a look back at 2015 in PHOTOS.....!

2015. This year has marked a lot about "practicing what I preach and preaching what you practice". I've been on a path for a few years of really trying to connect to something more - to find my significance in this crazy world. Trying to better understand how my actions affect those around me and those I may not even know on a personal and emotional level. It is hard shit. But then on a certain level it isn't hard at all. Being a nicer, calmer person is easier than being angry....it takes a lot less energy, don't you think? So as I look back on this year while I acknowledge the tough times I also reflect and remember the sweet moments. Knowing you take the good, you take bad, and there you have......The Facts of Life. Right, Tootie?

My thoughts on New Years Resolutions haven't changed - you can read about that here if you wish.....but I do resolve every day I wake up to try to connect better, do better, appreciate more, stress less about the small stuff and soak in the good stuff. I feel very fortunate to have a great family and so many wonderful friends. An amazing community in my yoga practice and talented, inspirational people in my design community. I wish you all a happy last day of 2015 and a healthy and inspiring 2016.

More SOUL FOOD.....less eye candy.

With that here are a few of my favorite moments from every week of 2015 captured through my Instagram....

loving on Miette on her 3rd adoption anniversary and designing a super fun space

quick trip to Palm Springs to celebrate a friend's 50th and filling up the guest bath with pretty blooms for a girlfriend's weekend

stepping onto a new project and watching the clouds roll in in the 'hood

remembering amazing artist Rex Ray and adult pinata-ing it for a good buddy's 40th

remember and thinking about my Lu Lu and the opportunity to use these rad acoustic tiles on a project 

cruising on Harlow and always looking up

installing a favorite project and visiting the birds at the zoo with my momma

mixing patterns and hanging at the Madonna Inn for a bestie's bachelorette 

acquiring pretty shoes and visiting a bff's new and fabulous house in Denver

same bestie's wedding with other besties and hanging at the BMW vintage car show

installing these cuties and fun wallpaper and hanging in wine country in Santa Barbara for Mother's Day weekend with moms, friends and my oldest nephew

soaking in the Central Coast and chanting and sweating with a hundred yogis with Rusty Wells

riding around the Sugar Lamb with dozens of other Lammys and hanging with Kimmy in Sonoma en route to Snoop Dogg 

peony still life and chatting with my main OG on the east coast on his birthday

cute install of a little lady's bedroom and getting my green thumb on

hanging with the Hallows and quality time with my youngest nephew

Giants in jammies and more installation of the little lady's bedroom

a trip from SLC to DCD with a bestie for MHM18 and studying for my first yoga teacher training 

seeing old roomies from college and swimming in the ocean during a pink sunset

coastal hikes and practicing yoga on the Giants field (after they won) with 2Tone!

vintage car rides with buddies to wine country for my birthday and more fun installations

riding in the Italian Heritage Parade and watching my nephew shred it in Seattle

a pretty wallpaper install and leaving our mark

getting fancy with the hubby for a xmas party and meeting new and wonderful friends

dinner parties with friends and feeding the monkeys in Costa Rica  

christmas in Santa Barbara and rollerskating with friends along the beach

H*A*P*P*Y N*E*W Y*E*A*R, friends.......xo!!

all images by Janel Holiday Interior Design - use with permission is totally cool.

...BUTTERFLY inspiration....!

Last week I was able to be spontaneous and jump in my car for a quick trip down South to visit my oldest brother and sister-in-law visiting Santa Barbara.  I went solo (sans hubby and pups) so my drive down was pretty loosey-goosey....I had unknowingly set my pace so that it matched up with an arrival at Ellwood Beach at the same time with some of my family that was heading there.  I was so excited to exit the 101 Southbound about 20 miles early and meet up with them because I have for YEARS harbored intentions of visiting the Ellwood Bluffs while on one of my many visits to SB but had been side tracked for one reason or another.  Reason being for my urge to walk these protected coastal bluffs was to catch a glimpse of the Monarch butterflies that migrate there during the months of December and January.  They form clusters on the eucalyptus trees there and the sight is not only nostalgic (my mom used to take us here as kids), but is also quite special, breathtaking and peaceful.  It is a drop in the bucket of live events going on worldwide.....craziness is going on everywhere and here you can pause time and look UP and just see hundreds of butterflies floating and flying around.  It's nature just showing off her best.  And I love it.

the path to the b-flies

they are everywhere....

omg!!

looking East

looking North

As always, this experience had my brain going full force of all things butterfly related.  I put together some of my favorite and iconic designs as well as a few recently discovered items on these inspiration boards:

1. Pierre Paulin Butterfly chair, Holland 1963.

2. linen "Dreamers" fabric by Lulu DK.

3. Butterfly "Exhibition Dress" by Yumi.

4. red hot, suede "Butterfly Cutout Sandals" by Giuseppe Zanotti.

5. glass domes with butterfly collections, France 19th century. 

6. Fornasetti lacquered wood tray.

7. La Mendola maxi dress, Italy 1960s.

8. Andy Warhol acrylic on paper, circa 1986.

9. mid-century French butterfly wall sconces.

10. leather, studded butterfly clutch by Gucci.

Soundtrack is Bob Marley, because it's his birthday today and I hope he is as free + floating as a butterfly wherever he is:

...cali COASTAL living + clam chowder....!

I do believe I mentioned that I started my own interior design business this year, yes?  I can't remember if I just hinted towards this news or actually "announced" it here on the JHID blog....well, I did - yay me!  AND I launched my website....you can see it here.  It is a little weak right now with content because I can't show everything I have been working on for the past 8+ years, but that will come with time....

I decided to take some time off this beginning of 2013 and reset my buttons....get my creative juices back up and flowing....walk my pups on the beach, do as much yoga as possible, hang with my hubby, catch up on movies, books + mags, catch up with friends, with family....just l-i-v-e.  It has been so nice to be spontaneous and I treasure these days where I can just jump in the car with the hubby and take a drive to find yummy local clam chowder in a coastal town on a Thursday early afternoon.....and yesterday we did just that!  It was cold in San Francisco (hi, I'm always cold here) and fresh, cozy clam chowder and a ride in the '66 BMW 1600 down the beautiful California coast sounded super fun.  I had posted a photo to my Facebook page the evening before of a funky little beach house in Santa Barbara that I always dream about and I guess that coastal, casual surf-beaten architecture and feeling still resonated with me the next morning....I wanted more.  So zip off we did.....!

this is one of my fav beach homes perched above a local beach that doubled as my backyard growing up in Santa Barbara...it is so easy, non-fussy and feels like HOME.  do you see the bathtub?!  fork it over.

a rare pic of me on the JHID blog via Instagram - see?  I'm cold!!

Sooooo....Barbara's Fish Trap in Half Moon Bay has the BEST clam chowder.  Really.

ummm....yes, please.

one for me, and one for you!

As I write this Miette is happily going between chasing her own tail and laying on guard at my feet in my office while Lu Lu holds the world record for most hours a dog can snooze per day.....I think she is at 23.8 hours.

Mimi

little Lu-Boo

Life is good, people.....life. is. good.

xo janel

all images above by janel holiday interior design.

soundtrack is John Coltrane......I can't get enough of him these days!