Bella Wish

things that are currently making me happy

Pixie Campbell-Goddess Rising

So excited to be entering the Soul Lodge soon led by the naiad in the photo above. Hope to see you there!

Loving this collaborative cookbook comprised of doodles from artsyville.

Lisa's photos for Adesso blow me away with their beauty. I've seen her Adesso bracelets up close, they are absolutely gorgeous, especially when worn in multiples like she does. I now wonder if I wear some if I will be transported to the location where she took these.

Lisa's work is about bridging the gap of all women through our similar struggles and connections, wherever we are on the globe. Please help support her latest project here.

Seek Your Course. I had a similar idea a while ago but had no idea where to start. I am so happy Jess birthed her brilliant idea, gave it wings and a clever name and now it is soaring.

10 Myths about Introverts. This article had this introvert standing up and cheering.

"The tide is out. It's a magic space of Empty. See for miles. The beach is clear and there are things to examine and let die in the sun. I'm letting go of that cranky crank persona that just couldn't let it all be wonderful the way it is. She's withering in the fresh air with the old salmon bones. I'm saying thank you to her. She showed me how happy I am. Bodichitta. Always there." Thank you, Danielle LaPorte

I love that Instagrid allows non iPhone users to still view Instagram photos in a clean and organized way.

Speaking of Instagram, I can't wait to make my first iPhoneography book.

Loving the summery vibe of this song by Harper Simon (yes, Paul's son). Fun trivia: The video was shot close to where I live.

My beautiful and talented friend Keirda made a touching documentary about one man's story of hope, music and transformation. If Bob and the Monster comes to your town, definitely go see it!

I found Thandi Newton's Ted talk to be truly enlightening.

The trailer for this documentary had me in tears. There is so much extraordinary beauty to be acknowledged in our ordinary everyday lives. Via Tiffany Dyer

... and for now the last thing that is making me really happy are some really fun projects I am working on that I am dying to share with you soon!

west

I've been working one too many late nights on a silent and live auction fundraising event for Isabella's school while simultaneously fighting some strange sickness since Sunday evening. Foggy doesn't begin to describe how I'm feeling.

I decided to take the day off today to play on the shoreline with my girls and enjoyed the view with an old friend.

It was a beautiful day here.

Wishing your day was filled with beauty as well.

randomness

Hipstamatic Sunflower

I currently have the beginnings of eight posts saved as drafts. I have much to share but can't find the energy to build the sentences. Coming here to write has been feeling overwhelming the past few months, it's easier to not show up here at all it seems.

My friend Denise started to make lists on her blog. It seems she is in a similar place of tangledness and I realized in her listmaking she has put a name to what I am able to offer right now.

Inspired by her lists here are some very random things going on in my life:

• I am helping put together a fundraiser and silent auction for Isabella's sweet nursery school.
• I have never done anything like this and it has taken over my life in some ways.
• This is also the busiest time of year for Bella Wish orders.
• Mama tired.
• My 9-year wedding anniversary was Tuesday.
• Jimmy and I normally don't exchange gifts.
• I try not to have any expectations on celebratory days such as birthdays, holidays and anniversarys,  but I find I still do.
• I then get dissapointed when my expectation, however low it may be, isn't met.
• Jimmy exceeded my expectation this year.
• It reminded me how much he truly does love me.
• Not because of what he gave me but because he truly heard me when I shared with him that celebrating key dates in our lives is important to me and that I have a strong want to celebrate these times in our lives more.
• But I do really love my gift.
• Mia is sitting up by herself.
• She wants to grab hold of anything and everything within reaching distance.
• She is learning to drink out of a sippy cup by watching me do it first.
• She says "dada"
• She has the best laugh in the world.
• Babies are amazing.
• Isabella is starting to express her feelings verbally.
• She tells me when she is happy, sad, scared or missing her Daddy.
• She weeps when her favorite television and movie characters are sad.
• We are creating a book for her called Isabella's Big Book of Feelings
  
• When we completed one of her stories last night she hugged me and thanked me for allowing her to "draw it out"
• I realized I am teaching her to keep an art journal at two years old.
• I think that's awesome.
• I want to read Portia de Rossi's book The Unbearable Lightness
• Watching her very honest interview on Ellen was a bit unnerving because I felt so much of what she shared.
• I was anorexic and bulemic in my late teens.
• I know to some it seems like you can't be both at the same time.
• But you can.
• I haven't told many people this.
• Not even my family.
• Though I am pretty sure they knew but just never said anything.
• It's scary to write that.
• Because my family reads my blog.
• I have a much healthier relationship with food and body image now.
• I believe sharing our stories is what heals and connects us.
• By us I mean all of us.
• Today I received a package in the mail.
• It was filled with the scent of Nag Champa and colorful rocks painted with beautiful words.
• One of those words was Asshole.
• It made me laugh
• Another one of those words was Embrace
• I heart mermaids
• I wore a long black wig on Halloween.
• It made me realize that I miss having long hair sometimes.
• It also reminded me to keep fun alive every day of the year.
• Nothing brings me more happiness than spending time with Isabella and Mia.
• I truly embrace being their mom.
• The two of them epitomize joy for me.
• Even the occassional moments when they are making me crazy and have me wanting a cocktail at 10:00 am.
• I feel quite blessed.
• I may make more lists.
• I have many more random thoughts to share.

 

A swift kick in the butt ~ the good kind.

Are you a born writer?
Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace?
In the end that question can only be answered by action.

Do it or don't do it.

It may help to think of it this way.
If you were meant to cure cancer
or write a symphony
or crack cold fusion and you don't do it,
you not only hurt yourself,
even destroy yourself.

You hurt your children.
You hurt me.
You hurt the planet.

You shame the angels who watch over you and
you spite the Almighty, who created you and
only you with your unique gifts,
for the sole purpose of nudging the human race
one millimeter farther along its path back to God.

Creative work is not a selfish act
or a bid for attention on the part of the actor.
It's a gift to the world and every being in it.
Don't cheat us of your contribution.
Give us what you've got.

Steven Pressfield ~ The War of Art

the rebirth of cool

I just wanted to share something that made me smile big today. Dawn, received this from her brother who lives in England and sent it out this morning.

America, the cool. Well, a little bit anyway. {wink}

supporting grassroots

For Jeanette and all who believe in equality

One of the propositions on this year's ballot is one that is very important to me. Marriage is about love & commitment and the decision to do so is between two people, any two people, and is their decision alone. The fact that there are those who wish to make marriage a double standard is just plain wrong. Love is love.

When Jeanette reached out to me, I instantly knew I wished to support her and her badass grassroots cause.  If you believe in equality, I urge you to check out her website and share your voice. All you need to do is take a photo with No on 102 somewhere in the photo.

In my photo, I also included No on 8, as that is our proposition here in California. Your photo need not be perfect, as demonstrated with mine, the message is what is important. Then send your photo to Jeanette, or upload to her Flickr group and know you have made a difference.

Jeanette is also holding a giveaway for everyone who submits their photo to the Flickr group. I am donating a BE THE CHANGE necklace and there are some really great items being donated to support this cause.

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My amazing cousin Chris, is also doing his part by being part of a project called We Stand for Change. You can see it here and here.  He is not in the actual video, but his voice is that of the homeowner with the family. He sent it along last night with this note:

I'm VERY proud to share with you this new video I am a part of.  It was created by a small group of Bay Area musicians, producers, and filmmakers who gathered to watch the final presidential debate.  This song and video is the culmination of what transpired over the next  eleven days.  Please watch it and share it with others.  There is very little time left before the election, and we hope this video encourages all people to get out and vote for change through the candidates they believe in.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my family? I so very much do.

Hope to see you at the polls on Tuesday.

worms, out of the open can

window display in my tree-hugging part of the world

I had a conversation last week with a couple of my family members that really threw me for a loop and has been heavy on my mind since. It started when one of them asked me who I was voting for next month, which I thought was pretty obvious, but I was the one in shock when they told me they were supporting McCain.

I am not one who thrives on conflict, and I adore my family, so I told them I didn't think we should have this conversation as it certainly couldn't go anywhere good. But questions kept getting asked and opinions were being thrown and I found myself just wanting to end it and go about our merry way.

This is where I am beating myself up. Because I backed down. Rather than using my voice to state my "whys" I ended the conversation by saying, "well, you know us California types, we are all just tree-hugging hippies around here." I am now kicking myself for saying this as an easy way out. I don't want to raise my daughter to be passive with anyone just to make nice, no matter who it is... even her father and I. 

I could have just called them back to continue the conversation but I realized this isn't even about them, it's about me, and all of us and using our voice and I think blogging gives us the power to do exactly that.

So, here is my voice: {no disclaimers}

I am proudly voting for Barack Obama in this upcoming election. I have never felt more confident about who I want to be our next president. I have felt this way for two years.

Here is why:

Let's take all the issues surrounding the economy and healthcare and abortion rights, etc., off the table for just a moment because not only is that an entirely different and much too lengthy discussion on a non-political blog, but I believe that no matter what both candidates want, they will be spending the majority of the next four years cleaning up the mess that is our current administration and all of these promises that all politicians make still need to pass through congress anyway, so I don't put a ton of weight on that, but here is the thesis of what is important to me and what I want in a president:

A strong and stable leader to represent our country who I, as an American, can be proud of and look up to.

When I watch the debates I see McCain and Palin do little more than bad mouth Obama, and I also see a very angry man who gets his feathers all ruffled every now and again. This frightens me. The last thing we need in office is an angry person. I know when I am upset or angry is when I start making really stupid, regrettable decisions. So it scares the bejeezers out of me when I see him become visibly upset during television appearances thinking that he may be making fear-based decisions while possibly serving as commander in chief.

When I see Obama, I see an eloquence that I haven't seen since Kennedy. I see a role model. I see people once again having hope and believing in change and loving him. I see a person who is strong, smart articulate and presidential. I see him staying calm under pressure and not becoming angry when someone disagrees with him.  I see his calmness, clarity and compassion in the eye of the storm. I see him bringing much-needed change.

When I think about Obama representing Americans in world issues with world leaders, my confidence is at ease. He is the man to do this, and with Joe Biden by his side, I think there will be plenty of schooling and cleaning of house. This is a good thing.

When I think of McCain and Palin working alongside these same world leaders, I cringe. I want to call my friends in other countries and say, "You know all Americans aren't like this, right?" I say this as an American, I am patriotic and there are many things I adore about this country. Though I will say that I feel we, indeed, are a country divided.

So, I truly don't understand when people say in this election they are voting for "the lesser of two evils" or that they are still undecided. I really don't.  The issues are out on the table, it's all out there plain as day. What's the hold-up?.

I realize that I sometimes tend to live in a bubble and would like to think that everyone just shares my same opinion, but I know that is not the case and am reminded of this when these types of discussions come up and unbelievable videos are passed around these here internets.

I truly want to understand why people support McCain and Palin in this election, which is why I had to get this out. Of course we are all entitled to our beliefs free of judgement but I am curious: Is it religion, race, party, relating to a hockey-mom with shiny hair, because you are buying into the crap about Obama being associated with a terrorist?

If you are supporting McCain & Palin in this election, and happen to come across my little blog, please, enlighten me with your reasons why,  I sincerely want to know and understand this.

drumroll, please.....

A heartfelt thank you to all of you who came out of lurking to participate in my little giveaway this month. I am always looking for new blogs to read, and connect with, so I feel lucky when someone links me back to their blog in the comments section. I was also touched by a few of your stories as well.  Thank you for your bravery in sharing them.

I was feeling a bit anxious about choosing the lucky recipients today as I wanted everyone to get a necklace. So, before randomly choosing two names, I lit a candle, threw a little prayer out to the universe that these necklaces would find their way to two people who truly needed them in this moment, closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Linni and Jummy, congratulations! Send me your mailing addresses by email so I may get these out to you ASAP. You have your choice of either the HOPE pendant, or YES WE CAN.

I really enjoyed this and want everyone to know that I will be giving away one different necklace each month. Next month's giveaway will be announced November 1st. Good luck!

sharing

loving that i was able to wear these this morning, if only for a little while

i have been finding it difficult to keep up with blogging lately, but there are many posts that have been started and set aside.

one of my goals for my new format is sharing my journey to a creative life, for myself and my family. though i feel as if i have always lived a creative life, this journey is more about pushing my boundaries in this area and taking responsibilty for what this life looks like. pulling the dreams, visions and fantasies out of my head and bringing them to life in front of my eyes. it's about honoring the gentle whispers and riding the wave the universe is sending my way.

i want to be able to call myself an artist and not cringe when i say it. i have been hesitant to start the journey as i know it will be messy, but i am feeling strong enough to push the fear aside and stretch my wings.

posts that have been started that hope to be published here eventually:

* taking the leap into new artistic endeavors in addition to my jewelry line ~ this is especially scary but i know will be so rewarding
* demystifying any notion that i am mastering both motherhood and running a business. i am constantly struggling, searching for balance and counting my blessings along the way.
* a follow up to this post
* my thoughts on the gallery show with swirly
* grateful fridays ~ a new category where i list 5 things i am grateful for that week. i encourage you to participate

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5 things I am grateful for this week:

1) Isabella and I being invited to partake in cupcakes and girly time with these two beauts.
2) Customers at Bella Wish sharing with me intimate stories of what their pendants mean to them. So humbling and such a gift. This makes me feel so connected to the piece I am creating just for them.
3) This video and this online photo gallery ~ and the artists who created them
4) Dim Sum with the Doods
5) A break from the heat to enjoy my favorite red slippers this morning.

please share five things you are grateful for this week...

a family affair

Jimmy, Bella and i just returned from the beautiful coast of Capitola where we gathered with family to witness my gorgeous cousin, Kristin, marry my new cousin, Dan.

but before i get into that, let me just first say that this was Bella's first road trip and jimmy and i discovered what complete amateurs we are at traveling with an infant. see, i thought it would be a great idea to travel at night since she would already be asleep and it would be smooth sailing up interstate 5 ~ understand that most everything we do as parent's is based on being completely naive, but we are learning as we go. situations like this educate you pretty quickly.

well, our little one is teething and had a meltdown as we were trying to pack and we didn't get out the door until 9:00 pm and were looking at at five-hour drive. this was after having to come back upstairs twice to grab things we had forgotten, being bit on the toe by a spider and once Jimmy got her to sleep accidentally tripping the car alarm which sent her into screaming mode again.

as we finally got on the highway she did fall asleep... for about twenty minutes. after we ended up on the wrong freeway we decided we were too exhausted to continue, called it a night and checked into a hotel room. we got a few hours of sleep and continued our journey with a happy, smiley baby the next morning... and two very sleepy parents.

note to self: never travel at night with our baby again.

it was so nice to get away for a couple days and share time with family. Capitola is just so picturesque, the house/artist studio where we stayed with my dad, Tracy and Kaitlyn was magical, the wedding was breathtaking and having my family meet Isabella was truly incredible. a longtime dream come true, really.

truth be told, it was really hard for me to come back to LA. i don't know if Jimmy and i will decide, or be able to, give Bella a little brother or sister in the future, but i grew up an only child in Los Angeles and at times felt very isolated as many of my family members are in northern California. it just made me think that i want Bella to have a different experience growing up than i did and the direction we are currently headed is similar to my own experience growing up as an only child in Los Angeles. not that mine was bad, but i would like her to experience something different.

to be clear, it's not that growing up in a city like LA is terrible, in many ways it has advantages and tons of diversity. however, i realize that i really want her to know her family. i want her to  grow up with trees, clean air and nature. i want her to be able to play on the shoreline without crowds of people around and fighting crazy traffic to get there. i want her to know community and not have police helicopters flying overhead at night. i want her to be able to play and explore and pick flowers without sirens wailing and graffiti everywhere. and i would also love for her mommy and daddy to be in close proximity to some great wineries. {wink}

anyway, there is a lot on my mind currently filled with thoughts of moving and wondering what is next for us. since there is no answer in this moment, i am doing all i can to manifest someplace magical for us rather then settling for something because we think it's our only option.

we have some amazing friends who are like family here, but i only want to stay in Los Angeles because i truly love living here. and while that statement has been true for a number of years i don't believe i feel that way anymore and i don't want to feel tied to a city because of a job or otherwise. i want the world to be our oyster and truly believe that when i say it.

babies really do change everything, in all good ways.

on to the fun stuff...

*****

i really love my family. i love them all as individuals for a variety of reasons. each member of my family is unique, has a strong sense of self and are mad talented. i come from a family of musicians, artists and chefs. for example, my gorgeous cousin, Kristin ~ the bride ~ is a professional chef and makes the most incredible roasted beet ravioli dish that i still dream about.

because Bella-boo was being passed around and snuggled for the majority of the wedding (lucky girl), i was able to shoot a couple of pictures while there. i wanted to share a few of my faves and introduce some of my family:


my amazing aunt Janie with one of her gorgeous grandchildren, Bryce

my favorite cousins, Cole, Chris and Dyer

my favorite cousins, Dan & Kristin ~ the bride & groom

Uncle Roger holding court

my favorite cousin, Chris, getting in some snuggle time

Jimmy & Kaitlyn also getting in some snuggle time

my favorite cousins, Kim & Ellery

my favorite cousin, Janie, with Bella

Daughter & Daddy

yummy bride

Congratulations, Dan & Kristin. Thank you for giving us all the opportunity to celebrate your special day with you and love on each other. Aloha.