Welcome to Chateau Irreverent. Stella lives here. She’s that boho chic, fun, funky woman with pink hair who drinks chilled wine at noon, wears sequins to do yard work and treats velvet as a neutral. She collects and creates mismatched things with a sense of ceremony and talks about them like old friends from art school. Her bungalow suits her. The windows refuse to align, the door has its own agenda and the path swerves like it’s dodging paparazzi. A lone tree stands nearby- straight, stiff and visibly trying to pretend it does not know the house. It has never attended an HOA meeting and quite frankly, who could blame it. Stella calls the entire situation “design integrity,” and she delivers this phrase with the kind of sparkling confidence that shuts down follow-up questions. The mountains in the back silently applaud. They’ve never matched anything in their lives. The neighbors include Mrs. Kravitz from across the street, who has an emotional support clipboard and a tense relationship with whimsy. Mrs. Kravitz has logged 47 violations about Stella’s “aesthetic unpredictability” and makes loud statements about property values into the wind. Stella, being unbothered in every possible dimension, occasionally raises her wine glass in Mrs. Kravitz’s direction and continues her day. And that, as the mountains will tell you, is the natural balance of the world.

Hi all! Oh man...I spent way too much time on this. I accidently did all my work on the document link and not in my Canva branding area. I missed the tail end of the session last week and couldn't find the video to review so I just winged what I thought I was supposed to do. Here is a copy of what I came up with, but I will have to go back into Canva and insert the info into my branding area. And I sure I hope I didn't mess the link up for anyone else! Sigh...

Hello lovelies! Here's Stella...work in progress! See you soon?!

Name: Jill Age: 42 Location: Suburbs - close to shops, restaurants, and cafes Personality: caring, thoughtful, introspective Daily life: works from home, balances family and work well Values: family, self-care, intentional living, nature, process Current struggles: self-care time, "what it all means" Frustrations: feeling stagnant Quiet worries: family safety, place in life Wants: more time for self to think, journal, walk in nature Hopes: That "this" all means something Success: She knows she is a good person Self talk: Am I really doing my best? Beliefs: Prioritizing myself seems selfish Platforms: IG (occasionally FB) Preferences: process reels, thoughtful carousels, meaningful visuals Turn offs: adds, push for sales, fads Role: Honest genuine self that reminds her of herself Transformation: feels connection to self and what she values and loves Description: "That's so me!" Feeling: understood, empowered, hopeful, seen/heard

I took a completely different direction for this assignment and went inside the home ... the actual heart of the home ... literally. I thought about my home and the heart of my home right now. My home doesn't feel like a home right now because it still feels like it is missing something. The home I made here with Savannah is not the same. It feels a little empty and broken. So, I created a heart that has seen better days. This heart is scratched and bruised and partly broken. But the name of the piece is "On the Mend" because the wire is stitching the pieces back together. My house is still full of love and memories of Savannah and the home that we made it. And that will mend the heart that is still grieving right now. I made a second piece to show that although it doesn't feel like a home right now, I know it will again soon. It is bright and cheerful and glossy. The swirls are the joy that will return to my home again, the hope that love wins and returns the heart to the home. Savannah brought me so much joy - how could it not!? I am getting to the point where I can think of her sometimes and laugh and smile. I can listen to music again. I can create again and express my grief, my love, my hope, and my faith. So, yes, home is where the heart is. Whatever stage that heart is in for the moment.