Bella Grace Issue 8

Life’s a Beautiful Journey

Allowing Old Dreams to Fall Quiet

100 Happy Things

Then and Now

How to Become a Morning Person

54 Ways to

Spoil Ourselves What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

S TA MP IN G T O N & C O M PAN Y JUN/JUL/AUG 2016 • DISPLAY UNTIL 08/31/16

$19.99 US • $21.99 CAN

B E L L AG RA CE MA GA ZI NE . CO M

“Courage doesn’t always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,

‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

— Mary Anne Radmacher

founder

&

creative director Kellene Giloff publisher@stampington.com

editor-in-chief & director of publishing Christen Hammons directorofpublishing@stampington.com senior managing editor Amber Demien associate editors Jana Holstein Natalie Way Danielle Mohler Devon Warren Brianne Martin assistant editor Gracy Wilkins

how to contact us Bella Grace™ 22992 Mill Creek, Suite B, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 U.S. Toll-Free 1-877-STAMPER (1-877-782-6737) Phone: (949) 380-7318 Fax: (949) 380-9355 www.bellagracemagazine.com customer service For customer service and subscription inquiries, please call U.S. toll-free (877) 782-6737, fax (949) 380-9355, or email retail@stampington.com, or visit our website at www.stampington.com. editorial Please see the submission guidelines on our website at stampington.com. Brief email inquiries are welcome at bellagrace@stampington.com, or write to the editor at the address above. No phone calls, please.

newsstand consultant Susan Harold art director Mykaela Riehle art manager Elaine Mello senior graphic designer Erika Ferguson graphic designer & marketing design assistant Meghan Horan graphic designers Kaitlin Mendoza Erin Solis junior graphic designer Sara Wilkins director of photography Johanna Love photographer Jessica Wolfe general manager Jonathan Giloff operations manager Cheryl Kui customer service manager Alondra Marin marketing manager Jordan Burnier public relations specialist & copywriter Heather Taylor marketing assistant & copywriter Sarah Donawerth marketing graphic designer Nadine Alvillar

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Copyright 2016 Stampington & Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

ISSUE 8

Dear Friends, S

ummer is quickly approaching and I couldn’t be more excited. Despite the often-grueling heat, it’s my absolute favorite season. This time of year always brings back the fondest of memories from my childhood and it gives me so much to look forward to.

Why do I love summer as much as I do? It’s the calm I feel when I curl up on the couch at night to read a book with the windows and doors wide open. The comfort I feel wearing nothing but flowing dresses and light fabrics. The joy of cooking dinner on the grill every night. Eating veggies grown in our garden. Driving with the windows down and blasting the happiest of music. Sitting outside and talking under the glow of twinkle lights. For me, summer is the time of year where everything slows down and life seems a bit simpler.

A couple years ago my husband and I visited the gorgeous island of Kauai for our honeymoon.

We spent two weeks there doing almost nothing other than relaxing outdoors by the pool or on the beach. We were hardly ever indoors, opting to have our coffee and eat our meals outside on the lanai. By the end of our trip we asked ourselves why we didn’t spend as much time outside at home. When we returned home we made a promise to each other that our summers would be spent outdoors as much as possible.

For the most part we’ve kept our promise. We have our meals in the backyard and linger there long after the food is gone. We fill up a kiddie pool nearly every weekend and spend the days relaxing in there with a cold drink or book in hand. (We even encourage our friends to bring their own pools over to soak in.) We might not be children anymore, with months off to enjoy summer, but making a little extra effort to slow life down during those months really helps to savor the free time we do have.

It’s so temping to over-schedule summer weekends and evenings. Trust me, I try to do it all the time. This summer, I encourage you to slow life down a bit. Turn off the TV, pour yourself an ice-cold glass of tea with lemon, slather on

some sunscreen, and head outdoors. Read a book, play freeze tag with your kids, draw on the sidewalk with some chalk, or do absolutely nothing at all. The choice is yours.

To slowing down and savoring summer,

Christen Hammons Editor-in-Chief

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Table of Contents

06

Praise for Bella Grace

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Hello There, Friend

by Beth Lehman

20 5 Things About Relationships I Learned From My Dog

by Femke Tewari 22

Worksheet: To Me From Me

24 Paddle, Rinse, Repeat: Sunset Sessions on the Water

by Debbie Schaefer 28

Instagram Spotlight: Nina Hurum

32 From the Woman in Me to the Woman in you

by Debbie Lippi 42

25 Ways To Take Yourself on a Date

by Our Readers

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How to Become a Morning Person

by Paige Leigh Reist

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100 Happy Things

by Kelly Bentley

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Instagram Spotlight: Lisa Redwillow

60 Summer Love: 20 Creative Ways to get Your Groove on

by Nikki Gardner

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Finding the Blessings Behind the Messes

by Jennifer DeVille Catalano

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20-Step Recipe for Self-Love: A Bed Day

by Kimberly Wilson

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On Dreaming

by Miriam Boleyn-Fitzgerald

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58 Songs That Never Fail to Make Us Happy

by Our Readers

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The Green Room

by Heather Murray

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4 Ways to Kick-Up Your Coffee

by Paige Leigh Reist

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What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

by Leon Biss

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22 Reasons to Celebrate Summer

by Jennifer DeVille Catalano

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Instagram Spotlight: Donna Hopkins

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Worksheet: 30 Things To Do This Summer

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Knitting Lessons

by Kylie Howell

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A Wisp of a Season

by Dawn Suzette Smith

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Late Morning Early Summer

by D Smith Kaich Jones

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54 Ways to Spoil Ourselves

by Our Readers

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The Yellow Bowl

by Darlene Maciuba-Koppel

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A Sensible Soul

by Michelle Mach

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Allowing Old Dreams To Fall Quiet

by Rita Herrmann

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Worksheet: The Best of Me

134 Living With Intention: The Transformation Practices of Mary Anne Radmacher

by Christine Mason Miller 142 10 Ways to Make Every Morning a Daily Miracle

by Emily Mariani 144

Worksheet: Summer Reading List

150

Submission Guidelines

154

Prepping for Print

156

Photo Credits BELLAGRACEMAGAZINE.COM

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Praise for

Bella Grace @kodakmoments_bynina

I have never seen this magazine before but the cover pulled me in, and I was absolutely hooked! I have been going through a little bit of a writer’s block, which has been frustrating, but after reading some of the pages of the most current issue I was inspired.

I actually put the book down and within minutes the words flew out onto paper! I love this and thank you to your magazine for lightin up the fire in me again!

— Erica Rohaidy

@claireb_photography

Bella Grace doesn’t try to improve me or give me advice, it simply enriches my spirit.

— Frances Macias-Souza

I would give up food before I gave up my subscription to Bella Grace. It feeds my soul!

— Vickie Kammerer

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Living in a busy city like Detroit and working in the stressful world of IT, it is often difficult to find the stillness needed to nurture the soul. Bella Grace is incredible at being that slice of heaven to curl up with, to remind me that its important to find the time to hug myself and embrace the simple things that bring me joy. Thanks for that. It’s a pretty big deal. — Deb Combs

@kim_swanson

@thehouseonthehill

@alisha_sommer

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Words & Photographs by Beth Lehman & Lindsay Crandall

It was New Year’s Eve when we came up with the idea to collaborate. After years of friendship online, at first on social media and then extending into email, we felt a strong pull to start something. We each had one foot firmly planted in gratitude, the other in living with intention. There was a mutual love for photography and a mutual grappling with the question of how to connect — with our loved ones, with strangers, with ourselves.

We had both contributed to “habit,” a collaborative blog of women sharing small snippets of their days in words and images. The blog was haunting and honest, and we both felt honored to contribute. But we wanted something more tangible, a place where we could talk specifically about our lives in the hopes of unearthing something deeper. We wanted to create a space where others would nod their heads and say, “Me too.”

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And so “hello there, friend” was born. We would write letters to each other every weekday. We could write about anything we wanted and be as long-winded or as brief as we needed. Each letter would begin with “hello there, friend,” and be accompanied by a photograph. Our Instagram account would feature the image and a snippet from the day’s letter. We began in February 2015.

The result has been a place where we both come to write about our daily lives — our hopes and dreams and fears, our desire to live lives of integrity and purpose where we seek to be mindful, present, and, above all, grateful. Our desire is that our readers would find themselves on the pages, recognizing their own joys, struggles, and desires. We want to foster community and connection, and give women a place to see and know they are not alone. »

Tuesday, August 25, 2015 Hello there, friend, I often, as I go about my day, think of the Annie Dillard quote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” This thought often comes as I’m knee-deep in the mundane: folding laundry, doing dishes, correcting my children. This is part of how I am spending my life. And that’s okay. So much of it is ordinary, daily, necessary. If we lose our connection to that, we lose it all.

The ordinary is like meditation; it’s like prayer. We say the same things and do the same things over and over again. Yet each time we utter the prayer, each time we do the mundane task, it pulls us in a bit deeper if we let it.

Like Kathleen Norris, who wrote that doing the dishes and baking bread were two of her favorite things because to her, they are spiritual events. They are a chance to connect with those we serve and with ourselves. They are the beautiful, ordinary stuff of life. xo, L

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Monday, February 2, 2015 Hello there, friend, Our project has me thinking of letter writing. Coincidentally, my oldest daughter has started writing her grandfather (her opa) consistently. Letters forging a bond across the miles. I told her about some of my most cherished letters, those from my grandmother, and how a relationship was made with each of her grandchildren through letters. I pulled a stack out of the attic to show her and was transported with each one. I could hear her voice as she wrote. Often her letters began or ended with “Dear girl.” She was always inquisitive about the world, but also about me, about what I thought and what I was learning. She wanted to know me.

It reminds me of something I’ve learned along the way through more than one experience — that we are all wired for connection, we all long to be seen and heard. All of this to say, I continue to believe in my word “connection” for this year. To really connect to those I’m with each day.

To reach across the miles to friends and family, to allow those I love to be seen and heard and to see and hear them, too.

It’s the start of a new week, with lots to do and things to look forward to each day. I’m hoping that my little word will be the reminder each day I need. xo, b

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Thursday, April 16, 2015 Hello there, friend, The mantra I have been living with this week is “This is it.” Whenever I remember, I repeat it to myself. Waking early to write and work? This is it. Walking my daughter to school on a warm afternoon? This is it. Potty training my son? This is it.

This mantra is grounded in gratitude. It says, be thankful for this, whatever this is, because this is it. I need that reminder every day. I need to see that my life is lovely and wonderful just the way it is, even when the week is hard and gratitude feels far-flung. The life I want isn’t out there somewhere. It’s right here. This is it. xo, L

Thursday, April 9, 2015 Hello there, friend, This week, I’ve been meditating. This is totally new to me. I’m using an app that guides me through a 10-minute session. I sit in the house, quiet and still, noticing my breath, the sounds around me, my body and the way I feel, the thoughts that go in and out of my mind.

I’ve noticed a ripple effect ... I feel a sense of calm as I begin my day and far less urgency and mental clutter. Throughout the day, I notice my thoughts come and go. It’s been a bit easier for me to focus on one thing at a time, whether it’s housework or work at school.

I keep asking myself, “What is essential ... in the next few minutes? … in the next hour? … by the end of the day?” Instead of feeling bad about myself at the end of the day, I feel good about the things I chose to do. xo, b

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Monday, August 17, 2015 Hello there, friend, This morning I stood in front of the dryer waiting for the clothes to stop tumbling. Why I didn’t just open the door and take out what I needed, I don’t know. I was entranced with the metaphor — the tumbling, the heat, how it dries the damp and presses out wrinkles.

Tumble, tumble, tumble.

I have been so tired. Bone tired, like when you have a newborn baby and every night you wake again and again to crying. Last night, my kids took turns getting up and I was awake half the night. This morning, they stood beside the bed yelling, “Wake up!” and giggling. I couldn’t. I just laid there.

After I made the coffee and dumped some cereal in bowls for breakfast, I stumbled to the basement, flipped on the dryer, and listened. I have felt that urge to listen, that urge for quiet, and every day I struggle to find it. I grab on to the quiet when I can, like a piece of driftwood floating by. Maybe this one will carry to me to safe harbor. Then again, maybe not. xo, 12

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Thursday, September 17, 2015 Hello there, friend, You mention the phrase, “your soul’s need for rest” and that’s exactly how I’ve been feeling ... like my soul needs rest.

After remembering a blog post I read some time last week, I sat down with my journal and wrote out a list of things that are life-giving and things that are life-draining (aka: soul-sucking). No surprise that what sustains me is space, quiet time, walking early in the morning, noticing what I’m grateful for and writing it down, easy meals and help in the kitchen, reading good fiction and nonfiction playing music, being outside and observing the beauty in nature, and connecting with those I love either in quiet or in conversation.

What drains me is being rushed, trying to do too much, not saying what I need or want, checking Instagram too often, mindlessly going down a rabbit hole on the Internet, cluttered spaces in my home and in my mind, and sometimes church.

I need to spend more time thinking about these two lists ... adding to them, working through these ideas. But I can see, it’s time to shift toward more that is life-giving ... more sustaining. xo, b

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Tuesday, October 27, 2015 Hello there, friend, I know just what you mean. Often when my inside-self is wound up or buzzing too much, I know outside is where I need to be. I didn’t know this lesson when I was young and I find that I often forget it. The same is true for my children.

Sometimes when they bicker the whole way to the pond or to the nature preserve I wonder why I bother. But, when they tumble out of the car into nature’s cathedral and I hear their excited voices or their hushed ones, I know this is what they need too.

For me and for us it’s more about the noticing that comes with being outside ... noticing this leaf or that lichen, the newts and turtles swimming in the water, the pileated woodpeckers, the cave formations, the way we breathe in and out, the way we feel connected to the land, to each other, and to ourselves, the way our souls feel filled up in a way we can’t explain at all.

I find myself craving more of this ... fall is a reminder to me that each day is new and different and meant to be lived and enjoyed just as it is. xo, b

Wednesday, October 28, 2015 Hello there, friend, My favorite thing about fall is that golden hour is right before dinner, which means everyone is still reasonably agreeable to go outside and play while I snap away in that delicious golden light. It’s a win-win, and I’ve been making the most of it.

But the funny thing is that last week I took a purposeful step back. I decided I wasn’t going to shoot my camera, wasn’t going to post anything online. I just needed a break. And then, the other morning when I took my camera out on that gloriously sunny morning, something happened. I came inside and wrote myself a note: “Do the work that feeds your soul!” Which of course doesn’t necessarily apply to the work for which I’m paid but to creating in general. Since then, I have been chasing that golden hour light.

This is all very confusing, except to say that there’s an ebb and flow. Sometimes it’s a drought; other times, a flood. I wish it were all flood all the time, but where would that leave me? Unappreciative, I’d guess. Not where I am at this moment: grateful.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2016 Hello there, friend, It’s hard for me to imagine what it will be like when my kids are 16 and 13. Right now, they are 6 and 3. They are still so little and yet I can barely remember what it was like three years ago when they were 3 and newborn. I know I’ve told myself time and again to hold onto this, whatever it is — a moment, a phrase, a feeling. I’ll remember this one, I think, but so much of it is gone.

Hearing you in your journey of motherhood, nearly 10 years ahead of me, it’s hard to comprehend it all. In some ways, when you talk about your (now) teenagers, I think of myself as a teenager and not at all what it would be like to mother a teenager. What will that be like? What will I remember about them? What will I want to forget?

It’s like our lives are on a continuum. We are all at once a young child, a teenager, a young adult, an older adult — no matter where we are in our lives, all of those things exist.

And maybe that’s how we can stay connected in this human experience, because we’ve been there or are there or will be there. Maybe if we can hold on to that thought, maybe if we can really see each other, that’s all we need. xo, L

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Friday, November 13, 2015 Hello there, friend, I remember when I read your email, the one suggesting we find a way to collaborate and somehow fill the space left by “habit.” It was New Year’s Eve and you had originally written to ask me what made me want to do a 365 project this year (that has since been abandoned, I hate to say). Somehow, as we bounced emails back and forth all day, you threw it out there: What if we do something?!

My heart leapt and I thought, Yes! We had no clue what this project would become. In many ways, I think we still don’t. But, if nothing else, it is a place where we can slow down and pay attention, to our lives, to ourselves, to this world whirling around us. It is a place to find quiet in the midst of chaos, the still small voice in all the clamoring.

That we are all the same is both comforting and frightening. We are all uniquely our own, each different and wonderfully made, and yet we want the same things: love, respect, passion, and, most of all, to be seen. I, too, hope that as we write these daily letters and send them out into the world that they resonate and speak to the human condition and connect us. Because we are all in this together. We better hang on tight! xo, L 16

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Thursday, November 12, 2015 Hello there, friend, When I first approached you about collaborating on something last year, I’ll admit I was hoping to continue something almost exactly like “habit.” When I realized that “habit” was ending, I was so sad. Like many others, I had been reading habit almost every day for the better part of its six years. I loved “habit” for the way it combined images and words.

It often reminded me that we are not alone on this journey of living as women — whether daughter, sister, mother, wife — we are so much more alike than different.

Writing here has become a way of paying attention, much like photography and gratitude. When I write, I am more keenly aware of what I am thinking, feeling, and wondering ... more aware of what is going on around me. There is an internal and an external noticing that I’m not sure would happen in the same way without this space.

Your idea to write letters between us allows for more depth, which I love, but what I hope we portray as we write is the same ... we are more alike than different. As we move through life, as we pay attention to ourselves, to those around us, and to the world, what I hope readers recognize here is themselves. xo, b

Beth Lehman is a teacher, mama, amateur photographer, and gratitude seeker. You can find her on Instagram (@yellowhousedays).

Lindsay Crandall is a writer and photographer living in Upstate New York. You can find her at lindsaycrandall.com or follow her on Instagram (@lindsaycrandall).

Hello there, friend, is published Monday through Friday at hellotherefriend.com. You can also follow the project on Instagram (@hellotherefriendproject).

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Jovo Jovanovic

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Words & Photograph

by Femke Tewari

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PROMPT

Remember back in high school when we thought we knew it all? It’s amazing to look back at those times and realize how little we actually knew. If you could send a letter back to your 16-year-old self, what would you say to her?

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Words by Debbie Schaefer Photographs by Emma Schaefer

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@kodakmoments_bynina NINA HURUM

I believe extraordinary moments and happiness are right in front of me if I pay attention and practice gratitude.

To embrace the moment, to treasure the little seconds during everyday life, when you pause and let go of your mind, take a deep breath in, look around and connect with your heart and soul, sensing the pure feeling of being alive. To pick daisies, go barefoot in the grass, listen to music or the wind rustling in the leaves of a tree, the monotonous fall of the waves on the beach, the breezes at dawn, freezing moments like these with my camera ... that’s what fuels my energy, that’s what gives me new inspiration, that’s what living a Bella Grace life is to me.

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Words by Debbie Lippi Photographs by Simone Becchetti

Hello my friend, hello. I know you. I know who you are. I know where you’ve been, because I’ve been there too, so why not join me on a powerful yet gentle experience of love and acceptance?

If I told you how magnificent you are, would you believe me? Would you believe me if I told you I wake up happy and so grateful to be alive almost every day … in spite of myself? Well it’s true.

I know you have your doubts as we all do, but I have created an overwhelming sense of peace and joy in my life, and guess what? I’ve had it all along, and so have you.

Maybe we’ve just been looking in all the wrong places.

I have an idea. How would you like to take a walk with me, right here, right now? We are going to have a great time. While you’re getting ready for your walk, I want you to pick out something special to wear, whatever resonates with you. For me, it’s a funny hat to go with my very red hair! So silly and so much fun! Oh come on, no excuses. »

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By the way, what’s your favorite song? Mine? What else: “Because I’m HAPPY … clap along if you feel like that’s what you want to do.” I just love that Pharrell! You know the song.

So tell me, what did you choose to wear? Something cute and playful, or serious and flirtatious? Be brave. Try something a little out of character for you. I tend to be a bit silly and carefree these days and it suits me just fine.

Oh look, down the street, it’s a bunch of kids with tattoos. Looks like they’re in some kind of tribe or something. Did you ever get a tattoo? Did you ever feel like you just wanted to be a part of something bigger than yourself? Let’s go take a closer look.

Many people are defined by the groups that they hang with. That doesn’t really seem fair, does it? After all, how can we ever learn to love ourselves if we let others decide who we are?

Sometimes it’s great to be in a group or a tribe because it makes us feel safe and protected.

Other times we just want to be by ourselves, to learn, grow, and experience life on our own terms without being influenced by others.

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Let’s keep that on the back burner for a while as we continue our walk.

Hey look, there are some cute guys over there. I wonder how old they are.

Wow, one of them looks just like … hmm, you tell me. Ever had a crush on somebody? You know you have!

OK, I’m going to go out on a limb here and tell you my crush was … ready … Barry Manilow! Yes, I was a full blown “Fanilow.” Couldn’t help myself.

I wanted him bad, ugh. So for me, it really was a blast from the past.

Remember earlier how I said we need to love and accept ourselves?

That goes for accepting all parts of ourselves, including our sexuality.

There’s good and bad aspects within all of us and we should embrace them, especially our sensual side. Get to know yourself, body and soul, intimately.

Nobody’s perfect, so go easy on yourself; only then will you be open to attracting the right kind of relationship, the one you truly deserve. And if you’re there already, you can always do more to keep it interesting (right?).

Now I’m thinking about growing up, my sexuality, and all of my insecurities around guys. It certainly seemed difficult to meet the right person. I wonder if you had the same dreams I had as a young girl. You know, the white picket fence, a perfect adoring man in my life, a beautiful family. Well, I guess it’s real.

It just wasn’t a part of my dysfunctional life. Can you relate? Please say yes.

(Remember that tribal thing we talked about? You have to have a buddy.

Someone just like me!) » BELLAGRACEMAGAZINE.COM

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OK. Time for new beginnings.

Remember to breathe … just breathe. It feels so good as we fill our lungs with vital life force. Notice how the sun is shining directly on us, giving off radiant energy and fiery strength at the same time. How does it feel? I don’t want to move. The warmth of the sunlight feels so good. Let’s just stay here a bit and bask in its glory.

Wow, there’s certainly a lot to see and learn on our little adventure. By the way, did you notice when we passed that little store there were some great aromas coming from it? Like sandalwood and myrrh and even bitter orange. Maybe we should stop in on the way back. I love the smells of certain oils. Vanilla is my favorite. What yours?

So how are you enjoying our walk so far? Isn’t it nice to simply be ourselves, not worrying or wondering about anything in particular, but just enjoying the day? I can almost feel the “happy” stirring up inside of me.

Shall we digress for a moment? I’d like to ask you how you woke up this morning.

What kind of mood were you in? Were you happy, angry, or just matter-of-fact?

Did you get enough sleep? Did you do something to nurture yourself last night? If not, why not? If we are to be the beautiful, loving, compassionate, and successful women we were meant to be, then we need to take care of ourselves. If you already are, then great! Spread it around. There’s always someone who can use a kind word or extra help. If you’re not, then let’s get to it girlfriend! Hey, I see a park up ahead.

The lake is beautiful, don’t you think?

Look at the swans. They’re so graceful and confident as they glide along the water, taking in their surroundings. They seem to have a subtle yet very strong personality, always knowing where they’re going but no care as to when they’ll arrive; they just follow along instinctively.

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Oh look, there’s a bench. Let’s sit down for a bit. Imagine you’re that swan. Close your eyes and breathe the image in with all the peace and calm that goes along with it. Feel the warmth of the water on your feet as you move them back and forth.

Notice how good it feels, and right in this moment all is good, all is perfect, and just as it should be. Just relax and pretend it’s you gliding on that water. You’re so graceful and so very strong and so sure of yourself.

What a confident woman you are.

You hold your head up high knowing that you have all you need, and you feel good … no, you feel great!

As you gently breathe in and out, you pick up the scent of a very light, yet very distinct aroma of lavender and lemon, and it evokes your senses into feeling even better and happier.

You know that you can have this wonderful feeling deep down inside of you anytime, anywhere. If you’re ever feeling stressed in any way, just stop, take a breath, and listen to your inner voice. It’s always there for you. Just relax, and whenever you’re ready, you can open your eyes and look around to take in all the beauty that’s yours to see. »

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I’m getting hungry. How about some lunch? I see a fruit stand up ahead, with a green awning on it. Shall we check it out?

Look, there’s a dove over there by the tree, do you see it? Did you know that doves are the symbol of peace? I like to say “peace and love.” It kind of rhymes and makes me feel good all over. This place seems open and warm and I love the way it’s decorated in different shades of green with pictures of people from all different cultures. It reminds me of how we should always keep our hearts open, no matter what. After all, how could love ever find its way in when we’re closed up?

I tend to get all mushy in the love department. One of my favorite sayings is “Only love is real.” I think it was coined by Brian Weiss, a past life regression therapist. I actually typed the words on cardstock, cut them out in the shape of a heart (with zigzag scissors), and carry it with me all the time. It’s a great mantra. Do you have a mantra? I have many.

Maybe you can think of a few and make them your favorites too.

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Look at that sky above us. It’s so clear and blue. I love it! Blue is one of my favorite colors. What’s your favorite color? I wonder if it’s blue too … or maybe green. It is getting a bit late in the afternoon and I’m noticing how the sounds of the day come and go. Even the rustling of the leaves sounds different. Later on there will be crickets chirping. OK, where’s that music coming from? It sounds festive.

Look, down the hill. There’s a guy dressed up in a funny suit. He looks like a court jester and a lot of people are gathering around.

Looks like fun, let’s go see what’s going on.

This actor is communicating to the audience through dance and music. He’s interpreting a story as, what else, a court jester. It seems as though he wants audience participation.

What do you say … shall we join in?

Communication is one area where most of us have a hard time. Whether it’s our boss, our kids, or our partner, we seem to fall short of knowing not only what to say but how to say it. Sure, some people are gifted with this special talent, but that’s not the norm. We use our voice not only to convey information but also to express feelings and thoughts to one another. The actor does a good job communicating, but he probably practiced for a long time. Without communication we shut down to our loved ones and, more importantly, to ourselves. You could say the throat (where we speak) is connected directly to the heart (where we feel). No wonder there’s such a disconnect in our lives today.

We’re not speaking our truth. Use your words wisely and pay attention not only to how you talk to others but to how you talk to yourself. It goes back to the beginning: taking care of yourself. This is one area I’ve had to spend a lot of time on, so I know how important it is. Don’t shut down. You can speak your mind when you need to, and you can do it in a very loving and caring way. Just remember that speech is a great gift to have.

Use it with care and compassion and you’ll never go wrong. »

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It’s been a long day and we should probably start heading home. We don’t have a long way to go, but we have to start moving.

Was it a productive day for you?

Did you enjoy your downtime? Did you relax a bit … chill out?

As women, we’re usually very intuitive, so use that to your advantage. Treat yourself with kindness and do the things that make you happy. I just picked up one of those grown-up coloring books and some colored pencils and I’m having a great time. When I’ve had a busy or hectic day, I just sit down and start doodling. For you it might be something a little different. Maybe a glass of wine or a phone call to a friend. What little thing could you do that would give you pleasure? It’s very liberating to know how easy it is to put yourself in a good mood. Really … just be open to awakening those dormant forces inside of you that have been asleep for so long. Trust me, you need this.

My purpose for taking this little walk was to let you know that no matter where we are or what’s going on in our lives, we can live fearlessly. We can find happiness in the knowledge that we were brought here with a specific task, and only you know what that task is. The question is, will we honor our birthright by becoming the best that we can be, or will we simply slip through the cracks? Find your “happy.” Look deep inside yourself and find a reason. Live your life.

Keep your heart open. Be kind to others and if you can, try to make a difference, no matter how small.

But beyond all of this, the greatest gift is the love of self. If we all learned how to do that, we could change the world.

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Debbie Lippi welcomes email at rev429@hotmail.com.

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1. Grab a quilt and pillow,

a picnic basket, a good book, and head to a field of dreams.

— Kim Collister

2. My perfect “me date” would be time spent with FARM ANIMALS licking and kissing my face (if I had the courage to let them), then walking through a field of lavender with bees buzzing everywhere (if I had the courage to befriend bees).

I’d end it by drinking LAVENDER GREEN TEA with the honey from my new bee friends.

— Ingrid Alvarez Desai

3. Packing up my camera, art journal, markers, and a lunch in my backpack, then driving to the shoreline to visit my favorite park. I’m going to walk the beach, CLIMB over the ROCKS, find a place to sit and listen to the WAVES caress the SHORE, art journal, and let the wind blow salty air through my long hair.

LATER when I get home I will get out the paints for some messy art journaling. There will be swordfish and asparagus for DINNER and maybe a little wine. » — Mary MacIlvain

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4. Camera in hand, I would head to the Blue Ridge Parkway and spend the day exploring narrow SIDE ROADS and PHOTOGRAPHING abandoned buildings and wild flowers. A bottle of water, a piece of cheese, and an apple for nourishment would be perfect. The mountain AIR always INVIGORATES my soul and feeds my muse.

— Dorcas Midkiff

5. It would start in the EARLY AFTERNOON with a trip to my hairdresser. She gives the perfect HEAD MASSAGE during the conditioning phase. Then it would be on to find the perfect candle and body lotion, then off to the BOOKSTORE to lazily peruse until the right book finds me. I’d then go pick up my favorite INDIAN FOOD and HEAD HOME to take a bath, slather on some of my new lotion, put on some comfy pajamas, light my candle, and JUMP INTO BED with my Indian food and new book.

— Sharon Miller

6. Drive out to the country roads,

away from the noise of the city.

— Sara Seyler Stimatze

7. Eat cake for breakfast at my favorite coffee shop, slow and easy. Then I would have lunch outside on a sunny patio, armed with a good book and a new pair of amazing sunglasses.

— Brandi Myers

8. Running off for a long weekend away in a COTTAGE BY THE OCEAN with all of the personal SEWING PROJECTS I’ve wanted to finish.

— Katie Vardijan

9. A trip to a quiet café with a

blank journal and a new pen.

— Jessie Padilla

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10. I send the KIDS OFF somewhere for a sleepover. I ask a friend what he’s doing that weekend and if he wants my HUSBAND to join him. Then I fall asleep in bed all by myself to the SOUND of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan falling in LOVE in “You’ve Got Mail.”

— Brittany Almonaci

11. I would head to the bookstore and inhale that lovely, familiar fragrance of ink and paper. I’d spend my time browsing, buying, and reading in a comfy chair with coffee and fresh biscotti.

— Mary Ann Potter

12. Spend an afternoon wandering

through an art museum with a sketchbook.

— Melissa Nyveld

13. Get home, change into a big T-shirt, dim the lights, light some candles, head into a clean room, and grab a book to read.

— Daniella Chiofalo

14. I would just jump in my car with a bag of books and magazines and head out to the beach to relax by the sun and read.

— instagram.com/americanflavorlatinspice

15. I have SHAMELESSLY taken vacations by myself. My favorite weeklong excursion was several years ago to the BEAUTIFUL tropical island of Hawaii. With no solid plans for the day, I could go to the BEACH and dig my TOES in the salty earth, grab lunch from a FOOD TRUCK, or EXPLORE a pineapple farm.

Traveling anywhere by oneself is very HEALING and rejuvenating.

— Malia Vago

16. Watercoloring until the paper

is full. Taking a bath with Anthropologie candles and Lush bath bombs. Listening to classical music. Drinking hot lemon water.

— Katherine Bailey

17. I go to a beautiful place. I have them mapped out where I live.

Sometimes I go to the conservatory where FLOWERS in every color INSPIRE and awe me, where koi swim languidly in their pool and where a solitary bench sits at the end of all that beauty, where I can simply close my eyes and think or NOT THINK. — Jennifer Clawson Farnes

18. I take myself for a walk in a WILD place. Almost any wild place will do as long as I can be ALONE for a bit. I might sit on a warm rock and watch DRAGONFLIES dart back and forth over the murmuring of a STREAM or lean with my back against the cool, mossy trunk of a tree and BREATHE in the scent of PINE needles and earth.

— instagram.com/mallconceits

19. I like to grab some coffee, put on some meaningful music, and go on a long drive, no GPS allowed.

I always find myself pleasantly surprised by what I find. I’ve found waterfalls, old bridges, and some stunning wildlife. I always feel refreshed when I get back!

— Angie Miller

20. My absolute favorite is bookstores.

The more obscure, the BETTER. Shops tucked in with fairy lights. Beautiful.

The kind you STUMBLE in on a trip, the word “books” faded on the glass.

No one told you this place EXISTS. You FOUND it. It’s yours.

21. Visiting the local apothecary,

resting in abundance, and being surrounded by trees.

— instagram.com/pkhae

22. “Me time” always includes a still life photoshoot in my kitchen. But first comes a quick jaunt into town to the bookstore for a book of poetry by Mary Oliver and a new journal with a quippy saying on the front and a pen with a slight scratchy drag to write with. Then there is a latte and baguette with cold butter at the coffee shop, some people-watching and time for writing. And lastly, a stop at the flower shop to drink in some green and purchase a bouquet of white tulips for the shoot.

— Karen Olson

23. “ Me time” would include

putting on my favorite classical radio station with a guilt-free, uninterrupted afternoon of art journaling.

— Kelly Kardos

24. I would take time dressing, picking out the perfect accessories. Then I would STOP at the THRIFT SHOPS and various bakeries searching for props.

Then I would stop at the FLOWER market. Then I head HOME to make some tea and PLAY with the linens and props I have and write down ideas for an afternoon shoot.

— instagram.com/aphoto3

25. I would explore my neighborhood like I was a tourist. Visit the LIBRARY. Walk down that tree-lined street I’ve only ever whizzed down in a car. Visit that shop, café, or PARK that is always on the EDGE of my everyday world.

— Heather Gaucher

— instagram.com/aprilthoughts

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PROMPT

We all need some time to ourselves to do whatever it is that brings us joy. It can be hard for some of us to put our needs in front of others, but it’s something we have to do.

It can help to start small, putting aside just a half-hour for yourself and working your way up to maybe even an entire day.

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PROMPT

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How to Become a

g n i n or == ++ M on s r Pe Words & Photographs

by Paige Leigh Reist

I happen to be that mythical beast, that creature of legend, that mysterious denizen of the dawn — a morning person. I am downright religious about mornings. They are the calm before the storm, the first few words of a fragment of prose, the pregnant pause of an orchestra before the next movement in a symphony. The fate of one’s entire day lies in how it begins.

I’m not convinced being a morning person is a natural inclination but only that I have a few habits that make mornings my favorite time of day. It’s all about doing Future You a few favors.

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1. Have your clothing laid out for the next day, pressed and fresh and ready to slip

into. Include your delicates, your adornments and accessories, your shoes. Wear things that communicate the person you are to the world, that bring your inner light to your outer appearance. Know how you’ll shape or braid or tie your hair, or if you’re going to leave it loose and free. Take all the guesswork out of it, all the drudgery of decision-making. Your only task in the morning is to put the pieces together and emerge into the world a fully realized and radiant goddess.

2. In the evenings, take 15 minutes to straighten your nest. Wash the dishes in your sink, wipe down the countertops, water the plants, dust, put away the laundry, tidy your living space. Visual noise clutters the mind, and waking up to a clean, beautiful space gives you the opportunity to start the day with a clear and untroubled head.

3. Eat breakfast. Make it pleasing, sensual, invigorating. Crush blueberries and kale

with ice, fry mushrooms in butter, spread almond butter on homemade biscuits, soft-boil speckled eggs. Pour steaming water over freshly ground coffee, squeeze lemon into a jar of ice water. Take your vitamins, especially vitamin D. Sit down to eat, and read the paper or your favorite blogs. Ban sad, dry granola bars wolfed down on the train. Your body carries the great and wondrous being that is you, and nourishing it well is one of the paths to true morning-person-ness.

4. Give yourself the gift of time. Wake up early, savor the quiet slumbering of the

world around you, allow yourself to move gently into the day. Use these extra minutes to read, to write, to sketch, to meditate and set intentions, to do something that is for you and you only. This time is sacred. Lace up your boots and climb the nearest hill to watch the sunrise, sweat it out in an early hot yoga class, do something to get your blood moving.

5. Go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Make your bedroom into a sanctuary of calm.

Soft and fresh bedding, a horde of pillows, candlelight, dream journals, lavender sachets in your pillowcase. In the milder months, open your window just a crack so the scent of rain or snow or grass or the sea can seep in. Leave your screens and to-do lists and emails out of your inner sanctum. This is where you perform two of the most ancient and esoteric human rituals — dreaming and loving. Keep the mundane out of it, and your body will soon learn that when you enter your bedroom, you leave the world behind.

I wish you restful sleep, good breakfasts, lush sunrises, and a day made more beautiful by starting it on the right foot. Bonne chance!

Paige Leigh Reist is the writer, photographer, and creatrix behind The Wholesome Handbook, a lifestyle blog about soulful living, wild grace, and finding inspiration in the humblest of places. She lives in the prairies of Alberta, Canada, with her husband and 27 houseplants. She can also be found on Instagram (@thewholesomehandbook).

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This exercise of writing down 100 things that make me happy made me smile because I came up with something very similar myself about 20 years ago when I was a teenager. I called it my Happiness List and it was so fun to write. After reading Issue 6 of Bella Grace, I dug out my old high school scrapbook and found my happiness list.

Before digging out my old list, I made a current one. Looking at the two of them, it seems that the woman I am now is not so very different from the girl I was then.

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Alex Jones

Words by Kelly Bentley

THEN

1 playing my bass 2 my room 3 pinwheels 4 dandelions 5 friendship 6 rainbows 7 going to concerts at X-Ray Cafe and La Luna 8 ginkgo trees 9 wishing on pennies, stars, and dandelion fluff 10 photo booths 11 strawberries 12 yoga 13 my family and pets 14 snow 15 the picture of me and my brother on our swing set 16 being with my friends 17 dew on grass 18 street performers 19 long skirts 20 blowing bubbles 21 wispy clouds 22 spider webs with dew on them 23 sitting under my favorite tree at the park 24 full moons 25 listening to A’s band practice 26 graveyards 27 when the sun’s rays shine down through the clouds 28 decorating my locker 29 waterfalls 30 when the sun hits certain kinds of sidewalks and they’re all sparkly 31 the little café across from the library where that rad guy works and they play Beatles’ songs

32 writing and receiving happy letters 33 lying on the grass and looking at the clouds 34 climbing my grandparents’ tree and picking cherries 35 walking through piles of leaves 36 petting cats 37 ice cream 38 the very first snowflakes 39 walking barefoot 40 sitting on J’s roof 41 looking in tide pools 42 bleeding heart flowers 43 being hugged 44 records 45 turning my Walkman up really loud 46 the wooden shutters on M’s windows 47 little silver earrings 48 wishing wells 49 picnics 50 finding cat whiskers 51 toasted cheese and tomato soup 52 dark black nail polish 53 bookstores 54 poetry 55 people who have nice senses of humor 56 walking along the waterfront 57 the apple tasting at Portland Nursery 58 finding something I’ve lost 59 long car rides 60 singing along to tapes 61 when J calls me 62 when my friends are happy 63 peaches 64 picking raspberries 65 good memories 66 tea parties 67 love » BELLAGRACEMAGAZINE.COM

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68 weirdness 69 lullabyes 70 lemon drops 71 fountains 72 when the leaves change colors in the fall 73 talking on the phone 74 Halloween 75 storms 76 train rides 77 giving people presents 78 wood stoves 79 collecting shells and rocks at the beach 80 sun shining on water 81 shadows 82 jumping waves at the beach 83 fuzzy caterpillars 84 strawberry crepes 85 little produce stands 86 roller skates 87 the theme from Reading Rainbow 88 moonstones 89 Pez 90 jeans that fit 91 thunder 92 people-watching 93 swords 94 the smell of freshly cut grass 95 going to the zoo with M 96 Crispin Glover 97 gargoyles 98 miniatures 99 going to Seattle 100 wildflowers

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NOW

1 the perfect song for my mood 2 Oregon strawberries 3 long conversations 4 my family 5 chai tea lattes 6 thunderstorms 7 fictional crushes 8 cemeteries 9 soap bubbles 10 roller-skating 11 dancing 12 Studio Ghibli films 13 neighborhood walks 14 playlists on my iPod 15 the hollow wooden apple with a little tea set inside handed down to me 16 picnics 17 the smell of bread baking 18 a blanket warm from the dryer 19 a fire in the fireplace 20 frog song 21 crescent moons 22 full moons 23 painted toenails 24 really good coffee 25 going out for brunch 26 Halloween decorations 27 pink peonies 28 kissing my cat’s head 29 feeling understood 30 being creative 31 twinkle lights 32 dresses that twirl 33 hula hooping 34 “ The Princess Bride” 35 art classes 36 journaling »

Ben Moore

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37 dreaming of travel 38 leaf shadows on a wall 39 bleeding heart flowers 40 chocolate 41 things from my childhood 42 inspiring quotations 43 good hair days 44 holding hands 45 inside jokes 46 live music 47 books 48 kids’ art 49 all the cats, ever 50 bookstores 51 new art supplies 52 flirting 53 taking pictures 54 memories 55 swing sets 56 being near the ocean 57 barn owls 58 bats 59 Christmastime 60 snow days 61 baking 62 watching E skate 63 watching Z dance 64 snail mail letters 65 staying in touch with the people I care about 66 decorating my home 67 libraries 68 playing records 69 discovering a new book or song 70 laughing 71 sunlight on my face 72 dresses and tall boots

73 light sparkling on water 74 fairy tales 75 sleeping in 76 craft bazaars 77 pretty clothes 78 mascara 79 the start of a new season 80 a perfectly ripe peach 81 wisteria 82 interesting blogs 83 time with friends 84 the words “I love you” 85 a ladybug on my hand 86 spotting tiny snakes while on a hike 87 n oticing beautiful moments while they’re happening 88 the sound of rain 89 having a reliable car 90 Anne of Green Gables 91 YouTube videos 92 framed photos of family 93 sunrises 94 mementos from the past 95 unhurried mornings 96 natural light 97 snuggling with a kitty 98 honoring the memories of those I’ve lost 99 dandelions 100 spending time with my mom

Kelly Bentley is an introvert who connects with the world in a quiet way through art and words and her sense of wonder. She welcomes email at capturingwonder@outlook.com.

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I" am thankful that you are defiant of convention for convention’s sake … of sitting in chairs indoors, of books without heart, of lives without passion or adventure. I am thankful because these things tell me that you have not let the drowsy drone of Earth quell your newborn scream."

— REBECCA REYNOLDS

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@lredwillow LISA REDWILLOW

In the quietest moments when I bear my truths, looking deep within for stillness and peace, in theses moments I bring forth all that I carry through my photography.

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Words & Photographs

by Nikki Gardner

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I love summer. The wild sense of freedom it brings each season, regardless of age.

Remember that feeling you used to get on the last day of school? The one that made you feel like running a mile home bellowing a song you made up about summer being here. Those days of swimming, biking, reading, and adventuring that stretched out like one long rope of pink taffy you silently hope will never end.

Camping, fireworks, dance parties, and card games. I still love all of it. I love everything about it, including restless humid nights and sunburned shoulders. Jugs of sun tea, orange creamsicles, drive-in movies, weekends at the lake cottage, those moments you snap away and lock tight in your memory. Stacks of library books to read, homemade popsicles, sleeping out in the backyard, handwritten letters from friends near and far, time to dream and explore. Âť

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I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving summer, not even the unglamorous days when the humidity is so unbearable you can’t sleep and all you can manage to eat are cold frosty things, or when you stay out in the sun a little too long and you’re as red as a lobster and can’t stand to wear a stitch of cloth on your body, then the mosquitoes show up at your campout and bite your already tender skin on top of it all. Not even then will summer lose its charm.

Summer reminds us to see with eyes wide open, shoot into the sun, and lie under a canopy of stars. It reminds us how important it is to take time off.

Schedule afternoons out of the office, go on that much needed vacation, and find a way to fit that wild sense of freedom into your life every day. Ready, set, go.

Nikki Gardner is a Western Massachusetts-based fine art and lifestyle photographer. She is the creator behind Develop Your Photo Habit & Style, an e-course for photo lovers. You’ll often find her capturing food, people, places, and everything in between with her Hasselblad or Nikon. Nikki is a lover of film and digital, fog and sun, campers and motels, dinner parties and bonfires, picnics and diners, surf and snow. She is happiest traveling near and far with her camera, pen, and family in tow. Visit her online at artandlemons.com.

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Here are 20 ways to get your groove on: 1.

Mail a handwritten letter to a friend.

2. B uy a disposable camera and document a summer day.

3. Blow bubbles (gum or wands).

4. V isit a local art gallery or museum.

5. H ost a monochrome-themed dinner party, from food to decor.

6. R ead Twyla Tharp’s book “The Creative Habit.”

7. S targaze from the top of a parking lot or hill.

8. D ance to Deee Lite’s "Groove is in the Heart ” in a public spot.

9.

Sing at the top of your lungs in the car.

10.

Find a new route to a familiar place.

11. Listen to a song you love on repeat.

12. Walk in the rain.

13. Fill a room with your favorite scent.

14. Start a conversation with a stranger.

15. S tay in for the weekend with a classic book you’ve always wanted to read.

16. I nvite someone you admire on a lunch date.

17. W atch a live theater production held outside in the park.

18. F ilm a 15-second love note and send the video to someone special.

19. T ry something you’ve always wanted to experience.

20. T ake a spontaneous day trip to a nearby city or town you’d like to see.

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Nikki Lake

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Words, Photos & Prompt by Jennifer DeVille Catalano

There is a heap of papers balanced precariously on the kitchen counter. The mound of laundry looks like it grew exponentially during the night. Dishes seem to pile up faster than I can scrape them over the compost bin. Numerous bills need to be paid before late fines are incurred, like the ones I recently paid for a stack of overdue library books. No matter how often I scoop the litter boxes, the cats still manage to fill them up in record time. I feel something crunch underfoot, realizing my daughter has spilled her craft beads again. When I walk into the pantry to grab a new box of cereal, I discover that the cans and boxes have been rearranged, and my coffee maker is missing. The morning sunlight illuminates every crumb and speck of dust on the wood floors. Blankets of various sizes and colors are strewn about the living room. I could swear I wiped down the kitchen table the night before, and yet it looks like I haven’t done so in days. As I run a sponge across the wooden surface, I notice new dents and a peculiar blue sparkle in certain spots. This is not what I wanted to wake to, I think. I feel as though I’m starting the day at a disadvantage. I wish that just once, I could get ahead of the messes somehow. Then a surge of emotion somewhere between frustration and overwhelm begins filling my body. » 66

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I stop and close my eyes in order to feel rather than see. I allow the bright sunlight to shine on my face, warming it just enough to make my skin tingle. Then I start to listen. I detect the faint chirping of cardinals outside, barely audible above the clamor of hungry children and cats underfoot. The wind chimes hanging from the redbud tree in front of the house ring out from a gust of wind. They were a wedding gift, one that always touches a tender spot deep within me. It’s as if each note of the pentatonic scale connects with an invisible chamber of my heart, bringing me back to center. Then I start to hear new sounds. They are my own inner whispers, reminding me of what I want in this life.

When I open my eyes, the present comes rushing back at me. I’m acutely aware of the sights, sounds, and scents swirling about at that moment yet I don’t feel defeated by them anymore. I was only gone a few seconds, but that brief amount of time gave me just enough pause to view my surroundings from a slightly different perspective. This time, I’m able to detect a blessing behind each of the messes.

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ȯȯThat paper heap on the counter contains more than just bills; nestled in it are also cards from loved ones, magazines waiting to be savored, and artwork my daughter made especially for me. ȯȯAll the dirty clothes taking over the laundry room are signs of a family, which I had always hoped to have one day. ȯȯThe pile of dishes in the kitchen sink exists for good reason: My husband cooks wonderful meals every single day.

ȯȯThe overdue books; well, at least my fines did some good by supporting the local library financially. ȯȯCat litter boxes mean no fretting over whether I’ll get home in time to let a pet out. I’ll gladly scoop every day (sometimes more than once ) if it means I get to keep snuggling with cats that bring such loving energy into our home. ȯȯThat bead I stepped on is a reminder of my daughter’s creativity, and the countless necklaces and earrings her little preschooler hands have crafted for me.

ȯȯThe pantry rearrangement is due to the fact that my children love to play grocery store.

They gather their inventory, then set their plastic cash register on the lowest shelf; the perfect height for them. There is even a café in their pretend store, which explains why my coffee maker is on the floor, wedged in the corner. ȯȯThe reason I see all those dust particles and crumbs each morning is because beams of sunlight fllood the house, streaming through windows that are even bigger than I had wished for back when we were house-hunting. » BELLAGRACEMAGAZINE.COM

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ȯȯThe many blankets scattered about the living room are the result of family playtime after dinner. Of course there are sibling spats and tears sometimes, but that’s not all. There is also plenty of rolling, tickling, reading, fort-building, dancing, and role-playing that I know I will miss when my little ones grow older. ȯȯThe kitchen table is more than a mere piece of furniture. It’s a family artifact, marred by the children who have sat at it over the years. It happens to be the same table I grew up with, and it now bears evidence of my son learning to use a fork, and my daughter’s affinity for glitter glue, hence the unusual blue sheen on some areas.

I probably never will get ahead of the messes in my house. Perhaps keeping up with the laundry and the dishes will get a bit easier as my children mature and begin doing chores. By then, I suspect there will be different kinds of disorder to contend with. For now, I keep tuning into the sunlight, the chirping birds, and the notes of the wind chime floating through the air in waves.

They come and go, just like the piles of papers and the particles of dust. It’s all a cycle, I remind myself. And then I continue moving forward, trusting that there will be blessings to behold behind the future messes.

Jennifer DeVille Catalano is a wife, mother, writer, and photographer. She seeks light in everyday life and feels most at home in a field of wildflowers. Visit her on her personal blog, someplaceserendipitous.com, as well as the collaborative blogs, sheisthree.com and makingsofmotherhood.com.

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PROMPT

Be holding y o u r H i d d e n B l e s s i n g s Stand in your kitchen, office, or any room that is a challenge for you to keep tidy. Take note of the messes that bother you, then close your eyes. Sense the quality of the air around you. Is it warm or cool?

Can you feel the sun shining or a gentle breeze blowing through the window? Begin listening to the sounds in your midst, tuning in to those that bring you a sense of joy or a feeling of lightness. Some sounds may be close by, while others hum far in the distance. Allow yourself to release your frustration. When you notice that your energy has shifted, open your eyes. Revisit the messes around you, this time recognizing at least one blessing behind each. Make a list of the messes and their corresponding blessings below. Redo this exercise any time you feel frustrated or overwhelmed.

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Words by Kimberly Wilson Photograph by Lia Leslie

Every few months I toss aside my to-dos and crawl under the covers declaring it a “Bed day.” It’s my form of waving a white flag.

A bed day is anything from a few hours to an entire day spent in bed with no agenda.

Poet Audre Lorde said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

I believe bed day to be the ultimate form of self-preservation.

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Here’s what you need to make the perfect bed day 1. Soft linens 2. Multiple pillows 3. A deep desire to slow down 4. A chunk of time 5. Layers of comfy clothing 6. A mason jar filled with water and a slice of cucumber 7. A closed door 8. A journal 9. An assortment of pens 10. A thermos filled with hot tea 11. A pile of books 12. Candles 13. Twinkle lights 14. An eye pillow 15. Earplugs 16. Linen spray 17. Lip balm 18. Savory snacks (raw almonds, kale chips, roasted rosemary chickpeas, hummus and veggies, chia pudding) 19. A furry friend (optional) 20. Lavender oil to dab on your temples Begin the experience with a luxurious soak in the tub. Add a splash of sweet almond oil and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Top with a face or hair mask, then saunter into your bedroom to exhale. You deserve it.

And your soul will thank you. Deeply.

Kimberly Wilson is a writer, creative entrepreneur, and artist currently obsessed with pigs, glitter, and all things French. She is the author of numerous books. Find her online at kimberlywilson.com.

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Words & Photographs by Miriam Boleyn-Fitzgerald

g to tell us, ing in a cold clinical office is goin Here’s the shiny secret nobody sitt e. It is, in enc themselves: it is not a death sent unless they have lived with cancer g to wake goin is how long we get to live, cancer fact, quite the opposite. No matter us up to life.

My husband’s cancer has taught me that there are two kinds of uncertainty in this raw, wild life. The first is the kind with which we always live, the kind we spend most of our time pretending doesn’t exist. The Buddha called this habitual blindness a “dream” — a dream in which our imaginary, unchanging self is the star of the show and gets really good at pretending it will always exist, and that if it just clings to what it wants hard enough, it gets to write its own happy ending.

Then there’s the kind of uncertainty that won’t let you pretend anymore, the kind that won’t let you forget the vulnerability of everything — everyone — you love. It is the kind of uncertainty you go to sleep thinking about, wake up thinking about, and in between you dream about. And sometimes when I’m dreaming, Patrick is the one whose life needs saving; other times, I’m the one with cancer.

And then there are the dreams where it’s all mixed up somewhere in the middle, and I don’t know which one of us is in the most immediate danger.

We are both just holding onto life as hard as we can. It’s not his life or mine; it’s just life, all tangled up between us, and we both have to find a way to keep living it — for ourselves and especially for our sons. »

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In one of my “cancer dreams,” as Patrick has taken to calling them, our situation is clear. We have both been diagnosed with cancer, but I am definitely supposed to die first. I am at my college reunion without long to live, and I am there to say goodbye. A dear old friend asks me, “But aren’t you relieved, at least, that you get to be the one to go first?”

I know exactly what she means, because she is speaking for the part of me — the notespecially brave part — that would be relieved, because I can’t begin to imagine how I would live this life without Patrick. I have spent the last 20 years — nearly half my life — with his brilliant and beautiful soul. He is the most compassionate, gentle, loyal man I’ve ever known, which is why I took one look in his steady blue eyes and asked the universe if he could please be mine.

Friends have called our past few months an “emotional roller coaster.” Patrick and I joke that it’s more like a whole theme park. Personally, I think of it as one of those ancient places on the Jersey shore where I used to vacation as a kid, with the roller coasters that are so weathered by sand and wind and water and time that they might send you plummeting into the ocean at any second, but you keep getting on the next ride anyway — and the next, and the next — because you think it’s all that’s left to do once you punch your ticket and enter the gates of Cape Cancer. When you are first told that the disease has mutated and spread, you think all that’s left for the rest of your life is to be poked, prodded, scanned, and led to the next waiting room, all in the hopes that the next test — or the next, or the next — will be the definitive one, the one providing better answers, better news, compelling reasons for hope.

But the truth is, it’s not a death sentence. Life will be full of tests and treatments and waiting, but is going to become a crash course in living “like your hair is on fire,” as the Zen proverb goes. When you or your best friend gets diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, it is like the biggest, loudest, mindfulness bell you’ll ever hear in your life. It is the bullhorn of mindfulness bells, and it has blasted me awake to the reality that we all need to treat each other like we have a terminal condition, because we do. We are all riding this crazy ride together, and though it may be completely and painfully out of our control sometimes, we still have choices. We can choose to close our eyes and keep pretending that everything we love isn’t excruciatingly mortal, or we can throw our arms in the air, scream at the insanity of our precarious human condition, and start really paying attention to each other. Because every morning that I get to wake up next to Patrick is a gift. Every morning that the boys get to hug him and feel him hug them back is a gift. And that will be true for the rest of our lives, even though right now waking up means remembering the cancer is not a dream.

Miriam Boleyn-Fitzgerald is the author of “Pictures of the Mind” (FT Press, 2010). She lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she is working on a collection of stories about learning mindfulness from her two strictest (and sweetest) meditation teachers, her sons. Her author pages can be found at amazon.com and ftpress.com.

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Good Vibrations Images 78

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58 1. “ It’s a Beautiful Morning” by The Rascals. It NEVER FAILS to start my day smiling with a NEW ATTITUDE. — Kim Collister 2. “ Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon. Even after getting disappointing news or being in a bad mood, just hearing it come on can put a smile on my face.

— Heather Huff 3. “ Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. My hubby will put it on and I will come from WHATEVER corner of the house I am in and we will get our GROOVE on. I always have a SMILE on my face after.

— Vickie Kammerer 4. “ So Happy Together” by The Turtles. No matter what mood I’m in, that song will always calm me down and put a smile in my heart even if it doesn’t reach all the way to my face.

— Andrea Wright 5. “ SPEAK LIFE” BY TOBYMAC. — Maggie Goodman Russell 6. “ My Girl” by The Temptations. My husband SINGS THIS SONG to me every once in a while and it makes me smile and feel so LOVED by him even on the WORST days.

— Sierra Tiegs Pearson 7. “ This Life” by MercyMe. My foot starts stomping, my heart starts pounding, the windows go down, and I blare it from my tiny little yellow Fiat.

— Trisha Hunter-Merrill 8. “ Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. The lyrics are always so REFRESHING, and they REMIND me that I’m the only one responsible for my happiness. Every day I wake up, I choose my own STORY. — Jennifer Podesta

9. “ Same Power” by Jeremy Camp. Last year I went through a period when fear was holding me back from doing activities that gave me great joy. The first time I heard the song it became my anthem and I would sing it out loud when my unrealistic fear tried to hold me back from living a joyful life.

— Donna Wagner 10. “ Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay. A line in the lyrics really stands out to me: “We are diamonds taking shape.” It reminds me that I am always growing, being, and becoming my BEST SELF. Besides that, the melody makes me want to dance and sing and shout ALL AROUND the house.

— Tina Grady 11. “ Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol. It never ceases to warm my heart and make me smile. “I need your grace to remind me to find my own …” Sigh.

— Tamera Turner 12. “ Somewhere Over the Rainbow” sung by anyone.

A lovely young man sang this with a UKULELE at my mom’s bedside in hospice and it made her so happy and CALM that we had him come to her memorial service and sing it there. It will always remind me of the beauty of her life and the pain of losing her, but. most of all, when I hear the song I am reminded how very much something like that can put our souls at EASE. It’s truly a gift.

— Janet Farkas Haller 13. “ Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison. It ALWAYS makes me STOP what I’m doing and transports me to a DREAMIER place. » — Tracy Knight MacDonald

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14. “ One Girl Revolution” by Superchick. It’s empowering and upbeat, and I’m ready to be the warrior goddess I know I am when I hear it.

— Tricia Maniaci 15. “ New Soul” by Yael Naim. It never fails to put a smile in my HEART and on my FACE. It amazes me how songs can have their unique affects on different people, tailored according to MEMORIES of the time and PLACE of where and when we listen to the songs. This one always immediately brings me back to past SUMMERS of long road trips and stopovers, backyard barbecues, or just LOUNGING outdoors with a book and a frozen margarita.

— Clarisse Pastor-Medina 16. “ Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys. It transports me to Labor Day weekends in the mid-’70s when my dad would bring the family to celebrate my birthday at the Canadian National Exhibition for their annual concert.

— Lee Currie 17.

A ny Neil Diamond song will do it for me. He LIGHTS up the room and lights up my LIFE. His voice is amazing. It’s as if you’re right there at his concert.

— Rita Taylor

18. “ Groove is in the Heart” by Deee-Lite. It reminds me of dancing in the clubs in Boston with my friend Kelly when we were young and carefree.

— Christine Rosati-Dalton 19. “ Hotel California” by The Eagles. I CRANK it up and sing ALONG every time it’s on. 1976 was a tragic year in my life, but there’s something about that song that doesn’t remind me of that. It reminds me of REUNITING with my best friend that summer after having moved halfway across the country.

— Claudia Lauro 20. “ My Church” by Maren Morris. No matter where I am when I hear it, it finds me singing at the top of my lungs, and when it’s over I feel filled up.

— Beth McWilliams 21. “ Keep Your Heart Young” by Brandi Carlile. Its UPBEAT tune and FUN lyrics make me smile, sing, and remind myself not to adult too HARD. — Avery Knott 22. “ Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves or “We Built This City” by Jefferson Starship. They both lift my spirits NO MATTER WHAT. — Diana Ficik 23. “ Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver. It never fails to lift my spirits and I’ve been known to sing it as I’m driving along mountain roads.

— Donna Mainer Lee 80

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24. “ Give It Up or Let me Go” by The Dixie Chicks. It’s a POST-Thelma and Louise kind of ANTHEM for my best friend and I. The song immediately puts me under a WILD and FREE Texas sky.

— Brandi Myers 25. “ Pooh Corner” by Kenny Loggins. I giggle all over. I am transported to the Hundred-Acre Woods having a bubbling picnic with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Christopher Robin. We share honey, and toast that’s cut in half and dripping with rich butter. The taste of chilled hibiscus tea lingers on our taste buds.

— Patricia Ann Smith 26. “ I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston. It’s all about getting on the floor and CELEBRATING. There is an ENERGY and happiness to this song that fills you with possibility and a LOVE for all the fun and HEART that exists in this life.

— Christie Leigh Babirad 27. “ Love Shack” by The B-52’s. It takes me back to high school and hanging out with my friends.

— Donna Roberts Bell 28. “ Love is My Religion” by Ziggy Marley. It REMINDS me to RETURN to a heart-centric practice of loving people and myself regardless of circumstances, challenges, and DIFFERENCES. — Sheniz Janmohamed 29. “ This Day” by The Gilded Lilies. It’s the kind of song that reminds me of my inner strength.

— Karin Chen 30. “ Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac. When things get ROUGH, it reminds me that I am ENOUGH. Plus, it has a killer MANDOLIN riff at the end.

— Summer Warner 31. “ Balls” by Elizabeth Cook. It always makes me FEEL better and REALIZE I should be PROUD of myself for all that I do.

— Nicola Dent 32. “ Low” by T-Pain. It just makes me want to move it!

It’s my jam despite being 53. “Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur …” Yup, it’s just great!

— Sandi Wojtelwicz Freeman 33. “ Knights in White Satin” by The Moody Blues. One of my earliest memories is singing this with my dad while he played on his acoustic guitar.

— Suzanne Aubery Robbins 34. “ Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson. I hear the RAIN TRICKLING in the background and start smiling before the first STRUM on his guitar.

— Janee Spencer

35. “ Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson. It comes on the radio and I am instantly DRIVING down the street SINGING at the top of my lungs with a HEART full of gratitude because after all the challenges, I’m still HERE. — Hannah Shaw

47. “ Happy” by Pharrell Williams. It reminds me of sitting on a BOAT coming back from the Bahamas.

Everyone was singing and CLAPPING and it was awesome.

— Caz Sultz

36. “ Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Every time I hear it, it makes me want to dance and go on a road trip. After all, what’s not to love in a song about home — no matter where home may be?

— Elizabeth Robertson Waggoner

48. “ Pencil Full of Lead” by Paolo Nutini. It’s nothing but pure joy — it was our first dance at our wedding too.

— Paige Leigh Reist

37. “ BOOT SCOOTIN’ BOOGIE” by Brooks & Dunn.

It makes me want to get up and DANCE. — Barb Hughes

49. “ Time is Running” Out by Muse. It introduced me to my FAVORITE band, and it was the first thing my husband I talked about online. A lot of GREAT things came from that song.

— Ash Huntley

38. “ You Should be Dancing” by The Bee Gees. BEST BOOGIE SONG EVER. — Amy Jane Stewart

50. “ Sweetest Devotion” by Adele. The BEAT is just so full of love and HAPPINESS. — instagram.com/nsd_1908

39. “ Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show. It STOPS me dead in my TRACKS and makes me SMILE. — Jennifer Baggerly Milligan

51. “ Sunshine and Summertime” by Faith Hill. It always has the ability to take me out of the place I’m in and into somewhere by the ocean with friends, roller skating, swimming, or driving down PCH with the windows down and the music up.

— Cianna Nicole

40. “ Bright Side of the Road” by Van Morrison. It was playing when my son was born. My husband and I went through a really rough time and the lyrics sum up our journey. We made it from the dark end of the street to the bright side of the road.

— Amber Lopez-Augustine 41. “ Celebration” by Secret Garden. It’s the EPITOME of joy.

I turn it up as LOUD as my speakers can handle.

— Patti Nepean 42. “ What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. It’s my mom’s favorite song, so it makes me think of her. In addition to that, it highlights all the wonderful little things there are to appreciate about life. I find that I always feel more thankful after listening to it.

— Annie Azevedo 43. “ My Girl” by The Temptations. I MADE up my own little RENDITION when my daughter was a toddler and sang it to her often. To this DAY it still gives her a smile WHENEVER she hears it.

— Leijun Campbell 44. “ Sunlight” by Jesse Colin Young. It never fails to remind me of sitting in my dorm room on my Indian-print-covered bed, air plants on the windowsill, Love’s Fresh Lemon on my dresser, and feeling like the world was my oyster.

— instagram.com/_thehouseonthehill_ 45. “ Anchor” or “All the Pennies” by Mindy Gledhill. Her songs all capture the joy of a simple love-filled life.

— Caitlin Mallery 46. “ Listen to the Music” by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS. — Celeste Beaute

52. “ Just the Way You Are” by BILLY JOEL. My husband and I walked down the aisle to it.

— Jenn Granzin 53. “ Dream On” by Aerosmith. Especially close to springtime. It makes me happy and want to get outside as well as work on art and just fly. In the late ’80s it was always playing on my Walkman when walking home from high school.

— Tracy Hines 54. “ Home” by Phillip Phillips. My husband always plays it for me when I feel like THINGS are getting hard.

— Kristen Caudillo 55. “ These are Days” by 10,000 Maniacs. I ALWAYS play it in my CAR on the first warm spring day with the windows down. It’s pure JOY. — Donda Walke 56. “ Mountain Sound” by Of Monsters & Men. It’s about ESCAPING, meeting new people, and going where your problems are SMALL in comparison. I’ll drive, sing, and feel like that’s exactly where I’m going.

— Natalie Graves 57. “ Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae. I can’t help but want to put on a flowy dress and dance.

— Robin Zachery 58. “ Sunlight” by Jesse Colin Young. SUNLIGHT may be my FAVORITE thing. It just makes me so happy.

— instagram.com/nerdielittlebirdie/ BELLAGRACEMAGAZINE.COM

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PROMPT

Yo ur H ap p y Mi xta p e Create your own mixtape of happiness here. Take it one step further and make it a playlist on your iPod! A

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The

Green ROOM Words & Photographs

by Heather Murray

As a kid, I never had a big garden in my yard. My parents kept our yard quite trim, and our trees and shrubs were usually flowerless most of the year. Sometimes my mom would go to the flower market down the road once everything was on sale and buy whatever not-too-shabby flowers were left to hang on our porch. I never gave much thought to flowers or plants. They didn’t seem entirely beneficial to my life.

Fast-forward to my first college dorm.

Everything in it felt extremely alien and unfamiliar to me, with each wall sporting an item we had bought from IKEA specifically for this dorm. I had no bedding from my old room, none of my own lamps or picture frames. I used to sit on my much-too-high bed and feel slightly uncomfortable when I looked at my room. It felt like the reflection of an average dorm room of an average college student, but not a reflection of me or my life. Âť

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I was walking down the street one day about five minutes from my school when I saw a tiny little stand full of plants and flowers. It had a sign that said “Flower Café.” I crossed the street, and the closer I got to the stand the more my heart started racing. They had cut flowers, potted plants, succulents, daisies … even sunflowers. I took what little money I had, bought myself one single succulent (seeing as they were all the rage), and asked the salesperson repeatedly how I could effectively keep the little plant alive. I was assured that it would be very difficult to kill, and that I just had to water it whenever its soil had gone dry. Into my room it went, positioned on my desk where it could get some light.

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This started a chain reaction. Suddenly, I was buying plants at IKEA, hanging plants from the floral section of the grocery store, and even stealing flowers from my mother’s wedding shop to stick into tiny vases.

The way the plants brought life to my living space made me feel more alive. It inspired me to paint and listen to new music and, ultimately, it inspired me to find out what it was that I personally loved. Âť BELLAGRACEMAGAZINE.COM

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My friends started to laugh at me because everywhere I went I was looking for another plant, and I ended up lugging armfuls of them home. I started going to garden shows, nurseries, and succulent farms. I wanted to learn all about flowers, like what light was best for them and where they were found.

What started as a decorating technique turned into an exciting passion. Now, it’s become a little routine for me in each coming season to go out to flower shops and gardens and explore what plants I want to welcome into my home.

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When people in my life tell me they don’t feel inspired or they’re run-down and creatively exhausted, I recommend introducing some fresh plants into their lifestyle to see how it can open up their headspace and potentially even give them a new hobby to fall in love with.

Visit Heather Murray online at heathermoors.wordpress.com.

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Words & Photographs

by Paige Leigh Reist I love my coffee black. I love it with cream, I love it Vietnamese style, I love it hot and cold, spiced and milky. I may be a one-cup-a-day kind of gal, but that one cup is my most sacred morning ritual. There’s nothing more intoxicating than the earthy smell of freshly roasted beans, pulsed in a burr grinder seconds before brewing. One of my favorite days from my honeymoon in Bali involved a trip to a local roaster and a thick, sweet cup of kopi luwak, the beans harvested from the droppings of wild civets.

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There’s a pretty pervasive narrative out there that extols those of us who take our coffee black. But sometimes you just don’t have the best craft beans on hand, or you’re feeling something creamy and sweet, or you just want a change. There’s no shame in experimenting with your morning brew, and your status as a “cool person” doesn’t hinge on how you take your coffee. Of course, I would never disrespect a truly amazing cup of coffee by drowning it in sugar and cream, but we live in the real world, where sometimes we buy and drink the crappy stuff. Besides, it’s fun to experiment. I highly encourage play in all areas of life, especially in the kitchen. Here are some of my favorite ways to kick up an otherwise mediocre brew!

Butter

As unusual as it sounds, a tablespoon of butter in coffee makes for a nourishing and delicious potion that will keep you going all day. Make sure to use unsalted, grass-fed butter to reap all the benefits of your daily dose of vitamin K and those healthy omega-3 fatty acids!

Lavender + Condensed Milk

Sweet, floral, and completely unique, this magical concoction will make you feel like Queen Titania herself. Add a pinch of lavender to your coffee grounds before brewing, and stir in a tablespoon of condensed milk once your cup is brewed.

Salt + Maple Syrup

A conservative pinch of salt in any pot of coffee will do wonders to counteract bitterness. Pair it with a spoonful of Grade B maple syrup (more flavorful than Grade A) for a woodsy, robust treat.

Cardamom + Rosewater

A traditional Middle Eastern brew, coffee with cardamom is smoky, smooth, and rich. Add a cracked cardamom pod to your coffee grounds before brewing and a tablespoon of rosewater to finish off this luxurious cup.

Paige Leigh Reist is the writer, photographer, and creatrix behind The Wholesome Handbook, a lifestyle blog about soulful living, wild grace, and finding inspiration in the humblest of places. She lives in the prairies of Alberta, Canada, with her husband and 27 houseplants. She can also be found on Instagram (@thewholesomehandbook).

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Words by Makayla Samountry Photograph by Leon Biss

• Always carry a spare.

• Read the tags on nice clothes before

washing them.

• Eat a good breakfast every morning.

• Milk goes bad if it’s left out.

• You can’t change the way boys act.

• Microwaving leftovers will lead to soggy results.

• Vaseline will make it better.

• Less is always more.

• It’s OK to say no.

• You are the most important person in your world.

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• Your body’s not going to look like this forever, take care of it.

• You don’t have to live like this.

• It’s OK to cry; breathe and count to 10.

• Rain will make the flowers grow.

• Bread needs time to rise.

• We are not mind readers; tell us what you’re thinking.

a lot of questions.

• Let the dead be dead.

• Put your hand on your heart; you feel that? It’s beating.

• It’s OK to say no.

• Enjoy this moment.

• Ask questions,

• If you never ask, the answer will always be no.

• It’s OK to say no.

• Scholarships are always available.

Makayla Samountry, a Minneapolis native, is currently studying English at a teeny college in Ohio. She creates original content and shares her writing through visual poetry on her YouTube Channel, makaylasamountry. She can be found buried deep within Tumblr or a stack of good books.

• Addictions are addictive — really.

• People change with time.

• Push your limits but set boundaries.

• Accept change as it comes, and embrace change as it goes.

• If it doesn’t taste good, just add salt.

• It’s OK not to be OK. • Remember to take

yourself often.

care of

• Your body wants you alive even when you don’t want to be.

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“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

— John Lubbock

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Brianna Morrison

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++++ r e mm u S Celebrate

Words, Photos & Prompt by Jennifer DeVille Catalano

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1. the song of the cicadas

12. bicycling down country roads

3. homegrown tomatoes

14. watching a good thunderstorm

5. picking blueberries for breakfast

16. the cheerful chatter of songbirds

2. lovely lavender in bloom 4. sour cherry pie

13. pedal boating on the pond

15. the familiar scent of sunscreen

6. smiling at the sunflowers

17. wearing swimsuits and sundresses

8. bare feet in the grass

19. up to 15 hours of daylight

7. zinnias in a rainbow of colors 9. running through the sprinkler

10. enjoying meals outdoors

11. firefly shows at night

18. windows open all night long

20. making flower mandalas

21. a sky full of glimmering stars 22. crickets chirping at bedtime

Jennifer DeVille Catalano is a wife, mother, writer, and photographer. She seeks light in everyday life and feels most at home in a field of wildflowers. Visit her on her personal blog, someplaceserendipitous.com, as well as the collaborative blogs, sheisthree.com and makingsofmotherhood.com.

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PROMPT

S umm e r L ovi n g Nature graces us with distinct gifts and opportunities each season of the year, yet they can come and go unnoticed if we succumb to our busy daily schedules. However hectic life is right now, take some time to stop and appreciate the wonders of summertime where you live.

Make a list of 22 reasons why you love summer. Try to call on all five senses: sight, sound, scent, taste, and touch. If you’re struggling to fill in all of the blanks below (and even if you aren’t!), ask friends and family members to join you. Chances are, you’ll end up sharing some wonderful summer stories and memories in the process!

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music. e ov l I “ g coffee. in

n or m is usic For me, m agic+++. 's pure m It

e. od medicin o m to inhale it 's t It n a

w t s I ju od meal — o g a e ik l g is e one else.”

A g o od son om s h it w a bite e r a h s en h t and

otb — Hoda K

Kim Klassen

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@katelyn_now KATELYN KOSINSKI

Living a Bella Grace life is simplicity. It’s deep breaths. It’s being present. It’s waking with a grateful heart. It’s porch swings and daydreams. It’s laughter with an old friend. It’s a beach walk.

Living a Bella Grace life is peaceful, introspective, and full of joy.

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PROMPT

30

Things to Do This Summer

1.

W

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Put up some twinkle lights in your backyard.

9.

2.

10. Get a hot-pink pedicure.

3. Start a gratitude journal.

11.

4.

12. Find a pretty pitcher W and make sun tea.

5. Be a tourist in your own city.

13.

6.

14. Spend the day in

7. Go for a nighttime swim.

W

15.

8. Have an outdoor movie night.

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PROMPT

17. Send a postcard to

25. Play hooky from work W and head to the beach.

18.

26.

19. Run through the sprinkler.

27. Eat ice cream for dinner.

20.

28. Send yourself flowers.

21. Pick up a silly romance novel.

29.

22.

30.

a friend.

Just because.

23. Have a s’more - making competition.

W 24.

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Knitting LESSONS Words by Kylie Howell Photograph by Lisa RedWillow I learned to knit from a 93-year-old woman who has no eyesight but can still see better than anyone else I know.

I’ve always felt destined to knit. There is something about the way the needles sound when they click together while hard at work; it’s a metallic siren’s song that woos me.

When I walk into a knit shop, the colorful, textured balls of yarn may as well be priceless jewels — they make my heart quicken so.

In a bid to fulfill my destiny and learn to knit, I bought a beginner’s book to guide me. I quickly learned I am too short on patience to learn to knit from a book. My knitting project looked like a tangled maul of string instead of the scarf I tried to construct. I tossed the book in the back of the closet along with my dream of ever learning how to knit.

Until Dot.

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Dot’s blindness found her after an eye surgery gone wrong and an irreversible case of macular degeneration. But if you met Dot, you would never know she couldn’t see. She has a zest for life that surpasses the five senses.

When I first learned that Dot was an avid knitter, I jumped at the opportunity to ask her for lessons. She said she would try her hardest to pass along what she knew despite the fact that she couldn’t see. I sat close beside her — Dot cozy in her easy chair, me, perched on her flower-print ottoman — while she talked me through our knitting lessons in her soothing Southern accent.

“Pull the yarn over, pull the needle under, slip it off,” she coached. She took the knitting from my hands, ran her fingers over each stitch as if it were Braille, and told me what I needed to do to improve.

As we continued our lessons week after week, I realized what I needed even more than the knitting lessons was Dot’s love and nurturing. Knee-deep in the knits and purls, I was really being stitched up by Dot’s tenderness in all of the places aching inside of me that nobody else had ever been able to see before. I think that because she can’t physically see with her eyes, she instead sees with her heart. She was able to see the wounds I carried and kept veiled from the world, the wounds that left me feeling like I was unworthy or not enough. And she helped me heal.

Under Dot’s guidance I became a very proficient knitter, but more importantly, I learned to love myself. Dot showed me I am worthy and I am enough just as I am. And for that, I am grateful.

One afternoon, Dot called me out of the blue.

“Help!” she cried. “I’m stuck in my knitting and I can’t figure out what went wrong. I need your help.” This time it was me who coached her. I gently unraveled the mistake, and she continued knitting, now back on track.

As I drove home later that evening, I realized this is how we are all meant to live life. We weren’t made to hide our mistakes, but to instead reach out and ask for help from someone who can help us gently unravel our wrongdoings and continue on, back on track.

This year we joyfully celebrated Dot’s 96th birthday. Dot still knits every day of her life. Even better, she still lives each day with wonder, excitement, and passion. Her love for people goes beyond the superficial, because for her there is no superficial. Dot can only see with her heart, and it turns out that’s the best way of all to see.

Kylie Howell is a therapist turned life coach and writer who is passionate about helping women like you encounter freedom and growth for lives filled with authenticity, grace, and peace. She lives in Alabama with her sidekick, a Pomeranian named Bailey Cinderella. Come visit at graceandpeacecoaching.com.

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A Wisp of a Words & Photographs by Dawn Suzette Smith

Summer. She can be a wisp of a season that leaves you feeling as if you have just begun to become reacquainted as she bows off stage and fades into fall. It can feel as if she has passed before you have been able to fully relish in the warmth of her days, before you can truly soak yourself in the sparkling delight of her nights, or deeply drop into the cavalier nature of her lazy months dipped in sunlight.

Unless. Unless you take the little moments freely given to notice her minute details.

Regarding the warmth and sparkle of radiant fragments in the day. Soaking up the wonder waiting at the edge of the cracked sidewalk. Seeing the tiny worlds that carry on heedless of attention. Acknowledging the expanse of her breadth in time and beyond.

This is slowing down.

This is being observant.

This is noticing summer. Âť

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Watch a flower unfold to greet the day — see it turning to follow the life-giving sun.

Listen to water crash, lap, or trickle — remember that the body of water you see was made from distant clouds and falling raindrops.

Feel the warmth of the sun — acknowledge that the heat you feel took eight minutes to find you across the vastness of space.

Watch a spider build her intricate web — know she creates those remarkably strong, glistening strands within her brilliant body.

Wake early enough to watch the sunrise — see the scattered and reflected light from infinite particles bring those colors to your eyes.

Watch snowy white clouds dance freely across an expansive blue sky — think of how they were once confined to the limited borders of the oceans, lakes, and streams.

Watch a bird slice through the air far above you — appreciate the aeronautical feats performed with hollow bones and flexible feathers.

Walk through the dew-sparkled early morning grass — know that dew was pulled from the very air you breathe to join other water droplets that now sit shimmering at your feet.

Notice.

Notice summer before she fades into what is to come.

Dawn Suzette Smith is a writer, photographer, naturalist, and mother who is passionate about helping connect families with nature. She is a Californian living moments away from the ocean in beautiful Nova Scotia. Her book, “Whatever the Weather” (Roost Books, 2016), is available at booksellers everywhere. She blogs at mudpuddlestometeors.com.

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Late Morning

EARLY SUMMER

Words & Photograph by D Smith Kaich Jones

Pause.

Light and air.

I have paint on my fingers that won’t come off.

I am painting the floor, changing my mind daily about the color, about the paint, about why don’t I just move? And then I look out the windows and I remember. I open the doors and windows and june bugs make themselves at home, and also mosquitoes. I am sticky and sweaty and dirt is under my fingernails and my hair gets in the way and in the paint and the color is different over here in the corner where no sunlight reaches, and I am grateful I can see beyond it all. A table from the living room has been pushed to the bedroom, and I think it will stay. I like the emptiness left behind when we move things and I want to throw everything out, and then I don’t, and then I do. It’s a seesaw summer.

Visit D Smith Kaich Jones online at emmatree.com.

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“I’m going to

everything beautiful life make

around me

— that

will be my

.”

Donna M Hopkins

— Elsie de Wolf

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54

Ways to Spoil Ourselves

1. Really good iced coffee. My daughter is a barista and she brings home the best coffees, freshly ground. I brew them at home and keep a pitcher in the fridge.

— Brooke Bock 2. Pen and paper. I’m not a writer, but I have stashed these two necessities in drawers, between pages of books, and in old boxes for when I read an inspiring quote, need to jot down a reminder, or just my thoughts on paper. These notes are like little treasures when I find them a year or even several years later.

They’re reminders of both good and trying times.

— Anita Ramsey 3. Used books. I love perusing those for sale at my local library; it’s where treasures await.

— Leslee Andersen 4. Organic, locally grown ingredients.

Cooking is life and passion and creativity and peace and love for me.

There’s something about an early Saturday morning at the farmers market that brings peace and excitement to me.

— Cait Pomeroy 5. Bedding. Soft, plush fabrics, dreamy pillows, and flowers on the bedside.

It makes for a good night and a beautiful morning.

— Brandi Myers 6. Baths. One of life’s greatest luxuries for me is a purposefully drawn bubble bath. After a special shopping excursion to pick out the perfect bath salts or bubbles, and a special tea just for the occasion, I create and dedicate a space just for me where the demands of life are left on the other side of the bathroom door.

— Bev Rogan

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7. Lit candles and fresh roses from the garden on my mantle and the sound of Billie Holiday on vinyl drifting down the stairwell.

— Gigi Thibodeau 8. Wallflowers from Bath & Body Works. I love the fragrance that welcomes me when I walk through my front door at the end of my workday.

— Sharon Miller 9. Half-hour massages. I’m able to sneak away for these on my lunch break during work. It’s so wonderful to get the knots and tension out of my shoulders, back, and neck that I get from sitting at my computer all day. It was especially a treat while I was going through radiation treatments.

I’ll pinch pennies elsewhere so I can continue to indulge in these.

— Pam Miller 10. Coffee and a turkey cheddar croissant from a local coffee shop. Just about every day I leave for work with extra time to swing in, buy my goodies, sit in the parking lot at work, and take in the moment before work. It’s my happy place.

— Adriane Nielsen

11. A special tea that only comes out at Christmas from my favorite tea purveyors in Canada. As I can only get it once a year, I savor each and every cup, as I know it may be a long time before I can get it again.

— Laura Bastien 12. Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte. It’s an indulgence and a necessity. Smells can be uplifting and comforting; they can empower us and make us feel all is right.

One spray and I’m ready for my day.

— Anita Starkoff 13. Fresh flowers on the table in a lovely crystal vase.

They make me smile every time I pass by.

— Caz Sultz

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14. Fresh paper and journals, and a beautiful dip or fountain pen. Writing instruments that are art — what could be better?

— Elizabeth Robertson Waggoner 15. Tea. I love old favorites and new flavors. I prefer those that remind me of warm blankets and a barely there sunset.

— Brittany Almonaci 16. Espresso beans that I grind fresh each morning.

— April Milani 17. Painted toenails. I actually can’t stand them naked!

— Annalise Green 18. Decadent, rich coffee in my favorite cup and hydrangeas in the kitchen.

— Brenda Grace 19. Homemade pita bread with parmesan cheese and mayonnaise.

— Mary Underwood 20. A cast-iron clawfoot tub, and a cup of tea in the candlelight.

— Brooke Bock 21. Beautiful cotton sheets.

— Nicole Coulter 22. My eyelash curler.

— Kim Danielson 23. Postage stamps. No matter how technologically advanced we become, there’s nothing like sending out handwritten words of encouragement and brightening someone’s day when they receive pretty, personal mail.

— Amanda Mandigo 24. My journals. They hold my hopes, my dreams, my art, my photography, my future, my past … I could go on forever. I once took a class where the instructor said to buy beautiful journals and lovely supplies so you will be drawn to your journals. Best advice ever.

— Jennifer LeBlanc 25. A beautiful journal. I can’t get enough of clean, crisp pages and pretty pens. It helps clear my mind and know what’s in my heart.

— Leaca Young 26. Good socks.

— Alison Bradley 27. Delicious cheese. Even better: a cheese board with delectable cheeses and meats!

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28. Java chip ice cream.

— instagram.com/trishywishy91478 29. Real mail. Oh, there’s nothing like sending or receiving letters and cards, is there?

— Kennan Buck 30. Macadamia cookie flavored coffee.

— Tina Phillips Mulkey 31. Books in print. I love being able to hold the physical book, underline my favorite parts, dog-ear meaningful pages, get finger smudges and teardrops all over the text, and allow the binding to get rough around the edges from wear and tear.

— instagram.com/magsnanna 32. The Green Dream. It’s a fresh green drink made at my local food co-op. It costs $6 but it relieves me to know I’m getting a wholesome dose of leafy greens.

— Holly Zintel 33. The New York Times. The real-deal paper version.

— Melinda Sue 34. Mrs. Meyers scented dish soap. I have to do dishes by hand a couple times a day and the hot dishwater is almost like aromatherapy.

— Robin Craig 35. Lavender essential oil. It soothes and uplifts at the same time. A dab on the wrist … on a cotton ball, slipped beneath my pillow … in a facial mist before exercise … ahh, I’m transported to an undulating field of purple booms under a warm summer sun, with bees humming and a breeze in my face.

— Brenda Nuland 36. Coloring books. I can’t live without them and you can never have too many of them!

— Suzanne Walcher 37. An 8:30 bedtime. Everything in my world is put on hold so I can get a good night’s rest. It doesn’t cost me a cent, but without it I pay a high price the next day. I make rest a priority so I’m not a grumbling bear all day.

— instagram.com/glammandfabb 38. A collection of old-fashioned marbles in an old gumball machine. When the sunlight streams through them, magic happens.

— Karen Lee Cason 39. A towel warmer.

— instagram.com/paulateach

PROMPT 40. Wool socks. My terribly cold feet always appreciate a good pair of wool socks. I get a new pair every Christmas and it’s one of the things I look forward to the most. They say those with cold feet have the warmest hearts.

— instagram.com/giraffe1954/ 41. Enjoying a big bowl of chocolate ice cream while soaking in a candlelit bubble bath. That’s the best combination of hot and cold.

— instagram.com/socksnsandalsange 42. Vintage journals — Rachel Neal

Lit t le Luxuries Indulging in a luxury doesn’t have to break the bank. It’s sometimes a matter of re-thinking our spending habits and prioritizing investing in things we really love. What are some unnecessary purchases you make and how could you use that money to treat yourself?

43. Sweaters — Rachel Neal 44. Comfy blankets — Rachel Neal 45. White wine — Rachel Neal 46. Hazelnut lattes — Rachel Neal 47. Fresh flowers every day of the week.

— Rachel Neal 48. Getting my hair done. I always feel amazing after a fresh color, trim, and dry.

— Caitlin Shurilla 49. Orchids — Caitlin Shurilla 50. Soap. My favorite soaps are from a local farmer, made with goat milk and oats, but gosh, I love a luxurious French soap with a most romantic fragrance. I always seek soaps when I travel.

— instagram.com/prairiegirlstudio 51. A beautiful fountain pen, with a nib carved to perfection by hours of writing on a journal’s page.

— Kath Stewart 52. A monthly pedicure with a glitter topcoat.

— instagram.com/buffalo525 53. Scented candles and simple snippings of flowers and foliage that make a home feel beautiful.

— Cathy Pyle 54. Getting my hair blown out. I love having someone wash and massage my head. It’s so relaxing and luxurious.

— Robin Zachery

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e walked th e w r e m sum dusks of g n o l e h t “ In and of maple s t n e c s ugh reets thro t s n a b r u sub en.” g to happ in h t e m o s for , waiting s s a r g t u c

Jean Li

Millhouser — Steven

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Words & Photograph by Darlene Maciuba-Koppel Many times the simplest possession can be our greatest treasure.

After my mother passed on, my siblings and I gathered together to go through the inevitable but sad ritual of dividing her personal belongings. We all agreed that certain items, like the blue-patterned china dishes that my brother purchased for her during his Vietnam tour of duty, should go back to him. My younger brother wanted the porcelain birds that he gave her as a birthday present one year.

In the house, now hollow of her presence, we went through her possessions, object by object. The process was painful. Sometimes, we felt as if we were walking into secret rooms that we had no right to trespass.

Other times, we felt like greedy scavengers gathering up treasured bounty. Like many living siblings left behind, we squabbled over both small and big items: a Victorian lamp, a riding lawn mower. In the heat of the moment, we weren’t wise enough to realize that these material possessions were not as important as our relationships to each other. As the hours wore on, we stalled and we bargained — taking breaks on the front porch to cool off our hot tempers on that warm summer afternoon.

Near the end of the day, we came across a large yellow bowl hidden in the back of the kitchen cupboards. To any onlooker, it was nothing more than a mixing bowl with no matching pieces. But to us, and especially to me, the eldest daughter, the 30-year-old bowl held many poignant memories.

Every Christmas, my mother mixed her special chocolate-chip cookie recipe in that bowl. None of our relatives could figure out her secret of baking such soft, chewy cookies.

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wedding cakes, pineapple crescents studded with chopped walnuts, and Jumble cookies — a rich mixture of dates, coconut, candied red cherries, and walnuts.

During the summer, the yellow bowl took on a new role. In those sultry months, our family went on all-day Saturday trips to the beaches near our Buffalo, New York, home. The yellow bowl went along on those trips, too, filled with my mother’s homemade potato salad. It was one of my father’s first requests when a trip to the beach was planned.

As we grew into adults, the yellow bowl always found its way to the dining room table when we celebrated special family occasions and holidays. Slowly, the bowl began to be used less and less. Finally, it gathered dust and was left forgotten in the back of the cupboard. My mother was developing rheumatoid arthritis. Cookie baking and preparing family meals was becoming more difficult. She found it hard to move around much and ultimately couldn’t walk without support. She greeted her new wheelchair like an unwelcome guest. She would reminisce about the times she rushed around the kitchen and baking and cooking big meals. I found it hard to meet my mother’s eyes when she talked about those times.

So, that day, when I crawled back into the recesses of the cupboard and retrieved the yellow bowl, I knew this was one of her possessions I wanted. Oh, my siblings wanted the bowl too, but this was one of the times when being the oldest had its privileges.

Now during the Christmas holidays when I bake cookies, or make potato salad for the beach or a picnic, I feel a special presence surrounding me, enjoying the moment again. I’m cooking with my mom.

Darlene Maciuba-Koppel is a freelance writer, designer, and artist living in North Carolina.

She is most in flow when she is writing and/or creating art.

You can follow her artistic adventures and experiments at cinnamonpink.typepad.com.

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A SENSIBLE Words by Michelle Mach Photograph by Studio Firma My days burst with images: eucalyptus leaves posted by a friend learning to dye fabric, a tabby curled up in a bathroom sink, a bunch of rumpled kids grinning in front of a blue roller coaster.

I love them all, but there’s a danger in living by sight alone. Yes, images can spark daydreams, grand plans, and imagination, but they can also uncover self-doubt, loneliness, and stress. I’ve found the best cure is to leave my computer behind and reacquaint myself with my other four senses: Taste: I like samples at the downtown teashop, the Saturday farmers market, the big grocery store deli. Small, slow bites of new-to-you tidbits work best. It’s tempting to concentrate on warm croissants or melted chocolate if you’re feeling low, but sometimes your mouth needs the assault of a freshly roasted Hatch chile to wake up and feel alive.

Smell: Candles, lotions, and soaps pack a wallop of scent in small packages. I like it best when the smells are contained in jars or boxes so I can savor them one at a time: lavender, seaweed, fresh linen, black ale. Specialty spice stores with scents of cinnamon and smoked paprika always trigger happy memories of cooking and mealtimes.

Touch: Yarns shops overflow with soft skeins of alpaca, cotton, and cashmere. At garden centers, you can touch the soft, silvery green leaves of lamb’s ear or the rough bark of a beech tree. I like hardware stores, too, running my fingers across rustic tiles and plush carpets or thrusting them into a bin filled with tiny nuts and bolts.

Hearing: Like sight, my hearing can get overwrought with too much: explosions on TV, chatty podcasts, traffic honks and squeals, piped-in music in stores and coffee shops. I prefer outdoor sounds that change with the seasons: the crunch of dry leaves or icy snow underfoot or the rustle of the wind moving through the aspens.

Online I often feel guilty for not doing more in this rush-rush world.

Concentrating on one sense at a time — the whir of the espresso machine, the feel of the warm ceramic mug in my cold hand, the scent of dark-roasted coffee, the taste of the spoonful of milk swirled in — reminds me that sometimes being in the moment is enough.

Michelle Mach lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she enjoys seeing the occasional deer tramp through her backyard, even if they do munch on her tulips and hydrangeas. Learn more about Michelle including her 2016 weekly blog project inspired by award-winning children’s books at michellemach.com.

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PROMPT

In Touch With Your Senses As Michelle Mach has shared, sometimes the best way to regroup is to reacquaint yourself with your senses.

Give yourself a break from the day and consider what brings the most delight to each of your senses:

Touch:

Taste:

Hearing:

Smell:

Sight:

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Kellene Giloff

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The full moon rose in the eastern sky, and I sat on my patio with a glass of wine and a heart full of anger. Youthful

expectations I long held as my only possible destination never included the probability of arriving someplace unrecognizable. My life bore no resemblance to the one I imagined for myself 20 years before, yet the path of my life brought me to this moment, crying at the moon and pleading for a sign.

My lifelong desire to live in a vibrant city, with cafes and museums as close as friends, was a dream unmet. Instead, my home for the last two decades was a small town in the Ozark Mountains where the highlight of the year was a festival dedicated to crawfish. The unfulfilled plan to be a veteran international traveler was sadly illustrated by the expired passport stuffed under a stack of papers on my desk. And love?

A broken promise was sealed with divorce papers in a lock box and one toothbrush in the bathroom.

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Sierra Pruitt

Words by Rita Herrmann

Year after year I held onto dreams of city life, travel, a partner, and numerous others.

Each year I turned the page on another calendar with a promise that this year each would be achieved. I sat in the moonlight feeling utterly defeated as yet another year passed with unaccomplished dreams. I laughed, “What if it’s never any different than this?”

The words surprised me, like they were spoken by another voice. I sat up straight in my chair and said the words again.

“What if it’s never any different?” Upon the second utterance, the question seemed oddly comfortable. I repeated it again and again, each time less shocked by the words.

A well-spring of thoughts bubbled from a place in me I never previously considered.

The idea that these long-held dreams may never happen forced me to see my life from an alternate angle. If I simply scratched these items off the list, what would happen? In slow contemplation, I weighed the meaning of my existence if I never achieved any of them.

Would my life be wasted? Would my life have no purpose? Will I have been a failure? I sat quietly, slowly feeling myself unfurl at the re-examination of each goal, and felt a gentle push of clarity.

I walked to the stack of travel articles clipped from years of magazines and tossed them in the trash bin. I deleted the online real estate search saved in my Web browser for trendy houses in faraway cities where I hoped to relocate. I stopped reviewing all new men in my life as potential partners. Each goal I held so tightly was crossed off my list as if it were finished, and I began the transition of no longer forcing myself into a predefined box of self-constructed expectations.

Admittedly, with a significant lifelong process marked as complete, the subsequent void was deafening. If I did not think about travel or devise plans to move to a city, what would I do with my time? How would I use my mental energy if not for that? I questioned my actions from the moonlit night and seriously considered retrieving the magazines from the trash and scraping off the coffee grounds. I refrained when

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I began simply and subscribed to the event calendar for the local library and community theater. After attending a few lectures and an unexpectedly good performance of “The Sound of Music,” I discovered fulfillment had less to do with the perceived quality of the activity and everything to do with how I felt in the moment. Afternoon drives along back roads unveiled breathtaking vistas and quaint towns where I imagined myself a traveler from a distant land, where I viewed the landscape with new eyes.

The change in perception permitted me to experience my surroundings as the traveler I wished to be, and I focused on creating feelings of connectivity to the world and subsequent calmness within myself.

To feed the curiosity I had starved for years while waiting for my life to begin, I enrolled in classes and found myself captivated by photography, collage art, and weaving. Each experience unearthed a meditative quality from the creative process that surpassed the creative result.

Small-town festivals no longer triggered my annoyed eye-rolling when I allowed myself to experience the

simple goodness of sipping fresh-squeezed lemonade in the midday sun while browsing the varied works of regional artisans. I soon found that fully connecting with my surroundings was the dream I had pursued all those years, not necessarily a new zip code or a stamp in my passport.

The transition was not as easy as flipping a light switch, but I gradually became less bound to the old thoughts that no longer served me. As they fell away, the beauty of life surpassed my expectations. Although they initially fueled my curiosity, I allowed those longheld dreams to highjack my life and to become a yoke around my neck, impeding new experiences. The old ways distracted me from the abundance already present — the natural beauty of the mountains, a crisscross of back roads begging to be explored, and good friends who made me laugh. A full life waited for me, but when focused on living a different life, I failed to see the one I already had.

Today I sit on the same patio in the same backyard in the same small town. I have not renewed my passport, and only my slippers rest next to the bed. These facts of my life may never change. Now, I laugh at how long I held onto the old list with tight fingers and a narrow mind. To me has revealed contentment with who I am, right where I am. I learned to enjoy the simplicity of life in the country and no longer see city life as my only desire. The hundreds of miles of dirt roads nearby offer all the adventure I once believed could only be found under a foreign flag. I have become content with my own company and no longer pine for a dance partner. Without the dreams of the past anchoring me in thoughts where I could not grow, I now see everything else is possible.

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Forrest Cavale

allow old dreams to fall quiet does not make me a failure. To let go of expectations that no longer serve

Rita Herrmann lives in the Ozark Mountains with her two dogs. A lifelong writer, she’s learned to draw deep understanding from simple moments. A good road trip with a great playlist is how she rolls. Her core beliefs include singing randomly, laughing often, living simply, and learning to forgive. Visit her at ritaherrmann.com.

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PROMPT

The Best of Me It’s so easy to look at ourselves and see only flaws and imperfections, both inside and out. Sure, your nails may be chewed down to the quick, but what about those gorgeous blue eyes of yours? You might be a size bigger than you’d prefer, but what about your killer smile and beautiful heart?

Take the time to label the strengths you so often look right past.

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PROMPT

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Words by Christine Mason Miller “What if PLAY was introduced to every single task — every ‘have to’ and ‘next thing’? How would that transform your days and the days of everyone around you?”

— Mary Anne Radmacher

The messages are everywhere: Live your best life. Be present. Live with intention. Oprah built an empire with them along with loads of other artists, writers, speakers, teachers, and creative entrepreneurs. They are in books and magazines, on Instagram and Facebook.

Uplifting and inspiring, oftentimes presented against colorful backdrops of lotus blooms and rainbows, they are prompts meant to encourage us toward presence, intention, and joy.

But what do these messages really mean? Beyond a quick glance at these bite-sized platitudes as we run around hither and tither, how is it possible to put the ideas behind them into practice? What does it mean to “live with intention” in the midst of dirty dishes, to-do lists, and sinus infections — the stuff of day-to-day life? »

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For author, artist, and inspirational speaker Mary Anne Radmacher, it starts in the morning. “Before I leap into the day I spend time considering how I want to be in the day,” she says, “Only then will I deal with what I need to do.” It only takes a quick glimpse of Mary Anne’s website and her list of offerings on Amazon to see this philosophy and practice in all its full-color glory. With dozens of books, licensed products, courses, workshops, essays, and offerings, Mary Anne Radmacher is a testament to all that’s possible when a commitment is made to live with intention.

“The busyness of modernity has robbed our ordinariness — our laundry, errands, and whatnot — of its sense of intention,” explains Mary Anne. “And the idea of intention has been whipped up into something soft and vision board-ish. Intentions are not meant to be saved for special occasions or 22year plans. I see them as something akin to spiritual Doc Marten boots — sturdy enough that I’m able to trek confidently over whatever terrain I’m facing.”

I’ve known Mary Anne for a long time — and have worked with her too — and am here to tell you she’s the real deal. Her words, artwork, and distinctive lettering styles have won praise and fandom the world over, and I believe she has the devoted following she does precisely because she wraps every aspect of her life in focused, meaningful intentions. She does it when composing a blog entry, organizing a retreat, and designing a book, as well as when she is folding her laundry, buying groceries, or making a trip to the post office. She doesn’t aim to inspire others only when there’s a license contract involved; she does it wherever she goes. While interviewing her, Mary Anne told me a story:

“On a recent trip to the post office, I told an absolute stranger, ‘I love your shoes.’ Her face lit up, she got a huge smile on her face, and said, ‘Thank you. I love them too. And thank you for noticing!’ This, to me, is the point, because I think what she was really saying was, ‘Thank you for seeing me.’ I cannot control all the details of my days, but I can control the way I see, respond to, and engage with them. It is in those responses where transformation happens, which always starts with an intention.” »

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Even on the days that seem determined to send her positive intentions off the rails, Mary Anne has developed tried-and-true habits that enable her to gently move around any perceived obstacles like water, most of which don’t involve anything more than a pen and paper. She keeps her perspective in alignment with her intentions

using the same form of creative expression that has helped build her career: writing. “I write letters to whatever happens to be challenging me,” she explains. “After writing a letter, I then personify the challenge and write myself a response!” Curious to know more, I asked her to elaborate, and she told me another story: “As an author who became accustomed to earning a livelihood through my publishing royalties, I found the recent shifts in the publishing industry to be a financially destabilizing element in my overall business model. So I wrote a letter to temporary scarcity.

The response was astonishing — I was told I was looking at it incorrectly, that these changes were actually road signs pointing me toward a new and exciting direction. More importantly, I realized the most dependable aspect of my career is the fact that I love what I do. And then I got it: Whether in abundance or scarcity, when I am connected to my intentions my spirit is never empty.”

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Mary Anne is, by all outward appearances, a hugely successful artist. But her success is not merely quantitative or financial — it is a beautiful, multi-faceted reflection of the energy and light she gives the world wherever she goes. “My business model is to create in a way that fuels my spirit of creative discovery while also supporting the needs of my household. I believe the authenticity of what I create is evident, and that is why my business continues to flourish. My work is my play. My play is my work, and it is all prayer.”

These are Mary Anne’s words, and I believe her. Because I’ve seen her intentions in action, and I love the way she shines.

Christine Mason Miller is a Santa Barbara-based author and artist. You can follow her adventures at christinemasonmiller.com.

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How to Be the Center of

Your Own Flame

by Mary Anne Radmacher

Do more of what brings you joy

(and don’t apologize for it).

Be clear on what lights you up and gives you joy, and do it as much as possible.

Pick the rose you planted in your own soul so long ago.

Be accountable for your own “stuff.”

Giving anyone else the responsibility for the fire in your own soul is an invitation to chronic disappointment.

Be willing to dine alone.

Do the things you want to do. GO. Act on your impulses. Fulfill your own wants and wishes.

Give little space to the opinions of others.

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The less I care about what others might think of me, the more contented of a human being I become.

Emily Hopef

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Words by Emily Mariani Photograph by Kellene Giloff 1. Your alarm sound is important. Find a pleasant sound like little birds chirping. If your spouse wakes you up like mine does, request sweet words and feather touches on the arm. Absolutely no irritating, harsh alarm sounds or voices yelling, “Get up!” Nope, this has a zero-tolerance policy.

2. Enjoy that very first morning stretch. That is the best stretch of the day — pay attention to it.

3. Purchase a groovy toothbrush. Don’t go for plain. Make brushing teeth fun. If you love “Frozen” (admit it — we all do), get yourself an Elsa toothbrush. If you think you’re Iron Man then, by golly, get yourself a vibrating Iron Man toothbrush. No one has to know. Remember: We are simply children in a bigger shell.

4. Pick your coffee mug with care. Your mug of choice represents your mood. Artsy mug equals creative day.

5. You make lunches every single day. Practice mindfulness during this time. Smile.

Breathe. Find the beauty in the simple things. Write a note or an inspirational quote for your kids and secretly slip it into their lunch boxes.

6. Comparison is the thief of joy. Yes, your kids are still asleep. No, your son has NOT GOTTEN OUT OF THE SHOWER YET. Where is that darn shoe? Yes, you need a jacket. What? You left it at school … again? Do not get caught up in the mind game of how someone else’s kids are doing everything right or that Susie next door has it all together. Their lives are just as chaotic as yours. Relax. We are all crazy.

7. If your spouse takes the kids to school … stand outside (yes, even in the cold) and wave goodbye to them until they are completely out of sight. It’s the small things they’ll remember. Listen for the “I love you” honk. It will come eventually. All these acts of kindness add up and lift our spirits.

8. Studies show that coffee is actually good for you … get yourself another cup.

9. Embrace and enjoy the silence. Don’t turn the TV or radio on. Sit. Sip your coffee.

Actually taste your coffee. Breathe. Smile. This is your life and it is beautiful.

10. Open the blinds and let the sunshine in. Every day is a renewal, every morning a daily miracle. How blessed are we that we get to find magic in the humdrum, experience morning stretches and chaos and kids and gentle rubs from our loves and coffee cups and lunch boxes and school coats and desks and sunshine.

“Enjoy this life, friends. Every day you wake up is the opportunity to start fresh. Every day you wake up is a gift, a miracle. May you find tiny miracles and magic throughout your day today!”

— Gertrude Stein

Emily Mariani is a photographer, gallery owner, writer, painter, wife, and mother.

She believes in soulmates and finding the beauty and magic in the day to day.

Emily spends her days laughing and playing with her boys, cuddling with her love, and playing with the family bunny, Snowflake. She believes in making wishes on dandelions, watching the sunset, and the value of loving your loved ones to the fullest. You can visit Emily’s gallery at pixandpaints.etsy.com or on her photography website, emilymarianiphotography.com.

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PROMPT

Summer Reading List Each summer I looked forward to visiting the local library to sign up for the reading program. I loved getting a tote bag to hold all my books and crossing titles off my list as I finished them. Who said summer reading has to be just for kids? Buy yourself a fun tote bag and jot down your to-read list here.

Reward yourself for completing the list!

My Summer Reading List DATE

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RETURN BY

Johanna Love

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17 Eleanor Roosevelt Quotes to Live By Words & Photograph by Hayley Solano

On a Sunday morning not too long ago, I was sitting at the coffee table with a cup of tea and notebook, my heart feeling extra nostalgic. I never know what I’m going to end up writing about on Sunday mornings; all I’m sure of is that when my pen hits the paper, my heart opens instantly.

I decided to take a little trip down memory lane and wrote about cherished memories – magical moments I never want to forget. I remembered the songs I wrote at 2 a.m., the faces in audiences I’ve played to, the beautiful people I’ve met. I also recalled more difficult moments – the shaky hands on stage, silent prayers I said so I wouldn’t forget the lyrics, second guessing myself, and the introvert in me nearly terrified of unfamiliar situations I found myself in. As I recalled these moments of uncertainty, I stopped mid-sentence and jotted down these words:

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt

How beautiful: the notion that not only can anyone do what they think they cannot do, but that they must.

In moments of self-doubt, this simple thought has given me the gifts of

a blog about life’s ordinary magic

courage and reassurance. Upon jotting down that quote, my trip down memory lane took a turn. I found myself writing about Eleanor, realizing the heart of her wisdom and recalling what I’ve learned from her. The following are words fi lled with kindness, encouragement, and intelligence – fi lled with lessons that anyone can benefit from. I truly hope you fi nd as much solace and inspiration in them as I do:

1.

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

2.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

3.

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.”

4.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

5.

“Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes.”

6.

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”

7.

“We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it as not as dreadful as it appears, discovering that we have the strength to stare it down.”

8.

“I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.”

9.

“Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’”

10.

“Be confident, not certain.”

11.

“You not only have a right to be an individual.

You have a responsibility.”

12.

“With the new day comes new strength.”

13.

“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”

14.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

15.

“You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.”

16.

“You have to accept whatever comes, and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give.”

17.

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Stop by our new online home, Grace Notes – the Official Blog of Bella Grace Magazine, for more heartfelt posts about life’s beautiful journey. We also want to hear from you.

Leave comments to share your own tales about living with purpose and the beauty you find in your wild and precious life.

Visit Grace Notes at:

bellagracemagazine.com/blog

Submission Guidelines WANT TO BE A PART OF BELLA GRACE?

Bella Grace is a print publication devoted to discovering magic in the ordinary. Our aim is to touch the souls of our readers through beautifully penned stories and striking photographs that capture life’s beautiful adventure. Our publication is completely supported by submissions from our readers.

At Bella Grace, we believe that:

• Every cloud has a silver lining.

• An ordinary life can be an extraordinary life.

• There is beauty and magic to be found everywhere.

• It’s OK to embrace imperfection.

• Life should be lived with a full heart and open eyes.

Bella Grace is currently seeking submissions from writers and photographers who share these same beliefs.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Narratives We are currently looking for original narratives and poetry that focus on the idea that “Life is a beautiful adventure.”

Submitted work can be about simple pleasures, life lessons learned, slowing down, embracing your authentic self, and more. Written submissions can include accompanying photography, but we will also pair writers up with photographers if necessary.

Photography Picture submissions should capture the spirit of Bella Grace.

They should depict simple moments, bits of romance, feelings of happiness, etc. Photography can be submitted on its own and will be considered for use with narratives or as the background for some of the quotes featured throughout the book.

Lists Who doesn’t love making a great list? Creating lists can be a very effective and inspiring form of writing. They’re also incredibly fun to read! We aren’t looking for your grocery

Bella Grace is released on a quarterly basis. Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis, but submissions for specific issues much be received on or before these deadlines:

SUMMER ISSUE— DECEMBER 15 AUTUMN ISSUE — MARCH 15 WINTER ISSUE — JUNE 15 SPRING ISSUE — SEPTEMBER 15

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list, we’re looking for your life lists. A few ideas include 10 Ways to Turn a Day Around, 5 Times I Laughed Uncontrollably, and 15 Things I’d Tell My 15-Year-Old Self. Make it funny, make it sweet … the choice is yours.

Instagram Collections Who doesn’t love Instagram? As artists and creatives, it’s such a great way to beautifully share our days with others.

It also serves as a diary to help us document our days.

In each issue of Bella Grace we feature a few Instagram collections. We’re now opening this up to submissions!

All you need to do is send 15 images that you feel capture your Instagram and a statement about what living a Bella Grace life means to you to bellagrace@stampington.com.

If selected, you will need to provide high resolution images that can be printed at 5" x 5", 300 dpi.

IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED We are happy to receive general submissions, but in case you need a few ideas to get you started, we are also looking for responses (photographic or written or both) to the following prompts: Stories of Self-Love Most of us have our own bag of tricks we turn to when we need to show ourselves a little love and kindness. For our editor-in-chief, it’s a quiet night spent under her very favorite blanket and the first book in the Harry Potter series. It never fails to brighten her spirits. What is it you turn to? What’s your recipe for self-love? (Lists and narratives accepted.)

Small, Random Acts of Kindness It’s been said that you never know what another person might be going through, so it’s important to be kind with everyone. A small gesture, such as a flower placed on a car windshield or an anonymous note left for someone to find, can make a huge impact. For an upcoming issue of Bella Grace, we are hoping to gather as many ideas for committing random acts of kindness as we possibly can.

Furthermore, if you have a story to share about the impact an act of kindness has had on you, we’d love to hear it.

Super Sassy Bios One of the most challenging assignments can be to write a biography for yourself. No matter how short the requirement, the task can be daunting. While perusing blogs, we’ve spied some really clever bios, some so unique that we can’t help but feel we know that blogger. In 30 words or less, what can you say about yourself? Don’t be boring and follow the usual format. Make it fun and attention-grabbing.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS All digital submissions should be sent to bellagrace@stampington.com. Please note that if accepted for publication, photographs and illustrations will be needed as high-resolution images (300 dpi, at least 6" x 6"). It is imperative that they are saved in the proper manner in order for our graphic designers to work with them. If you use a digital camera, check your settings before taking photos to ensure you are saving the best-quality images possible. If you cannot provide large enough photos, we may not be able to print your photo, no matter how much we like it.

You may also send a CD with your high-resolution images or narratives to STAMPINGTON & COMPANY: Editor, Bella Grace 22992 Mill Creek, Suite B Laguna Hills, CA 92653 With all submissions, please include your name and mailing address. We need your mailing address so that we can send you a complimentary issue of the magazine in which your submission is published.

Failure to follow all submission requirements may result in your work not being considered.

Sometimes, something submitted for one issue may be better suited for an upcoming issue. Other times, submissions are forwarded for consideration to the editors of our sister publications. For these reasons we may hold your sample for an extended period of time — 9–12 months is common. In the meantime, if you move, please send a postcard or email to the editor with your new address.

All samples, queries, and correspondence should be sent to the Editor, Bella Grace, 22992 Mill Creek, Suite B, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. The editor also welcomes brief email queries: bellagrace@stampington.com. Should your submission be selected, you will be notified by the editor. No telephone calls, please.

Stampington & Company only accepts original submissions for publication consideration. All images used in submissions must be copyright free. Any techniques featured in submissions that are not the artist’s own must be attributed to the proper instructor, book, artist, workshop, etc. It is the responsibility of the submitting artist to ensure that no copyright infringement has occurred and that all submitted work is their own.

Stampington & Company will not accept simultaneous submissions. While your work is under consideration we ask that you do not submit the same idea to competing Web or print publishers. Likewise, artwork that has already been featured in other competing publications or sites will not be accepted.

Publishing on your personal blog is permitted, but we ask that you adhere to our reproduction guidelines. Any questions can be directed to our editorial staff.

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Mingle Magazine

Willow and Sage

Artful Blogging

Where Women Cook

Tackling the Tiny Tube

by Christen Hammons

Rustic Burlap Succulent Favors Artful Blogging

Beautiful things and more ordinary magic ‌ Discover magazines, unique essentials, and free project ideas for living a more artful life at bellagracemagazine.com.

Life's a Beautiful Journey

We believe: An ordinary life can be extraordinary, there is beauty in imperfection, and that magic can be found in the everyday.

Let’s Continue the Conversation Explore more at: bellagracemagazine.com Follow Bella Grace on Twitter @BellaGraceMag Find Bella Grace on Instagram BellaGraceMagazine Like Bella Grace on Facebook facebook.com/bellagracemagazine Discover pin-worthy ideas and inspiration at pinterest.com/stampington

Exclusive Web Offer Get $2 off and receive free shipping & handling on Issue 9 —

available September 1st — only at bellagracemagazine.com.

Special offer expires 7/25/16.

Photo Credits: Johanna Love, Brianna Morrison, D Smith Kaich Jones, Angie Woldman, Daniel Kim, and Chris Zielecki.

Prepping for Print

MAC OR PC

PHOTO SHOP

Making sure your photos are large enough for the pages of Bella Grace

What you need to know: Computer screens and printed magazine pages have

Getting the Software

different requirements when it comes to image resolution. A photo that appears to be huge on your monitor, may in fact be only a couple of inches wide when printed on paper.

This is a good option if you already own Photoshop or Photoshop Elements; this program does not come standard and must be purchased, however it is widely regarded as the best photo-editing tool.

So how can you tell if your images are large enough?

Instructions

This guide will walk you through the process of converting your images to 300 pixels/ dots per inch (ppi or dpi), the desired resolution for print. Once you change the resolution, you’ll be able to see image dimensions (in inches, cm, or mm) that will give you an accurate idea of how large your photo will be when printed on paper.

Please refer to the table below for our requirements.

Open Photoshop, then go to File>Open and select your image. Now go to Image>Image Size. A box will open like the one below.

What you will need:

Aside from your digital photo file and your computer, you will need image editing software. To get started, select one of the three programs on the next page — choose according to your operating system and/or what is available to you.

IMAGE REQUIREMEN TS width

height

r e s o lu t i o n

Preferred for articles

8 . 5"

1 1"

300

ppi

Minimum for articles

4"

6"

300

ppi

Preferred for banners

6"

any

300

ppi

If the resolution box already reads 300 ppi, you’re done — just compare the image dimensions with our requirements (listed on Page 1). If the resoultion is lower than 300 ppi, read on.

TIPS & TROUBLESHOOT I NG I’ve followed the steps shown on the next page, and determined my photo is too small to meet your requirements. What can I do?

Unfortunately we can’t enlarge a small photo without compromising image quality. We can work with it to an extent, but it needs to be as close as possible to the preferred sizes above.

If you’re working with an image you pulled from your blog or Flickr account, go back to the image file that came straight off the camera — perhaps in the process of editing and uploading the image was inadvertently resaved at a smaller size.

Can I use image editing software that isn’t mentioned in this guide?

Yes. However not all image editing software has the capabilities you will need. Check to see if your favorite image editing program has an image resizing dialogue box similar to those shown on the next page. It is important that it diplays resolution (dpi/ppi) and dimensions (height and width, in inches and pixels).

Make sure the Resample Image box is unchecked. This is the most important step.

What are some possible reasons my photos are too small?

First take a look at your camera settings. Most cameras have different photo quality options (usually small, medium or large) that determine the size of the photos they output. In general it’s a good idea to use the largest setting.

Next take a look at how you are storing and editing your photos — especially if you use sites on the Internet for either of these needs. Get informed about how the sites you use resize and alter your photos. For example, a free Flickr account will not store your original, high-resolution image, but only smaller web-friendly versions of the photo (not adequate for print).

Similarly, the Picnik photo-editing site, is set to automatically resize a large photo to make editing over the internet a faster experience.

In some cases there are ways around these issues (for example, a Flickr Pro account will save the original photo you upload from your computer), but the takeaway here is the importance of getting educated about the tools you are using. Read the FAQ section on your favorite photo sites, and test things out yourself by using the process on the next page.

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Now type “300” into the Resolution box. The width and height dimensions should change. Take note of these dimensions and compare them to our requirements on Page 1. Click OK, then save your photo.

For instructions on different programs, please visit http://stampington.com/calls-and-challenges#gra

Did you i an i ue?

You still have a chance to pick up issues 2–7.

The sold-out premiere issue is now available exclusively in digital format.

To order:

bellagracemagazine.com or by calling: 1-877-782-6737

Photo Credits Cover & Back Cover

Nina Hurum, instagram.com/kodakmoments_bynina

Inside Front Cover

Laurie Maitem, lauriemaitemimagery.com

Inside Back Cover

Branislava Zivic, stocksy.com/evilpixelsphotography

Pgs. 8-17

HELLO THERE, FRIEND Beth Lehman, instagram.com/yellowhousedays Lindsay Crandall, lindsaycrandall.com

Pg. 18 & 19

HOME TEAM Jovo Jovanovic, jovojovanovic.com

Pgs. 20-21

5 THINGS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS I LEARNED FROM MY DOG Femke Tewari, studiodutch.com

Pgs. 24-27

PADDLE, RINSE, REPEAT: SUNSET SESSIONS ON THE WATER Emma Shaefer

Pgs. 28 & 29

INSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT Nina Hurum, instagram.com/kodakmoments_bynina

Pgs. 30 & 31

HERE’S TO THE CRAZY ONES Kkgas, kkgas.com

Pgs. 32-41

FROM THE WOMAN IN ME TO THE WOMAN IN YOU Simone Becchetti, simonebecchetti.com

Pgs. 42- 45

25 WAYS TO TAKE YOURSELF ON A DATE Kris Atomic, krisatomic.com

Pgs. 48 & 49

HOW TO BECOME A MORNING PERSON Paige Leigh Reist, thewholesomehandbook.com

Pg. 50 & 51

WHERE THE SKY TOUCHES THE SEA Sonya Kanelstrand, kanelstrand.com

Pg. 52-57

100 HAPPY THINGS Alex Jones, alexjonesphoto.com Ben Moore, benmoorephotography.com Kaboompics, kaboompics.com

Pg. 59

INSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT Lisa Redwillow, instagram.com/lredwillow

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Pgs. 60-63

Pgs. 108-111

Pg. 64 & 65

Pgs. 112

Pg. 66-70

Pgs. 113

SUMMER LOVE: 20 CREATIVE WAYS TO GET YOUR GROOVE ON Nikki Gardner, artandlemons.com BEAUTIFUL TO LOVE THE ORDINARY Nikki Lake, flickr.com/people/nikkilake FINDING THE BLESSINGS BEHIND THE MESSES Jennifer DeVille Catalano, someplaceserendipitous.com

A WISP OF A SEASON Dawn Suzette Smith, mudpuddlestometeors.com LATE MORNING, EARLY SUMMER D Smith Kaich Jones, emmatree THAT WILL BE MY LIFE Donna M. Hopkins, donnamhopkins.com

Pg. 114-117

Pgs. 72 & 73

20-STEP RECIPE FOR SELF-LOVE: A BED DAY Lia Leslie, unsplash.com/lialeslie

50+ LITTLE LUXURIES WORTH SPLURGING ON Tatjana Ristanic, 500px.com/ tanjica_1987

Pgs. 74-77

Pgs. 118 & 119

ON DREAMING Miriam Boleyn-Fitzgerald

WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN Jean Li

Pgs. 78-81

58 SONGS THAT NEVER FAIL TO MAKE US HAPPY Good Vibrations Images, stocksy.com/goodvibrations

Pgs. 120-121

Pgs. 84-89

Pgs. 122 & 123

Pgs.90 & 91

Pgs. 125

THE YELLOW BOWL Darlene Maciuba-Koppel, cinnamonpink.typepad.com

THE GREEN ROOM Heather Murray, heathermoors.wordpress.com

A SENSIBLE SOUL Studio Firma, instagram.com/studiofirma

4 WAYS TO KICK-UP YOUR COFFEE Paige Leigh Reist, thewholesomehandbook.com

Pgs. 92 & 93

Pgs. 94 & 95

WHAT I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME Leon Biss, flickr.com/people/leonbiss

Pg. 96 & 97

REST IS NOT IDLENESS Briana Morrison, brianamorrison.com 22 REASONS TO CELEBRATE SUMMER Jennifer DeVille Catalano, someplaceserendipitous.com

Pgs. 102

I LOVE MUSIC Kim Klassen, kimklassen.com

Pgs. 103

INSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT Katelyn Kosinski, instagram.com/katelyn_now

Pgs. 106 & 107

KNITTING LESSONS Lisa RedWillow, instagram.com/lredwillow

Pgs. 126-128

ALLOWING OLD DREAMS TO FALL QUIET Sierra Pruitt, sierrapruitt.com Forrest Cavale

ENDURE THE DARKNESS Sloane Swift, vsco.co/sloaneswift

Pg. 98-101

A LITTLE HOUSE Kellene Giloff, stampington.com

Pgs. 132 & 133

WHEN THE SUN BEGINS TO RISE Beth Lehman, instagram.com/yellowhousedays

Pgs. 141

SUMMER WAS HERE Johanna Love, stampington.com

Pgs. 142 & 143

10 WAYS TO MAKE EVERY MORNING A DAILY MIRACLE Kellene Giloff, stampington.com

Pgs. 145

I WANT TO BE MAGIC Emily Hope

Pgs. 146 & 147

I FOUND COMFORT THROUGH LITERATURE Catherine MacBride, catherinemacbride.com

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Bella Grace Subscription

$5 off the Cover Price + Free Shipping & Handling 1 Year / 4 Issues – Includes Tote and Postcard Bundle $79.96 $74.99 (U.S.) Gift subscriptions come with a beautiful announcement card in a hand-stitched muslin bag.

To Order: stampington.com/Bella-Grace-Subscription-Tote-Bundle Toll-Free: 1.877.782.6737

Who We Are S

ince 1994, Stampington & Company has been a leading source of inspiration for artists, photographers, and storytellers around the world.

Launched by President and Publisher Kellene Giloff, the company has expanded to include over 30 bestselling publications.

“When it comes to the art of crafting, no one does it better than Stampington & Company.”

— Mr. Magazine™ Samir Husni PUBLICATIONS Known for its stunning full-color photography and unique reader-submitted content, the company’s magazines provide a forum for writers and photographers to share their beautiful handmade creations, tips, and stories with one another.

Somerset Life provides an abundance of inspiring ideas to infuse readers’ daily lives with simple pleasures, art, romance, creativity, and beauty.

Artful Blogging shares the uplifting stories, moments of self-discovery, and mesmerizing photographs from the world’s most creative blogs.

Willow and Sage offers more than 70 unique recipes, uses, and beautiful packaging and gift ideas for homemade bath and body products in each semiannual issue.

The success of Where Women Create — a collaboration with Jo Packham — has warranted a popular cooking edition called Where Women Cook and a groundbreaking title that divulges tangible tips for women with a passion for success: Where Women Create BUSINESS. Bella Grace is a 160-page book-azine devoted to discovering magic in the ordinary. Compelling stories and striking photographs capture soul lifting moments that celebrate life’s beautiful adventure.

GreenCraft Magazine honors and inspires those who find artistic, functional, and eco-friendly applications for normally discarded resources.

Mingle is an incredibly unique publication that explores the art of entertaining — from various types of intimate, creative gatherings to larger-scale art retreats.

Somerset Home exemplifies creative living. Each issue showcases hundreds of tips, techniques, and charming accents designed to enlighten, organize, and beautify any dwelling place.

For more information, and to look inside these publications, please visit: stampington.com/publications To learn how you could be published in an upcoming issue, go to: stampington.com/calls-and-challenges MORE GOOD THINGS TO COME Stampington & Company plans to increase the frequency of its newest title, The Coloring Studio™, following its very successful launch in December 2015.

With an imaginative collection of sophisticated, edgy illustrations in the Somerset-esque style you’ve come to love, this special publication puts a creative spin on today’s hottest trend. Artistically inspired, filled with bonus informational content, and printed on highquality paper, look for the next edition in June 2016.

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t r a p a ll e f e h s s And a ered pieces her shatt — blossoming began to bluoonmtil she became herself s a w e h s s a y l t exac meant to be.

Branislava Zivic

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