is the tiny one in this collage.

We have a Pecky Cypress study and there are 20 of these birds hanging on the wall. It's too dark in there to get a good shot, so I had Ellen and her friend hold them for me!

I'm expecting this flock later this week!

I'd love to share. Leave a comment telling us about a simple joy in your house and I'll send a bird to a lucky winner!

Comments

[Ali]

I heart you - I got those little birds last week :).

[Lynne]

I too live in a very simple little house -- a small cape cod that I share with my 3 beloved dogs. Over the years, I have intentionally worked to include bits of dog-related art/memorabilia in each room... whether it's my bronze golden retriever bookeneds, the needlepointed pillows on my couch in the family room (one says "Sit!" and one says, "Stay!"), or old wooden typesetting letters that spell "WOOF!", I have little things all over the house that are a tribute to my love for these amazing beings.

I love your bird collection! As the owner of an interior design business called "nesting instincts" I should absolutely consider expanding my species scope! :-)

[Deb]

One of my simple joys is that I have golden retrievers and besides the living ones, I have collected hunting dog statues for years. Preferably made of iron but also have some ceramic types .
A simple joy I have coming up is I also collect Santa/ St. Nick's. I like wood ones best but have them made of about everything!

[Catherine Just]

I love your birds!

I too live in a small - cozy home. I try to fill it with things that make my heart sing.
Right now I have "prayer flags" that I made with all of my wildest dreams printed on each one and hanging out front on the porch waving in the wind. Everytime the breeze catches the prayer flags I am reminded that the universe is taking care of all of my dreams and lifting them up and carrying them for me so I don't have to stress out!

I forget the part about not to stressing out - but the prayer flags do make my day!

[The Other Laura]

I borrowed my simple joy idea from you. I now have permanent twinkle lights lining the ceiling of my tiny studio. I love writing in their glow!

[Cameron]

We lived in Italy for 3.5 years while my husband was in the Air Force. Now that he's out and we had to move back, I fill our home with things that remind me of Italy... whether it's framed photos I took there, or the colors we painted our dining room (and want to paint the rest of the house!), or pottery that I brought back with us, I love all my touches of "our other home," which is how we'll always think of Italy!

I love your birds, by the way! :)

[Mel]

My simple joy are my dragonflies. Like your birds, Brene', I have them all over the house. Some are very subtle and some are whimsical and "out loud." The dragonfly has been my totem for years, and its symbolism of transformation helps me during challenging times.

Thanks for all you continue to do to help others live simply and with joy,
Mel

[karen]

mine is a little sign that sits on my art table, courtesy of Jen Lemen. It always makes me happy to see it: http://www.karenika.com/individual/daily_photos_september_1_2009.html

[Samosas For One]

I think my simple joys revolve around color or food in my apartment. I'll pick color. I have this piece of art drawn and painted by a doctor friend I went to college with. I was thrilled when I heard she was finally selling her art. You can see her work here and on Etsy. http://sites.google.com/site/artbysaira/ The print I have is full of rich colors and connects me to my Indian culture and adds unique beauty to the place I love. I love it!

[Elizabeth Harper]

Since meeting and marrying my darling Englishman earlier this year, I also moved from Atlanta Georgia to his home in Cornwall which he has worked hard to make to feel like my home as well.

My daughter, now an independent 22 year old can't waltz though my space so easily anymore as she lives in America. Some days I miss her terribly, so when my things arrived a few months again I found a way to ease the feeling a bit.

I put something in every room (except, what I think of as his bathroom) that reminds me of her. I've never told anyone before now and I probably won't tell either of them, but I know it and now you know it too.

[halo]

I totally understand the bird love-- me too! I have them secreted away all around my home as well-- from a feathered chap tucked into the branches of an indoor tree to a pretty yellow carved beauty perched on a little stack of vintage tins to a jolly fat sparrow atop a row of books, and even a whole flock of lovelies in their own little fairy light-laced haven. there's just something about birds that makes me happy, and they are most definitely one of my favourite simple joys. :)

[Nancy Curtis]

I am a nester as well. I love to decorate and put my personality in every room. I have collected birdhouses through the years and I they decorate my great room and dining room. I love your collection of birds that you just bought, where did you find them? I gravitate toward things that are of nature...that gives me peace and makes my house feel like a home.

[Abbie]

I LOVE quotations and have quotation magnets on my fridge (from quotable cards)--my favorite one is "avoid making irrevocable decisions when tired or hungry" (such a good reminder!)

[Sherri S]

I've been following your blog for sometime. Love your writing btw. Simple Joys in our home are comfy throw blankets. We don't sit on the couch without one, even in the summer at times! And all the things we have fun making over ourselves. My teen daughter is even getting into making over something old to decorate her room and begged for an old window frame to hang on her wall. This year we've included lots of nature around the house. Using the outdoors to decorate in. Pinecones are scattered on the mantel and we will be making them into ornaments for our tree. I love your birds and have some here and there in our home as well.

[Susan Hessler]

I have enlargements of joyous photos of my children in my living room and upstairs - they make me smile everytime I see them. One is of Nathaniel jumping into the pool about three years ago - he is about four and jumping in with complete joyous abandon. Love it, love it, love it.

[janet]

I love beauty, and I love surrounding myself with beauty. The most precious material belongings I own are quilts. Looking at them (pretty much in every room) brings me joy! I love the making of them, I love the tactile feel of them, I love the colors and the spark they offer. I just plain old love quilts! Thanks Brene'.

[Jordan]

My simple joy is my bedside table with my very special glassybabies (2), a japanese sushi dish with some of my sea glass and perfectly imperfect stones and usually a stack of books and my journal. It is my calming place before I slumber.

[Joan]

My simple JOY is my Kitchen Aid mixer. I got it when I was in 9th grade for my birthday (which was like 35 years ago). I wanted it so badly and it was a pretty darn expensive gift for my parents to buy me. It is white. They only came in white back then. Today, I would probably get a pink or orange one! I love my Kitchen Aid! Baking is truly my JOY. The mixer brings me joy and provides me with so many wonderful & happy memories!
Blessings to all this holiday season. Joan

[Lisa Mann]

My little joys are old family photos, most of my mother's and grandmother's generations. A lot are baby photos, some going back to the turn of the century. These pictures helps me remember to find joy in each day because time passes so quickly, and they help me not sweat the small stuff. My most recent little joy is also family related. It is a little sign that reads, "I have not been the same since that house fell on my sister." :)

[Chani]

My simple joy is my bookshelf. Filled with books, anything to satisfy me at any given time. There are so many topics, so many stories. It is a very simple - but huge - joy!

Love the birds! :)


~*

[Sarah]

Even though my fiance and I moved into our home over a year ago, the decorating and filling it with furniture is barely even begun. We're on a tight budget while I finish school - so we have the essentials, and not much else.

The joy in my home is imagining where all my furniture and decor is going to go when I get it. I love picturing the pieces I've seen in catalogs in every nook and cranny of my home. I'm supposedly getting my bedroom set for Christmas this year!

[Auntly H]

My best friend, her husband, and their daughter (my nearly 3-yr-old niecely) are moving to NV from MN. MoD and FiG had planted a little sprout and they decided to give it to me so a little bit of them would stay here with me. When they put their house on the market, their realtor said "no dead or dying plants!" The little plant was deemed not pretty enough to sell a house so I got it early. Now, I greet it just like they did, "good morning, Plant," every day and will continue to think of them each day when I greet their plant.

Thank you for reminding me to pay attention and share my simple joy.

[Stephanie]

My Simple Joy is photos of my friends and me throughout the house. We just moved to Wisconsin from Colorado, and I miss them so. I just LOVE to walk into a room and see them smiling at me, even if it IS just from a photo. True friendship is a blessing, and my life is overflowing with it. Every day I'm thankful for the love and support that these women give to me, even if it's from far away.

[ScrappeeDiane]

I love decorations in my house that make me smile and remember the good times. I have several photos through out the house that were taken on trips and I am instantly transported back in time when stop to have a visit. I also have several fun hats that my friends have decorated at scrapbooking retreats that I have hosted as a souvenir for me. I have these pinned up on the walls in my office. They often bring a smile to my face.

Have a great day :o)

[Carol]

My simple joy is when my little granddaughter runs through my front door saying 'Dietah' - she doesn't expect anything except love, time and giggles!

[Pamela]

I love your birds! Like Chani above, my simple joys are my books. There's always a new adventure waiting inside the pages and you just never know where you might run across one in my house. It's always a pleasant surprise!

[Marie]

My simple joy is having my son take me away from dinner prep to snuggle in the cozy chair -- I love that he's identified the chair as an important place to sit and snuggle each day. Tonight he asked me to set the knife down (I was chopping beets) and snuggle. I asked him to wait a second, and he grabbed my free hand to help lead the way. That is the best -- a snuggly chair and a preschooler who knows it's important to stop and snuggle. Makes my heart sing!

[krista]

the simple joy in my house?

http://giveortakeathousand.blogspot.com/2009/11/dsc2625-by-kml517-on-flickr.html

.....people!

*notice the bracelet, look familiar? ;)

[Susan Chavira]

I too love my little home! It is smaller than any of Lauren's friends, but we call it our girlie home. My simple joys are all my fun picture frames filled with fun times shared with family and friends. Lauren and I change them several times a year and it is always fun to look at the ones behind each time we change a picture.
We love our simple, cozy, funky girlie house...what is the most simple joy is the love shared between a mother and a daughter.
Thanks for always having a perfect blog!
Speaking of Nesting, I am reading, Feathers from my Nest by Beth Moore. Facing the empty nest is so tough for me.
S

[Tatjana]

My simple joy is the artful flowers my daughter makes and adds all over the house, mostly in the potted plants.

[B.]

My best room in my house is my small home office. It has tall book shelves filled with books I have enjoyed and many many many pictures of loved ones, family members from past and present. I feel surrounded by them when I sit at my desk and work. On the other side is an old quilt made by my great-grandmother long before I was born. In this room, I feel cherished and beloved. Joy!

[MaryElizabeth]

I live in a small, old frame house. Instead of central air, we have window a/c units and space heaters. One of my favorite simple joys is getting up on a cold, crisp morning, lighting the heater in my chilled living room and standing next to it, holding my shirt out to capture the heat as it rises.

[Heather]

Earlier this year I was taking myself out for weekly "Artist Dates" as recommended in 'The Artist's Way.' On one of my Artist Dates, I went to a quaint little shop in Minneapolis called Rick Rack (www.rickrackliving.com) where I found an adorable votive candle holder that's simply a small glass adorned with pretty pink paper. I love the way light flickers through the translucent paper; this simple votive holder has brought me joy and warms my heart.

[Amanda]

my simple joy in my home is sitting on the couch with my fiancee cuddling after a lovely homemade meal!

[nicole]

my simple joys are little mementos of memories i've collected from places i've traveled--a whimsical ceramic rooster from portugal, small hand-painted boxes, art books, and my favorite was collected from my rabbi during high holidays two years ago (a quote penned on a ratty piece of post-it paper that says "naughty or nice" across the top, and taped in my tiny bathroom to see every day): "whenever boastful and full of pride, remember you were made from dust and to dust you will return. whenever depressed and lonely, and you have lost your will, remember you were made in God's image." it reminds me that i'm human, and some days will be so awesome i might forget, and some days will suck so bad, i will want to forget. and what adds the finishing touch to the post-it are the 2 dora the explorer stickers added on by my favorite 4-year-old! :)

[Cindy]

The simple joys in my home are my quilts. I am a quilter and find great release in just sewing the pieces of fabric together and creating my quilts. When I am sewing it is like meditation. I love it!

[megbrothers]

my simple joy in my home are throw pillows. i love to decorate and re-decorate and i have learned to sew pillow covers so that i can change my couch and bed pillows frequently. and i love the birds on my couch pillows made from this fabric:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FwzAXCQATU4/Sk_AVA5xChI/AAAAAAAAIvM/kw23uc89_04/sketchbook%5B8%5D.jpg

[Deirdre]

Love this question.

One of the things that made us fall in love with our little house was the cedar columns...instead of a wall for support, the builder used three unfinished cedar trees and we've left them like that. I love that when you come in, it feels like a bit of the outside came in with you.

And one of the tree columns has a knotty hole in it, in which my kids and I like to leave little surprises, ala Boo Radley. More than once, I've found a little bird in there made by them:-)

[Nadia]

our simple joy is the number 3. we are three strong, three in unity, forever and ever. we have several different representations of the number three in each room of our house. it started out as a picture we took on the beach of all of our feet in a circle. I had this blown up and printed on canvas. it sort of just bloomed from there. we just had tattoos done and the number three is incorporated in the design. love it! love your birds too! ciao!

[Mani]

Owls. :-) Owls are spiritually significant to me, plus, they are just so darn cute! I have owls scattered about my home, and they give me great pleasure every single day.

[Susan aka Rosey]

Cows! For almost 20 years I've 'herded' a collection - some tiny, some artsy, some antique and even useful (cream pitchers). They're everywhere in my home but in subtle display. One example is a photo of cows lined up at a field fence - a friend took in New Hampshire years ago and gifted to me. My husband built a frame to give the illusion of looking out the barn door to the herd! In my kitchen hangs a small cow shaped chalkboard where I've written the following quote by Ogden Nash: "The cow is of the bovine ilk, One end is moo the other milk" :)

[Jodi]

My secret joy... and this is really a secret is my sewing machine. I don't typically like clutter in the house. I don't often leave things out. But I put my sewing machine out this weekend so that I could start working on Christmas projects. It just sits, on a 4 foot folding table. Already a mess. And I love it. Having it out means that there is the possibility of creating something. Something lovely. Something for someone else to love. It doesn't mean perfection. It doesn't mean orderly. It isn't about getting from one meeting or sports function to the next. It very simply means possibility.

[Pattie]

i love my stash of rubber stamps, paint, paper, ribbon, fibers, fabric....all my creativity supplies. Just seeing them makes me happy. I also love a tiny handmade piece of pottery i bought on etsy....it is stamped with a little sock monkey and the word 'play.'

[Brenda Smoak]

Oooh, my simple joy is sage-ing my home every morning and sprinkling aromatherapy oils to start the day. I live in a unique place called the Village of Arts and we have out art studios/galleries in our homes. My living room, dining room and porch are overflowing with beautiful artwork from 25 artists. Each morning I wake and have coffee surrounded by all of this wonderful artwork. After coffee, I sage the house and start my day. Love it and love your flock! Thanks for asking for our input!
peace...
Brenda

[Alex]

Oooh! I ditto the dragonfly joy. But my simple joy is beach-combing. Yesterday, my 3 year old and I found lots of tiny dried starfish on the beach. Usually I collect sea glass or sea pottery. I live in Japan and the beach has lots of sanded down shards of blue and white pottery. I collect everything in a big jar which sits on my kitchen counter.

The starfish will make tiny Christmas ornaments to go on our tree.

[Bonnie]

I too am a collector and one of my collections that brings me simple joy is my Dia de los Muertos figures. I love how silly they are - skeleton brides and grooms, Frida Khalos, Elvis, the Beatles, fancy ladies, devils with "horns", dogs, cats, birds, nuns (with their habits cut to show their bums). Silly and serious mixed together! I have a large paper mache skeldton that sits on a chair in our front hall and has a martini and a cigarette next to him. Sometimes he wears a seasonal sort of hat...

FYI - we made Hope Notes for a female soldier in Iraq yesterday at Book Club. The girls outdid themselves! Thanks for introducing this!

[Bonnie]

Forgot to add that the girls discussed their "savvys" yesterday. Some of them had a hard time sharing what they are best at - so we also discussed why it's easier to talk about our "faults" than it is to talk about our "gifts".

[Kathy]

I loved seeing your Simple Joys, Brene', and I really loved reading everyone else's Simple Joys.

(I need to declutter my living space so that I can enjoy many of my Simple Joys.) But I have to say that I always find Simple Joy working in my yard. There is always something new popping up to surprise me, or something that I placed or planted and forgotten will appear. I love spending time in my garden.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

[Aubien]

We are moving to our new home the day after Thanksgiving. My simple joy is that we will be able to spend this Christmas in our new home. I am looking forward to getting out all of our sentimentals that have been boxed for over a year and displaying them throughout our new home. I'm looking forward to having our ornaments on our tree this year...last year we bought generic because we were showing our house and didn't want our lovies on display for strangers. I can hardly imagine the joy of being in my own space with privacy again...aaah.

[Anna]

Penguins...everywhere in different materials and sizes....I love that them. Everyone knows I collect penguins so I have clothing, mouse pads, boxes, cards everywhere. I have a photo that a friend took of a real penguin in my son's room.