What If Your Hobby Is A Peace Practice

You can feel it in your body when your phone stops being a tool and starts being your default coping mechanism. We sit down with Melissa Ward, the creator behind Preppy Goods, to talk about what it looks like to reclaim your attention and rebuild calm through hobbies that are beautiful, social, and screen-free. Melissa shares her journey from pharmaceutical marketing into content creation, and how curating colorful, preppy home decor became both her work and a way to bring everyday joy within reach. 

Then we get into the hobby that changed her rhythm: American Mahjong. Melissa explains how a single lesson hooked her, why playing regularly helped with grief, anxiety, and overworking, and how the community side of Mahjong can open doors even if you are shy. We also trade practical beginner advice, including why a Mahjong 2.0 lesson can be the confidence boost you need and how a free app can help you learn the hands without the pressure of a table full of experts. 

Finally, we talk needlepoint as a powerful antidote to doomscrolling. Melissa describes the awkward learning curve, the moment it starts to “click,” and why stitching can quiet the mental checklist that keeps so many of us on edge at night. We share simple tips for choosing a beginner-friendly canvas, finding local classes, and building a hobby practice that fits real life as a parent and a working adult. If you are searching for calming hobbies, screen-free self-care, or creative ways to support mental health and work-life balance, this conversation is a practical place to start. 

Subscribe for more hobby-focused summer conversations, share this with a friend who needs real rest, and leave a review to help more listeners find Create Harmony.

Transcript

Welcome And Summer Hobby Theme

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome back to the Create Harmony Podcast. Let me tell you what we're all about. So at Create Harmony, we are elevating the pursuit of peacemaking. And we're highlighting the voices of fellow peacemakers. We do that through conversations, listening to their stories, and learning about their simple practices. And that helps us explore the rhythms that really nurture peace. Peace within us, peace between us, and in all the communities that we call home. We like to live in step with the rhythms of nature, and we pay attention to the seasons and all of the ways that the seasons shape us. So this summer we're in the summer season right now, and this summer we're doing a thorough examination of hobbies. We are talking to all sorts of different people about their own hobbies, the hobbies they love, and discussing how the pursuit of these interests is a form of rest and how it can restore us to get back to all the meaningful work that we do in life. Now, one thing I'll mention here is that we've decided to adapt our rhythm of releasing episodes this summer in order to free up some time for our team to explore some of our own hobbies and some more upcoming content. So our episodes usually release every week, but this summer we will drop an episode every other week. And that'll give you a chance to pursue some of your interests this summer in between listening to us. So now let's tune into our hobby conversation for this week.

Meet Melissa And Preppy Goods

SPEAKER_01 1:46

We have a guest named Melissa Ward, who owns a company called Preppy Goods, and we're going to get into all of what that means in just a minute. But welcome, Melissa. Thank you. Thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited. Okay, so I said preppy. That's part of the title of what you do. So just let's just start out by you giving us an overview of what is included in Preppy Goods.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Yes. So I am a content creator. And with that, I focus a lot on like home goods, decorating items that sort of bring joy, a lot of major, needlepoint, really anything I'm loving, which is a cool thing about my job. Um, I focus a lot on Amazon finds, so making it a little more affordable and accessible while also still sharing some small businesses in the mix. Um, but my main platform I'm found on is Instagram. So it's at HappyGoods.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

Okay, great. And we are, I I think I said this, but I'll say it again just in case because I said it when we were talking before we got started that this is your actual job. It is not your hobby. But a lot of the things that you work with do align and are adjacent to other people's hobbies. Um, like we'll start out with collecting and decorating and um all the kinds of things. So, where do you find all these fun, preppy goods? Or how does that come together?

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Yes. So I mean, 90% of what I share is Amazon. So I spend a lot of time on there. I've been really lucky over the years. I started in 2020. Um, and so it's been almost six full years of it now. And I found so many great small businesses that sell on Amazon. So now I have a lot of people that I work with, talk to, to find things, but I am constantly buying things, checking them out, and testing them to see how they work, if they're good, that the quality really stands up. And then I share those every day on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, email, and more. And so how did you get

Building A Content Creator Workflow

SPEAKER_00 3:50

into that? Yeah. Um, so I it all actually is my silver lining from COVID. I worked in a pharmaceutical company. I was in marketing, and I was just feeling the pull to do my own thing, have more flexibility. I had my daughter in 2019. She's my oldest. And so I started this on the side. I was in a full-time job for over two years while I was starting this journey. And as I went, I was learning as I went. It has had so many iterations. Um, started with just making collages of things that I saw online. And now I'm lucky enough to get to buy it, test it, and really vet it. Um, and took the jump the day my son was born, which is was both scary and I guess the push I needed to do it full-time.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Awesome. And so I know that you a lot of the styling of the things that you

Preppy Style And Colorful Decor

SPEAKER_01 4:50

trend towards is very, as as you called yourself, preppy. And so can you say a little bit about what draws you in?

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Yes, I love color in my home. Um, it lends a little more, like I like to think of it as a mix of like southern traditional, preppy, classic home decor. Um, I love block prints and colorful patterns, linens, entertaining, a lot of blue and white. Um, and just sort of that like style I grew up with growing up in North and South Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

It is very beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

I saw a good bit of chinoiserie and that flavor throughout and lots of color. I'm also a big lover of color. When we went through the design phase where everything was gray, I was like, well, I'm just have to wait this out because I just that was not something that resonated with me. I have lots of color in my home, and that's just more it color makes me happy. Yes, color, color makes me happy too. Yes, I get

Learning Mahjong For Anxiety Relief

SPEAKER_01 5:58

that. And so now tell us about Mahjong, how you got into you are a you play mahjong. I played, yes.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

And how did you learn to play? So I took a lesson locally. I took a lesson here with Raleigh Maj. Um, I don't think they're teaching lessons anymore, but they have a resource list of great instructors. Um, they focus more on tournaments now. But I went with a friend, it was just last year. I learned on the 2025 card, and I remember going and they were like, after one lesson, you will know this is for me or this is not. And I was hooked. Um, I went, I went wanting to find a hobby. Um, I have been working for myself for a long time, and so the boundaries can get a little loose there. And I was working a lot. I had um lost my dad six months before. I realized after I had my son, I had a lot of anxiety. Um, and I was just looking for ways to not channel that only through work anymore. Went, took a lesson with a friend. I was hooked, um, started playing regularly at we're at like a pool tennis club, started playing there, finally started meeting people there. Um, I can be kind of shy. And so it was hard for me to sort of meet people and playing regularly opened that. And it also got me out of the house um every other week. I go play still. I've been doing it for over a year. I go play every other week, always there. And it has been so much fun. I now have taught my daughter, who is six. We play mahjong together. I'm teaching my three-year-old how to match child now. So it has become a whole family thing. Um, but it was exactly what I needed, especially at that time of trying to work less. And I am a mom of a three and six-year-old. I felt like that was the time when you could finally come up for air. And I realized I have no hobbies except work. Like I am only ever parenting or working. Yeah. I needed that change.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

We we've taught, I mean, that's kind of the thread running throughout all of these hobbies discussions is that, you know, hobbies are a form of rest. It's a form of lifting your gaze from your the grind of your life. And we don't always have seasons where we have the privilege that we can have hobbies. And I guess some of us have seasons that for long periods of time can't afford a hobby. But when you can do that, it is such a restorative practice to evolve. And I and one of the things I like, I I don't I said this at the event that Melissa was at the event that we hosted last a few weeks ago, but I um I don't play mahjong yet. I took one lesson and I was thinking, okay, I don't think my brain can mahjong. I was like the opposite of you. I was like, oh dear, I don't think I can do this. But then I've had a lot of people since then tell

How To Learn Mahjong Faster

SPEAKER_01 9:02

me that that's not uncommon with mahjong.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

I think that's really common. I took a 2.0 lesson after I took a one lesson, and I think that was key was walking into a room of all beginners. Okay. And not because I think one of the intimidating things after you learn mahjong is okay, I think I know what's going on, but I don't feel confident enough to play with a random group of women. And what if they judge my skills? I don't really know what's going on. I don't want to slow them down. Yeah. And I found a 2.0 lesson was the best because I was walking into a group of beginners. There were extra instructors floating around when you had questions, and it was a great way to really test out the skills, but you do have to immediately keep playing because it can be a complicated game to sort of get into it. I like to also play on my iPad. Okay. Yeah, I was gonna ask about that. Do you did you play out of a community group? So I really learned on my iPad there's an app called Maj for Friends, and it's free.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

And you just have to have a card. So you need your card and an iPad or phone or computer. And it has an option where it can help you choose what hand you're playing, because the the end theme of mahjong is to make these hands that are on the card. And so it is a good way to sort of learn the card to play.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

And the card, am I correct, that the card switches every year once a year? It switches every year. So Mahjong, American Mahjong, which is different from other types of mahjong, was is really kind of founded by this group of women um in New York, and they are the National Mahjong League, and they come out with a card every year. It switches in about like April of every year.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

Okay. Well, I think I'm gonna like it if I can learn the language, the basic language, because it's like all new words. Because I love puzzles and patterns and category. Like I like that. And I'm I'm gravitate, obviously, I gravitate towards things that are, you know, help you get zen and be peaceful. I mean, that's what we do at Create Harmony. So I think that part I'm gonna like. I'm just not sure how to get there from here, but I would take one more lesson. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Okay, fair. And and and and dig in from there. And I think also playing if you have a few friends who play, playing with friends in the beginning so you don't feel intimidated. Because I think when I was learning, not all of my friends knew at the time. I feel like it's been slowly almost fast now, but it's becoming more and more popular. But with my age group, it was like just starting, um, probably because we were all having babies. Yes. And so I didn't always have someone to play with right away. And I felt like that was the the piece for me of like figuring out where to play and what to do.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

Okay. Okay, that's great advice. I'll I'll take that in. I'm gonna I'm gonna work on that. So, okay, I know because we when we hosted the mahjong event at our house, you were one of the people that we borrowed the beautiful, beautiful sets from. You were gracious enough to allow us to utilize your sets. And so I think I remember you saying that you had a hand in some design elements.

Designing Beginner-Friendly Mahjong Gear

SPEAKER_01 12:28

I did, I did.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

So I have my first collaboration with an um an artist. So what's really cool, her name is Katie Romeo. She's out of Virginia, but she takes her art and sells things on Amazon to make it at a more affordable price point. So she has beautiful trays, picture frames, lots of home decor, very colorful. So I was naturally um sharing her items on preppy goods, and we started talking. And she said, Would you ever want to collaborate? And I was like, Oh, I would love to. This is a dream of mine. I've never done that. And we sort of um ended up on Mahjong since I was telling her how much I loved it. And we designed a mat together. So it's her art on the mat. Um, I helped with sort of the it has rules and reminders on the mat, so it's really beginner-friendly. Um, and we actually sold out the mat in less than a month. Wow. So beautiful. Those mats are so beautiful. They are coming back in August. So they are coming back to Amazon, but we tried to make a more affordable mahjong mat that's still beautiful but accessible to everyone. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

And and uh am I right that you had monogram mahjong mat?

SPEAKER_00 13:41

I had I do. Okay, tell me more. So I that's another great small business I connected through with work. This is where my work and hobby come together, which is exciting. Um, but because it's a screen-free hobby, I do feel like when I'm playing it, I still get that wall between work and um hobby fun. But it is a woman out of Texas, and her Instagram is Bird Bam Branding, and she can monogram any tiles you already have. So she sends you a shipping label and she can monogram them with a company logo, any design, uh monogram, anything you want on the back, and then she engraves them and ships them back to you.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Wow, that's so cool. I did not know that. I noticed that when we were setting up and the team that was helping set up, they saw your monogram tiles and they were like, oh, look at this. This is you know, next level and really like that. So um, that's a good, that's a great resource to know about.

SPEAKER_00 14:45

Yeah, yeah. She's really sweet. So that's a really fun, cool small business out there.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Yes. I love that. I mean, mahjong is just so beautiful. That's another thing that I think is gonna attract me to it, is it's very beautiful and I love the clicking of the tiles, like the way that they sound.

SPEAKER_00 15:01

You know, it sends me the clicking of the tiles

Rummikub As A Tile Game Gateway

SPEAKER_00 15:04

is so calming to me. I love it so much. I even started my husband doesn't want to learn mahjong, even though I keep trying almost every day, but he has learned rummy cube. I don't know if you play that. I don't play that. I feel like it is mahjong adjacent. Okay. It is much easier to pick up. You can teach anyone rummy cube in one game.

SPEAKER_02 15:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

So it is also a tile game. Um, I think I bought my set from O My Mahjong. So they have O My Rummy. Um they're still like beautiful, minor like whirlwood back tiles that clink like a mahjong tile, but it is a number game. So it's very similar to Domino's and much easier to learn and pick up. We actually had friends over Sunday night. They had never played Rummy Cube. The four of us sat down and played after dinner, and everyone picked it up right away. So it's really fun. And we ended up playing three games because everyone wanted to keep going. So it's really fun and an easier league. Yeah. It's an easier pickup.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

I've done dominoes before. I love Mexican train dominoes. We play that a lot with my people. People love Rummicube.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

And I've kids can play Rummikube. The hardest part in the beginning is adding to 30. So if if you add up to 30, anyone can play.

SPEAKER_01 16:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:26

All right.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

Good to know. That's that's good to know.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Is it as beautiful as Rummikube? Do you have the beautiful thing? I have I have beautiful, they're beautiful tiles, and I think it's just starting to gain popularity now that Mahjong is really out there, and there's so many beautiful tiles. Um there are going to be even more. But a few of the big Mahjong companies are now making Rummy Cube tiles. Okay, good to know.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

All right, that's great to know. Well, we we did collect up when we hosted our event, we had to collect up everyone's beautiful sets, and they were just lovely. And we had, as you know, we had everything all set up in the garden for this lovely garden party. And it looked like, I mean, so picturesque. And I'm not sure that anybody even had a minute to take a picture of these lovely tables with the white tablecloths and the pretty tiles. And we were all ready, and then it rained a little bit, and we thought, okay, this is just a summer shower really quickly. Ran out there with some black plastic and covered everything up and then dried everything off. The sun came out, we thought we were good, but no such luck. And so we ended up pivoting to inside, which the tables were still beautiful on the inside.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Still such a beautiful evening. I felt you're paid. I one of my many jobs in pharmaceuticals was event planning. And I've had

Hosting Mahjong And Handling The Rain

SPEAKER_00 17:45

so many events, like mid-event because of rain, moving people around. I've really, I really felt your pain. But as the attendee, I thought it was the most beautiful event, and I didn't feel any of that stress.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

So well, thank you. Thank you for hosting. I'm glad because they were, I mean, I feel like the peak of stress for me was at the moment that people that I didn't know, because some of the people that came to this came to my house that I didn't know, arrived at the door. And we are like in the middle of the pivot of from inside to out. And there was such a level of chaos. Cause I mean, you know, when you entertain, you want things to feel like you want people to feel like they prepared. And since I don't play mahjong myself, I was feeling a little extra level of like, oh, I hope we got this right.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

It was perfect.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Yeah, there were some moments that I was not feeling peace, but that is fine. I'm glad everyone else enjoyed it. And, you know, they seemed everyone was very we had a great group of people who were good sports, and you know, life is sometimes you have to pivot. So we did

Needlepoint As An Anti-Phone Habit

SPEAKER_01 18:45

that. But um, okay, so now needlepoint. Let's let's talk about that. You how did you get into needle point?

SPEAKER_00 18:52

I just started this year. Okay. So I was very into Mahjong. It brought so much joy. I remember talking to my husband, and he was like, he is a hobby guy. He's always been into his hobbies. And he was like, I love seeing you pick up this hobby, like it's been so awesome. It's like, yes, I want more. I was then, I was then in and I still found myself at night doom scrolling.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Um, and I just like, it's because it's half work, but by that time, I'm also just scrolling. I'm networking. Like I'm just on my phone. And I was like, something has to change. I have to put it down. Um, I could feel the anxiety from it. Like, this isn't where I want to be. So with a friend that I got closer to a Burmahjong, we were like, let's go take a needlepoint class. So we signed up. We took a class locally. A lot of local needlepoint shops across the country host classes like how to needlepoint. We went to S and J Needlepoint in North Raleigh.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

And took a lesson. And I remember sitting in that lesson, I was like, I don't think I'm gonna get this. I was so confused. With Mahjong, I was like, I'm in. And with Needlepoint, I was like, oh, I don't know. But I'm to your point about beautiful things, I was like, but the designs are me. Like, this is so me. I really want to make some of these projects. Um, because I am always in it. I had already purchased a needlepoint kit on Amazon. It's from a small business called Happy Stitching, and they have like complete kits where you can self-finish at the end. And I had this keychain, and I was like, well, I guess I'm still gonna have to do it, even after the class where I was like, everything was spinning for me. And I did it and it started to click. And I was watching videos online on YouTube and like Instagram reels, and then it started to click as I did it, and I realized, wow, this is helping my anxiety so much because I've put my phone down and I have to somewhat think while I need a point. So I've even started doing decorative stitches, which require extra thinking. And so my brain goes totally into what I'm working on and not just like, did I do the laundry? Did I respond to that email? Did I do this? Did I do that? Are the kids prepped for tomorrow? Like I'm just in that little world. I listen to an audio book while I stitch and it has been the best. I get really into things. I was counting up my projects. I have already completed eight projects this year. Wow. That's great. I just stitch a little every night.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

I think you're really on to something when you're saying, like, this is first of all, it's an analog hobby. It helps not doom scroll. It helps you have something that occupies your mount mind just enough. Uh, for me, that thing is jigsaw puzzles, and I've always said that I use it as a contemplative activity. I don't want a jigsaw puzzle that's like super, super hard because I want it to not be, I want to have a little bit of brain space to think things through or to be to can contemplate, if you will, but I want something that keeps me from just spinning and spinning and spinning. Exactly. And I love that. And I've tried a little bit of um needlepoint slash embroidery because I wanted sometimes when I'm watching TV with my husband, the things he wants to watch are either things that I don't that I want to kind of watch, but I'm not like sports. I'm not s as into it as he is or they're very stress they have stressful moments. And I'm like, oh my gosh, are they going to shoot him? You know, and I've and so I get my phone. So I feel like this stitching kind of it gives me a something to reach for. Yes I can be doing something that I'm not quite as engaged in the chopping of someone's head off on this I have almost never been able to sit and watch just sit and watch TV.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

So I've always had to do something and I feel like that's the what that was becoming more and more my phone. And I didn't want to do that. I really have been working on creating boundaries and with my phone. Um especially as I don't want my kids to always see me on my phone.

SPEAKER_02 23:03

Yeah for sure.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

So be and sometimes it's hard because they they know I work a lot on my phones. They're like, oh you're working and then I start to feel guilty where I'm like sometimes I'm not working. So now they watch me needlepoint my daughter's learning cross stitch. I guess I've been bringing her into all my hobbies um which and so like the other day I was needlepointing and she was working on a like kids cross stitch kit at the same time. Which was really fun.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

Yeah. So do you do other needlepoint cross-stitch other stitching? No.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

So I'm actually a textile major who does not know how to sew. I went to the NC State Textile School for fashion and branding um merchandising never picked up sewing. I remember I told my mom who can sew I was going to pick up needlepoint and she was like oh really do you think you're going to like it we'll see but it has been my favorite but I haven't tried anything else yet okay okay well you can just start there no pressure.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

I just wondered if you were into other

Community Hobbies And The Mahjong Room

SPEAKER_01 24:07

things. No no that's okay so I want to circle back to you said your husband is really into hobbies and what are what are his hobbies?

SPEAKER_00 24:14

Just curious oh gosh I mean he um he loves to hunt which has its own hobbies he loves cars he loves things that gadgets things that move he's just very into hobbies pickleball tennis lots of hobbies all the hobbies yeah my husband loves hobbies too his are mostly physical you know he likes he works out and he does pickleball and he runs and you know his are he he loves to move a lot more than I do. I I tried to pick up pickleball and it I tennis and pickleball I took lessons and both I was just like this is it the joy I'm not finding the joy I really wanted to meet people though and that's where Mahjong came in for me.

SPEAKER_01 25:01

Yeah I think um both mahjong and pickleball have great community aspects which is really important.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

And needlepoint does have community aspects now there's stitch clubs all over so both Raleigh and Durham have stitch clubs. I haven't been to one yet um but I have thought oh I need to do that because sometimes they'll like rent out a movie theater and leave the lights on and they'll all stitch and watch like a fun like legally blonde movie.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

I'm like that was that's funny I like that I like that idea because I I mean I could do that. So I know that um I think that you said when you were at our event our mahjong event that your husband had originally been planning a man cave and it made a bit of a transformation. So can you tell us about that?

SPEAKER_00 25:44

Yes so we have a downstairs room that's like a probably meant to be a formal living room. The former owners had like huge bookcases we always called it the library and he was like this is going to be my room it's like has dark green grass cloth wallpaper and he was envisioning you know a chair he loves to read he's a big reader in his hobbies. Um and I was like yeah that'll be your room that'll be your room and then I started to get into mahjong and I was like oh well could be a game room he loves chess he has a chess table in there it's still in there um and then I discovered automatic mahjong tables so I bought one from Amazon which is for work and and play blend. So I now have two mahjong tables set up in there at all times. One is automatic it it shuffles the tiles for you and builds the walls for you. So it makes games really fast. And then I have a traditional table set up because I have my mat out and my monogram tiles. So I have a mahjong room and I just needlepointed a sign for that room that says look club baj that I just framed and I'm putting in there. Look at that all of your hobbies converge all of the hobbies in one room.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

And I feel like you could probably allow him to play a little Remy Cube in there.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

We played Remy Cube in there with our friends the other day. He still has a whole bookcase full of books but he said I he had them all divided on I think there's like five shelves in there and he had only two shelves full of his books separated how he wanted them to and one day I moved them and displayed them all in my home decor hobby. And he was like I can't find the books anymore.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

Or those books.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

Yeah I guess they're all here they're just now in a rainbow or something they're now categorized in a different way.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

Yeah exactly

Beginner Resources And Where To Follow

SPEAKER_01 27:47

okay so if people want to find you you are preppy goods tell us how they can find you.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

So I have a website preppygoods.com um I'm most active on Instagram so at preppy goods but then you can also find me at preppy goods on Facebook at preppy goods on TikTok. I have an email newsletter so that sends out a few things if someone doesn't have social media um sends out a few every week those are probably the best ways to find me I'm also on Pinterest. Awesome okay so just at Preppy Goods lots of different places lots of different places constantly mostly focused on home but a lot of mahjong at needlepoint um because I tend to just share things that make me really happy.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

Yeah absolutely is there anything this is I've this is a question that I've started asking my guests lately is there anything that we missed in our conversation that you had thought about and you wanted to talk about or that you want to emphasize about your hobbies or your business that overlaps with hobbies?

SPEAKER_00 28:51

So I think the one thing I wanted to make sure I touched on were a couple of small businesses that are good if you're starting out in both hobbies. Great. So if someone was brand new to it like what should they do? I think looking for local lessons and I talked about Raleigh Maj. Um and they have a list of instructors but also a good way to learn for the family is a company called Mini Majers.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

So they're available on Amazon. They also have a website and that's how I taught my six year old so we play it's a little easier to get started and I think it's good for beginners who want to get started and kids and and family night. Um they they even now have strips that are matching so you can teach your three year old who can play at the same time with his strips as you play with a card.

unknown 29:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

So it gets everyone involved together. So I love that company and then for needlepoint um there's two great companies for beginners they kit specifically two beginners and that one is local they're called Poppy Monk needlepoint and then there's another great company Georgie and Lottie and Georgie and Lottie has great videos if you want to learn how to needlepoint as well but their canvases are all very beginner friendly. The easiest way to know if a canvas is beginner friendly is that it only has a couple of colors.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

You don't want to start with a canvas that has like 10 colors because that is much harder. Okay that gets a little complicated.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

Gets a little complicated. Okay I love that well those are great tips. I'm gonna I need to note a few of those things myself and one of the things I like is the one that you talked about where you could play with your family. That's great. Enjoy your hobby at the same time. Same time.

SPEAKER_00 30:41

Yes so I we are big fans of mini major so we play all we all play mini major. That's how I got my mom back into Mahjong and now she goes and plays with people. So it's a really great way to start. Perfect.

SPEAKER_01 30:53

That's great. Well thank you this has been so informative for me and I'm excited about I need to what I've taken what I'm taking away from this conversation is that I need to try a 2.0 lesson and see if I can maybe baby steps in that direction or maybe just some Remy Q. Let's maybe we could start I don't know. I want to hear what you think about Remy Q. Yeah I'm excited about it. So thank you thank you for joining us today and sharing all this great information we really have loved having you. Yes thanks so much for having me I really loved it hope you enjoyed our conversation today here at Create Harmony we are committed to peacemaking we are elevating conversations that help people refresh their lives and soothe their souls.

Peaceful Pathways Summer Box Details

SPEAKER_01 31:40

And on that note I need to remind you about our peaceful pathways box. Y'all the summer box is here and it is chock full of playful summer goodness that you are not going to want to miss. In each box there's a link to five guided meditations and some of the themes for summer are a walk through the farmer's market, running through the sprinkler in a playful way or resting in the cool shade. And these meditations give you just enough things to keep your mind busy so that you step away from your life and calm yourself. And also in each box there are other fun good goodies that are provided by Petal and Pink Mental Wellness Boutique. So let me get you excited about what that is. What's in the summer box what you will receive is a little mini watercoloring kit that is strawberry themed that has all the paints and everything you need with it so you can just take a little time do a little craft it's it's calming and very peaceful. You'll also receive a summer garnish trio and this is for your summer drinks there's three little jars with three different flavors you can add them to your water make infused water you can add them to your mocktails you could put it in a cocktail and it just elevates the moment a little bit and makes your summer drinks extra special there's also in the in the box what we're calling a take a breath jar and that is what that is it's like a glass jar has a lid. You take the lid off and there are wool balls in there that have a scent very calming scent so anytime your life is just getting out of hand you could get that jar, take the lid off and just take some deep breaths and just breathe in that calming aroma and it's just a way of aromatherapy and just relaxing your nervous system. So you could get a take a breath jar and then the last thing you get are some little notes that have ladybugs on them. The envelopes have tomatoes so they're very summery themed. If you just need to jot a note to a friend they're tiny like about the size of a business card. So a quick little note that you can jot or drop it in a gift or something like that. Just a neat addition to all the goodness in that summer box. Now I also want to tell you one thing about our summer box. We've been doing this as a subscription so you had to subscribe for all of the other boxes. You don't have to do that now you can just buy one box. If you want to just sample the summer box you just buy that one box and then if you like it you could certainly subscribe and get one every quarter but a subscription is not required. So just give it a try check it out see what you think I'm sure it is going to bless your summer in more ways than you can imagine. If you want more information about that you can go to mycreateharmony dot com and look for Peaceful Pathways box and that's where you'll find it and until next time peace