pinned it. did it. {with meg}

Meg is back with another delicious recipe this week. It is totally soup weather here in my corner and this one will be fun to try.

Read on for Meg's Pinterest inspiration. And read all our Pinned it. Did it. posts here.

*****

We woke up here in Colorado today with gloomy skies and dreary rain, with a little snow on the way. I absolutely love autumn for the cool temperatures and the colorful scenery. But my favorite thing about this season is that it always makes me hungry for soup. And when a friend brought this version of Zuppa Toscana over for lunch last week, I knew I’d be making it again soon.

So I decided that today’s weather warranted a slow cooker full of bubbling soup. I declared about a month ago that I wanted to use my slow cooker as many times as possible between now and the end of the year. Nothing makes me happier than to have dinner prep finished and the kitchen clean by lunch time. I love to sit back at dinner time and enjoy opening the lid and scooping a bowl of soup rather than spending an hour standing in the kitchen cooking. It’s not that I don’t love to cook, because I do. But opening the lid to the slow cooker is such a peaceful way to end our day. And this soup was the perfect way to do just that today. 

The recipe is easy to follow for both the slow cooker and the stove top. I love how hearty and filling it is yet it still has a lightness to it and doesn’t feel heavy. I used sweet italian turkey sausage and lots of kale. I also used half and half instead of heavy whipping cream. I also added a teaspoon of salt. 

I love how comforting soup is on a cold day. I have been busy pinning recipes to my soup board and my slow cooker board on Pinterest so that I have plenty of new recipes to try this season. A few recent favorites are:

Mexican Lime Chicken Soup
Beef Rice Noodle Soup
Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

I’d love to hear about what soups or meals you are cooking up lately that you’ve enjoyed. Tell us about it or share a link in the comments below. 

Meg Brothers is an artist, photographer, mama, and dreamer. She loves cooking, tattoos, and sporadic dance parties in the kitchen. She prefers dark chocolate, black coffee, and flip flops when weather permits. She is a lover of Pinterest and truly believes in integrating ideas and inspiration - big or small - into normal life. Meg lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Dustin and son, Julian. Meg writes about photography, family, and creative inspiration at megbrothers.com. Find her on Pinterest here and on Twitter here. 

***

Note from Liz: Over here in my corner, I'm trying to "use Pinterest for good." I really see it as a community of people trying to see the beauty and possibility in their lives. I'm adding a few new features here on my blog inspired by or directly about Pinterest as a way to invite others to look for this beauty within a social media community. Connect with me on Pinterest here. Read other "Pinned it. Did it." columns here.

21 Secrets

I am so delighted to share that I'm part of Connie Hozvicka's incredible Spring 21 Secrets workshop!

This workshop is a beautiful journey into art journaling with 21 teachers spilling some of their favorite techniques, ideas, and stories. I am honored to be included among these incredible teachers. There is so much wisdom + creativity + experience within these women. Just look at their beautiful faces!

21 SECRETS Spring 2014 will be a downloadable eBook, which means you receive full access to all the 21 SECRETS workshops at once (including videos, written content, and visuals) and are able to keep them forever. This way you can go at your own pace, and if you've ever taken an ecourse with me, you know how important I feel that is. 

But you don't have to go it alone! Students and teachers will be connecting in a private Facebook group and private Flickr group. Love this!

I'll be sharing more details about my own workshop that is part of the course soon. It is called "I am..." and brings self-portraits, poetry, and journaling all together. I am so excited to share the ways I use these mediums to gather my stories. My workshop will be a lot like going on a creative play date with me and then coming back to my studio to integrate all that we find into a book we can turn to again and again.

And here is something that I love about the way Connie does this: By announcing 21 Secrets months ahead, she gives you the opportunity to be thoughtful about how you want to spend your creative time in 2014. There are so many beautiful ecourses to choose from, but so often we sign up and don't finish them. I love that this gives you an opportunity to look past the holidays and the beginning of the year stuff and say to yourself, "Next Spring, I'm going to give myself the gift of diving into art journaling. For real this time."

There are so many other good things to share about 21 secrets, including information about all the workshops, and you can read all about them over here on Connie's site.

I hope you will come along. I can't wait!!

{Note that as a teacher, I am also an affiliate for 21 Secrets. This means I receive a commission when sales are made through my links.}

yes, this.

I shared the above quote in today's final Yes, This practice. 

Each time I read these words, I feel less alone.

I feel closer to that YES that lives inside me.

I hope you will too.

(The last 10 days have been full of magic and joy. Thank you for coming along!)

***

To receive little reminders and love notes like this quote above in your inbox, sign up to receive my (almost) weekly newsletter here.

soul mantra pocket talismans

a peek at my studio altar (shell given to me by a family friend over 30 years ago)

I've been dreaming about these little talismans for a while now and I am so excited to share them with you today!

I wanted to create something that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Then each time you feel it, you would be reminded to take a deep breath and remember you are not alone.

love keeping these all together in a bowl on my studio table

You can hold them in yours hand and rub your fingers along the letters and let yourself believe the words hand stamped just for you. You could also place a talisman on your altar or next to your bed or even in your cubicle at work. They will remind you to just be right here and know that you are enough.

These talismans are stamped with the mantras I hold onto, that guide me, that remind me I'm not alone.

You can find them all right here. I hope you enjoy them...

yes to this moment

This weekend, I followed my own prompt to "get outside" and breathe in the beauty in my corner of the world.

And as I stood there watching Ellie walk back and forth finding sticks and rocks to see what would make the biggest and loudest splash, I felt more grounded than I have in weeks.

Yes, this.

This life. This rememebering what I know. This being right here. This laughter. This patience. This light. This choice that is up to me every single day.

pinned it. did it. {with meg}

I wasn't kidding when I wrote that Meg and I are Pinterest penpals. I've been wanting to make something like this for a long time. Love this scarf. Seriously. Even if you are just learning to use your sewing machine, you should put this one on your weekend crafting list this month!

*****

One thing I really love about the seasons changing from summer to autumn, is the wardrobe shift. I really love autumn clothing: sweaters, boots, scarves, wrist warmers, and hats. So when I pinned this DIY scarf, I knew I would want to make one (or ten!) to add to my autumn spread.  

The first time I read through the tutorial, I knew it was a good fit for me. I love to sew. And I am really deeply creative. So basic instructions and rule-breaking are two things that I really loved about the process for making this scarf. I love that I could feel creative control and I could bend rules and explore the process myself.

 

I cut two strips of jersey fabric that I had tucked away in my fabric stash. I don’t use jersey cotton often because I don’t have a serger and am always intimidated with jersey’s stretch. However, with this project, you actually tug on the fabric the whole way through the presser foot on your machine and the act of tugging at it while you sew creates the cute ruffled edge. That was a challenge I could easily take on! I never measured the fabric. I honestly eyeballed it and stretched it to match at the edges while I was sewing. If you need more order than that, feel free to measure and pin. 

 

As I was tugging away at the fabric and sewing, I was thinking about how great this type of scarf would be for making many and giving them as gifts. Or making many for myself! I was thinking about the possibility of using a different fabric on top versus on bottom for a fun pattern/print/solid mix. But then I had another idea. I could make one in black or white or gray fabric and I could buy some neon thread. I have been wanting to work the neon trend into my wardrobe in very small doses and this could be a great way to get it! So now I’m planning my next few scarves for the fall. 

 

One thing I really love about the jersey cotton is how soft it is. I tend to only wear scarves that are light weight around my neck and super soft and this fabric fits both of those bills. It’s also a great amount of ruffle for me. A touch of ruffle without being too much. Are you a fan of autumn wardrobe pieces? What are your favorite items to bring out with the chill in the air? 

Additional Autumn DIY Project Ideas:

Hot Water Bottle Cozy

Hand Knit Herringbone Cowl

Mittens Made from Old Sweaters

DIY Leg Warmers

Wrist Warmers from Old Sweaters

Meg Brothers is an artist, photographer, mama, and dreamer. She loves cooking, tattoos, and sporadic dance parties in the kitchen. She prefers dark chocolate, black coffee, and flip flops when weather permits. She is a lover of Pinterest and truly believes in integrating ideas and inspiration - big or small - into normal life. Meg lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Dustin and son, Julian. Meg writes about photography, family, and creative inspiration at megbrothers.com. Find her on Pinterest here and on Twitter here. 

***

Note from Liz: Over here in my corner, I'm trying to "use Pinterest for good." I really see it as a community of people trying to see the beauty and possibility in their lives. I'm adding a few new features here on my blog inspired by or directly about Pinterest as a way to invite others to look for this beauty within a social media community. Connect with me on Pinterest here. Read other "Pinned it. Did it." columns here.

what do you need?

This is one of the practices I turn to again and again: Asking myself what I need and then creating enough space to listen to the answer.

Sometimes this space is a few seconds, other times a minute or two.

I don't obsess about the answer or "if it's right." I just listen and learn. So often the answer is about a basic need of rest, connection, nourishment. And using this practice has become a simple daily handhold.

Try it today.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath.

And ask yourself: What do you need in this moment?

And then take five more deep breaths and really listen to your answer.

(You might even want to leave your answer in the comments so that you can really claim this truth today.

*****

To receive little reminders and love notes like this one in your inbox, sign up to receive my (almost) weekly newsletter here.

being all in...

It started with seeing this Jimmy Fallon video on Facebook. A lip sync-off that is perhaps my most favorite 10 minutes of television ever.

And then there was the dare to record my own from my friend Mccabe. And the decision to download Dolly's 16 Biggest Hits.

But the truth is, it really started with a moment that happened about 25 years ago.

That was the year my school took all the seventh graders on the special middle of the winter overnight trip that involved cross-country skiing + a team-building ropes course experience + talent show.

The first two, skiing and ropes course, were not so much my thing. But lip syncing to "Stop in the Name of Love" with two of my best friends?

YES PLEASE.

We practiced our moves and took turns being Diana Ross and I had the middle stanza, the one that begins, "I've known of your, your secluded nights. I've even seen her, maybe one or twice."

And I was on it.

In that way you are on it when you're 12 and you've been waiting your whole life to show these kids you've known since kindergarten this side of you. And I'd been to theatre camp so I was pretty much still feeling the "oh I've got this" through the butterflies in my stomach that winter evening. (In case you missed it, this is my theatre camp "oh I've got this" self.)

So we did our lip sync routine. And I can still see the room and smell the popcorn and feel that glow of delight in my belly.

My friend's mom filmed it. About a week later this friend said some variation of this to me, "You've got to see the video. You look so serious. Like you are so mad. It's sooooo funny."

I was mortified. I'd been trying on sexy meets pissed that my boyfriend was cheating on me. I understood the lyrics. I'd seen "LA Law." I knew what that song was all about. 

And I was in character. It was FUN. Not serious. I wasn't mad. I'd been full of joy!

I never watched the video. And I really never let those grade school friends see that silly side of me again.

Earlier this week, after Mccabe dared me to make my own video and I practiced "Jolene" about 10 times to try to memorize the one line I kept forgetting, and right before I made the decision to press record, this memory came up. Honestly, I hadn't thought about it in at least 20 years.

And I thought about how my 12-year-old self had really been practicing being "all in" with something she loved to do. And it made me question:

Could I press record and be that "all in" in this 37-year-old body full of curves and a double chin and flappy upper arms? 

Could I let myself admit that I feel comfortable in this body and that being "in character" fits me like an old favorite Notre Dame sweatshirt?

Could I show you (who I might know or might never ever know) this silly, "all in" side of myself? 

Could I really just not care if you didn't get it?

With fear in one hand and bravery in the other, I walked down the hall and changed out of my shapeless tunic + big sweater and put on something that actually showed those curves + added mascara and lipstick to my face and then moved all the clean laundry from the guest bed to our bed.

And I pressed record.

Because here's what I know: Being all in is where I want to live right now.

Next time, I think I want a microphone.

(Join me. Make your own video. I dare you.)