a quiet revolution

I’m sharing a story today as part of the launch of the new site Quiet Revolution. It’s co-founded by Susan Cain, author of the best-selling book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.

I was lucky enough to see Susan speak at WDS a few summers ago and the topic of her book deeply resonated with me. She’s giving a voice to what introverts experience in our current world and it is powerful (just listen to her Ted talk).  

A peek into my own journey as an introvert comes up in one of the phrases that has become central to what I share with women I work with: Just show up as you.

It’s why I created my retreats. I wanted women to be able to set down the expectations they feel in their daily lives, to set down the roles they play, to set down who they think they are supposed to be, and come to a safe and creative environment where they can show up as themselves. 

But here’s what I know: This isn’t always easy.

We go through life feeling the push and pull of wanting to be seen as ourselves but also wanting people to like us. We look at a situation and try to figure out the best way to move through it. We want to thrive in our lives and we want to be loved.

Oh this being human is a wondrous wacky adventure.

As a child, one of the things that was often said about me was, “You’re so serious.” I interpreted this to mean: You’re too serious. You’re no fun. You aren’t funny. And people don’t really want to be around you.

Whoa. That is a lot for a little one to be navigating.

Looking back, I know that what I was really doing was honing in on one of my superpowers:

I take things seriously.

What does that mean? Well here’s a peek at what it means for me:

• It means I’m able to create safe space for women to talk about the tough stuff that happens in their lives. 
• It means I’m standing tall in the belief that we hold the beauty of life in one hand and the grief of life in the other. 
• It means I’m able to hold space when someone shares a story that comes from the guts, from their heart. 
• It means I invite others to honor the messy, hard stuff and still seek the joy. 
• It means I let myself feel all the feelings when navigating through my own life. 
• It means I’ve come to understand that walking through the woods alone and pausing to take five deep breaths in the middle of my day supports me and helps me listen and make sense of things.

It’s why I do the work I do.

This realization that being serious is a superpower has helped me to show up as me and helped me to find my kindreds who see me for me. And here’s the important piece: They really see me because I let them.

When I show up as me, I shed those old stories around what “being serious” means and move from a more confident and grounded place. In many ways it is a more vulnerable place but it’s also filled with a lot more joy.

And I’m learning how to set boundaries about what I do and do not want to do when my introvert buttons get pushed. Leading my own retreats? Yes. Being the room parent at my daughters school? Nope. Volunteering to help in the classroom? Yes (from time to time). Organizing a big party for her 5th birthday complete with homemade activities even though I’m thought of as the crafty mom? Nope. And how the list goes on.

I’m finding my way. I’m learning how to listen to what I need and what I know so that I can still show up as me as best as I can in certain situations. And I’m resisting the temptation to judge and compare and instead hold space for all of us to show up as ourselves. 

This piece is always a work in progress, which is one of the many reasons I’m glad that Susan has launched this Quiet Revolution.  

There is space for everyone, for all of our quirks and strengths. Yes.

So come over and join the Quiet Revolution. It’s an online community created to connect and empower introverts around the world. You can join the community and get a free copy of The Power of Introverts: 9 Best-Love Stores by Susan Cain.

Quiet Revolution is a mission-based company whose goal is to unlock the power of introverts for the benefit of all. With your help, we hope to inspire all personality types to embrace their quiet strengths and create a world where introverts are celebrated for their valuable contributions and, more importantly, for who they are.

GlobeIn Artisan Box

Recently, GlobeIn sent over one of their Artisan boxes and asked if I'd share a review about it here on my blog.

Moments like this are when I really do think to myself, "Best job ever."

When the adorable little basket arrived, I waited to open it with Ellie, because I knew she would love seeing what was inside.

And right from the start I want to tell you one of my unexpected favorite parts of this subscription box: No unnecessary packaging. They really are standing behind their mission to build a more positive world, and one way is by having less of an impact on the environment.

Everything that came in the box was tucked sweetly inside the basket with a tote bag folded underneath. And what was inside was a little feast for the senses with rice (complete with a coconut rice recipe), lip balm, delicious cacao nibs, and a little bamboo bowl. The tote bag is the perfect size for groceries or packages to take to the post office and books to and from the library (which is probably how I'll be using it).

As we looked at what was inside, Ellie and I might have had to talk about how the stuff inside was really for me, like my own Kiwi Crate box, and that she could help me open it all but that it wouldn't be going in her room. Though we're scheming up fun things to keep in the basket, from hair bows to notes that list things we're happy about. And I've agreed that yes, she can eat the rice and use the bowl. (Insert that wink smiley face emoji here.)

A little information about the GlobeIn Artisan Box. It's a subscription box where each month you receive a themed collection of artisan­-made products from around the world. The products are often organic, fair­ trade, and support artisans and farmers from around the world. Each box also includes stories about the origin of the products product as well as the stories of the artisans and farmers. This special touch of including the stories makes me so happy.

And these stories gave me an unexpected opportunity to talk with Ellie about what it means to buy handmade from people around the world. Because of my business and my studio in our backyard, she already understands that some people go to work to make things by hand for other people, but explaining how we can positively impact the world when we purchase handmade items wasn't a conversation I'd really had with her yet. She was so interested in reading the stories in the little booklet and learning more about the people who made these items that were now sitting on our kitchen table. It was awesome.

Here's the thing, when you have the chance to review something, you hope you'll really like it and you want to be able to be honest in your review. I want to share the products I love here in this space. The products I would gift to my own mom, to my closest friends, that I would want myself. And I'm pretty much hoping that Jon gets me a subscription to the Artisan Box for Mother's Day. For real. (Honey, this is a big hint.)

Special just for you: If you want to gift yourself or someone else a subscription to the Artisan Box, you can use coupon code LIZ for 25% off a 3-month (or longer) subscription! 

Please note: GlobeIn gifted me one Artisan Box in exchange for this review. This post is not sponsored by them and the opinions shared are my own. Links throughout are affiliate, which means I receive a small commission if you choose to purchase anything through these links. Photo at the top of this post provided by GlobeIn.

current great.ly favorites

print by Colour Moon over on Great.ly

I keep meaning to tell you that I'm curating some awesome handmade goods over on Great.ly, which is a site where makers and tastemakers can connect. Even though I'm actually a maker, I'm using the site with my "tastemaker" hat on, which is the one I wear as that person who has more than 3 million Pinterest followers. (Still seems crazy to type that.)

As a Great.ly tastemaker, I curate my own little storefront of handmade goods I love and then share them with my peeps. When a love match is made between the maker and the buyer, Great.ly gives me a small commission. This has been a fun way for me to find new artists and curate products in a different way.

Here are a few of my current favorites:

This ring from Marja Germans Gard Studio looks like a crystal but is really made from recycled silver. Gorgeous.

Cats are my bag from Xenotees. Because dude, cat things are really in and this bag is adorbs and if my mom and Jon weren't super allergic to cats, we'd totally have one. I gave Jon one of their tees (different design) a few years ago for Christmas. We're fans.

The Love + Salt Beach Mist by Olivine Atelier is currently in my shopping cart. It just looks awesome. And sometimes you just need to pretend you're at the beach.

So no surprise that I love this terarrium by Sea & Asters. I'm obsessed with anything involving an air plant these days. 

This make your own kangaroo kit is adorable. I actually have one that's a dinosaur that I'm starting soon. It looks pretty darn doable.

Hope you have fun exploring Great.ly. Lots of new (to me) makers over there creating the coolest things!

a peek into my curvy closet | an ode to my new jeans

Oh long and lean jeans how I have been waiting to find someone like you.

You have the perfect trouser-ish look. You fit comfortably at the waist without gapping in the back. You have just enough stretch but you don't stretch and stretch each time I wear you. Your rise is just right. You are soft and my favorite color for jeans. You hug my curves without trying to get too intimate with them. You're perfect for a day in the studio or even for date night.

But most of all you just make me feel good.

The Long and Lean Jeans from Gap are my new favorite favorite favorite. There are so many skinny and boyfriend jeans out there right now, and they can be cute on curvy girls BUT I've missed all the pairs of trouser jeans I've gotten rid of over the years when the thighs gave out...you know what I mean, right? I wish I'd used this tutorial (this is a video on Pinterest that starts playing when you click on it). But I digress...

I actually bought two pairs. One in the short length and one in the regular length and I bought them at two different waist sizes (these are sized in "European sizes"). My experience with these is that they are a bit longer than regular jeans, but I also find that jean length varies so much. So often a larger size means longer even though there isn't always a correlation. I kept them both because I actually loved the way both sizes fit. The larger size was a bit big and too long, so I turned them inside out and washed them on hot. For real. They are still about 1/2" too long when I wear them with my higher shoes, so I'm going to try one more wash and dry on high and then I'll use this method to shorten them if need. I'm about 5'5" and I'm wearing the short length above. So the short even works even with my clogs on, but I won't be drying these because I don't want them any shorter. 

This look is my current favorite from the studio to school pick up to grocery store to curled up with a book look.

The shirt is also from Gap (looks like only S is still available; similar here and here and cute plus tee here). The shoes are Dansko and the feather necklace is from my shop. The sweater is Kersh, but I could not find an online store that carries it. Similar looks here and an Eileen Fisher splurge version here. One day soon I'm going to write a post all about my love for Eileen Fisher. 

I'm planning on doing more of these outfit posts and oh my goodness I need to find a spot to take these photos - thinking Ellie and I might go on a scouting drip around Tacoma this weekend looking for spots. Vanessa Simpson of Focus in Photography took this one when she was over shooting some things for me, and I couldn't stop laughing. Good times. 

Note some of these links are affiliates, which means I receive a small commission when you click through and buy something from that shop.

creative adventures :: kiwi crate

Over here, we continue to be totally delighted by the kits from Kiwi Crate. We've been subscribing to their monthly crate for about two years now, and each month, Ellie's face lights up when she sees her name on the big green box. (Love that the kits are addressed right to the kids.)

Each month there's a new theme and this past month the theme was baking. We both said it might be our favorite box yet! Though we're also big fans of the Rainforest Kit, which includes this Rainforest Frog Game. The Pom Pom pets are maybe our ultimate favorite though. Ellie and Jon still make them from time to time. (I've started giving the Mini Kits for birthday gifts now that Ellie is in school and birthdays pop up every few weeks.)

If you follow me over on Instagram, you've probably seen peeks of the boxes each month, and I thought I'd share a bit more. What I like about Kiwi Crate is the kit includes everything you need to complete the two projects inside (there are also ideas for other projects to do around the theme too in the little "magazine" that's included). 

Ellie and I do craft together a lot and she plays with beads and other things in my studio while I work sometimes, but I'm not really one of those moms who can look at popsicle sticks, beads, and pipe cleaners and say, "You know what we should do today? We should use all of these things to BUILD A CASTLE!!!" Not so much. (Maybe there aren't a lot of moms like that, but doesn't Pinterest make you feel that way sometimes? A whole post about that coming soon.)

Which is why I love kits like this one. (And that's why I only pin crafts I feel like I can actually do to my "creative fun with EJ" Pinterest board.)

The kits are also perfect for Ellie and Jon to do together. Sometimes a kit has a science theme, which makes him super happy, and they often do one of the projects in the kits when I'm away at a retreat. (Though he's really the true crafty one. Did I tell you about the coat and hat he made for her stuffed turtle while I was away at my last retreat? Seriously!)

These kits give us a great weekend afternoon activity, and the completed projects are fun to get out, especially on rainy days. Over the last two years, it has been really fun to see Ellie grow as she's gone from being able to do some of the kit to doing almost all of it herself. The company that makes Kiwi Crate also now has kits for older kids too. Love that! I pretty much want to subscribe to the Tinker Crate for me (for reals).

Do you do any crafty kits like this with you kids? I'd love to add another subscription or other kits to the mix over here. Share in the comments so we can all learn from each other.

Note: This post is not sponsored by Kiwi Crate, but links throughout are affiliate.