News Trend Be You|Actual

First thing every morning, I stumble into my bathroom and reach for my toothbrush.

It lives right next to my sink. For maximum findability.

Then I grope around for toothpaste, and I find it here, on my bathroom shelves.

These shelves have lived through some transition lately.

For a long time, they were just random Target

Burt's Bees Milk And Honey Body Lotion

Which greatly soothed my weary morning soul. But to be honest, under that design ethic, this prime real estate was a tad underutilized.

Air plant | Sky Nursery.

Pink bowl | long ago at Target

An upside down Neti pot |Amazon

Burt's Bees Mama Bee Nourishing Baby Oil | Target

Vitamin E oil | Amazon

White jar | long ago at Target

Marble jar | long ago at Target

So I've experimented with adding a bit more product to the mix.

Oh sure. I'll totally admit that when I'm picking out lotions, cleansers, and hair products, I'm highly editorial about their packaging. They either fit my color scheme or, if they are really special, sent to live in a cupboard or drawer.

Kristen Ess Hydrating Curl Defining Cream | Target

Kristen Ess Weightless Shine Working Serum | Target

Marble jar | Thrifted

Bubblewrap | Glossier

Milky Jelly Cleanser | Glossier

Priming Moisturizer Rich | Glossier

And lately, I realized that my current collection of bottles, jars, and tubes plays up a handful of neutrals with a pretty shade of pink. Thanks, Glossier. You make my shelves look gorgeous.

But as I happily sorted and straightened, I felt like something was missing. Something that would pop open my eyes every morning, and elevate my day to a higher trajectory.

And in an instant, a vision popped into my brain.

Hello Activated Charcoal Whitening Toothpaste | Target

Burt's Bees Milk And Honey Body Lotion | Target

Sally Hansen Nail Treatment Vitamin E Nail And Cuticle Oil | Target

A frame from the thrift store, spray-painted white.

A picture-perfect shade of pink - culled from my extensive collection of pink acrylic paint - across a piece of watercolor paper.

Hand-cut letters from the same watercolor paper, glued into place.

Now, in the mornings, as I stand in my bathroom, toothbrush in hand, and turn to reach for my toothpaste, this message fills my eyes and lifts me up with light and loveliness.

Be you, Gracie. As if you could ever be anyone else.

And then, brushing my teeth all the while, I step back into my bedroom to greet my dog and remind her too, to just be you.

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Here's a link to the story about how I restyled my bathroom shelves last time:

Twenty Years

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I rarely display word art in my home, but when I do, it's always homemade. Check out these stories about my other word art projects:

Organization Upgrades: Kitchen Pantry Edition

Sex In The Front Hall