· By Phoebe Carpenter Eells
June 2025
June 10th
In a world that seems committed to wearing us out, we march on.
Life has been full over here as we wander toward summer. I'm creating new work and ever-searching for some creative flow state. Jonathan and I buttoned up our last workshop, we enjoyed meeting and creating with all of you! Our May Valley Made was delightful and the weather worked out just beautifully (after a rainy start). Our dog rode in a backpack for the very first time when we visited an island that was bikes only, she did great! Our garden has seeds in the ground and we have been coping with the current state of things by turning off the news and putting our hands in the dirt. Our tomatoes are green and the dahlias are growing! The shop is filled with summer finds like new sunnies, muscle tees and pride flags. We've been getting fresh greeting cards every week because apparently we're turning into a greeting card shop (& that sounds just fine to me).
New deal:
- A new deal is on for greeting card lovers. Buy 10+ greeting cards and save $10+ ($1 per card when you buy 10 or more cards!). See the freshest arrivals here or stop into the shop and browse.
Political Action: There is a nation-wide No Kings protest planned for Saturday. Indivisible Skagit is organizing a Burlington, WA event from 2-4 on Burlington Blvd (over by Popeye's & Target). Find more information by clicking here.
Like you, we've been watching Los Angeles push back against the ICE raids. So much of the footage is heartbreaking, and I'm thankful for the heroic displays of community protection and resistance that LA is showing the world. We cannot all be on the front lines but we can all do something. I'm looking for ways to be helpful within my sphere of influence. This is history we are living in, and someday we will be telling future generations what we did to help. Let us make our future selves proud.
Soapbox moment: remember to be gentle with yourself. I know that if you've read this far that you feel deeply and are probably a little hard on yourself at times for not "doing more". This era that we're living through cannot ruin us, we can't let it. We need to care for ourselves, and for our tender hearts. We need to take time to restore and be careful not to burn the candle at both ends. Find ways to lower your cortisol and experience joy. Remember to sleep and hydrate and nourish yourself. Move your body. Don't worry about figuring it all out in a day. We are living in impossible times, and we also have the opportunity to find community, connection, creativity, and happiness amongst the darkness of it all.
Just keep swimming,
Phoebe
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June 21st
Finding joy and distraction.
Most of the reason that I married Jonathan is because he's excellent at making me laugh. This may seem like flawed logic, like there are more important things to consider when choosing a life partner, but boy do I stand by this stance. The current state of politics is dark and having people around you who know how to drop a well timed joke or keep you distracted with things that you can get lost in is pure gold. He's the same guy that joins me at every protest and doubles back to check out ICE activity when an alert comes in. It's one part doing the work and one part joy-as-resistance.
I've been diving head first into creativity lately. Some of it is disassociation, and some of it is flow state. I've had this Stay Wild design in my brain for some time now- I think it's going to make amazing hats! We're planning to get some printed today! The Bear and PNW Sailboat designs gave me some trouble in the refining stages but Bear items came off the press yesterday looking excellent and Sailboat will be first on press today. Stop by the shop and catch us printing today and come to Valley Made Market tomorrow for first looks at alllll the new things!
When you stop in, make sure to take a peek at our new window display and 3 fresh sticker designs! The window display and sticker color work is all thanks to our staffer Paige! She did an amazing job with both- we are loving bright colors this season and grateful for her talents. There's also new art on the walls- originals on wood panels, framed block prints and paper prints. We will try to get artwork on the website soon for all of you online shoppers!
At home, our raspberries are coming in strong and the first of the flowers are in bloom. When I'm not distracting myself with art I'm out in the garden. Heaps of flowers, a small food garden, raspberries, thornless blackberry, snap peas, and more all on our little city lot. It feels good to watch things grow, and to remember that the world keeps turning even if the geopolitical state of things is messy.
This week the shop got new apparel by us, hair clips and hoop earrings, greeting cards, stickers, sore muscle balm (the best around!), and lots of art! Stop in and see what's new or browse new arrivals online.
If you're local we hope to see you Sunday at Valley Made Market >>> details here. Getting out into community feels amazing right now. Stop by and catch live music, 50 makers, and the best energy around. Joy is resistance and community is cathartic, let's stick together and stay hopeful about the midterms and beyond.
Stay whole,
Phoebe
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