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.

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

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!

A Beautiful Way to Live

"I want to change people. I want them to learn to feel each other. How to lose and find themselves in the eyes of someone they don't know. And I want them all to feel like they're not alone, that we're all in this together and I hope that never changes. Imagine that. What a beautiful way to live. What a beautiful way to feel, and what a beautiful way to survive." ~‪#‎rmdrake‬

Model is teacher and soon-to-be amazing Mom: Mrs. Illy Brogdon
Photo by: Natalie Watson

Get yours here: http://seebeautiful.com/shop.html

Hopes & Dreams

They are the hopes and dreams of children living in Eastern Congo. They are sometimes tear-soaked, often laughter-filled drawings from little hands. They represent new hope and strength and love. They may look like simple enough beads to the naked eye, but now you know. You know these symbolize a future full of love that every child on earth deserves. This is what we work for - to create beautiful for them all. ‪#‎seebeautiful‬

Naturally, you can get your Drawing Beads HERE.

Embody See Beautiful

When young girls literally embody See Beautiful, it's exactly how they see themselves. And for a moment, all is right in the world:

Sing Your Own Song

"The bird sang her own song. She made a tune that made her happy. Everyone loved when she would sing, because it most clearly came from her heart."

 
This limited edition "Sing Your Song" print is an inspiring piece for any home to serve as a reminder to SEE BEAUTIFUL in the song you sing!

Can also be beautiful gift for a nursery, an inspiring woman, or in your own home! 

 
Dimensions: 16" L x 12 1/4" w x 2" deep (print on canvas, backed on a wooden frame with hinges)

Artists' signature is wood-burned into the back of the wooden backing. 

Get your "SING YOUR OWN SONG" Canvas Print at in our See Beautiful SHOP.

Double the Love

An Anonymous Donor graciously gave See Beautiful an incredible gift. Throughout the month of March, when you purchase a product from the New Hope Collection, your purchase will send not one, but TWO, children living in Eastern Congo to school for a month! Yes, you read that correctly, you will give hope to two precious elementary-aged children by sending them to school with the simple purchase of any of our beautiful items in the New Hope Collection. Can't begin to comprehend this beautiful. http://www.seebeautiful.com/new-hope-collection.html

See Beautiful! IT ROCKS!

Did you miss our inaugural See Beautiful Newsletter (shared below)? In the upcoming weeks we'll be sending another with deals and inspiration and goodies that can only be found there!! Be sure to sign up here:

Subscribe to our See Beautiful newsletter full of inspiration

See Beautiful™ is a lifestyle brand that creates more beautiful in the world by giving back to you. 

Thank you so much for seeing beautiful! One and a half months into 2015 has brought so many opportunities for seeing and creating beautiful! In the past couple months, our community has accomplished a lot; We

• donated over $10,000 to See Beautiful Giving Initiatives and Non-Profit organizations creating beautiful;
• funded three See Beautiful Giving Initiatives and introduced two new Giving Initiatives;
• continued strengthening our See Beautiful Girls Club at Cheatham Hill Elementary School;
• introduced eight new eco-friendly, beautiful See Beautiful products;
• and Founder, Lydia Criss Mays, was invited to speak at the TedX Conference in Atlanta, GA in April.

If the first 50 days of 2015 have been this beautiful, we can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for the See Beautiful Community!

Thank you so much for the ways you contribute to the strength, growth and empowerment of See Beautiful. With every like, share, comment, purchase, hope, thought and discussion with another you have about See Beautiful, you provide more opportunities for us to give more, grow more and empower more.

Happy seeing beautiful,
Lydia

See Beautiful's Newest Products!

2015 FUNDED See Beautiful Giving Initiatives

We look forward to funding our other FIVE See Beautiful Giving Initiatives soon! If you have a need, consider applying  to be one of our See Beautiful Giving Initiatives HERE.

See Beautiful Teacher, April Scheivelhud, funded her $250 goal to purchase ottomans for her first grade students to use in class!

We were able to send $500 to BullsEye Rescue to help cover medical bills for precious Valentina, a pup who's recovering from bullet wounds to the face and shoulder.

We've been able to send over $1,000 to Mom and See Beautiful extraordinaire, Sarah Rodriguez, to help cover her sweet newborn, Ellis', medical bills.

A "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL" Daily Commute

Your morning commute is about to get a WHOLE LOT MORE BEAUTIFUL! Our See Beautiful license plate frame (made from 100% recycled materials) is finally here!!

You never know whose day you'll brighten by spreading the message that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL around town!

Every time you step in your car, glance at your license plate and remember YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. But you're spreading the good too! With each stop sign idle or red light wait, the person behind you will be left smiling at the message you're handing out. You're creating more beautiful in the world, one road trip at a time. 

What's even better? We will donate $5 of your purchase back to the See Beautiful Giving Initiative of your choice! Who will you choose? Oh my. How will you ever choose? They're all so spectacular!

Get your beautiful license plate holder HERE.

See Beautiful Club

I feel so inspired by the incredible 4th & 5th grade girls who make up our Inaugural See Beautiful Club at Cheatham Hill Elementary School. When asked to finish the sentence, "I am..." they said, "I am

ME.
BRIGHT.
LOVELY.
IMPORTANT.
SUPER.
A READER.
SMART.
TOUGH.
STRONG.
GOOD.
BEAUTIFUL.
A CHAMPION.
PERFECTLY BALANCED.
QUALITY.
FRIENDLY.
WONDERFUL.
CREATIVE.
GENIUS.
KIND.
SPECIAL.
MAGIC.
GOLDEN.
FREE.

These ladies have a lot to teach the world about how to see and create beautiful. I hope we listen to their voices.

 

Unwind and Celebrate Your Vibrance

While unwinding and celebrating your vibrancy are two actions we want you experiencing, they're also two new See Beautiful scarves that we're thrilled to roll off the shelves. January is the perfect time to bundle up with something warm and cozy while also dedicating the year to creating more beautiful - just like the amazing women who make our scarves at Colors; Freedom In Fashion.

Introducing our Unwind and Vibrant scarves. Each scarf was handmade by women in Atlanta recovering from homelessness, domestic abuse and/or drug addiction.

See Beautiful UNWIND Scarf

See Beautiful VIBRANT Scarf

When you purchase a See Beautiful COLORS scarf you give women an opportunity to become more empowered to fight injustice and grow their ability to recover, succeed and grow more beautiful in the world.  One employee reflected on her opportunity to create these scarves for others that, "Working with y'all is God's way of showing me that instead of destroying things with my hands, I can create beautiful things." 

Your purchase provides another with the opportunity to see beautiful in places they didn't think it existed. What a wonderful reminder to see beautiful as you wear, or give, one of our See Beautiful scarfs. 

There is life-changing freedom in fashion, and that my friends, is beautiful. 

 

Giving Tuesday

In honor of #GivingTuesday (and in the spirit of a focus always set on giving), purchase our See Beautiful hand-stamped cuffs today and we'll donate $10 to the Giving Initiative of your choice.

Get your shopping on HERE.  

Even better? Purchase one of our 3 amazing scarves made by the women at Colors and we'll donate $10 of your purchase to the Giving Initiative of your choice (enter the Giving Initiative from our "Giving" tab at checkout).

Again, get your shopping on HERE.   

 

To See Beautiful in the GO GREEN Scarf

How our See Beautiful GO GREEN Scarf can leave you seeing beautiful (MOST IMPORTANT):
When you purchase a See Beautiful COLORS scarf you give women an opportunity to become more empowered to fight injustice and grow their ability to recover, succeed and grow more beautiful in the world.  One employee reflected on her opportunity to create these scarves for others that, "Working with y'all is God's way of showing me that instead of destroying things with my hands, I can create beautiful things." Your purchase provides another with the opportunity to see beautiful in places they didn't think it existed. What a wonderful reminder to see beautiful as you wear, or give, one of our See Beautiful scarfs. These scarves remind us how beautiful "going green" really can be!

Our  See Beautiful GO GREEN Scarf Story (Even More Important): In addition to being 100% organic, our scarves are handmade by woman in Atlanta, Georgia who are rehabilitating from domestic abuse, drug addiction and homelessness. COLORS, the amazing company who provides our See Beautiful scarves for us, empowers women who are marginalized to lead a more beautiful life by teaching them healthy, creative and sustainability lifeskills and providing employment using those skills.


See Beautiful GO GREEN Scarf Specifications (Important):Color: Hues of green tones adorn this beautiful scarf bundle; in this order you will receive 5 COLORS Scarfs to wear together as a group, or you can pick and choose to wear one or two or three or...you get the picture. Variety is the spice of life.
Size: One Size Fits All
Fabric: 100% Organic cotton. Grown, spun and dyed in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard, Certified by Institute for Marketecology Switzerland.

Get your See Beautiful Survivor Scarf HERE.

*This week only, select the giving initiative of your choice at checkout and we'll donate $5 of the purchase price to your designated See Beautiful beneficiary!

 

To See Beautiful in the "eARTh" Scarf

How our See Beautiful "eARTh" Scarf can leave you seeing beautiful (MOST IMPORTANT):
When you purchase a See Beautiful COLORS scarf you give women an opportunity to become more empowered to fight injustice and grow their ability to recover, succeed and grow more beautiful in the world.  One employee reflected on her opportunity to create these scarves for others that, "Working with y'all is God's way of showing me that instead of destroying things with my hands, I can create beautiful things." Your purchase provides another with the opportunity to see beautiful in places they didn't think it existed. What a wonderful reminder to see beautiful as you wear, or give, one of our See Beautiful scarfs. These scarves are truly pieces of art, reminding us all that when it comes to seeing beautiful on this earth, "earth" without "ART" is really just eh.

Our See Beautiful "eARTh" Scarf Story (Even More Important): In addition to being 100% organic, our scarves are handmade by woman in Atlanta, Georgia who are rehabilitating from domestic abuse, drug addiction and homelessness. COLORS, the amazing company who provides our See Beautiful scarves for us, empowers women who are marginalized to lead a more beautiful life by teaching them healthy, creative and sustainability lifeskills and providing employment using those skills.


See Beautiful "eARTh" Scarf Specifications (Important):Color: Hues of earth tones adorn this beautiful scarf bundle; in this order you will receive 5 COLORS Scarfs to wear together as a group, or you can pick and choose to wear one or two or three or...you get the picture. Variety is the spice of life.
Size: One Size Fits All
Fabric: 100% Organic cotton. Grown, spun and dyed in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard, Certified by Institute for Marketecology Switzerland.

Get your See Beautiful Survivor Scarf HERE.

*This week only, select the giving initiative of your choice at checkout and we'll donate $5 of the purchase price to your designated See Beautiful beneficiary!

 

Change Is Coming to See Beautiful

Seeing beautiful is a work in progress. It's setting your intention to do so everyday. In an effort to better clarify our own work and the way we support our See Beautiful community, we're going to take the month of July to revamp some awesomeness and rewrite the way we're giving. You're getting in at the ground level and we want you to know that we're going to continue supporting non-profits, but we're also going to weave in GIVING to people, like you, to fund your efforts to create more beautiful in the world.
Our website will go under construction in July, so if you're looking to purchase any of our See Beautiful products, dive on in during the month of June because July is all about cleaning these binoculars and creating even more beautiful in the world!!

Cheatham Hill Elementary School Leaves US Seeing Beautiful in (at the very least) 2,082 Ways

Words cannot express how overwhelmed I am by the generosity of the Cheatham Hill families, the dedication and hard work of the students, and the support of the staff in their book drive for St. Anne's Center Homeless Shelter.

Even cooler? Children's book author Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. autographed a book especially for the children at St. Anne's (read more about him here: http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Evans-Wilson-Jr./e/B00C9MI1TO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1).

Even better? They're not finished yet! MORE books are coming! The students are editing video book recommendations, working on their writing for the blog posts, and many other things!

Author Robert Evans Wilson, Jr., and Cheatham Hill ES Family

 2,082 might look like just a number but it represents books traveling to St. Anne's Center Homeless Shelter on behalf of the Cheatham Hill Elementary School community. Incredible.

Boxes - the following picture might just look like a bunch of boxes, but they're holding precious words that will soon find a home at St. Anne's. Thank you Cheatham Hill Elementary School (and all those who donated children's books).

We are humbled by your giving and inspired by the way you see, celebrate and create beautiful.

Seeing Beautiful in this Moment AND in BOOKS!

"To keep children reading, we have to let them." 

...And when they need books, we have to supply them.  

This month we see beautiful in BOOKS and we see beautiful in GIVING them and we see beautiful in ST. ANNE'S CENTER HOMELESS SHELTER.

If you're here for the blog hop, get excited, because when you hop on we'll donate a children's book in your honor to St. Anne's Children's Library. 

Our goals is to have 10,000 books donated, hence "PROJECT 10,000" was born.

To date, we have teachers and students across the country hosting book drives. We have professors at Universities hosting book drives. We have children giving their own books. We have children asking for books to be donated to St. Anne's in lieu of birthday gifts. We have people digging into their own pockets, purchasing a new book, and sending it there themselves. We have seen beautiful and we are creating more of it!!

"To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life." ~ W. Somerset Maugham

Would you like to host your own book drive? 

Do you have a children's book in great condition around your home that you could donate?

AMAZING!! Learn just how to do it HERE! 

"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." ~ Harper Lee

See Beautiful Woman of the Month: LORI SMITH

See Beautiful Woman of the Month: LORI SMITH

Beautifully created by Lori Smith. Shared with permission.

 

Lori Smith is beautiful. She radiates it. She creates it (literally, she draws it). She celebrates it. She lives it. Owning beautiful, that's what she does.

Lori's beauty reverberates from her teaching, writing, speaking, drawing, painting, creating, relationships, giving, laughter, love, and presence. Visit Lori's website, and you'll immediately see what we mean. Her beautiful creations (ahem, including OUR incredible See Beautiful t-shirt designs) are capable of moving another to LITERALLY see beautiful. Her art has the ability to move you to think and smile and give and empower. Lori shares her art with others and that willingness to share is a gift that can move us all forward, while nudging us gently to reflect as well.

As a teacher, she creates beautiful in the classroom with young children too.  We know. We've seen her in action. She is an inspiration to so many. Her beauty radiates. She passes on this beauty by sharing it and that's making the world a better place every day.

Lori's presence makes a room brighter. Her ability to be a brilliant listener with thoughtful advice is the type that immediately makes you feel welcomed and valued. What an asset for this world.

Lori is an artist at heart and at life and she's created a beautiful one. What's even more special is that she shares it with the world. It's is a gift for us all. Thank you, Lori. Thank you so much.

  

The following is written by Lori Smith

Since a young child I have been creative and “artsy”. I always wanted to create my own cards and gifts because I felt like store-bought gifts did an inadequate job of expressing my feelings (and the fact that I was not exactly financially independent may have had something to do with it). I loved school projects that would give me an excuse to pull out my markers, glue, glitter, and interpret what I had learned in my own unique way.  I would beg my mother for different craft kits and art supplies every time we would step into a crafts store and would get sudden urges to create when sitting around the house for too long. I would save bottles, shoe boxes, paper towel rolls and any other “trash” I thought I could use to create something beautiful. I still do that, actually.  I guess I see the potential beauty in those things.

Beautifully created by Lori Smith. Shared with permission.

Whether it is objects, nature, or people, I pride myself with being able to see the beauty around me and art has definitely been a major cause of that. When I paint, I am able to take what I physically see in the world and depict those things/people as I see them in my mind. I am blessed with the ability to not only create beauty, but expose what I believe to be the true beauty that some may not see. I use my paintbrush to not only express myself, but show others the beauty I see in the world; the beauty that’s all around us; we just have to take the time to notice it.

Beautifully created by Lori Smith. Shared with permission.

I love art because there is no single way to create it. There is no right or wrong. What one person may consider a piece of art may not be art to the next person, but that piece is no less art than it was when it was created. People, nature, the world around us are the same. Just because someone does not have the face or body of a Victoria’s Secret model does not mean they are not beautiful and it truly bothers me that advertisements and society have tried to define beauty as looking a certain way, being a certain weight, having certain material things, etc. We were all created individually and each of us is unique. That, alone, makes us beautiful; knowing that I am the only me and you are the only you.

Beautifully created by Lori Smith. Shared with permission.

I hope this message is not only conveyed through my artwork, but in the classroom as well.  Having just graduated from Georgia State University, with a degree in Early Childhood Education, I plan to instill the message of seeing beautiful into the students I will teach. I see beauty in children and hope to help them see the beauty in themselves. I will have a classroom that will empower children and encourage them to construct their own knowledge and definition of what beauty really is, discrediting society’s definition. I definitely plan to incorporate art and allow my students to explore it and create for themselves.

Beautifully created by Lori Smith. Shared with permission.

I see beauty through art and children and by combining the two; I strive to create even more beauty throughout the world.

Beautifully created by Lori Smith. Shared with permission.

CONNECT WITH LORI SMITH AND CELEBRATE HER BEAUTY:

• WEBSITE and INSTAGRAM