<< NEW PIECES- NOVEMBER >>

With the holidays rapidly approaching, I haven't found much time to paint-- but these three goddess mamas were born last month. 

<< CHANGES >>

If you've been here before, you may notice that things look a little different. As Studio Spirit&Sol grows, I find myself bursting at the seams with inspiration and ideas. There are so many projects I want to bring to life, so many stories I want to tell.

During this period of growth, our jewelry store has taken the back burner. I can't remember the last time I pulled out my rolls of thread to create a new piece.

 As I look at my boxes of stones and seeds, I'm flooded with memories of our years on the road-- traveling around South America, selling jewelry on the sidewalks. Those adventures opened my heart and my mind more than any other period of my life, and creating jewelry has been my way of holding on to those memories. But as I look forward to exciting new horizons, I know that it's time to close that chapter of my life. In order to fully embrace the artistic journey ahead of me, I have to close the doors to our jewelry shop.

I hope to turn this little corner of the cyber world into a space of inspiration and beauty-- a place to tell stories and share experiences. My passion for pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding grows stronger with each piece I paint and each connection I make. Exciting new projects are in the works (an art-based pregnancy journal, a children's book about breastfeeding, sacred pregnancy cards, and more!) and I look at the horizon with a heart full of gratitude and joy.

We're so grateful to everyone who has purchased jewelry from us over the past few years. You helped us carry on a dream and I hope that you can feel the love and intention that went into each and every piece.

~*~Thank you for joining us on our journey~*~

NEW PIECES// SEPTEMBER

NEW PRINTS// MAY

A few new pieces, some of which will be coming to our Etsy shop soon. 

I've been collaborating with Anni Daulter from Sacred Pregnancy to create a deck of meditation cards celebrating the 40 weeks of pregnancy. It's been so fun to have a base of inspiration to work from, and to watch ideas come to life, page after page. It also feels really good to have the pieces finally painted-- with only 5 weeks to go until my due date, I'm in full nesting mode and ready to focus on greeting our new little one. 

NEW JEWELRY: FEBRUARY

Here are a few of the new beauties now in the shop! While we were in Peru, we met up with our dear friend and shop partner Laura Avila and brought back some of her incredible new creations. It's so inspiring to me to work beside such a talented artist, and I love that we're able to support Laura's art. Enjoy!

 

(You can click each picture to link to our Etsy shop.)

 

NEW PIECES// DECEMBER 2013

December always seems to crash upon me like a barreling freight train. Once Thanksgiving passes, we have a string of family birthdays, plus the craziness of holiday sales in the shop, and the preparations for Christmas.  I actually love the busy-ness of this time of year-- the rush keeps me distracted from the cold weather and the house seems to buzz with excited energy.

I've been listing new pieces in our shop like a madwoman-- we got a box of beautiful rings and bracelets from our dear friend/shop partner Laura in Peru, and I've spent the past week photographing, editing, and listing them all. I've always been working on some new earrings and headbands-- hoping to get them into the shop in time for the Christmas sale.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces that are up in the shop right now.

P.S. we're offering free worldwide shipping  in the shop until December 20th. Simply use coupon code TRAVELWIDE at checkout. 

NEW PIECES// SEPTEMBER

There's so much I want to say, so much on my mind that I want to share, but I'm in the crazy space of moving houses and I can't seem to settle my thoughts enough to get them out onto paper. I managed to get a few new pieces painted, printed, and listed in the shop-- which makes me feel great. I'm looking forward to being settled into our new home (more on that soon!) so that I can get back to creating and sharing. Until then, here are some of the new pieces in Studio Spirit & Sol. 

NEW-NESS!

Awhile back, I wrote about having a secret that I was waiting to share (no, I'm not pregnant :) My plan was to wait until everything was ready to announce the OPENING OF OUR NEW SHOP!! But, as you can tell, I'm just too excited to wait.

A few weeks ago, I experienced a major shift in energy. My heart broke open and lots of fears and doubts that I'd been carrying around for ages finally spilled out and drained away. I was left with a desire to live life to the fullest-- to dig down into my vulnerable places and let beauty and strength rise out of them. 

For me, painting has always been an outlet. Long before I learned macrame, I painted-- alone, in the privacy my room, in a sketchbook that I guarded like a diary. I loved painting and drawing, but I didn't feel like I was any good at it. I had some insanely artistic friends in high school, and I felt like I could never live up to their talent, so I kept my art hidden.



But I'm ready to break down that barrier-- I'm ready to share my art with the world. My paintings are a reflection of the beauty that I see all around me-- the incredible, powerful, gorgeous, soulful women who are in my life and who I've met here in cyberspace. I want to honor them and their beauty-- reflect it back, keep the energy moving, and release my own fears and doubts. 

So here we go!! Studio Spirit&Sol on Etsy will be open at the end of the month, stocked with prints of the paintings above, along with many more. 

~love and light, always~

NEW PIECES// July 2013

Here are some of the new pieces in our shop-- all made by our wonderful friend/shop partner Laura Avila. She sent us a box of goodies from Peru and I've been drooling over the pieces as I slowly make my way through the collection. Lots more to come!!

Amber sun necklace 

Red Jasper Abstract Necklace

Serpentine Fiber Art Asymmetrical Necklace

Turquoise Fiber Art Necklace

with a beautiful chrysocolla gemstone and a knotted Chakana symbol in the center. The chakana is a sacred symbol in Peru, originally used by the Incas to represent the three levels of existence (hana pacha, kay pacha, and urin pacha.) The hole in the center represents the cosmic vault through which a shaman can transport to other levels. The chakana is also said to represent the sacred city of Cusco, the capital of the Incan empire, as well as the cardinal points of a compass. 

Shaman Stone Necklace 

Shaman stone, also known as leopard stone or leopard skin jasper, is the stone of shamanistic journeying. It can help you connect to your spiritual self and aids in creative visualization. Its protective qualities are helpful in meditation and in finding one’s animal totem, or power animal. 

Secret!!

I have a little secret I'm so excited about!! Big changes are coming to our little Etsy shop, and I've been working my tail off on this new project. I want to shout from the rooftops and tell everyone I know, but I've learned that with these things, it's better to wait a bit. For me, it's better to hold the newness close, to savor it all alone for a bit, letting it fill every corner of myself, before releasing it into the world.

With Tai, I kept my pregnancy a secret for the first twelve months. A lot played into this decision (I was wary of early losses, after having had one before, and also super nervous about how to share the news), but looking back, I loved having the secret all to myself for a bit (my hubby knew too, of course.) I was able to unwrap all my feelings, to deeply absorb what it meant to me to be a mom, and to release some fears that I knew would not serve me in my journey.

And so that's what I'm doing with this new little creative baby of mine. I'm holding her tight, putting all my love and energy into the process, and working through some fears that are still holding me back.

I can't wait to share with you!! --when the time is right ;)