A Peaceful Home in a Crazy World
- Dakini Trading
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Greetings from a rainy Sunday in May. I have been a bad blogger I must confess - best laid plans have been knocked into a cocked hat by the goings-on in the world around us. It's difficult to channel my thoughts towards ways to create a tranquil home when friends and relatives are moving away because they don't feel safe here, are putting off travel because they aren't sure that if they go, they'll be able to return, and too much more.
Of course, these are circumstances under which having a peaceful home is more important than ever. We desperately need someplace where we DO feel safe, where we can retreat and recharge - even if going back out to fight another battle is the last thing we want to spend our time on.
It also occurred to me that curating a safe, pleasant, unique environment is in a sense its own form of resistance. Does everyone else have grey walls and white woodwork (what I refer to as the Grey Plague)? Paint yours plum with black trim, or gold with royal blue. Whatever suits your style and feels like its truly YOU. That way, when you wake up in the morning and come home at night, you can look around and see that this is a place where you belong.
If you follow this blog, you know that I moved to a house of our own last summer - almost a year ago already! When I write it out like that, it seems so long, and yet we’re still in the process of settling in. There’s hardly any art on the walls, some furniture is still in storage, etc. But I’ve made some progress: most of my collection of Golden Fantasy elves now live atop a bookcase in my room, and my crafting workspace, far too messy right now for photos, is fairly functional. It’s not all the way there, but it does feel like Home, and that’s so important.
Various touches have helped create that feeling. I put down an old oriental rug in my office, and another that belonged to my parents over the wall-to-wall in my bedroom. I took down the swing-arm lamp left by the previous owner - I still have to spackle over the mounting holes and eventually paint, but it’s nice to have it out of the way. I hung a midcentury framed seashell mosaic above my bed and tacked a pair of costume butterfly wings up behind the mirror on my dresser. When I come home at the end of the day or settle in at night, I feel very much in my own space, very grounded. It’s a place where I can easily recharge before taking on the next day’s tasks.
I wrote last time about the benefits of houseplants for your health and well-being. I want to amend that to include outdoor plantings. So far, most of my gardening escapades have involved loosening soil almost a foot deep and yanking out the three foot tall thistles that have invaded the back bed by the roots (a task that definitely requires gardening gloves).
But this past weekend, I stopped by a plant sale held by the horticulture program of our local public school system. I was able to put together a mixed flat of petunias and polkadot plants for a very reasonable price. They’re not all in the ground yet, but the beds on either side of my rather wild rosebush have been planted; the bed beside the front porch, well, as soon as I can get to it.
I mentioned my messy workroom; it’s that way because I will once again be attending Bringing In The May in Berkeley Springs this coming weekend and I've been busy making things. I had to skip it last year as it was too close to our moving date, so I’m really looking forward to heading back. I’ve been creating some new pieces - I’ve wanted to try these floral arrangements for a while and I’m really happy with how they turned out.
But I think my show-stopper piece will be these little Baba Yaga huts. Aren’t they just too stinking cute?! Of course anything left after the fest will go up in the shop, but I suspect I may not have any of these to bring home. I do have supplies on hand to make a few more, however, so please do swing by my Dakini Handcrafts shop in a few weeks and see what’s on offer.
I was just about to finish this post when an email came in telling me I sold another mug from Dakini Designs. Print on demand items are a fairly saturated market on Etsy, so it’s always extra nice when one of my design items sells. You know what else is nice? When people like you stop by to browse and maybe favorite an item or two! Every visit helps boost the shop for Etsy’s algorithm (remember when none of us knew that word?) which in turn makes the shop more visible to all Etsy shoppers. And of course if you see something you like in any of my three shops, you could totally make my day by making a purchase.
It looks like the rain has let up a little, so I’ll take that as a sign I should wrap this up for now. Next month - I swear I’ll try harder to stick to a schedule! - I should have a bunch of new goodies to post in my main shop, as I’ll be making a thrift shop tour on my way back home. Many of the items I found the last time I did this have already gone on to new homes; maybe this time I’ll find something that’s perfect for you. So until next time, I leave you in perfect love and faerie dust. Ta lovies!
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