No, you didn’t read it wrong. I put "melancholic" and "holiday" in the same title. Let me tell you why: Here in our neck of the woods, beachgoers suffered a significant beach withdrawal, which seemed to have no end during the pandemic; and those who had always just taken it for granted started regretting not having taken advantage of ocean life more often. So when they magnanimously freed us, we and our pets flocked to the beaches, which smacked of a cautionary tale for a new variant... so as a mostly responsible, post-pandemic being, I decided to continue not to partake in the beach festivities—until one day we decided to take a day trip to a beach 2 hours away from home to satisfy our desire to splash about in the warm ocean water. It happened to be a very quiet, secluded beach... and as we reached our destination, we realized it had gone from a very sunny, blue-skied day to drab and overcast.

Long story short, it didn’t rain that day but it remained moody.

We took a stroll down the quietest stretch of beach I’ve been to in years; the air was chilly and it felt incredible. We ended up staying the night at a petit hotel owned by a French man who exalts privacy and peace to the point of not welcoming children... while admitting pets. That day is fixed in my mind as a beautiful memory of a short-lived, moody holiday.

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Keeping with the color theme of late … remember when I wrote about timeless-affable beige and explained how I love it paired with earthy colors and raw textures? Well, let me tell you that while I do love the combination—and I mostly think they go perfectly well together because I love nature and all it has to offer—beige with touches of black might just be my favorite combination for now (right this very second). I know I've already told you about how lovely beige is — but really, isn't it so elegant-yet-not-stuffy coupled with with a hint of black? I think so.

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As a human being who's lived on this blue marble for over 35 years, I've long been obsessed with the color blue. You should see the number of skyline and seascape images stored on my camera roll. On second thought... maybe you shouldn't. But trust me, there are way too many. Yet, I happen to be very particular when it comes to man-made hues of blue – gravitating towards either soft muted blues or very rich cobalt blues, like the ones above.

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The word 'summer' almost has a whole other meaning when you live in the tropics of Brazil. Although its typically hot and balmy, there’s a different sort of feeling in the warm(er) season. A true sensory experience if you will: slipping your toes into your worn-out havaianas feels different – it’s like even your toes know its exciting outside. I swear, you can even hear the sea louder and the breeze is saltier and more coconutty; days seem carefree but nostalgic at the same time. It’s almost as if you’ve been thrust into a song written by Tom Jobim. Summer becomes a verb when you are in Brazil... and I call that magical.

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There are four things in this life that will change you. Love, music, art and loss. The first three will keep you wild and full of passion. May you allow the last to make you brave. —Erin Van Vuren

2016 was not what I expected it to be. It was in fact one of the worst years of my life but somehow it all turned out well. I feel very excited about this new year and I also feel deeply grateful for the resilience and the inner strength that last year helped me build.

Last year I went from losing my father to being able to finish up my book which I cannot even start to explain how hard and transforming it was all at the same time. I launched a theme collection, worked on some projects with a lot of success and on some others that turned into utter failure, but that’s life in the end, isn’t it? A continued falling and dusting off.

I’m looking to 2017 with the same expectation I did last year, fully knowing in my heart that this is going to be a better year — that I will keep striving, pushing through bad moments and embracing the good times with an open heart.

There’s so much I want to do this year, one step at a time of course, but the road ahead is always very exciting: New projects are in-the-making and new people I’m collaborating with this year who keep me feeling inspired, a new collection is almost finished and my book is being read and commented on by many Bloggers — which means the world to me.

I cannot thank YOU enough for all your support, your kindness and the honor of having you as clients, partners and most importantly, friends.

The collection above sets the tone for what you’re about to see in this quarter. I hope you'll join me and take small steps until the unveiling of my new projects. You will also see more of me on social media... so if you’re interested in taking a peek into my life and work, feel free to follow.

Have a wonderful, blessed and peaceful 2017.

In case you missed them, here are the top 5 posts of 2016:

How To Upgrade Your Blog’s Image
Why You Should Only Buy Linen From CULTIVER
5 Ways Minimalism Can Change Your Life
How To Stay Productive When You Don’t Have A System
30 Days To Minimal Blogging

Hugs,
Ana

Check out Taja's blog for a chance to win a copy of my book.

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I've been struggling with anxiety attacks lately, I guess it's partly because of my dad's recent loss and another tiny part might be because life has been getting quiet hard for almost everyone in Brazil. Last week I had an episode while I was sleeping - that has never happened to me and it scared me to no end. I dreamed that I was crying about my dad and couldn't wake myself up, once I could open my eyes and feel sort-of awake, I realized I was physically crying and gasping for air. That moment made me realize that I need to get back on my feet, emotionally, mentally and every way possible... I need some time to be able to be patient with myself and regain the focus that lost from the time that my dad got ill until he passed away.

As you know, I'm in the homestretch of writing my book and I've now understood that practical things that I used be able to finish within seconds are taking me much longer because my heart is still very heavy and my enviroment is less than helping me through the healing process. So, I've decided to give myself a week off blogging while I focus on finishing up my book for you and so that I can complete projects with clients and sponsors and be able to give myself 100% to the people that are putting their trust in my even through these difficult times.

I can't thank you enough for always cheering me up and making my day with your kind comments and messages. I'll see come back next week, hopefully with better news.

❤

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Lately, I've found myself pondering upon moments of darkness. Although we don't ask for them and we'd rather not touch them with a ten-foot pole - Those moments are key to our personal grow. Discomfort is a normal part of life and things fall apart in someone's life every day. Darkness teaches us more than we see, specially the size of the fight in each one of us, it makes us stronger and more aware of those around us and ourselves. These images reminded me of that and you might call it compelling or morbid but I feel like celebrating it today.

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