the file drawer {3}

print by Dawn Smith Designs

Elise's new podcast "Elise Gets Crafty" is awesome. Period.

Between Kelly and Hannah sharing their projects on Instagram and in-person at Your Story, I'm drooling over the crochet projects over here. Seriously considering a stripey blanket.

In another life, I'll have one of these tents.

This make a journal from a paper bag DIY is being added to my "crafty things to do with Ellie" list. While the DIY itself is too advanced for a toddler, she would love decorating the paper bag before I make it. (Might be a great Mother's Day gift to make for the grandmothers and aunts out there.)

This radio from Anthropologie is kind of perfection. Especially because it includes a spot to plug in your MP3 player. Wouldn't it be perfect for a backyard picnic this summer? I'm dreaming of many a backyard picnic as the rain comes down today.

This is a mug that I would want to drink from while lounging in this bed while writing poetry. Yep.

Inner Excavation is on sale in my shop this month. 40% off the list price (which makes it just under $15). It ships right from my studio, so I sign it for you + include a few little love notes tucked inside it. Find it right here.

And a huge thanks to Dawn Smith who sent gorgeous prints for each of the Your Story Retreat participants. Putting one on each of their pillows made me so happy. Her Birds in Flight print is above and you can check out more goodness in her Etsy shop. 

Read other file drawer posts here.

the file drawer {2}

This comic by Yale Stewart all about Superman and Batman and other superheroes if they went to school together when they were kids...well, it is awesome on every level. Seriously. I am obsessed. My current favorite is the one where they pretend to be Spiderman as they walk down the hall. I think he posts two new ones each week. Again, awesome.

This article by Ron Suskind about reaching his autistic son through Disney movies is interesting and really thought-provoking.

These blue eggs pretty much take my breath away. For real.

We went to a rummage sale/craft show this weekend and I fell in love with the purses and pouches from Atlas Past. Check out Brooke's Etsy shop right here. 

Want to meet in LA for 24 hours? (I am kind of not kidding.) The Design*Sponge "24 hours in" series is brilliant.

This beaded tank from Anthropologie is pretty fantastic. Perfect with jeans but also can be dressed up. It is flattering on my curvy body and falls longer on me than the photo. It's going to be my date night top (please remind me to actually schedule date night).

And while I was at Anthro I realized my favorite glasses now come in a lot more colors. I resisted the temptation to buy more but gosh they sure are pretty. (I have one of the dark green ones.)

Social Media Manifesto by Heather Platt has me nodding. (My friend Alana sent this my way on a day when I felt really overwhelmed by Facebook and the way it sometimes feels like people share things before even digesting their own feelings about what they are sharing. That's happened to me a few times late at night. In those moments, I send an email to a friend with the subject "things I won't be tweeting..." and share with one person who will get it and reply "totally hearing you.")

I'm so grateful for the ways Meredith Winn shares her stories through her words and her photographs. This post is raw and real and gorgeous.

I've been thinking about joy lately. What it feels like inside me when I really notice it. How I can share more joy with those around me and with you. The Rumi quote above is a favorite, and I'm trying to create space to live from this place more. Yes yes yes. 

Read the other file drawer posts here. 

Note: A couple of the above links are affiliates, which means I receive a small commission when you purchase from that online store.

the file drawer {1}

 

My best ideas come in the shower. Always. Something about the rhythm of the water and the time to just let my mind rest in the ritual of bathing creates just enough space for ideas to rise to the surface. Some days I'm dripping wet as I grab a dry erase marker and scribble the idea on the bathroom mirror. Other days I just keep repeating it to myself until I'm dressed and can write it in my idea journal. 

The idea of this new blog series came to me in the shower last week. Because I spend part of my day curating good things over on Pinterest, I come across some really wonderful things that I want to share with you. So often, I also want to share articles and videos and blog post and poems too. So this series will be my way of gathering these finds in one place like a file drawer of happiness, wisdom, silliness, thoughtfulness and other good things I don't want to forget. I do this already from time to time, but I'm going to try to share these lists weekly.

Several bloggers I adore do these kinds of link posts and I have to admit that I love them every single time. It is like we get to meet up for tea and say, "Hey, did you know about this?" Hope you enjoy!

Now on to the first installment:

Loving Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. But with this one, Paul Rudd stole the show. Oh and this is now my second favorite version of "Let It Go." (My favorite part is that they are just having fun. And it isn't perfect. And that puts a big smile on my face. And gosh that girl can sing. That last 30 seconds. Wow!!)

Because some days really are a hot mess (and that is okay honey).

Mister Rogers is one of my heroes. (I actually have a lot to say about that simple sentence but will save it for a longer post soon.) I came across this article from the filmmaker who made "Mister Rogers & Me" that lists 46 things he learned while making the film. A must read.

Love that is thick. A call to action. Yes.

This sweatshirt is on my wish list.

Eight unexpected ways to use your Smartphone is full of really good ideas. A screenshot of your e-ticket might be my fave.

I keep trying to pretend this isn't true over here, but sometimes I am totally losing sleep because of my iPad. (Sigh. Working on it. Can we try to work on it together?)

My favorite owl mug from West Elm is on sale!

I really want to bake these cookies. (Well, mostly, I just really want to eat them.)

I love Wil Wheaton's blog. I've been reading it for a few weeks now. I've become a big fan.

And that quote at the top of this post had me saying a big YES when I read it. I'm already anticipating the laughter that will surround me when I gather with kindreds at my next retreat later this month. I cannot wait.

Hope your weekend is full of good things and rest and laughter. Yes.

Note: A couple of the above links are affiliates, which means I receive a small commission when you purchase from that online store.

a few more than five (really) good things

 

The quote above feels like a good response to some of the thoughts stacking up in my head lately when I watch the news. Maybe you need it too. 

Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld = perfection.

"Some instructions before you write" from Heather Platt is a really good read. 

This love letter Pace has written to seekers, The 11 Most Dangerous Myths about Finding Your Path, is free and awesome.

One of my favorite programs out there about embracing all pieces of yourself as a path to joy is Alana Sheeren's Shine. It starts next Friday.

Love Vivienne's tips for getting through the winter without ditching your self-portrait practice.

This was my favorite find on Pinterest this week. And this is an old favorite I came across again.

It is possible that I'm on book five of the Vampire Academy series. Maybe. (And oh my gosh the ending of book three was shocking!)

This might have been the Valentine's Day card I gave Jon. He laughed out loud.

And the turquoise feather love necklace is on sale in my shop this weekend...because I miss the blue sky the turquoise bead represents. It's 20% off through Monday right here.

there are things i want to tell you...

The drafts of blog posts are stacking up over here. And I'm making lists in my head of things I want to tell you. I thought I'd get a few out of my head and onto this page.

I want to tell you that you can take a photo that shows your messy kitchen and then share it because you need to feel seen by someone today because most people reading this have some part of their house that is messy and if their house isn't messy something else is because we all have messy and messy is okay. 

I want to tell you that sometimes being a mom is an act of forgiving yourself again and again as you move through the tough days where it feels like your three year old has been sent by the universe to teach you how to pull the tiniest pit of patience from the corners of your soul, and you find yourself failing to find that last ounce that would have stopped you from raising your voice so when you finally have seconds to yourself you whisper softly that it will all be okay because you're just going to keep showing up with love.

I want to tell you about how much I appreciate the beautiful souls I connect with over on Instagram. Thank you for you.

I want to tell you about how grateful I am for the Little Critter books + this set of beads (that has an actual lid for storage) + these reusable stickers + glitter glue for helping us to get through six days of Ellie being under the weather.

I want to tell you about how beautiful you look when you tell someone that you need a hug.

I want to tell you about how much I love my new earrings from The Noisy Plume + my earrings from Takara + my earrings from Sacred Cake. Ellie has set a rule of "Please don't wear necklaces Mama" and you can imagine how hard that one is for me but I do like cuddles more than necklaces. Thank goodness earrings and bracelets are okay. (These are on my wish list.)

I want to tell you how vulnerable + empowering it feels to put something into the world that feels like the most important work you're going to do for a while. And that even though I've shared it softly and will be back next week to share more, you can read all about it and even join in right here.

I want to tell you I know this day all about hearts and love can be hard. I want to remind you that you aren't alone over there. Let someone know if you need support. Tell someone else that they aren't alone. Reach out. Connect. 

With love and light,
Liz 

five (really) good things

1) I'm in love with these little wood slices from Kelly. She creates a little original painting just for you with your word of the year. Perfect for your altar, next to you bed so you see it each morning and evening, or even your kitchen windowsill. I keep mine in my studio. Order yours here (or the littler size right here). 

2) I had the best time chatting with Kelly Dahl for her ecourse Fulfill Your Year. We chatted about choosing a word of the year, why we're drawn to the practice, and give some insight into the ways it has worked and hasn't worked for each of us. I also had the chance to share about the sacredness I'm experiencing with my word of the year shop orders this year. Love being able to do video interviews about topics that are dear to my heart. There is still time to join Kelly. Learn more here.

3) Opening up the Spakona Personal Palette that Bridget Pilloud did for my word "wildness"was like unwrapping the best after-the-holidays gift ever. As Bridget explains, "Each palette is a personal intuitive experience where I tune into your word and identify the six words or phrases that round out the experience of that word. After I identify the words, I’ll go into my magic color pantry and pick the colors to match." This offering is just the right amount of grounded woo woo goodness that I needed to really feel supported as I begin this journey of inviting in wildness this year. And I can't wait to make a bracelet with the additional words + colors Bridget gave me. Love this offering. 

4) For the fourth year now, I'm over on Ali's blog reading the One Little Word list. You can read all the words and listen right here. (And this year I didn't go in alphabetical order so it would read even more like a poem of possibility.) If you are still hoping to find a word, reading through and listening to this list might help.

5) Lori Portka's calendars are my favorite favorite (just want to be clear on that). She has just a few left and they are on sale! Check them out here.

What five really good things have you found in your corner lately? I'd love to know.

YES to gratitude {I want to remember...}

I want to remember how excited you are to wear your rainboots so you can walk in the water and explore.

I want to remember that you asked about Millie's family and listened thoughtfully as I explained I didn't know her dog family but that Daddy and I rescued Millie from a human family that didn't want her anymore for reasons we don't know or understand. We talked about how much we love her and are glad that she's part of our family.

I want to remember the moments when I realized you know almost every word to the first stanza of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and just about every word of Of Monsters and Men's "Little Talks." I want to remember how your little voice was singing along with such joy as you painted.

I want to remember how much you love Grandma Fina's pasta sauce and often remind me that it is the best pasta sauce in the whole wide world.

I want to remember the way you talk to the little babies at school and how you gently touch them and say, "Good morning."

I want to remember the excitement you had on your face when you said, "Come on Mama and Daddy, be in a band with me!" And we got out all the instruments and played and drummed and sang and you were definitely in charge.

I want to remember how much you love making chili.

I want to remember how I found you in child's pose in your room after you'd stomped down the hall so mad because I said "no."

I want to remember that I'm trusting my intuition when it comes to so many things and modeling this for you is one of my most important moves as your mama.

I want to remember the moments when you wrap your arms around my arm as you cuddle up with me on the couch and say, "Mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, I love you."

*****

"I want to remember..." is one of my favorite prompts to use here on my blog, in Project Life, and when I'm stuck (or when I think I don't have any stories left). Each statement becomes it's own access point to a story I want to tell. And, so often I find threads of gratitude woven within the memories. 

An invitation :: Get out a pen and paper and write your own list today. You might even want to leave a comment sharing an "I want to remember" story.

*****

This November, I'm exploring the idea of saying YES to gratitude in all its gorgeous, sometimes confusing, heart-expanding ways. And I'm inviting you to come along on the adventure here on my blog.

Throughout the month, there will be a practice in letting others know I'm grateful for them, a few stories, a collaboration or two, inspiration from others, some giveaways, a special Etsy sale for my newsletter subscribers, and a few other good things. 

You can find all the YES to Gratitude posts right here. 

here

here there is the push and pull of being a three year old.

here there is laughter between old friends.

here there is exhaustion stacked right next to please let this get easier.

here there is a quiet understanding.

here there is an exquisite salad of beets + goat cheese.

here there is a new haircut that feels like home.

here there is the neverending headcold of October.

here there is support and love and an ease unfolding.

here there is another layer shedding slowly but perhaps at exactly the right pace.

yes.

(because sometimes you just need to make a list to make sense of things.)

and how are things over there? i'd really love to know.