Q & A with Gabby Bernstein!

Q and A with Gabrielle Bernstein, Author of May Cause Miracles

Hello dear ones! I would like to introduce you Gabrielle Bernstein, manifestation guru and author of May Cause Miracles. I first learned of Gabby via Marie Forleo and was impressed with her on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday. She's offering a great deal right now which includes getting a FREE group-coaching course  in December on the topic of manifesting. You can attend the live event in NY, on-line or on the phone.  I'll be there virtually! 

Many of you know that I practice manifestation in my own life, and I thought I'd share some insights from Gabby in this interview and video above.  What rings true for me is this- manifestation is a subtle energy and really all you have to do is start seeing yourself where you want to be- which means you have to believe you can have the things you desire. What's important in this process is having the "right" desires, so if you are manifesting for the higher good for you, your family, your community and the universe- you can't go wrong. Enjoy the Q & A!

Q – You are a self-proclaimed manifesting maven. Can you demystify this topic for us?

Gab- We are always manifesting. Each thought we have creates an energy flow within and around our physical being. This energy attracts its likeness. So if you’re thinking, “I suck,” then your energy kinda, well, sucks--and you attract sucky experiences.

The opposite experience occurs when you think high-level thoughts like, “I rock!” When you think and feel, “I rock,” you exude an energy of confidence and in turn attract great experiences into your life. Each thought you have informs your energy, and your energy manifests into your experiences. Your thoughts and energy create your reality.

Q – You talk about manifesting mishaps. Can you tell us more about this.

Gab - Manifestation has become a buzzword lately. Though it’s totally awesome that the Law of Attraction is now trendy, it also can be a bit misleading for folks who are unwilling to do the heavy lifting. If you truly want to use your energetic power to manifest greatness, you must clear all that blocks you from believing in your greatness.

A Course in Miracles teaches that on some level, you’ve asked for everything that happens in your life. Your intentions create your reality. There’s no need to beat yourself up: simply recognizing how your low-level thoughts negatively affect your life is the first powerful step toward changing your experiences. Begin your manifesting process by getting honest about how your low-level thoughts, energy and feelings of disbelief block you from receiving what you desire. Once you get clear about the blocks, you can begin to clean them up to clear space for positive manifestations to occur.

Sweet DIY Gifts for Under $5!

Do you like receiving handmade gifts?

I do! Some of my favorite things are made by friends, each one telling a little story- like a ceramic bird that rests on my fireplace or an embroidered tea towel that I made into a cafe style curtain. Each handmade gift is a little treasure. Sure, making things takes time but adds so much value, not to mention it's often budget friendly~

Maybe it's the cold weather moving in, but I've found myself in a very crafty mood in the last few weeks. It started with a hand sewn patch for a baby blanket, which inspired me to make some new napkins in time for Thanksgiving, which led to an insatiable desire to decoupage!

My plan is to make a variety of yummy sweets and fill these boxes for a little holiday joy-making. I'm always looking for nice containers for gifts of all kinds and decided to try making my own. This way, it's like receiving two gifts since the box itself can be used for other purposes. I also like the fact that you don't have to wrap it, and there's much less waste involved.

For this project, I chose sturdy cardboard boxes with lids and wooden boxes, with a few little wooden purses for children. Both the boxes and the wooden containers cost between $1-$4 a piece at Michaels, although an old hat or cigarette box would be cool to use, too. I purchased sheets of craft paper at Micheals on sale for only 16 cents- making this project very easy on the old pocketbook. Children's art, old maps, wallpaper, and even fabric would work as well. I also incorporated some of my art and my daughter's art into these pieces because the stuff is too precious to throw away, yet we have mounds of it!

These little gems are super easy to make. Just grab your box, glue the paper and use Modge Podge (which you can get at any craft store) and gently brush over the whole thing to complete. A medium container of Modge Podge is about $8, which goes a long way. But, if you want to get super thrifty, you can make your own glue like we did.

This Homemade Glue Recipe is just made of flour, water, sugar and vinegar. There's no chemicals, and you can even eat it (don't recommend it, but OK for small children who tend to want to taste everything!) We used the homemade glue to glue the paper to the box, then used a light layer of Modge Podge over the top to keep it sealed. You can choose glossy or matte finish.

Now we just need to make the cookies- any favorites recipes you'd like to share?
xo- Happy Crafting!

What are you THANKFUL for?

Giving Thanks.
What are you thankful for?
I'm thankful for the power to create my own reality.
I'm thankful for beauty.
I'm thankful for bubble bath.
Tea.
Flowers.
My daughter.
Travel.
Home.
Soul sisters.
YOU.

What are you thankful for?

Photo courtesy of The Sweet Occasion 

Photo by Elle James

Decorate Workshop by Holly Becker

Happy to receive my copy of Decorate Workshop by beloved blogger and stylist Holly Becker! I've written about Holly and her work a lot on this blog because:

1. I love her style and her books. 

2. I've taken a couple of her Blogging Your Way classes and learned so much. 

3. I love her personal story: it inspires me to see how Holly is following her dreams. 

On my shelf

So, you can imagine that when her second book arrived, I was quite excited and couldn't wait to pour a cup of tea and settle in! It's called Decorate Workshop and although it's paper back, it's still quite hefty with over 200 pages of gorgeous photography by Debi Treloar. This book is different from her first book Decorate because it's more of a step by step guide to help you move away from the book and actually pick a project to work on. There are 8 steps to help you get in touch with your creative nature and express yourself. I am very drawn to this concept. I am intrigued with how people decorate their homes and love to explore friends' homes to get a better glimpse of who they are, where they've been and how they choose to express themselves through their decor. Of course it's an ongoing process and by no means does your home "make you who you are," but it certainly is fun to see what people choose to display in their homes and how they represent themselves. People have told me that my home is really "me" and I take that as a compliment since it is my intention to reflect who I am in all aspects of my life, including my nest.

Holly recommends that you use this book as an "interactive workshop" and after having taken her classes and listened to her podcasts, I can really hear her voice as I read. There are spaces in the book to make lists, write down inspirations and jot down ideas in each chapter. Holly encourages the reader to write in the book, which I've never done in any decor book, but I found it was quite fun to write my name in the book and begin a sort of journaling process. 

My favorite sections are the first two- Seek INSPIRATION and Find your PERSONAL STYLE. I like Holly's prompts such as  "List 5 cities that you adore and detail why" or "My favorite places to visit are..." 

Another bonus is that we get to see Holly's home as she explains her creative process with decorating her own personal space. 

 Less is more when it comes to a child's room

Learn how to make a mood board to catalog and guide your inspirations

The patchwork tile floors, dangling lights and vintage cabinet make this
kitchen stand out from the norm.

Go ahead, write in it!

Soothing neutrals

A perfect example of how vintage can look polished and clean,
with just the right amount of texture and nostalgia.

A vintage medicine cabinet in the kitchen adds character

I'm probably on step 3 right now, "Identify your project". Although I've put a lot of time into personalizing my home, I still have grand plans to remodel my kitchen, decorate my office and update all the bedrooms. Yikes, sounds like a lot of work! Yet, Holly's right, your home is always a work in progress, but having a guide like this makes it more fun than work~

Love to My Soul Sisters

I just had to share this sweet invitation because it warms my heart and I would like to encourage anyone out there who is working on their dreams to form a support group of some kind.

It's hard to admit your dreams to yourself, and even harder to share those delicate dreams with others,  BUT if you can find or form a group of like-minded souls who can consistently support and love you through all the drama of real life, then you have a much better chance of actually making your dream become a reality. How do I know? Because I'm living it sista!

I've been on a roller coaster of emotions during this last year and a half and I wouldn't be able to continue this path without some serious encouragement and support. For the past 8 weeks, I've been facilitating a powerful session called Fire Starters with an amazing group of creative women. A few weeks ago, I was out of town and asked a friend to facilitate the group.  While I was gone, my dear group came up with the idea of throwing a party to "help advance Desha's dreams".

My Awesome Fire Starter Soul Sisters

They've planned a lovely party and as you can see from the above invitation, it's going to be a really fun and beautiful event. We'll watch my latest episode of The Desha Show, "Life on Nantucket" and look at my new book proposal, Eclectic LifeSTYLE.

I'm honored and a bit nervous about this whole thing. I haven't shown my book proposal to ANYONE except my agent. In fact, I haven't even said a word about it on this blog... but there you have it, I'm working on a book proposal :)

If you have experience/interest with design, fashion, style, film, social media, SEO, TV... we'd love to see you there. It's Sat, November 17 at 6pm. 

RSVP to Susie:  belleci@yahoo.com 

Thank you to all my dear Fire Starters. You are the BEST!