beautiful words of monique duval

photo: oksena tocickaja via behance

as i promised last week, we’ve done a little hunting for you, and unearthed some seriously great gifts for the women in your life. i personally, will be giving at least a dozen of these out this christmas, so if any of my darling friends are reading this post today, please act surprised if one of these lovely journals finds its way under your tree.

… the selection …

(1) That’s the way it is with DREAMS. They scratch at your door. You see them through the PEEP HOLE: a stray dream looking for a HOME. You think it might go away if you ignore it. Wrong. It’s still there when you open the door, SMILING. Wagging its tail. {monique duval}

(2) She’s turning her life into something SACRED: Each breath, a new BIRTH. Each moment a new CHANCE. She bows her head, gathers her dreams from a pure, deep stream and stretches her arms towards the sky. {monique duval}

(3) Then swing your WINDOW open, the one with the FRESH AIR and good eastern light, and watch for WINGS, edges, new BEGINNINGS. {monique duval}

(4) First it begins inside your HEART. Something moves. Then opens. Then frees itself. And now, you feel a rhythm breaking its long SILENCE. This is going to be GOOD… {monique duval}

(5) “Once you get over the FEAR, then it’s a cinch,” she said. And then she leaped into a mountainous and UNEXPLORED region of her HEART. {monique duval}

(6) She decided to FREE herself, DANCE into the wind, CREATE a new language. And birds fluttered around her, writing “YES” in the sky. {monique duval}

(7) Today I had a conversation with my TRUE SELF. She asked me why I had abandoned her, why I had ignored all her constant ADVICE. And then she reminded me of all the things I had FORGOTTEN. And never once did she say, “I TOLD YOU SO.” {monique duval}

(8) Every FRIDAY NIGHT they go out on the town. They wear their STRAPLESS dresses to show off their tattoos, they fling their everyday cares out the window. They split a BEER at the ice house. Their GRANDCHILDREN wonder what the neighbors think. {monique duval}

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

these spirited journals inspire you to explore, imagine and create. perfect for capturing poetry, stories, novels, everyday musings and creative ideas. these lovely little ditties will be available in both our online and main street shops any day now. if you’d like to reserve a copy or two or three or four, please don’t hesitate to contact the shopkeeper… what an inspired gift for only $5.95 each.

fleeting moments of childhood

another year is quickly coming to a close, and i cannot help but wish i could put the brakes on time. when i think back to my childhood, i remember long drawn-out summers, filled with a perfect symmetry of adventure and idleness. time was on my side and my days were sluggishly delightful. fast forward twenty-plus years, and its getting harder and harder to recall where the time is slipping to. days pass with anxious fervor as i try to squeeze every last drop i can out of what seems like fleeting moments. i push harder and harder to BE EVERYTHING I WANT TO BE, and to DO EVERYTHING I WANT TO DO, as the clock just keeps mocking my attempts. i keep asking myself what magic secret i was privy to as a young girl that i have since lost knowledge of? how do i go back to the days that flowed like slow molasses through my life?

nothing chronicles the passing of time as much as my three children. every night before bed, i smother them with kisses and lean over to whisper in their ear **please, my sweet baby, don’t grow too much tonight** – which is always followed by a chorus of giggles, as if they understand the passage of time doesn’t allow for such humble requests. and so they grow… inch by inch… mile by mile, and the time won’t pause just because i politely ask it too.

when i was a young, naive mother, i thought i would be able to remember every single moment. how could i not, they were each so precious?!? but over time my memories have begun fading into the distance. i desperately try holding onto the chapters in my mind by lingering and drinking each moment in. and yet, truth be told, i feel the moments slipping by right through the crevices. i’m aware of all the time i’ve lost and the moments i will continue to lose as i try to juggle the fullness of my life. so this holiday, the biggest wish on my list, is that i am able to enjoy all the simple joys of the season with these three sweet babies of mine, and that in so doing i am able to make it as magical and memorable as a mother possibly can.

magical holiday decorating

bits and baubles in silver and gold… such a lovely distraction from the to-do lists, the long lines and the other bah-humbugs of the season. i adore a neutral palette anytime of the year, but during the holidays, there is something especially soothing about using tone on tone metallics. one of the most remarkable things about being in a recession is how it makes us all more introspective, even when it comes to our decorating. our pocketbooks may be short on silver and gold, but it’s not impossible to make our homes look stellar this holiday season.
all photos (except sage creek package) were taken by the wonderfully talented chris everard

all it takes is a little thinking outside of the box. at the shop this year, we trimmed our twelve foot christmas tree with etched vintage glassware. so many of us have cabinets filled with china and stemware that has been passed down to us by the beloved people in our lives. now is the time to bring it out and put it to good use. attempt to see things through different eyes to find inspiration this holiday season. just think back to how magical the holidays were when you were a child… <<it’s all the simple things>>… and sometimes it is too easy to lose site of these things as life keeps moving us forward.

it’s okay to swoon

after the turkey settles, we have a little tradition in my family called the “christmas wish list”. but since i’m on a shopkeeper’s salary **well** that means a one wish christmas for me. so i’ve decided these beauties must be shared… i can covet from afar knowing that these treasures just might find their place under some other lucky girl’s christmas tree… you lucky, lucky girl.

… the sources …

(1) stewart & brown |  (2) artlabs |  (3) jayson home & garden |  (4) stewart & brown
(5) yellowfield7 |  (6) jayson home & garden |  (7) chie mahara |  (8) honeytree

what’s on your wishlist this year? if it happens to be a **free $20 sage creek giftcard** then please don’t forget to comment on this or any post between now and december 7th, for an entry in our twelve days of christmas giveaway (see previous post for more details).

the countdown begins

thanksgiving is just a day away, and for some reason it is the day the alarm clock goes off in my head and the hourglass starts its rapid descent (and i’m not talking about my figure here because as santa would tell you, christmas cookies go straight to the tummy). after the “handful” of christmases that i’ve partaken in as an adult, you’d think eventually i’d get the hang of this and start planning my christmas shopping early. but what would be the fun in that? i’d miss out on those last minute cold sweats that come with shopping on christmas eve.

but this year the hourglass is also counting down… <<drumroll please>>… for a magnificent reveal of a beautifully refurbished, completely restyled website for sage creek. i’d like to think of it as my little christmas present to all those who darlings that have to shop from afar. and wouldn’t you know – it should be launching a mere 12 days from now. (should is the operative word)… but should it launch on time… 12 days from now, here’s a very little sneak peak of some of the goodies that just might be available.

and since i’m fairly new at this blogging thing, i’m thinking it’s about time i do a little giveaway. so 12 (yes TWELVE) very special people will get a $20 sage creek giftcard to use either in the shop or on the new website. **fine print: all you have to do to qualify for the giveaway is leave a comment on our blog anytime between now and the day we launch the new & improved sage creek website. and if you refer a friend or two or three, let us know & we’ll enter you all into the drawing. to increase your chances, check back often & comment on any post between now and december 7th. in the next twelve days, we’ll be sharing some really great gift ideas and things to inspire your holiday decorating. on the 12th day of christmas (also known as december 7th & the launch date of our new website) we will do a random drawing for 12 lucky winners.**