rainbow dinner

We've hit that stage where Ellie is saying things like, "I don't like green guys" when she sees bit of basil in her pasta sauce or jumping to "I don't like {insert new food she's never had here.}" The good thing is that she already eats a wide variety of foods and loves several fruits and veggies that she eats daily. But as we dive into farmers' market season here, I really want her to at least try fresh foods that are new to her.

A few weeks ago, I had this sudden brainstorm: Rainbow Dinner.

I explained that we were going to go to the market near our home and buy two fruits we love + one we've never tried, two vegetables we love + one we've never tried, and two cheeses we love + one we've never tried. And we were going to look for all different colors as we were exploring.

Ellie was so excited! She even wanted to wear her rainbow skirt to match her dinner.

We walked through the store naming all the foods and deciding what to put in the cart. There was a lot of: Let's try PURPLE CARROTS! I want to try those yellow tomatoes. Oh yes yes Mommy we MUST get those avocados, I'll put them in the bottom of the cart for you.

It was awesome.

We then worked together to wash and gather everything into pretty bowls and plates and ate at the table on the backporch.

She tried a bite of everything. She didn't like everything, but she was really happy to try. This didn't happen the next time we did "rainbow dinner." She only wanted to try the things she liked. The next time she was more open. And now she loves eating strawberries off the stem even though it means being closer to the green guys.

We've also turned our rainbow dinner into a rainbow pizza the next night when she wanted to put the yellow tomatoes and even the prosciutto onto her pizza. And we've done rainbow pasta.

But here is the really important part: On one hand, yes, this is a story about a parenting win. And I really believe in recording the wins so you can look at them and remember that there are moments when what you are trying to do works...where there is more joy than arguing...where there is softness and laughter.

But this is really about me taking the time to imagine the life I really want to create over here. I want there to be more fresh food going into our bodies. But I don't cook every day and that isn't going to change overnight. I'm not someone who thinks ahead of time about dinner and find myself texting with Jon at the end of the day saying, "Just get takeout again." And we eat in front of the TV sometimes. A lot of times.

Even though takeout will still happen and we will still sit in front of the TV sometimes, I have a choice:

Beat myself up for not being the kind of mom who cooks every night.

OR

Make one move toward more dinners at the table + getting Ellie to try new foods by having some version of rainbow dinner a couple of nights a week.

I can make the choice to make one more move toward the life I want to create over here. Beating myself up for not making those moves gets me nowhere closer to that life today.

And those moves start to add up. Ellie is now saying, "Can we go to the market and get food for rainbow dinner after nap today?"

Yes, honey. Yes. We. Can.

*****

If the idea of unearthing the life you're imagining for yourself and then making one move each day toward it resonates with you, consider joining Hand to Heart, my free ongoing community of women. Each month I share different ideas to add to your current self-care practice and we explore ways to make simple moves toward living the life we really want for ourselves and our loved ones.

Learn more and request to join right here.

new in the shop

I've been adding a few new Soul Mantras to the shop. First up is this feather bracelet. For months, Bonnie (my studio assistant) and I have been dreaming of a bracelet made with this huge feather. We finally made it happen. It comes in three sizes so it will be sure to fit your wrist. It includes a quartz crystal bead to promote clarity and all around daily support.

I've also paired the large feather with a stack of three raw fluorite gemstones. The colors make me so happy! You can find it right here. You can actually wear this necklace three ways because you can easily take the feather or the fluorite off of the chain and wear them individually (or add them to other Soul Mantra necklaces). 

These fluorite drops are all a bit different and range in color from light blue to swirls of purple and green. Just a few of these left.

A new batch of key necklaces is also in the shop. All these vintage keys are from an antique store in Iron Mountain, Michigan. Ellie and I found them while we were visiting my mom this spring. Love sending out these pieces of Midwest history. Each one is a little bit different and some even include numbers (each individual description indicates this). They are paired with a brass Soul Mantra that says "open up and live" and a kyanite gemstone to help you speak your truth.

And we have more Sleepy Moon earrings available. I wear mine just about every day. 

And for the first time since opening my shop seven years ago, I'm already dreaming up the collections I'll be sharing for fall and winter. The plan is to add more gemstones and a few other good things. Thank you so much for supporting my shop so that I can live these dreams and share my message in this concrete way that puts love from my studio right into your hands. 

Love and light,
Liz 

One Move

Imagine a girl dreaming of happy colors, long walks, more laughter.
Imagine a girl remembering how she used to sew, sketch, and daydream about writing a book.
Imagine a girl trusting that she can live the life she wants even though the twists and turns have brought her to some unexpected places.
Imagine a girl choosing to make one move toward this dream, this life every day.

Come along with the girls of Chickadee Road and reconnect with that girl inside you as you make One Move each day toward the life you imagine for yourself.

In “One Move,” Kelly Barton and I will lead you in a two-week adventure of reconnecting with that inquisitive, wise girl inside you as you name the life you want and discover and begin practicing one move each day toward that life.

In Week 1, we'll dive into naming and claiming the life you've imagined and open up toward living it. 

In Week 2, we'll begin to practice making one small but significant move each day toward that life. We will also look at ways to continue the "One Move" practice after our two-week adventure ends.

Details:

Dates: July 14-25, 2014

What “One Move” includes:

1) Daily emails Monday through Friday that will guide you in connecting with the dreams inside you and the life you imagine. There will be creative prompts to help you discover your "moves," inspiration, and stories from our own experiences.

2) Four Spreecasts: 

• Week 1 will include a 90-minute workshop with Liz and Kelly just like you are with us in the circle at one of our retreats. We will each share stories and guide you through a journaling exercise to help you name the pieces of the life you’ve imagined for yourself.
• Each week will also include an hour long question & answer session, which will also give time for you to share your stories and might even include a guest or two. 
• A follow-up session about a month after the class ends to give you the opportunity to check in, ask questions, share where you are, and so on. (This also gives people who are working through the material a bit more slowly a chance to still participate in a Spreecast and ask questions and share where they are in the process.)

If you are unable to attend the Spreecasts live, they will be recorded and you can watch (and re-watch) them at any time.

3) A private Facebook group where we can connect with one another, share stories, ask questions, check in, and be in community together.

Cost: $75 (Register over on Chickadee Road)

This class is for you:
 

If you’ve felt discouraged as you experience the disconnect between your everyday life and the life you envision for yourself.

You might even have stories like, “When this {big change} happens, I will finally do {insert dream here}.” Or "I thought by the time I was {insert age here}, I would {insert something you always wanted to do but haven't done yet}.

And even though life is good, you feel a longing to make some changes, to come back to center, or to spend some time with the dreams you had when you were younger. You feel a longing to invite in more joy and more light and more space.

The two of us have been there. And this is what we’ve learned: Each day you can make the choice to take one step toward the life you want. And then you can take one more step the next day. Even when you’d rather go back to bed. Even when life takes an unexpected turn. Even when the morning starts with burnt toast. 

Kelly and I would love to have you come along. Head over to Chickadee Road to read more (including an FAQ) and register.

trying on new {website} clothing

I'm feeling restless over here. At least in the sense that I'm in that space where I know I want to make some changes to my website, but I'm not quite ready to take the big plunge into a new fancy site. I just want to tweak things a bit here and there, even though that probably goes against all that "they" would tell me to do when it comes to a brand.

I just want to set that down and have some fun. Like I want to keep changing that tagline up there to whatever I'm moved to whisper to you today. And I want to play with a few different colors. Like pink. Yes, pink. Because why not? And I want to revise my about page. And create a page about how I want to teach more and give talks and circle more in person. And maybe even create a page for local events because I really believe I'm going to make that happen. And how the list goes on. (I did just add a welcome page right here. Probably needs some bells and whistles but it makes me happy.)

So I'm going to just go at my pace and make this a summer project. It won't be the kind you do all on one weekend, but the kind you do in the inbetween spaces after everyone goes to bed or when the breeze on the back porch is just right or after you pour that perfect tall glass of fresh homemade lemonade.

Yes. Exactly at that pace.

(So pardon the construction at times. You probably won't really notice, but I wanted to let you know.)

two really good things

Indie Kindred is available to rent online! I'm so honored to have been part of this documentary by my dear friend Jen Lee. Last year, Jen took the film to a few different cities, and I was at a few of the screenings and had so much fun hugging you gorgeous people in person and sharing stories and answering questions with some of the ladies from the film. So much goodness.

And now you can watch this beautiful film in your own home! Rent it right here. Every time I see it, it truly feels like a gift that reminds me I'm not alone as I create over here in my studio. Yes. I hope it does the same for you. I know it will.

Jen has also created a beautiful Facebook community for creative kindreds that is one of my favorite spots online. Join us here.

*****

Mindy Tsonas has put together a gorgeous summer offering called Inner Alchemy Circle.

I'm delighted to be one of the women circling with the group by sharing one of my own practices that connects me to the fire within.

Learn all about this offering here.

the 1993 collection is back!

For the last few weeks, I've been stringing beads in the evenings, creating a small gathering of necklaces so I could bring back the 1993 Collection. Something tells me I'll be doing this most evenings this summer, because I just can't stop myself. I love these colors! And this time, I've added some gemstones to a few to add another layer of intention for these Soul Mantras.

Here's the story behind this collection:

When I was in high school, I listened to Lenny Kravitz sing "Flower Child" on repeat, longing to be that girl "dressed in purple velvet with a flower in her hair" who "speaks of liberation on the land and on the sea" living on the West Coast and standing up for what I believed in. Even when I was wearing my boarding school uniform of plaid kilt and button down white Oxford, I wore layers of beaded necklaces that I made sitting cross-legged by the lake behind my dorm. And then in the summer when at home, I'd add a few more layers on my wrists and ankles.

Recently I unearthed these beads in my studio and decided to play with them again after an almost 20-year break. And as I listen to Lenny and Mumford & Sons and Paul Simon and string bead after bead, I'm spending a little time with my 17-year-old self and remembering her dreams and realizing that she would be very proud of me and where I am as I tell the true stories over here in my corner of the world.

The 1993 Collection is filled with the energy of summer and mixed tapes and afternoons full of hope and secret dreams and the belief that one girl just might make a difference in the world. As you wear your necklace from the 1993 collection, I hope you will reconnect and listen to those secret dreams inside you.

water your mama soul

It is time to nourish yourself, baby girl.

A mama's day is full of so much. Shifting from one role to the next can be beautiful and really hard sometimes. Some days it can leave you feeling exhausted even while you're aware of the joy. In the midst of it all, you can forget about the one person who needs your support most of all: You.

Water Your Mama Soul is a 10-day journey into self-care, healing, and noticing what you need. It's about making the choice to open your heart to you even as you nurture the dear souls underneath your roof.

You'll use your camera and a journal to reconnect with yourself through prompts and self-care practices that will arrive in your inbox each day. And you won't be alone. I'll be alongside you with my own stories from the mama trenches as each email includes a story from my heart to you.

I've created this class because I believe 10 days of focused creative self-care for just 10-20 minutes a day will change your life. 

And I'm delighted to now offer Water Your Mama Soul as an ongoing class for just $19. When you register, your emails begin right away so you can work at your pace and begin today.

Learn more, read the FAQ, and register here. 

a watercolor picnic

Earlier this spring, I started to have a dream of a meet-up here in Tacoma. We'd gather with quilts + watercolors + cheese + fruit + drinks and paint and laugh and eat and connect and share favorite quotes and maybe even read a poem or two. 

And it's happening!! Here are the details:

What: A Watercolor Picnic! Join me for an afternoon of creating + snacking + connection. (Because I'm longing for more in-person time with kindreds!) Check out the Facebook Event page right here.

When: June 14, 1-4 PM

Where: Point Defiance Park in Tacoma (see notes below)

What to bring: Bring your own watercolors + paper (or some other creative project you're working on), a quilt or blanket, and some snacks (including some to share if you'd like) + something to drink.

What if you don't know anybody: Please come! Some people going do know each other but this is really about kindred spirits coming together. My hope is that we will start doing things like this more often because life really is better when we do it together.

Notes: Please RSVP on the Facebook events page so I have an idea of numbers. And if you aren't on FB, just send me a note.

On the Friday before we gather, I will update this post + the Facebook event page with the exact location. Weather and a few other things will help that decision. And if it rains, I'll update with a rain location here + on FB.

Also, note that this isn't a workshop. There is no cost. But I will be leading us a bit and sharing some poetry and other good things. I'll also bring some water for our watercolors, but be sure to bring a small cup for your water.

If you have questions, feel free to email me.