04.16.12
favourites from my studio

I’m not the only one who wishes peonies would last longer than a few weeks. That’s why I included everlasting ones in my line - they last all summer!

cobistyle giveaway

For our loyal clubcobi members – an exciting cobistyle giveaway!

This month’s prize is a luscious bouquet of 6 Everlasting Hydrangea (one shown). 24” long; white in colour: Retail value $90.00

click to enter the draw
Enter by April 27, 2012 for your chance to win. Good luck!

Last month’s lucky clubcobi winner was Doris James from Carleton Place, Ontario. Happy decorating Doris!

picture perfect

Bob and I shared a funny moment recently. I was working on our family photo albums. Yes, I know I’m an albatross to still be printing up snapshots and putting them into photo albums but at this point, I don’t know how to quit. Anyway, I had pulled out an album of a few years back and we were flipping through it. The pictures were great - sunny days, smiling faces, gorgeous locals - but as we flipped, I couldn’t help but notice a theme to Bob’s comments: “remember how expensive that place was?” “remember how the kids fought on that trip?” “remember how it rained through that entire holiday except for that one day?” “remember how sick I was that Christmas?”..and so on, and so on.

The memories were all so BAD that I started to get the giggles and as each BAD comment came out, it turned into a fit of giggles. For some reason it cracked me up that we could be looking at a photo album of what anyone else would think were glorious family pictures and underneath, all of the stories were grueling!

Are we glass half-empty people? Whiners and complainers? Perfectionists? I don’t think so. We’re just not the kind of people who gloss over the rough spots (it’s much more fun to have a fit of the giggles).

I think it teaches two lessons. When we see that family with the perfect looking kids and house - don’t be fooled. No doubt somebody’s mad at somebody, or someone will feel sick on a special day, or all the other wonderful possibilities that life provides. The second thing is that all those crumby little things in life still don’t take the smiles off our faces - or at least, they shouldn’t. It reminds me of my favourite verse from Leonard Cohen - which has sat in a frame on my desk for 3 years: “Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”