Curate - 2026 Word of the Year

 It's been quite some time since I've written anything in this space. I lost my focus, my voice, and the reason why I blogged in the first place. I have always wanted this space to have intention. A space that provided insight, special moments throughout my life, and possibly created an escape from the everyday. I'm not going to guarantee that I'm hundred percent prepared to bring you everything I just said, but I'm ready to try again. I've missed having an outlet for my thoughts. A place to share what I'm doing, where I'm going, and what brings me joy. If you're ready to join me again, I would love to bring you along with me.

How many of you have a New Year's Resolution? A word of the year? Or do you just simply keep doing what you've always done? I'm not sure I ever made true resolutions. They would all fall by the wayside within a month or two. Exercise more, lose weight, drink more water... Those never stick. Several years ago, I jumped on the Word of the Year bandwagon and I like this idea so much better. There isn't a pressure to meet something, a goal that seems unattainable. It's a word to try and live by. A way of life, if you will. And the word can be for just a year or possibly longer, if it's something that truly resonates within you. I've used words like Create, Intention, Leap. They've all suited their purpose, in one way or another, but I'm not sure they've ever settled within me.  

This year, I chose Curate. Curate: Carefully select, and present experiences around specific theme for particular purpose, add value through thoughtful selection rather than just gathering everything. Over the course of the past year, I've tried to do just that. I've been trying to curate a home. A home with items that have meaning, serve a purpose, add value within the space, and that have been thoughtfully selected. I'm trying not to gather things. I want my home to feel special. To appear as though each piece was thoughtfully placed in a room to provide character or charm. I want to curate a life I deserve. At 52, I think it's time to live a life with purpose. A life that's been carefully selected because it presents experiences. A curated life of luxury and value.

I want this space to be curated with thoughtful ideas, specific themes, a particular purpose. I want there to be value in what I write, what I share, what you read.

XO,

Andrea

Steamboat Arabia - Local Excavation Dig

The Steamboat Arabia sank on September 5, 1856 while traveling on the Missouri River. It sank within minutes, but the 150 passengers aboard were able to get off safely. The same could not be said for the 200 pounds of cargo on board. In 1988, a local AC and furnace repairman, along with his sons and another long time friend, the found the possible location of where the steamboat sank and began their recovery efforts. It took nearly five months, but they were able to discover the largest pre-Civil War artifacts in the world. All of this, and more of the ships story, can be found in Kansas City's River Market. 

We first visited the museum in the winter of 2018. McKinley was in first grade and was obsessed with the idea of a sunken steamboat and the recovery efforts involved. Having no idea what to expect, we were amazed by all this museum had to offer. The museum opened in 1991 and preservation work continues today, cleaning more than 60 tons of artifacts in their onsite preservation lab where visitors are able to watch them work. It's fascinating!

Here is a look inside the museum and the artifacts that are currently on display. Be prepared. It's truly amazing!

This isn't even the beginning of the remarkable work that has been completed with this excavation. The preservation work is phenomenal. 

If you haven't been to see this incredible museum, take the family over spring break! The River Market area is a fun place to explore as well. You can visit the Steamboat's website here to get hours and ticket pricing. 

I love exploring Kansas City and sharing it's rich history with all of you. Get out and see what makes this city so amazing!

XO,

Andrea

Creating with Chalkola

 It is no secret I love to craft! And I love working with as many materials as I can. So when Chalkola reached out and asked if I would be interested in working with one of their products, I jumped at the chance! At Chalkola, their philosophy is “live a vibrant life” and who can’t get behind something so simple? And vibrant is definitely a word I would use to describe their products.

I was gifted their pack of 40 Chalk Markers and they are amazing!! Just like chalk paint but in a marker. They can be used on several non-porous surfaces like glass, chalkboards, and for most of my projects, aluminum or tin! For the non-artist, like myself, I used stencils for my guides when creating my projects. However, if you are good with free handing anything, you are going to love the ease of these markers!! 

Want to know something equally as cool? If you want to create something new, after you’re done with the Christmas signs like mine, you can remove the chalk marker from the material you originally used!! The marker is made with high quality water based ink, which is washable! The markers are smudge free, which allowed for a clean design that quickly dried within minutes. And when you’re ready to do a new project, using a wet paper towel should help remove the ink from almost any non-porous surface. Full disclaimer, I tried the wet paper towel on the tin surface and it worked great! As did a baby wipe. The chalkboard was a different story. A magic eraser worked the best. Just barely wet it and use some elbow grease. You should be good to go!

So here are a few additional tips for using these awesome markers! If you are using a stencil, which is what I used for all of my projects, make sure to outline the template with a piece of chalk first! After using the chalk markers with the stencil, and because they are paint based, it smeared the stencil design outline because it ran under the stencil itself. It was an easy fix, if the design outline was visible. I could clean it up easily with a toothpick, but it was tedious and time consuming. The chalk outline allows you to prep the design, go over it with the marker color of your choice, and once dry, wipe away the excess chalk lines! So easy! Check out the process!

Here is the example of the project that bled under the stencil template. I used the magic eraser and it pretty much removed the marker. You can see a small hint of the design, but once the new was added, it's not as noticeable.

Using the chalk as my initial outline worked best for me!

And these are some additional projects I made with the chalk markers on tin and chalkboard. I love them!

I am obsessed with these markers and can’t wait to create more with them. I have an old glass window that’s been sitting in my garage and I haven’t had a clue what to do with it. Once I get it cleaned up, I can use the glass as an ever evolving sketch pad!! Stayed tuned for a possible project! 

You can purchase the Chalkola Chalk Markers directly from their site or on Amazon. And check out the other products they offer. What would you do with these markers? 

Happy Crafting!

XO,

Andrea

I was gifted these markers by Chalkola, but all opinions expressed are my own!