Over the last 10 years of living in the Catskill Mountains, it’s been wonderful getting to know other artists, makers, and creatives in this area and brainstorming fun ways to play together.
A recent project with a local creative was with Rick Holbrook, a still-life and product photographer who I’d been Instagram-stalking for the last few years. He has a fantastic sense of light, composition, and styling, and I was too happy to get my jewelry in front of his camera when he suggested that we team up.
Stop by Hops Petunia in Hudson, NY to see Sara’s new jewelry collection, “Loves Me, Loves Me Not,” shop Hops Petunia’s gorgeously curated home goods, nibble on sweet treats from Potter’s Table, and sip on some light refreshments.
I have memories of being a little girl, playing outside in the yard and picking the wildflowers growing along the fence around my house. I’d always look for the ones with long, spindly stems that could be wrapped together to make flower crowns for myself and tiny bouquets for my mom.
As I grew up, those flowers suddenly took on new meaning — “Loves me, loves me not, loves me, loves me not…” until you landed on the last petal, which told you if your feelings were reciprocated.
Years ago I traveled to Portugal and Spain, a part of the world I’ve always felt drawn to thanks to my Puerto Rican roots. One of my stops was the Portuguese coastal town of Porto, and some of my favorite memories include a home-cooked meal of seafood caught earlier that day, ancient houses stacked endlessly on top of each along the hillside, and the azulejos —hand-painted blue and white tiles— decorating the facade of every building.
I have fully embraced annual mantras, finding them so much less guilt-inducing than resolutions. Last year’s is still a favorite—“Have More Fun”—and felt relevant after the difficult November and December I’d just had. Those words helped me have an overall better 2023.
And even though I’m more practiced at taking spontaneous breaks for shenanigans, the thing I just can’t quit doing is over-scheduling my days. I give myself too many things to accomplish, treating my to-do list like a pie-in-the-sky wishlist instead of achievable task list. I beat myself up if I don’t finish everything; when hiccups or unexpected delays come up I get huffy and bent out of shape. It’s not pretty.
In reflecting on this past year my new mantra for 2024 became obvious: Do Less. I need to cram less into my calendar in order to give myself the time and flexibility to concentrate on the good things.
