So! It's the weekend and I'm officially signing off as I have an illustration exhibition to attend and a very messy china cabinet and closet to organize tomorrow! I also have tons of material to read - my subscription to Australian design magazine Real Living just arrived today, and the gorgeous German magazines Living & More and Living & More Country are here too. I can't forget VTWonen from Yvonne, which she so nicely included in my order as a housewarming present. Combined, these mags really nail my aesthetic and I think many of yours too -- cozy, nature-inspired, relaxed decor. I also have a pile of design books to consider for possible review, friends to visit, and I need to prep a few things for the arrival of our 82 boxes this coming week. Yup. All that stuff that I can't remember packing...

I'll be taking off a day or two next week to unpack and organize, so I'll meet you back here on Monday and in the morning on Tuesday (for Etsy Take Five) but on Wednesday and Thursday I'll be consumed in the task of unpacking and organizing my flat. If I find any of it at all blog worthy or inspiring in some way, I'll certainly share it with you as I go. I can't believe that between this post and today, my relocation is finally about to wrap up. I'm so, so happy and I can't wait to get my printer, computer and everything else back - it took three months but I think having that time allowed me to settle in here with ease - I can't imagine landing on fresh turf and having all that stuff arrive the same day or even the same month. There is so much to take in when you leave your country for a new one. And though I love it here and plan to stay for quite some time, I still have so many adjustments to make.

And on another topic... gee thanks you guys for opening up in the post about blog content. As a result, over 100 of you poured out your thoughts and feelings on the topic and it left me feeling really proud of all of us in this community of bloggers who so passionately and openly share bits of our world with one another. As a result, I will have a weekly column starting on Thursday, November 5th called, "Talk It Out" and each week I'll take a question via email (send your question to me and I'll try to answer as many as I can in the weeks to come) and I will post it on decor8 and we'll talk it out. I'll share my views and then, all of you can participate and hopefully we can continue to inspire, build, motivate and encourage our community of men and women online who are blogging and sharing. Sound good? When you send me a question, make sure it is one that you think would benefit not only you, but the community involved in the discussion.

What my weekend looks like. :)

For instance, questions pertaining to your blog specifically (like, "What should I change about my blog?") won't really work  - but a question about an issue you've had, or a concern or anything else having to do with authoring a blog or having a small business may work. Perhaps you've wondered how bloggers find their material. Or maybe you've wondered how to get out of a creative rut. Maybe you need to know how to market your new shop, or anything else. Perhaps it's related to an idea you had for your brick and mortar store and you wonder if it would work. Or you want to learn how to approach store owners with the things that you make. The questions can be on a variety of topics, I don't mind, as long as they fit the overall theme of decor8: creative living, decorating (no room design tips will be given, however, so please do not send in photos) independent design, small business, blogging and community. I won't assign the column to anyone else, nor will I ask anyone to participate in advance -- it will be more of a community approach where we all are equals. We'll ALL toss out our ideas and such to see where they land. I know other blogs have these kinds of columns in place  but Talk It Out will be different because I'm going to personally answer each question and post it here so that you can answer it too and it will be our column.

See you on Monday! And send in your questions for Talk It Out, okay?

(images: top 2 - lagerlings via design evolution, bottom: holly becker)