A few things I'm loving lately:

 

1. Though my fingers are crossed I won't be needing to wear it much longer this year (we're ready for you, Spring!) I've been staying warm in my new winter coat from Costco. Lightweight and just roomy enough for heavy sweaters and extra layers, it was less than $20.

2. Perpetually late to the party, I didn't catch on to this beautiful gem of a show until its third season, but I am a quick and total convert. Healing, hope, humor, authentic portrayals of the awkward, figuring-it-out-ness of adulthood, the joys and struggles of real and intimate friendships - this is truly one of the most wonderful shows created.

3. Mind-blowing and expanding in the very best of ways, this podcast offers a beautiful and profound perspective on how much we can learn about our world and beyond from a population often deemed incapable of communicating: non-speakers with autism.

4.  The latest Spotify playlist from Elva Fields includes some old favorites from my college years (thanks to a recent reunion 25 years after our graduation!) and some new songs I've only recently discovered. The Samples take me back to a summer spent in Colorado in the late 90s and Freddy Jones Band is straight from nearly every weekend road trip we took to see the boys "up the road" from Hollins, while the Lucy Dacus song is a new find from my local public radio station - so much love for 91.9 WFPK. Enjoy!

5. Lest you think the reunion weekend was a wild party, I will share that there was needlepointing, pickleball, soup and sourdough making, and an endless game of Rummikub on the coffee table. I'd never played, and now I can't get enough. (Thanks to my thoughtful mom for my new set!)

 

A few things I'm loving lately:

 

1. Not to sound too much like the fashion influencer we all know I'm not, but I am obsessed with my new $14 slippers from Target. Warm, cozy, and like walking on marshmallows in the very best squishy-supportive way, they even make getting out of bed in the cold, dark mornings a bit easier. 

2. Although this masterpiece by one of my favorite authors has been on my TBR list for well over a year now, I'd been putting it off after most readers shared that it was "incredibly sad" and "heartbreaking" (albeit wonderful.) For the most part lately I like my reading to be joyful and uplifting, and I wasn't sure I was up for the challenges that "sad" might bring. When I forgot a book on a recent trip, however, I snagged it from the airport shop and was hooked from page one. It IS sad, but it's a sad that doesn't dwell in the depths without bits of brightness, humor, and keen observations of true beauty, love, and belonging. It IS heartbreaking, but only in a way that shines a light on a part of the world that is often overlooked and misunderstood by most. I couldn't put it down, and I can't stop thinking about it.

3. Between peri-menopause and winter, my skin is like the Sahara. After some research, I discovered this bottle of goodness that has changed my dry, scaly surfaces to something resembling healthy human. (And it doubles as a shaving oil, too.) 

4. On the topic of hydration, "drink more water" is my annual New Year's resolution that rarely seems to resolve. My teenagers turned me on to this, and though it seems RIDICULOUS to spend money when I could just twist a faucet knob and get it unflavored for free, I do seem to be drinking more water throughout the day when I add the sugar-free flavors to my water. (And I never use the full pouch - one lasts about 4 glasses of water, so more for my money, maybe?)

5. Clever banter, emotional awareness, trauma processing, hilarious neighbors, AND Harrison Ford? Easily my favorite show right now.

 

 

 

A few things I'm loving lately:

1. After my vision changed seemingly overnight when I turned 42, I'm now fully in my Readers Era. Evidently, my 13-year-old had had enough of my squinting even WITH my original 1x pair halfway through our family vacation this summer, and she promptly walked me to the glasses display in the bookstore where we were shopping. This was the upgraded (and 1.75x) pair she selected for me before pushing me toward the checkout counter, and I have to admit, they're pretty great. Oprah apparently likes them, too, so I'm not alone in my admiration. Pun intended, I have my eye on this style next, and fingers crossed I won't be in need of a 2x already.

 

2. The latest Elva Fields playlist is a collection of some recent favorites, a handful of new discoveries, and a few highlights from last month's Bourbon & Beyond music festival here in Louisville. It was a family affair for us, and I pretended to have as much energy as my teenagers as we navigated four straight days of festival fun. This year featured a phenomenal lineup, and despite blazing heat, occasional massive crowds, and crazy parking, it was worth it for the incredible music. Enjoy the festival-inspired tunes from the comfort of your home or car, though, and enjoy the Spotify sounds.

 

3. Insightful, smart, hilarious, endearing, and wholly entertaining, I loved listening to Rufi Thorpe's Margo's Got Money Troubles on audiobook. Narrated expertly by Elle Fanning, she'll be starring (with Michelle Pfeiffer!) in the upcoming Apple TV series based on the novel. I can't wait. 

 

4. Along with everyone else I know, I completely binged this gem on Netflix a couple of weeks ago. I've loved Adam Brody since he was Lane's forbidden boyfriend on Gilmore Girls (is anyone else still bummed Dave disappeared from the script once his gig on the OC took off?) and the chemistry and dynamics among all the actors in this series just felt like the most joyful, uplifting, best kind of satisfying perfection. 

  

5. This postcard randomly appeared in either a card or a book of mine recently - no idea how - and I cannot stop looking at it. It's a captivating painting from the Smithsonian of the Cornish Headlands, and it's now on my inspiration board in the studio...and on my travel bucket list, too.

It's no understatement to say that Elva Fields likely would not be here today were it not for Western North Carolina. Don't get me wrong, this nearly 21-year-old business has SO MUCH for which to be grateful and to which it owes its existence (you, dear reader, being one!) but Asheville and the mountain communities around it (specifically Waynesville and Franklin) provided a much-needed lifeline for me when others simply weren't available. 

You see, four times a year (originally six,) a small gem and bead show takes place in Western North Carolina, offering wholesale materials to the trade only. When I couldn't afford to fly to Tucson, New York, or even to drive the 7 hours to Atlanta for their much-larger shows and markets, I hopped in my car - often with my mother and my daughters in tow - and headed East on I-40 through the Blue Ridge and the Smokies. We'd wind our way through curving mountain highways and along curling rivers and creeks to Western North Carolina, where I could spend 2-3 days gathering beads, clasps, wire, and even source vintage finds in nearby antique shops and flea markets.

So much of Elva Fields and the designs I created these past 20 years came directly from these quarterly trips to Asheville and Franklin. I simply would not have been able to make jewelry in the same way were it not for the vendors who all came from near and far to share their wares at these spots in the mountains.  I think of the hotels, homes, restaurants, and shops I have spent time in over the years. I remember the people who worked in and many of whom built those places.  All of this became part of the experiences of my life as a business owner, mother, sister, daughter, and human, and, thus, incorporated into the designs made by hand as a result of those experiences.

It was a joyful bonus that my younger brother lived in Asheville for over 20 years, so these buying trips were also family gatherings, and though our original family vacations in Asheville started when my grandparents had a home there long ago, Elva Fields allowed our connection to that part of the world to continue and flourish. 

My brother moved here to Kentucky a year ago, and my last trip to Western North Carolina was a year before that, so my visits are less frequent these days. My business is smaller, and I can often source what I need online (which wasn't even a thing when Elva Fields began!) and with dedicated trips to more local flea markets and estate sales.  I had considered heading back next month for the bead show, though, and it is heartbreaking to think that a buying trip to Asheville is likely impossible with Hurricane Helene's devastating impact on the community, let alone the loss of the road that is essentially the only route in. 

Western North Carolina has given so much to me and to my family over the years, and I am hurting with its residents and hopeful we can help that community find its way through this deeply difficult time. Many have lost everything and face an incredibly long road to repair and recovery.  I'd love to help them on their way to resilience and rebuilding, and I'd love for you to join me. I'm offering half of all online sales this week to two incredible organizations working to help Western North Carolina, and I've created a necklace (using pearls I discovered at the bead shows in Asheville and Franklin) that will give 100% of its purchase price to relief efforts. I'll also list some organizations below in case you'd like to help out on your own. While I have my own connection to that part of the world, my "affiliation" doesn't really matter. We're all connected, and I'd like to think we can help wherever and however we can. 

 Elva Fields contributions will be given to:

BeLoved Asheville

World Central Kitchen

 

Other organizations doing wonderful work:

Samaritan’s Purse (Boone, NC)

Red Cross

Manna Foodbank Asheville

United Way of NC

North Carolina Community Foundation

Operation Airdrop