on the lookout...

simply...

(& have you heard the saying,

that what one focuses on, grows?)

xox

blogland of friends

i recently met jen from http://paintedfishstudio.com/! it is so fun to meet a sister art blogger in person! she was wearing a super cool fish necklace & carried a polaroid camera & was complete with dreams swimming around in her heart & is more beautiful than she even knows!
we talked about how special this blogland of friends is. lots of love poured out to all of my dear blogland friends & by the way, what ice cream flavor would you hope for? xo

hot

have you ever noticed that when you continue listening to what you love...it starts showing up in your clothing? i say, go with it & give it all you've got! xo (etsy added with love)

honoring fathers

the little things

often

it's the little things

that make my heart sing.

how about you? xo

pretty petals

this picture washed over my sleepy eyes when i woke up one morning & now i send out pretty petal holdings to each of you, when & where you need them, with love.

deer life

come be with me

this morning the birds were singing up such a pretty storm. it got me thinking about how i've forever wished they'd feel safe enough to land on me. i guess making this was a little way to experience it. come to think of it, i wouldn't mind tea with a deer. maybe tomorrow. :)
best wishes for all you'd like your sweet way.

simply sending out love today

linger a little longer

i was feeling tired out & for one full day i was moved to linger a little longer. instead of getting right out of the car when i turned off the ignition, i first sat there a few minutes. i ate my food slower. i stopped to smell flowers. i found that i saw things that i wouldn't have otherwise... pretty people walking by, a cardinal, & so on. & i felt more grateful, content, & rested. ahhh.

(etsy added, with love)

sand dollars

someone brought me back a sand dollar from a beach. i set it on my desk & it set itself on my heart. i share these riches here with each of you.

& the name picked out of a hat is...

elizabeth from the blog http://retinalperspectives.typepad.com/!

congratulations & a print will be sent your way! love to all.

rain on my skin & a giveaway to yours

this piece was inspired by natasha bedingfield's song "unwritten" & i did it for my birthday. the truest glowy gifts are really all your hearts beating nearby all the time & i take THAT in & thank you.
i thought it would be fun to offer a gift today. here's how you can enter to win:

*one entry: go to http://www.rachelawes.etsy.com/ & take note of your favorite print & come back here with a comment of what it is. if you win, you win your fav print.
*additional entries: if you buy something from my etsy shop this week, leave three extra comments here.
*another entry: if you become a follower of my blog or become a facebook fan of all i did was listen (all on the right hand side of my blog) this week, those are each comments/entries.
*another entry: post about the giveaway on your blog.

entries will be gathered until 1 pm thursday may 27. i'll write all your names on paper, with love, & have one of my sons pick the winner out of a hat. be sure to let me know how to reach you. thank you for playing with me! xo

from my terrain to yours, with love.

i'm adoring these warm & blooming days now in minnesota! i was on a walk & saw a woman bent over & tending her garden & was both moved by the loving arch of her body as well as her beautiful blooms. (etsy added with love)

dear beauty

i just wanted to share some of the dear beauty i've been hearing in the creative world! i've done a little gift shopping recently & wanted to share with you a sampler of what's been in my heart-cart (& now in heart-hand!).


i found this sweet softie (paris) at www.etsy.com/shop/rabbitrabbitsofties!

this fun book can be found at http://www.amazon.com/ to inspire some fun illustration attire!

the print above is from ms. gorgeous aimee from artsyville & you can find her at

http://www.artsyville.blogspot.com/ and www.etsy.com/shop/artsyville!

i've also bought sweet stickers from www.etsy.com/shop/juliettecrane

& a juicy journal from www.etsy.com/shop/paintedfishstudio.

as these are gifts, i'm not showing any more pictures (although i've already probably shown more than i ought to!). :)

what are some of your favorite shops for gifts (to others or self)?

much love to all that is brimming out of all your beautiful hearts & hands. xo

all aboard!

for some reason, pretty ferris wheels kept going through my imagination for a while & how life-giving it can be to engage with such a ride. i know it can be both beautiful & scary for some people. if you can bear the risk, anyone care to take a ride with me? xo

an invitation

these words are a combination of two different writings from "open the door" by joyce rupp & "eat, pray, love" by elizabeth gilbert. i have tucked them into my day planner & they occasionally find their way to the top of that little paper pile or inch their way off to the side of the pile & whisper "remember us? remember you? keep going...deeper, further, more true, more you." i share this same encouragement with you now, with colors & petals & love.

amazing love

after a fun family card game of five crowns, we laughed about who broke whose heart, or created black holes in hearts with winning/losing, or displaced a heart from one spot to another, & so on. following such a pondering, the conversation picked back up at bedtime. somehow this led our sons to recalling that worms have five hearts. NOW THEY HAD ME. i raced out of the room to put it in ink. it was they who had a lullaby for me that night. & sweet dreams to all of you too. xo

p.s. i just learned that the lovely hearted lisa just posted an interview of me on her beautiful new blog "strength to be me"& here's the link:

http://ourstories.strengthtobeme.com/2010/05/rachel-awes_03.html

happy may day

us & ursa

& how i adore constellations with sweet souls in this blogosphere. x
(etsy added with love)