a ruffle or three

sporting my PDX beanies newsgirl hat on today's little adventure + lunch + writing at a cafe with jon

A few weeks ago, I mentioned posting some outfit posts every now and then. And I have really wanted to share them with you because it simply is fun to share the things I love with my girlfriends. But I have to admit to feeling a bit, well, blah about the photos I have tried to take so far. In the middle of my day, there really isn't time to pack Ellie up in the car to take a cute photo against the best background ever (even though oh my goodness I really love Elsie's tips about taking cute outfit photos). And I am just beginning to use my new tripod and remote (and by just beginning I mean I have put them in the car a few times but haven't used them yet). So the best way for me to get an outfit photo right now is to use the mirror...in the hallway...the hallway with the oatmeal colored walls and beige carpet. Sigh. 

But I am going to do it anyway...

...because I am just in love with this simple "dress" I found at the Gap outlet this weekend. And by dress I mean "nightgown" kind of thing as it is "Gap Body," but the ruffles...oh the ruffles! They just make me so happy. It is a denim blue color and I have paired it with my Sarah Clemens wide ruffle bloomers, a simple lace tank from Target, and a wrap top by Comfy (no link) but it is very similar to my favorite wrap from Wildewear on Etsy. Today's necklaces are a long locket from my shop and a handpainted necklace by Mindy Lacefield from her shop Tim's Sally. The whole outfit is a bit like wearing pajamas I suppose, but the ruffles make me smile and I am in this place where feeling happy in my clothes is most important right now. It is really part of my self-care.

(Speaking of my shop, I am taking a break for a week to continue to rest and spend time with my family as Jon has some time off this week. I plan to reopen on the 27th.)

I really do hope to take some fun outfit photos out in the world when I go on some self-portrait adventures when my schedule for such things falls on the same day it isn't raining. But until then, thank you for indulging me as I just wanted to share this today.

ruffle-izing

so this ruffle obsession, well, i am not kidding. i have been dreaming a bit about possible outfits (and then there is that ever-growing-in-the-middle-of-the-night pinterest board), so today, i "shopped" from my own closet and found some ruffles.

since i posted about my new journal last week, i have been thinking about how your comments and emails reminded me of how much we really just love to know how other people "do it." we sit in our homes around the world from one another, looking at these little boxes and connecting "through" them, and sometimes, it is simply fun to see a glimpse into the ways others live their day-to-day lives. like i would love to know more about your favorite shoes, the books on your bedside table, the way you organize your paper crafting supplies, what your go-to lunch is, where you get your sparkly eye make-up, and how you eat a double-stuff oreo. and if we met up for tea or you came over for lunch, we would share these things.

about a year ago, i mentioned that i wanted to blog more about a few different things, including clothes. but last year i didn't have a smash journal full of blog ideas and i wasn't reminding myself of all the things i wanted to do here in this space, so i didn't post about clothes or lots of other things i meant to. but today, i snapped this photo of this outfit that made me smile and just wanted to share it with you. 

as i was downloading the photo, i started thinking about how i wish i had a group of girlfriends here in my town who i went shopping with. a few girls who would share their go-to places for everything from dresses to yarn to spices. 

but here is the awesome thing: we have each other. (i mean you and me.)

so in case this ruffle-ized outfit that made me feel so happy today is your style, here is some info (and if you just want to let me know how you eat double-stuff oreas or tell me about your current favorite book and skip this part and just head to the comments, that is totally okay):

bloomers: these wide ruffle bloomers from sarah clemens in light brown stripe (looks like she might not have this color anymore, but she has a similar color in a grey stripe). i have quite a few items from sarah and her clothes are well made and adorable.

white layer: sundress from old navy. it actually even has spaghetti straps that tie but i never wear it alone. instead, i always wear it as a layer under something and kind of think of it like a petticoat or slip. (i bought it in three colors and i bet they will have a similar style in stock soon as they already have summer clothes in. this one would work as either this layer or the next.)

navy layer: dress from target several years ago (but it has so many holes in it and a bleach stain on the back that i have started wearing it as my painting "smock" at retreats. but decided to wear it today. i would really like to replace it with one like this from gaia conceptions on etsy. her clothes are wonderful and really well made.)

black layer: this crop top from treehouse 28. (here is the part where i tell you it has taken me several years to figure out how to wear this one with my shape [aka the size of my chest]. finally figured out that the top pairs really nicely with the empire waist items i have.)

scarf: scarf shop giant size in olive moss. martha's scarves are wonderful. so beautifully hand-dyed and so soft.

you can't see: the boots i've mentioned before and these fun (a bit over the knee) knee socks in plum from sock dreams (if you don't know sock dreams, stop everything and head over there. right now.). you also can't really see my favorite "nest builder" necklace by nina or my globe earrings by jen. and the camera strap that i have been using for year is by vmjess.

thank you for indulging me with this list. it is fun to share as though we are sitting at a coffee shop catching up.

tomorrow i am going to check in here about how things our going as we attempt to sit at the table for meals and i try to cook more. i am even going to share a recipe or two. one of them involved purple potatoes!

authentic living

a peek at my new article

"In This Moment: Healing One Patch at a Time" is my new article in the Autumn issue of Somerset Life. It is the first of three articles I am writing for their Authentic Living column. So honored to be sharing stories about being "in this moment" in the midst of it all.

In this article, I share the story of how making a quilt earlier this year helped me to begin to come out of survival mode and lean back into living and getting out into the world. 

a backyard poetry reading for one (photo in the article)

Oh how I love this quilt.

You can find Somerset Life at Barnes and Noble and other bookstores, and you can order a copy here.

inviting in joy (a musing and a shop special

this year, activiely seeking joy is part of my daily practice. i want to be in this place where each day i send joy an invitation that if said aloud my sound a bit like "hello joy. i know you are out just waiting to be discovered. know that my heart is open and ready for you. i choose you. i invite you in."

and joy comes in.

because it is always there. even when my face frowns and my heart is heavy, it is there. i just have to open my eyes, my heart.

this truth annoys me at times. does that sound funny? well, sometimes seeking joy is not at the top of my list, but still in comes joy with its happy pink blooms and chocolate-covered goodness and its laughter and its kindreds and its silliness and its quietness and its music and its dancing.

each day, joy pushes me to know that it can be a companion to real and truth and all that happens in a life. 

joy can be my companion.

so tuesday, i found myself packing up the family in the car for a late evening trip to barnes and noble (with an oh my goodness she is getting a molar already 13 month old) because rumor had it one of my lockets had found its way into the latest somerset life. and when i sat on the bench in the magazine section and found that locket on the "things we love in life" page, i smiled widely as joy snuck in again. even though i had tried to stand inside the grumps and fears most of the day (it was one of those days), there was joy in the form of a little paragraph from christen olivarez about the locket she had purchased at the pen & paper retreat. 

hello joy.

(thank you christen and somerset life.)

today, i want to stand in the joy that comes into my life when i create these talismans of truth and send them across the world to be worn by someone in the midst of her journey. i want to honor this joy with a little celebration in the shop!

 lockets from the new current collection now in the shop

here is the scoop: spend $30 in my etsy shop and I will send you a simple soul mantra necklace as a free gift with your purchase. i will choose one for you (like one of the examples pictured below) and package it up in the hopes that it will be the message that you most need in this place on your path. i am also happy to send it (with free shipping) to a friend, if you think a friend might need a quiet, powerful message right now.

when you check out, just mention "joy" or this post in the notes to seller. (note: this isn't a coupon code. just mention this in the notes to seller box that will appear right below your items in your shopping cart.) this special is available through this sunday, july 17.

past simple soul mantras

thank you for you...for sharing your joys and truths with me...for just being out there in your corner shining your light.

with joy.filled blessings,

liz

somewhere is home

my brother matthew morgan and his girlfriend catherine odell are the band hello mtn. levi's is using their song "somewhere is home" in a commercial that is currently appearing on the levi's blog. (for reals.) join me in hoping that the commercial goes national because that would simply be the bee's knees. don't you think?

find out more about hello mtn on their facebook page and blog. find out more about Upstate (the girls in the commercial) at the levi's blog.  

and in case you missed the photos i shared of hello mtn last fall, here is one of my favorites...

(oh and yes, i am still tucked away on the oregon coast recharging just a wee bit before heading up the 101. see you soon...)