just what you've always wanted!

a sexy leg lamp!

(have a happy christmas -- see you in the new year!)

how cool is this?

by Charlie Kratzer (with a whole lot of sharpies) via design*sponge

excellent!

"Do you have important missions that you need to accomplish at this time of year? Do you find yourself wanting to be inconspicuous in large crowds? Would you like to be able to blend with the sites of the season?

Then you need a... *also appropriate for obligatory work and family gatherings."

Download your own on Keri Smith's awesome website

it's arrived!!

Lena Corwin's Printing by Hand

I'm so excited to get at it!

George Eliot

"But so far is he from having any desire for a more accurate knowledge of the earth's surface, that he said he should prefer not to know the sources of the Nile, that there should be some unknown regions preserved as hunting-grounds for the poetic imagination."
- Casaubon, Middlemarch

late shopper?

if you're struggling, here are a few ideas to help you along...

StoryPeople has an unbelievable selection of unique and meaningful artwork. It's a great gift - I'd know, having given and been given one in the past...

For a more handmade gift, I recommend Etsy, of course! Here's a few of my favorites.

a beautiful casserole dish from SierraClayArt

jewelry by PoleStar

stationary by Morris&Essex

Or, TomsShoes are always a great gift idea.

And, if all else fails, you could always save the earth on their behalf...

Visit Oceana to adopt an environmentally-threatened creature!

Or visit Renewable Choice for renewable energy and carbon offset gifts!

Happy Holidays!

something's coming...

something good.

To this I reply with

a sincere "AMEN, my friend!" or , if you prefer, a hearty "Hear, Hear!" --Either way, this video resounded in me. Check it out.


Thanks again, Haley

So...

I've been noticing people recently. Noticing the people around me, and wondering about them. I wonder, "to where is she walking so quickly?" I wonder "why is his brow furrowed so deeply?" I wonder, "how did he break his arm?" I wonder, "Why does she wear three belts - with none of them through her belt loops?" I wonder, "does he kiss his mother with that mouth?"

I wonder about these people, these strangers. I see countless people everyday - people I know nothing about and probably never will. I wonder what makes them move, smile, work, sing, grieve. I wonder what makes them get up every morning and breathe in.

Sometimes I pretend I know them and am familiar with their stories. I imagine who their friends are and what they do together. I narrate what's going on in their heads. I picture how their houses are decorated and what cars they drive.

the girl who served my tea drives a red saturn. she has a new tabby kitten. she prefers pencils over pens and for her coffee to be milky and sweet. she dances whenever she can, and she knits. her family is small, and she likes it that way. sometimes she still confuses her lefts and her rights - but never for long and not when it really matters.

on the sidewalk i passed a lady who has two children. she does pilates tapes at home and she always cooks breakfast for the family but forgets to eat her own. when she smiles, she never has lipstick on her teeth. she does arts and crafts with her children; she lunches with friends at cafes with complicated sandwiches. when she's uncomfortable, her hands are what give her away. and she never knows quite what to do with her hair.

when the man with the beard lets his mind wander, he imagines himself as the main character of one of the many novels he's read. he has big dreams and finds contentment in simply having them. babies make him smile and he always bends to pet a dog on the sidewalk. he sketches glorious inventions that are so innovative they're inconvenient. he enjoys brussel sprouts and bicycling. in highschool he dressed up as the school mascot. and everyone knew - because he wasn't ashamed.

...But usually I don't take it this far. Usually I just shake my head and smile in wonder at these strangers and their lovely peculiarities.

rejoice! rejoice!

my moo cards have arrived!!

these are to be my [anti]business cards [seeing as i have no job and no prospects], and i love them. i love every little thing about them.

look!

today i finished up the apron i've been working on...

then i wrapped it up all nice...

and there it is -- the first christmas present of the season, all ready to go.

(i'm starting to get excited! are you?)

"You're killing me Smalls!

These are s'mores stuff! Alright, now pay attention. First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the 'mallow. When the mallow's flaming...you stick it on the chocolate. Then cover it with the other end.

Then you scarf.

Kinda messy, but good!"

Took my brother to see The Sandlot at The County Theater this afternoon -- priceless.

[photo via flickr]

even sweeter

Mosaic by Helen Marshall - composed of 112,896 photographs of faces - via wooster

pretty sweet

[via woostercollective]

Howies

Haley made a list of things that helped her survive after college. Thanks to her I've found Howies. Man, do I dig this company's philosophy.

When I checked out "our way" I found the brilliant 'rocking chair test'... "This is something we use to guide us along the path we are taking. So when we are old and grey and sitting in our rocking chairs, we can look back on the company we created with a smile."

And a lesson on patience..."In Finland the temperatures get real cold. During winter it gets down to -45 degrees. Even if you're a tree, you tend to feel it. When the temperatures hit this low the trees just stop growing. They conserve their energy and just wait for the weather to change. Come Spring and the warmer weather breaks, they start growing again. This quirk of nature makes for an interesting story. It also makes for strong wood too. Wood that will last longer than wood from faster growing trees found in warmer countries.
Appropriately, it's this patience that gives the wood its real strength. And sets itself apart from other wood. We could all learn a lot from a Finnish tree."

And two golden rules... "Everything's better after a cuppa"; "Man shall not steal another man's bike."

AND, last but definitely not least, a hilarious story about how Howies fought a multimillion dollar corporation and its ridiculous patent.

FANTASTIC.

i said, 'be careful -

his bowtie is really a camera.'

[photo via flickr]

tonight

we had dinner to celebrate my brother Elijah's birthday. just like every other night my parents asked Elijah what he's thankful for. and tonight he answered, "I'm thankful all my friends come."

I can't believe he's three.

this cracks me up

[via i love you but...]

my sister bought a wedding dress today!

(did i tell you she's getting married?)

it's lovely, and she's lovely in it.

(this isn't my sister - or her dress - but isn't it sweet? via peoniesandpolaroids)

go here. password moustachio.


thanks haley!

You who happened only once:
Remember yourself as you are.

[Brenda Hillman]

ceramics!

This past summer I took a ceramics course. Since then, I am instantly drawn to all things clay. With all the boutique-y shops in my town, I get to check out a lot of great stuff. I guess that's why it didn't occur to me [until now] that people sell pottery online! Now I'm addicted...

Heath Ceramics has a beautiful selection.

just a thought...

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather the wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Lately I've been thinking of this in terms of school and learning. So often we're told to study, do our school work, get good grades. But does this facilitate or impede a desire for learning? In the midst of guidelines, requirements, and grades, is our sense of wonder diluted? Can we recognize the miracle that is in the act of discovery and learning?

If you want us to be knowledgeable, don't force information on us. Rather, give us the longing to learn.

i warn you:

it's sad. but in a beautiful way.

[by shane koyczan]

"what appeals to you is not a trick, drawing you close in order to harm you."

lovely little woodwind makers

sigh.

[via the selby is in joel c. robinson and leslie ross' place]

Fly on the Wall

Circular Painting from Fly on the Wall on Vimeo.

"A Fly On The Wall is a stop motion, timelapse, motion control in a circular canvas film made for Discovery Channel in South Africa. The theme was the environment and the artist's responses to it. Numerous street artists, musicians, painters and animators contributed their talent and time for the cause over a non-stop 12 hour period to make the final 2 minute film. the film was conceptualized and directed by Bryan Little of Fly on the Wall"

[via woostercollective]

Leonard Cohen

You'd sing too

if you found yourself

in a place like this

You wouldn't worry about

whether you were as good

as Ray Charles or Edith Piaf

You'd sing

You'd sing

not for yourself

but to make a self

out of the old food

rotting in the astral bowel

and the loveless thud

of your own breathing

You'd become a singer

faster than it takes

to hate a rival's charm

and you'd sing, darling,

you'd sing too.

[painting via insideablackapple]

What's better,

falling asleep to rain or waking up to snow?

oh my goodness

i have found pure happiness in a photograph.


[via Västerbottens Folkblad and cupofjo]

oh, Jon Stewart.

hey! i know that kid!

Vote!

do a new thing

"So you failed. Alright, you really failed... You wanna be really great? Then have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make them wonder why you're still smiling."
-Claire, Elizabethtown

Is there anything that you're scared to do? There's something I'm scared to do, scared to try. I'm scared, because I think that I'll try and fail. fail. FAIL.

I'm starting to realize how stupid that is. how horribly, mind-blowingly stupid that is. because, really, what's so terrible about failing? Sure, it sucks that you didn't succeed. sure. but at least you got to do it. You took the chance and tried. You got to do it.

That's enough of a reason to smile and keep smiling. And, yes, people will wonder --while they're laughing, yelling, mocking-- why you're still smiling. "YOU FAILED," they'll say. "WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE," they'll say. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE," they'll say. And you'll be privileged enough to be able to reply, "Who am I? I'm the person who got to try this new, delightful, difficult thing. And sure I failed, but I got --and took-- the opportunity to try it out. That's something I can be proud of."

And you will be proud. Because, sure, you failed, but you and your failure are immeasurably better off than those who are too afraid to try in the first place. Unlike them, you got to do that delightful thing, whatever it may be, if just that one time.

Let me just ask...

"What fun is being 'cool' if you can't wear a sombrero?"

[quote via Hobbes; photo via flickr]

my kinda politics

CNN asked voters to share something nice about the opponent.

with hostility rising as the election draws to a close, this article is a breath of fresh air.

Billy Penn ain't got nothing on us!

today i am aching for argentina

and empanadas

and malbec

[photos via tastespotting and redwines]

the biggest rainbow i think i'll ever see

and these pictures do it no justice.