I've always been a fan of West Elm, but I especially love the way they've made a point of working with independent artists and artisans lately. Whether this comes from a genuine love for craft, is a play to make a giant company feel more friendly, or a little of both, I don't care. It's really a win-win: talented independent designers get fantastic exposure, customers delight in becoming acquainted with artisans and more special, less mass market-feeling pieces, and handmade culture is celebrated.
Cinco de Mayo (fondly referred to as Cinco de Drinko by a friend of mine) is this Sunday, and I'm feeling inspired by Mexican handicrafts! Here's a roundup of some fun things I found, using Paulina's pillows as an inspiration:
This past weekend, I got to do something CRAZY fun. But first, a little back story.
Ever since I started getting to do a little design work in my job several years ago, I've been pretty obsessed with Pantone. You might remember the roundup I did when they announced the color of the year. Since I am obsessed with color, this should not be a surprise, since Pantone is pretty much the worldwide color authority. Pantone books may not be all that thrilling for seasoned, formally educated designers, but for me - someone who's more of a self-taught enthusiast - they're still so exciting. Something strange and amazing happens to me when I get to flip through one of those fan books full of color chips - the same thing happens to me when I pick out paint. Colors do something good to my brain - it's as if my brain suddenly wakes up and says to itself, 'WOO!!! COLOR!!!' I can't really explain it, so it probably sounds a little bizarre unless you have the same reaction. Several years ago, I used to think about (and talk about) the fact that Pantone should expand into, well, everything - from makeup (nail polish!) to tights to paint. Fast forward several years, and they've done tons of those kinds of collaborations!
This time, they've created a paint line. To celebrate the launch of the Pantone Universe Valspar collection, which is available exclusively at Lowe's, the three companies invited a bunch of bloggers and editors to check out the paints, as well as participate in a DIY upcycle challenge. Needless to say, when I got this invite, I responded in approximately one billionth of a second. Color AND DIY AND upcycling??? What more could I want?
Read on for the full recap of a delightful two days, plus the how-to on these upcycles.
Have you guys heard of Kollabora? If not, hop over there before you even read another word. Created by Nora Abousteit, the woman responsible for the success of BurdaStyle.com, Kollabora is a social platform that empowers you to make original projects and inspires you to bring your own creative DIY ideas to life. You can go to Kollabora, find a project you want to make, learn how to do it, as well as post your own projects. Currently, you can find sewing, knitting, jewelry, and home dec projects, but soon, you'll be able to find just about any sort of crafty thing.
I'm so excited to be helping out and doing some consulting work there; the office is a really inspiring and homey-feeling environment with tons of natural light. Aside from being chock full of craft supplies (heaven!) it's punctuated with inspiring decor, such as the sign above.
I was struck by how true this is both at work and in life in general. It's certainly my goal to pay attention to each of these more closely, thereby connecting better with others and myself.
If you’ve been visiting here long, you probably know that
our family is preeeeeeetty big on Lord of the Rings. So, fair warning – nerd
references abound in this post!
“What can men do against such reckless hate?” This was the
excerpt from Lord of the Rings that popped into my brother’s head after we
learned about the tragic events surrounding the Boston Marathon.
It’s true – it’s sometimes hard not to succumb to that nagging thought, that occasional idea that maybe we can't really do all that much to combat the negativity and violence
that can sometimes seem so pervasive in our world.
In searching for an answer to this question, originally
posed by King Theoden when faced with an increasingly grim outlook on an
impending battle, I thought of something Gandalf says to Galadriel in The Hobbit:
“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil
in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday
deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness
and love.”
I can’t think of a message more appropriate for Earth Day.
It can be easy to sometimes think to ourselves, “What difference will it really
make for little me to do this one thing?” I believe it truly makes a world of
difference. Small acts add up fast, and in honor of that idea, I wanted to
share five little things we can all do to be kinder to Earth on a daily basis.
Try doing one, a few, or all of these for a few weeks, and you’ll be astounded at
how many times you have a chance to not contribute to the ever-growing waste stream, as well as how very easy it is to change your routine & develop them
as habits. They’re not novel or ingenious, but rather quick reminders of how
simple it can be to make a change for the better.
Refuse a
bag, plastic or otherwise, whenever you’re offered one. Most of the time,
it’s just as easy (if not easier) to carry something in your hands or put it in
your handbag or work bag as it is to carry it in a bag. Before accepting a bag, ask yourself if you can carry it or stow it elsewhere. Plus, there are so many
more appealing ways to carry stuff around if you're planning a bigger shopping trip. Baggu is my favorite source for super stylish reusable bags.
Change
your coffee routine.If you don’t want to carry your own coffee
mug around (I understand there’s certainly a limit to how much we want to tote
with us on a daily basis), there are still plenty of things you can do to cut
down on the daily waste that cups from the morning caffeine fix. Skip
the sleeve and bring your own (tons of options on Etsy), skip the
stirrer stick if you’re only adding milk, and don’t opt for a splash stick unless you anticipate a bumpy journey.
Carry a
water bottle, especially when traveling. I prefer glass options these days – they don’t
leach strange metallic or plastic-y tastes (or anything strange chemicals), plus they’re completely recyclable if
they ever break or you grow tired of them. I have a Lifefactory bottle
currently, but I’ve been eyeing these BKR bottles for quite some time. For some
reason, I used to carry a water bottle around daily without ever thinking of
taking one to the airport – but that’s an ideal place to bring them,
especially considering that’s one of the only places I now ever buy bottled water.
Choose
compostable/biodegradeable garbage and produce bags. Regular plastic bags
take hundreds and hundreds of years to break down, if they ever do, and even
then, they don’t biodegrade. Instead of getting broken down naturally by
microbes and being reused by our environment, they simply get broken
down into smaller and smaller bits of plastic that gunk up the ecosystem and
food chain. Exhibit A: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Choose
personal care products without petrochemicals or plastics. We
use these products every single day, sometimes multiple times per day, for a
lifetime. Luckily, there are tons and tons of options out there, now even in
regular grocery stores and drugstores, that don’t include petrochemicals. Examples
of these ingredients are petroleum jelly, mineral oil, paraffin, propylene
glycol, acetone, all phthalates (often disguised as ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’),
toluene, isopropyl alcohol…the list goes on. Obviously, petrochemicals come
from crude petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. Plus, there have been quite a
few reports & studies about them being bad for sking & causing premature
aging.
I hope you'll consider trying out some of these small, everyday acts of kindness to our one & only Earth!
That’s my grandmother above, enjoying a nice day on the
porch in her playsuit. Isn’t she a knockout? Now that warm days are here again
(both in NYC and in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, from where I'm happily posting this), I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time just hanging
out outside like she did. Of course, with balmier temperatures comes sparer
clothing (I’d love to make a copy of what she was wearing here) and lots more
leg.
I’m not sure what the ladies used back then when they shaved
– probably just good old fashioned soap, and certainly nothing like
‘Skintimations Pomegranate Mango Dream Smooth Shaving Cream’ or any of the
other similarly ridiculous-sounding stuff that abounds these days. No joke, I actually once saw a scent labeled 'Frosted Velvet.'
You can pretty much tell just by looking at the packaging on
one of those crazy bottles that they’re loaded up to here with the grossest, most artificial junk. From parabens to
phthalates to petrochemicals to the fakest fragrances ever, they tick off
almost every bad ingredient on my list. I’d bet good money they’re not great
for our skin in the long term, and I know what’s in them certainly isn’t good
for our bodies.
Good news: you don’t have to stick to plain soap and water
if you want to avoid shaving creams. In fact, since I’ve used this magic stuff, I’ve
never had such smooth, soft legs after shaving – and they hardly require any
moisturizing either. For someone whose skin tends to get pretty dry and suck up
moisture like a sponge (thanks, Mom),
that’s pretty remarkable.
So what’s my secret weapon? Once again, coconut oil saves
the day! Is there anything this stuff can’t do? I cook with it, use it for
moisturizing, use it as a deep conditioner – the list goes on.
I’m a huge fan of multi-use products, and I think it’s
almost comical how many hyper-specialized items there are out there these days.
I often think about the fact that when my grandmother was young, pretty much
everything was multi-use, from vinegar to baking soda to food scraps. No one
suffered for not having one type of lotion for extra dry skin and another for
super duper dry skin. I’m convinced most of that labeling is simply marketing,
especially when comparing ingredients. It can actually be fun and pretty
informative to go to the grocery store, pick up a few bottles of conventional
shampoo that all claim to be remedies for specific hair issues, and comparing
the ingredients. Plus, I hate being a sucker – my mama didn’t raise no fool! Picking
a multi-use product helps cut down on waste and says with your wallet that you
don’t want to perpetuate a wasteful culture.
Some tips for shaving with coconut oil:
In case you’re not familiar, coconut oil is solid at room
temperature. I usually run the jar under hot water and let a little bit melt,
then pour it into my hand.
It may seem weird at first, especially if you’re used to a
thick lather or foam. Give it a few tries! You’ll get used to it and love it.
Shave after you’ve already scrubbed down. You don’t want to
wash away the moisture left by the coconut oil after you’re done shaving.
Because coconut oil solidifies at room temperature, you’ll
need to shave with hot water, or use a glass filled with very hot water to
rinse your razor as you go along.
I buy a giant tub of this stuff – it’s my favorite brand and
it’s of superior quality. When choosing a coconut oil, pick one that’s cold
pressed, extra virgin, generally un-messed with. It shouldn't be deodorized and the label should specify hexane-free (hexane is a solvent that is also a neurotoxin). I
also like to stick with organic. Especially if you’re going to use your oil for
many purposes, as I do, you may want to consider these guidelines.
I also like to transfer some of my coconut oil from the
giant jar into a smaller one, keeping it reserved specifically for the shower.
This way, you can keep your coconut oil for cooking free from contamination and
feel free to put your hand in the jar used for shaving.
What do you think? Would you ever try shaving with coconut
oil? Too weird for you? I’d love to hear!
I was at Ikea for the second time in two weeks (ugh!) and came across the super-zany rug below. I didn't buy it, because it doesn't really have a place in my small apartment, but if I had a beach house, this would definitely go in it! It's only $39.99, so I wouldn't feel bad when I (almost certainly) got tired of it in a few years.
Fancy, sophisticated, serious, design-y decor is nice and all, but really, what good is your place if it doesn't make you feel happy and sometimes a little silly? I think this turban-wearing, pineapple-drinking lady certainly accomplishes that. In case you're in the market for something that will make you smile every time you look down and see your feet on it, here are some more playful rug picks.
These are also great for kids' rooms, in case your personal taste runs to the more subdued. As you can see, most of these are from Rugs USA. It's a freakin' goldmine!
CHANGE. It’s hard for most people, and historically, it’s been especially hard for me.
But it’s also the only way we move forward, and I’m slowly learning that good things do often follow that nervous, unsettled, what’s-going-to-happen-next feeling. The reassurance I’ve gotten in the past few months about the benefits of really going for something and putting yourself in a scary new place has shown me it’s worth taking risks to ultimately (hopefully) find yourself with a better life – one that’s exactly what you envision in your dreams.
The beginning of 2013 felt a little like the universe snatched all the balls I was juggling and threw them up in the air. Our family learned we were again facing blood cancer, a long-term relationship was in a state of upheaval, and I found myself in a very, very unhappy place with the circumstances of my day-to-day life. I felt completely stuck in both my personal life and my professional life; I realized I was spending many, many hours in a job that wasn’t making me happy. Without a lot of the fulfillment I’d depended on in my personal life, I realized I was no longer okay with my level of satisfaction at my job. I learned more than I can say from this position, met wonderful people and made great friends, but it was simply time to let it go.
I also realized I’d gotten very out of touch with myself, and as a result, out of touch with my most important relationships. I learned the hard way that you can’t connect with and be present with others if you aren’t even connected and present with yourself. I’m grateful to the person who showed me this, despite the unpleasant circumstances of learning that much-needed lesson.
Without the act of juggling to focus on, I was forced to stand still and ask myself, “Now what?”
My answers came in the form of more change, but change that I was in charge of. I left my job with the plan of exploring what makes me happy: namely, being creative and making things. I spent several weeks at home with my family. I came back to NYC feeling not all that excited to be back and unsure of how long I’d stay; the sunshine, lower-key lifestyle, and space in my hometown are certainly hugely appealing. But the more I thought about the idea that things hadn’t really unfolded for me here, I realized I’d never put myself in a position to let them. I always told myself I probably could never create my own life just the way I wanted it; my excuses were various and the limitations I pointed to were many. In reality, I was just getting in my own way. My own voice was the one stopping me.
It has been nothing short of astounding to see the ways in which my life is becoming much fuller of the things I enjoy, simply because I made the space for those things to enter. In the short time I’ve been back in New York, I was given my first freelance opportunity – helping my friend Brett Bara execute Brooklyn Craft Camp, which were two of the happiest days I’ve had in as long as I can remember. Helping create a happy place in which people spent all day, well, creating - it was nirvana.
I have met with wonderful people to discuss working together, visited some friends' beautiful stationery studio, reconnected with dear friends and have been embraced by acquaintances I’d only briefly crossed paths with in the past. Suddenly, the world is feeling very small, almost like my own little friendly neighborhood. Interestingly, this is an experience I've never had in NYC. Things feel suddenly abundant.
In an ideal world, I’d be able to split my time between here and my hometown. And what’s to stop me from creating my ideal life? There is simply no reason good enough to not try to have everything you want.
This speech (I first heard it on the ever-inspiring Brainpickings blog), a meditation on the question “What would you do if money was no object?” is one I’m using this time to answer.
I’m so glad to be back in blogging action, and I hope you’ll keep coming back for more. I hope I can better share who I am, what inspires me, and how I'm navigating this new journey.
I used to be a HEAVY sleeper. Just ask my mom - I'd yell, roll around, mumble incoherently, and when awoken, ask some question that seemed to make sense in the context of whatever dream I was having, but in actuality sounded like total gibberish that I later giggled about.
These days, although I have the occasional deep slumber, I go through periods of fitful, light sleep that leaves me pretty depleted. All of this year's changes have left me more than a little restless, and it's frustrating because I'm so excited about so many things and want to make sure I'm rested enough to actually enjoy them and do them well.
Turns out there's something to having those extra few hours of sleep!
So why the big, carefree smile above? More sleep=more happiness. Getting just one extra hour of sleep per night has a bigger effect on daily happiness than does making an additional $60,000 per year, according to a recent University of Michigan study I came across in Wired mag.
The study also found that the sleep-deprived study participants were wayyy more sensitive to negative emotional stimuli. I'm definitely sensitive enough to negative emotional stimuli without adding fuel to the fire. And if those two reasons weren’t enough, a lack of sleep has been shown to have a direct link with being overweight. I’m sure most of you are dying to get an extra hour of sleep as it is – but maybe you feel like you don’t have enough time, you have too much to accomplish, you’ll fall behind if you let yourself sleep another minute, or you just can't turn your brain off and relax. But sleep is so essential, and it makes us so much better able to accomplish all of those things we want to do! I’m glad I can finally point to these facts as an incentive to make sleep a priority.
My occasional bouts of insomnia last for a few weeks (like the one I've been having lately); they usually come as a result of a particularly high-stress time. It was really important for me to figure out ways to combat insomnia totally naturally – and I’m happy to say there are plenty of ways to do it! They all center around turning off our sometimes racing minds and bringing them back to a place of relaxation. We’ve become so constantly wired for stress – especially because we’re always plugged in – and I think learning how to let go of that stress is of paramount importance for not only mental but physical health. Stress, especially if we have no habit of intentionally de-stressing, makes us sick in the long run.
Here are some things I’ve tried that have worked wonders for sleep-inducing relaxation:
The Relaxation Response Sometimes I’m really concerned about the lack of focus on the mind-body connection in conventional medicine. I believe that how we think and feel and treat our bodies has a huge effect on our outlook in life and our general well-being. I feel so lucky to have found an absolutely fantastic therapist with whom I connect of a variety of intellectual and spiritual levels. She has introduced me to so many fascinating ideas, one of which is a theory called the relaxation response. The Harvard physician who coined the term, Herbert Benson, is one of the pioneers of mind-body medicine and today heads up the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Mass General. Dr. Benson describes the relaxation response as “a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress... and the opposite of the fight or flight response.” You know that feeling when your stress level immediately peaks, your heart beats fast, you get that roller coaster feeling in your stomach, and adrenaline starts pumping? Well, this is literally the opposite of that – something I think we all need. When we experience the relaxation response, our metabolisms decrease, our hearts beat slower and our muscles relax. Our breathing becomes slower, our blood pressure decreases, and our levels of nitric oxide (important for many of the body’s key functions) are increased. Here's how the relaxation response goes - I HIGHLY encourage everyone to try it at least once. The results are pretty astonishing:
You can also buy the book, which provides a seriously in-depth look at the theory and is one of the most influential books in the realm of mind-body medicine. As a fun little bonus, I’ve created a downloadable, printable card you can tuck into your wallet. If you want to get really fancy, I’ve formatted it to business card size, so you could use these perforated sheets and even laminate it. It’s helpful to be able to turn to this word series in stressful moments on the go (travel is a big one for me) as well as before bedtime.
Herbal Teas On the handful of occasions I've used Advil PM or Nyquil to get to sleep when sick or stressed, it led to fitful, inconsistent slumber. Nowadays, I really try to avoid using any kind of drug whenever possible to put less stress on my body and let it do its thing naturally. Valerian root and chamomile, like in Clipper's Organic Sleep Easy blend, have been shown to have naturally relaxing, anti-anxiety properties. Plus, I find that the ritual of preparing and drinking herbal tea is so comforting. The process of putting water in the kettle, waiting patiently for it to sing, pouring it over a tea bag into a mug, and then sipping it slowly as it warms my hands (preferably while bundled in a cozy sweater or blanket) is incredibly calming.
Tibetan Singing Bowls Say whaaaa? My mom actually introduced me to these. She’s been exploring lots of different ways to meditate, and these bowls are meant to induce a completely relaxed state. Singing bowls have been around for centuries and centuries in Asia and have traditionally been used as a starting and ending prompt for meditation. My mom recommended using headphones (like the kind that go all the way over your ears; these are so pretty!) to fully experience the depth of sounds – the first time I did this, I fell asleep while listening! It might sound a little strange and other-worldly at first, but stick with it and I promise you’ll be drawn in.
Take a listen below:
Essence of Vali Aromatherapy in Sleep: A Bedtime Ritual I discovered Essence of Vali through my subscription to Quarterly, a fantastic service which works with experts & influencers in various fields to curate a quarterly goodie package. A thoughtful friend gave me the No More Dirty Looks subscription, created by the women behind the blog, and I’ve been enjoying all sorts of eco-friendly, non-toxic beauty treats. One of these goodie packages included Essence of Vali’s Sleep aromatherapy oil; it’s absolutely unbelievable. For me, it’s like magic sleep fairy dust. I just let a few drops fall onto my pillow, and it’s lights out for the night. So what’s in it? Just good old-fashioned, used-for-centuries essential oils of lavender, marjoram, cedarwood & ylang/ylang. The blend of these scents is insanely heavenly.
Hopefully, this extra-lengthy post didn’t put you to sleep before you can try these! Some may work for you and some may not – but I firmly believe it’s all about finding what’s best for your own body. Here’s to sweet dreams…
Do any of you have tried & true natural methods for falling asleep? Would you try any of these?
