I'm so pleased to bring you the second installment of my brand spankin' new monthly playground digest! 🛝 2 of 2 for the win..take THAT, consistency! That's a joke against myself and I'll tell you why in a minute 😅
Since this is still so fresh and so new, let me remind you what you'll find in this read-aloud (just kidding, there will be no reading aloud… unless you want to… do what feels right).
Peggy's Playground is my new monthly overshare digest containing random facts,
my fav recent finds, studio updates, behind-the-scenes tidbits, snapshots of “real life”, and more.
Allll with a cutie table of contents to outline what I'm blabbing on about so you know exactly what to expect when you open these uncharacteristically long emails.
Ready?!
Personality Assessments
You may have heard me talk about Strengthsfinder (Gallup? Cliftonstrengths? so many names…). This is my ULTIMATE “personality assessment." I feel like some of us most connect with one of these types of tests more than others, be it Myers Briggs (aka 16 Personalities), Enneagram, Human Design… etc. Welllll, I just took Strengthsfinder again because my life has significantly changed in the last 7 years, and this time, I opted for the full report.
All of this to say, I'm shining a spotlight on my greatest weakness: consistency. This is actually difficult to admit to all of you, considering that my goal is to consistently show up in the ways that are most helpful. So seeing this as my result was like… ehhh… well shoot.
But this result doesn't have to be all bad. While I love Strengthsfinder for the simple fact that it encourages us to lean into our top strengths rather than try to improve our worst, I also like a bit of awareness. Because while I love having all the ideas and taking action right away, seeing my lowest strength can let me take pause to be a bit more thoughtful with the actions that are my strengths…
Me on literally any day: Ooo! Idea! I'm literally, in this split second, fired up and ready to go!
THE PAUSE: You really think that's the best idea? You think you want to manage that consistently in the big picture?
New me: Ok wow, good point (duh). Let me take this idea and look at it for a day. If I still like it tomorrow, I can proceed.
So at the end of the day, it's all just added mindfulness so we don't beat ourselves up when we burn out or can't keep up.
Now, I want to know your results from alllll the personality tests. I'm not kidding. I'm obsessed. I'll remind you at the end of this longgg winded letter.
Word of the Year
My word of the year is roots. It serves as a powerful reminder for me to revisit my why, to delve deeper into the reasons that ignite my passion. In the fast-paced world we live in, it's easy to get distracted and lose sight of our core motivations. This can have a detrimental impact on our creative journey, leading to frustration and a sense of disconnection. Not to mention getting distracted by shiny objects in business. So my goal in choosing this word will re-anchor my creative roots, which will help me better navigate challenges, stay aligned with my true purpose, and experience the genuine joy that comes from creating authentically.
(I want to know your word of the year too - I'll remind you if/when you read to the bottom of this thing.)
Sketchbook Party
Every year, we celebrate analog art in all forms: watercolor, gouache, ink, mixed media, collage, paint pens, pencils, even crayons!
After my 6-week Sketchbook Bootcamp program, I'm joined by 8 artists who bring you their skills for a weekend of live workshops, and my goodness, this community is my favorite ever.
Ceramic Paint Tube Vases
I love finding ways to make my ideas have dual purpose. This tube of horror is from my first test batch of tubes and I can't wait to make so many more, like
- tube of irony
- tube of dad jokes
- tube of nightmares: no more sleepless nights
- tube of art therapy
- tube of baby steps
Favorite Finds
Another month for hot finds, let me telllll you (and I will). From essentials to splurges, these are my picks for this month…
- This microwave flower press has even better color retention than traditional presses - also.. ummm create fully pressed flowers in minutes?! I know. I KNOW.
- I've been living in these cozy shirts. They've replaced my sweaters and are the most comfortable button downs ever. And somehow they look effortless good with nearly everything. I got the colors “toasty” and “smoked gray” (and I'm so tempted to get the green). They say their fleece and definitely are not fleece so just know that going in 🛍️
- Ok so umm a tiny bookshelf with tiny books (they even have pages you guys 🤯) a completely unnecessary novelty item that is too cool to ignore. I ended up ordering all 65 books that Laura (my spouse) read in 2023 and gifted it to her at Christmas (thanks to Carly for randomly sharing this idea with me). I wish I'd had the time to create it myself, but I found the SWEETEST Etsy seller who does it better than I ever would have 🤣
Look how adorable!
And of course, my monthly can't live without item…
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This will be no surprise to anyone who has been around me for a while, but this mug with an internal temperature component has changed my life. I will forever have the perfect sip of tea. No burning my mouth or microwaving when I wait too long. I'm shocked I'm not an ambassador by now 🤣
(My perfect temp is 137° F ☕️)
Random Facts
This month's Random Fact For No Reason is:
Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins.
Sloths can actually hold their breath for an impressive 20 minutes or more, with some reports even suggesting up to 40 minutes. They achieve this feat by slowing down their heart rate, and surprisingly, they're quite skilled swimmers. On the flip side, dolphins, despite their aquatic prowess, can typically only stay submerged for around 10 minutes. So, in the underwater endurance contest, it looks like the sloths take the crown!
Staycation
For the first time in my 7 years of running my own business, I took time off to do… nothing. I wasn't planning on doing this. During our last meeting of the year, we looked at the calendar and I said, why not..?
And I actually stuck with it. And let me tell you, if you can manage it, you deserve it. I can confidently say that I earned that break and it's the best thing I've done for myself in a long time 💯
Personal Musings
- Mixed metals for the win! I tried it on and I like it.
- Little Edie has really come into her own howl late at night when she hunts socks. Setting up the camera to see her in action was entertaining. She just walks to the laundry room, grabs a sock (or a pair of socks) from the sock basket, and leaves them scattered in the hallway for us to discover when we wake up.
- I got to spend time holding my [second - RIP Lucy] favorite pug in the whole wide world at my ceramics studio. It's just my favorite when he comes in. Just look at heem.
- Speaking of my ceramics studio, they needed to fill a table for their holiday market, so for the first time, my little astronaut clown rabbits went to homes all around Portland 👩🚀 🤡 🐰
- Ohhh Mary the donkey 🫏 So every year, we visit a local farm for a festive wreath strictly due to the fact that I get to pet and feed the llamas. This year, two donkeys were there, and my goodness, Mary is a food hog. Like, I've never seen an animal so food guarded 🤣
- And finally, yeahhhh so I discovered VR. Specifically Beat Saber. I'm obsessed.
That's a wrap for the second version of nonsense blab :partying_face: Thank you for being here. Thank you for contributing to this incredible community that we've built together. Thank you for letting me be a part of your creativity.
Don’t miss the next monthly digest overshare!
Who knows what’ll be in these emails, but I can promise you that they’ll be entertaining (to say the least). You can make sure you get the next one here!
