Mala, Meditate, Mindful

With the world becoming seemingly more and more chaotic, I needed something to slow me down.  As many of you know, I practice mindfulness and meditation regularly and wanted my DIY this week to reflect something that will help my mindfulness journey, a Mala.  A Mala is a necklace of beads that you can use to count mantras or breaths during meditation.  They come in four different lengths 18, 27, 54, or 108.  I figure I need all the mantras possible so I went with a 108 bead Mala.

 

So, I headed down to The Bead Shop in Laguna to find the perfect beads for my meditation needs.  Ha that rhymed!  Also, I totally recommend that you go to an actual bead shop, don’t just order online.  There’s something so mindful about touching everything and getting a feel for what you’re buying. Anyway, I bought 108 counting beads made of Earth Jasper also known as the “Supreme Nurturer” it reminds us to help one another and brings tranquility into our lives.  Then I grabbed 3 marker beads made from Agate which is a protective stone.  Your marker beads should be a different size so you will know when you’ve passed a particular number of beads.  Then I bought one large Agate guru bead.  The guru bead is the large bead at the apex of the Mala where the tassel hangs.   I also added a pretty little tassel and Ohm symbol.

The spacing can get a little confusing, to keep everything simple I placed a large marker bead every 27 counting beads and the guru at the bottom.  It all came together to form 4 sections of 27 beads.

Happy meditating my friends!

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The Art of Gift Giving

There really is an art to giving a meaningful gift.  I mean nobody’s balking at the ubiquitous gift card or cash, but a gift that really hits home gets remembered.  What do you get for the friend that literally has everything, loves boho chic, and only uses vegan, animal safe, sanctified by God products?  A bag full of stuff!!!

Contrary to popular belief I do believe in using equations (I’ll have to show you lovelies my fashion equation of day, let’s just say Karl Lagerfeld is a fan of a good equation too).  But since we are talking about gifts let’s focus on how to give a proper gift.  Ehem [clears throat…pushes up glasses] the equation is as follows:

Sentiment + Attention to Detail – Shopping for Yourself = An Amazing Gift

Sentiment:

Remember a moment from childhood or when you first met your intended giftee. Integrate those elements into your gift. For example my besties and I would share W Magazines when were were younger.  We would write our dreams and goals in the margins then pass the magazine along to the next lovely lady.  So by giving her a W Mag I’m reminding her to always follow her heart to remember that she can rely on us. We also bough a bottle of wine from the city where she and her forever were married. Adding a libation is always a good reminder of fun days.

Don’t shop for yourself:

My bestie has a solid Christian faith, hence the gratitude journal with inspirational Bible verse. This purchase may not integrate into my own concept of spirituality but remember GIFTS AREN’T FOR YOU!!!!

Attention to Detail:

Gifts are all about presentation.  Yes of course who cares what the box looks like on the 7 karat diamond but isn’t it just that much better if it comes flying down from the heavens in the mouth of a pure white dove?  So, with that being said find the perfect receptacle. We clearly didn’t find any doves large enough to carry our gift but we did find an H&M.  Why go with a boring basket when you can provide your beach loving bestie with the perfect beach ready tote? Thank you H&M for all of your bounty.

Make sure you add stuffing so your gifts will stand tall.  Yet again I will reinforce the importance of presentation.  As humans we make appraisals within 10 milliseconds of seeing an individual.  I haven’t seen any research on appraisals and gifts yet (I may just publish one), but I’m sure it isn’t much different.  My little trick is paper balled up at the bottom to add that extra height.  Then add that Easter basked grass on top.  I don’t even know what that stuff is called.  Tinsel?

The final touches were the fresh tulips and some pretty expensive facial serum from the Montage Laguna. Our favorite hotel. Our other bestie was wed there last year in a fabulous ocean view ceremony (link) and we’ve all been drawn there like moths to a flame ever since. It’s really become a special place for our friendship. So, we talked to her hubby and organized with hotel staff and she was presented with her gift after dinner.

I heard she loved it!!! I would love to share the text she sent me, but I still have this weird thing called privacy I hold on to.  So just imagine all the wonderful stuff she said xoxo.

Beach Girl

   
As a born and bred Orange County girl the Pacific Ocean flows through my veins.  Water has always brought me peace and been a centering force. So, moving into the heart of LA hasn’t been a completely natural shift.  I mean it’s wonderful and everything but it’s just NOT THE BEACH!!!  

 
I spent a little quality time in Santa Monica fighting the crazy tide…thanx El Niño. But surfers were out and the sun was high. 

   

Stunning!!

  
Just look at my little big man! It may be time to leave the city. 

  

The Day Of

Weddings are always a mixed bag; filled with happiness, joy, and even some tears. Well, at my bestie, Keisha’s, wedding we laughed, cried, meditated, and celebrated one another while watching her transcendental travel down the aisle.  I mean look at how gorgeous she is…stunning!

The weekend started in the truly fab town of Laguna.  Where the views are breathtaking, the neighborhoods are comfy, and the beaches are clean.  You can’t beat this view…I was uber excited because I got to meditate from this balcony every morning.  A dream!

What do you get for the spiritual and perpetually busy bride?  We got her some travel bags in her favorite color, blush, and some colorful panties tastefully hidden in little boxes.  We even threw in a hat for hubby.

Our bride loves letters and notes so I used some of my best crafting skills to make a box and water color a quote on the lid.

With a little love, we drafted touching personal letters and I watercolored and mounted them.

It all went in a Harvard colored L. L. Bean bag.  Did I mention the couple met at Harvard’s Business school.  Let’s talk about geniuses.  I can’t wait for some smart little babies!!!
  Then the bride gave us some amazing gifts.

The robes and earrings were just perfect.

I made the bride a groom a ceremonial broom to jump.   What’s the point of a crafty friend if you can’t use her skills?  A lot of people don’t understand what jumping the broom is all about.  Well, back during slavery, African Americans were not allowed to get married.  So, they created their own marriage ceremonies which involved jumping over a broom to signify their bond.  Talk about creative.  Many African American couples still jump the broom at the end of their ceremonies to symbolize this same union as well as remember the sacrifices of our ancestors.  This history moment brought to you by Cupcakes.

Then it was time to get our bride ready.

Perfection!!!

We traveled from around the globe, with girls coming from as far as Dubai.

They were married on the lawn of the Montage Hotel in Laguna overlooking the ocean.

The children were absolutely adorable!

My hubby to be was divine so I had to steal a smooch.

Then we cut a rug.

Love my ladies, Susy, Ruta, and Rachel!

Then this happened. Yay weddings!!!