Elise Blaha :: enJOY it.

perfect for a magic monday.

magic monday.

I spent last week in Hartford, Connecticut, making magic with Kolo. I wish I talk more about what we worked on, but it’s all top secret for awhile. I do not have any photos to share, but I do have some thoughts :

I see great value in working with other companies. It’s fascinating to jump in as a consultant and observe a brand that is so much bigger than my own. In some ways, it’s like my business class case studies have come to life, only I get to interact and actually give input that makes a difference. It’s fun stepping into a more professional world and I am looking forward to seeing what we worked on come to life.

I don’t know that I have ever mentioned this here, but I have no plans to ever grow my own business on a large scale. I definitely want to make more products and experiment with new ideas. I want to work on different projects and I would love to gain more exposure.  But I do not want to sell wholesale. I do not want to hire oodles of employees. I do not want investors. The key thing, I recently realized, is that I want to be able to change course in just one day and have that be completely okay.

My business plan for this small brand is to continue loving work and making stuff. This blog and the shop that sprung from it, started very organically and I would love for it to continue that way. I am never going to get rich - at least not financially - but ideally I will always be able to contribute to my household. I am grateful for the opportunity to step out of my own office and my own work last week. I enjoyed turning my attention to something else, not just for the experience, but also for the fact that when I return to my life, to my desk, to my coffee mug and my business to do list, I am seeing it all with fresh eyes.

The opportunity that is waiting in this Monday, more than any I have had in a long while, holds more than a hint of magic.

And also, I want to thank you so much for your sweet words, thoughts and prayers last week. My dad, brother and I were able to fly to Iowa and meet my mom and extended family for the funeral on Saturday. It was very well attended, including twelve great-grandchildren. She was buried on a beautiful hill between both of her husbands. She is finally peacefully at rest.

holiday books are here!

It's been a crazy, crazy week, but it was important to me to get the holiday minibooks listed. Watch the trailer & grab a book! I have two versions of the cover available. I'll be working with the one above, but I also created a style that matches the summer and autumn books.

holiday books! from elise blaha on vimeo.

Both versions can be purchased right here. And thank you so much! I have no plans on rushing through November, but the holidays are coming and I'm excited.

peace.

My Grandma Bev passed away last night.

She lived a full, but sometimes difficult life. Before her mid-thirties, she had lost two husbands and then she raised five children on her own for the next almost 50 years. I am comforted that it was with all of these children that she finally let go. I am comforted that surely her past husbands and so many other loved ones were waiting, excited to welcome her into heaven. I am comforted that she has found peace.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.

some good news.

We found a place to live in the Ventura area!

Actually, a place found us. One of the sweet girls from my sorority reads the blog, saw that we were moving north and emailed about a unit that her family has available for rent. This is exactly why I love the Internet. And friends who reach out.

We (well, me, because Paul will still be deployed) will be moving up to a (huge!) townhouse at the beginning of December. It's two bedrooms + a loft area which I'll use as an office. Plus, and this is the best part, it has a two car garage! We are going to have a garage! Which really means we'll have space for making stuff! The second best part: no carpet! The third best part: I am allowed to paint it!

I'm taking it based only on photos and the best feeling ever. With everything else, I don't have time to get up there and make a decision before telling our current landlord we're moving out. (And this is a rental, it's not like we're moving in for the rest of our lives.) But I am so excited. This fell in my lap at just the right time; I was absolutely dreading the idea of house hunting by myself. I am going to have a few months to turn it into our home before Paul gets back. And then next spring we'll be BBQing because we'll have our own patio. And he'll be home from work for dinner because he'll finally be working 8-5 Monday through Friday.

That sounds too good to be true.

Can't wait to share before & after photos and get to work decorating.

maps on my mind.

Super inspired by these two pins. (Original sources : framed / hearts.) Not sure if it's because Paul and I are separated on a map or because shortly we'll be moving to a new city (Ventura, CA in early December!). Either way, I know I am going to need some DIY map decorations for our new place.

I would love to do a combination of both the images above and do a row of framed map hearts of places that mean a something to us. Right now, that would be Bethesda, Maryland (where we first lived together), Downtown Sacramento (where we're from and where we were married), Bora Bora (where we honeymooned) and Little Italy, San Diego (where we live now).

We're looking at about eight moves in the next fifteen years (remember, he's Navy), so this is certainly a project that could grow.

And related : I love this project idea. Paul and I are planning a road trip down the CA coast for when he gets back. It would be rad to stitch our course and frame it.

magic monday.

Yesterday, my grandma, my mom's mom, suffered a stroke. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers for her, my mom and the rest of my extended family over the next few days as we wait to see how things go. Thank you so much.

ps. that print in the photo above is sadly not available at the moment, but it came from a fundraiser hosted by the fantastic kate miss.

guess what i'm working on?

recent skincare changes.

So I mentioned recently that I made some skincare changes. You might have thought the big reveal was going to be some sort of mind-blowing infomercial. But really it's a little bit boring :

Yep, that's it.

There are lots of arguments for organic skincare products and I cannot even pretend to understand them all and don't think this is the forum to speak on them. Some people think what's in so many of our skin products is no big deal and some people think it's worth sounding the alarm. I probably fall somewhere in the middle. However, I know that the more natural I eat, the better I feel, so why should that not apply to what I put on my skin as well?

And after taking a look at a cheat sheet (scanned in below / click to enlarge) from the book There's Lead in Your Lipstick (and realizing that everything I owned had at least two of the toxins listed), I decided that when I ran out of a current product (face wash, lotion, makeup) I'd replace it with something that was paraben (and all other toxins) free.

I have been carrying it around in my wallet for the past two months and so far have switched out my face wash, lotion and mascara. My skin has never been softer and smoother. And even better, the awkward white pores that have been visible around my nose for the past few years are no longer a problem.

Some of the products (starred above) I was able to find at Target. I like the YesTo product line, but should note that they have "fragrance" listed on the label which is not considered natural. The Pangea Organics skincare line is really fantastic and I was lucky enough to grab a bunch of stuff at a discounted rate when Swirl ran a sample sale a few weeks ago. I am pleased with everything, but my favorites would be the Avalon Organics face wash and the Pangea Organics face lotion (I apply it every night and morning).

The mascara is the only make-up switch I have made so far. I figured my eyes deserved the least amount of chemicals and I found the Lavera line at Target. It's not the best in terms of BOLD, FULL LASHES, but it works fine and is toxin-free.

And a word on body soap : I switched from Lever1000 (or whatever it's called) to natural Burt's Bees at the beginning of September. It seems less soapy (i.e. less bubbles and foam) but my skin still gets clean and even better, I have noticed I no longer need to apply body lotion everyday. I think my old soap was stripping my skin of natural oil and leaving me dry and flaky. My current bar is almost gone and I am excited to try the Dr. Bronner's brand next.

I am still looking for a new mineral based face and body sunscreen & some less-toxic nail polish. I would love to hear if you have any suggestions! Also, if you are into shopping online for Pangea Organics products, I recommend The Green Life which was founded by my friend Jessica & her husband.

EDIT : I can't thank you enough for all these suggestions. Natural skincare for the win. Thank you, thank you & keep them coming.

Just a reminder : tomorrow (10/21) is the last day to save $20 on early bird registration for my minibook workshop at Teahouse Studio. The class will be a jam-packed & fun-filled two days and will take place in Berkeley, California on November 12 & 13. More information can be found here and please feel free to email me with any questions.

I hope you can come!