Sip & Stitch

Set aside an afternoon with some close friends, colorful yarn, antioxidant tea.....and.....sip & stitch!

Before your special guests arrive, prepare a variation of different antioxidant teas, perhaps: Green Tea, Pomegranate Tea (drop some seeds in it!), Jasmine Tea, or Blueberry Tea (add some fresh blueberries at the bottom--it's not just a yogurt delight). Set aside some honey for your company to enjoy with their antioxidant tea. Serve the antioxidant teas with a generous platter of dates, Tibetan Goji berries (associated with longevity), and sprinkle with your favorite nuts.

Indulge in a High Tea with your closest friends and family members, enjoying openhearted talks and sharing laughs with one another.

After High Tea and healthy antioxidant-rich treats, move to a cozy area with open space and have a seat on your comfy couches to begin a knitting session. The stitching begins! Don't forget to take your tea with you, so you can sip & stitch.

I love soft white and ivory shades, like that of the hat and scarf I am wearing in the above photo. I designed and knitted the winter items last year.

Knitting is an introspective activity, and if it is shared with people you care about, the energy translates to one another, and you may likely decide to spontaneously alter your knitting designs, in accordance with the energy created in the the room. It is always more special and rewarding to give a hand-made gift, so I recommend that you have someone lovely in mind that you are knitting for. Choose a color that will compliment her skin-tone, or a safe color you happen to notice she wears often. Stitching with calming, lavender yarn for a scarf while sipping lavender tea will keep you warm inside and out, quite literally!

If you do not know how to knit, do not fear! There is beauty in the simplicity of learning a stitch. You and your dear friends can take a super-fun group knitting lesson at a local yarn or fabric store that offers lessons. If you are in the L.A. area, I love Knit Cafe on Melrose Avenue. Once you and your friends feel confident, likely after one lesson, commit to sip & stitch afternoons--alternating houses/hosts.

Friendship is a beautiful part of life, and it needs to be nurtured. Weekly sip & stitch afternoons can build deeper friendships and connections. Life is about making time for yourself and for others.

Friendship is a reciprocity of advise, support, concern, love, and human connection. It ought never to be taken for granted.

"If we are not beautiful to each other, we cannot know beauty in any form."
~Dorthy Parker

Aging Gracefully

Time gives us many gifts, one of which is aging, or the evolution of our soul; who we essentially are. Wrinkles represent a full life and smile lines represent laughter. We should embrace these changes, because the changes are in fact a process of becoming more of who we are, not less. You are beautiful and only become more-so with age. Aging gracefully is done by exploring our inner beauty and wisdom. Growing older ought to be celebrated as an opportunity to fulfil one's dreams. Life is ready and waiting for you. The future is yours: grow into it gracefully.

"As we grow old, the beauty steals inward."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The process of aging equates to growth, and it is a futural process. So, let us all look forward toward our future! Nurture yourself and welcome wisdom and the opportunity to expand the scope of possibility as we grow older. The road ahead is not narrowed by age, but rather broadened with dreams waiting to be actualized. Dream big!

This inspirational poem, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrates the inner beauty that blooms with age:

For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself
Though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars invisible by day

It is never to late to chase and fulfil your dreams. Creating a dream journal is a wonderful way to stay present to your ambitions. Before you lay your weary head down to sleep, write in your dream journal. Record what your dreams are, what your hopes are, and write down 10 beautiful thoughts about yourself. Now, you may close your eyes and fall into a dreamy slumber.

Tomorrow is a day of full of promise.