Welcome to Books, Tattoos, and Coffee:
A Blog for people who are tired of trying to keep up with social media expectations. Grab Your Cup and Sit a Spell!
Find Joy!
My name is Liz, and I have A LOT of interests. Chief among these are reading, writing, thrifting, quilting, cooking, and running. I also redo furniture here and there, play the violin horribly, and garden on occasion. Because my interests are so varied it's hard to brand myself and to be honest I don't really want to. I find social media expectations to be exhausting and consumerism to be distasteful. If a book or product is good I will recommend it to friends, but I'm not a hype girl. If I find a pair of shoes is comfy or a kitchen gadget is useful I will pass the word along, but I don't design my wardrobe or decorate my home based on the latest fashion trends. If it's comfy I wear it. If it's useful I buy it, and if it makes me smile I incorporate it into my home décor. I call this style of living Collector Eclectic.
What is the Collector Eclectic Lifestyle?
The Collector Eclectic Lifestyle is about surrounding yourself with the things that bring you joy. From the set of dishes you use every day to the people you associate with on the regular, the things you surround yourself with should make you feel warm inside. Simply put, if it brings a smile to your face you should surround yourself with it regardless of the opinions of others. This can be hard to do with the constant social media presence that surrounds us all on a daily basis. You can make it easier on yourself by adjusting the content of your social media feeds to promote your better mental health.
Curating Your Social Media...
Living in a world where you are constantly bombarded with images and advice from social media can be mentally exhausting. It can also leave you feeling inadequate and quite often depressed because these sites often promote a lifestyle that is not obtainable for most of us. Thus, simplifying your social media consumption can go a long way toward promoting a healthier lifestyle overall. Think of your life as art and your social media feeds as your art galleries. Pick what images and stories you want to fill your head with and leave the rest to others who have more time and energy to waste on sweating the small stuff.
Curating Your Life:
Curating your life isn't just about carefully choosing the things that you wish to see on your social media feeds every day. It is also about compartmentalizing your social media feeds so that you can clear away the mental clutter and decide for yourself what things bring you joy. For me, this means having an anonymous Tumblr that acts as a creative outlet for my wild sense of humor, a Facebook for friends and family to enjoy, and an Instagram where I can inspire and be inspired by creative endeavors such as cooking, quilting, and furniture DIYs.
Living the Collector Eclectic Lifestyle:
Once you have cleared away the mental and social media clutter and have begun to recognize the things that bring you joy it is time to start enjoying them. This enjoyment can come in many different forms. For instance, anyone who has visited my Instagram page knows that I love to collect Currier and Ives dishes and copper molds. I only buy the molds that appeal to me though, and I have a set price in my head that I am willing to pay for each because anything over that price has diminishing returns for my level of joy. Brace yourself...I also eat off of my Currier and Ives dishes. Yes, I eat off of them instead of stuffing them away in a cabinet somewhere because they remind me of dinners at my grandmother's house as a child and those memories (along with my dishes) bring me joy.
Seek Joy!
It is my hope to use this blog as both a creative space for myself and a way to inspire others to chase joy in their everyday lives. I plan to share my favorite recipes, design tips, lifestyle advice, craft projects, and product information with all of you on a weekly basis. If you want to keep up with my day-to-day antics you can also visit me on Instagram by clicking any of the pictures in this post. Come on over there to see more great pics of my Boston Terrier Grace Slick and her furry band of brothers. I also have a YouTube channel (in case you happen across it) but I don't maintain it right now. Perhaps if I ever get into video production and editing in a meaningful way that might become a thing again. Until next week then I am sending you light and love. Seek Joy!!
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