2008 Holiday Gift Guide

Dear Friends,

I just love sharing with you my favorite artists, artisans, crafters, and entrepreneurs from around the world! I love that there are so many people out there making unique creations by hand, and that these beautiful creations are accessible to so many of us via the internet. This year, the list is exclusively sourced from my favorite place for all things hand made - Etsy.

Perhaps within these shops you will find some unique gifts to share with your loved ones this holiday season.

In Celebration of You,
Amy




GREETING CARDS & BOOKS

WovenMoon.etsy.com
Charlotte, NC
Limited edition couture cards and gifts.

LaurenAlexander.etsy.com
Overland Park, KS
Adorable art and packs of greeting cards

moderncard.etsy.com
Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Blank, birthday and holiday cards – beautifully done.

KupoKiley.etsy.com
Eugene, OR
Handmade books for the serious writer.

malien00.etsy.com
Portland, OR (?)
Colorful greeting cards, notecards and pins.

EmilyBalivet.etsy.com
Vermont
Gorgeous mythological Goddesses, art nouveau divas, Celtic witches, psychedelic sorceresses, and medieval damsels.

takeiteasy.etsy.com
Los Angeles, CA
Handmade books, cards and whimsical whatnots.



CLOTHING

kimmchi.etsy.com
Brooklyn NY
Silkscreen on American Apparel shirts – including men's!

ellembee.etsy.com
White Lake, MI
Hand printed shirts for women, messenger bags and jackets.

Ahpeele.etsy.com
Raleigh, NC
Men’s and women’s clothing.

MariaElena.etsy.com
Duluth, MN
Fairy wings for grown ups!

nodemo.etsy.com
Toronto, Ontario
For the teen (or geeky-cool grown up) in your life.

shellmitchell.etsy.com
San Francisco, CA
Because fingerless gloves are way too cool.

kittyempire3.etsy.com
Nelson, BC Canada
Wallets, bags and accessories.



CHILDREN

threeredtrees.etsy.com
Kansas City
Adorable sock dogs and cats.

cherry6goddess1.etsy.com
La Mesa, CA
Cute little plushies – including penguins, pigs and hippos!

PerfectChildren.etsy.com
Portland, OR
Impossible plushy animals for your wee one’s imagination.



FOR YOUR KITTY

FluffyFlowers.etsy.com
Macon, GA
Catnip anyone?



FINE ART

natashawescoat.etsy.com
Bay City
Beautiful fine art prints and posters

karenfaulknerart.etsy.com
Pennsylvania
Gorgeous original watercolors at very affordable prices.



JEWELRY

WhimsiGals.etsy.com
Newcastle (?)
Goddess brooches and dolls

JulieSuzanne.etsy.com
Toronto, Ontario
Fun art pendants

woundaroundjewelry.etsy.com
Clinton, TN
I love the beautiful wrapped copper bracelets!

allthosethrees.etsy.com
London, England
Handcrafted ecological jewelry.

blockpartypress.etsy.com
Baltimore, MD
Unique and colorful cuff links, tie-tacks, pendants, and earrings.

waterfall.etsy.com
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Glass rings and beads

silentgoddess.etsy.com
Port Orchard, WA
Rings, pendants, bracelets and earrings for the goddess.



ETC

westernartglass.etsy.com
Minneapolis, MN
Glass art – pay particular attention to recycled beer bottle art – very cool!

Xanadu2You.etsy.com
Tacoma, WA
Amazing copper wire creations – bowls, containers, etc. Wow!

lewasdesigns.etsy.com
Gilbert, AZ
Decals galore! Decorate your walls, your laptop, your car... What else ya got?

tlwoldc.etsy.com
Fair Oaks, CA
Handspun fibers and yarn, knitted wrist warmer patterns, pregnancy aromatherapy, music, and more!

GeekGear.etsy.com
Westfield, NJ
Desk-gear made from recycled computer parts... for the coolest geek in your life.

OhWhatIf.etsy.com
Minneapolis, MN
Hand-woven rugs from recycled cotton

akcupcake.etsy.com
Anchorage, Alaska
Oven mitts, aprons and bicycle seat covers, oh my!

A Love Letter

Handwrite yourself a love letter. A love letter to you, from you.

Sign it. Seal it in an envelope addressed to yourself, and put a stamp on it.

Give it to someone you trust and ask them to mail it to you in one month.

Forget about it... for now.

Handmade Affirmation and Meditation Card Decks

I've started making mini card decks that can be used for affirmations and/or meditation.

Each meditation deck contains 9 cards inside a recycled, painted matchbox, plus one card (image only) affixed to the outside of the box.

Each card is an original watercolor painting (not a print or reproduction), containing an image and word on the front, and a short affirmation / mantra on the back.

These tiny decks are perfect for your backpack, purse, car, office, or anywhere else you might find yourself needing a quick reminder of your own inner truth.

I'm also able to create a custom deck with words and/or phrases of your choice. Or in conjunction with a Self-Discovery coaching session, where we'll generate words and phrases to create your personalized deck.

Sample Decks:
Sacred Space
Tiny Miracles
Inner Peace

I Promise Myself

Just received an email from The Secret with a special surprise!

They created a beautiful version of Optimist's Creed, originally written by Christian D. Larson. Accompanied by music, the screen brings you through 12 powerful sentences, each beginning with the phrase "I promise myself."

The Enlightenment Card

I recently found a flyer for this unique credit card company while at a local crystal shop.

After researching their company and affiliations (there are a couple news articles about them, they are part of First Hawaiian Bank, and now partnering to offer discounts with companies like Simple shoes, Teva, WildlifeWorks clothing company and Organic Bouquet), I decided to sign up and am excited to receive my new card in the mail any day now!

"Everyone uses a credit card, so why not have one where people can earn points towards positive products and services that enhances their overall conscious life?"
- From the Enlightenment Card website

BENEFITS
1. You can use your points for retreats, workshops, Yoga classes, organic products, books and a host of other health and wellness products, or you can donate your points to charity.

2. You get discounts when you use your Enlightenment Card to make purchases with their Partners.

3. Plus you get to choose for 8 different beautiful card designs, including Buddha, hands in prayer, and the mobius (or infinity symbol).

DRAWBACKS
1. A fairly small and growing company, communication has been a bit slower than I prefer - although I admit I could easily have called them to check on my application status instead of wondering. Their contact information is easily located within their site, and in the confirmation email they send after you complete your online registration.

2. The APR is smidgen higher than larger credit card companies. However, I rationalize this in the following way... I don't intend to carry a balance and incur fees. And if I do carry a balance and incur fees, it would be so with any other card. With this card I can feel better about where those fees are going (as opposed to fees paid to Bank of America or another gigantic credit card company.)


Overall, I think this is a great company with values I can stand behind. And that's why I share them with you here, in this forum. Take a look and decide for yourself!

Check out the Enlightenment Card ->

Over 99 Balloons

Last week, there was an adorable little girl sitting in front of me on the bus traveling to Sea World with her father.

She was looking out the window, in wonder, at all the shops passing by, the bustling activity, the signs. She suddenly exclaimed - "Daddy! They have over 99 balloons!" In her excitement, she re-phrased and repeated this brilliant discovery several times.

What she had seen was the McDonald's sign, saying Over 99 Billion Served. Her father didn't bother to correct her. Instead, he allowed her to bask in the joy and excitement of "over 99 balloons."

Did it matter that there were no balloons? I don't think so. What matters is that we are each able to experience this world as a brilliant and beautiful place, if we choose to. What are you excited about? What are you choosing to see, to create for yourself, to manifest?

PS.
Each day, every place you visit (including your home and your heart) there are over 99 balloons, just for you.

Chapel of Sacred Mirrors

For a beautiful, artistic journey inside the mind, body and spirit, I recommend the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.

"The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) is a sanctuary in New York City for contemplation and a center for events encouraging the creative spirit. The Sacred Mirrors, on display in the Chapel, are a series of paintings that allow us to see ourselves and each other as reflections of the divine."
- CoSM website

Apparently there is also a DVD available on the CoSM website, and through Netflix. The Netflix give the film a fairly low rating, however, I'm willing to check it out.

Story - Your Perfect Day

Since I started listing my own artwork on Etsy.com (your place for handmade art) a few months ago, I have discovered so many wonderful and inspiring products, and magnificent and creative people! It's not fair to keep them all to myself. So, in story format, I'd love to share just a few products from around the country (and one in the UK) that I find nourishing to the mind, body and spirit.

---

You wake naturally, following your body's perfect rhythm. You take time to breathe in the moment, feeling gratitude for the day ahead. To your right is a beautiful painting, Waking the Moon that reminds you of your truth, your dreams, and how you wake each morning to greet the sun.

You easily climb out of bed, starting your morning with a cup of Organic Herbal Tea and gather your Yoga mat from your favorite Recycled Denim Yoga Mat Bag.

After Yoga, you enjoy a soothing shower and dress for your day, choose a pendant to fit your mood and coordinate with your outfit. Will it be your Blue Kyanite and Silver Pendant or your Silent Goddess Copper Pendant?

You enjoy each moment of your day, completely present and living with compete authenticity. Returning home you make a beautiful, nourishing dinner, lighting a Beeswax 'Spring' Candle Trio that rests in the center of your table. The light is beautiful and gently reflects from the Stained Glass Butterfly hanging near your window.

After dinner you thoughtfully indulge a little with some delicious Gourmet Baked Goods, and settle in with your journal to reflect on the perfection of the day - a day that you manifested in all of it's abundance.

Notes From The Universe

Ever wondered what it would be like to get loving, encouraging, inspirational support from the Universe via email on a daily basis?

Wonder no more... At Tut.com you can register to receive emails directly from the Universe. You can choose one day out of the week (Mon - Fri) or choose to receive them each day! Of course, I chose to have one each weekday because I just love all the added support!

Here's an example of a recent email the Universe sent me:

Every life is heroic, Amy.

And yours has certainly been no exception.

With deep gratitude from the bleachers -
     The Universe

A big thanks to Allison for passing this great resource! :)

The Secret

Have you heard about the The Secret?
Have you seen this remarkable film yet?

Even with years of study in the Law of Attraction, and consciously living in alignment with this truth, I found that watching The Secret was an incredible reminder of how much power I have in creating my own life.

If you can't find it on DVD at your local video store, visit The Secret official website where you can order the DVD for $29.95, or watch it on your computer for $4.95.

It's a fantastic investment, sure to remind you of your magnificence, and rejuvinate your commitment to experience a joyfilled life.

free hugs

My wonderful friend and colleague, Allison Oster, recently shared this link to a video of a man offering free hugs. I was so moved by this video, I am compelled to share it here: freehugs.org

Powerful Intentions

While checking up on an unsolicited email I received from a coach referal company I happened upon Powerful Intentions, a web-community focused on manifesting intentions.

What a fantastic idea!

The website offers free or paid membership, a webpage and profile, a library, a member forum for discussions, and great connections with like-minded folks.

What will you manifest today?

Daily Peace

Want peace?
If you've got 10 mintues per day to join a conference call that puts you into a peaceful state, the Peace Experiment might be the awesome daily adventure you've been looking for.

Photographing Spirit

Find a few minutes today to view this incredible photography:
http://www.ashesandsnow.org/

I can't possibly describe the incredibly beauty of these images of people and animals. These are not you usual snapshots - this is brilliant art.

Ten Rules for Being Human

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life. Each day of this school, you willhave the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as are the experiments that ultimately work.

4. A lesson is repeated until it's learned. A lesson will present itself to you in various forms until you have learned. When you have mastered the lesson, then you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6. "There" is no better place then "Here." When your "There" has become "Here," you will simply obtain another "There" that will again look better than "Here."

7. Others are simply a mirror of yourself. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and the resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie inside of you. The answers to all of life's questions lie inside of you. All you need do is look, listen, and trust.

10. You will forget all of this.

~Cherie Carter-Scott

Pronoia Is The Antidote for Paranoia

Ever think the Universe was out to get you? Think again!

According to Rob Brezsny, the Universe is conspiring to shower us with blessings. A short article by the author inspired me to find his book, Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia. This reading reminds me both that turning my thinking upside down really changes my experience, and how incredibly blessed I am that everything comes together so perfectly to create the world I experience.

Fantastic April Resources

If you like Louise L. Hay, Dr. Wayne Dyer or any other similarly brilliant folks, you might just enjoy listening to some of the programs offered by Hay House Radio. Free, and no sign up unless you want to listen to the archives.

MIDSUMMER NIGHTS QUIZ

Take a minute to answer these quick questions and then check the answer key

1. How much of your day, week, month, year, life do you spend doing things that you have great passion for and really enjoy?
   0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%


2. How much of your day, week, month, year, life do you spend begrudgingly doing things you find boring, routine, meaningless, unfulfilling, draining, exhausting, incongruous with your life purpose, unsatisfying?
   0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%


3. How much of that boring, meaningless, unfulfilling stuff are you doing because you actually want to be doing it, and how much are you doing because someone or something else thinks or says you “should”?
   0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%


4. How much of this boring, meaningless, unfulfilling stuff could be tossed out and replaced with fun, interesting, fulfilling stuff?
   0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%


5. What would it look like if you stopped doing even just half of the not-so-good stuff and started doing some of the great stuff instead?
   Horrible Okay Good Great Wonderful Magnificent!

MIDSUMMER NIGHTS QUIZ ANSWER KEY

This is the answer key to the Midsummer Nights Quiz.

1. We can’t all quit our jobs and move to the Bahamas. Some of us wouldn’t want to if we could. But we can stop doing things that drain us and cause us misery much easier than we think, and replace it with things we love and experience passion doing! But how? How is this possible?


2. I would like to challenge you to think outside the box. What does the box look like? The box is all of the things our society says are important for us to do. All of the “shoulds”. Sometimes the shoulds happen to be things we love. Often times, they are not.


3. There are all kinds of shoulds that we plan our days and lives around... Sometimes these shoulds are cleverly disguised as needs.
   • I should (or need to) have a big house, a husband/wife, 2.4 kids, a dog, a white picket fence.
   • I should (or need to) have a six figure salary in a corporation and be happy we can pay our bills.
   • I should (or need to) get a bachelors degree and then a masters degree and then a PhD in something practical and lucrative like law or medicine.
   • I should (or need to) do what is safe, not take risks on frivolous things like having our own coffee shop or being a photographer.
   • I should (or need to) stick with this job because I’m good at it, or there is nothing else out there for me, or they need me, or I’m not qualified for anything else, or my family/friends/boss will be disappointed in me, or it pays well enough and I should be grateful.


4. What happens if these “shoulds” aren’t right for you? What if you’ve tried them out and they just don’t fit? Do you wear them anyway? Do you keep trying to fit yourself into a pair of shoes that are 3 sizes too small? What happens if you do?
   
   Your feet start to hurt, for one thing. Then they start to adjust their shape to fit the shoe. Pretty soon you’ve got deformed feet and can’t even walk anymore! How useful is that? Our passions, souls, and lives are the same way – fortunately its never too late to take off that shoe and get a pair that fit! If we imposed external values on ourselves our hearts and lives become deformed and unfulfilling. Living starts to be a pain and then gets downright unbearable. Would you choose to wear shoes that don’t fit and cause you this much pain? Why choose to live your life with any less care?


5. Find a couple of those shoulds that don’t belong to you and that maybe feel a little less threatening to toss out than the others. Maybe its something you’ve been telling yourself has got to go for a long time but just haven’t taken it out of the closet and put it in the trash yet. Or maybe there is something huge that you’re ready to let go of. Whatever it is, take a deep breath and let that horrible, dissatisfying thing go!
   
   Now what? How much time, peace of mind have you gained back? What do you want to do with this time? Perhaps this time could be used for some of those fulfilling activities you’ve always talked about doing. Haven’t you always wanted to learn to play guitar, knit, start exercising, take Saturday naps, spend your holiday visiting instead of cooking, meet new people, join a club, read a book? What's on that list of “things that would nourish my Spirit” that you could now easily fit into that space you’ve cleared. Careful not to fill that space with more shoulds. Perhaps what you’d really like to do is... Nothing. Use this new found time to meditate, sit and relax, spend time with your kids or friends. Wow! Isn’t this great!!!
   
   Let me share an example of how tossing out a should worked for me.
   
   I’m a bright, multi-skilled, talented person (if I do say so myself) who learns quickly, often performs above expectations and consequently gets bored pretty easily. After working in several positions for a wonderful company it became a bit excruciating to go to work every day. I knew this day would come but was fortunate enough to prevent it for quite some time by taking on additional responsibilities, learning new facets of the business, and of course appreciating the paycheck I received twice a month. This job nourished parts of me and created extraordinary opportunities for me to learn and grow. But I had done what I came to do, and my options were to trudge on and lose sanity, or leave and do something that truly nourished my spirit.
   
   After a year of battling out my shoulds (yep, no matter who we are, those shoulds are real troopers) and looking into all kinds of possibilities -other jobs, going back to school, life coaching- I finally listened to what my inner guide had been saying all along... “If you don’t do something now, I will sabotage you so that you have no other choice.” I found that to be an enticing message. Oh, my inner guide also said “This coaching thing sounds perfect.”
   
   I negotiated using vacation and unpaid time off in order to have weekly time to paint and write – two of my wonderful passions, and took a week of vacation to take the level one intensive training with Coach For Life in San Diego. Now, when I say negotiated, don’t think I just walked into my bosses office and said “hey, I need a day off each week so I can paint and write and be a coach,” and then got it. It took me six months to get from two vacation days off a month (one every other week) to where I am today (a part time, hourly employee with three to four days a week). I had to do some pretty serious intentioning to make this come together (see previous newsletters for “What I create in my life is first created in my mind). But once I put my intention out there, the Universe moved to make it happen. It was nothing short of miraculous.
   
   So, now where am I? Honestly, I feel myself shifting again and I know that it is time to take that next step and go full time with coaching. Its time to let go of the office job which has served me amazingly and taught me so much, and go full force into coaching. With that said... Anyone need a coach?