I’ve seen a lot of beauty in my city in the couple of weeks since the floods in Calgary. Lots of giving, lots of helping, lots of love. It has reminded me that there is good in the world and that doing something for someone else—no matter what it is—is a beautiful thing.
I’ve been doing more of that with people I know lately. Whether answering a call for help or simply taking an opportunity to make someone’s day easier or nicer or more fun, it feels good to do it. And I’ve had some of that same Just Because stuff come my way too – a bunch of flowers from a friend, being treated to dinner, being taken out for coffee. It’s just nice.
I got something nice in the mail recently too.
“Can I send you something?” she asked. “I run a surprise-based company…”
I love surprises. Especially the pretty kind.
Image credit: Fair Ivy
“My goal is to create beautiful things that will make someone smile a little bigger every time they touch it,” said the artist’s note inside.
I love that sentiment, and the concept of gifting surprises.
This week, these earrings are one thing that’s making me smile.
And they go nicely with my cowboy hat, don’t you think?
A big thank you to Lucy from Fair Ivy for sending me this gift and introducing me to her service.
Fair Ivy is a surprise-based company that has just started shipping to Canada (hooray!). Their approach: To encourage people to see the value in buying “local” (as in not en masse from China). They send handmade jewelry items out monthly, each of which is a surprise made by an artist from the US or Canada.
I love giving gifts but I hate picking things out. It’s too much pressure. But setting someone up to get a monthly surprise in the mail is something that totally appeals to me. I can see doing this for a mom friend who might need a little beauty in her life.
Fair Ivy gift subscription options include jewelry (which I would totally consider buying for myself) and “original.” Think about this if you want to give someone a gift. Or a smile. Or a Just Because. The world needs more beauty.
