every maker needs a mentor

I'm so excited to share that I'm a mentor at the Maker Mentors (online!) conference this week!!!

Maker Mentors is a live online conference for creative business owners. They have brought together some of the smartest business experts and best creative business owners together to create a unique experience for you.

And the conference is happening this week! May 14th-16th

Everyone who signs up gets access to 20+ live sessions with creative business experts, an interactive forum, and tons of resources to help you grow your business. Don't worry if you can't make it live. All of the content is recorded so you can access it anytime.

I'm delighted by this recognition that every maker needs a mentor. So many of us feel a call to turn what we make into a business, and yes, the resources online are vast and helpful. But it can also be difficult to figure out how to wade through all of that information and hone in on how to actually live this dream into reality.

Maker Mentors is looking to close that gap so you can learn from people who've really been there. And you can learn this from your own home.

Awesome!

Discount Code: I'm happy to share that there's a special discount code for readers of my blog! Use code LIZLAMOREUX for $50 off your conference fee. (Note that when you use the discount code, I receive a small affiliate fee for being part of the conference.)

Hope to see you there!

this is my practice.

The "My Practice" necklace is your chance to think about what you currently want to invite into your life and claim it with a hand stamped word paired with kyanite and amethyst to really support you as you stand tall in the life you want to live.

This is the necklace I've been wearing for the last few weeks. Mine is hand stamped with the word "allow," which has become one of those words that keeps appearing in my life. Allowing all the feelings. Allowing for the possibility that I can choose to make little moves each day toward the life I want. Allowing those around me to show up as them just as I want to show up as me. Allowing for more abundance, more love, more in-person connection, more community.

When you order this necklace, you choose a word that represents your current practice. Yes, this could be your word of the year, but it could also be the soul care practice you're calling in right now or even just the feeling you most want in your life. Perhaps you have begun to notice, like I did, a word that keeps appearing again and again and is almost demanding that you pay attention, so you feel called to bring it into your life in this tangible way.

After I hand stamp you word/short phrase on this brass bar, it is then paired with a gorgeous wire wrapped kyanite teardrop gemstone to invite in clear communication and to help you speak whatever you need to say as you live this practice. And a sweet little faceted amethyst is added to invite in a sense of balance, peacefulness, and calm. These three special pieces hang from a thick brass jump ring to give you a gorgeous focal point for your practice.

I imagine you reaching for this necklace and holding it when you need to be reminded that you know the next step you want to take. Yes yes yes.

You can find the limited edition My Practice necklace right here.

peonies and poetry

Years ago, I used to share about poetry on Thursdays. In Hand to Heart, we've started this tradition again and today, as my love affair with the peony deepens, I feel moved to make today about poetry in this space too. They're connected for me, peonies and poetry.

Everything about the peony is waiting to appear in a poem. And Mary Oliver captures this truth so gorgeously in her poem "Peonies." An excerpt:

the flowers bend their bright bodies, 
and tip their fragrance to the air, 
and rise, 
their red stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness 
gladly and lightly, 
and there it is again — 
beauty the brave, the exemplary,

blazing open. 

On Monday after school, Ellie and I went to Trader Joe's and there they were in the flower section, like tightly closed dreams unsure of where to begin. Ellie did not understand why I wanted to buy them. They weren't eagerly reaching for our attention like the roses she ran to when we walked in or the daises bobbing along to the music. No. They were hiding, and I had to walk all the way around the display to find them camouflaged next to the bursting with hints of summer bouquets you can give your mom this Sunday.

I told her, "These are magical flowers. I know they don't look like much right now. But, you're going to love watching them bloom."

We agreed that I'd put a couple in her room and she could keep an eye on them, so she was content to humor me.

And while she was away at school the next day, the magic began to unfold in a little bedroom with purple walls.

That evening, she was getting her pajamas out of the drawer and spotted them. "MAMA! Come quick! I can't even believe this."

Pink petals opening like a skirt twirling in slow motion.

Her face was so full of joy. Of delight. Of "how is this even possible?"

Now, when she gets home from school, she rushes to her room to see if they've opened even more, and she runs back out, grabs us each by the hand with excitement in her voice saying, "Look! Look! They're even bigger!!!" 

This morning as I watch them while the birds sing so loudly around us and the blooms seem to stretch even more before my very eyes, I hold the beauty in one hand and the knowledge that their lives are so brief in the other.

I think that perhaps the reason we're drawn to the peony like the eager bees and ants that nestle inside their blooms is because it is the closest thing we have to a phoenix.

These huge heavy bursting blooms are an access point to wonder, to that unwavering truth that spring comes again even when our hearts try to convince us it won't.

("Peonies" appears in Mary Oliver's collection New and Selected Poems. I couldn't find a copyright free site to link to, but a quick search and you'll find the poem in its entirety.)

there are things i want to tell you

I want to tell you about the ways being a mother pushes me more than anything I've ever done. It knocks me around. It takes my breath away. It takes me out at the knees. It grows my heart bigger.

I want to tell you about the way I can see love float through the air whenever my daughter giggles. It's like heart-shaped bubbles surround her, surround us, and I can't help but relax into myself.

I want to tell you about the ways I'm certain that I don't know what I'm doing, the days when the questions and the shoulds and the whys stack up.

I want to tell you about the moments when I wonder why it has to be so hard, why she has to push so hard against me, against the love.

I want to tell you about the moments that are full of ease, full of more joy than one person can hold, full of certainty and wide hope.

I want to tell you about the moments when I whispered to her, "All you have to do is live. Is breathe on your own. And then you can live big in this world. You can love big. You can walk beside an elephant in Africa and discover all that you love and become a superhero and just be anyone you want to be. All you have to do is live" as the ventilator whooshed beside us.

I want to tell you about the choices I've made, the mistakes, the blunders, the parenting moves I want to redo because I'm that mom whose baby girl almost died and it can be hard to get out from under that truth.

I want to tell you about the ways I'm trying to soften inside when I think about those mistakes because she's that daughter who doesn't need to think about that almost for even a second because she's so strong and living so big in this world.

I want to tell you about feeling turned inside out while also feeling certain that "yes, even this" can be the path.

I want to tell you about the ways I don't do it all, the ways I'm plowed under by the clutter and the anxiety and the "Please don't ask me one more time if we're there yet."

I want to tell you about the ways my heart keeps stitching together as another bead slides down the string and she joins in as I chant to Ganesh and later after she's in bed he looks at me and says, "Can I hold your hand?"

But instead I'm just going to tell you that each day I'm doing all that I can to set down the pushing and the almosts and the "yes, even this" sometimes to notice the way I want it to be and the way it is, and I'm building a bridge between them where I'm going to sit and dangle my feet while I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I'm building a bridge where I'm going to live.

Where we're going to live.

here

Here. A special package that kicks off a new project I'm starting over here inspired by Lori Portka's 100 Thank Yous Project. Getting out of the house using my Action Journals (and Staedtler pens) to kick the overwhelms to the curb. Candlyland (and this week so many rounds of Uno). Huge granny square blanket. Somehow always getting to that place of love and cuddling and just being together by the end of the day. The altar that's beside me as I chat with the ladies in my new one-on-one offering (in the beta testing phase - will be open to anyone in June!). A card that pretty much says it all (sending me a card in the mail is a way straight to my heart). Ellie's favorite evening activity has become these beads by B. Toys. A peek at the current studio altar. And I just keep rounding those corners as I granny away over here in the evenings while watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on Netflix.

Gathering up photos like this is a way to really see evidence of the ways I'm living over here. It helps me to push aside the old stories and the shoulds. And it helps me see the textures and colors and rhythms of our days in this little house. 

Soul Mantras Instagram Sale

I'm having some fun over on the Soul Mantras Instagram feed today. Yes, Bonnie and I started a special Instagram account just for the Soul Mantras and every now and then we're going to have special sales. And weekly, we're sharing peeks into the studio and first announcements about new designs. We also have sample sales from time to time too.

This special sale runs through tomorrow (Tuesday). I hope you find something for you or for a loved one. And we'll be shipping so things get to you in time for Mother's Day!!

Come on and follow us over here!

retreating

Ellie and I are in Arch Cape, Oregon for her first art retreat this weekend. It's just the two of us and it's pretty awesome to be here together teaching her the ways of retreating. We're painting and getting sea and salt in our hair and snacking and writing and laughing. And there's of course a heavy dose of remembering to be kind and learning how to take some space when we need it and creating a mess with our words and then hugging it out.

Our time here has me very excited to come back in June for the One Move Retreat (which has five spots left). And it has me thinking about writing a few posts with some thoughts about what I'm learning as we paint and talk and hug it out.

 

While watching her run on the beach with a new friend this morning, I started thinking about how parenting is so much about trying to stay rooted while the world feels like it spins faster. And I'm not talking about time. That's a given. I'm talking about how you go from knowing what to do in a moment and saying just the right thing to help her learn to hearing her laughter and see her joy literally bubble up around her like magic to watching her run too far from you until she can't see you, until you can't see her, while the tide is coming in and the moment suddenly tosses you over a cliff of worry and knowing you're going to have to pull out the serious voice while not totally losing your shit in front of wedding guests who are suddenly gathering on the beach where just 20 minutes before there was only you and her and adventure waiting. Somehow staying rooted, even if only by a fingertip, in moments like that. 

More soon...but I think it's time to nap while she naps...

love this: scoutmob favorites (and a giveaway!)

 

For a few months now, I've been curating my favorites from Shoppe by Scoutmob over on Pinterest. As I shared previously, Shoppe by Scoutmob is an awesome site that supports makers by giving them a platform to sell a handful of their goods. It is full of gorgeous, fun handmade items.

Today, I'm partnering with Scoutmob to share a few Mother's Day gift ideas for under $100 AND to give away a $100 gift card to one reader so you can buy your own gift for Mom (or yourself!). Here are just a few of my current maker-made gift ideas on Scoutmob. (Giveaway details are at the end of the post.)

The DIY Scarf Indigo Dye Kit by Yellow Owl Workshop looks pretty darn awesome. I've been eying the indigo dye trend for a while, seeing DIY ideas on Pinterest, and I love that this kit comes with everything you need. If the mom in your life is the DIY type, this would be pretty perfect! 

There are quite a few rings on Scoutmob that I've been dreaming about lately. The Hammered Gold Eclipse Ring by Isla Loves Rick is gorgeous. And the circle can represent so many beautiful stories. I also love the Hammered Siren Ring, the Moon Dot sterling ring, and the Queen Crown Ring. Oh and the custom state quarter ring has become one of my most popular curated pins ever. It is pretty darn awesome!

The Flower Market Scarf Camera Strap by Bluebird Chic is great for the mom who carries her big camera around but wants to be stylish and have her camera hang comfortably from her neck or shoulder. Also really perfect for a photographer who takes photos at weddings and other events. Also really love this canvas and leather strap.

The Double Dot Enamel necklace by K.O'Brien Jewelry is adorable and on trend yet doesn't feel super trendy, and I love the color combinations it comes in! Such a sweet pairing that can represent a mama and child without being too obvious about it. A mom could also give the little dot to her daughter. Love this one!

The Herbal Bath and Beauty Kit from Herbal Organics looks lovely. Giving thoughtfully, handmade self-care products like these can be paired with a beautiful message from your heart about how it is time for the mom in your life to take some time for herself. Love that idea! The Sabbatical Bath Salts also look delightful and have maybe the best name ever.

The Leather Foldover Clutch by Rare Bird is gorgeous. I love how it could go from holding important stuff in your big everyday bag to date night easily. And the price is really great for this kind of leather craftsmanship. (This is pretty much on my wish list big time.) The Full Bloom Flower pouch is also so cute!

Giveaway details: The giveaway is open through 11:59 PM PST, Sunday, April 19. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment sharing your favorites from the gift ideas above. One winner will be chosen at random and will be announced at the end of this post on Monday. Be sure to include your email (not in the comment, just in the email space provided), so we can be in touch with you if you win. Good luck!!! And give maker made this Mother's Day. It's a way to give the moms in your life extra love.

Giveaway Winner: The winner is Lara who commented: #5 the herbal bath and beauty kit. Sometimes mum needs reminded that she CAN take time for herself. Congratulations Lara!! Check your email.

Note: Though I am partnering with Scoutmob for this giveaway, this isn't a sponsored post and all opinions are my own. The links above are affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission when you explore the Shoppe through these links.