Nov 21, 2017 | Life
As I shared at the beginning of last year, a Gratitude Journal is a wonderful way to be mindful of things to be thankful for – to boost mood and increase happiness – and to stay aware of all of the things in life to be thankful for, despite things not always going our way. Sometimes by the time the day of holiday celebration rolls around we can be completely exhausted from the big flurry of activity getting ready for the occasion – and it can be hard not to lose sight of why we did it all in the first place.
So for this time – and all going forward – I’m proposing a break from the rush of activity and creative exhaustion – to just try to savor and appreciate the moment more, and not push ourselves too hard. To bring gratitude back, and do away with forcing perfect. The holidays particularly are a wonderful time to begin this tradition for your family, friends, and loved ones – and even yourself to gain some peace of mind! Here a few ideas for creating your own tradition for giving thanks:
5 Easy Ways to Create a Holiday Tradition of Giving Thanks
- Use a beautiful journal, diary, or notebook (try this sequin guestbook one for a super high-end look – or this gold foiled notebook set for chic and simple) and have guests at your special occasion write one thing they are thankful for. Add to it every year, and read previous year’s entries aloud to the new guests.
- Have each guest write what they are most thankful for on a slip of paper and drop into a vase in the center of the table. Go around the table and have each person pull a slip of paper out and read it aloud.
- Have each guest write what they are most thankful on the back of someone else’s place card – when your guests sit at the table they will find a secret snippet of gratitude on the underside of their place cards.
- Having kids at your celebration? Have them each draw or write things they are thankful for onto paper placemats you use for both the kids – and the adults! – at the meal.
- Before the meal join hands and have each person share something they are grateful about regarding one of the other guests there as a heartwarming start to the celebration.
Do you have any holiday traditions around which you emphasize giving thanks? Please share!
xo
Carly
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Jan 4, 2017 | Life, Media
Hi friends, I couldn’t resist a bit of shameless self-promotion and let you know that I’m going to be a guest on KATU’s Afternoon Live show with Tra-Renee, this Thursday.
Apparently the show is live (*gulp*) where I’ll be sharing closet organization tips for the New Year – plus 2 fun DIY’s (if there’s time) to give your closet storage and display areas a makeover.
As far as I know the show only airs in Oregon and isn’t syndicated nationally, but if you’re in Oregon you can watch it on channel 2 (or 16, depending on your cable provider). If you aren’t in Oregon or don’t have cable it seems you can catch it live here:
Watch on Thursday, January 5 from 3PM-4PM PST for my 6-minute segment with Tra-Renee and get tips for a chic closet for 2017!
xo
Carly
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Jan 1, 2017 | Courses & eBooks, Life
Hello friends…and hellloooo 2017! I’m excited for this New Year and what it brings. How about you?
As I announced on New Year’s Eve…this year will bring a lot of changes to Chic Steals. One new thing I’m trying is to share content in different ways: like email, direct to my subscribers. This allows for a much more personalized approach, which I’m excited about. (You may have noticed a new popup on this website prompting you to signup!)
The first email:
10 Days to Kickstart Your Creativity Email Newsletter
Ever wanted a creative boost to start off the month with a bang? Sign up for 10 Days to Kickstart Your Creativity – a free daily email jam-packed with helpful tips and tricks to get your brain revved and ready for new ideas.
Part science, part pop culture, part inspiration – with daily to-dos and prompts that will get you excited about tapping into your more creative self.
Even if you think “I’m not creative at all!” – or if you feel you’ve hit a roadblock and need a mental refresh – 10 Days to Kickstart Your Creativity will start your month off right and reset past burnout to get those neurons firing again.
I’ve been blogging at Chic Steals for 9 years now, sharing creative DIY tutorials for accessories, jewelry, apparel, and home. I’ve always felt I was a creative person, and the blog became an outlet to share that with the world, in the form of advice, how-to’s, and ideas. I’ve spoken at events and conferences about creativity, guest-lectured, and coached clients to train themselves to become more creative. And now I’m sharing that expertise with you.
What many people may not know is that creativity is something that can be trained. Though people may think that certain people are just born creative, in fact, the ability to find connections between seemingly unrelated things, make mental leaps, and create things which did not exist before can be cultivated, honed, and exploded. I won’t lie, it does take work and effort, but results can be astounding. Just by attempting to make new habits, pattern disrupt, and opening your mind to possibilities you begin to reset ingrained ways of thinking and expand your capabilities.
This is a 10-day series of emails expressly designed to fire up those creative neurons, reframe your thinking, and supercharge your creative skills. I hope you will join me so I can share many of the tips and tricks I’ve learned with you!
It’s totally free; no obligation. Emails begin January 15, for the next 10 days. If you’re a regular subscriber to the RSS feed – you won’t be getting this exclusive series, unless you sign up below:
Edit 1/15: Registration for 10 Days to Kickstart Your Creativity is now closed. I’ll be opening it up again in the future, so please check back!
Hope to see you there!
xo
Carly
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Dec 31, 2016 | Life
Hello, dear readers!
It has been awhile since I posted, and I wanted to say hi and bring all of you an update.
As many of you know, I’d taken some time off blogging since July of this year…and going from 5-6 posts a week to 0, taking a huge step back from the blog, and reassessing turned into a 5-month silence here. (Except for a few posts I was required to make as part of partnership agreements 😉
Ive never taken so long to contemplate a new move. Perhaps with all the massive changes that have happened in my life since 2013, I was reluctant to change the last thing that remained from my past.
I’ve been blogging at Chic Steals for almost 9 years – it’ll be a full 9 next month.
9 years is a long time.
During that time I’ve changed immensely. Almost everything from my old life has been stripped away and rebuilt from the ground up. The past 3 years have brought into focus what my values are, and how I want to live them.
By the middle of this past Summer, I’d come to the realization that everything about my blog, from the content I shared to the look and feel to its mission, even to the name of it – didn’t align with the person I was anymore.
And so for 5 months I’ve struggled with what to do. I realized I had to make a decision: remake my blog into something that I aligned with who I am and how I want to connect with people – or STOP it and shut it down entirely. So for months I’ve gone back and forth, trying to decide.
I decided that blogging was still a part of my identity, and that I couldn’t give it up. I decided that I valued my readers and audience too much to just shut everything down and say goodbye. I decided that it was time to grow or get out.
So I am.
I’m going through a full overhaul of this blog, and a full rebrand. And a new name. And a new website. New content, slightly shifted focus.
I can no longer compete with blogs that are churning out 6 posts a week, DIY after beautifully-photographed DIY. There is so much amazing content out there, I can’t compete by being a content machine.
I’d rather compete on quality, on uniqueness – not hopping blindly on every fashion trend, not churning out tutorial after tutorial, not advocating unending consumption, but staying true to oneself and focusing on the less is more approach. Putting one’s personal stamp on one’s entire life, and molding what is around us to our own tastes. Living frugally but fully; celebrating design, ideas, and creativity. And sharing this with all of you.
You’ll see changes happening here over the next couple months.
So goodbye 2016 – a year of debilitating lows for me…and slowly gathering highs. Not quite there yet – but I also hope that 2017 will surpass this year in every way!
I hope you’ll stick around for the ride 🙂
xo
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Jul 6, 2016 | Life
Hi friends,
If you guys hadn’t noticed already…I’ve stopped posting temporarily. Things got very busy with my day job, and I’ve entered a period of re-evaluating what value this blog can provide to everyone.
A great number of my original reasons for beginning this blog 8.5 years ago have now changed, and I’ve begun a transition to a new phase of my life. What this means is I am still trying to determine the best content that I can provide, and what would be the best format. How to best serve all of you.
I just needed a bit of a break to figure out what’s on the road ahead for all of us.
Thanks for your understanding as we enter into the next phase. 🙂
xo
Carly
Photo taken of the open road in the Frenchglen/Steens Mountain area, Oregon.
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Jun 20, 2016 | Life
Learn from yesterday
Live for today
Hope for tomorrow
-Albert Einstein
This is one of my favorite quotes by Einstein, who also finished the above with “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
Hear, hear!
xo
Carly
“
Hear, hear!
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