because books. always books. {i heart makers}

"I like to party" print by Bookworkboutique

I've been gathering a few of my favorite book-related goodies to share with you as the next installment of the {i heart makers} series. Books have always been among my dearest friends. I've gone through times in my life where I honestly felt like authors and characters in books got me and helped me feel seen in ways I couldn't ask others to do in my life. Books take me on adventures, get me to think about life in new ways, and give me a sense of place. If you're someone who loves books like me or you need the perfect gift for a book lover in your life, here are some awesome made/designed by makers creations:

The "I read past my bedtime" pillow by Bookwormboutique makes me smile and has me nodding yes yes yes. The 10-year-old me would have loved seeing this on her bed every day (it goes without saying the 39-year-old me feels the same way). And because this is over on Society6 it comes in other designs too. (And I'm a bit obsessed with all the designs by Bookworkboutique. Like this phone case and this t-shirt and this mug.)

When I signed the contract for my book, my friend Jen gave me one of these gorgeous tiny book journal necklaces from Peg and Awl. It remains one of my favorite most thoughtful gifts of all time. (And Peg and Awl has become one of my favorite maker made businesses to support. I have several of their items in my studio and home. They probably deserve their own blog post soon.)

I've started spotting really unique book planters more and more on Pinterest. I recognize that they might be blasphemous for some book lovers because a book has to be altered but in my mind I love that books that might just be sitting on shelves unread in thrift stores are getting a new life. Over on Scoutmob, Paperdame has some awesome ones.

If you know me well, you know I'm not so much into humor that plays off of body parts. It just isn't my thing. At all. But this tote from She Sells Fairhope and other Etsy items out there with this quote make me crack up every single time I see them. I start singing and grooving and can't stop smiling. The. Best.

When I started my retreats years ago, I couldn't find book plates that I liked to put inside the books I'd be taking with me to retreats (and loaning to friends). Back in 2009, Etsy rescued me and I fell in love with the shop boygirlparty. We've been customers ever since. These whale book plates are my favorite but Susie has several others. You'll be seeing boygirlparty appear in future "I heart makers" posts. I'm a fan.

Love this "Reading is my super power" mug from LennyMud. There are other styles too.

And the Bookworm phone case from Cassia Beck makes me smile. I want to step into that photo and read all those books!

An invitation: Are you a maker? Share a little about you and your shop with a link to your site in the comments so I can visit. Would love to possibly feature you in a future post.

Note that some of these links are affiliates, which means I receive a small commission if you purchase through the link.

in case you need some encouragement {i heart makers}

Love this quote print from Parada Creations

One of my favorite things to pin is quotes (and products with words) because they are like little whispered truths (or loud reminders when needed) that invite us to think about the ways we really want to live. At least once a month, my {i heart makers} series is going to feature items with quotes and words that I hope will shake things up a bit for you and invite you to pay attention or, like this week, remind you that you're not alone.

A few people in my life are going through "stuff" in the way that happens from time to time. Maybe you have some people in your world having a hard time too or maybe that person is you. Here's a handful of my current favorite items that are handmade or designed by makers that fall in the "words of encouragement" category.

This "you are loved" mug from pinkoliveinc has been a favorite of mine for years. So sweet. And would make a beautiful gift.

Love this reminder that "you are part of something beautiful." Such an awesome t-shirt from Perusha People.

Because sometimes we just need to be reminded to keep believing (and to sing Journey). Love this print from Virginia Kraljevic

The Instant Comfort Pocket Boxes by Kim Welling are one of my favorite things on Etsy. Simple. Delightful. Heartfelt. Yes.

I don't think we can hear "you are enough" too often in our lives. When I first started hammering versions of "i am enough" and "you are enough" into lockets years ago, there was just one other shop using that phrase on Etsy. Now you can find these words on so many products, and I think that is so awesome. These two caught my eye this week.

Love the happy colors in this print by pen and paint (and you can choose a colorful version when you order).

And this mug from LilyAndVal is really lovely. 

And finally, this print from Read Between the Lines just makes me happy. I can just imagine seeing it every day in my home knowing that someone in the world feels that way about me. Would be pretty awesome.

An invitation: Are you a maker? Share a little about you and your shop with a link to your site in the comments so I can visit. Would love to possibly feature you in a future post.

Note that some of these links are affiliates, which means I receive a small commission if you purchase through the link.

a summer caprese salad

This is my current go-to summer meal that often involves a bit of cleaning out the fridge meets a few summer favorites meets one of my best friends: balsamic glaze.

Caprese salads are something Jon and I really love, and I like to riff on the caprese in several ways from putting it onto skewers (that look like this) to turning it into a pasta dish to adding in grilled portabella mushrooms like the Edgewater in Culver used to do when we lived there years ago.

My current favorite involves whatever tomatoes we have, basil, baby mozzarella (which I believe is called bocconcini), watermelon, and all the berries. I sometimes add in avocado or guacamole. And I drizzle balsamic glaze over the whole thing. Yes, it looks like chocolate syrup, but I'm here to tell you I love it even more than chocolate syrup. For real.

My favorite balamic anything is made by Fini (and World Market has the best price I've seen). I love their vinegar and their glaze. Try it on watermelon with a little bit of sea salt and maybe add in some mint. Oh my goodness you will thank me.

Making your own glaze is super easy too. I'm thinking this recipe is next on my list.

What summer foods are you enjoying over in your corner? I'd love to know.

getting your photos off of your phone

A theme is arising in my world and work: I really want you to get your photos off of your phones and computers and into your hands.

As a group of us begin the Inner Excavate-along today and dive into some self-portrait prompts and other photo adventures, I've had some questions about easy ways to print photos from your phone. So I'm compiling a list of services I've used along with other possibilities that I've sourced through recommendations from the beautiful souls over on Facebook. As I use other services and find other resources, I'll update this list. Note that these are in no particular order of preference.

Social Print Studio

I've also used Social Print Studio and am a huge fan of the different styles they have, especially the miniprints. The quality is great! And I think the photostrips could be super fun for self-portraits.

Postagram

We've been using Postagram for years to send easy postcards to grandparents and even to one another (perfect when Ellie and I are visiting family while Jon's at home). Love this simple way of sharing photos or sending yourself or someone in your own home a note in the mail! (And as soon as I press publish, I'm going to send some postcards because seriously if ever you wanted to key to a grandparents heart it is photos in the mail.)

4x4 prints from Walgreens

Walgreens

I'd heard that Walgreens has an easy to use app that interfaces with Instagram and your phone and that they print square photos. And I'm happy to report that I used it and loved it! This is the perfect way to get same-day printed photos if you aren't printing them at home. They even print 8x8 so now I can put my favorite peony photo up in my studio because as you might have guessed if you follow me on Instagram, I miss them big time.

8x8 print from Walgreens

Target

I haven't used the kiosk at Target yet, but I've heard that you can easily connect your phone and print photos right there. Another same-day possibility. (And I can tell you with certainty that they won't have fans or kiddie pools right now. At least in Tacoma. Because it is hot hot hot here and there is not a pool or fan in site! I did find these though. Smitten.)

PostalPix

I've used PostalPix over the years and really like the quality of their photos. The app is super easy to use too. You can read my previous post about them right here.

4x4 prints from Sticky9

Sticky9

I heart Sticky9 and the border around the 4x4 photos as shown above. As I mentioned in this post, you can easily choose your Instagram photos and place a quick order. The prints come with a white border that I'm a bit obsessed with. They also print fun square magnets from your IG photos. (Use code FRIEND10W9P for 15% off your first order!)

A few other options:

I've heard really good things about Persnickity Prints, Groovebook (though it isn't clear to me if they send prints or only books), Kanvess (which does prints), and Chatbooks (which sends you photo books only but I'm so going to sign up for this service this month!).

Printing at home

As I've mentioned, I currently use three printers to print my photos at home. My new Canon Selphy CP910 prints 4x6 photos and the Instax Share prints those adorable credit card size photos. And I use an older version of this Epson to print photos from my computer (so this usually means the photos from my Canon Rebel). I don't think you need three printers, but I use them at my retreats, so having a few choices makes sense in my world.

And as part of my collaboration with eBay, I've written an article that reviews these three printers plus one more that I use at home to print my photos from my phone and computer. 

Note: Most of these services via apps are just in the United States (though some do ship internationally so check them out!). If you have resources for other countries, please share them in the comments. And if you use other apps to print photos, I'd love to hear about them! Thank you!

unicorns, mermaids, and rainbows {i heart makers}

Be The Mermaid by Kelly Barton

Over the weekend, Jon, Ellie, and I were having a somewhat quiet afternoon (okay, it was not all that quiet because life with our five year old is not quiet, but it was a bit chill). I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and saw all these awesome people hanging out at Urban Craft Uprising and couldn't handle not going. So off we went with just a few hours to spare.

And it was so awesome to be in a room filled with so many amazing makers and people who love handmade.

Ellie was full of so much energy and joy finding all the booths with stuffies and chatting up anyone who wanted to talk. Oh this kid. How she makes my life so much brighter. 

I found some really fantastic handmade goods that I'll be sharing in a few posts this month (I want to take some photos first of a few). As we were driving home, I started thinking about creating a new blog series here about all the handmade (or designed by makers) goods I find when I have on my curating hat and am sharing things over on Pinterest.

So here we are: The first "I Heart Makers" column! I'll be spotlighting some of my favorite makers, some of my favorite products that I use and wear and have in my home, along with a few fun things that catch my eye as I'm perusing the Internet.

Today, I'm spotlighting "Unicorns, Mermaids, and Rainbows" because those three things are current favorites for Ellie and me. As she would say, "We LOVE LOVE LOVE unicorns and rainbows and mermaids too, don't we Mama?" Yes, honey. Yes. We. Do.

You might have seen this photo of me sporting my sparkly unicorn horn over on Instagram. It just delights me. My dear friend Alli gave it to me and she found it in Brooklyn Owl's Etsy shop. It's the perfect thing to put on when you're about to drive away from the ocean-front home where you've hosted a retreat and are feeling the sads come on.

(image from MilbotandChooky)

This rainbow cloud mobile is so adorable and from MilbotandChooky on Etsy. They have quite a few happy mobiles and garlands.

(image from Yikes Twins)

Last month, we found this awesome unicorn towel for Eleanor at Pottery Barn Kids (she sometimes wears it for most of the day). AND THEN SOMEONE ON INSTAGRAM LET ME KNOW ABOUT AN ETSY SHOP THAT MAKES UNICORN TOWELS FOR ADULTS. Sorry. Couldn't stop myself from talking in a super loud excited voice just then. Check out these awesome towels from Yikes Twins (including mermaids!). I can't even handle it. Totally have one in my shopping cart right now.

My new Reading Rainbow aka Brainbow phone case makes me so happy. It also comes as a pillow, totebag, and even a shower curtain. I can't help but smile when I see it and I'm totally thinking about getting this pillow.

Have you seen Kelly's mermies yet? She's has some over on Society6 (like the one on the top of this post) and others in her Etsy shop. I heart these mermaids and their awesome ways.

And I'm totally in love with Anna Wingfield's Magical Unicorn Anointing Oil. It has a very clean citrus and lavender scent. I'm using it in the moments when I want to invite in a bit more magic and playfulness with a huge dose of inner wisdom on the side. 

An invitation: Are you a maker? Share a link to your shop in the comments so I can visit your shop. Would love to possibly feature you in a future post.