Air France: Making the sky the best place on earth

(Air France - L'Envol from Air France on Vimeo)

      I'm not all that sure what is going on in this Air France ad, but I really like it. It makes me feel simple, blissful, and content.

A Handy Tip for the Easily Distracted

(Miranda July: The Future on Nowness.com)

    Moving. Class. Boxes. Storage. Learning. Growing. Organizing. Work. Cleaning. Packing clothes. Packing seeds. Homework.  When I want nothing more than to distract myself with pretty things, September is brimming with lots of not-so-fun things to do. I guess right now is the perfect time to take a quirky tip from Miranda July...

Birthday wishes

     To my wonderful, quirky, talented, tremendously strong, hilarious, charming (the list could go on for ages), and of course beautiful sister... happy birthday! We'll be at your surprise birthday party by the time you read this, but we all adore you and love you! Happy, happy birthday Dana!


      On an equally important note, tomorrow is my mother's birthday. So happy birthday also to my lovely, amazing, marvelous and beautiful mom!! Love, love, love you guys!

It did happen...

(via lost)



"This Photograph is my proof. There was that afternoon, when things were still good between us, and she embraced me, and we were so happy. It did happen. She did love me. Look see for yourself!'

This is My Proof, Duane Michals, 1974

I love love love Duane Michals! Which is bizarre because I'm not really a photography person. (I think that's mostly because I just don't understand photography enough to actually get it get it.) But, Duane Michals is no mere photographer, he's an amazing poet. He's known for pairing his beautiful black and whites with words to make his art more personal and understandable (and trust, understanding is something I greatly need when it comes to photography). The handwritten text is so intimate and it gives the viewer a totally new perspective of his images. It's kind of like getting to peek inside Duane Michals head. This piece is my current obsession. The photograph itself seems happy-go-luck, but it's textual revelation is mindblowingly heartbreaking. A momentous laps of time is represented by a few understated words. It is beautiful. And unbelievably relatable. Everywhere I look there are pictures just like this one.  

Pencil Perfect

     In my room, I have a lovely white washed wooden four poster princess bed, two matching delicate night stands, one not so large dresser, and an upright easel. I used to have a desk, but I replaced it with a small sewing table that I use to house my many dying plants. I thought a place for my (continually replaced) plants was a much better idea mostly because I couldn't keep my desk clean enough to actually work on it. It was so cluttered with books and magazine clippings and half finished projects that I couldn't even find a place to put my favorite pens. Today I came across this back to school theme babble post, and it totally inspired me to move my squeaky drawer, wooden antique desk back into my room! They're beautiful- but more importantly they are simple.
     You can find them on etsy for about $43, but I'm really into making my own things. This would be a really easy and fun DIY- in fact I think I'll try to crank some out before the school year starts. There is something nice about having a home filled with things you've made yourself!

Tea out of a glass

     Favorite snacks of our favorite authors?!?!?! These illustrations are AMAZING! My favorites are Michael Pollan (because I drink my hot tea- english style with cream and sugar- out of a tall glass too!), Mary Roach ( because any author who eats pho' is bad ass), and Truman Capote (*see illustration* self-explanatory, duh).

     Ok folks, I'm about to collect eggs out of our chicken coup and make my delicious baked strawb pie! I'm having a country blast at my grandparents this week, pictures to come soon, I swear- for now, here are some great things floating around the web this week, enjoy!!

It's official- congrats again!

If I could create my own shop, I would be pretty close to this one- amazinggg!

This post reminded me how much I've always wanted to visit Greece.

This post from Cup of Jo is a about how to talk to little girls- it mentions

this article which urges people to change the way little girls think by commenting on their intelligence rather than their appearance..... I can't agree more, it's a total must read !!!

almost..

(via postsecret)

      My favorite postsecret of the week. I think, it's because I never knew that this is partly my secret too, until I saw it staring me in the face this Sunday morning.

All the happy people...

(via buzzfeed)

    All the happy people ....where do they all come from?

    New York, apparently. (side note: Eleanor Rigby is my all time favorite Beatles song) I just felt the urge to wish all the happy newlyweds one big giant CONGRATS!!! I think it's especially sweet to see the old, wrinkly, and at-the-end-of-the-match couples finally get to walk down the isle/court house steps with their lifetime beau!

I've been eyeing this thought provoking poster for a while now, and this seems like the perfect time to post it...

(via pinterest)

I totally agree.

A few months ago, I posted this video- I can't help but wonder how ecstatic this kid was to hear the news...

Brown, but spottless

     Hey y'all! I haven't gotten around to a new post in over a week. Typical Erika, I know... but I've been busy doing small town things on my "Burwell family visit vaca" (which explains my y'all slip). Soon enough I'll post little snippets of my adventures and maybe even a few poorly taken pictures (in Erika land, bad photography is unavoidable...trust). For now, here's a snap shot of a few brown eggs we plucked from our chicken coup this morning. To my disappointment, I learned that my grandmothers hens never lay spotted or blue-ish eggs. Apparently, you need a special breed of chickens for that sort of thing- who woulda thunk?

To hold y'all (there I go again...) over till the next post, here are a few nifty things floating around the web:

A seriously  cool hammock park in Austria

I looove children's books- the really good ones are more profound and poetic than most grown up books! Here is a list of recomended children's book (none of which I have read, and all of which I will)

If you haven't already figured it out, I ADORE teacups...Can you tell which is porcelain and which is paper?? I couldn't...

I'm not the only one...

(SCARFFY from Bri Emery on Vimeo.)

     I wear scarves a lot. In the winter, in the summer, in the spring, and in the fall.... But apparently, I don't wear scarves the way other people wear them. I wear them around my head, in my hair, in one giant long loop around my neck. I tie them in bows and knots and braids and tangles. Sometimes people ask me if I'm supposed to look that way or if my scarf just messed up... So, to everybody out there- Yes, I am a little odd. And yes, my scarf is supposed to look that way.

SCARVES- THERE ARE NO RULES.

Big noses, big places

(via postsecret)

     Earlier this week I posted how a friend of mine is notorious for admiring eccentric noses. That same day I stumbled upon postsecret only to find this secret! I dedicate this to my bizarre, but oh so lovely pal- you know who you are!

     I also found this gem of a secret on postsecret. Although I seem to like the more sad and desperate secrets, I'm oddly drawn to this almost uplifting one. It's simple, refreshing, and somehow still heavy. It's paradoxical, and I love it.

PS- The bottom postsecret reminds me how great it is that in 4 days I get to get on a plane to my own place that makes me realize how small I am, even with all my problems.

Thursday pick-me-up

(via ali loves curtis)

Gather ye rose-bud while ye may, old time is still a flying. And this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying.

-Henry David Thoreau

Spectacular nose

    

     I must say, nerdboyfriend has had some great nerdy picks lately... I have a history for gushing about nerds- I even posted about Collin Firth, once. What can I say?? I have a certain admiration for slightly off kilter men. The nerdboyfriend blog features many fashionable men, but few embody what it really means to be a "nerd" in all the best ways.

     The first is Adrien Brody. I am crazy about Adrien Brody(especially in The Brothers Bloom- and don't even get me started on how smokin' Rachel Weisz is). A friend of mine is notorious for admiring eccentric noses. I have never really admired anybody's nose... until Adrien Brody. Not only does he have a spectacular nose, he seem effortlessly suave and charming but at the same time extremely quirky. It's almost an impossible combination.

     As embarrassing as is it to admit, and for reasons only God knows why, I have just recently watch for the first time The Graduate. (And, by the way, what they say IS true- it truly is a life changing movie.) And let me tell you, I was soo excited to see that Dustin Hoffman (circa The Graduate) had made it on nerdboyfriend! Yeah, his wardrobe was great (blah, blah), but he was an anxious, passionate, sweaty mess! What says nerd more than that?

Monday pick-me-up

(via you are my fave)

For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long return.

-Leonardo da Vinci

Clam Lab

 

    It's nice to look at pretty things on a Sunday morning. I first discovered Clam Lab while browsing the ceramics & pottery section of etsy for inspiration on my own work in the ceramics studio. I immediately fell in love, and I often find that I keep visiting their etsy shop, especially on days when I feel an inspirational void (and not just when it comes to my ceramic work). I love the organic shapes and the freshness of the glazes. The way the pieces seem slightly off balance and their subtle imperfections perfectly reveal the hand of the artist. Every piece uniquely embodies the perfect balance between blemishes, simplicity, and grace.
    Too often my posts aren't an example of  “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay” , in which spirit my blog was created. We get to distracted with pretty things, and neat videos, and interesting designs, and cool knick-knacks. While none of these things are really terrible, it's not a way to live an inspiring life. These are the sort of things I find when I look for inspiration, but they tend to leave me feeling a little more lost and dizzy than when I first started. It's sort of like "keeping up with the Joneses", but for artists. Maybe everybody, and most certainly myself, need to take a humbling step back and take a look at this totally imperfect and terribly beautiful world that we all live in, then take a deep breathe and appreciate it all. And if we do, we might makes something as beautiful as what you see above.

 
       On a side note, Clam Lab studios also has a wonderful "clam blog" aaaand the artist behind it all, Clair Catillaz, was featured on etsy with an amazingly cool and insightful interview. My two favorite quotes are:

-(when asked about the name of her future memoir) "Something witty and dashing, but I hope that by the time I am distinguished enough to write a memoir, I will be humble enough to leave it unpublished."

-"Anyone who works in clay knows about letting go. So much can go wrong. Pots break, kilns misfire — it’s foolish to be attached to a fixed outcome. The only survival strategy is to be in love with the process. I make products, but my real work is the practice."

       While following Clam Lab for at least the past year (Clam Lab was only founded about two years ago), it is amazing and inspirational to see its growth and recognition. One bitter sweet detail that I've noticed is the rise in prices. It's disappointing to realize I could have bought the same amazing pieces for about half the price a year ago, but it's awesome to see that some artist recognize the value of their work. There is an AMAZING article about the value of handmade crafts that EVERY artist should read. Aaaand, because I know most of you won't read it, I'm obligated to leave you with a break-down:

-You must value what you are making.

-When you set your prices too low, you are undercutting everyone that creates handmade goods.

-You took your two hands + the required tools + out of love for the craft + your developed talent you then made something beautiful + useful.

-Create something that you love, value what you do + others will value it as well.

I know I rambled on more than usual this today, guess I had a lot on my mind... Hope you all had a wonderful and creative Sunday!

 
    

Tortoise time

 (via honestly wtf)

(via Strikers & Spikers)

     I've never really worn watches before. The whole thing confuses me a bit- I can't decide if it's supposed to be worn on your right hand or left, if it's supposed to fit snug or loosely like a bracelet. According to my sister (who will probably never be caught without a watch) says I'm "not a watch person". I think it might be because of my abnormally boney wrists and man-like hands. If I ever do decide to be a "watch person", I think I'll have to get one of these tortoise watches. I love anything tortoise- sunglasses, headbands, bracelets. It matches with everything, and men and women have been wearing tortoise for ages. It's just one of those timeless pieces, like the classic white button-down, breton top, and black flats.

P.S.- The Breton top is my absolute favorite! It was first introduced to women by Coco, and famously worn by Warhal and Picasso. It also belongs to the french, sailors, writers, designers... there is even a blog dedicated to the Breton shirt! Crazy (but in a good way)!

Friday pick-me-up

(via designscouting)

Sanity is very rare: every man almost, and every woman, has a dash of madness.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love Etc.

I've been getting really into documentaries lately- probably mostly because of my sister (HI DANA!)- and I've been seeing this trailer floating around a lot. Love Etc. is a doc about love, but not just the mushy stuff you see in every romance summer hit- it's  about all the kinds and stages of love...even the not-so-fluffy stuff.

LOVE ETC. is a witty, poignant and humorous exploration about the universal stages of love, depicted through five real stories over the course of one year in New York City. Young, old, gay, straight – everyone has experienced love – and the joy and frustration that come with it. From teen romance to a decades-long marriage; newlyweds to a recent divorcee, and even a bachelor so frustrated in his search that he chooses to have children without a partner, LOVE ETC. documents the intimate journeys of engaging characters aged 18-89 who reflect the city’s diversity, and takes an honest look at life's most challenging pursuit.

LOVE ETC. began with a concept from Executive Producer Jonathan Tisch, inspired by the day he spent waiting in line, with his fiancée Lizzie, for their marriage license at the City Hall Marriage Bureau. Surrounded by an incredible diversity of couples, they saw that everyone there was united by a common hope and belief in love. This room was a microcosm of the city, and New York City was a microcosm of the world.

It opens in LA on July 15th... you can get all the info here.

Also, speaking of documentaries, Joanna at Cup of Jo made a list of the ten best documentaries (I even read all 255 comments to see what documentaries other recommended! geeeeeek).

She also talks about how she gets together with her friend Scott once a month to watch new documentaries- they call it their documentary club. That's so AWESOME. I love how their club has only two people in it. Whenever I dream of starting all my silly clubs, I always imagine that they need to have at least seven people to count as a real club. I like the idea of only having two, it seems more genuine, doesn't it? Well, I'm off to plan my first documentary club gathering! Have a lovely thursday, cheers!

Wednesday Pick-me-up



"Let everything happen to you

Beauty and terror

Just keep going

No feeling is final"

- Rainer Maria Rilke

Pie crust art

(via fishfood)

       Pie is a plus on any holiday, but they seem to go rather well with July celebrations.... soooo, HAPPY FOURTH EVERBODY!!!   We're celebrating by stuffing our faces with gyoza (because we're asian), ceviche (because its delicious), and "clam diggers" (because it's a secret family recipe... and it's totally not as gross as it sounds-trust!)

P.S.- Aren't these pie crust SOO COOOL!?!?! I LOVE baking and eating pies more than anything, but I'm sort of tired of that lumpy homemade look. I can't wait to try these awesome crusts, the shingled one reminds me of lace- soo pretty!