A POSTCARD FROM RIO

Greetings from Brazil!  

The weather's lovely and the people are too.  

Wish you were here!

Feel beautiful!

xoxo

 Elizabeth

The view from atop Corcovado Mountain

 Fresh juice and all kinds of little snack sandwiches. They've been juicing for years in Brazil! 

Local flavors at the local market

Conde -- one of the sweetest sub-tropical fruits I've ever tasted.

 

Late afternoon snack of fresh mango, a hot dog and Kibbe, an Arab delicacy made from bulghur, onions and meat.  It migrated to Brazil with the Syrian & Lebanese Diaspora in the early 20th century.  

And of course, um garoto, an espresso shot with just a splash of milk.

Tommy and me.  

Christo Redemtor is said to be the largest Art Deco statue in the world - 130' tall standing 700 meters above the City.

Such an adventure!

SUMMER IS A BON VOYAGE!

It’s Memorial Day and after a year of hard driving forward, the long weekend always signals the beginning of summer.  I’ll be spending mine getting ready for some fun summer travel.

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.” - Rumi

Travel is at the heart of everything I do.  My favorite designs are inspired by where I’ve been and who I’ve met while there.  Many of my designs are made in Thailand – the exotic, earthy quality of that land and culture comes to life in my Monkey Tales and Mariposa Collections. 

sterling silver swinging monkey; 18kt mariposa pendant; 18kt  monkey see monkey do hoops

This summer, I’m off to such far flung places as the islands of the Bahamas and the back country of Brazil.  I’ll also travel closer to home, to the Pacific Northwest and the mountains of Colorado -- most special because each of these trips are to visit close friends I don't often see.  

This Memorial Day, I am especially thankful for my freedom.  I realize the privilege of having so many choices, I deeply appreciate the gift of travel.  As I get ready to live into summer, I do so with tremendous gratitude for these privileges.

Here are a few things I know will go into my summer travel suticase.

E’s Essentials for Summer Travel

My favorite simple halter dress by Patagonia - easy to pack and easy to wear - looks great with my jewelry.  These blue turquoise Holey Surfer earrings go with everything, and they just scream “summer”!

This crochet Mar y Sol beach bag is on my radar -- I’ll be looking for something like it during my trip in Brazil.  Turquoise is definitely my color!

I always travel with these two essentials: SkinCeuticals sunscreen has a sheer, universally flattering tint - and I never go one day without wearing sunscreen on my face.  These gluten-free NuGo bars are my favorite snack, both for energy and as a sweet (+salty) tooth satisfier!

Welcome summer, it’s almost time to Bon Voyage!

Feel Beautiful!

Elizabeth

E's Essentials: Finding Center

Meditation is one of the elusive essentials in my life - and it’s so simple!  I meditate for clarity.   By committing myself to regular practice, my relationships are more balanced and my priorities become ordered.  I’m able to lead with creativity, and it informs my jewelry. 

Meditating is an aesthetic experience and not just for someone who designs for a living!  Finding center brings beauty and presence to life, and it takes many shapes.   I meditate as part of my transition from sleep to wakefulness, first thing in the morning.  Meditation is part of my yoga practice and of walking my dogs.  It’s my “answer” when I’m faced with a decision without a clear solution.  When times are chaotic in the office, I may lead my team in an easy 5-minute meditative exercise.  I’ve even facilitated groups of my retail partners in meditation to help bring them closer to the needs of their customers.  

photo courtesy of Exhale Mind Body Spa where I practice yoga in Dallas & New York

There are so many ways to meditate, ranging from staring into your steaming cup of coffee at 7:00am to simply being fully aware of the road and surroundings while driving.  The power of meditating is not in how it’s done, but in actually being present in the action and/or moment at hand.  

Here are some of my meditation essentials:

Making meditation easy is the best way for me to ensure it happens! I begin my day with my practice, often simply sitting upright in my bed.  I love and use Deepak Chopra's "Creating Abundance," 21 daily affirmations that are accompanied by beautiful music.  I am also committed to quiet sitting meditation, once or twice a week - this is just 10-15 minutes of silence. 

I've created a perfect space for meditating in my bedroom, which is my haven.  It is painted Palladian Blue (a Benjamin Moore hue); the color is cool and relaxing.  It has such a soothing effect that I've used the same paint color on the walls of my office. 

my bedroom upon awakening (with a foot and tail of my dog Whitney on the left)

While I am not a fragrance person, I love the scent of lemongrass, and the Believe essential oil by Young Living.  And green tea is an elixir, throughout the morning.  Mighty Leaf's Green Tea Tropical is a very pure balanced tea with a hint of fruit.

"You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible."

- Deepak Chopra

Meditation is intention; it's slowing down so that you can catch up and then move forward.  I channel my creativity through meditation and have distilled it into the message carried by all of my jewelry, empowering all women to feel beautiful, right now.  To me, the feel beautiful message has almost the same meaning as the deepest meditative blessing there is of thanks and gratitude for what is:  Namaste.

feel beautiful -

Elizabeth

Butterflies and Mother's Day

Butterflies mean a lot to me, also to my family.  They are symbols of positive change, of surprising, almost astounding metamorphosis. In early Christianity and also in the Native American tradition, the butterfly was a symbol of the soul, finally untethered and free.  For my family, butterflies represent the light and love between us, through every chapter, and every transformation. 

Several years ago, a migration alit in my parents' yard in Hillsboro almost as if they knew how much they meant to us!  There was a monarch on every bush and tree leaf, for nearly 48 hours, with a few stragglers remaining over the following days.  On 3 acres of land, it was an incredible sight, and one that none of us will ever forget.  

My Mom and I both live our life in creativity and color, and in many ways butterflies are a symbol of that shared love.  My office is filled with butterflies -- they're a reminder, of how far I’ve flown, and how far there is still to fly! 

Framed Morpho butterflies in my office

 Butterfly art on the wall in my office

I found a perfect Mother’s Day card for my Mom with a cut-out of a butterfly.  We’ll continue our metamorphosis, and our colors will surely only grow more beautiful.  
For my Mom:  Happy Mother’s Day.

My mom and me

feel beautiful - 
Elizabeth 

Honored to Feature Bradley's Picks!

Bradley Agather, style arbiter extraordinaire, co-editor of Dallas' FD Luxe, and author of the gorgeous blog, Luella & June, came by our studio on Friday and spent time playing with us and our jewelry, taking photos and trying stuff on.  We love Bradley -- she is a Dallas girl like me, and has done an amazing job curating the easy, effortless style that we admire.

We are honored to feature these pieces as Bradley's picks!   Read more about her visit to our studio on her blog, Luella & June.

feel beautiful!

xoxo

Elizabeth

Words that Inspire & Thinking of my Mother

Through the years, I've always gotten insight and inspiration from what I read.  I follow some wonderful blogs for daily motivation -- the Daily Love and MariaShriver’s Ideas and Inspiration for Architects of Change.  I’m an avid collector of quotes, even building them into my jewelry – like the limited series of silver, tree-textured bracelets engraved with 4 of my favorite mantras from last Fall, and our upcoming Lyric Collection, a collaboration with Kelly Wyly O’Donovan. 

 

"ignore anyone who says it can't be done"

I work hard to stay inspired and to apply what I read to every aspect of my life.  There are many volumes of inspirational writing on my bookshelf, and out of all them, this one really speaks to me the most right now. 

About 10 years ago, I gave a copy of “A Deep Breath of Life” to my Mom.  Sometimes we'll share one of  Alan Cohen’s daily inspirations with each other; we'll email a paragraph or two, or send each other a text.  We’ve even used some of the passages to frame our time together, over morning coffee or when we’re together on a holiday.

My Mom has taught me so much.  She has instilled in me a beautiful set of values.  But perhaps most powerfully, she has taught me to trust my intuition.  In the noisy cacophony of leadership and life, my intuition is the voice I really need to hear.  

Here is one of the daily inspirations that my Mom and I both love.  Daily, deeply, I am thankful for her role in my life.

feel beautiful,

Elizabeth

Collaboration: The Lyric Collection

I have always operated by the truth: we are only as good as the sum of our parts.  Thinking over the past 17 years, I’ve been deeply inspired by the ideas of others – like my Mom, for example.  There are hints of her influence in my work and vice versa.

My Meg chandelier earrings with london blue topaz over mother-of-pearl and diamonds.

And I’m inspired by the members of my team and my design partners, who have pushed me to explore new angles, shapes and textures, and have challenged me to see stones and precious metals in very unique ways. 

Chrysocolla bead necklace 18kt yellow gold tree branch station

 Collaboration is central to creativity, and for me, it starts with the message. The Elliott Yeary Gallery in Aspen, Colorado is a great retail partner, largely because of their appreciation for the power of the feel beautiful message at the heart of all that we do at Elizabeth Showers.  On a recent visit to Aspen, this really hit home for me.  Co-Owner, Kelly Wyly O’Donovan, creates artwork like nothing I’ve seen.  She brings together color and light, and in each of her works, she tells a story of empowerment.

"Amazed" by Kelly Wyly O'Donovan

Kelly’s paintings seem to speak out loud; in fact, she calls them “illustrated declarations of her thoughts, memories and emotions”.  Amazed, the piece that caught my eye that day in the Gallery, immediately sparked my creative engine.    

Ammonite

Since that visit, Kelly and I have collaborated to create one-of-a-kind pieces for the Lyric Collection.  We’ve designed a pendant, ring and two different earrings, all set in mixed metals and featuring perfect spirals of prehistoric Ammonite – fossils that themselves speak of the beauty and cycles of life.  Each piece is engraved with messages of empowerment, and as always, the Hope Star, mingled among the words. 

We are only as good as the sum of our parts!  Collaborating is what makes life, and art so enriching.

feel beautiful,

Elizabeth