Let Me Design For You

If you've been thinking about making some changes to your blog — and are interested in working with me to do so — now is when we should make that happen! Right now is the perfect time to redesign and have a completely fresh look just in time for Autumn. I absolutely love having the opportunity to work and design for fellow bloggers and working with you would be a real treat. Let me create a way to give your blog a fresh feel you’ve been wanting. I’ll take those ideas swarming around inside your head to create a site that will be gorgeous, efficient, and completely you. That way you can stop worrying about the appearance of your blog and get back to focusing on what you love. Let's get all your energy back to creating content and posts!

I'm busily working with a few fun clients right now (and I can't wait to share the results with you), but I have two or three spots left for the summer. Grab those spots now because come September Oh Whimsical Me will undergo a change of it's own — moving to a new place under a different name. And with that move, my super awesome summer discount design prizes will go up a bit!

This is a great opportunity to give your blog a major makeover without having to do any of the grunt work. I'll do it all for you, and at a great price! Hurry up and book your spot now and let's get brainstorming together!

Learn more about my design services at a great price on the Design Services page.

xx Emorie

Wanna Tell Me About Yourself?

image via Unsplashed | edited by me
Just a heads up: I talk about depression in the first two paragraphs. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip below to see some questions I have for you!

I said it before, but I'm going to say it again: I've been feeling a little disconnected from my blog lately. There are a lot of changes I want to make to this space but am unable to do so just yet. I'm the type of person who likes to do things completely and to the best of my ability or not at all. This is leaving me feeling pretty stuck with the current state of my blog — which can obviously be quite a creative rut. It gets even more complicated when you top off that sad stack with a nice bout of depression.

I know I've talked about my depression on here before but it's a little more difficult to do so when you are at such a low. I'm not sure why I experience depression severely in the summer, particularly (on average), but it's been getting to the point this time around that I'm considering getting some extra help again. I'm tired of having so many ideas but absolutely no motivation or energy or desire to do them. I want to create again and post again and feel normal feelings again. Above all else, I want to write again. I always thought, "You know, when I'm depressed, at least I can write about that." But I can't write at all. In fact, I've wanted to put this post together all week and am just now finally finding a reason to do so.

I may feel disconnected from this space a bit, but I don't have to be disconnected from my readers and the wonderful community of bloggers I happily call friends. We all are always talking about how great this community this, and for good reason. I feel supported here. I feel comfortable here. I feel inspired here. I share quite a few bits of myself here with you, and I've gotten to know quite a few bits about some of you, too. But I'd love to get to know some of you even more! Especially if you haven't commented before or aren't a blogger yourself.

Jess (Foreign Room) recently shared a post with questions for her readers and I just couldn't get over how wonderful of an idea it was. So I'm here today with some questions for you! Please feel free to answer some or all of the questions.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

+ What are 5 things you are most happy about right now?
+ What's your favorite item in your closet?
+ If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
+ What is something you've learned this week?
+ What should I binge watch on Netflix next?
+ If you could learn to do anything what would it be?
+ Chocolate or Vanilla? Tea or Coffee? Beer or Wine? Fruits or Veggies?
+ What was the best party you've ever been too?
+ Which blogs are your favorite daily reads?
+ If you could be a fictional character for a day who would you choose?
+ What would you usually do if you had 30 minutes of free time?
+ When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Leave me your answers in the comments below! I can't wait to read your answers and talk with you more :)
And let me know if you have any questions for me! I'd love to make a Q&A video.

xx Emorie

Lavender Fields Forever

I get all the awards for going outside when it was 106 degrees, let alone picking lavender in that heat. But I wasn't going to let the extremely uncomfortable temperatures keep me inside this day. Lakeside Lavender farm in Nampa, ID was a place I had been really looking forward to visiting (ever since hearing about the festival they put on every year). And they were only allowing public cuttings for one week. And Sunday was the only day we were able to go. And this was the last year they were going to be doing it (I think the family is moving?).

The heat and sweat was well worth it. It was breathtakingly beautiful out there — with the rows and rows of purple blooms backdropped by golden grass, dense trees, and the pretty blue lake. And boy, I was ready to run through all those fields straight to the lake for a dip after cutting lavender for maybe 30 minutes. But the two giant bundles of fresh lavender I got to take home was reward enough. They had a whole array of different strands of lavender to chose from. I cut a big bundle of the super sweet smelling "provence" and it is now drying out in our bedroom and providing a really pleasant aroma. I also grabbed a great big bundle of a few different culinary strands, which has more of a herby sage-like smell to it. I can't wait to make something delicious. Do you have any favorite lavender recipes? I'll at least make a simple syrup from some to add some lavender to iced coffee! Yum.

It was just so lovely out there guys. I wish I could have fresh lavender in my home year round. But the pretty pictures Will took of me will have to do for memory, I suppose. But I really love all the pictures he took, hence the huge photo dump. Even if I was all sweaty and red in the face, he always captures me so well (I think). Mostly, I'm still shocked that I walked away sunburn free!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OUTFIT DETAILS

+ Top | DownEast (similar, similar)
+ Skirt | It was a hand-me-down
+ Sandals | Target
+ Hat | Target (similar, similar)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I've been very quiet over here, and I'll unfortunately say that things will likely continue to be for awhile. Summer gets me down, guys. And when you're depressed, it takes quite a lot of effort to write up posts. These feelings are only exacerbated by the fact that this blog has me feeling a little stuck. I have been working on a new site/blog, but for reasons that would take far too long to explain (and likely bore you), the plans to move everything to a new location keeps getting pushed back. I'm still sharing on instagram all the time, though, if you want to keep up with me. And I won't neglect this space entirely; just expect something more like 1 or 2 posts a week for now :)

xx Emorie

#happyemorie

Yesterday I uploaded my final #100happydays post, much to my own disbelief. Had it really been 100 days already? Did I really actually completely finish a lengthy instagram challenge I decided to do on a whim? And, most importantly, did some of those rainbows-and-butterflies type of side-effects that were promised actually occur? Yes, yes, and yes. What even.

I decided to try this challenge simply because so many people I follow on instagram were already doing it! I'm a copycat. But also, honestly, because I am someone who battles anxiety and depression. I'm always seeking proactive solutions to make my life better and happier despite those struggles. Knowing that my depression always kicks me hardest in the summer, I wanted a head start to encouraging myself to seek out and create happiness. This was a perfect way for me to do so and to document the daily journey — I'm already taking far more pictures than necessary anyway! And because I like experiments, so why not :)

I wasn't expecting magic by participating in this challenge, but it would be silly to not acknowledge some changes and happy things that occurred over the last 100 days. I've shared, sort of in list format, some of my thoughts below — now that I can reflect on the challenge as a whole.



#HAPPYEMORIE: MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE #100HAPPYDAYS CHALLENGE
+ Posting every single day was SO HARD for me. I'm not the type to share daily on any social media account. But I pushed myself to do it. At first I told myself I was just doing it for documentary purposes. But the more I shared the more I became comfortable with it. I mean... I enjoy scrolling through instagram on a daily basis just to see little glimpses into other peoples' lives, to see beauty from someone else's perspective, to share in other peoples' happiness, and to grasp a bit of inspiration from the everyday of another. I realized I am just as much a part of that community as the people I follow and the people that follow me do so for a reason. I should feel no shame in posting anything. Instant confidence boost!

+ Spoiler alert: I'm not happy every single day. I stopped expecting myself to be. I realized it was okay to be angry or sad or hurt or sick and still have happy moments. For goodness sake, people are not one dimensional. And days and life have many ups and downs. But, it's still okay to pick out the happy moments to share — and it feels really good to, too. Sometimes that just meant lots of pictures of food, because come on yes.

+ I did notice my perspectives switching very early on. It is empowering to be in control of your own happiness. I remember having a really bad interview at the very beginning of this challenge, but not by fault of my own. I remember being upset that I wouldn't get a job at this company, but then consciously deciding to not let it effect me. I suddenly felt grateful that I had the opportunity to find a better job. Did I handle every bad situation this way? No. But, I do feel I am more aware of my reactions to things now. That's always a good thing.

+ Trying to find something to be happy about everyday actually made me happier. And somehow, I started feeling a little more confident in my skin along the way, too. I became happy with myself, I suppose.

+ So much changed over the last 100 days! It is so great to be able to look back through these pictures now and see how much happiness I experienced through all that change! We had just moved when I started this challenge, now my apartment feels like home. Spring was rainy and lovely and I spent all my time outside. Will and I celebrating 3 years together. I got a DSLR and have been spending time improving my photography. I got a job at Anthropologie. I got the courage to chop all my hair off again. I've started a bunch projects I never seemed to have time for before. I've started to really take my health seriously. And I'm feeling really happy.

See all of the images from my #100happydays challenge up close by looking up #happyemorie an instagram.
Did any of you complete this challenge?
xx Emorie


Want to read more about making happiness a priority? Read my post about Practicing Self-Care.