catharinemisook

🌿 Mama bird & adventurer. 🗓 Visual arts, design, calligraphy, journaling. 🍃 Inspired by hope, kindness & wonder. 💌 DM for inquiries & collaborations. Facebook :: Instagram Twitter :: YouTube

[catharinemisook]

I loved this moment in the @starbucks on 7th & 35th before rush hour began that early morning where the Midtown streets are unusually quiet. There was an older lady sitting next to me who was full on jamming out to the music playing and I just loved her spirit and energy. I couldn’t help but get into a groove and bop my head too as I wrote a little, sipped my coffee and snapped some photos. We were strangers, she a native of the city, and me obviously not, but in that little moment in time we were just two kindred spirits who vibed off of one another and shared laughs and smiles. She even cheered me on as I arranged various photos on our table and then the one next to us that had better lighting with the man outside in the subtle yet delightful photobomb. Those little nuanced moments and details. They’re my favorite. And that is how I rang in a new year and I couldn’t have asked for a better first page. Here’s to life, creating beauty in the midst and to jamming out with other kindreds along the way. Happy Saturday everyone. ❤️ . . The first pen of a new chapter and one of my very favorites: the Model 19 by @franklinchristoph. Penned in the Hobonichi Cousin with one of my traveling lifesavers peeking out in the corner, the large waxed canvas pouch in Slate by @pegandawl. . . #creativespace #journaling #makemoments #franklinchristoph #fountainpen #pegandawl #waxedcanvas #thisisground #tigmod #hobonichi #traveljournal #starbuckscoffee #coffeenclothes #windowview #verilymoment #theweekoninstagram (at Starbucks)

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What better way to show the beauty of a wondrous flex nib than to capture it in motion. Here’s a little time lapse of the new Franklin-Christoph 14k flex and S.I.G. flex nibs that are nothing short of pure delight in feel, functionality and the overall writing experience. As an amateur calligraphy lover and enthusiast I can honestly say that these nibs will be heavily used and I can’t wait to have more fun playing with them (the S.I.G. is especially dreamy)! 😌✍🏼 Repertoire: the Model 02 fountain pen in Amber & Cinnamaroon with the 14k S.I.G. flex nib inked with Brown 732, the Pocket 20 fountain pen in Classic Black with the 14k flex nib inked with Black Forest available at www.franklin-christoph.com. Music by Songs Of Water from their Songs Of Water album available for purchase on iTunes. Track is called Tempest.

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Evening refuge.

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​"Listen to your gut. Even when you feel stuck, if you tap into your intuition, you’ll find that the answer always lies within.“ -Jessica Comingore (from the inspiring @thisisgroundblog Self Made Chronicles)

Two more days until I’m in the presence of the ocean and warm sand. There’s something about the sea that unlocks the deeper currents and I feel more free, more tapped into my intuitive ground. These are the times where dreams become more clear, creativity refueled and determination steadied. And where I can unwind, slow down and reacquaint myself with simply enjoying the moments as they come. It’s no secret that I am huge @thisisground enthusiast, loyalist and bonafide fangirl and their Self Made Collection is my favorite one yet. It really resonates with where I’ve been, where I’m at and where I’m heading as a woman, mother and audacious dreamer. Pictured here is the In The Works Tote and I cannot wait to see how it ages and weathers with me and becomes a steady companion on my ever evolving journey of life. Here’s to adventures, taking the terrain yet to be explored and creating stories that the heart has been nudging and yearning for. To life!

Self Made Tote: thisisground.com

[catharinemisook]

Happy May the 4th to all my fellow Star Wars geeks! And an ode to General Organa who is never forgotten and always missed. #maythefourthbewithyou Notepad & Pen: franklin-christoph.com Pen Case: galenleather.com

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Keeping me organized and creating adventure in between the mundane: Tech Dopp Kit 2 Mini at www.thisisground.com (discount code: 9ROC8G92SQVL). Happy weekend all and cheers! Friday afternoon EDC: Tech Dopp Kit 2 Mini: @thisisgroundblog Pen & Notebooks: franklin-christoph.com Cinnamint Toothpicks by @daneson Brooks White Cleaning Cloth by getdeclan.com

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We discovered a new cafe upon being unexpectedly thwarted from the Plan A adventure of the day. And we ended up spending a couple of hours there, me with my latte and him with his chocolate milk, nibbling on some treats while immersed in our creative flow. This scene is nothing new but for many reasons it never gets old for me. And this little nook in particular just had such a nice synergistic vibe from the baristas to the folks enjoying their moments in this quaint coffee house that I suspect will be our regular new spot as my son gave it two happy thumbs up. Also. It is really neat to see him enjoy practicing his penmanship on his own whim alongside his awesome doodles. ☺

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For my second dad, the most noble Irish man I know and one of the best storytellers of them all, here's to you Papa Roy. I love you and BKF Darlene with all my heart. Happy St. Patrick's Day to you both. ☘️

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"Let us never finalize our opinions of anyone. Human beings are ever-changing, growing, learning, righting their wrongs, correcting their faults, revising their stances - continually reconciling their moral assets and liability. Of course, the converse can be true. But rather than cementing our views of any individual, instead, let's place them every so often on those scales of character and consider once more how far they've come, while remaining open to forgiveness and willing to accept that new person we may find. All of us - at the very least - deserve that chance to be seen again, in a new redeeming light." - @shakieborgunwall Let me remember these words before the mud hinders my ability to truly see. All of us need more grace. And are still learning and growing. Each has their own hidden battles and wounds. How easy it can be to forget. Here's to more compassion, less judgment, looking for beauty not faults, learning to forgive the way we hope to be forgiven. I'm definitely speaking this to my own heart as I type this. It's easier in theory than in muscle. But I still want to remind myself and aspire to live in a way that is congruent with my heart beneath all the clamor and dust.

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Let us look for secret things somewhere in the world, on the blue shore of silence or where the storm has passed, rampaging like a train. There the faint signs are left, coins of time and water, debris, celestial ash and the irreplaceable rapture of sharing in the labour of solitude and the sand.

-Pablo Neruda

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Today we were gifted with a little peek of springtime. The breeze was warm and we left our jackets at home. Off to the secret place in the wild wild woods we went. My son brought his choo choos and I brought my paints & pens but in the end we both played with each other's toys until the beauty of the sunset captivated our full attention. These are the moments that I truly live for. Where it's just the presence of loved ones and the wonder of nature around us. These are the memories that grow roots and bloom in the heart forever.

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“This was when I learned that you have to give up your life as you know it to get a new one: that sometimes you need to let go of everything you’re clinging to and start over, whether because you’ve outgrown it or because it’s not working anymore, or because it was wrong for you in the first place.” -Kelly Cutrone

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Saturday morning medicine. 🌿

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"Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate. It is not the empath who is broken, it is society that has become dysfunctional and emotionally disabled. There is no shame in expressing your authentic feelings. Those who are at times described as being a 'hot mess' or having 'too many issues' are the very fabric of what keeps the dream alive for a more caring, humane world. Never be ashamed to let your tears shine a light in this world." -Anthon St. Maarten

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“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” -Mahatma Gandhi

This quote has been ruminating in my quiet space this morning. The ideal with Gandhi’s simple and powerful words may not be reached each time but I don’t think that’s any reason to stop working towards it in our day to day choices. It’s not easy when it really hits home, is it? Like when trust has been betrayed by the trespass of gossip of a friend - it can be challenging to not in turn gossip in order to uphold one’s hurting heart. Or when in the midst of conflict, to choose not to crush or belittle the spirit of another in the face of when your own spirit feels so crushed and belittled by that very person. Or even in the little things. Like when we feel the cold shoulder, rudeness or the number of flaws within our humanity from our fellow humans and to make the choice each time to not mirror those very things back. It’s not easy when the challenge hits the hurting space like a bullseye. But I think it’s possible to mirror something better, whether it’s grace, calmness, gentleness, laying down defense or perhaps just walking away quietly. And at the end of the day, whether resolution is found or not, at least each one of us can do our part to sow something that aligns with our values. And that it’s okay when the mark is missed. There’s always u-turns or a new bend in the road with the gift of each new day. My wish for all of us today is having the strength to choose kindness over being right and that grace abounds within that. And that a beautiful moment meets each of you somewhere in the day too.

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Wishing each one of you a beautiful day where a magical moment meets you and reveals how unique and wonderful your heart is. I hope that your day is filled with so much love, starting with you. And that if there is no one to celebrate Valentine's Day with that you treat yourself to something that will make you smile from the inside out even if it's small and know that I'm there in spirit smiling too. Happy love day (which is every day in my book) to you all!! ❤

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A glimpse from earlier this afternoon when we were waiting for our brunch (with window-side seating yay!!). I feel so very lucky that I can geek out on creative expressions and stationery items with my mom, who happens to be one the most talented and graceful artists that I know. Here she is watercoloring in my Baron Fig soft cover notebook after happily perusing through my @thisisgroundblog Mod Tablet 2 daily carry (that she now loves too). And after she finished her piece, my son took over the watercolors and added his imagination to the mix. Three generations breaking bread and sharing creative ideas together - I couldn't possibly think of a better way to spend an afternoon. It's these moments that make me feel richer than all the treasures in the world because it's these moments that are irreplaceable and unforgettable. Here's to more of this kind of living. And here's to wishing you all a most beautiful rest of the weekend with moments that make your heart full and in overflow too. ❤