Amulet - Give Away!


well my friends, we are all in luck today...
i get to give away a free download, issue one, of 
Amulet Magazine!

all you need to do is leave a comment here and then head over to Amulet Magazine blog or Amulet facebook page and leave a comment there as well.

one random winner will be selected by March 21, so don't delay.

i have read issue one, over and over again.  i keep coming back to it.  every single bit is smart, gorgeous, seasonal, and delicious. 
i don't want you to miss out!

yours in charms,
xox
jennette

Elusives

{left over bok choy from printing bok choy flowers}

i was recently scanning through my documents on my laptop and i came across a file titled *My Elusives for Maya*. curious and not remembering what this file was all about, i took a minute to read it, top to bottom.  
and then i understood.
  
at the beginning of my SoulStorm journey with maya and pixie, that started with the new moon in august 2012, we were asked to state our elusives, as part of the process....to gauge were we were at...and what we wanted to be up to. we were asked what was missing and where we wanted to go.

i am going to share with you, "My Elusives For Maya," here in an effort toward transparency.  some of what you witness me grappling with here came to pass rather quickly.  like the part about my relationship with chad.  well...that was all me.  chad has been in a spiritual growth spurt for a solid few years now and i was feeling the pains of experiencing stuckness and seemingly little forward movement when i wrote out these elusives.  it is crystal clear to me now that all my doubts and lack of responsibility were my walls of invulnerability being fortified with an old story.  a story which no longer served me.  it was time to change the story.
i had just come off of WDS and was in a lowly spot.  not due to wds, just due to my own lack of confidence and not understanding my skill set and desires...not quite yet having a grasp on where my joy (if/when i had any) intersected with the earth's deepest need.  well, soulstorm, the life and legacy design part, swiftly and lovingly kicked my ass into shape.  creating my 100 year vision shifted things in me that have remained solidly and firmly transformed.  changed. i no longer feel left behind.
thank the goddess.

some of this *elusives* won't make sense to you, and that's ok.  you will get the gist of it. 
but some of it i think may deeply resonate.
which parts do you most identify with, if any?
are you on a clearly defined passioante path? 

for me, both parts, the personal relationship and the businessy stuff, have been sorted out to the point that i have to pinch myself.  i can't really believe how lucky i am and that this is my life...that i have so much freedom and choice.  for all the developmental trauma, post traumatic stress, angst, uncertainty, and pain...if this is what i get in the end...i wouldn't change much at all.  i wouldn't be me without those experiences and i wouldn't be in this place of recognition and utter beauty if not for those hard times. every want, whim and desire is backed by my unfailingly supportive partner and i am on path, right-sized, clear about my *work* in the world. 
i am thankful.
blessed.
grateful.

so here it is...enjoy:

"Hello Dear One
I am writing to send you my "what has been elusive, whats missing for me that i know should be here, where have i wanted to go."
i think its summed up in the illumination paper work but in short, my personal relationship is nowhere near how i dream it to be.  it seems to be falling apart like never before and i am not sure if that is because it is as its meant to be or if its because of all this big rambunctious change happening full force now.  i feel like we have long been in transition but now i'm in a big push to sort it all out.  that's probably making a few waves.
a solid, no question forever and ever, vulnerable, trust worthy relationship is missing between my partner and i.  i don't think i can go on seeing it this way or it being this way....not sure if one is off kilter...
i've wanted to experience sparks, newness (18 years together now) walls coming down, new habits, change in expectations, surprise, thoughtfulness. 
i have definitely not been measuring wins and triumphs here!  totally measuring failures, disappointments, 'i told you so's, lack of ambition, comfortableness with mediocrity.
my default settings, in all areas, are called "lack of preferred self"  if it must be a city it would be ellensburg, wa.
in another area, business, what has been elusive is a convergence, a knowing where to go and in what direction.  i know what my loves and likes are but i cant see thru the trees to what is worth putting out there, that anyone would find valuable or useful. i have some very faint ideas that may be able to turn into something, eventually, but they are so unfinished, so non tethered in reality that i hesitate to even try describing them.  they are foggy even to me.   i love vintage stuff, i love making stuff, i love making beauty with objects, styling them, putting together vignettes, i love being a community centered herbalist, i love nature, i love music, i love surfing, horseback riding, foodie food, gardening, dancing.  i love watching my kids grow. and i am just starting to be able to see/admit that perhaps some of my angsty dissatisfaction is coming form them getting older, moving on, not needing me so much.  who am i if not the home centered earthmama of yesteryear.  what has been elusive is synthesizing all this into something that i can live on, live with, be.  do i stay with a flailing brick and mortar, do i move it online, do i keep my studio outside the home, do i move it back ( would be more productive actually), do i give it all up and change course, or do i add on somehow, do i go back to school, do i ditch it all and take off by myself......i have wanted to see more of the world, live more life, i get so bored with the mundane day to day.  i want stimulation, provocation, catharsis, enlightenment.  whats missing that i know should be here is the right passionate path for me.  how do you know?  i'm envious of those who were born to follow a particular path and they just go for it, do it, love it.  where is my path?  whats worth fighting for, doing, claiming, becoming.  i want to live abroad but i'm not willing to leave my kids behind.  i see it in my future, most certainly.  ultimately i want whatever i do to be location independent, not brick and mortar, tied down, stuck.  i want to experience a tribe, recognition,  and being held up for something worth while, valuable, known as giving, generous, and a little bit weird.  i never want to be 'normal' ever!
the other places, nature, art, community and even spirituality i feel ok about.  not super great fantastic, but ok in so much as they are not as pressing for me as the other two aspects: personal relationship and business/work.
my course correcting would be asking myself all the live long day if i am standing in the power of my preferred self. am i compromising, and am i being vulnerable enough, am i building walls or blowing holes thru them, am i being brave and authentic.  will these choices lead me to a life worth living or a continuance of a life of quiet desperation. 
that's the long answer to the short question.  thank you for asking.  each time i answer it, speak to it, the more i feel it coming forth, finding voice, reaching toward and not away.  i want it to come on slowly, not smack upside the head aha, so much.  i'd die of a heart attack if it whomped me over the noggin and that would be no good now, would it :) xxx"

forever feral,
xoxxx
jennette




I Am Rising

A Wild She-Tribe Project (link here)

this is where things change.
the ante is upped.  
life going in a different direction.
not a hard veering so much...more like a gentle winding curve.
on path, yet around the bend where there is a new horizon.
or an old horizon...depending upon how you look at it.

where exposure is the flavor of the day and even if i wanted to turn away, look away, hide...i couldn't.
it's gone that far.

it's where you get to see me, naked, honest as can be.
this is a tiny part of the *things* i want to talk about now, the conversations i must have, the dialogues that need to develop.
it's me maintaining living, thriving...head fully above water.
through the soulstorm and out the other blessed side.
desiring full throttle, living the edge, rooted down, arc of faith, multi-passionate, midnight mystery school, wild love, sweet soul sister, living.
and maybe not *just* living, but burning, hot and bright, sweaty and rapid, full charge...just call me a pyromaniac.

this is where my shit gets real.

the shift is toward making waves and not *just getting over it*.
the shift is converting shame into worthiness. 

for instance: that place where developmental trauma/childhood trauma/adverse childhood experiences and the ensuing post traumatic stress from these experiences intersects with healing, invoked by an engaged daily practice of self-expressive creativity.

yeah, that.

that is what i want to sing/scream/chat about.

and this: the soothing of old childhood wounds through art and craft and making...reworking our deepest wounds into our greatest gifts and giving voice to our authentic selves.

yes, this.

shifting neural pathways by using head, heart and hands to make new grooves, wear new paths, develop new ways of being, knowing and existing.

embracing all of this because i:

Make to Mend

Making, with our hands, to Mend the trapped injury.
working the stuck yuck out of our bodies and minds, all the pent up bullshit self-talk we have been straddled with by circumstances beyond our control, from when we were young, and transmuting it into fertile, inspired, enoughness.

Make to Mend

that's the word on the street.
i say it's so.
sew, it is.

much more to come
hang in here with me if you can handle the heat.

thankfully off-kilter,
xoxox

Amulet Magazine


maybe you remember that back in november i mentioned i was invited to submit a piece of writing for a new online magazine...

well, this is it! 

Amulet is available now so don't linger here too long...
pop on over and see what all the hype is about.
you will be pleasantly stunned and completely thrilled.
guaranteed.

"Amulet is a vessel for simple connections.  It’s a field guide to not only wise living, but a place where we can boldly say: We are PeaceKeeper & WorldShaker.  We are Mother & Other.  We are what casts light and digs deep into the shadow of the soil.  Here is what we do.

We witness the seasons turn and the moon change shape and consciously take part in that dance. These have always been the ways of the woman, to time keep the seasons.
We honor the rhythm that rolls with the beats and meters of the Earth,+ beyond. These rhythms are meant to ease our worries, smooth our stress, and bring us back to what nourishes us: our connections to Earth, our family, our creatrix, our community."

my piece is a DIY project, Accessory as Medicine, Imbolc Foraging Pouch.  please do let me know what you think and if you decide to make one, send me a photo!

Make to Mend,
xoxxx
jennette

 (photos property of Amulet Magazine)




Humming My Brave Little Song

head piece
talking stick

right now i am pretty convinced that life is ultra amazing.
you just gotta slow down once in a while and look around, watching intently, anticipating, to figure it out.

please excuse my 2 week silence here.  
i have been as busy as my honey bees at the first nectar flow preparing to host a magical gathering of my soul sisters, here at my hive, this coming weekend.  from near and far we are floating in on gossamer wings to gather, nourish, give, receive, be seen and hold each other.  we will do a little dancing, a little making, a little witchy brouhaha around the bonfire pyre.  for me it's an otherworldly dream come true.  and it's happening in this world.
pinch me.

2013 has already had its challenges my friends.  try as i might, determined as i was, to have a better than average 40th year, it almost slipped away from me by circumstances beyond my control.  but i just kept humming my brave little song.  and it got so much better you guys. it is better.  its always better...when you keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side. 
so much is beyond our control and if you let other folks choices determine whether you grow bitter fruit or bitter root, you are handing them your power.  don't do it.  stay empowered.  be in acceptance.  try to get right-sized and find the gifts in the seemingly dismal.  they are there.  watch for signs.  there is a always a silver lining... eventually.
 this i do believe.
no, this is what i know.

there really are some big changes/shifts/transformations coming up around here. i admit it is not my strength to stick to a regular blogging schedule.  but i will let you know what's going on, in due time.   the shop, Smashing Rubbish, will still exist. but it is changing locations.  instead of in duvall, you will find SR a few miles north in monroe by the end of february.  the focus of this blog will begin to shift, little by little, to accommodate holding all the threads of my multi-passionate self. the SR shop, soon to be housed within M&M antiques, will still hold space here.  but so will my many other projects.  
all in equal measure.  
that's the hope anyhow.  

spring is coming soon so hang in there.  let your winter rest refuel and turbo boost you.  Imbolc has passed so we are ever closer to spring equinox and the flight of the honey bees. clear, cold, sunny, bright days like today in western WA rekindle my brave little song and a humming i go.

hum along now.
i hear that light deep inside you.

wild love,
jennette

*soul bone, susan wood






We Have Come to be Danced


Not the pretty dance 
Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance 
But the claw our way back into the belly 
Of the sacred, sensual animal dance 
The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box dance 
The holding the precious moment in the palms 
Of our hands and feet dance. 

Not the jiffy booby, shake your booty for him dance 
But the wring the sadness from our skin dance 
The blow the chip off our shoulder dance. 
The slap the apology from our posture dance. 

Not the monkey see, monkey do dance 
One two dance like you 
One two three, dance like me dance 
but the grave robber, tomb stalker 
Tearing scabs and scars open dance 
The rub the rhythm raw against our soul dance. 

Not the nice, invisible, self-conscious shuffle 
But the matted hair flying, voodoo mama 
Shaman shakin’ ancient bones dance 
The strip us from our casings, return our wings 
Sharpen our claws and tongues dance 
The shed dead cells and slip into 
The luminous skin of love dance. 

Not the hold our breath and wallow in the shallow end of the floor dance 
But the meeting of the trinity, the body breath and beat dance 
The shout hallelujah from the top of our thighs dance 
The mother may I? 
Yes you may take 10 giant leaps dance 
The olly olly oxen free free free dance 
The everyone can come to our heaven dance. 

Where the kingdom’s collide 
In the cathedral of flesh 
To burn back into the light 
To unravel, to play, to fly, to pray 
To root in skin sanctuary 
We have come to be danced 

WE HAVE COME. "

Herb Shops




















here are some photos of the herb shops within the super mercado in san jose, costa rica.  what's labeled is in spanish but most of it is not labeled.  you just have to trust that what you ask for is what you get.  i read the book sastun: my apprenticeship with a maya healer in the first few days of our trip and i wanted to see if i could find some of the herbs mentioned in the book.  also, being a community-centered pnw herbalist myself, i had a small list of items i wanted to see in this setting, like copal, palo santo, wild yam, linden, and so on.
these shops were amazing with all manner of flower, leaf, root, bark, seed, tinctures, potions, dried, fresh, concoctions galore.  i could spend a whole day, especially with a translator, asking questions and stocking up.  that would be a good business for someone to do there: bilingual herbalist guide to white herbalist tourists eager to spend dollars in the herb shops!
i came home with some crazy looking hairy twigs that don't match anything on my list.  everyone thinks they look like nasty dreadlocks but they don't smell like nasty dreadlocks.  believe me.  i would know.  chad had them. not nasty ones. but some big fatties that could get a little ripe, let's say.
the second to last photo up there of chad and jasper came about when i asked one of the herb shop keepers, who i bought copal and hibiscus from, if it was ok to take a photo of the shop. he grabbed chad and jasper and shoved them inside and said "yes yes, take photo" all jolly and friendly like.  chad and jasper were a bit stunned i think but we all thought it was really funny.
the last photo is one of the nutmeg/mace we found on the property we were staying on in puerto viejo on the caribbean coast.  we rode our bikes back and forth through a jungle garden several times a day and there was a nutmeg tree, apparently.  if you stood where we found the nutmegs and looked up, you couldn't see anything that look liked nutmegs.  i couldn't tell what tree they were coming from.  but there were a few during our time there that we found on the ground with the mace still intact.  they smell amazing and are stunning to behold.  the first time i saw one on our path i thought i'd won the lottery!  i was fascinated.

the new year is in full swing around these parts.  i am hosting a weekend retreat in february for 15 women at my house.  that will be a blast.  half are flying in from out of state.  we are gathering for imbolc and to share creativity and entrepreneurial insights in support of one another and to simply commune and fill up on each others wild woman love. a few weeks after that i will head to san francisco, big sur (for matrilumina) and the santa cruz mountains for a week of 40th birthday bliss (it was january 1 but this is THE gift!). so it's busy, as usual.  life is full.  and life is grand.  2013 is going to be amazeballs.  i can feel it, and i have systems in place to ensure it!

what do you have planned for 2013?  in what ways are you looking to expand?  do you set goals?  resolutions?

i am currently exploring and researching the intersection of post traumatic stress from adverse childhood experiences and the healing of it that can emerge from a daily creative practice of hand-making. this is my "new" work in the world and i will have a lot more to share about as i birth it.  watch for a due date near you.

escaping with the family fang,
xoxo
jennette





















Doors & Gates















this is a small sample of the many gorgeous gates and doorways to be seen in the areas of costa rica and panama we were in.
you know i have a thing for doors.
here and here
i even have a pair of tiny door earrings that i made from tiny miniature doorways i found over 20 years ago while treasure hunting in vancouver canada.  way back in the day. 
junker for life.  but that's beside the point.

doors, gates, doorways, gateways:
access, discovery, opportunity, opening, transition, transcendence, a veil between the worlds, mystery, the unknown, enlightenment, surprise.
i sense all that symbolically in doors.
do doors do anything for you?
there are more negative connotations as well but i choose the light-filled ones.
do you have a favorite symbol?
and what does it mean to you?

opening the double, arched, wood frame, french doors of my heart to let in some love, light and gratitude today.
if your heart had a door, what kind would it be?

seeking effervescence,
xoxox
jennette


















Food







come on.  you know you want some of that tasty green jello pie stuff up there!  it might be the most electric green food i have ever seen.  what about you?
that meal in the middle is the best, cheapest meal you can get inside the super mercado in san jose, costa rica, and it is delicious.  serious.
i did not try any of those colored drinks up there but they were offered to us.  everyone else was drinking them.
as for the fish heads and chicken feet mix.  well. i would be super stoked to have access to that here, at home in washington.  imagine the bone broths you could develop!
the spices too.  all kinds.  wish they were sold like that here and so readily available.

eating the way we like to eat was not easy in costa rica.  they are not known for their food and every meal is served with rice and beans, neither of which i eat.  it was difficult to get fresh dark leafy greens, even in the super mercado.  by the time i got home i was craving kale so bad i ate a whole 1.5lb bag in two days! i think having a "special" diet was the only thing that made traveling truly challenging.  when i get hangry, watch out. its not pretty.  and yes, it did happen a few times.  i admit it.  

suffice to say, i am happy to be home and back full swing into my no sugar, no alcohol, no beans, no grains routine.  it feels good.  my body likes it.  my gut loves it.  and i have so much energy i feel like i can leap tall buildings in a single bound!

what foods do you miss when you're not home? and do you take food with you when you travel?  is there a food you are never without?

  i took a large bag of homemade grain-free granola with me but i ran out a week in.  granola is one of those things i take with me everywhere.  its quick protein and an easy snack.  i will be heading to Esalen in early march for a week and you can bet i will tote along a gallon zip-lock bag of grain-free granola.  just in case.
although i am told the meals at esalen are outta this world.
i'm hopeful they go beyond rice and beans...

last night i made a nettle pesto that was outta this world. we had it over spaghetti squash with crumbled bacon, grilled chicken and kale that was braised with sun dried tomatoes. divine.

i am one amateur paleo foodie who loves food.

you had me a "dark leafy greens,"
xoxoxo
jennette







Central America Street Art & Signs

i have a fascination with painted signs and art.  it's not a medium i can do with any sense "goodness" at it.  although that didn't stop me from taking that one painting class back yonder.  still, its not my medium of choice but i am so drawn to it.  so i photograph it.  whatever catches my eye.
here are some painted signs and street art i saw in costa rica and panama.  








































what do you think of street art?
do you like it?
is graffiti cool?

i like it when it's pretty.
i don't care for the random name tagging that isn't pretty.
i like the pretty, bring me the pretty.

ok, slurping down my tom kha gai then off to watch handmade nation.  its a documentary about the rise of diy, art, craft, and design in the u.s.a.  and its by faythe levine who i have had a major girl crush on for years.  years, i tell ya.
i'm kinda in love with her.
just so ya know.

nom nom,
xoxo
jennette



























Travel Channel

well, we made it back to the pnw.
what a blast this trip was.
three weeks goes by so fast when you are having fun.
costa rica and panama are beautiful, gritty, humid and on the caribbean. perfect.
we promptly got mega sick when we arrived home so i am going to start with a photo montage to break the ice.  i will have a few more posts of photos coming up: street art, herb shops, food, doors, etc.  i will also start talking about the small changes coming for this lil blog-o-mine.  for starters, it is shifting again, away from being SR store centered, toward being SR lifestyle centered.  you will get to see more of what i do in other arenas of my life and if you stick around you'll get to know a lot more about me too.  bonus.
how is your new year?
did you pick a guiding word for your year ahead?
i did.
~ unfurl ~
just watch me.
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the farm we stayed at, caribbean coast, puerto viejo de talamanca, costa rica

the adults bedroom

the porch

our favorite place to eat on the coast: bread & chocolate

caribbean sunset

fishing boat

sticker


natural sculpture

rusty blue slide lock


green poison arrow dart frog

nutmeg/mace

twins

playa cocles

broken

one of many moonlit bike rides

curing cacao

playa negra


lunch

caught smiling

gorgeous wandering horse at yoga each morning

green snake

tropical mushroom

speechless

playa negra

ubiquitous toucan 

red eyed tree frog

tropical deer

our grocery store: old harbour

fishing boats

ads wrapped in plastic wrap to protect from rain

"shake down street" huts

gus, punta uva

finca gate lock. every. single. time.

she can hover

1st in family series, playa negra

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

photos of taking photos

we came. we tried. we got our asses kicked

hippie

another hippie

daily

power anyone?

lick it

my vacation yoga go to.(chocolate bar downstairs)

more power to ya

lil holiday helpers

a waterfall near the farm

another waterfall

readying to jump

will she do it

i did it

biking to yoga

breakfast after yoga. at the chocolate bar

stellar day
gus, soaking wet, panama boarder
jasper, soaking wet, panama boarder

bocas del toro, panama

coral and fish

ubiquitous trash heap

colorful pain. everywhere

grotto

they found a turtle on zapatilla cays

and shells

and moody clouds

just made it more hot and the water more refreshing

sea unicorn

brotherly love series, #1

#2

#3

#4

#5, the end

near crawl cay

seriously

room with a view

tired baby #1

tired baby #2

curious

hands on

red frog beach, isla bastimentos, bocas del toro, panama

detail

layers

true blue

san jose, pension de la cuesta

datura

breakfast place

fake flower place

paintball beauty

health drinks

a clown

her make-up kit

a real woman

a brothel

i wrote a lot while i was gone.  i read a lot.  i biked a lot, did a lot of yoga. i laid in the hammock and on the beach and napped a lot.  i have a lot more i can say about it all. the traveling with family and being together 24/7 for 3 weeks when we are never together that much in real life, the belly laughs, the tears, the discovery, the joy, the longing. and how it all stretches you, grows you, cultivates your unique you-ness. all of it.  and i will say more.  little by little, some here.  some there.  it will come.  deeply thankful to have this space to document and preserve some thoughts around it all.  swirling and percolating. thankful.  and full on filled up to the brim with gratitude. overwhelming gratitude.
my life is fucking awesome.
word.

wild love,
xoxox
jennette





































































































Wildish

 
it's been a while friends.
things have been wildish.
a dearest soul sister is moving away and i am not loving it. she will be living near san francisco and i do love that, if she must go.
i was invited to submit a piece of writing to a brilliant new magazine and i'd be a big fat liar if i didn't admit i am so super excited by this!
i am having a nice size trunk show of my handmade loot in my space at M&M, during our after hours party , 6:00 p.m., on Friday Dec 1...be there or be square.
shortly after that i leave the country for three weeks and can be found lazing about central america, surfing and eating with my 3 best friends, the guys i live with.
upon my return i will begin weekly mounted archery lessons in keeping with my "i am a badass" mantra. archery.  on horseback. 
i know. 
yep, things are wildish.
what are you up too?
always Love,
jennette
p.s.
the Smashing Rubbish shop will be opened friday november 30th , saturday December 1, friday december 7 and saturday december 8, noon-6pm. after that you can find a majority of Smashing Rubbish items at M&M:123 N Lewis St. in Monroe, through the first of the new year.  as per my usual, look for some big shifts, transitions, and newness with SR in the new year.  you knew it was coming!  xox

Permission Ship

permission ship

this is one of the metallic silver ships you may have seen floating in the air at my shop.  a whole fleet of silver and white ships hang from the ceiling along with various sized mirror balls, glitter stars and tissue paper orbs.  it's a magical scene and one many folks have voiced wishes to have above their beds to glimpse while drifting off to dream land.

recently my soulstorm posse was having a discussion concerning the need for space and time around making decisions/choices while diving head long into new projects, initiatives, and work.  following the energy, if you will, and examining which lines of energy to tug on each day, reel in, work on and cast back out.  the idea of "allowing" our intuition or gut feeling guide what pieces we pick up each day to work on, within the vast overflowing pile of life-as-we-know-it,came up in the form of a "permission slip" except that it came out as "permission ship." 
and it stuck.

when one of us in our sisterhood is having a rough time on the sea of life, our hulls depleted and not getting refilled to overflowing fast enough, and when our sails are stretched taut, close to snapping,  from the gale-force winds of responsibility we must attend in a day while fitting in our abundant hearts desires, we swiftly glide each other a permission ship.  we let one another know we are each others safe harbors.  we hold each others nets and baskets while what needs to spill washes full out to empty.  and all the while we do this space holding in loving awe and utter deep respect for each other, our womanhood, our powerful wild selves.

and we sail on.

not just drifting, untethered, forlorn with no destination.
we navigate full on with billowing wind in our rippling, outrageous sails, anchored only to the deep down profound truths of who we truly are, and buoyed by our pirate crew, the beacons, the luminaries, the stars, the treasures.

i am one blessed sea rover these days...
rolling in the deep aboard my permission ship.

if you need "permission," ahoy, just send up a smoke signal.
i will see your flare and i will skipper a permission ship your way.
you can count on me.

your ever loving and deep diving mate,
xxx
jennette


Hang Ten

 
hang 10 is a newish feature here on smashing rubbish to make a quick chronicle of 10 things/items/experiences/people/places that i am loving, wanting to remember, and share with you!
 
my sister mb doing what she does, root down, word up.
 
when julia lost some teeth in a bike accident in pdx, i knew she'd appreciate this old gold west german toy(?) pair.  i was going to make it into a hair clip but figured she needed it more than me.
 
ms. moon is my new most favorite blogger.  i find we have a lot in common and i just simply adore her.
 
this book and this book are in the mail on the way to me.
 
just got done listening to dr. clarissa pinkola estes read me this and i have three things to say, no, four: swoon, word, must listen!
 
this post and this post had me texting my bffs to confess my undying love.
 
here's another woman, besides ms. moon, that i'd like to be like when i grow up (video)
 
johnathan fields and brene brown get down to business at good life project (video)
 
best family photo
trying to get gus to teach me how to make one
 
can't seem to stop wearing feathers clipped into my hair.
good bird medicine i suppose :)
 
we are all in this together friends,
keep it real,
xoxxxox,
jennette 
 
 
 


Vintage Shell Lamps

 
i've amassed a handful of these vintage, mid-century, souvenir shell lamps and other vintage shell related goodness...
all were in various states of falling apart so i have been saving weird stuff to glue all over them....
because, why not, right.
 
the one above now holds the glitter orb nun that natasha gave me.  she is actually holding a bowling ball but as soon as i got her i transmuted her bowling ball into a glittering orb.  she didn't mind.
i also added a little happy portlandia bird.  you know. 
put a bird on it.
i am keeping this one.
 
here is a little porcelain owl atop a shell pin cushion that hangs on the wall.  i took the soft pin cushiony part out when i was gluing so as not to ruin it.
 
elephants.
i know.
sea elephants i suppose.
this one lights up too.
 
broken doll heads.
they have all been in a drawer.
i couldn't bare to throw them out.
oh and there is a whale tail in there too.
 
all hands shell alter/font.
everyone needs one.
 
is this lakshmi?
her lamp lights up.
and she is carved from sandalwood so she smells good.
i think the slight heat from the tiny bulb will make her scent waft.
here's hoping.
she got a bird too.
 
and this little winged creature is hanging with her deer friends.
this one works as well.
i may keep adding bits and pieces here and there until they sell.
oh, yes, they are for sale, in my shop.
 
Smashing Rubbish
15926 Main St.
Duvall, WA 
 
Open
Fri & Sat
noon - 6
 
come on by and see how these look all grouped together and lit up.
you know you want to.
 
saltwater & sweetwater
(i'm needing a bit of both)
xoxxxox
jennette
 
 
 
 
 
 


Fall Begins

{my sweet soul sister Latisha just reminded me about this post from 2 years ago.  i am immersed in projects right now and have not given much time to blogging.  i am reposting this old post to hold us all over and because it is relevant still now.  enjoy!}
Handful of Amaranth

It's the first day of Fall.  And as if right on cue, the weather has up and gone Autumnal on us.  I LOVE this time of year, anticipating Samhain (SAH-win), when the veil grows thinner between the worlds of the living and the dead.  And too, El Dia de los Muertos is coming, probably my most favorite seasonal celebration of all.


Autumnal Equinox marks a turning of the wheel.  It's our harvest celebration.  It's a time of balance between dark and light.  We are moving from light into darkness, from warmth into cold.  At this time of year, when we are gathering in the gifts of the Goddess, the fruit, nuts, grain, and vegetables that are ripe, we can also give something back, make offerings and express our thanks.  The Fall Equinox is our Thanksgiving!



The Autumn Equinox can be a time when we work in some way to restore balance.  Balance in nature, balance in life, balance in ourselves.  What do you do to find your equilibrium?  How do you create a sense of balance in your life?  Do you find balance hard to attain?  What tricks do you have up your sleeve to keep your life and self in a gentle flow of equilibrium, not veering off into one extreme or the other? 
I like to think in terms of equilibrium, rather than balance.  Balance seems more static and rigid to me whereas equilibrium seems to incorporate the flow that is essential to the teetering we find in the balancing.  Does that make sense?  Seeking my equilibrium is forgiving, allows me to teeter, provides a gentle sway instead of a demanding, equal opportunity balancing act that makes me feel like I haven't done enough, don't give enough, am not good enough.  For me, seeking my equilibrium, lets me love myself and be in love with my world.  What about you?

Right now our nature table is overflowing!  We use our nature table as our seasonal alter.  Having a seasonal alter is a great way to connect children to the turning of the wheel.  Children are natural collectors and its neat to have a spot for them to display their nature treasures after walks, hikes, or playing outdoors.  Our nature table is ever waxing and waning with all manner of fruit, nut, seed, leaf, plant, beach items, wood, dead bugs, antler, shell, moss, nest, etc.  What treasures from nature do you bring into your home and how do you honor them?  What other items do you add to make the alter special and seasonal?  We often make corn dolls, cinanimals, leaf chains, "nut gnomes," or mobiles around Autumn Equinox.

Acorns collected in Chelan

One source of inspiration, information and guidance that I have used since August was quite small is the book Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions by Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne Hill.  This book (and music CD by the same name)is a must have if you have any interest whatsoever in seeking a more nature based lifestyle, spirituality, or mentality.  Don't let the title scare you- it doesn't have the power to convert you automatically to Paganism!  But it is chalk-full of information that will teach, inspire, and amaze you.  Its an easy to use book with activities, recipes, music, games and stories.  Oh, the stories!  I LOVE this book!  Check it out!

And it's mushroom hunting time!  Yay!  I have harvested chantrelles and angel wings in the past and can not wait to get out in the woods and do a little hunting and gathering.  Maybe this Sunday.  Fingers crossed!

I will leave off today with the lyrics from a song that I learned at RavenCroft when I was doing my apprenticeship there.  I cannot recall the exact name but we call it the Equinox song.  We sing it at both Autumnal and Spring Equinox:

Onward we go round the spiral
touching darkness
touching light
twice each turn we rest in balance
make choices on this night
make choices on this night
(repeat)

What choices have you been procrastinating on?
What decisions do you need to make?
Now is the time.
Good luck to you!

xox
Jennette



Shoe Fetish

inspired by this facebook photo of scott avett,
my boys each took a turn at a photo op with their own shoes:
 
 
 
we talked about me getting a photo with mine.
but we decided it would take all day,
considering the massiveness of my shoe hoarding illness.
 
we picked blackberries instead and made gluten free chocolate blackberry cobbler. 
 
sorry scott, you don't get any.
 
loving these last warm days before fall equinox.
gardens getting put to bed, honey supers coming off the hives, closets and spaces getting purged, cleared and organized (i do this in fall instead of spring).
it all feels good.
i feel good.
 
on time,
xoxo
jennette
 


Antler

i've been working on some antlers.
 
adding bits and bobs
 
the next ones will have some lacy bits, some string bits, and maybe a few tassels
 
come on by Smashing Rubbish and see what's new!
 
Friday & Saturday
noon-6
 
15926 main st.
duvall, wa