Hygge (pronounced "hoo-gah") means taking pleasure in the simple things, the cosy things. Making your home a sanctuary is a very simple and fun way to bring more pleasure to your life by creating a beautiful and relaxing space that hugs you, supports you to be completely restored and ready for what you want to do. Detail of “Summer Morning” There are endless ways to create a home that meets our need for safety and relaxation, and whatever the size of our space and budget, it is easily done with a few simple things. I have applied the following principles whether I was living in a tiny student room, an attic studio or a two or three-bedroom cottage. In my experience, paying attention to those simple elements always enhances self-care, quality of life, inner peace and relaxation. That in turn makes me more available for the important things, it helps me to be focused, efficient, and very caring. A simple blossom in a glass bottle is one of my favourite ways to display flowers. ...

As the coronavirus unfolded across the globe I decided to create a nature journal to document how embracing the seasons at home can really support wellbeing—an alternative diary of good news and ordinary beauty that keeps things simple and helps me focus on nature-inspired and soothing art. A Special Journal The concept of my nature journal is simple, like nature itself: each day, nature offers me something to put in my journal; it can be anything that I just find outside or that friends give me. For my nature journal I chose a beautiful notebook given to me for my birthday. Bound by hand, the rich sheets of handmade paper have lots of visible fibers. It has the most satisfying texture and a very interactive cover. It really is perfect for the task! I made the choice not to include words as I think the little treasures really speak for themselves. Finding Treasures We don't need to look too far to collect treasures. I never go that far myself! I am very lucky to live in the country...

In the last week of 2019, I was fortunate to see the stunning collection of textile postcards made by my friend as part of the 52 Stitched Stories project. 52 wonderful little worlds of colours, texture and magic. It immediately inspired me to produce 52 painted postcards for 2020. At that point I had reached a plateau in my painting, canvasses were staring at me all day and I was excelling at ignoring them. I had no motivation or interest in painting, hoping it would magically resolve. Being inspired to rekindle my painting practice with weekly painted postcards was a big shift, but I was amazed by the many other benefits it brought me. Making this one of my priorities meant that I could no longer avoid painting—at the very least I was going to make a small painting weekly. That had to be better than nothing. But I soon found that each time I came to work on the postcard, I was pulled to work on other paintings at the same time, and pretty soon the studio was once more filled with wor...

Chronic stress and anxiety can quickly obliterate quality of life: it feels really lonely to be worried and overwhelmed with no enjoyment in sight. This post focuses on very simple and efficient ways to address that daily so that we can enjoy life again. Taking Gentle Self-Care A quick way to reduce stress and anxiety is to come back to the physical body, reminding ourselves that we are not just the sum of our thoughts and concerns. Taking gentle care of our bodies by pampering and grooming, being aware of our feet on the ground, or even sitting or lying on the ground (known as grounding) are all simple ways to refresh ourselves and ease stress by quickly bringing us back to physical reality. Reconnecting With Nature Nature is a wonderful healer and anxiety-reducing partner, giving us an opportunity to look and listen without demanding anything in return. Nature is always here to inspire, refresh and soothe the soul, calm the mind and expand our perspective, allowing us to slow down, b...