Starting an Etsy Shop!

No, not for my handknit goods. Those will always be free and given to those deserving of them.

I'm designing some sticker/planner packs, as well as individual printables and sticker sheets.

I'll follow up with a link when I have the shop ready!

Love to all, stay creative -Rivi

A Knitter's Guide to the Holiday Season

If you have a good friend or family member who knits, I'm gonna bet you have at least one hand-stitched, beautifully crafted, thoughtful item that took hours of time, gifted to you like it was nothing. We knitters are often modest, normalizing these hours of handmade labor as no big deal.

As the holiday season grows near, you may be fretting about how to provide for the knitter in your life who is most likely going to make you something thoughtful and time-consuming. Let me rephrase-- you SHOULD be fretting. The average sock takes about 17,000 stitches. Not to mention there's two of them-- that's 34,000 hand crafted stitches, for the math nerds out there.

Never doubt the knitter. We are able to create magic with sticks and string.

Freebie: Hamilton Stickers!

As many of you know I am a big fan of bullet journaling. In addition to my love of journaling, I have rediscovered the awesome fun of stickers.

My Nonny bought me a Silhouette Portrait for my going away to college gift. I used to use it mainly for creating stencils and greeting cards, but I found new uses for it with the "print and cut" feature, and I started making my own stickers.

Bullet Journal Basics

If you have spent any time with me in person, you know that I am pretty obsessed with my Bullet Journal. I get a good amount of questions on it. I will link the original video from the creator, Ryder Carroll, but I also want to give you my breakdown of the features.

What is a bullet journal?

A bullet journal is a unique planner system that is incredibly adjustable and adaptable to your life, and includes components of a diary, a scrapbook, a planner, a notebook, all of the above, none of the above, etc.

If you want something done right... (Free gratitude printable!)

If you want something done right, you're going to have to do it yourself...

I work at a social skills after school program, and this week was my week to plan the activities. As you can probably guess, that's kind of my favorite thing to do-- design arts and crafts to do with kids and then have fun doing them together.

I had a lot of ideas, but I knew I wanted to have some kind of gratitude activity, with a simple template outline. Pinterest was helpful to a point, but here's what I found--

The Miracle Morning: 5 reasons to try the early rising habit

For the past few months, I have been implementing the miracle morning into my routine. I fell off the wagon a bit the past couple weeks, so I have recently been aiming to focus only on waking up early, and then incorporate the miracle morning life savers later on, once my morning habit is set. You can read more about the miracle morning and the Life SAVERS habits in Hal Elrod's book, The Miracle Morning.

Help me, help you

This post is in no way an attack or a cry for help. This issue, of my community wanting to to support me but struggling to correctly do so, has been a recurring theme in my life. Especially recently, the issues rise with recent events, marginalized groups, and mental self care.

It has come to my attention that people are worried about me. It is justified. I have posted many sorrow filled Facebook posts and recent events around American politics have proven to be very triggering for my mental health issues. I will assure everyone now, for the record, I am doing well. I am an individual living in a changing environment, but I am not a product of my circumstances.

I have mental illness. Emotional pain and mental strength is part of my identity, and it makes up who I am.

I have chosen, since 2014, to remain open about my mental health history, my pain, my struggles, and my recovery. I have received only wonderful support and incredible kindness from my community. I have had people commending me for my bravery. I have had people confiding in me about their own stories, in which they had been silently struggling, alone. I have done my research. If you have a question about mental health in America, what to do in certain situations, or anything else related to mental illness, I can usually answer you with confidence, or at least point you in the right direction.

There is a difference, however, between offering resources and information, and offering parts of myself and my emotional well being. A lot of people don't see the difference. If someone asks me, when I am stable, where to find resources to understand panic attacks better, I am more than thrilled they want to learn. However-- and this is important-- if someone requests I help them so they can help me, there is a potential for clash.

What to do instead:

Essentialism

This past summer, I read a book titled "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less". In it, the author explains how to live and engage with the world by focusing on the values and commitments you deem essential. Today, I am reminded once again of the importance of this lifestyle.



Early on in the book, the author suggests an list making exercise. If you could only do one thing, for the next year, what would it be?

I made my list in August. Here it is:
1. Travel the world
2. Creative Writing
3. Get straight As and focus on my academic work
4. Engage with my community through service
5. Spend time with my family and my Marin community