Stories — Magic Recipe

My mother has been very supportive throughout the chapters of my journey. She told me as a 3 year old, one of my common sayings was, "I got idea," and from a little child, to adventures as a business owner, she has always been a source of love and encouragement. She is Magic Recipe's first model, and it is her beautiful hand on the cover of this website. I love you mama. Forever thankful for you, our relationship, and our friendship.

Sunshine in my heart.

The energy of this November full moon was felt! In Oregon, its fullest moments came in the morning and we took a break from stringing creations to walk outside in the stormy, raining, wind-blown sunbursts. The sun shining through the clouds, and the rain coming down on us, I felt we couldn't see the rainbow, because we were probably in it. With a new, small batch of beautiful glass beads transforming into gradient, radiant, rainbow 'candy' necklaces under the full moon- I'm so excited for them to find their way home this holiday at our upcoming markets.

The timing of the full moon with the new birth chart collection felt like flow and serendipity. Coming outside to soak in the rising Virgo full moon with kitty cat and my sweet son nearby to help and play during this process. I woke up to welcome love, intention, clarity, and release during the lunar eclipse 3/3/3:33. Three bracelets were made from this recipe.

Dearest humans who made our pop-up experience at Sticks & Stones for the Open Studios event so special: THANK YOU. From the bottom of our hearts to the abundant expansion we all felt and created together. Wow. What an amazing, felt experience that was. Your magic was palpable. So many wonderful connections, new friends, familiar faces - and too many moments to count that were so unique, powerful, and touching. Events like this are why we do what we do. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Photos of our activation from this event, by the beloved and fabulous Jessica Keaveny.

This summer palette feels like magical, candy. Play & elegance. I am in awe of how the oranges and neons continue to flow together. My 5 year old self who always reached for the hot pink crayon is in an experience of pure delight. LOVE having the honor of witnessing these pieces find their way home. Love to you all!

Glass beads from the sweetest shop, Beluga Beads in Depoe Bay. The glass reminded me of the way the sun & moon have been shining on this special trip to the beach.

A little peek from the other side of the table, and my perspective looking out. When I sit on the stool, and you come up to the bar and sit on the other side, it lights up my heart. From a sweet conversation, to a custom creation, or simply sharing a memory or experience. This set up is lovingly designed to feel like a place you might get a treat, have a moment of chill, or make a new friend. It is such an honor to create with you and get to experience this experience together.

January was a really busy month. I feel so much gratitude in my heart for the work flow, and still there is a reminder in my body to not push beyond my limits like I used to when I was younger. An invitation to stay grounded and share boundaries in a way that supports me, my family, and the teams and projects I have the honor of being a part of. We took a family walk tonight as the full moon glowed above the dusky clouds. I realized it hadn't been since the new moon that I had paid attention to the cycle, and it felt like the moon was waving hello, reminding me of presence. I smiled because this morning I felt called to make a few necklaces, before I realized it was the full moon. So there is some lovely, connected energy there too. Happy February everyone xo

Dreaming up ingredients for the new birth chart collection. New sets will be made for each sign every full moon. A special edition version made monthly during sunrise on each new moon.

Calling in her way home. The design process is a slow, mindful journey in following intuition. An experience of trust, receiving, connecting, and love.

I have always loved opals and rainbows. It began with my grandmother, who kept a small bowl of raw opals at her dining table. I loved them so much. It was a treat getting to hold them and watch every color appear as the light moved across their surface. I started working with opal beads this Libra season, and it feels like the beginning of something special. Inspiration from experiences that feel like the past, present, and future connecting. Gratitude for the nourishment this process provides.

We created a Bead Bar at the sweetest birthday party set up, for guests to pick their beads and design their own bracelets during the party. I set up a little station to string & finish, while the guests pulled cards for their special message. One dear guest made a bracelet, picking out the colors he was feeling the most drawn and connected with. Then he pulled a card and the colors in that particular card were EXACTLY the same as his adornment. Our hearts melted over this!

Gratitude in my heart for time spent in the wild wind, sand, and salty air.

Sunlight cascading in the bedroom window, and saw the sun rising above the mist across the field. Ran outside barefoot, standing in the dirt and grass taking in this abundant moment.

At the coast for my 42nd birthday. A trip made possible by a dear family & friend. Walking the beach at sunrise, experiencing my husband getting inspired at the possibilities of Magic Recipe. Watching my son play and connect with the universe within and all around. Meeting sweet, local shop owners. Creating adornments under the full Aries moon listening to the waves ebb and flow along the shoreline.

An extra dash of love for this recipe.

Several years ago, I did a program called Remote Year, which was traveling for one year internationally with a group of other folks from all around the world. A different city a month, for 12 months. We came together as strangers with a mutual love for being on the journey together. Our cohort's name was Mångata, a Swedish word meaning: the road-like reflection of the moon on the water. I always felt deeply connected to this. When I see this pathway now, it feels like a portal, and I think of this word, and of that time and journey that created a ripple effect into so many other aspects of my life forever. Life changing experiences, and forever friendships. Pathways come into our lives in all forms. This path is one of my forever favorites.

The honor of witnessing this process takes my breath away. Feels like magic all the way through. Custom design & reading at the Autumn pop up with Sticks & Stones in Portland.

Full moon rising. Walking back to the house from the beach with a full, calm, inspired heart.

This bracelet almost makes me cry. Nostalgia in the sweetest way. As it was coming into being I could feel the love for its rainbow joy moving up my body into my neck and throat, wanting to scream out for the pure love I felt for a similar bracelet I had as a little girl in the 80s. I know that childhood bracelet is in a box somewhere. It's on my to do list to find it.

I can feel when I am making a piece for someone who will see it and know in their heart that it is theirs. It feels like time travel. The process of stone & glass coming into being, and turning into beads that find their way to each other. Feeling them call to be together and stringing them in a way that feels like a story. Then events and markets, and getting to witness the experience of our clients finding their adornments. That's what makes YOU the secret ingredient. You can feel when it's yours. It is such a pleasure to design and create as part of the process for an adornment finding its way home.

Portal. Process. Thousands to millions of years in the making. Forming. Creating. Connecting. 'Some research suggests that agate formation is not a continuous, linear process but involves "stops and starts," with growth cycles and periods of inactivity. Some of the oldest agates in the world may have grown for the first 60 million years then stopped for 210 million years and then grown again for the next 80 million years. (Moxon 2009). It's more than my mind can process, and my heart that holds this deep wisdom with ease.

I am learning so much about different stones. One design that flowed out of my heart was after I learned that amazonite, a stone I've always felt drawn to, didn't only come in the beautiful blue-green we usually see it in. It can also appear as yellow, orange, brown, gray, white, and black. As an experiment, I obtained several different strands, and found that with enough beads to pull from, amazonite can become a beautiful rainbow gradient. This is one of the first designs I made, and still dear to my heart, one of my favorites. Each variation of its creation, a one-of-a-kind reflection of nature's abundance. Amazonite feels to me like a perfect combination of calming empowerment.

Set my phone down while shooting some new pieces with the camera still on on accident, and this angle is what was captured. I am sitting in the dirt, laying adornments on rocks for display, and can hear my son playing nearby. My mom is visiting this morning, and they are running around the yard being dinosaurs. The sunshine is cascading in through the trees, illuminating this moment. Creation. Process. Love. It tastes like vibrant, full, abundant, play.

Phases & cycles curating pathways that invite adventure, reflection, and connection.

New signage. Feeling whimsical magical gemstone pastel neon 'candy' flow. Printing our slogan dedicated to YOU. Nearly cried watching this one come out of the printer. Yes, I am a crier lol. xo