Little Tokens, Big Ripples
Small acts of recognition that remind us we are more than our roles. You don’t have to be local to be part of this. And you don’t need anything to begin.
Just notice someone today.
PICK ONE, PERSONALIZE, GIVE
The RIPPLE Station™ is one expression of a practice that began in 2017 with small handmade objects passed from one person to another.
I’ve personally given more than 3,000 handmade tokens over the years to people I’ve encountered in everyday life. In August 2025, I created the first public RIPPLE Station™ outside my home in Los Altos, California—an experiment in what might happen if the giving no longer depended on me.
In its first year, nearly 1,000 tokens were taken from the Station by neighbors to personalize and give to someone who may move through their day unnoticed: a crossing guard, delivery driver, librarian, restaurant server, nurse, grocery clerk, custodian.
Someone whose work quietly holds our lives together.
The Station invites the community to participate in The RIPPLE Practice™: pick, personalize, and give.
Now with a second RIPPLE Station™ launching at the Sweet Shop on August 23, 2026, what began person to person is becoming something a community can carry.
How this began
This practice wasn’t something I set out to create. It grew slowly over the years from making small things and using them to acknowledge people.
In 2017, I asked neighbors if they had unwanted ceramic tiles lying around and received hundreds in donations. I painted the two-inch square backsplash discards, turned them into magnets, and piled them on oven trays, so my three-year-old daughter and I could take them to our downtown, and offer them to shopkeepers and restaurant owners as a thank you. A tangible token of gratitude for being there, for running the places we frequented, for helping make our downtown what it was.
I didn’t have a name for what we were doing back then. Looking back, I can see the beginning of the practice: a small handmade object carrying appreciation from one person to another.
A couple of months later, after my daughter had outgrown years of severe allergies and we were finally beginning to eat in restaurants again, we were doodling while waiting for our food at a Thai restaurant. She looked at what we’d made and asked, “Can we give it to our server?”
We did. I wrote a thank-you note on the back and handed it to him.
I expected a quick gesture. Instead, it became a 15-minute conversation about his nephew’s allergies and the ways we carry our worries for the people we love.
I began paying attention to what happened after the giving.
Over the next several years, the tiles gave way to smaller pieces of art on wood and canvas. Eventually, they became mixed media tokens of connection—2 by 4 inch pieces of paper— I handed directly to grocery clerks, nurses, gardeners, delivery drivers, crossing guards and others whose work can easily disappear into the background.
The materials kept changing. The impulse didn’t: notice someone, make that noticing tangible, and let it pass from one person to another.
Thousands of tokens, countless conversations and one public RIPPLE Station later, I’m still exploring what can happen when a small handmade object interrupts an ordinary moment long enough for two people to notice one another.
The token isn’t the point. It’s what becomes possible because someone paid attention.
What if creativity wasn’t about making art for a gallery… but about making people feel seen?
Received a token? Or gave one? Tell me what stayed.
Pick a handmade token—each one is different and an original work of art.
Write a note on the back. Some examples:
“Thank you for all your hard work.”
“You are amazing.”
“I hope you have a wonderful day!”
Give it to someone who deserves appreciation: baristas, restaurant servers grocery clerks, vendors at the Farmers’ Market or any background worker who usually goes unnoticed.
How It Works
BE THE RIPPLE
TOKEN TALES
What Stays
I’ve been handing these out since 2017.
Over 3,000 tokens. Each one handmade. Each one meant for someone specific. Most of these moments aren’t photographed or written down. I’m usually just there—in the conversation, in the exchange, in whatever that person needs that minute to be.
What I keep noticing is that people rarely react to the object itself. They react to being recognized personally.
These tokens are small. What they open is not.
From time to time, I reflect on these exchanges. I call them Token Tales. Vignettes of brief interactions showcasing the powerful ripple effects of these little tokens.
Token Tales
If you’d like to bring the RIPPLE Station™ to your own community, this free Guide walks you through how to build, stock, tend, and make the practice your own.
A free guide to building your own Ripple Station™ — a self-serve kindness stand where anyone can pick up a handmade token and give it to someone who needs to hear something kind. Everything you need to get started: how to build, what you’ll need, and how to keep the heart of it alive.
Help keep this going
Every contribution helps keep our community RIPPLE Stations filled with handmade tokens for people to personalize and pass along.
If this practice has touched your life and you’d like to help keep it moving through the community, thank you.
FAQs
What are these tokens, exactly?
Each token is a small piece of original, handmade art—painted, stamped, or collaged by me (and sometimes with help from my daughter). They’re made to be shared, not kept. They’re rooted in the RIPPLE Practice™.
Who do I give them to?
Popular choices:
Your food delivery driver
A librarian
Your dog walker
A teacher, nurse, or school crossing guard
Anyone who feels unseen or under-appreciated
Is this a business or nonprofit?
Neither, really. It’s a kindness movement—funded by me and supported by occasional contributions. If you’d like to support the project, you can contribute to the costs.
Where is the Ripple Station™ in Los Altos?
It’s in a quiet neighborhood. Here’s a Google map for wayfinding.
Do I write something on the back?
Yes, please! That’s the most powerful part. Just a few words of genuine appreciation can make someone’s day.
Examples:
– “Thank you for all you do.”
– “You matter more than you know.”
– “Your kindness doesn’t go unnoticed.”
You don’t need to know the person—just offer a moment of recognition.
What should I do after I give it?
You can quietly walk away, or say, “This is a little token of appreciation I picked up from a community art station. I wanted you to have it.”
Can I start my own Ripple Station™?
I created this first one here in Los Altos, but I believe this model can ripple outward—thoughtfully, intentionally, without losing its heart.
That’s why I’ve created the Ripple Station™ Community Guide—so others can bring one to their neighborhoods while honoring the values, artistry, and quality that make it meaningful.
Can I take more than one?
Yes, if you’re planning to gift them intentionally. Please be mindful, though. These are not collectibles and they are not mass-produced. I spend hours at a time crafting each one. They are for ALL our neighbors, so please limit what you take to a maximum of three.
Can I contribute my own tokens?
I’m so touched you want to! Right now, I’m starting with just my own tokens to see how the Ripple Station™ is received in our community. But I may offer “guest artist” features in the future—stay tuned!
What if someone says no?
That’s okay. Not everyone is ready to receive kindness—and it’s not a reflection on you.
A smile and “No worries at all—have a great day!” is enough.
The act of offering is still a ripple. It reminds you to lead with generosity, even when there’s no guaranteed outcome.
A small painted token, a train conductor named Kader, and a question my daughter couldn't answer for me. A Token Tales story about being seen.