shop update

betty in layers

This weekend, I had some time to gather up beads + lockets + a few happy butterflies + a few other good things to create a new collection of Soul Mantra necklaces and bracelets that are now in the shop!

new soul mantras in the shop

Whenever I wire-wrap beads and hammer these whispered soul mantra phrases, my hope is they will be companions for you and remind you that you are not alone as you walk on your path.

May your day be full of peace and light,

Liz

trust, rest, and a shop coupon

trust . a new bracelet in the shop

Last week, I closed the shop for about ten days to give myself a bit of breathing space. I wanted to spend time with my family and focus on a couple of other projects and big dreams that I am hoping to make real. It was also the breathing space week in my Create Space ecourse, and it was simply nice to practice what I am teaching as I work alongside my current ecourse participants.

This made me think about how we really should give ourselves the gift of a break every now and then. Even though I wasn't actually on a true vacation (oh my goodness I know there is a white sandy beach in Maui calling my name but I won't be visiting her for a long time) and in reality I was working almost every day, I needed to take a break from being in the studio and creating for others. I needed this break so that I could come back refreshed and ready to create these special talismans.

(I am writing more on the idea of rest and redefining what rest can mean as part of the next "Field Notes: Adventures in Creative Self-Care" newsletter series, so stay tuned as I will be sending it out later this week. Sign up here if you want to start receiving this newsletter-only series and other fun things like coupons for the shop, retreat announcements, and so on.)

Earlier this week, as I reorganized my project table where I create most of the Soul Mantras designs, I felt called to create this new "trust" bracelet for myself. I have been working with trust as one of my personal soul mantras for a few months now, using it in meditation and with my personal altar practice. And I have been wearing this word inside a locket. But I felt called to make it even more present. I need to see it on my wrist to remember each day that it is time to trust the love that surrounds me, the wisdom within me, and that I don't have to know and do everything. I paired it with an amethyst crystal to help calm thoughts and give insight. I have been wearing it stacked with my mala beads and a few other bracelets, and it has made me so happy that I decided to add it as a new available design.

As I celebrate getting back into the studio, I am having a 20% off sale in my shop today! Just use coupon code "leap2012" TODAY ONLY to receive 20% off of your entire order. (You just have to click "Apply Coupon Code" right above the item total in your cart. Then enter the code before you check out.)

May today include a bit of what you most need...

Blessings,

Liz

heart.full (a shop note)

a few of the new items now in the shop, including several new items added to the heart.full collection

Last February, I shared a bit about the girl I used to be:

She wasn’t one for a month all about love or stringing hearts up about the house. She rolled her eyes at the idea of one day when someone you call sweetheart is supposed to buy you roses. She had spent so many days alone that even when she found herself in love and loved in return, she still tried to ignore this need others had to make one day about something that never quite felt real. She was quiet about it but mostly tolerated seeing everyone in red, and then she bought the chocolates when they went on sale.

And in that post, I shared how part of this story changed forever on a day in the summer of 2010. Now I am a girl who loves hearts (as in I kind of can't get enough), who believes that "love is all you need," who believes we must invite in joy and peace and love each day, who believes in turning the idea of Valentine's Day on its head and making it more about love for self, for kindreds, for those who help you say "yes" to knowing you are not alone and that your story matters.

Last February, the Heart.Full Collection was created as a way to say thank you to the hospitals that saved Ellie Jane's life in 2010 and to honor that love comes into our lives in so many ways. 15% of the profits from this collection are split between Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Seattle Children's.

And I am happy to share that starting today through Valentine's Day, I will be giving 10% of all the profits from each item sold in the shop to the Heart.Full Collection contributions I will make this year with your help. Thank you for your support and kindness. Thank you for sharing your stories and catching mine.

*****

I am delighted to share that I am part of 52 Photos Project's Handmade Valentine's Day showcase this week! Each day Bella is highlighting a shop and mine is up today.

I hope you will visit 52 Photos Project throughout the week to see what other good things Bells shares.

heart.full

you are loved . a new necklace in the shop and part of the heart.full collection

A year ago, I began to donate a portion of the profits from the sales in my shop to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Seattle Children's, two special places where Ellie has been hospitalized and had surgery for her heart conditions. In February of this year, the Heart.Full Collection became a permanent part of my shop. (You can read about how Mandy and her daughter Hudson inspired me to take these steps in this post.)

It has been fun to see what necklaces are the favorites this holiday season, and I really am enjoying hearing about who customers are buying the necklaces for and why. And it honestly feels like a gift to me when people share that they are gifting themselves with a necklace because they need to remember they are not alone.

I love when customers share their stories. Fills me up in a big way. And I am deeply moved when they share that they chose an item from the Heart.Full Collection because they read about Ellie's story or have a child who was also hospitalized or that they simply want to be part of giving back while giving this season. (Thank you.)

While working on orders, I felt moved to create two new necklaces for the Heart.Full Collection: the "You Are Loved" heart locket above and the "joy" necklace shown below. I adore these new large heart lockets (above) that just came in, and the word "joy" just feels like the perfect mantra to add to this collection

joy . a new necklace in the heart.full collection

And I just want to remind you that all U.S. orders placed by Monday will be sent to arrive in time for Christmas. I will continue to ship orders that come in after that date, but I can't guarantee they will arrive by Christmas, especially any custom orders. Please just let me know if you have questions.

Thank you for continuing to support my shop. It truly is an honor to be part of your gift giving this year. Each time I hammer another Soul Mantra phrase into a locket and then package it up, I am reminded of the ways we shine our lights on one another's paths. Yes. Thank you.

live it baby girl {soul mantra stories}

live it baby girl, a whispered soul mantra locket in the shop

People often ask me where the soul mantra phrases come from. Sometimes the phrases arrive almost "on the wind" when I am in my studio working with the letters and lockets, and they push me to pound them into metal. Sometimes the mantras are born from my experiences and from stories my friends share with me. Then there are the phrases that whisper in moments of quiet when I am in the midst of living. 

From time to time, I am going to share these stories, beginning today with the story of the "live it baby girl" soul mantra.

*****

The day was thick with missing and grief.

I walked along the water, my eyes turned toward the spaces between sand and rock, hoping to find the small tumbled glass, hoping it would connect me to her. With each step, the sadness grew as I was pulled back to the last time we walked on the beach years ago. Realizing I remembered so little from that last ocean visit, I wished I could go back, right back, and hear her laughter. As I found the first piece of small, rounded green glass, my chest hurt with the longing to look up and see her a few steps ahead of me. I would call out to her and say, "I found one!" and rush over...my 26-year-old self becoming my 5-year-old self in that moment as I would seek the approval and perhaps even the jealousy of my grandmother. Instead, my 33-year-old self walked alone inside the missing that day.

The tears tapped at the backs of my eyes as I searched between the grey, white, brown rocks, bending over even though my back ached. Tucking the sea glass into my pockets, the truth of grief my companion.

Finally, I unfolded, coming out of the searcher's stance and faced the neverending lapping, pushing, pulling water. I closed my eyes and tried to hear her voice inside the memories, but I kept getting caught up in my own words, "I miss you. I can't remember. I wish...I wish..." Taking a breath, I tried again to hear her. Giving up, I opened my eyes and looked at the mountains in the distance; my face softening with the truths that seemed to float inside me. Then it came:

Live it baby girl. 

Was it her voice? My voice? The voice of something greater than me? I brushed the wondering aside and made the choice to just be right there, breathing in the grief, the truth, the beauty, and all that she taught me.