Gems, Jewels, Love and Life

Happy 2017! January 02 2017, 0 Comments

Yesterday, in keeping with our annual tradition, my husband & I brought out the art box and allowed our theme for the New Year to come to life on the canvas.
 
Once again, it proved to be a most interesting, insightful and powerful activity. Throughout the process, I paid close attention to the thoughts & feelings that motivated my decisions. Whether inspiration, judgement, fear, joy, comparison, abandon, they all contributed to the final creation.
"I should do it this/that way because Nate is/isn't..."
"These colors make me happy..."
"I don't know what I'm doing..."
"I love the look of this..."
"NOT what I was trying to do..."
"Now what? I'm stuck..."
"I don't care, this is fun!"
etc...
 
And that's just how Life unfolds every day. At least for me.
 
And the same way that I'm not crazy about the final result of our art project this year, I don't always like the outcome of my decisions. But ultimately I try to have fun with the process and remind myself often that I can always create something new.
AND sometimes the painting starts to grow on me the next morning...
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The best New Year's wish I read yesterday was from my youngest cousin and I want to translate it for you: 
 
"What I wish for us all this year is to contribute every day to the creation of world that is filled with more justice, more equality, more openness and more tolerance. A world full of nuances and compromise. A world filled with Love." 
(Merci Jonathan!)
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::::::::::: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! ::::::::::::

 
* FYI, my theme for 2017 is "YES!" (in case you hadn't guessed it already), and Nate's is "LAUNCH".
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Meeting hate with more Love June 27 2016, 0 Comments

Feeling angry and completely heartbroken following the June 12th 2016 mass shooting in Orlando, my husband & I were talking and trying to figure out how to respond to this senseless, hateful act.

It is so easy to let anger turn to hate in those moments, but we both agreed that it would only serve to feed the very thing we were speaking against. The most powerful alternative was Love; fear & hatred can only be transformed by Love. And from Love this collection was born. 

It's a small thing, but small things turn to bigger things when we unite, when we all stand together and celebrate our beautiful differences. I stand with my LGBT brothers & sisters to create equality, freedom, acceptance and respect. 

I stand for Love. #LOVEWINS #LOVEISLOVE

Here are some of the unisex pieces I created:

        

They are sold at a deep discount to spread the word (and the Love). ONE THIRD of every sale is donated to this organization that does amazing work for the LGBT community, and truly, for everyone: free2luv.org

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Here's a little bit more about them and their mission:

"TAKE A STAND TO SPREAD LOVE AND END BULLYING"
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FREE2LUV is an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to rockin’ individuality, celebrating equality, spreading kindness & standing up to bullying through arts & entertainment. We empower, engage & enlighten youth to be their true, authentic selves and know that they are perfect just the way they are.
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FREE2LUV teams up with Celebrity Ambassadors, Youth Advocates and corporations who believe LUV is STRONGER than hate and BRAVER than bullying.
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We hold hands with our partners to …

  • create thought-provoking awareness campaigns
  • support and produce community outreach events
  • create a cool line of cause inspired merchandise designed to create change

Through our FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS BULLY® programs, we utilize music, impactful messaging and interactive storytelling to promote kindness, build self-esteem and help youth be more responsible citizens in their community.  We have partnered with Clear Channel Outdoor and hit the streets and highways with our anti-bullying awareness campaign featuring the Champion Seattle Seahawks and Free2Luv Celebrity Ambassadors and Advocates.  The FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS BULLY campaign invites the community to unite, take the pledge and use their collective voice for good.

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Please join them and me to spread love and make our world our better place for everyone in it.

Beautiful necklaces in production, and a bunch ready to ship. The response has been great and let's keep it going!


   

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Happy 2017! Posted on January 02, 2017

Meeting hate with more Love Posted on July 19, 2016

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