miranda was not a morning person .....


10% discount this week for blog readers in my Polarity Locket shop on Etsy with coupon code MORNINGPERSON.

(which I actually am, how about you?)

and I'm not sure why I thought this was so clever an hour ago, it makes no sense - I guess it should read - Miranda didn't like having her picture taken ... but she did like to show off her kick-butt jewelry

so we'll just pretend it says that! xo

Believe in Your SELFIE | Magnetic Venus Roars Into Leo on June 5th

On Friday Venus moves into firey Leo.

(we talked months ago about that Leo space in our charts being uber important this year and this is one of the reasons - it's always the space we are meant to take center stage and SHINE, but now it will make us more attractive to others, too)

Venus is the invisible force of attraction - love, relationships, art, friendship. Venus pulls these things together. Venus is always reminding us to honor our natural attractions - the people, colors, tastes, art, animals and interests we are drawn to.

Venus doesn't have hobbies - she has passions. She is the space in us that carries this energy. 

Our attractions are our primary clues as to how we can make a unique contribution to the world.

She has two aspects to her - one is contemplative - observing patterns of relationship - between people, within our art, in nature, etc. The other aspect is dynamic -  paintbrush meets oilcloth, girl meets boy, writer meets publisher, etc.

On Friday (and Friday is named for Freya's Day - the Norse Venus) she (and this invisible force of attraction within us) moves into LOOK AT ME Leo which you might remember is currently housing our largest planet the expansive and opportunistic Jupiter.

What does this mean for us?

Well, the Venus space in our charts is where we experience value. She rules the second house of the things money can buy and the things money can't buy. Now she transits the sign (Leo) that Jupiter has been expanding all year. Where is Leo in your natal chart?

(if you don't know email me and I will find out for you)

Because she is about to go retrograde this will be a long and important transit for everyone and especially for anyone doing creative work. We will do it now and then we will relook at it when she retrogrades over these same degrees later in the summer.

If we have something we are passionate about or are seeking to attract something (or someone), this is an excellent period for taking this seriously. 

We can work now to attract the community and resources we need. 

We can put the work we have already done out there. 

We can be more visible in the world. 

We can work more easily with other creative people because we can see the creativity in others and be more generous with our encouragement.

Through mid July (and especially after Mercury moves direct next week) we will be moving forward with this. 

It is also an excellent time to make anything, including ourselves and our work, more beautiful and attractive

Whatever we put our energy and passion into now (especially if it falls in the realm of that Leo house) will attract what it needs to thrive. 

With Leo the proud and Venus the sign of ownership - this will be a transit about our self respect. How do we feel about the work we put into the world? About our relationships? Are we proud of what we project and what we attract? A light will be thrown on this stuff so we can see clearly how the outside and the inside of things in our life line up ... and how they don't. Nothing is all wine and roses. This transit isn't about how this stuff looks as much as 'how we feel about how this stuff looks'.

She has a long retrograde coming up starting in late July so now is the time to make the things we are passionate about more attractive - including our work and ourselves. Whatever action we take will have the blessing of her magic.

We will be working with relationship, self-esteem, financial and appearance (the outside matching the inside) matters.

If we are lacking passion right now - see what shows up for us over the next few weeks. And do some fun Leo things to get re-immersed. Leo rules the 5th house of children, fun and games, love, creativity, romance, luck and inner joy. Making time for these things now will move us into the space we need to be.

It is more important to do what we are doing with passion than it is to "find' our passion. Doing what we are currently doing with passion allows our passion to find us.

Remember we are not the water - we're the faucet! Stuff flows through us it doesn't come of us. Thinking like that always helps me be more productive with my ideas.

Also remember she supports both the contemplative and dynamic aspects of creativity so whatever space you are currently working will be supported. Her long transit is an excellent gestational period for something to be birthed in September or October.

We have her here until mid July when she moves all of us into the Virgo cycle. She retrogrades a week later (a retrograde Venus is not the time to make any drastic changes to how anything looks, also relationships started with a retrograde Venus will change when she moves direct) and then the following week pulls us back into Leo (she will be retrograde so we will be moving over past stuff then - stuff began now) until early September when she begins to move direct again and she will be fully direct by October. If you have natal (or progressed) planets 14-29 degrees Leo (and the other fixed signs - Aquarius, Scorpio and Taurus - heads up, too) you will feel the retrograde transit the most, but everyone can benefit from the Venus transit in Leo starting on Friday!

xo all - Back to that new series tomorrow. I thought it was important to get this out since it is one of the reasons this summer is so important.

FULL MOON in Sagittarius June 2nd | the BIG Picture | Speak the TRUTH


I like tonight's Full Moon. Yes, we have lots of Gemini energy, so we are going in all kinds of directions at once and we have to do things again. We'll just roll with that. Mercury is Retrograde so we are kind of looking backwards to avoid falling into that hole in front of us and I know this makes no sense, but it's just how it is.

It carries the gift and the challenge of the past.

(I have lots of re-do's going on with my business and have been listening to a book on Audible that takes place in the 60's and watching a TV series on Netflix from the 60's and feeling uber nostalgic for simpler days even while knowing it was all smoke and mirrors)

We have an opposition to Mars with this one so someone else is facing us and bringing either passion (PASSION!) or competition or we are just pissed off at them or something they are handing us to deal with.

Jupiter, Sagittarius ruler, currently in Leo, has a nice alignment bringing the potential for growth, happiness and prosperity. Do I hear a HELL YEAH!

Full Moons are peak times. Think of them as that moment of our breath when we have inhaled and are FULL. 

We immediately start to exhale. 

The Moon is full. It is bright and fills the sky. It is illuminating. 

We can see (if we open our eyes and sometimes things will happen to pry our closed eyes open) what we are holding onto. 

Are our arms filled with starfish or alligators?

Hearts open during the Full Moon cycle (it's actually a very good time for heart surgery).

This Moon forms a Yod to Pluto in Capricorn. So, with Jupiter sextile Mars we have boldly optimistic actions and options and a powerful urge to take that leap, Pluto Retrograde in Capricorn as the focal point will require us to be accountable for our actions and outcomes.

Now, remember with Capricorn as the focus, ambitiousness is a good thing. Ambitious gets the brass ring with this one. It also brings power struggles. Even if you think you are no longer playing this game, you can get embroiled. Be honest with yourself about the things you think you want now - will they make you stronger, smarter, expanded in some way? We need to choose our goals carefully because we are more likely to attain them!

Our thinking will be expanded. Thoughts are things people, although we can take anything too far, expanded thinking leads to expansion - a definite good thing!

Now - the fly in the ointment, yes, there is always a fly in the ointment - sometimes the fly ruins the ointment and sometimes we just scoop his little ass out and the ointment is just fine.

Dreamy Neptune is squaring Sagittarius making for BIG dreams and fading boundaries. BIG dreams and things not being quite as good as they appear. BIG dreams and pie in the sky thinking. There is no need to hurry. If something seems too good to be true we can wait until Mercury goes direct mid month when things will be clearer.

We have to use our intuition and our discernment now. What is this Full Moon shining a light on for you?

BACK TOMORROW with my new series! xo all - get outside and walk in this moon - it doesn't matter if it cloudy and you can't see it - it's there. Also a great time to detox - think milk thistle and an epson salt bath. Or just have a great big CRY that works, too.


The local Native Americans called this Moon the Strawberry Moon and we've got this (the strawberry motherload) going on here - planted 6 plants last year, we now have about 50 plants, you just have to cut off the leaders as the sprouts take root. We've eaten at least 100 strawberries each in the last couple days! ----->

owning our gifts | part I | prequel - yes, I am having prequels and sequels now, I'll blame the movie industry and the summer blockbusters

Full Moon (June 2nd) post tomorrow which will cover this week's creative forecast, too. Expansion time people!


We are living through some major paradigm shifts - which is really one shift, the rising divine feminine and end of patriarchy (which isn't a woman/man thing, although it may play out this way at times - this is archetypal energy, we all hold feminine and masculine).

One of the spaces that is shifting for everyone is our relationship between money and hard work. We have a Full Moon in Sagittarius (the sign of expansion ruled by Jupiter) tomorrow night, so this seems like a good time to start a series about what this shift might look like for us.

the best use of mercury retrograde ... and the heart and head of creatives come together this summer

Mercury is retrograde until June 11th.

I remember when most people had never heard of Mercury Retrograde and now it seems like poor Mercury (planet of communication and MAGIC) is being shamed/blamed for everything that goes wrong!

This is probably because 1. the internet has exposed many more people to astrological teachings 2. most people are moving so fast now any sort of slowdown feels like a problem  3. it's a convenient excuse when stuff falls to shit (pardon my french), especially stuff that would normally be considered our fault

The truth is, although we don't want to spend too much time looking backward, there probably is a telephone pole 20 yards from that guy's head, we can't full steam ahead through life either.

Life doesn't stop because Mercury (or any other planet) is retrograde.

A sneak peek at our new ARCHETYPE Aromatherapy Lockets with the uber-talented Jessica von Braun available next month!


Our new Soul Scentered line of archetype aromatherapy lockets (damn say that five times fast or once after a couple marguaritas) is coming this summer. My archetype lockets feature the amazing work of Dallas artist Jessica von Braun of Solocosmo!

Feeling our Way Through the Fog | Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of May 25th

At some point this week we've got Neptune squaring all the planets in Gemini including Mercury which is retrograde.

This means multiple spaces in our lives are being challenged by Neptune's dreamy and illusory meanderings.

Things can be foggy and changeable

(speaking of changeable - warning shameless plug ahead - have you seen my changeable Polarity Lockets - 10% off this week with coupon code FOGGYWEATHER)

making this a poor week for making important decisions - next week is better.

If we must decide NOW, let's get a second opinion (maybe a third) and be sure we have all our facts in order, T's crossed, I's dotted and ducks in a row. This will be challenging because people will be saying one thing and meaning another, the truth will be slipperier than tired, bare feet on a wet dock and there are real risks (and consequences) to taking incorrect actions to get what we want.

Stuff can bite us in the butt very quickly with these aspects.

There may be multiple options but no good, correct choice.

We can easily convince ourselves that what we are doing is OK (when it's not) or that something is urgent and essential (when it isn't).

See this girl walking into the fog ----------->

well she might be about to step off that dock into some pretty frigid waters ... use caution.

We begin the week with a waxing moon in Virgo (through Wednesday). This is a good time for practiced work and production and if we are ready to move forward with something that has an element of service to others and/or quality handcraft (Virgo's specialties) this is a good time to take action that will bring us positive results.

On the other hand Virgo wants things done and done well and with all this Gemini energy making us feel rushed and pressured we really need to get a grip on where we are right now. 

Are we pumped up and ready to get to work? Are we enjoying the fruits of past labors? Are we releasing what was and slowing down? Are we standing quiet and waiting for our muse to beckon us forward into something else?

With Virgo the lesson is always life is what it is and we are where we are. No one is falling behind. No one is winning. No one is keeping score.

Recognizing and embracing the space we currently call home within the noisy background of the endless demands from the outside world is a precious and valuable ability to have in this time of massive change and unrest. The world has its own schedule now - we need to be clear about ours.

A wise teacher once said to me - there is no train to miss if you don’t have a ticket.

That train pulling away from the station is not an opportunity passing us by, but a confirmation we are exactly where we need to be (if this were our train we would have a ticket and a seat) - preparing to journey forward when the train (I like those old fashioned ones with the ear splitting whistles and hot, sticky leather seats myself) and timetables are right for us.

xo all

Upcycled SAFETY PIN Necklace for Mother's Day | Tutorial

Here's a DIY safety pin necklace tutorial you will love. A totally adorable and easy peasy handmade gift for the mom who takes her safety pins (although maybe not her own personal safety) seriously.


Now some DIY tutorial makers might tell you to glue those safety pins closed and add a nice safe lobster clasp to the back ... but Olive and I, well, we think moms are a little tougher than that ..... xo all

Lather, Rinse, Repeat | Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of May 17th

We start the week with a New Moon in Taurus and Mercury going retrograde in Gemini.

(see more about that HERE)

The New Moon is the end of one cycle and the beginning of a new 28 day cycle - all possibilities are on the table now.

(This Moon is in Taurus Decan 3 and falls on the fixed star Algol - which is Arabic for "demon's head" and is said to depict the terrifying snake- for-hair head of the Medusa monster chick who could turn people to stone with just one glance. Not the nicest space for our Moon but if we are looking to cut something, or someone, off at the head or making something rock solid this is the time. We just don't want to go overboard with anything right now or we could lose our own head!)

Compromise and Flexibility | Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of May 4th

jude mcconkey wildflowers
Did April blow by fast enough for everyone? Well, hold on for more of the same speed in May!

Mercury goes retrograde in a couple weeks and we are moving into the shadow of this on MONDAY so something or someone from the past may be on our mind or our time and attention may be drawn backward today - also communications and mechanical items may start to get wonky.

(time to back up our computers)

Today could give us an inkling of what's in store for us during the actual retrograde, May 19th thru June 11th, so here's to an easy - breezy Monday for all of us!

New Moon in Taurus + Mercury Goes Renegade ... oops retrograde

my taurus locket
BREAKING NEWS
My jury duty - 8 weeks - is finally over!

(I will post about that next week)

Is anyone else having a pollen-pocalypse? Where is all this pollen coming from? Not enough bees to eat it all?!

(speaking of bees, I had a smart and kind beekeeper on my jury and have some delicious honey for my tea that I am enjoying right now!)

After years of nodding my head and sniffling in pretend sympathy with all you seasonal allergy sufferers -

Full Moon in Scorpio - Sunday, May 3rd | what are we willing to do


We have a Full Moon every month when the Sun and the Moon oppose each other. It offers us two different (and opposite) energies to work with; the energy of the sign the Moon is in and the energy of the sign the Sun is in. With our Sun now in Taurus, we know the Full Moon will be in Taurus's polarity (opposite) sign of Scorpio.

(speaking of polarity - warning shameless plug ahead - have you seen my Polarity Lockets - blog readers get 10% off for the next seven days with the coupon code SCORPIOFULLMOON)

blog break for truth, justice and the american way

Heads up - taking a blog break next week.

Need to catch up on things after four weeks of jury service and an unknown number of weeks ahead of me.

(yes, I know I'm whining - the worst part - I think I missed my Girl Scout cookie delivery)

Still hoping I get to stand up and shout "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" at someone other than Olive.

xo all and have a wonderful weekend!

Earth Day Sale | 20% off for Blog Readers thru Sunday!


I don't often have sales so if you've had your eye on something in either of my Etsy shops - now's the time to make your move!

20% off with coupon code EARTHDAY2015 now thru Sunday!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/polarity

https://www.etsy.com/shop/uncorked

Get It Done | Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of April 20th

no clue what that pony is about ....
See my New Moon vision board post HERE

Here's mine ---->

I believe vision boards should be compiled thoughtfully but not too thoughtfully - we want to keep our right brain from gumming up the works as much as possible. This isn't about just grabbing a bunch of pictures of stuff we want. Use the images and words that are calling your name - don't over-think it.

If you'd like to make one during the new phase of the current Aries lunar cycle (which is the astrological new year and an excellent time to do this!) get this done before Wednesday. Stuff is about to get very busy so sooner is better than later because you will run out of time and never get to it!

This week has some great mojo so let's put this energy to good use!

New Moon in Aries | April 18th, 2015 | the courage to create | vision board time!


I believe our astrological birth charts are our contracts and road maps. They are the imprint of the moment we took our first breath - we literally are the universe at exactly that second. In the very next second the heavens move on and we are left holding the light for that previous precious moment in time that will never come again. We hold that light for our entire life for the entire planet.

Guess the $'s and Win a FREE POLARITY LOCKET!

If any reader would like to get in on Olive's Facebook Coin Contest - hop over to Olive Bites Facebook Page

and take a guess as to how many dollars Olive has collected!

I'm shutting this puppy down at midnight - so hop to it!
CLOSED - WINNER ANNOUNCED - THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!


Communicating What We Want | Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of April 13th

I am headed into my 3rd week of jury duty (three days a week) - it is interesting and exhausting and has actually brought, what I now see as some needed structure to my days even though it is totally wearing me the hell out!

I am going to write about the transits this week a little differently. This may be more useful overall than a daily forecast anyway and it's definitely more fun for me to write!☺

First, on Saturday the 11th, Venus moved into Gemini where she will be hanging out until May 7th, so we will have this energy there for about four weeks.

Recycle JAR LIDS Into Compact Mirrors - Upcycled Tutorial

recycled jar lids
As part of Team EcoEtsy's Trash to Treasure Challenge I made these easy, peasy compact mirrors from jar lids.

Of course, mine are magnetic, but since you may not have the magnets on hand to pull this off - I created some other options, too!

Step 1. Get yourself some jar lids. You may need to raid friends' refrigerators and cupboards for the sizes you need. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

<------ If you don't want to walk around town randomly smearing lipstick on your face - yuck -

you need a mirror.

Hub's pickles look like this now ------->

I told him, "It's this or I go out with lipstick smeared under my nose". Yes, these were his options ... he handed over the lid.

(I somehow still end up with lipstick smeared under my nose though, go figure). 

Step 2. Get yourself some mirrors - hit up your local craft store with that gift card your Aunt Ethel gave you when you "started that crafty business of yours".

Now it goes without saying, but I'll just go ahead and say it, you have to coordinate the sizes here - tops, bottoms and mirrors. Good luck with this.

Step 3. Decide on your style. Lids can be painted, paper or fabric covered or left naked. I like my upcycled thingamajigs to retain some connection to their former life and don't mind carrying a Barilla Pasta Sauce compact mirror (maybe you would - I don't judge).

Writing can sometimes be removed with nail polish remover - check out the one I punched with "Mirror, Mirror ...." in the top photo.

Step 4. For the one sided mirror - simply hot glue the mirror inside the lid (after decorating lid).

For the magnetic compact - glue the magnets in the lids (both sides) - check your polarity (warning shameless plug ahead - have you seen my Polarity Magnetic Lockets - I think you need one) - magnets must be glued in precisely the right places. I'm a magnet expert. You might not be - so go slow and check your polarity AGAIN. Then carefully glue the mirrors on top of the magnets.

If the bottom lid fits tightly into the top lid you can skip the magnets, but you might have trouble opening it.

I glued a tag from a t-shirt partially under the mirror to hang outside the compact and act as a pull tab for me to open it easily.

If your lids don't fit together snugly and you don't want to take out a second mortgage to buy enough magnets to make this all work

(please don't show up at my door with your hand out or sneak into my studio with steel in your pocket and think you can slip out the back without me noticing the magnets stuck to your pants - no one has ever been that happy to see me, believe me, I'll notice)

a nice thick rubberband, ink stamped with some encouraging words will do the trick.

We've Got This Thing | Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of April 6th


OK, let's see what we've got happening. We are working through the releasing energy of eclipse season. We need to be focusing on the 'new'. This doesn't have to be a big, bold thing. We gently turn away from the old (the stuff that isn't working - tie up loose ends now) and maybe we take some small step toward the new.

We show up and focus on our new direction.

Happy Easter & Passover!

Wishing everyone a basketful of eggs this holiday - xo all

Saturday's Full Moon Lunar Eclipse and Your Business


We have been in between eclipses since the New Moon Solar Eclipse on March 20th.

March's solar eclipse pushed us toward transformation. Roads not taken and potentials we never manifested have been shut down. Old options are in the past and out of reach. This is working its magic into all our lives in different ways. How quickly we realize this and what we do next is up to us, but any way you slice it - something's over.

So HOT .... | Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of March 30th


If only it was the weather I was talking about (!) or Paris Hilton had stumbled back into the spotlight with one last "that's hot", but no, it's Aries and Leo and the Sun and we have a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse next weekend - yes, we can fry an egg ... or two ... or maybe breakfast for the Duggars.

This is our final week in between eclipses. I think it's just about doing what needs to be done now and what we have the strength for - personally I'm still craving that vacation!

We start the week with multiple ending energies even as we are feeling our Aries Sun pushing us to start. We have Mercury leaving Pisces, Mars leaving Aries and the Sun moves into the South Node (past/release) as he makes his way thru Aries. This is the Libra/Aries story we have been working through for the past year - our relationship to ourselves vs. our relationship with other people. We release Aries tendencies to go it alone and embrace Libra tendencies to move into alignment with our flock.

pulled by our visions : the Following - time is the means | part IV


See Part I, II and III.

If time is the means and always the means that takes us where we need to go, then being able to feel life's nudges and guidance takes on a whole new importance.

This doesn't mean we sit back and wait for some miraculous something or other to come our way (it's kind of the opposite of that actually although we always stay open to the miraculous something, of course!) - it means when we choose to move we make the conscious choice of action and we pursue it with an earnest steadiness of purpose

(earnest is my new favorite word by the way and yes, I realize it means I have been spending way too much time with Olive - I am always on the lookout for ways to work it into conversations so others will pick up on it - imagine a world full of people seeking earnestness!)

and then we make ourselves at home with what we have created, learned and attained.

(not obtained, outcomes are never guaranteed here on Planet Earth - only growth!).