art for alabama

hope lives here soul mantra necklace

i wanted to let you know about the Art for Alabama auction happening over on facebook beginning this saturday. there are so many good things to bid on and buy to support the Alabama Red Cross after the devasting tornadoes this past April, including one of my "hope lives here" necklaces. i hope you will head over there to check it out.

sending blessings and light to your corner of the world,

liz

notes for the journey: beauty and truth

unexpected reflections . manzanita

kristin talks about using her camera to work through the personal, the real. (thank you for this post.)

jennifer's words at her new blog, lovely and imperfect, fill my heart with wonder and joy. she is a poet this one.

lately, the posts at roots of she have been taking my breath away. truths about grief and breaking the silence and letting ourselves shine. i am so glad that there is a home for these truths.

looking through the photos at the "i am beautiful" project has deeply inspired me.

and i can't wait to put up tiffany's "you are beautiful" print in my newly painted studio. yes. i had the joy of meeting miss crafty fanny at JOY, and she is a light in this world. you should connect with her if you haven't already. so glad i will be seeing her again in july when viv and i travel to the teahouse studio!

i hope your day is full of light and joy and that you are taking the time to breathe deeply and know you are loved.

blessings,

liz

notes for the journey: one lovely find

 

a few years ago, i started a series of posts called "notes for the journey." the posts usually include things like links to blog posts, photos, and other good things that are inspiring me. my plan is to post these types of posts more often and broaden the topics to include etsy finds, tools i use in my world and other resources, books i am reading, inspiration from the world of living with ellie jane, and even some posts about clothing. (yes. clothing. i have been getting a few emails lately about clothes for curvier women and i would love to share some of my favorite handmade clothing designers [who make custom sizes!], shops, and other finds with you.)

today, i am starting with my new favorite boots. 

you might remember this post from november. in that post, i talked about how i had found a pair of knee-high boots that actually fit me. and invited me to feel just a bit sexy (most days, that sexy feeling feels beyond out of reach so i can use all the help i can get). several people wrote me wondering about those boots. and i love my riekers.

when shopping the after-Christmas sales with my stepmom, we found a pair that is a bit more versatile and even more comfortable and in an even better color for the skirts i like to wear (and i was lucky enough to receive them as an after-Christmas gift).

these ecco boots are a similar style to the other pair i have, but something about them just makes me feel like my most kick-ass, superhero self. and the color just goes with everything (the pacific northwest clouds didn't help me capture the color. they are a dark kind of milk chocolate brown suede). they are a bit pricey, but i think the cost is worth it because i see myself wearing them almost all-year round (as boots can be worn in july some days in the seattle area).

here is one key thing i have found with boots that work for me: they have buckles on the sides and extra stretch (called goring) beneath these buckles. (and a little secret they told me at nordstrom: if you find a pair you are in love with that don't quite fit, they will send them to a cobbler who will stretch them for you. you might even have one in your town who will do this.)

something tells me that adventures are to come when i wear these boots...

*****

thank you for sharing pieces of yourselves and your stories in the comments of my previous post. today, as i read your comments, i scooped up your words and blew them to the candle all my altar, asking the universe to gently hold these truths. thank you for getting it and for holding my stories. i am going to share more about each of the items on yesterday's list (starting off lightly with this post about boots) over the next few weeks. sending love and light to you in your corner of the world...

time for a little dancing

i simply cannot get enough of this song lately.

turn it up and dance with me...

hello mtn

a few glimpses into my afternoon with hello mtn (aka my brother matthew and the delightful, beautiful, and sweet catherine). they are currently working on a video and finishing their debut EP. 

(so let's pretend for a moment that the handsome guy in these photos is not my brother.) here is what i love about hello mtn's story (aside from the fact that they wrote my daughter the most beautiful song ever heard in all the world):

they are working on their album, writing all the songs and recording them in stops and spurts, while catherine is on tour with horse feathers. this means that sometimes they are emailing ideas back and forth, and she records a demo in her hotel room while in, let's say montreal, and matt then fleshes it out in his studio in portland. then he will email her the updated song, and she will listen to it on her iphone while she is on a train heading to berlin. feedback is exchanged. matt tries to brush off the reality that she is across the world from him and continues working on the song until she gets back and they can record the final version. but she's only home a few days. they play a few shows, continue recording the EP, and off she goes again.

sounds like a movie doesn't it? it gets better. they are writing letters back and forth on their website to fill in the spaces of the missing and give each other a glimpse into where they are in the world.

i am smitten, just smitten with this band and its story. in a way i haven't been smitten since i heard the weepies sing, "i thought of you, and where you'd gone. and the world spins madly on."

and lucky for us, i get to share a little video clip from "first song for ellie jane."

(you can hear a few minutes of some "demo" recordings on their facebook page, and you can see a few more photos from our day together over on my flickr.)