UncategorizedThe Nester’s Book – Embracing Imperfections May 7, 2014 If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw the happy mail that I received on Saturday. My friend, The Nester, sent me her lovely book. Since I first found Myquillyn’s blog about three years ago, I’ve been inspired by her mantra, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.” I’ve loved how genuine and real she is. Her blog has given me and my home the freedom to just be. When I met her in person last fall, she lived up to everything I imagined the woman behind The Nester would be like. She was down to earth, humble, and incredibly kind. I have loved getting to know her some beyond her blog. So, when she sent me her book to read, I absolutely couldn’t wait to get started. I knew if it was anything like her blog, freedom and creativity would be bottled inside. Since Saturday, I haven’t been able to put this beauty down. And I was not disappointed. In these pages, Myquillyn tells her family’s story. She tells Nesting Place’s story. I knew she had moved many times and for a purpose, but reading about her family’s journey, resonated so much with me and our story to renovate and sell homes. But that’s another story for another day. As I expected, this book is so much more than a decorating book. It is life-giving. I expected it to inspire me to be more creative in our home and it did that. I read about embracing imperfections in my home, but it went beyond that. It talks about embracing all imperfection and being ourselves. I’ve found that God always sends what we need right when we need it….even when we aren’t aware of that need. Some of you may have noticed that I didn’t post nearly as much as usual last week. I had a little blog crisis. As you know, Creating with the Stars was a great experience. While it took me away from usual blogging here, it gave me the opportunity to push my creativity to the limit and create amazing projects. I have so many tutorials and details still to share with you! After finishing the contest, I felt proud. Proud of my work and proud to share it all with you. Last week, my beloved little SD card broke. I’ve never had this happen before, but last Monday, I plugged it into the computer and it wouldn’t come up. After pulling it out and inspecting it, I saw a tiny chip on the top corner. Almost unnoticeable, but just enough to make it unreadable. I know many of you may be thinking, “Buy a new one. That isn’t a crisis.” And in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t. But when CWTS made me too busy to unload all of my project pictures onto my computer and the only source of those pictures is suddenly gone, it feels like one. I got all of the finished project pictures off of it because I had to post those each week for the competition. But someof the in-process photos, the photos for my great tutorials that I was so proud of, are gone. I spent the week trying to figure out a way to save them and so far, no luck. They seem to be gone for good. If any of you know a way to get photos off of a broken SD card, send those suggestions my way! I’ll love you forever! Once I realized they were gone, I immediately began planning how I could re-create the tutorials that were affected just to have some in-process pictures to share. I mean, I had these great tutorials. I worked so hard for this material. I have to share perfect tutorials with good in-process photos. Many of you have said you were waiting on these tutorials. I have to deliver! Fairly quickly, I realized that re-creating all of it just isn’t an option. We have a tiny decorating budget each month and suffice it to say, CWTS blew that out of the water. We’re trying to recover before I pursue this thing full-time and spending $500 or so to re-create projects just isn’t in the cards right now. I know what you’re thinking. What in the world does this have to do with The Nester’s book? A lot, actually. You see, I was so caught up in having the perfect tutorials for these projects. I’m so determined to use my love of DIY and my skills to make this blog work. I wasn’t willing to say, I’m not perfect and that has hurt my work here. And then I hit a Lovely Limitation. While I’m so proud of my projects, my tutorials will not be perfect. I promised you when I talked about changes coming for The White Buffalo that I wouldn’t lose myself in this journey. I want a more professional styling site, but I promised that the blog would not lose my voice or my honesty. Last week, I was trying to find any way that I could to not have to admit my imperfection to you. It seemed like blog-suicide to tell all of you readers (many of whom are here because of my CWTS projects) that I made the stupid mistake of not downloading tutorial pictures and now they’re gone. Myquillyn’s book came at just the right time and reminded me that I am in no way perfect. This blog is not perfect. And that really never was the goal. My dream for The White Buffalo is to share my love of home and entertaining in a real, honest, and inspiring way. That includes being able to say I messed up. I’m not perfect. But I’m still going to work hard at it. I’m still going to give you those tutorials to the best of my ability, realizing that they may not be as perfect as I’d hoped. But that’s okay. I embrace it. Of course I learned from this and will hopefully avoid mistakes like this in the future, but I promise that when things like this do happen, I will be honest. I won’t run away from imperfection in my work. I’ll share it. Because working behind the scenes to cover up my mistakes and imperfection isn’t real and honest. Because “flying our style freak flags” means being us. It means celebrating triumphs, understanding short-comings, and embracing them all in one imperfect, but truly beautiful package. Take a cue from my friend, The Nester. A beautiful thing is never perfect. And I’m okay with that. I do hope you’ll join me. As I said on my About page, life is too short to live small or as someone else. I’m choosing to live as Lindsay. Lindsay is someone who loves her style and loves sharing it with all of you. I love finding beauty and joy. But I’m also a real girl who makes mistakes, gets angry at herself, and fails at perfection every single day. I’m thankful for all of you and this community that gives me the freedom to admit that. If you haven’t already, read this book. It will change more than how you see your home. It will speak to your soul. You can get your own copy here.
Amber says May 7, 2014 at 11:47 am I adore you. And I love you even more for sharing your imperfections. Reply
Lindsay says May 7, 2014 at 4:34 pm Thank you Amber π That isn’t always easy…in fact, I fight it every time I feel like I’m supposed to! But thankfully, God’s really good at reminding me of our purpose π Reply
Heather says May 7, 2014 at 3:07 pm Thank you for your honesty. I can tell you one of the reasons I keep coming back to your blog is because you are real and ‘imperfect’ and in that, you’re so much more relateable. π One of the cool things about serving an Almighty God is resting in the fact that He lovingly measures every little detail in our lives before He allows it. He knows the SD card is a big deal to you because He made you and He also knows the outcome. It’s all going to work out alright. Can’t wait to read this book! Reply
Lindsay says May 7, 2014 at 4:37 pm Thank you so much, Heather. That means so much! I love hearing that something resonates when I really felt like I was supposed to share it. And you’ve got to read her book!!! Reply
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says May 7, 2014 at 3:58 pm I love this post and I cheer on your honesty. When you do this because you love it, that voice shines thru and mistakes don’t matter. You keep on doing what you are doing because you are doing a great job!! π Reply
Lindsay says May 7, 2014 at 4:41 pm Thank you, Elizabeth! You’re right, doing it because we love it is the key!!! I always have to remind myself of that in the face of pressures to produce or be a certain thing, but it always turns out better when I do π Reply
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says May 7, 2014 at 6:39 pm I would love to read her book too. And you are pretty perfect in my book π especially your outlook on things! Reply
caroline [the diy nurse] says May 7, 2014 at 7:31 pm We will still be here, perfect tutorials or not π Dont be so hard on yourself! Reply
Lindsay says May 8, 2014 at 11:06 am You’re so sweet, Caroline! Thank you for taking some of the pressure off π Reply
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says May 7, 2014 at 8:40 pm Oh, Lindsay, my heart sank for you when I read about your broken SD card and the hundreds (maybe thousands?) lost on it. But it sounds like through this process of losing, you found something greater: a renewed sense of purpose and a victory over perfectionism. And THAT is what I believe will build your blog; not perfectly photographed tutorials. Thanks for being a powerful example to us all. HUGS (from one perfectionist-in-process to another). Reply
Lindsay says May 8, 2014 at 11:06 am Lauren, I love that and you are so right. In the process of losing it, I found something so much greater! And thank you for saying that about building my blog. That warmed my heart. I often feel such a need to be perfect and professional in my projects and when something like this happens that is out of my control, it’s so discouraging. But you’re right. In the grand scheme of things, that isn’t what matters π Reply
Kristin @ bliss-athome.com says May 8, 2014 at 8:40 am wow! Sounds like a pretty amazing read! So sorry about your SD card. So many things are out of our control. xo Kristin Reply
Lindsay says May 8, 2014 at 10:54 am Thanks Kristin, you’re so sweet. And you’d LOVE her book! It’d be right up your alley π Reply
Stephanie, Sandpaper and Glue says May 8, 2014 at 8:46 am I LOVEDDDDD the Nester’s book- I couldn’t put it down! And when I finally finished, I walked around my house and took down all my picture frames and rearranged them all in different places and in different rooms because holes in the wall can be patched and I need to be in love with my not-forever-house π Reply
Lindsay says May 8, 2014 at 10:54 am Stephanie, I love hearing that! I had the same reaction about nail holes. My husband tries to avoid them at all costs. In our last house, that meant not hanging much wall art until we were staging it to sell π I’m not making that same mistake again!!! Reply