shell decor

I love collecting natural souvenirs on my trips: sand, rocks, driftwood, and shells. It’s showcased like fine art throughout my house. Lately I’ve been thinking of ways to incorporate some of this found treasure into my jewelry-making and other crafting projects (bag charms are a current obsession). So for this Sunday morning’s gateway project, I found a few inspiration pics on Pinterest and made this fun coastal garland and tassel. I had a whole bag of shells with little creature-drilled holes just waiting for a project. They turned out great and will be perfect in my future dreamy beach house.

finding hearts ♥️

Last year I came up with a challenge for myself, a way to get out of my head and into the moment a bit more in my day to day running around. I told myself to look for the hearts. I’ve kind of been obsessed with hearts for awhile now. I draw them all the time, use them in the jewelry I make, and all the notes I write end in “♥️ Carrie” – it’s one of my own little things. So last year when I did my 24 for 2024 List (thanks to Gretchen Rubin and her Happiness Podcast), I made an extra effort to look for hearts as I moved through the world. I started seeing them everywhere: on trips with friends, in things I read, and especially in nature. It gave me some grounding and a new way to be in the moment. It’s a reminder of my favorite feeling of being small in the big wide world. Finding these hearts in the wild feels like magic and is making me happy, so I’m keeping it going on my 25 for 2025 list. Who could say no to a little more love? ♥️