To Write on YOUR LOVING ARMS 2

USE A GOOD OLD FASHIONED SHARPIE!
if you are just now seeing this let me catch you up to date:)
this friday is
TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS day
what can you do to support this day?
1. make sure to give yourself a hug- you deserve it. you are LOVED!

2. write the word "love" on your arm or arms, to support those who are fighting against depression and those who are trying to recovering. On this day, just write love on your arms, and show it off, other people will ask why you have love written on your arms, and you tell them you are supporting "to write love on her arms day", and how its benefiting a non profit organization helping stop depression, and make love the movement ♥

again, i ask you
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD:)
if you want to support in a less permanent way see the post from yesterday where we used STICKERS! it's right
--->HERE<---
and the Official TWLOHA website
--->HERE<---
thank you to every one for reading, tweeting, blogging and sharing in all ways possible.
xox, rachel

You Are NOT Alone MOSAIC

1. rescue is possible.,
2. To Write Love On Her Arms,
3. To Write Love On Her Arms.,
4. Twloha Shoes

-121 million people worldwide suffer from depression.

-18 million of these cases are happening in the United States.

-Between 20% and 50% of children and teens struggling with depression have a family history of this struggle and the offspring of depressed parents are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression.

-Depression often co-occurs with anxiety disorders and substance abuse, with 30 percent of teens with depression also developing a substance abuse problem.

-2/3 of those suffering from depression never seek treatment.

Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers.

how can you help?
--->CLICK HERE<---
and spread the word
xox, rachel

To Write on YOUR LOVING ARMS

this friday is
TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS day:)
what is it?
see my earlier blog post HERE
every day until friday i will be posting different ways you can support this movement
first way is with STICKERS!!!

if you live in a colder climate and need to wear long-sleeved shirts you can roll your cuff up and do something around your wrist! FUN, right?

and maybe your office cranks the heat waaaaay up and it's always boiling hot?
here is a short-sleeved idea:)

please help to spread the word.
tell all your friends and family!
to find out more about this movement visit the
--->OFFICIAL WEBSITE<---

Welcome Home

(photo source)
currently blasting this song on repeat this morning.
it's fueling my fire!!!!

{song: Welcome Home artist: Radical Face}

"Ships are launching from my chest
Some have names but most do not
If you find one, please let me know what piece I've lost
Heal the scars from off my back
I don't need them anymore
You can throw them out or keep them in your mason jars
I've come home"

Merry Trees N Tuneage

for those of you who don't know this already, i am a FIRM believer in keeping our christmas tree up all year round. i tend to decorate it according to season and often change the lights to white in the spring and summer months.
i just love lights so much.
as you can see, we have yet to decorate.....
we've got time:)
but as for music.....

well, it's November,
and in my book that screams to me
"Play the Christmas Jams!!!!"
sufjan stevens "Songs for Christmas" is in a complete tie for 1st place with the other christmas album that will NEVER EVER get old
hope everyone is having a merry sunday:)
xox, rachel

WHERE TO START!

heya readers!
if you're just now tuning in to this button from the left-hand sidebar you will be reading these posts in reverse & are sure to be seriously confused, which is no good.
sooooo, here is a link that will start you from the beginning:

THE ANNIE STELA FALL HOME TOUR
once you read this entry you can read in the correct order by clicking "newer posts", which is located at the very end of the post on the left:)

xox, rachel

That Year

while i was on tour with annie we went through endless amounts of albums on our ipods.
annie got me acquainted with Brandi Carlile's record "Give Up the Ghost"
this song breaks me
it drove us through the mountains of colorado at a speed that time traveled us back a good 10 years.
music is crazy like that isn't it?
{song: That Year artist: Brandi Carlile}

Life as a House

"No, Sam I wasn't trying to get you to like me. I was trying to get you to love me."
.....and it was at this point where everything inside of me collapsed.

this movie will forever be in my top 5 favorites for so many reasons.
Kevin Kline is completely brilliant! he is witty, angry, passionate.... i could go on and on.
it had such an impact on my 21 year-young life.
the father-son relationship was so intensely moving i remember i found myself forgetting to breathe during many scenes.
it was also my first introduction to the band Guster. i immediately sought them out after leaving the theater.

"Sam... I won't ever hit you. Ever. I don't want you smaller. I want you to be happy and you're not. Not here with me, not home with your mother, not alone, not anywhere. You're what I was most of my life, Sam. I see it in your eyes, in your sleep, in your answer to everything! You're barely alive!"
in your answer to everything......
again, these words wouldn't carry the weight they do in the film if it weren't for Kevin Kline delivering them.
and lastly, the quote that has kept me going through some of my darkest days of depression:
"You know the great thing, though, is that change can be so constant you don't even feel the difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don't even notice that your life is better or worse, until it is. Or it can just blow you away, make you something different in an instant."
so, if you haven't seen this movie, runnn!
and about that band i mentioned, Guster
well, here's one for your ears

{song: I Spy artist: Guster}
happy saturday friends:)
xox, rachel

SWING 25/365

Day 25/365 days on Flickr
SWING 25/365
[there is so much i love about this photograph. i love the subject, her intense ability to dream, to swing with an umbrella in hand while wearing tights. kids melt me.]

Flowerleaf GIVEAWAY!

* THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED:)*

YAAAY! i am back from tour & getting back into the swing of GIVEAWAY's:)
this week i am happy to have the WONDERFUL Jocelyn of
www.Flowerleaf.etsy.com
who is giving away not 1, BUT 2 items!
SO super giving of you Ace (that's my nickname for her, gilmore girls reference)

i have watched Jocelyn's shop grow over the past few months and have fallen in love with her items and her product shots. there's a bunch of mystery in her goodies. i'm a huge fan of mysterious trinketry:)
let's get to know a little bit more about Jocelyn....

1. tell us about your shop. when did you first open your shop & what made you choose to sell on etsy?

I first opened my shop in May of 2009 and I had actually heard about Etsy from a mutual friend of this here Rachel lady (Jamie Maldonado - see his awesome photography blog in the button in the left column <--). He told me there was this cool site where I could sell my art. I didn't feel I was ready to start selling my drawings and paintings online yet, but I was making these rings at the time and figured I might be able to sell those. I was making the wire wrap rings and just starting to venture out into what I am selling now. The rings I made were just not good - I just don't have the talent of wire wrapping, or it might be that I haven't developed patience for it. So I started selling my jewelry on Etsy, knowing full well that the competition is pretty fierce when it comes to selling jewelry. It makes life that much more exciting, right? 2. do you sell on etsy full or part time?

I am not currently working right now and not really making a living off of what I sell on Etsy, so I will say that I am full time when it comes to hours and part time when it comes to pay. I am definitely hoping for full time some day.

3. who are your top 5 favorite musicians/bands/songwriters etc.? (i realize this is almost a mean question because how can one choose but i love music & i need to know what kind you love too!)

Oh wow. This is always a tough one for me. But here it goes.
1. Future of Forestry - awesome guys who outrageously talented. (I listen to them every day)
2. Paper Route - some of the most gorgeous music ever.
3. Franz Schubert Gabriel Faure - I am cheating...for that is two different composers that I am going to count as one to squeeze in other artists. ;-)
4. Mumford & Sons - one of my new favorites
5. Hillsong United - their music has got me through some really tough times.

4. what are some of your favorite things/hobbies?

One of my favorite things is the autumn season and hopefully by the time people are reading this autumn has finally decided to show up where I live (central California). I love the feel of it, the atmosphere, the smells - cinnamon, vanilla, and pumpkin spice. - and of course the fiery colors in all the trees as they turn.

Hobbies: To list only a couple I love watching lame movies with my little sister and I love to bake!

{GIVEAWAY TIME}

Jocelyn is giving away 2 PIECES!
1.the Verdigris Leaves Layered Necklace, "which has been a favorite of mine for a while."
2. one of her newly designed adjustable rings, The Majestic. "I think I shall be making a lot of those in different colors because they are super fun."

there are lots of ways to enter and each entry will give you a better chance at winning so lets get on with the different ways you can participate...

to enter:
● follow my BLOG (on the right sidebar), if you already do, just let me know.
● "Like" Flowerleaf on Facebook: HERE
● follow Flowerleaf on Twitter: HERE
● visit Flowerleaf & let us know which item is your FAVORITE
● tweet about this GIVEAWAY
● blog about this GIVEAWAY

leave me a comment below letting me know all of the ways that you've entered. also, make SURE to include your e-mail address so we can contact you should you be the winner:) have fun, good luck and happy browsing!
xox, rachel

To Write Love On Her Arms

why i am just now finding out about this movement that has been going on since 2006 is beyond me, but i am glad i now know. that is all that matters.
and i'm ALL in!
what is TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS?
"To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery."

Underoath, about to go on.
so many bands come out to support this movement in a HUGE way.
it's inspiring.

Bryce Avary of The Rocket Summer
as some of you may know i struggle with severe anxiety and depression. i have for as long as i can remember. literally, i remember being panicked in my crib. i remember myself needing to watch my little brother sleep in his crib when i was only 2 years old & being terrified that something awful was going to happen to him.

"That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key." Elizabeth Wurtzel

Love is the Movement
November 12th is "To Write Love On Her Arms Day"
it is a day where anyone can write the words "love" on their arms, to support those who are fighting against depression and those who are trying to recovering. On this day, just write love on your arms, and show it off, other people will ask why you have love written on your arms, and you tell them you are supporting to write love on her arms day, and how its benefiting a non profit organization helping stop depression, and make love the movement ♥
thank you for taking the time to read this post:)
here is a song about mental illness. although it is sad, i think it is beautiful. i've always felt it good to find some way to turn my pain into art, whatever the form may be

{song:Evaporated artist: Ben Folds Five}
xox, rachel

Digging On Your Sunrings 24/365

Day 24/365 days on Flickr
Digging On Your Sunrings 24/365
today we kicked out a massive shoot for the shop:) while i was getting the camera to behave so i could take "proper product shots" i got a few photos with massive amounts of sunrings! pretttttty:)

Topeka Driving VIDEO

this is how i choose to remember it.....

For Me This Is Heaven MOSAIC

1. COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS,
2. Red Butterfly,
3. Climbing up the wall.,
4. courage !

i've been seriously missing my mosaics while i was away!
i'm going to start using a song as my inspiration for every mosaic & then share the song with you in the same post:)
let's see how it works

{song: For Me This is Heaven artist: Jimmy Eat World}
xox, rachel

Geneseo New York SHOW

yes, i am playing catch up from TOUR....
time just got away from me at the end.
i went into "powering through mode" after we left michigan.
here are some shots of us getting ready to load up the car so Annie could go play a show in the basement of a house for a bunch of college kids.
talk about memory lane.
so glad that chapter of my life is OVER!

putting on boots. they were a staple

a little soundcheck.
look at those concrete walls. to annie's left there was a washer & dryer. all you can do with a basement like that is string up christmas lights.
they did it up right:)

while annie was playing i was able to get these super rad shadow shots of her against those cold grey walls

and she rallied all those kids together when she pulled out her ACDC cover
"You Shook Me All Night Long"
there was howling involved when this song came to a close.
xox, rachel
*wanna listen to Annie Stela? visit her Facebook page HERE & go to her music player on the left sidebar:)*