Tiny House Lover

I had the urge to write a post on attracting more simplicity to your life through some of the experiences that I have had over the last few years.  So here is some quick and helpful tips.

• Learn to want less by appreciating what you already have. Think of how awesome the things that you already have.  You can take it further by giving away things that you don’t want, use, or need anymore.

• See the beauty, fun, and excitement in things that are often overlooked. The beach, mountains, nature, walks, and talking with friends are some ideas.  Appreciate the incredible fact of life–your body and all of its inner workings–you know, those things that used to amaze you when you were a child.

• Part with some of your extra stuff. My favorite way of doing this is taking a picture of that which I’m giving away or selling.  I usually do this on Sundays and try to choose 1 to 5 items then I’ll either post them on eBay, Craigslist, give them to friends, or drop them off at the local thrift shop.

• Take up meditation or silent prayer. My advice is to not expect anything out of it.  All you have to do is sit or lay down, listen to your breathing patterns, notice your thoughts, and then put a stop to the thoughts and focus on silence.

“The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it
becomes. It is like trying to clutch water in ones hands. The harder we
grip, the more it slips through our fingers.”
~Alan Watts

Enjoy your day,

Alex

A friend sent me a link to Houses that PET Built, which is an article written by Sebrina Smith on houses made out of plastic bottles.  In it she talks about the homes and shows us several interesting pictures of them.  What caught my eye though was not only the awesome pictures, but the comments…

Of course this is not a mainstream approach that everybody is going to want to use.  It’s not a solution for America, I agree with that.  But at least some people out there are making good use of materials that are otherwise considered trash.  And what about the homeless?  Third world countries?  Places where there is just people but not enough opportunities for them to rise out of their situation of homelessness.

This could be a great cause for places like that… Using our useless trash to help them build something.

So anyways, here’s a few shots of the bottle house creations.

To see the rest of the small bottle house pictures visit the article on Greenopolis

Today’s post features Tracy Booth’s inspiring tiny house paintings.  It’s great to see someone who has dedicated an art series to small spaces.  So here is some of Tracy’s wonderful work…

“My name is Tracy Booth and I am an independent artist working and living in Western North Carolina.  My paintings have been exhibited in several regional galleries and art festivals.Inspired by the desire for a quiet life, these tiny paintings are ideal for a tiny home, or for anyone who dreams of a simpler life.” ~ Tracy Booth

Read more about Tracy here.

Her work was available for purchase at Etsy but she currently seems sold out.

Visit her website: TinyHousePaintings.com

“The positive effect of kindness on the immune system and on the increased production of serotonin in the brain has been proven in research studies. Serotonin is a naturally occurring substance in the body that makes us feel more comfortable, peaceful, and even blissful. In fact, the role of most anti-depressants is to stimulate the production of serotonin chemically, helping to ease depression. Research has shown that a simple act of kindness directed toward another improves the functioning of the immune system and stimulates the production of serotonin in both the recipient of the kindness and the person extending the kindness. Even more amazing is that persons observing the act of kindness have similar beneficial results. Imagine this! Kindness extended, received, or observed beneficially impacts the physical health and feelings of everyone involved!”
~ Dr. Wayne Dyer