this makes me miss the playa so freakin much it almost hurts.
burning man for ants
landfill harmonic
Landfill Harmonic film teaser from Landfill Harmonic on Vimeo.
If there is one thing I’ve learned in all the travels that I’ve done, it’s that human beings have incredible ingenuity and apply it in fascinating ways to give their lives meaning. It perpetually leaves me in awe, and inspires me to help every which was I can. In fact, it’s why the mountain man and I started Trek4Change, our small, not-for-profit that raises money for school supplies in rural areas around the world.
I loved seeing this ingenuity in action in the trailer for the upcoming documentary, Landfill Harmonic. In the barrios of Paraguay, musical instruments are crafted out of garbage and a youth orchestra is born. Stunning and totally uplifting – I can’t wait for the full documentary to be released. On netflix. So I can complete one of my resolutions for the year.
alto
I’ve signed up for a sewing class to help ease the rustiness I feel every time I sit down in front of my sewing machine. For years I made my own clothes, bags, pillow cases…you know, all the random crap you’re better off buying, but like to admire that it’s handmade. I stopped sewing for so long, it’s all a bit foggy and frustrating, so I figured why not go be frustrated with 20 other people in a classroom. It’s like high school, except you’re opting in for misery and get to make canvas bags.
Of course, I like to blame my frustration with sewing on my sewing machine, which is pretty bottom of the barrel, but gets the job done if you have patience. A lot of patience. I really rather trade it in for the Alto sewing machine by Sarah Dickins. It’s pretty and intuitive. Who wouldn’t want to sew with a machine like that? Learn more here.
shapely
I love photo apps. At least the good ones. I have no interest in turning my quasi-decent iPhone photos into some demented knock-off of a Warhol-esque image. Or adding sparkles, or cheeky quotes, or anything of the like. Rather, I prefer apps that edit photos like I would have had I been on my computer. Simple, subtle, and fun.
I’ve long been a fan of photos in odd shapes, owed likely to my strange collection of antique frames, none of which were ever rectangles. Long before smart phones I was cropping photos to weird proportions that no one could ever print, causing an endless string of nagging that my photos were “impractical.” Look who’s impractical now! Now we all have weird shaped photos AND they’re low resolution. High-five, technology!
Naturally, when I came across the Shapely app, I was beside myself. Simple shapes, subdued patterns, just an ounce of kitsch…and kind of free. Sign me up! I’m horrible at actually paying for apps, so I haven’t used this one to it’s fullest, but the free version is plenty of fun. Although, the camp style cropping options call out to me every day. It’s like a sickness. MUST HAVE PENNANT PHOTO…Maybe one day I’ll drop the few bucks to get the full version. In the interim, you can all tell me how awesome it is.
Download shapely on the app store here.
ariana perez
I’m a smitten kitten for these pieces by Ariana Perez. Best part? They’re all crazy affordable on society6. Check out her whole collection here.
