Stay Present With Maine Made Essentials

Producer & Director: Kyle Lamont, Good to Go Studios

What a year it has been and it’s not over yet but many things have kept me going. Some old, some new. Taking time for yourself is quite challenging especially when you have a full-time job, a side gig, two youngins...you get the picture. But one thing I have learned throughout this pandemic is to take at least 20 minutes to yourself every day. Whether it’s meditating and finding your inner calm, putting on some makeup to make you feel that glow, going for a short walk in the woods by yourself or with your furry friend, or taking a bubble bath and clearing your mind. After that 20 minutes, you may not feel fully refreshed but you do get some “me” time and it always makes me feel better after taking that time.

Kristan taking it all in.

Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios

When the pandemic started I had just had my son and man did I go through some emotional struggles. Fear was deep in my mind as I didn’t know what our world was going to turn into and having a new child enter into this world of the unknown is super scary. I felt like everything was falling apart between my job, my family, myself, really my entire life. I started to get depressed, undergo anxiety attacks, and I felt so alone. So I decided to turn to my doctor for advice as all the things I tried didn’t work. They put me on depression medication to help me get by which is not the route I would typically like to go on but I needed to try it. So far it has helped but I needed to give myself additional tools to help me cope with this feeling of fear.

There are three tools I found and continue to unravel to this day. Thanks to Maine’s group of highly skilled makers, they have helped me fine-tune these tools.

Find peace with myself

Every morning I undergo a meditation ritual to help me set the tone of the day. I brew my coffee, pour it into my Campfire mug along with my cream, head on up to my “great room” where the sun shines bright, place the mug on my Cultivated Thread coaster and just think. Breathe and think.

Having some coffee and getting ready for the day.

Items included in this photo: Campfire White Speckle Mug ($42) and The Cultivated Thread Coaster.

Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios

Once I get interrupted by the small voices of my daughter and cries from my 9-month-old boy, it’s time to get myself ready and quickly as I need to relieve my husband so he can get started on his morning work meetings. I take a small droplet of Healing Harbors Daily Defense Oil: 600mg CBD (Full Plant) ($84.95) which helps me stay calm and focused throughout the day. I started getting into CBD products amid the pandemic as I thought why not? I don’t want to be on these depression meds forever so let's try something a bit more natural. So far I have noticed a result. I would have trouble sleeping even while taking the depression medication and ever since I started taking CBD, I sleep a lot better. Yes, my kids do wake me up at night but after settling them back into bed it doesn’t take me long to get myself back to sleep. “Start low and slow,” words from the Healing Harbors founders as they educated me on CBD as I had no idea what it was all about. 

Self-care ritual with Maine makers.

Items included in this photo: Healing Harbors Small Body Butter ($34.95), SaltyGirl Beauty Lip Exfoliator ($18), Healing Harbors Daily Defense Oil Full Plant 600 mg ($84.95), Tidal Living’s Rose Soaking Salts ($16).

Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios

Stacy Moore, the CEO of Healing Harbors, has quite the story as she was a Coast Guard Helicopter Mechanic in Alaska and then moved back to Maine where she is originally from she became a CNA. She decided to focus more on natural healing by providing patients with cannabis-infused salve including a 50-year-old who had a stroke and the salve helped her start to move again. Her wellness center is based out of Brunswick, Maine and her line of products is growing tremendously.

Candles are a must have in the Vermeulen household.

Items included in this photo: Tidal Living’s Vanilla & Amber 6 oz. Ceramic Candle ($20) and Apothecary Match Bottle - Blue Match Tip Matches ($16).

Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios

I’m a huge fan of candles as they bring me joy with their light and scents. I have one in every single room in my home including my bathroom. Tidal Living’s Vanilla & Amber 6 oz. Ceramic Candle ($20) along with their Apothecary Match Bottle - Blue Match Tip Matches ($16) give me the joy to start my day as I light it up in my bathroom when going about getting ready for the day. The match bottle includes a striker on the bottom and is super easy to light a match to get that candle burning. I also apply their Tension Essential Oil ($12) to give me some pep in my step. 

When entering my workspace for the day, I light up Ramona Healing Arts Meditation Candle ($34, including shipping) and take in the natural calm vibes of the natural wood pieces designed and crafted by Chilton and Ramona’s painting hanging behind me. What I enjoy about Ramona’s art and the healing that comes along with it is that she includes a salve and candle along with every piece of art that is purchased. She told me that she wants customers to visualize her art throughout their day and how to do that is by scent. She also has beautifully crafted earrings called the Maine Find Earring Series ($45) made with paint embellished birch bark and partridge feathers.

A rustic inspired candle.

Items included in this photo: Ramona Healing Arts Meditation Candle ($34, including shipping)

Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios

Through my everyday ritual, I find peace with help from these makers. I also find peace in the bathtub when I have time to soak and cleanse the soul.

I fill up my kid's tub as it is the only one that works in the house and remove the clutter of toys on the ledge. Bring in my oyster shaped floating candles, throw in Tidal Living’s Rose Soaking Salts, and yes they do have rose petals and they make you feel like a princess. I also drop a Healing Harbors Sensual Bath Bomb ($13.95) and it has 50 mg of CBD included. I scrub away the negativity of life with SaltyGirl Beauty’s Bergamot Rose Salt & Sugar Body Scrub ($24) and their Peppermint Tea Tree Salt Bar Soap ($9). During the last stage of my bath, I lay back and enjoy the lavender scents from Beedandy’s Lavender Eye Pillow ($20).

Tidal Living’s motto is effectiveness, simplicity, care for you, care for the Earth and that motto is carried with me every day to allow me to find my peace.

Take care of myself

Care is a term that seems to be used heavily nowadays. Care for yourself, care for others, what your care abouts… there is a lot in care. The care I want to focus on that I think is the most important is caring for yourself; even though my friends say I care for others way more than I care for myself. 

Showing off the good stuff.

Items included in both photos: Tidal Living Tension Essential Oil ($12) and Beedandy Lotion Bar ($7).

Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios

I know I’m not going out in public much lately but I still feel like I need to get ready for the day with moisturized skin and lips and a fresh glow of color with clean makeup. I do care what I look like but that’s just me. I apply Beedandy’s Grapefruit Lip Balm ($3) once in the morning and don’t need to reapply as it stays on my lips throughout the day. Even when I have lipstick or lip gloss over it! It’s non-greasy and made with natural oils and butter. I also apply their Lotion Bar ($7) on my hands throughout the day as I’m washing baby bottles, outside in the cold playing in the snow with my daughter, and just continually washing my hands because hey we’re amid a pandemic. My hands get so dried out and the lotion makes my skin feel ten times better.

Putting on a clean, glowly, healthy face.

Items included in this photo: SaltyGirl Beauty’s 5 Minute Make Up Kit ($120).

Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios

I then apply the beautiful reds and pinks from SaltyGirl Beauty’s 5 Minute Make Up Kit ($120). I start with the Tiffany Foundation and then apply the Alanna Concealer on my cheekbones. I brighten my eyes with the Stephanie Multi-Stick and Brown Mascara. Then touch up my lips with the Krissy Lip Stick and Quiana Lip Gloss. 

Maine Bliss’ Navy Lobster Cosmetic Bags hold all of my skin and beauty items. It comes in a large and small size. They have a protective sleeve on the inside so it is easy to clean. I also highly enjoy their 207 The Maine Clutch ($50) and their Limited Edition Fish Wristlet ($63) where they collaborated with Alice Kate by Design & Mae in Maine. I take both with me to run errands.

I’m also very mindful of my nutrition as I want to care of my body by eating healthy but I’m also into fast, ready-to-go snacks. R.E.D.D. Bar (12 Bar Box $35.88) fills this need as they have formulated delicious plant-based bars with a variety of flavors that are great for a snack. I enjoy them while playing outside with my kids or even after a Peloton workout. My kids and I highly enjoy the peanut butter flavor!

Snuggling up with a tencel cardigan and coffee mug. Taking in the outdoor scenes.

Items included in this photo: Luksin Designs Long Tencel Cardigan with Thumb Holes in Heather ($90).

As much as I enjoy the comfort of my Luksin Designs Long Tencel Cardigan with Thumb Holes in Heather ($90), Scoop Neck with Thumb Holes in Onyx Tencel ($85), MULXIPLY’s Pom Pom Felt Slippers in Blush ($56) and being inside my warm, safe home, I know I need fresh air so I get outside. I need to stay fit so I walk, run, practice yin yang yoga and so much more. I change into my Leyland Blackburn Leggings ($89) and Original Maine Flag Crew Sweatshirt in Forest ($42) and Rugged Seas Night Watch Beanie ($32). I pack up my Rugged Seas Seaworthy Tote-Natural/Orange ($120) with all the necessities including mine and the kids. I highly enjoy staying hydrated with my Leyland Soma Waterbottle ($30) as it is made out of glass and easy to clean.

I find that I’m taking care of myself better and better each day and I’m glad that these makers are making it easy for me to tackle these self-care activities.

Live life to the fullest

Even though it is hard to imagine living life to the fullest during these challenging times, I find that to get myself out of bed and give me the drive that I need, I set goals and work on achieving them. My goal is to give back; to give back to those who need it most. Those are the makers in our great state of Maine. I want them to keep crafting, to keep living their life to the fullest. If we didn’t have craft we would all be purchasing items from overseas. We wouldn’t see anything “American”, we wouldn’t see an item that carried a story, we wouldn’t have treasures.

Every time I get behind my microphone, pull my hair back in a ponytail wearing a cork bracelet made by Gem Lounge, wearing my Makers of Maine t-shirt, and about to start an interview with a maker I feel honored, blessed, and excited to tell these stories. I now consider myself a storyteller. I have discovered something new about myself and I love it.

Keep dreaming, keep achieving because 2021 is a new year, a new you.