I think I accidentally entered a Mattress Portal (aka, one of those metaphors that slaps you mid-to-do list) So I ordered a new mattress. It arrives today. Not for my main bed—for my backup bed. Yes, I have one. For reasons mostly spelled: S-N-O-R-I-N-G. The one I retreat to when the snoring reaches: aggressive bear in an echo chamber levels. It’s been my little sanctuary. And technically, it worked. Not perfect. Not new. Not mine. It used to belong to a teenage boy. And it smelled like it-- like a locker room footnote no amount of spiritual bypassing could fix. So I:
Like it was an HGTV dorm room detox—trauma edition. And for a while, I convinced myself it was fine. Until I thought- maybe it’s time for an upgrade. So I finally made the call. Ordered the same mattress we have in the main bedroom. Didn’t overthink it. Didn’t spiral for two weeks. Just clicked “Buy.” And then… Suddenly the old one felt: ⊹ supportive ⊹ familiar ⊹ kinda comfy It was giving: “Maybe this isn’t so bad after all?” energy. That’s when I realized: This mattress was a portal. A perfectly squishy, faintly scented, energetically-laden metaphor for my life. The part of me that gets this close to real lumbar support-- Then panics… And clings to the old out of fear the new might not deliver. Because what if they haul it away and the new one is worse? The: “Maybe-I-should-stay-where-it’s-safe-even-if-it-smells-like-a-boy’s-old-socks” pattern. And the truth is: I don’t have to fall in love with the new mattress overnight. I just have to trust the version of me who bought it-- The version who knew she was ready for better. Even if it’s just a mattress. (It’s never just a mattress.) #MattressPortal #EnergeticUpgrade #VisualAlchemy #TrustYourTaste #NoGoingBack Full disclosure: This isn’t my actual spare bedroom.
It’s from a High Point Market showroom—one of those dreamy, trade-only portals where design meets possibility. And yes... you can come with me. ✔ Fine Lifestyle Design: In the Wild™ — Market Edition Signature Experience – A VIP immersion day for the woman ready to live, shop, curate a corner of her world and embody her next-level lifestyle, normally reserved for interior designers, but accessible to my clients through me. (And maybe test a few cloudlike mattresses along the way.) ❤︎ Inquire privately to join me.
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Some women rescue stray animals. (Well, I do that too, but that's not my point today.) Some save vintage handbags. Me? I save antique hand lotion. Once upon a World Market trip (circa the late aughts?), I found a bottle of overpriced lavender hand cream. Did I buy it for the quality? Probably not. I bought it because the bottle was a work of art—glass, vintage-style label, total bathroom royalty vibes. The cream? Meh. Not bad, not amazing, just… there. Fast forward to today... Madame de Crème has lived a long and sedentary life on my counter, her pump no longer able to reach the remaining lotion stuck to her glamorous bottom. What remains smells less like lavender and more like “expired spa fantasy.” But the container? Still divine. And so begins Operation Lavender Lazarus™. Objective: Rescue a now-rancid but still regally housed hand cream and prepare the bottle for a second act. Because she deserves one. I deserve one. We all deserve one. ⋆⋆⋆ Current Methodology Under Review:
Sure, I could probably march into World Market and buy a new one—if they even still make it. But here’s the thing: I actually care about sustainability. No, I’m not a saint. I still eat microwave popcorn and hoard glass jars like a squirrel with aesthetic tendencies. (Plot twist: I recently stopped hoarding jars… but I did save one Nescafé jar for a noble cause—this will be the sacrificial peasant vessel for whatever comes out of Madame de Crème.) But I do care. About the Earth. About waste. About not tossing out beauty just because it’s a little… crusty. So yes, this is about elegance, but it’s also about honoring what already exists. I’m not just giving this bottle a second act-- I’m giving it the standing ovation it deserves. Mood: Mad Scientist meets Divine Feminine. This is not about efficiency. This is about transformation, beauty, and the magic of refusing to toss something just because it’s past its prime. Enter: The Duchess of Decay turned Dame of Dew. Let it be known—no bottle is too far gone, no label too faded, no lavender dream too expired. Before & After coming soon… (If the bottle explodes, at least we’ll have the story.) Stay tuned, rebels. This is where Fine Lifestyle Design™ meets The Elegant Rebellion™-- where even expired hand cream gets a comeback story. Next up?
Operation Vintage Leather Meats™ Because once you’re done resurrecting antique lotion, the only logical next step is confronting the frozen archives of Thanksgivings past—those noble feasts that never got to live to their fullest potential. Stay tuned as we clean out the freezer and face the fowl truth about what’s been aging in the icy shadows. Will the Duchess of Decay be joined by the Countess of Cold Cuts? We’ll find out—freezer drawer by freezer drawer. The subtle power of how you feel in your space Human Design isn’t just a system I study. It’s become a lens I live by—quietly reshaping how I see energy, space, and what helps people feel most like themselves. One of the ways it’s come alive for me is through color. We all respond to color differently—and yes, there’s psychology to it. But when you layer in Human Design, it starts to make a whole lot more sense. Some people thrive in bold, dramatic palettes. Others need softness. Some feel electric in yellow, while for others, it’s white walls or nothing at all. The difference? Often, it’s in your energy type. 🌱 Generators Steady, radiant, satisfying energy. You’re designed to do what lights you up and brings you joy. Colors that support you: Rich, energizing tones—earthy reds, warm golds, vibrant greens. Think cozy, grounded, and alive. Spaces that make you want to move. 🔄 Manifesting Generators Fast-moving, multi-passionate, here for what’s next. You pivot naturally—and need spaces that let you. Colors that support you: Saturated, playful colors—corals, deep teals, burnt orange. Your energy likes stimulation, but with style. Think eclectic, not chaotic. Layered, not cluttered. 🌫 Projectors Seers, guides, and energetic refiners. Your aura is focused, and your energy needs care. Colors that support you: Cool, airy tones—misted lavender, soft gray, refined neutrals. Projectors thrive in environments that breathe. Clarity, space, and beauty that feels earned, not loud. (Also… hi. That’s me.) ⚡️ Manifestors Bold, independent, and meant to initiate. Your energy clears paths—and needs space to move. Colors that support you: Strong, anchored hues—midnight blue, black accents, jewel tones. Not too stimulating. Not too subdued. Think “statement with intention.” 🌕 Reflectors Lunar beings—mirrors of their environment. Sensitive, fluid, deeply attuned. Colors that support you: Ethereal tones, shifting light, softness—pearlescent whites, sky hues, candlelight warmth. What matters more than the color itself is the quality of energy it carries. Of course, this isn’t a rulebook. It’s a starting point. If you’re a Generator who lives for cream and beige—beautiful. If you’re a Projector who loves a neon pop—go for it. But if you’ve ever walked into a room and felt off for no clear reason… It might be your design asking for something different. That’s the kind of thing I explore through MicroAlchemy—bite-sized energetic sessions designed to bring quick clarity or insight. ⭑ One is a short Human Design voice note reading—a spark-filled peek into your energy blueprint. ⭑ The other is a space reading—a quick intuitive take on what your environment might be trying to tell you. They’re both lightweight, playful, and tiny but mighty. Not full readings—just energetic nudges that can open new doors. If you're curious, check out this link – or reach out. https://www.ivettefineart.com/lifestyle.html They’re super affordable – and free with the purchase of art. You can also begin by asking yourself:
What color do I actually crave right now? Because color isn’t just aesthetic. It’s energetic. And when it’s aligned, it sings. Not to teach it. To live it. To let it shape the way I see, create, and align. It’s been about a year since Human Design found me and I started diving deep into it—into my own chart, the system itself, and the way it reflects the truth I’ve always felt but didn’t have language for. And now, I’m officially beginning the experiment. Not just studying it, but living it. Embodying it. Aligning with it in real time. If you’re new to Human Design, it’s a system that weaves together ancient wisdom and modern insight—offering a kind of energetic blueprint for how you’re designed to move through the world. Not to box you in, but to show you how to move in a way that feels like you. I’m a 5/1 Splenic Projector. Which means I’m here to sense, to see, and to guide—gently, intuitively, and only when invited. My spleen speaks in quiet instincts, and my chart is full of openness—which means I feel a lot, absorb a lot, and am learning (slowly, lovingly) to let most of it pass through without trying to hold it all. Human Design didn’t give me a new identity.
It offered language for what I already knew. It’s helped me understand why some places feel like clarity and others feel like noise. Why my energy needs space. Why certain choices feel good in theory but wrong in the body. Why beauty, for me, is frequency—felt, not forced. So no, this won’t become a Human Design blog. But it will become a space where the lens of Human Design weaves into what I already do: Art. Fine Lifestyle Design. The Art of Space. The Art of Life. Design that feels like home—on the inside and the outside. You might see me speak about centers. Or energy. Or maybe two very different dogs named Blondie and Moose. But the thread will stay the same: Creating a life that feels aligned, intentional, and deeply your own. If that resonates, you’re invited. The experiment begins. Let’s go. A New Era of Growth: Beauty, Alignment, and Receiving I want my work to stand as proof that transformation can be beautiful. 🜃 I curate spaces that elevate your energy. 🜁 I create art that activates something deeper in you. 🜄 I guide people into alignment without force, trauma, or struggle. Because I believe in a different way. A way where you expand through ease. A way where growth is magnetic, not painful. A way where you don’t have to break yourself to become yourself. And if you feel this truth in your bones, you already know-- This is the way you were meant to grow, too. When you're ready, I'm here.
Explore my art, space refinement, or lifestyle offerings—each one designed to bring beauty, alignment, and ease into your world. Recently, someone I admire said that the phrase “having it all” feels triggering to her. That it speaks to never being satisfied, to a hunger that’s never fed. And I understand that lens—deeply. Especially in a world obsessed with more, more, more.
But that’s not what having it all means to me. To me, it’s not about endless striving or proving something. It’s not about chasing some elusive version of success. It’s not about accumulation. It’s about and. It’s about undoing the conditioning that says you have to pick:
It’s about refusing to gaslight yourself into believing that joy must be earned through sacrifice. Because for so long, we’ve been told that choosing ourselves comes with a cost. That we should settle. That “enough” is only what fits in someone else’s comfort zone. But for me, having it all is a reclamation. Not of everything, but of everything that’s true. Everything that’s mine. And maybe I’ll never be satisfied—because I wasn’t made for maintenance. As a Projector, I was designed to evolve. To guide. To hold the vision of what’s possible—not what’s practical. So no, it’s not about more. It’s about not less. Not less than what I deserve. Not less than what’s aligned. Not less than the fullness of what I came here to live. The Road to Success
(Part 1: The Choice) I realized that doing the work of alignment then Would bring ease to me later-- A life free from the grind of 9-to-5, Free from living someone else’s plan. It might have seemed “easier” at the time To skip the work of healing, To avoid becoming self-led, To sidestep trust, blocks, and resistance. But that work became light to carry When I knew what waited ahead: Aligned clients, authentic expression, And rewards too great to count—not only monetary, But the freedom to be fully me. And now, I know this path is the only one. I could quit, go get hired, Choose the familiar over the unknown. I could return to Phoenix, Because Yuma doesn’t look like San Diego. But my internal GPS is set. It whispers, “The beach is yours.” And though the road is paved with faith And built on small aligned actions, I will arrive—by hook or by crook. The Road to Success (Part 2: The Unfolding) But there was no real choice, was there? I wasn’t going back to Phoenix. Why would I, when everyone knew I belonged to the ocean? And I didn’t go back to what wasn’t terrible, But wasn’t working either. Not to the art shows or to the burnout, Not to the fear disguised as safety. Instead, I trusted the unfolding, Even when the evidence denied my becoming. Eliminating what didn’t fit, I yelled: “Not that! Not that!” Until I found the shoe that was meant for me. Because that was the path that felt alive, The one that I blazed exclusively for me, And it didn’t matter if no one else could see it. I found my San Diego, My freedom, my ocean, my truth. The Road to Me (Part 3: For The Very First Time) For the first time in my life, I didn’t choose the easy road. The one where everything worked, Where I floated with the current And pleased the outside world. For the first time, I didn’t care how it looked from the outside-- Didn’t let the whispers of fear Weave their lies around my choices. For the first time, I invested in me, In what couldn’t be seen, In what only I could feel. For the first time, I chose the long game, The one that was slow to reveal, But promised everything real. For the first time in my life, I chose trust over ease, Faith over fear, And made the choice to trust in the unseen. For the first time in my life, I chose me. I’ve been trying to get back in the studio forever. It was just not happening. My studio was ugly. So I redid it last July. That wasn’t it. Maybe I was scared to tie my passion to external validation again. The moment art stopped being for me, the moment I opened the door for sales, it started being about the clients. “The business.” It stopped being fun. Maybe that’s why I kept finding other things to do. I tend to do that. But my first First Friday in years is coming. Fast. Like, in two weeks fast… And I still haven’t started painting again. So in a last-ditch effort to shake things (and my hands) up, I booked a little beading class at a cute shop in town. Not because I love beading (I don’t). Not because I have patience for tiny little knots (I don’t). But because I had a strand of tourmaline I bought in Italy and a strand of turquoise I bought in Israel on my last trip there in November, and I wanted to learn how to turn them into necklaces. The Stones That Wouldn’t Take No for an Answer I walked in having already decided I was going to choose Garnet or Citrine for the class—something intentional, symbolic, chosen for where I’m stepping into. But…
But then… this beautiful sparkly strand kept winking at me. Ruby. No. No. No. I was determined. So I kept looking—checked what that one over there was…maybe that’s a prettier Garnet. What do you know? That was Ruby too. No. I already decided. I already chose. Kept looking… found another purple-red stone winking at me—maybe that one? Haha… Rubies again. So I looked up its properties. Ruby: vitality, courage, passion, abundance, desire, magnetism. It’s the stone of queens. Of sovereignty. Of stepping into your power without hesitation. And of course, it was everything I wanted to step into. I want it all. So I surrendered. And Then… Chrysocolla Found Me. The instructor suggested something bigger—easier to work with for this particular technique. And that was tough because I don’t like big, I like dainty. But then I remembered Chrysocolla. I asked. She showed me. I picked up the strand. A stunning blue-green necklace that looked like it belonged on a tropical beach. (Just like me). And I laughed, because I had been looking for a Chrysocolla necklace for a while. Last year, in Santa Barbara, I walked into a crystal shop. This stone called me. It said Chrysocolla. I looked up the properties—great for artists, creative expression, divine feminine flow—perfect! I bought it. Brought it home. Even wrote about it in my blog. And then… the more I looked at it, the more I thought… This isn’t Chrysocolla. I think they sold me amazonite by mistake. So I kept looking. Never found one. Until this class. Until, of course, it found me. Chrysocolla: the stone of deep expression, intuition, and creative flow. It’s about speaking your truth, channeling your emotions into something beautiful, and letting inspiration move through you without force. And I laughed again. Because of course, this was the one. The Bead, The Knot, and the Shift I Didn’t See Coming. I sat down. Watched the demonstration. It looked super complicated. But to my surprise, I immediately picked it up. And I started inserting beads and tying knots. I don’t have patience for tiny knots. I don’t find repetitive tasks meditative. I didn’t even think I’d enjoy this class. But somewhere in the middle of tying those knots… something shifted. I dropped out of my head and into my body. Into my hands. Into the rhythm. Finally. After months of trying to force myself back into creating… After all the overthinking, the “why am I not in the studio yet?” mental loops… It took a beading class—something so not my thing—to break the resistance. Maybe it was because… This wasn’t something I was learning in order to sell. This wasn’t about an offer, a collection, a price tag. It was just for me. ☆ No pressure. ☆ No expectations. ☆Just beauty, intention, and the simple joy of creating with my hands—making something I wanted to wear. The Moral of the Story
I am now the proud owner of three beautiful necklaces. (Yes, I got a strand of Peridot too – A stone of abundance, lightness, and heart-centered expansion. Said to carry the energy of sunshine, it invites prosperity, warmth, and a sense of renewal. It’s a reminder to receive, to open, to allow). Two more on the way. (Tourmaline and Turquoise). And I’m going back for the Emeralds. Why? Because… ✧ I can’t resist beautiful things with depth. ✧ Maybe I will create a necklace for the mood of each day—for the intention I am setting. ✧ And because somehow, somewhere between the bead and the knot, I found my way back. Once upon a time, Soul and Human set out on a journey together.
Soul always knew the destination. She saw the big picture, the why, the magic of it all. She walked with confidence, trusting every twist and turn. Human, on the other hand, was more cautious. She wanted to see the map, double-check the directions, and make sure they weren’t making a mistake. She carried a heavy backpack full of what-ifs, second-guesses, and past regrets—just in case. At first, Soul walked ahead, while Human hesitated. “Are you sure this is the right way?” Human asked. “What if we should have taken a different road?” Soul smiled. “This is our path. We’re exactly where we need to be.” But Human wasn’t convinced. She kept looking at other travelers, wondering if their route was better. She stopped often, adjusting the straps on her backpack, making sure she was “ready.” One day, they reached a clearing with two paths. Human froze. “What if I choose the wrong one? What if I mess everything up?” Soul sat down under a tree and laughed. “You can’t get it wrong. No matter which path you take, I’ll be right there with you.” Human sighed, dropping her backpack onto the ground. For the first time, she noticed how heavy it was. She had been carrying doubts that didn’t belong to her. She looked at Soul—so calm, so certain. And then it clicked. They weren’t separate. They weren’t on two different journeys. They were walking the same path, together. From that moment on, Human stopped hesitating so much. She still had questions, but instead of stopping to overthink, she asked them while moving forward. And for the first time, she felt it—the joy of the journey, the ease of trusting, the magic of simply being. Because the truth was, Soul and Human always wanted the same thing. It was never Soul vs. Human. It was always Soul + Human. And together, they walked forward—lighter, freer, and completely aligned. I never believed growth had to be painful. For most of my life, I actually thought the opposite. That life was meant to be beautiful, full of ease, joy, and adventure. That challenges would come, sure—but they weren’t the requirement for transformation. Then, as I dove deeper into consciousness and personal growth, I kept hearing the same message over and over: “Pain is the greatest teacher.” “You have to break down before you break through.” “Transformation requires suffering.” At first, I wondered if I had been naïve. If maybe I had it wrong all along. Because yes, I’ve grown through challenges. I’ve been shaped by hardship. But what if that was just because it was the path I had unconsciously allowed, rather than the only path that existed? Because here’s what I now know: Transformation doesn’t have to be painful. It can be intentional. We don’t have to wait for breakdowns or crises to expand. We don’t have to learn through suffering. We don’t have to let life force us into evolution when we could just as powerfully choose it. And this is what I have been rediscovering—remembering—through my own work. The concept of Tiferet in Kabbalah speaks to this exact truth.
It’s the harmony between expansion and balance. The refinement that brings transformation through beauty, rather than destruction. The wisdom that elevates without breaking. Maybe I wasn’t naïve after all. Maybe my soul had always known this. And maybe this is why I do the work I do. Because my soul remembers now. It’s uncovering the truth that was always within me. And I claim it fully. The world can keep believing that pain is the price of wisdom. But I choose another way. A way my soul has always known. A way of beauty, alignment, and effortless expansion. And maybe… so do you. |
AuthorHello there! I’m Ivette—an artist and creative visionary. Through fine art, aesthetics, and energetics, I explore the connection between beauty, alignment, and transformation. Here, I share insights on intentional living, refined spaces, and the art of Fine Lifestyle Design™. Welcome to my Blog!
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