Wordy Wednesday
A bit of inspiration for your Wednesday…
Find more like this on our Great Quotes Pinterest board.
An Instagram Summer
The weather is starting to heat up here in Chico, CA and though it’s not summer yet, it’s starting to feel like it!
Here are a few of our Instagram favorites to help you embrace the heat. Just click on the images to find the original photographer’s Instagram page!
Oh and in case you didn’t know, we’re on Instagram too!
Starting Over – A Story About Spring and Renewal
Clean, Purge, Repurpose. As new life springs forth from the dead of Winter, I find myself once again looking for a fresh start. Unlike previous years when starting over meant new relationships, foreign travel, or a new career, this year it begins with something as simple as a little spring cleaning.
Tucked far into the depths of my closet, hidden by boxes of art supplies, a shabby plastic electric guitar, and bins full of printer paper and broken cameras, were hangars full of clothes that still smelled of the mold and damp of an ill-fated life in
England. They were ugly (stylistically, and emotionally speaking) reminders of a failed relationship, and a vain attempt at entrepreneurship. Looking at them was, quite frankly, depressing.
But, then again, there were stories in those threads; first loves, London nightclubs, an African adventure. Even though they hadn’t been worn in a year, it was hard to let go.
We all keep mementos of moments that are important to us, of things that happened a lifetime ago. Whether and old t-shirt, a piece of jewelry, or an abandoned photo album, we hold tight to these mementos despite our futile attempts to forget the things in our past they represent.
Letting some ripped up jeans and an over-sized sweater stay in the back of my closet for decades wasn’t doing them, or me any good. And so, as I sucked it up and threw them in a box to donate, I made a resolution. This year, spring cleaning wasn’t just
about out with the old and in with what’s in; it was about starting fresh. It’s not just building a new wardrobe, but making a concentrated effort to create new healthy habits, and establish a new me.
This year, if you find yourself in a funk, or looking for a fresh start, I challenge you to look around you. Take the time purge all those the things that are holding you back and look at this spring as a chance to start over as the person you really want to be.
Words and Art by Dani Dirks
About the Makers // Amy Waltz Designs
Hello… We are Amy Waltz, Dianna Santilli Young and Jocelyn Glatthaar, the girls behind Amy Waltz Designs (AWD). We all live and work in the lovely and quaint town of Chico, California. We make jewelry with intention, purpose and meaning … SOUL jewelry.
Interestingly enough, AWD was born from my (Amy’s) photography work. Photographing newborns, I wanted to make pendants for the new mamas with photos of their babies so that’s where all of this began. I also very strongly connect with and believe in the power of positive thought. All along, the jewelry has always had a very mindful and purposeful component to it. My heart space with it was to use it as a way of propelling goodness and light. With little hidden mantras and words and hand-written notes of inspiration with each order, I thought it could help people to breathe a little deeper, let go a little more and treat themselves and each other with a little more heart. This will always be the *intention* of AWD. As I have grown, though, it has grown and at the present I have never felt more at home with it as I do now. These beautiful girls, Dianna and Jocelyn, round it all out for me. I feel such truth with what we are doing. More than making jewelry, we are living life together. We laugh, dance, cry, create, sing, and share in this journey. We all bounce ideas off each other and each of us brings a beautiful uniqueness to the table, offering something totally different and inspiring to the process and all of it together just flows and feels right. I would not be where I am today without Dianna and Jocelyn (obviously!). They help to ground and center the journey and bring a greater depth and creativity to the designs and outcome. And our families are right by our sides. With total support, they help to carry us and allow us to spread our wings and fly.
It’s so interesting because all of us dwell in a very similar place with our art. There have been many times that I bring something up to Dianna that I want to do and she’ll say she was just thinking that or Joce brings something forward to me and I’ll have had a vision about it. It boggles my mind. I love where we are right now with our craft. We literally start with a blank canvas of sheet metal and allow it to form into something magnificent. So we listen. We are open and we allow it to work through us. Within one sheet of metal is everything and nothing all at once. It holds all the possibilities that we don’t even realize are there yet. I love that we can take this flat, sort of dull, sometimes scratched up surface and cut it, sand it, shape it, stamp it, hammer it, sand it some more, and bang away on it, add words of inspiration and possibly a patina until this magical, beautiful love-soaked piece of adornment is created. It’s amazingly inspiring! With 20 years of jewelry creating experience, Dianna is a force of creative brilliance and knowledge. We have just launched into the soldering arena and she’s made it happen and taught us along the way. She is so gentle and kind. I am thankful that it’s jewelry that has brought us together for she is now not only a teacher and creative partner but also a dear friend to me. Jocelyn blows me away with her intention. I say I want to make purses and she brings back amazingly thought out and creative designs with purpose. Our purse line is partially upcycled which we all love. We love taking something that would be discarded and making it new again. She has taken skirts, jackets and pieces of scrap leather and transformed them into the most amazing bags! Thank god she said yes when I begged her to come work with me! She is one of my oldest and dearest friends and she just gets me. It’s an unspoken, soul connection we share. Personally, much of my inspiration comes from these beautiful women for it is our collective spirits that intertwine and mix and collide, taking our artistic expression to even greater heights. It is not one, but all of us and that’s the most beautiful part. It’s letting go of ego, opening your heart, listening, respecting, appreciating, allowing …. It’s trusting; trusting the process of this journey, the process that is actually much bigger than me. And if we are open and put our intentions to work, there really is nothing that cannot be accomplished.
I’m always drawn to the pieces that hold a message, an inspiration, something that causes us to pause and think and respond with ourselves and each other with a lightness of heart and being …. I know Dianna likes the patina pieces a lot and I would guess she would say leather but I can’t ask her as she’s in Italy right now! Jocelyn likes all the metal pieces because they are grounding and she likes mixing them up!
We have just recently launched our spring 2013 line! It’s all about fabulous color – Lemon Zest, Spring Green, Dusk Blue, Mustard Yellow, and Hibiscus Red. It’s also bangles and ultra skinny stacking rings and purses!
(AWD chose to sell their designs at Three Sixty Ecotique) Because Three Sixty rules!!! Both Lorna and Crystena have to be the sweetest gals and they have created such a wonderful, welcoming vibe with their boutique! Our designs also have a boho flair to them so I think they are perfectly matched in their sweet shop!
Thank you for sharing with us and taking the time to read. And a big thank you to the beauties of Ecotique for wanting to feature us! How thrilling! And Briana, thank you; you’ve been darling. We loved having you come to our studio and share and document our journey! We are blessed to live in this community and feel so deeply loved by all of you!!
Blessings & Light, Amy, Dianna & Joce
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Photography by Briana Morrison
Flower Garden
This week I got my hands dirty. I used the inspiration of the sun to turn my little backyard into an oasis of beauty. I planted flowers, a lot of flowers.
I see the great benefit in planting food gardens and have in all the years past been a very avid food gardener and yet this year something new inspired me. I wanted to plant a garden that fed more than my body, but my soul! I wanted to give something back to the earth and help support the life of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
I planted a lot of bulbs and tubers of magical things like Dahlia, Calla Lily, Gladiola and Crocosmia…things that are brewing magic underneath the earth and in about a month or so will burst forth in ecstatic glory.
I want to be surrounded with the incredible medicine of their beauty this summer. I want to be nurtured by their continuous blooms and be reminded to keep doing the same myself, keep blossoming.
Flowers are fragile and need constant tending. They need to be dead headed to make room for new blooms, they need fertilizer and lots of water and sunshine. They are for all intensive purposes pretty high maintenance and yet they give so much in return.
I plan on making bouquets all summer, some for me and many for others. I want to share the beauty and spread the love. Hopefully it will inspire others to do the same.
Of course you should plant some kale and tomatoes and herbs all around but save a little room for some soul food too.
Plant some Zinnia or Snapdragons, Lupin or Marigolds. Better yet plant them all and more and watch in awe as the birds and bees and butterflies do their magic in the garden you created.
“Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
Hans Christian Anderson
Words by Alana Flores
Images by:
1. Untitled, 2. Dahlia Garden, 3. The Awakening, 4. flowers
5 Stories About Love – A Movie List
Spring makes me dream of love, lounging outside, and summer adventures.
I put together this little list of movies that embrace each of these things. A little something to get you in the mood for summer, long days, warm nights, and romantic evenings.
Harold and Maude- Unexpected love and a film full of 1970′s fashion. Need I say more?
Much Ado About Nothing- Witty banter at its best, this Shakespearean film is full of young love, practical jokes, and bright English gardens. It will leave you wanting to don a peasant skirt and write poetry under the shade of your favorite tree.
Vicky Christina Barcelona- A light, sexy romantic drama set in Spain, and an absolute favorite! This film is full of travel, art, wine, lust, and love, delivered in a way that only Woody Allen can pull off. Just the thing to get you in the mood for summer.
Moonrise Kingdom- Two kids, alone in the woods, on an adventure inspired by young love. This movie is a little on the epic side with quirky characters and super rad 1960′s fashion.
Timer- If a clock could count down the years, days, and hours until you met your soul-mate, would you want one? This movie takes place in a society where this knowledge is commonplace. This is a slightly futuristic romantic comedy that brings You’ve Got Mail into the 21st century.
Burlesque – A Guest Post by Véronique Roch-Lefebvre
On my way to the bar I wonder, why do I keep walking this path? Isn’t that always a girl in front of a mirror ? Is it going to lead anywhere?
Marie-Sophie looks like Cleopatra tonight, the waitress a mermaid…
I’ve been taking backstage pictures of burlesque for a couple of years now.
“Are you ok with me taking pictures while you get ready?” I ask.
In the basement of l’Abreuvoir, between beer barrels and the toilets, in a space of one metre by one metre, magic happens.
I’m looking for a detail, which will open a door to a world full of bright red hair and sparkly lashes, where jellyfishes are electric and women birds!
I float… and I leave before the curtain goes up.
Images from Véronique Roch-Lefebvre’s from Project Burlesque.
Words by Véronique.
The Misunderstood Dandelion
Poor, sweet, misunderstood dandelion. Seen as a blemish on our perfectly manicured lawns. This wish inspiring plant is edible and crazy good for you! Dandelions are packed full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The Dandelion is good for liver health, is an amazing blood detoxifier, and is used as a digestive aid for its natural diuretic properties. The official Latin name, Taraxacum Officinale, actually means “official remedy for disorders” and is one of the top 6 herbs in the Chinese medicine chest.
Dandelion greens can be bitter, so pick them young when the leaves are the tastiest. If your dandelions have flowered you can blanch them to mellow out the bitterness. Wash the leaves thoroughly to remove any dirt, then dry them out for 5 to 10 days for a
fabulous tea. The flower petals are edible also, and have a nice peppery flavor. These are beautiful in a salad and add little kick to the palate.
Who cares if your neighbor looks at you like they want to kill you every time you pick a dandelion. Continue to make those wishes, and spread those seeds, Dandelions are GOOD for you!
Here are some recipes sure to delight:
Dandelion Pesto
Sautéed Dandelion Greens
Celery Risotto with Dandelion Greens or Kale
Photograph by Parker Fitzgerald
Featured Designers – Sexi Seaweed and I Rayz
Sexi Seaweed
Sexi Seaweed’s collection of designer fashion jewelry is “Inspired by the Wild”, and handmade with passion in Northern California.
The siren behind the Seaweed is Amelia Mosher, island girl from Alaska turned urban mermaid. She credits Pacific Northwest Totemic Art for her interest in story-telling through creating unique and one-of-a-kind jewelry, integrating the properties and meaning of selected materials into the significance of each piece. She works with raw semi-precious gemstones, seashells and bone, feathers, hammered metals, and organic materials that evidence life.
Amelia uses her intuition to guide her aesthetic choices with intent to create jewelry that celebrate the ineffable cosmic beauty of the Wild.
The concept of Sexi Seaweed Jewelry was born from Amelia’s life-long enchantment with being out in wild places and the goal of inspiring others to fall in love with the Wilderness.
I Rayz
Awaken your chakras with organic handcrafted perfumes with sacred geometry symbols and added crystals. 7 special scents to align & open your chakras. Activate these special points on the body with with divine jewelry made with gold, silver & high quality gems and crystals that lay against the chakras. Come find one of a kind fun clothing recycled, hand made & fair trade. Beautiful crystals, tapestries, meditation pillows, Buddhas, and gigantic 5$ box of Irayz goods.
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Come see both of these designers at the Offerings of The Sun, The Moon, and The Sea event this Saturday!
Featured Designer: Jen Moon
Greetings. My name is Jen Moon. I like to refer to myself as a creatress of adornments. I have been crafting and creating jewelry and accessories for nearly 20 years. About five years ago I was introduced to metal fabrication and soldering and this is where my focus has remained as the possibilities are endless!
My work is very elemental. I am drawn to natural materials like gemstones, feathers and metals. The mixed metal work I do is very earthy, especially when copper and brass are combined into a piece. It creates a very grounding and calming contrast.
There is a lot of roundness in the jewelry I make. The circle or hoop is a very feminine shape, representing protection, equality and oneness. The circle can be found in thousands of natural forms including the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth; the cycles of life and the seasons are all based on that rhythm and everything comes back around.
I am forever in awe of the natural beauty surrounding me. I use my talents and abilities to portray the energy and magic happening all around by turning it into something you can wear and feel.
I believe there is no limit to adorning oneself. Sometimes just a dash of sparkle or a pinch of mystery can liven up your mood and your outfit while other times its necessary to express ourselves with an exclamation point. I strive to make jewelry and accessories that are as unique and original as you. Have you ever seen the moon not live up to her name?
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For a chance to chat with Jen Moon and view her work in person, come to our indie design event Offerings of The Sun, The Moon, and The Sea this Saturday!
