A Vision of Unity with Helping Mamas

We have a lot of caregivers, educational stakeholders, and families in our See Beautiful Community. We also have an amazing opportunity for you to get kids involved in an art project that leads to more beautiful for an extraordinary non-profit: Helping Mamas!

Short story: Your kid(s) creates a piece of art depicting "A Vision of Unity" and it will be on display at Helping Mama's Art Show!

More details: Helping Mamas is an amazing Atlanta non-profit doing incredible work to empower families and organizations in need. They're hosting an Art Exhibit called: A Vision of Unity. All of the art displayed will be student art work and YOUR kid(s) can create it! The art will be matted by Helping Mama's and on display at their event on Saturday, May 13th at The Hudgens Center for the Arts.

Please let us, or Helping Mama's, know if you'd like to participate and we can get you additional details!

Visit Helping Mama's invitation HERE.

Forever We (&) See Beautiful

Forever We (select FOREVER WE) from the dropdown box
United States of America

Forever We is 501(c)(3) organization delivering dolls and books to kids with cancer. They partner with families, schools, corporations, and foundations to create an experience to foster "purposeful play." They believe children use toys to tell stories. Their once upon a time is now. Every year, nearly 16,000 children are diagnosed with cancer. Another 45,000 are in treatment annually, not to mention millions of siblings, neighbors, classmates, and friends who are also affected and want to help. Federal funding contributes less than 4% of their overall cancer budget to childhood cancer research and treatment. If our kids are going to live happily ever after we have to find a way to work together to bring awareness and funding to their experience.

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Our huggable Forever We friend creates a conversation about a difficult subject. It provides comfort to a child in need and gives people who want to help a unique and meaningful way to get involved. Child Life at Cincinnati Children's Hospital has requested Forever We dolls for the families they serve. The world of childhood cancer is complex, scary, and often tragic. But in the midst of all that, it can also be beautiful. Stories of strength and hope continue to point toward a bright future that is only possible with your help. We invite the See Beautiful community to engage with families enduring an unfathomable diagnosis by communicating the message, "We are with you."

​How does your purchase help? Your purchase allows Forever We to partner with Child Life at Cincinnati Children's Hospital to deliver our Forever We friends to the kids being treated there.

Love the cause, but don't need the See Beautiful swag, that's okay. You can donate directly to Forever We HERE and celebrate their beautiful work alongside them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Pinterest!

The Most Important Thing

Love; it's the most important thing. 

When we keep it the most important thing life gets really beautiful...and inspiring...and full of so much awesome.

Dare to See People

"Let's be people who dare to see people. We have the power to create more beautiful in the world by being ourselves and continually choosing to love." ~ Kim Biddle, Saving Innocence

What if we all chose love? All the time?

Plywood People, thank you for Plywood Presents. Thank you for Plywood Retreat. Thank you for your sound advice & mission to support organizations doing good. This Plywood Presents Conference did not disappoint, and it makes me think back to my first interaction with Plywood People. That meeting brought so many incredible Giving Initiatives to See Beautiful. That retreat opened the door to so many amazing friends who continue to inspire the See Beautiful Community, & myself, to grow stronger. How grateful I am to have connected with the most amazing people leading Kula Project, Forever We, Inc., Refuge Coffee Co., Glorious Orphanage, & Rachel Moye Iliadis Photography. Plywood People, thanks for choosing love - because you did, I got to love the amazing farmers & kids of Kula Project. A gift I'm forever grateful for.

Photo by Bobby Neptune.

"...But Most of All, I See Beautiful"

We have new soft-as-bunnies tees in our See Beautiful store, but that's not the big news. The big news, the beautiful news, is a story of beauty and vulnerability and strength by Sarah Naomi who's modeling this shirt. Sarah is a teacher (as are all our models). Sarah is full of grace and bravery and a love of lifting others up. It's fun to unveil new products for See Beautiful, but it's infinitely more beautiful to see how Sarah has seen beautiful:

"Like many young girls, I struggled with self esteem, self worth and self love throughout my adolescence. I've looked back at old journals from high school and see pages upon pages filled with things I hated about myself.

...A few weeks ago I was invited to model new merchandise for See Beautiful. I nervously joined, put on a brave face and tried my best. Tonight she sent me the photos and I don't see the little girl who hates everything about herself. Instead I see happiness. I see joy. But most of all, I‪ #‎SeeBeautiful‬."

~ Sarah

You can get your shirt here, but you can leave your love and join Sarah in this See Beautiful Community when you follow in her footsteps. That's way more important than the tshirt.

http://seebeautiful.com/clothing.html

New Hope is Beautiful

A piece of my heart and soul will always be in Congo. Sometimes that's the greatest gift. Sometimes it's heartbreaking. On July 1st, the DRC celebrated their Independence, just as we did in the United States on the 4th. Their Independence shows a resiliency and beauty of the people of Congo who work tirelessly for their families. Ranked the second poorest country in the world, they rank at the top in terms of hope and love and giving. The children make rankings look silly when you look into their eyes. They're far from poor. They give with their smiles and their joy and their hope for more freedom to be creative and dream and see their dreams come true. Going into this holiday weekend, one where many in this community will give thanks for our freedom in the United States, I hope this sweet face is a reminder of your freedom to live to give, and love without judgement. This sweet face is also one of 55 precious children who receive an education for another month thanks to this precious community. It's all new hope and it's beautiful.

Photo by Bobby Neptune

To learn more, visit here: http://seebeautiful.com/new-hope-collection.html

Beauty: A Word In Your Vocabulary

"It just hits me, without her, beauty wouldn't even be in my vocabulary." ~ Michael Mayer

The 300 children in our See Beautiful Clubs constantly redefine beauty for me. They embody a hope, generosity and love that has the ability to fill this world with so much change in the most beautiful of ways. Thank you to children who constantly give grown-ups better vocabulary and purpose. Thank you for seeing beautiful with us in this moment and beyond.

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Framing See Beautiful

"Those eyes have seen so many places and that heart has felt so many things and yet you still smile at the darkest feeling and find expression in everything that's colored beautiful." ~ rm drake

The girls in one of our See Beautiful Clubs have traveled as refugees from a half a world away. They have been displaced and lost and no doubt scared, yet they see SO MUCH BEAUTIFUL in each other and the world. In fact, they filled handmade frames with the beautiful things they see in each other. Thank you Paint Love for the inspiration! Thank you Morgan Wright and Julie Owens for being so inspiring!

Inspiration from our Youth

I spent last week at 4/5 Academy at Fifth Avenue, Decatur, GA working with a group of girls exploring empowerment, the beauty industry, and human rights. The self-selected topics were inspiring, but the passion with which these girls care about self-worth and civil rights blew me away. The questions they are exploring are seminal and their hope to better understand, and ideally to impart change, remind me how important the work we are doing together through See Beautiful really is.

Molly asks: "Why is there an expectation from women to look and act a certain way?"

Joyce is exploring: "What are the effects of not having civil liberties on a culture; specifically civil rights as children being sold into slavery?"

Grace wonders: "Why are women viewed as less athletic than men - as evidenced by dramatically less pay when even more successful?"

While they are three dramatically different questions, my hope is that it shows this community the very real questions and confusion young girls see unfolding in our society. The bombardment of photoshoped models, unrealistic "ideals" and expectations for women, and devaluing the most basic rights of children and women aren't something for "someone else" to fix. These are real to children in schools across the US and bleed well beyond the boarders of this country. We can do something about this. We can continue to foster the lifestyle of See Beautiful and we can set a new intention every day to create beautiful for all in the best ways we can.

Thank you Molly, Joyce and Grace for reminding me that this work is not just for the present moment, it is for the future too - your future. We'll all work together to make it more beautiful.

Seeing Beautiful In the Moment (and Manifesto)

At the age of 9, the majority of girls are confident, assertive & feel positive about themselves. By the time they reach high school fewer than 1/3 feel the same way. This is a statistic we're trying to change through the work we do with over 300 children in our See Beautiful Clubs. They'll continue to grow up understanding what it means to see beautiful in themselves and others, while also being equipped with how to create more beautiful in the world. One of our clubs decided to make "empowerment jars" full of inspiring quotes for each other to read every day.

Maybe we should all have a jar. You are enough. You make this world a better place. Thank you for being here. See beautiful in this moment.

Thank you to all of our teachers who make our See Beautiful Club space so special! If you're an educator and would like to learn more about leading your own See Beautiful Club in the future, send us an email and we'll get the ball rolling: lcrissmays@seebeautiful.com

Seeing Beautiful in 55

Make it 55. This month we were able to add two more children to the 53 we already send to school each month in Eastern Congo. While they're receiving education & new hope, they are constantly teaching me about peace, love, & healing - even half a world away. Thank you for seeing beautiful with us, in this moment and each month, as you help us give children new hope.

Photo by Bobby Neptune.

Learn more about how you can give a child new hope with the gift of education: http://seebeautiful.com/new-hope-collection.html

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Arusha, Tanzania

What an incredible gift to hear the voices of a few of the precious children you're supporting when you purchase one of our products for Glorious!! They love this community. They send their love to you.thank you for the ways you're changing their lives by helping us provide a passenger van to get them to and from school!

Read more HERE.

Be Glorious

This past year Glorious was confronted with a huge problem - a group of 15 orphans were evicted from their foster home and had no place to go. 

Photo of some of the children evicted from their foster home. Shared with permission from Glorious.

Alice, Glorious' Tanzanian Founder, immediately jumped to action and took the children under her wing. Although they are safe, sound and very loved, we are currently facing an additional problem of ensuring we have money each month to provide for their food, well-being and caretakers salary at Glorious Orphan’s Home. They're working to raise $5,000 to purchase a commuter bus to transport the kids to and from school, but during the day also serve as a public transport bus in the city. All proceeds from this bus will support the children’s food and caretakers.

These sweet girls will get to attend school with your support.

How your purchase helps: Your purchase will be used to allow Glorious to purchase a small commuter bus that will not only transport kids to and from school, but during the day serve as a public transport bus in the city to create a steady stream of revenue.

Follow their story and become part of there community on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and their blog.

Imperfect Inspiration

// we don't need to try to be perfect to inspire others. let people find inspiration in the way you celebrate your imperfections. //

~ lcm

We were lucky to visit a Girl Scout troop with kindergarten and first grade girls at Martin Technology Academy of Math And Science to explore what seeing and creating beautiful looks like in their lives and community. It got messy and honest and vulnerable and beautiful - at the ripe age of six.

We're continually inspired by future world changers who celebrate strength and bravery and resiliency and the unwavering ability to see and create beautiful for those around them. These drawings may not look like much to the naked eye, but these amazing girls were drawing a lifesize version of themselves and all that they deem beautiful. There was a lot of drawing - and naturally, there was a whole lot of beautiful.

Begin

It takes one tiny choice to see beautiful and perspective starts to shift. As it shifts, it becomes easier and before you know it, you'll be craving all opportunities to create beautiful too. All you have to do is begin.

Little Lambs Foundation for Kids

So thrilled to unveil our newest See Beautiful Giving Initiative with the Little Lambs Foundation for Kids!!

Little Lambs Foundation for Kids provides comfort kits to children transitioning into foster care, shelters and from other traumatic situations. Unfortunately, when children are removed from their home they are often not allowed to take anything with them. The Little Lambs Foundation for Kids provides each child with a "Comfort Kit" of items to call their own. They are in desperate need of a trailer to make their deliveries throughout Northern Utah. Their deliveries get larger as the need continues to grow.

To give a children something they can call their own that offers a bit of comfort during a devastating time is critical. See Beautiful is honored to support the work of the Little Lambs Foundation to help children see more beautiful.

How your purchase helps: Every purchase becomes part of a trailer that will help transport Comfort Kits to children in need.

In this picture, one of the youngest of the beautiful giving of Little Lambs Foundation, Jaxtin is showing his love and sharing some of the important items enclosed in their comfort kits. Help bring a trailer to Utah for this amazing non-profit!! Select "LITTLE LAMBS" from the dropdown box when you make your purchase!

From the Mountains of Utah to Hills of Rwanda with Love

We LOVE it when communities come together in support of See Beautiful and our amazing Giving Initiatives! Check out this incredible Youth Group, led by Pastor Michelle Perry in Ogden, Utah. These kids raised a lot of money and orchestrated an entire church event to support our now-funded "Fight for Life" Giving Initiative with Kula Project to provide 1,000 coffee trees to 48 female farmers in Kayonza, Rwanda. Here they are in their See Beautiful, Fight for Life, tees (in freezing cold weather)!! Thank you!

It Would Be So Easy...

It would be so easy to struggle to see beautiful. It would be so simple to not trust others. Most of us would understand an anger or confusion with life when you are a displaced refugee learning a new world and way of life. That's not the way London, or the 25 other incredible girls in one of our See Beautiful Club's lives at all. She invites you to see beautiful. She wants to create it with you. Every single one of these girls tells a story of bravery and hope and goodness and beauty. We have a lot to learn from their grace. They are world changers. Thank you Paint Love, for helping them turn a journal into one more of their "something beautiful's." Thanks to their teacher, Morgan Wright, for being an amazing educator.

P.S. Even misspellings are beautiful.

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Bam Jam Back Again

Our AMAZING Bam Jam speakers are FINALLY BACK IN STOCK!! It's the all natural speaker with no wires, no batteries and completely sustainable! Created in a bamboo cooperative, Bam Jam gives jobs and supports a local community in Haiti! Even better, choose the See Beautiful Giving Initiative of your choice at check out and create a lot more beautiful!

I am not a Label. You are not a Label.

Who would you be if the world never gave you a label?

I am not a label.

You are not a label.

We were not meant to live as a label. We were made to love. Everyone. Love. Great love, that transcends how we "like" other people, but that we love.