Recently I have been really getting into watching Ted talk videos while working. They tend to help my mind wonder and stimulate new thoughts that spur creativity. The other day I stumbled upon a pretty old Ted talk video by the auther of Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert. In this video She talks about creativity and how as creatives we can feel the pressure to create something out of the ordinary all the time, when in reality this may not be in our power. This got me thinking. As creatives we are so fast to take credit and pride in our work, but I don’t think we are the only ones contributing. Creativity is a gift and I know I am guilty for taking credit for this gift way too often. I believe that every creative product began as a thought given as a gift from somewhere beyond us. I know it is a strange thought, but as creative people we must stop thinking all our work is our own and start humbling ourselves to become aware that our creator is the true creative. I think Instagram maybe the best example of this. The photo’s we love to see and fill our feed are photo’s of those who explore nature. We love to see the green hills, beautiful water falls, animals or even people. Those are all things beyond us. Yes it is our phone and our eye catching the right angle, but really it is that huge green hill or water falling so perfectly in front of those rocks that is really collecting those likes. Or lets take a second to talk about golden hour or natural lighting. Both beautiful things we have no control over, yet we know both are key ingredients to breath taking photos.

Please do not get me wrong I do believe we should be proud in the art we create and we should believe in the talents we have been interested with, but we also must give credit where credit is due. For me this was a humbling thought. Creativity is a gift. I get to create things daily for people and that means I get to be inspired and collaborate with the real creator everyday. It is all a gift and today I am choosing to be thankful and allow myself to enter into work with joy.

I love having vintage books throughout the home! It takes me back to my Oma’s (Grandma in Dutch) home when I was younger. She always had the neatest books on her coffee table and I found myself sitting and looking through the old pages for hours. Now if ever I spot them at thrift shops, I’m sure to grab a few.

Of course, it depends on the covers. I tend to go for certain colors and patterns. A while ago, my husband and I found a few Reader’s Digest books from the 70′s. We fell in love with the look of the books and decided to bring them home with us to decorate our shelves!

The thing about vintage books is you can have so much fun with them. If you wanted, you could color coordinate them on your shelf to have them stand out. You can even transform them into shelves themselves, which I’ve seen here before! It’s pretty fun. A while ago, I reused a vintage book and created a fun book mobile for our little nook. It was so fun and easy!

Sometime, it’s just nice to have a small collection to add to your home decor. I have them dispersed in almost every room and love it when family or friends come over and notice them. They always love to flip through the pages and look at the old pictures or read the short stories. I know it sounds weird, but I even love the smell of old pages! If you ever spot a fun looking vintage book, pick it up and see if it might interest you next time you’re out thrifting!

XOXO, Lidy