An antidote to rejection

I recently had the (re)experience of rejection as an artist, and dang did it cut to the core. 

And the thing is, it wasn’t even a rejection for something that I was really hinging everything on—but there still was so much wrapped up in the potentiality of the possible acceptance. 

I found myself, after receiving the news, feeling my feelings, letting them flow through as I literally curled up in a ball on the floor and cried. I cried because even though I could tell myself that the rejection was’t “that big of a deal,” and that I could objectively see “weaknesses” in my submission, it still stung. And it brought right back to the surface all of the insecurities that have plagued me on my particular artistic journey—that, because I didn’t attend art school, I’m not a “real” artist; that I’m “lazy” for waiting until the last minute to work on my submission and thus will never be able to achieve anything; and, somewhat paradoxically, at the same time, no matter how much time, focus and heart I put into this work, I’ll never “succeed in making it as an artist,” because resources to do so are just too scant. 

Which…ok, as with all fears and insecurities, there are grains of truth to these. And also, the system of extraction and power over feeds off of these fears and insecurities—and actually every rejection can be a nice little ding in their favor if we let it. 

Which isn’t to say to not feel the rejection and its sting. Because we know as artists that rejection isn’t just about our project or proposal being passed on—it can feel like a knife right to the center of your heart, your artistic being, and every knife has the potential to cut it out, stomp on it and leave it to crumble away into a cloud of dust. 

So…what are we to do as artists? Yes, we can stubbornly keep going, once the tears are dried and we can tell ourselves, as I did, over and over that “I won’t give up,” until we believe it. Maybe you are one of those folks who, in the face of rejection, roars back even stronger with more determination and unstoppable power than ever. Fabulous! I wish we could all be that self assured! I think it is more likely, however, that you find yourself retreating, dimming that light a little more, because, after all, you very courageously shared your brightness, your beautiful vision in a very vulnerable way and to have that be pushed aside and told that it wasn’t “good enough,”...well, that hurts. And us dimming our lights and giving up, that’s superb news for those who want us broken and cut off from our power. 

I don’t want that for you. I don’t want that for any of us. I want you to feel as though you are supported in shining as your brightest self, sharing your genius creativity with the world, because it is medicine and more than ever, we need it NOW. 

The system also flourishes on the lie that we must do it on our own. That we should be ashamed of our failures, and keep them hidden as dirty little secrets and never let anyone know how deeply they cut. Maybe you feel this shame—and as though you can’t trust yourself to share because this is “proof” that you can’t trust others. And that lack of trust in ourselves, and in others, is bank to those in power.

It keeps us isolated, disconnected, and ripe for filling us with whatever other desire or thing they want to offer as an alternative to that emptiness.

It doesn’t need to be this way. 

So even though the “limited resources” we are led to believe equate to fierce competition amongst artists, we can choose a different path—one in which we support and encourage one another through both rejection AND acceptance. Because I want to see ALL of us succeed and if we limit success to the markers of these limited opportunities then we’re not doing our jobs as the creative fire in our society. 

So let’s work together to support one another in creating more opportunities for collaboration and encouragement, allowing for the full humxn experience of both rejection and success. And no matter what, never give up—which is wayyyy easier to do when you know you aren’t alone. 

Looking for a place to do just that? One such opportunity I’m offering is for those interested in connecting with other artists to support one another in our creative journeys. Join the Artist Support Group, a weekly virtual drop in gathering from 5-6 pm PST on Tuesdays to be part of it. Learn more and register for this week’s gathering here. 

And whether or not we connect at the Artist Support Group, know that I believe in you and your creative vision! 

Sending much love and blessings.

Xo, 

Holly

Reconnect: 10 minutes of tea (or coffee)

Unless you are one of the (many) frontline workers who continue to provide the essential services we need to survive (huge thanks to you, I hope you are able to stay safe and get a raise equal to the amount of the CEO's salary of the company you work for), you likely are spending approximately all of your time in your humble abode.

There can be a lot of positives to this (especially if you are a Cancer), but there are also a lot of negatives, particularly cabin fever. Why not start the day with a short ritual to get you out of the house, and into nature?
When you enjoy a cup of tea or coffee to start your day, move outside (barefoot is especially lovely) and take 10 minutes to sip your drink while observing the nature around you. Smell the air, listen to the birds, examine the new growth of green buds. If you can't physically get outside, go to a window (open it if possible) and look at the world outside, or sit for your moment with a house plant. 

Give yourself the gift of reflection with nature as you start the day and you may find that the cabin fever isn't quite as bad. 

This post was originally shared in the April 22, 2020 New Moon Reconnect. To receive the New Moon Reconnect each new moon, please sign up for our mailing list here.

Unplug: Write a friend

The quandary of living during quarantine: how do you stay connected to people without screens?

Why not write a letter!? Everyone loves getting mail, even a short postcard or message can make someone's day—especially if they aren't expecting it! And we all need a little love and reminders that folks have our backs and care for us right now, maybe more than ever.

Plus, total bonus: this helps keep our totally AMAZING national post office functioning and funded. Show your support for this unbelievable service, and all the many people who work for it, by buying stamps and sending packages and letters through USPS. 

Happy writing!

This post was originally shared in the April 22, 2020 New Moon Reconnect. To receive the New Moon Reconnect each new moon, please sign up for our mailing list here.

Reconnect: Make a friend

Even if you spend the majority of your time in a city, chances are, during the typical day, you pass by lots of living beings, including many of the plant persuasion. 

Next time you are in your normal routine, be aware of the various plants (including trees, especially if you live where right now most green things are dead or dormant for winter) that you encounter as you are out in the world. 

Are there any that speak to you?

Try to pick one (or more) of these to be your new friend. The beauty of making a new plant friend is that you don’t need to worry about texting them back, or be sure to comment on their instagram posts. Plant friends are super low maintenance. 

All you need to do is say “hi” when you pass by. That’s it. You may want to hang out longer and say a bit more, and that’s cool too. 

It seems like a simple practice. It is, and it also opens up a way to be more aware, more connected, and have something that you look forward to every day. 

Happy friending!

This post was originally published in the Feb. 23 New Moon Reconnect. To receive the New Moon Reconnect each new moon, please sign up for our mailing list here.

Unplug: Set a time boundary

You’ve probably heard all the research (and even more than that, know from experience) how sitting with your eyeballs on a screen right before you go to bed makes it hard to fall asleep. So what’s the solution? Simple: don’t look at your phone (or computer, or ipad) before you go to bed. 

Simple, right? 

Or maybe not. There are a zillion (well maybe more like ten) reasons why trying to stay off your phone before sleepy time is not an easy thing. One way to make it easier, however, is to set a time that you aim to be off your screens each night. 

For me, that is 9 p.m. Right now, that time works for me because I wake up before 6 during the week, and want to have at least an hour and a half before turning off the light and actually sleeping. Pick a boundary for you that feels good and works with your schedule.  

The thing is, having a set time each day that you’ve decided to be off technology helps set up the habit of doing so—replacing the habits that may be keeping you up all hours, your whole being glued to the glowing screen in front of you. 

Obviously, you won’t ALWAYS be able to stay off a screen at your set time. The important thing is that you try to keep to your boundary. If you don’t, don’t beat yourself up—changing habits take time and there is always (goddess willing) tomorrow night.

This post was originally published in the Feb. 23 New Moon Reconnect. To receive the New Moon Reconnect each new moon, please sign up for our mailing list here.

A look at radical lady, dresser and fashion designer Megan Browning's sustainable thesis collection

Check out the goods from Yoko in Mom Jeans vol. 1 feature interviewee, Megan Browning, below. Read all about how she brought her knowledge of thrifting and working with meager resources to her experience at Parsons, and why sustainable clothing doesn't need to be "drab" in our first issue, available here. 

Megan's thoughts on her collection

“I work from nothing, so a source of inspiration is working with limited means,” she says. “Even my thesis collection was made entirely from my and my sister’s wardrobe, or donated or thrifted materials. Because of this I ‘accidentally’ fell into ‘sustainability.’ People think of it as drab hippie clothing, but it’s nothing like that.”   For Megan’s thesis collection at Parson’s, she created seven “head-to-toe” looks, all of which she crafted completely from deconstructed materials of pieces she already had, or that had been donated to her from friends or teachers. Tablecloths, fabric samples, old bed linens, tinsel from the 20’s and more went into her collection. Preferring her home sewing machine to the industrial options at school, the collection was created over the course of a year on the little contraption. Working with limited resources meant that, unlike her schoolmates who spent much of their time planning out their collections, sourcing fabrics and designing, she started working on pieces right away.  Further bucking the norm, all of her pieces were made to fit herself or her friends, versus the tiny fit models most students used. “I had an issue with that,” she tells me, “so I just didn’t do it.”

Want to know more about Megan's designing and thoughts on fashion? Check out Yoko in Mom Jeans vol. 1!

Make Fashion Fierce Again: An interview with Jake Thompson

All photos are courtesy of Jake Thompson

Jake Thompson is one of the most magical, wonderful people you will ever meet. I got my chance years ago, when we came together with a mutual appreciation for the world of thrift and encouraging the practice of outrageous dressing. Since then, Jake’s hard work and enthusiasm has brought him to the west coast, where he has done fabulous things, including work for World of Wonder, the production company of, among other gems, RuPaul’s Drag Race; starring in, directing, writing and editing his web series, Fashion Week vs. Fashion Life, and overall being a source of inspiration for many with his loving, ridiculous take on how to express yourself through dress. 

So in honor of this fabulous human’s 31st birthday, we present to you a snippet of the interview Jake did for our first issue of Yoko in Mom Jeans. Be sure to check out the issue for the full interview here!  

YOKO IN MOM JEANS: What is your relationship with fashion as a way of self expression?

JAKE THOMPSON: It’s the ultimate shade to live your life fully authentic. So whether I’m trying to (donning denim bell bottoms with “Fuck Trump” splattered in red paint down the thighs) or simply expressing myself through fashion (usually femme leaning), it becomes political/social construct because I’m a reminder of mock identity or an outlier of sorts (even in Hollywood). I don’t dress for men, I dress for fashion and it often gets an uprise in conservative people or liberal gay men. Conservatives because I’m not wearing or presenting as “male” and liberal gay men because Weho queens have a certain uniform and anyone who isn’t that, is otherized so it definitely brings up crazy people’s emotions even though that’s not my agenda. I’m not here for the shock. I’m too old and have too much empathy, lol.

I DO think fashion is a great way to express your destain for #45 because you’re literally using your body, your machine, your vehicle to resist, and what’s greater power than taking ownership of your body and taking up space, being angry, and being heard. I like to call it my "pockets full of rage." Everyone was so sad after the election (and I was, don’t get me wrong), and then I got really angry and now I’m just trying to BE love, to be ME, because that’s resistance in itself, just by showing people compassion, love, and understanding and channeling that through my wardrobe. That’s why I’ve been wearing so much color recently, because it makes me happy and I want people to be happy and to smile when they see me. And if you’re a Trump supporter, I hope my outfits make you cringe, barf, question your sexuality, lol.

Do yourself a favor and check out Fashion Week vs. Fashion Life NOW!

YIMJ: How does your process go in terms of putting together outfits and shopping for pieces?

JT: To quote the great philosopher Mariah Carey, I like to create “moments.” So whatever I’m wearing, I’m creating a moment with fashion for me, myself, and I. And, hey, if I’m at a basement drag show and others like it and wanna snap a pic, than it’s for them too. Fashion and self-expression really is a form of cathartic therapy. You can tell how someone feels by the way they carry themselves. I’m going through this color-block German art thing right now so everything is very structural, primary color-oriented, and a bit “gallery bitch.” People are frightened to be bold and stand out - especially in Minneapolis - but why be meek if you know you’re a badass?! It’s weird to admit, but sometimes I think or plan my outfits in weeks for Instagrammable moments so that the look book for the week is consistent. For example, I’m going to France this summer so I want my looks for the week to be “petite clown” meets “Marie Antoinette executive” in every picture. 

YIMJ: What is your fashion and shopping philosophy? 

JT: Everything is overpriced so check the style blogs, check what Kirsten Dunst is wearing, and then go find it thrifting. You’ll be surprised by how similar you can mimick a look, addicted to the hunt, and you’ll have leftover money to get a smoothie or ice cream afterwards. I will only splurge on something IF my heart responds to it by exploding (happens often but I’ve been being good because I’m going to France this summer). If you’re being called by a certain color (baby blue or pastoral pink) or genre (cowgirl hats), listen to it and find as many things as you can in that shade/genre. You can never go wrong with a monochromatic moment (especially in the summer because it’s like, yeah, we get it, it’s 95 degrees out, but I’m unbothered in this blue chiffon two piece). When in doubt, the “white wall theory” works for a reason. 

Check out @jakegthompson on instagram to see all of Jake's fabulous outfits.

YIMJ: What advice do you have for people seeking to delve into using fashion as a mode to self-expression and exploring who they are? 

JT: Unfortunately, millennial culture tokenized off YOLO, but I remember the year was 2009 and Dos XX beer was using the slogan, “You only live once, make sure it’s enough” and my friends and I lived by that mantra (and still do!) So I say GO FOR IT! What’s the worst that can happen? A fifteen year old with a smartphone takes your picture? OK, so you’ve been trolled by an insecure kid. At least you’re living your life! There’s literally NO RULES! Yep, even that “No white after labor day” bullshit is a farce. Just last month, I went to a webby sorta awards show and I dressed as a “sexy scientist” meets “Backstreet Boy” and it was all white and it was the most. While every other gay wore a tight polo, I felt alive. If you try something bold and you’re not feeling it later, toss it out. Side note: anytime I wear my wildest things, they always work and everybody always winds up loving it so fuck the haters and clash those patterns. 

YIMJ: Where are your favorite places to shop or get fashion inspiration? 

JT: I’ve been an avid visitor of kirsten-dunst.org since I was 14. I think the Brady Bunch girls had the best fashion and so I always imagine what they would wear (or Solange Knowles) and then I know I’m on track. She doesn’t have a stylist and dons the coolest, chicest, street wear (go to the candids section). I love shopping at Squaresville in Silver Lake because they have the most curated 70’s wear (and it won’t burn a hole in your wallet). The Goodwills here are pretty great too. 

Want more Jake? Check out jakegthompson.com or follow him on Instagram @jakegthompson.

And be sure to check out the full interview in the Light/Dark 2017 issue of Yoko in Mom Jeans here! 
 

Yoko in Mom Jeans: The fashion mag you didn't even know you wanted

This gorgeous illustration from my friend Mary documented the beginnings of our cat sporting mom jeans. The rest is history.

UPDATE: The first issue of Yoko in Mom Jeans, Light/Dark 2017, is now available on our online shop here! 

We're SUPER pumped to announce our new foray into another realm of fashion, that of the printed page, with Yoko in Mom Jeans! Named after my first ever fashion blog (Yoko in Mom Jeans, which was named after our cat, Yoko), that later became a weird website where I wrote about my writing and projects like C.L.A.P. (Creative Ladies are Powerful), the new vision for Yoko in Mom Jeans is to be all about fashion, expression and creativity in a way that is anti-elitist while celebrating the good things in life. 

Sound cool? Be sure to follow Yoko in Mom Jeans on Instagram @yokoinmomjeans for sneak peeks of what we will be covering, inspiration and other fun things as we undertake this new journey. Our goal is to publish biannually, on the solstices, so that our first issue is slated to come out June 20, 2017 (or there abouts as that is a Tuesday and Tuesdays are often crazy days for work). And now that I've written that, it is OFFICIAL and now we have to do it! 

A little preview teaser for #fashionfor30: My outfit for March 30, 2017! Document your fashion spirit and tag #fashionfor30 and @yokoinmomjeans on Instagram to be featured in our premier issue!

Join us!

Want to get involved? The first issue is going to be focused on a lot of folks we know directly (including a lot about ourselves), because you gotta work with what you have and truthfully, we know a lot of rad people. That said, we love to get to know, and want to feature, rad people, shops and places we don't already know about so drop us a note at yoko@doublepeacestudio.com if you know of said radness! We'll also be sharing some of the pieces we're working on via the IG and will be encouraging others to join us, like #fashionfor30, where we will be documenting an outfit a day and its origin story through the month of April on @yokoinmomjeans. Sound like a fun challenge? Join us and tag #fashionfor30 and @yokoinmomjeans to be featured in the upcoming issue! And stay tuned for more info on where you can snag your very own premier issue of YOKO IN MOM JEANS!

xo-

Holly & Chris

Take it Easy: 70's So Cal Fashion is the Best

The dudes had it right: vintage tee, highwaisted Levi's and Fryes. All found at my fav local resale shop, Everyday People Clothing Exchange. Plus wacky aviators.

It's probably not a surprise to you that I would pick the 1970's for my fashion decade of choice. It's probably also not a surprise to you that I would pick 70's So Cal fashion as pretty much the best fashion genre ever, specifically the looks the rock bands of this time well...rocked. I mean, just see what I have listed here. 

Now, the other week an actually surprising thing happened. I was in the the northwoods with some of my BFFs and we realized that we were all secretly into THE EAGLES. Like, despite the Dude's hatred of them. The rest of the weekend, we listened to the Eagles Greatest Hits album on repeat and proceeded to craft a series of "cabin rules" according to things we believed the Eagles would also believe in (such as "Take it Easy" and "Always do the hard stuff.") "In Don We Trust" became the motto for the weekend and we dubbed the weekend the "Secret Eagles Retreat."*

Anyway, so then we found out that there was an Eagles documentary on Netflix and that was real exciting. The other night, after the Ren Fest (naturally), we all hunkered down to learn all about the Eagles. Now, well there were many take aways from this film (mainly that Glenn Frey is a pompous dick and that Don Henley really doesn't know how to have a good time (which is making me rethink the motto of cabin weekend)), I have to admit that the best part was, duh, the fashion. And since I have woken up every day this week with Eagles songs stuck in my head, I figured I may as well examine fashion through the lens of the Eagles.

Look how relaxed everyone was in the 70's . Except, of course, Don. CHILL OUT DON.

Take it Easy vs. Take it to the Limit (How many things can I take?) aka 1970's vs. 1980's

One of the most fascinating observations about the Eagles' journey is how they go from being (seemingly) all laid back, relaxed hippies that just want to make beautiful harmonies with each other to being cracked out, violent, control freaks. I think we can see this as being reflective of the shift between the 70's and the 80's. 

There's a point in the Eagles documentary where someone starts philosophizing on why the band hit such a chord with audiences and links it to the larger cultural shifts that were happening post-1960's. Sure, sure, sure. Whatever.** Anywho, I think that the bigger cultural shift the Eagles embody is the change between the 1970's and the 1980's, most evident in hair. 

Now, I don't think it is a mere coincidence that right after Glenn Frey told Don Felder that he was going to "fucking kill" him on stage in front of thousands of people (in his defense, Don Felder, seriously dude, care about the nukes), he cut off all his hair to immediately transform from the 1970's hippie rocker he had tried for so long to be into his actual self (shorthaired, totally 80's dick). 

Did you know that Glenn Frey was in Miami Vice? I'm learning SO MANY THINGS. Also, my mom totes loves Don Johnson. White pants, pastel top, linen blazer. I get it.

And unlike most rock docs from this time period, cocaine was only mentioned in passing near the end of "Part One," but it is worth noting that while the early Eagles used it for some rockus good fun that was probably as wild as their "Budweiser parties" (where Don no doubt went wild on up to three or four cold ones), by the end (almost the 80's), it was "bringing out the worst" in the Eagles.*** Like most things in the 80's, everything was sad, uptight and all about conflict (vs. having a "peaceful easy feeling"). 

Dude Style vs. Lady Style

Um. Don Henley and Stevie dated?!? (MIND BLOWN). Also, he totally looks like Lindsey right here. Stevie, I think you may have a "thing" happening.

Now, I can get down, way down, with the styles of the lady rockers of the 70's (see my post celebrating the intersection of thrifting and Stevie Nicks here)—long flowy dresses! Shawls! Fringe! And one of the great things is that much of 70's rocker fashion was quite unisex so there was no doubt sharing of worn levis and fringe leather bags by old ladies and their old men. But, I must confess, the more masculine of the 70's rocker style always struck a bigger chord with me than that of the feminine. In particular, I was shocked (SHOCKED) to realize how much the Eagles always donned (ha) my absolute fav 70's rocker pieces (similar to ones that I've got up on the shop now)—sweet tees, flared jeans, boots and jackets with shit sewn on the back of them. Plus really great eye wear. And then Joe Walsh**** came on the scene (for sure giving Don migraine stress headaches) and started wearing scarves on his head. MAN SCARVES. Now that summer is over and there is no sun to bleach my locks out, I'm totally going to rock me some man scarves. 

The Eagles knew it: can't go wrong with a well-adorned vintage jean jacket.

So, even though I'm a bit...disappointed with the way some of the Eagles behaved themselves, I have to say, they DID IT RIGHT with the fashion. Hence why I'm rather hesitant to watch Part 2 of the Eagle's documentary—because it takes place in the 90's (sigh).

*We were partying pretty hard. 

**Also, did you know that their songs have some deep meanings that you may not be able to deduce from the lyrics? Because they are songwriters. Some of their songs may even include metaphors.

***Also, apparently Glenn Frey wasn't getting laid, so that's sad too.  

****Also, James Gang totally rules. 

End of summer ode to my Birks

Birks, always and forever.

Having been raised to be incredibly frugal when it came to the purchase of frivolous items like clothing, it took me until I was solidly in my third decade on this planet to realize the irreplaceable beauty that must-have items like Sorel boots and Smartwool socks can bring into one's life when they live in Minnesota. After testing the waters (thrifting Sorels and scooping up Smartwool on clearance at Nordstrom Rack), my life was changed and I never looked back. Perhaps it is due to the fact that in Minnesota we have all of three months of warm weather (in contrast to a solid 6+ months of straight up winter), but there had never been a seemingly unnecessary summer-time name brand item that I had sought out as a potential staple...until I found my Birks. 

Now, I've always been a fan of the Birk (better known as the Birkenstock), having always favored hippie stock characters (Phoebe in Friends, Dawn in BSC, Dharma from Dharma and Greg before I knew Jenna Elfman was a Scientologist), but the closest thing I ever got to a Birk as a youngster was the cheap knock-off version they had at Shopko. Which didn't even hold a candle—not even a flame!–to the actual Birk experience. In fact, I could argue that the Shopko version of the Birk actually ruined Birks for me for quite some time, as the chemically faux leather bed of said shoe just dried out my feet, rather than providing a welcoming pillow of smoothness that embraced my dogs as a "thank you" for what they deserve (after all, I use them a lot, for standing and stuff). 

Dawn doing exactly what I want to do every time September rolls around in Minnesota. GET YOURS GIRL. And dang, those are some swell lookin' comfort shoes she's got going on (but not Birks, sadly). Also, for more on awesome BSC fashion, check out What Claudia Wore (my other BSC style icon). YASSSSSS.

When I became an "adult" (cough), I had this thing called a job, and some discernible amount of disposable income, with which I started doing "adult things" like buying plane tickets and going to happy hour. One adult thing I happily found out I could do was spend my money on clothing, but a combo of learned frugalness and love of deals (that continues with me to this day, naturally) meant that I'd much rather spend my time scouring rummage sales and thrift shops for said clothing, and rejoicing when I found a particular item of value, than paying full price for an item (shudder).

Now, during one of my "adult things" trips to Mexico, I spied a display at some hip Mexican shop with Birkenstocks and I was like, "Whoa, if Birkenstocks are cool in Mexico, then they are definitely cool," and made it my mission to find my very own pair of Birks. 

I don't have any pictures of the Birks I spotted in Mexico, so here is just a picture of us in Mexico because, why not?

At the price of however-much-new-Birks-actually-are (Spoiler alert!: I still don't know), I resisted the impulse to just go buy a pair (I was, after all, just in Mexico). but then....happy day for me, I found a pair of sandals that were very similar to Birks, and of much higher quality than my Shopko knock-offs from back in the day at a rummage sale for $1! One whole dollar! Can you believe it!? CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!

So, duh, I bought the suckers and proceeded to wear them happily, much to the chagrin of many of my friends who didn't realize how awesome Birks/sandals that looked like Birks were, especially with socks, and labeled them my "fake Birkenstocks." Later I realized that the brand they were was actually even "nicer" than Birks, but whatever. I wore my fake Birks for years, until they were falling to bits and the bed got all weird and discolored and I was like "ew, I don't want to wear these any more, I guess I'm done with Birks," but I. DIDN'T. EVEN. KNOW. I mean, I did know, at least to the extent that I loved comfort shoes (as evident by this post I did a while back for the Ironing Board Collective, which also touches on my love of/past with Birks). 

But then (and this is when things get good, so I hope you are still reading), the thrifting goddesses smiled way hard on me when I was in California with my fam this spring, my sister-in-law (who btw, had just purchased, and was wearing, this really rad pair of Birks that I was mega jealous of), yelled from across the thrift shop we were at, "Are you a 38?!" and SHE HAD FOUND A BRAND NEW PAIR OF BIRKS THAT COST $8 JUST FOR ME! And, even though we were in Palm Desert, I almost had to wrestle another woman from Minnesota who was a 38 for them. Almost. Also, radical honesty, I'm more of a 39. 

My brother made this sweet, sweet gif to commemorate the happy occasion. Thanks broder!

Anyway. Since then, my life has changed. And I hate winter. Like, absolutely hate it. But this year, the changing of the seasons is bumming me out even more hardcore because I had the realization that soon I WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO WEAR MY BIRKS. I know I can wear them inside, with socks, because even inside it is freezing, but it's just not the same. I suppose it will just give me one more thing to look forward to 9 months from now when summer finally returns.

Flower Power: The magic of violet, lily of the valley and peony

Flower essences have become one of the most exciting things I’ve come across since I’ve become studying herbalism. Flower essences are unlike tinctures, plant-based balms or oils or essential oils (those are the ones that usually smell). What I love about flower essences is that they are situational (vs. purely physical (though they can have an effect on the physical as well)) and work to bring one’s “true self” to the surface.

This spring, I captured the magic of three of my favorite spring-time flowers: violet, lily of the valley and peony. The violet and lily of the valley I harvested from my own homestead in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, while I harvested the peony with my sister-in-law while I visited her and my brother at their farmhouse in upstate New York. 

Violet
“Let the sun shine in”
Violet is an excellent way for people to overcome shyness, and to feel comfortable with presenting themselves and their ideas to others. It’s a wonderful little flower for adding happiness and bringing brightness to one’s life. 

Lily of the Valley
“Open up your third eye”
Lily of the Valley helps one become comfortable and accepting of their current reality in context with the larger universal reality we are all part of. This flower can bring calm and understanding to one trying to find their purpose in the larger experience of humanity.

Peony
“Banish the darkness”
Peony helps people that suffer from irrational fears and nightmares. It can help block negative influences and bring light to those are under the sway of “dark forces.” 

How to take flower essences
If you are taking a flower essence, start with taking 1-2 drops, under the tongue twice a day. When you put the flower essence in your mouth, wait 10 seconds before swallowing. After a week, the dosage can be increased to 3-4 drops twice a day if you are not yet feeling the effects of the essence. STOP taking the flower essence as soon as it works (you can return to the essence if you feel in need of it in the future) as herbs cause what they cure.

Think these flower essences could help you (or someone you know)? Double Peace Studio will have them available at our Thursday evening sale at Mom’s House this Thursday, June 9 from 4-8 p.m.! Can’t make the sale? Email doublepeacestudio@gmail.com for order info.