an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.
Yesterday, my grandma, my mom's mom, suffered a stroke. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers for her, my mom and the rest of my extended family over the next few days as we wait to see how things go. Thank you so much.
ps. that print in the photo above is sadly not available at the moment, but it came from a fundraiser hosted by the fantastic kate miss.
So I mentioned recently that I made some skincare changes. You might have thought the big reveal was going to be some sort of mind-blowing infomercial. But really it's a little bit boring :
Yep, that's it.
There are lots of arguments for organic skincare products and I cannot even pretend to understand them all and don't think this is the forum to speak on them. Some people think what's in so many of our skin products is no big deal and some people think it's worth sounding the alarm. I probably fall somewhere in the middle. However, I know that the more natural I eat, the better I feel, so why should that not apply to what I put on my skin as well?
And after taking a look at a cheat sheet (scanned in below / click to enlarge) from the book There's Lead in Your Lipstick (and realizing that everything I owned had at least two of the toxins listed), I decided that when I ran out of a current product (face wash, lotion, makeup) I'd replace it with something that was paraben (and all other toxins) free.
I have been carrying it around in my wallet for the past two months and so far have switched out my face wash, lotion and mascara. My skin has never been softer and smoother. And even better, the awkward white pores that have been visible around my nose for the past few years are no longer a problem.
Some of the products (starred above) I was able to find at Target. I like the YesTo product line, but should note that they have "fragrance" listed on the label which is not considered natural. The Pangea Organics skincare line is really fantastic and I was lucky enough to grab a bunch of stuff at a discounted rate when Swirl ran a sample sale a few weeks ago. I am pleased with everything, but my favorites would be the Avalon Organics face wash and the Pangea Organics face lotion (I apply it every night and morning).
The mascara is the only make-up switch I have made so far. I figured my eyes deserved the least amount of chemicals and I found the Lavera line at Target. It's not the best in terms of BOLD, FULL LASHES, but it works fine and is toxin-free.
And a word on body soap : I switched from Lever1000 (or whatever it's called) to natural Burt's Bees at the beginning of September. It seems less soapy (i.e. less bubbles and foam) but my skin still gets clean and even better, I have noticed I no longer need to apply body lotion everyday. I think my old soap was stripping my skin of natural oil and leaving me dry and flaky. My current bar is almost gone and I am excited to try the Dr. Bronner's brand next.
I am still looking for a new mineral based face and body sunscreen & some less-toxic nail polish. I would love to hear if you have any suggestions! Also, if you are into shopping online for Pangea Organics products, I recommend The Green Life which was founded by my friend Jessica & her husband.
EDIT : I can't thank you enough for all these suggestions. Natural skincare for the win. Thank you, thank you & keep them coming.
Just a reminder : tomorrow (10/21) is the last day to save $20 on early bird registration for my minibook workshop at Teahouse Studio. The class will be a jam-packed & fun-filled two days and will take place in Berkeley, California on November 12 & 13. More information can be found here and please feel free to email me with any questions.
I hope you can come!
My autumn book stayed at home while I traveled, so I had a lot of catch-up to do on Tuesday.
Pretty simple update this time. Lots of instagram photos. Lots of blog post text. And thanks to the USC game and the race, lots of extra papers to add in.
See all my autumn book updates here. If you are interested in purchasing your own autumn book, they are available here.
Remember when I went insane trying to finish a queen size quilt before I left town? I can't tell you how glad I am that I got that accomplished. This month is flying by and November is shaping up to be even crazier. Now that I am home, I had a chance to throw it on the bed and take some photos.
The majority of the steps for creating this quilt were similar to my first quilt. The two exceptions were that I measured the rectangles this time (they were 5×11 inches) and I machine stitched the whole thing together. For those unfamiliar with quilting, a quilt is usually made up of three major pieces : the quilt top (which in my case is patterned), the batting and the backing (which in my case is white). All three pieces need to be held together in multiple places. This can be done all sorts of ways, but usually is accomplished through tying, hand-stitching or machine-stitching.
This time around I went with machine-stitching. I wish I had a secret for how I stitched something this large, but I don't. I just shoved it under the needed and made it work. I don't even have a "walking-foot" which I've heard is a good thing to have to keep your needle straight. Basically, I wanted to stitch around some of the blocks with similar colored thread, but I didn't care if it was perfect. Actually, I think that's the secret : let go of perfection and you can get this done.
Anyway, I love the color mix. It's subtle and perhaps a bit girly, but hopefully Paul won't mind. And I love it with our headboard. Now I just need to move to Ventura and redecorate our bedroom around it. I think our teal dresser will become the future baby's dresser. 😉
ps : I learned everything I know about quilting from Denyse Schmidt Quilts
This is project 15 of 26.
I am attempting to tackle 26 personal craft projects before I turn 27 on 02.22.12. You can follow my progress here on the blog, on pinterest or on flickr.
It's been a whirlwind (San Diego to St. Louis to Sacramento to San Francisco & back to Sac), and now I am headed home for a few days before I fly out to Connecticut to work with Kolo. I am looking forward to having my own car, catching up on my shows, drinking tea & visiting Bar Method. Over the next few days, I am planning on blogging a huge autumn book update, the finished quilt and my new skincare routine. And I also have high hopes that the holiday minibooks will be unveiled at the end of the week.
As always, Northern California, you've been awesome. See you in just a few weeks for the minibook workshop.
This was my second half marathon. I ran my first last June. I could not have had more opposite experiences with the two.
For that first one, I was scared because I didn't know what to expect. I had done relatively well with my training, which meant I had ran 3-4 times a week including one long run – though I never managed to find the motivation to get past 7.75 miles. I figured I could do it if I just kept going. And I did keep going, but the last three miles were borderline unbearable. I had major knee pain and if I had known a car would have come and picked me up, I would have just sat down on the side of the road.
For the second one, I was terrified because I knew exactly what to expect. I knew I was facing a long course with three big hills. I knew I was facing a near death experience on miles 10-13. And I knew my training had been a disaster. With travel and everything else, I didn't get into running the way I should have. I was inconsistent and unprepared. My longest run in the past few months had been only five miles. I was plagued with shin pain for a few weeks pre-race and I spent most of my running time on a treadmill, not outdoors.
I was in San Francisco laughing with veronica about the mess we'd gotten ourselves into the few days leading up to the race. My parents came over Saturday night to hang out and then see the race and drive me back to Sacramento. We talked a lot about my plan to walk when it got hard. I emailed Paul and told him I planned to run until six (the furthest I had ran in months) and then walk/jog as best as I could through the rest of it. I slept terribly the night before and was relieved when the clock turned to 5am so I could get out of bed and act like it was morning.
My parents, veronica, and her sweet family walked in the dark over to the start line in Union Square. We took some photos, said good luck and quickly split up. I got into my corral and waited the 30 or so minutes for things to start moving, all the while listening to hundreds of excited pre-race conversations. Everyone has a story and a strategy. My story (had someone asked), would have been, "This is my second and last half marathon ever. I am hoping to avoid major injury and not pass out."
But somehow, the nerves always bubble into adrenaline the closer you get to the start line. I turned on my playlist as we approached and kicked off the race with The Dog Days are Over. And I ran. And ran and ran and ran. I knew I would get through the first five. When my parents called (as I had told them to do frequently) my music stopped and I took the call through my headphones (a thousand thank yous, Steve Jobs) and told them I was approaching five and was planning to walk at six. "Call me back in a half hour" I asked.
About ten minutes later, my phone rang again. It was Paul. "I can see the Golden Gate!" I told him. "Good, babe." he said. "I am about 5.5 miles in. I think I'll start walking at 7." "Sounds good," he said. I still can't believe I was able to take that call. I can't get over the fact that technology is amazing enough to connect my deployed husband to me while I am running a race in San Francisco.
My parents called again as I was closing in on eight. "Still running!" I said. "Good! We're near mile 9 and will be on the left side. Look for us!" That call was just as motivating. Now I had something else to look forward to other than the finish line. My new mission was just to run to nine and see them on the sidelines. I wanted to look strong and happy as I ran by because my dad had said earlier he'd never seen a runner with a smile on their face. That was enough to power me through eight and the rush after seeing them got me through nine.
And after nine, I was on a different level. The misery that kicked in during the Rock and Roll half in San Diego at mile ten never evolved. It was hard, of course, but I felt good. Stronger than ever. I know I walked for about 50 yards at one point, but I can't remember where? Maybe mile 9? I can't remember why I started running again either.
My parents called one final time after I rounded twelve. "I'm almost done!" I'll see you in fifteen minutes at the most!" And then after 13 it was like a dream. I ran my hardest and finished at what felt like a sprint. Afterwards, I felt a little nauseous, but had no pain other than a few blisters.
The weather / It was perfectly warm, but cloudy. I don't think I saw the sun. People have been saying it was humid, and it probably was, but I thought it was very conducive to running.
The course / Yes, it was uphill at a lot of parts. But I think uphill favors forefoot runners. Downhill was actually much harder on my joints and back. And it was stunningly beautiful. The trees, the houses, the Golden Gate bridge. The San Diego race had a lot of strip malls. It had an unbearable switchback at the end. This had none of that.
My family / I didn't realize how important it was to have cheerleaders that know you on the sideline. I was so happy looking for my personal cheering crew.
My attitude / This was a battle I had to get through. I had nothing to prove, I just wanted to finish. That first race, I had too much pride and refused to walk. This race, I threw my pride away, and as a result, felt so much better. At one point, knowing I was going to see my parents, knowing it was going to be so long until I saw Paul, I became so overwhelmed with emotion I had to fight back tears. "Elise," I thought, "if you have the energy to cry, you have the energy to run."
My body / I am the most fit I have ever been in my life. It's not from running, it's from Bar Method. Apparently, four months of consistent classes were enough to prepare me for this race in spite of the fact that I skipped a running training plan.
Me / I am mentally stronger than I was in June. I understand time better. I get that this too shall pass. And I am more grateful for the ability to get through difficulty. So much of this race was spent in an almost meditative state. I thanked my feet. I thanked my heart. I thanked my lungs. I thanked my body for listening to my brain and getting through this struggle. Thank you was my mantra over and over again for 13.1 miles.
I don't have my official time yet, but I think I came in around 2:25:00. So 10 minutes slower than my first race, but 100 times better. This was exactly the race experience I didn't even know I was looking for and the perfect opportunity to retire from long distances. (Though I wouldn't hesitiate to enter a 10K.)
I think running is fantastic. I think races are both emotionally and physically rewarding. I recommend the experience (and the Nike Womens Half) to anyone. I also recommend following a training plan and listening to your body every step of the way. I still stand by the tips I recommended in this post.
I wore the exact same stuff as my first race (so this tee, this bra, this underwear & this hat) but switched my shorts to a different lululemon pair (I think it's the turbo short which I don't see on the site). I also changed shoes shortly after my first race. I was running in Nike Frees but they gave me major blisters and calluses (I think I was wearing the wrong size). I now wear New Balance minimus (with neon shoelaces from Target) and I love them. My iPhone armband is by Belkin
Other posts you might enjoy:
Oh man, I wanted so badly to be able to report good news on this post today. And happily, I can.
It was magic that I decided to attempt the race after some shin pain Saturday.
It was magic that as I crossed the start line, my favorite part of this song kicked in "Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father, run for your children, for your sisters and brothers."
It was magic that Paul called from Afghanistan on mile five, "you still running, Babe?" and I could take the call through my headphones.
It was magic that my parents were able to park and wave me along between mile 8 and 9 (and grab the shot above).
And of course, it was magic sprinting my hardest across that finish line.
I have more to say about my second and final half-marathon and I'll try to organize my thoughts later today.
Paul's race advice : Keep your shoulders down and your head up.
My mantra : Keep your feet moving.
See you in 13.1 miles!
enJOY it 