The STUFF Sisters
S. Sloane Simmons and Casey Simmons
Sisters and business partners sharing life's stuff....
I have called myself a Summer Girl for many, many, many years. I always loved the heat. But I think age, wisdom and my outrageous power bills have brought me to me knees. I am now re-inventing myself as a Spring-Fall Girl. This is your offical notice. Please update all of your beliefs about me accordingly.
PS…This does not preclude my being a Beach Girl in any season. Weather and geography are two very different things.
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I think it is human nature to believe that you can understand other people. We seek to “know” people. We are constantly making assumptions about others. “She is….” “He is….”
I am a visual person. For me, it is like I begin to paint a portrait of a person, and I add paint strokes to the image as I learn more about them. I hope to define or decode them and bring them into focus.
But I am always looking at my imaginary paintings and feeling like I am missing something. I wish could put my finger on what I missed. It is terribly confusing to discover that my imagination has led me astray – to discover my portraits are not accurate.
Maybe this is why I am drawn to abstract art. It strips the imagery completely away, and only focuses on feeling, emotion, essence, and even the void.
Some days I am more comfortable with abstraction. I am able to be less critical. I am more open. My mind is free. I am able to avoid assumptions.
A day of abstraction often helps me see what is really there.
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How extravagantly Bohemian eclectic.
I envision myself traveling by ocean liner to buy a huge collection of these pieces and then return home. On the way back “across the pond”, my traveling companions and I will sit in a small grouping of the furniture on the covered deck of the ship which was made by Dumond’s designs. We will smoke, drink, discuss literature, argue about politics, and remarkably discover the meaning of life.
PS…Find this incredible collection online at http://www.squintlimited.com/.
PSS…I couldn’t resist watching this video on youtube before I wrote this blog.
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We are working on updating our website this week, and I just wanted to give a big SHOUT OUT to the black Sharpie marker. Without this iconic marker, our website would be quite dull indeed.
See for yourself…start here.
PS…Stay tuned for the new website design. I promise it will be fantastic.
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Tomorrow morning my daughter will start first grade. Tonight she took her own shower, cleared her own plate, picked out her outfit for her first day of school, and even remembered to brush her teeth. I tucked her into bed with a book and her new kitten. After I kissed her goodnight, she said, “Mom, don’t forget to set my alarm.” I set her alarm and kissed her one last time and quietly left the room.
I then stood outside the door and let the tears fall.
I believe that I never truly understood the meaning of bittersweet until I had a child. Now I hope my life is filled with an endless amount of these moments.
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I am an organizational freak. I could spend days just organizing stuff. No joke. Ask anyone I know. I actually put my toothbrush back in the same exact spot everyday. This blessed gift (I am choosing to be positive about this quirk since it doesn’t warrant medication) comes with a love of hardware stores, art stores, office supply stores and paper warehouses. So last week, when these little wooden trays arrived at the store, I was short of breath all afternoon.
I even worked the staff into a dither last week with my uncontained joy.
Aren’t they cool? Don’t you just want a giant stack of them? Won’t they solve all your organizational needs? Won’t your neighbors and friends be amazed at your new sleek and tidy shelves, drawers, desktop and cabinets?
oohhhhhhh. ahhhhhhhh.
Okay, okay I am calming down…
Just one more for the road! It’s like organizational porn.
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Here is the PURSUE GOOD STUFF travel album from my recent trip to Florida. My sister recently posted an album from Colorado. Like she said, life is about pursuing what is good, ALL that is good. Remember you are not passive…you can pursue good stuff today. That is my goal for the day.
I will pursue good stuff…today.
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I am on “re-entry” from vacation. I was missing the bright blues of Florida today. I found them cheering me along from all over the store. Here are few.
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I collect. I am not crazy-freaky and have display cases of Pez characters or anything like that. (I will admit, I love Pez and find them somewhat difficult to resist at checkout lanes, however.) But, I do collect.
I am picky. I don’t just collect items because they fall into a category. I edit and curate. I don’t seek the perfect, re-saleable or considered “collectible” items. I simply collect items for my own pleasure.
I returned yesterday from a summer trip where I was able to go “shelling”, which soothes me. It’s a form of meditation.
My finds will not be getting to me in Kansas City until mid-August and when they arrive I will get to discover their natural beauty – again.
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I am on vacation. It is day two on the beach. And my incredible little girl presented me with the gift of a lifetime. I was hanging out in the waves and she was running, playing and creating in the sand. I often find her lost in her imagination, talking with herself, and building elaborate stories. So, today I assumed she was scripting a play all her own. An hour later, she came to the water’s edge and said, “Mom, come see what I made.”
This is what she presented to me.
There is no greater gift than knowing your child is happy.
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