Hi everyone! How is everyone hanging in there? 2020 has been a wild ride, to say the least. Currently, I’m living on Waiheke Island in New Zealand, and I am loving this time to slow down and soak in my surroundings. It gives me extra moments to notice all the little things and appreciate the things we tend to take for granted during the busy day-to-day. I am fortunate enough to be living on a beautiful island surrounded by serene beaches, lush forests in every shade of green, and the songs of all the native birds…WOW what is life?!

My husband and I have been working at a winery for the past 5 months or so, and during this time of lockdown, we have been so appreciative to be able to work as essential workers. We’ve been working harvest and picking grapes for the 2020 vintage, and boy is it some back-breaking work. Through the sweat, sunburns, and bee stings, it has been incredible to get out of the house and connect with nature. In the vines, it has become meditative to snip the grapes and watch the leaves blow and turn as the season is transitioning into autumn.

I’ve always been one to be inspired by nature. As a kid, I would have buckets of collected rocks and seashells, and I would pick leaves and flowers to be pressed inside my books. Thinking back, you could probably still find some of the four-leaf clovers I pressed inside of my parents’ hardcover books at home. That being said, I still am one that gets filled up when I have those sensory overload moments in nature. It’s good for the soul!

I don’t know if it’s me being a little homesick, but lately, I’ve been so fond of that burnt, muddy, earth-toned, deep red hue. It reminds me of the stillness and solitude of the desert and has me reminiscing road trips through the Southwest. Here in New Zealand, I’ve seen that same deep red in the volcanic rocks in Wellington. As an ode to my current color obsession, I’ve compiled some of my favorite home items in an array of rusty red hues. Nature has and always will be a starting point for me staying grounded and an inspiration for what I incorporate inside my home.

I hope you enjoy the read and hope it temporarily takes your mind off of things. Stay healthy and stay well my friends!