Hey… we’re already half-way through January.  Time overall has yet again managed to fly by, but this week was a bit of a drag for me.  I’ve been sensing and reading about a struggle in the blogging community lately with returning to the blog grind after the holidays, and I’m right there with everyone else.  This week was a lot of staying up late, second-guessing, and brainstorming about ideas I didn’t have, and to put it frankly, it’s bumming me out!  For as much time as I spent this week trying to plan for the blog, there isn’t much to show for it.  I did enjoy staying up with Jimmy Fallon to keep me company, though.  Love that guy.

That’s probably why half of today’s finds are related to this struggle.  I haven’t at all figured out the best way to get out of these annoying ruts, but there’s some good advice and insight out there on this stuff that’s worth thinking about.  That’s all at the end of this post, which I bet you’re going to want to skip to, but first let’s look at some other finds I’ve been inspired by this week.

I just started understanding the need for a ladder in the home as I’ve noticed my throw collection grow.  This copper ladder from BrittanyMakes is gorgeous, easy to make, and simple enough to fit in with different styles.

I’m going to go ahead and say this is the prettiest yoga mat strap there is.  The ladies of The Merry Thought are too amazing at simple and beautiful crafts!

You guys are already following Dream Green DIY, right?  Carrie shared a tour of her living room and it’s full of so many pretty details, like this custom industrial shelving.

What.  A perfect.  Collaboration.  West Elm + Kate Spade Saturday.

Mandi from Vintage Revivals is so good at saying everything I want to say in the most perfect way possible.  Her honesty and humor make her so relatable, and I wonder if you too can relate to this post about re-charging the creative battery.

This is probably the most helpful and inspiring post I’ve read about dealing with blogger burnout.  Blogger or not, everyone can benefit from this.

Bonus find: This article is an excellent read about holding true to yourself and having the confidence to do so.  Thing is, there’s an f-bomb in almost every sentence, which I found entertaining and at times pretty creative at how the author was able to do this and still make profound points.  It’s inspiring if you can look past all the swearing, haha!  You’ve been warned, so if vulgarity doesn’t bother you, read on right here.

Another bonus: Rachel at The Crafted Life chats about staying motivated and I was nodding my head “yes” to all of it.  Join the conversation here!

Is anyone still here?  I understand, there’s a lot of good stuff I just shared to check out.  While you’re doing that, I’m going to blabber a little more.

This weekend is an exciting one.  Boyfriend’s company holiday party (in January?) is in Newport Beach, so we got a hotel room and we’re going to make it a mini getaway.  I’m so looking forward to it, if not just for rest, but simply for a good time with the best guy ever.  Instead of stressing over all the work I should be doing, like I normally do, I’m going to enjoy the crap out of this weekend.  I’ll maybe bring my camera, too.  Haven’t done an “Around Town” post in a while because I am lazy keep forgetting to take photos.  We’ll see!

Happy weekend, friends!