“What you can plan is too small for you to live.”
– David Whyte
(via Casper)
Too Small For You
The Bookscrew
Yes to the Bookscrew. I like.
Things Are Shockingly Possible
Big fan of Adam J.K’s Unsolicited Advice 2022 Weekly Planner and Journal. The cover alone is making me want to buy it.
The Art of Disappearing
Really enjoying it starting 1:19.
Invisible
“Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable.”
– Buckminster Fuller
Andrew Moore
I had the pleasure to meet the impressively talented photographer Andrew Moore in a dogpark last week. As a lover of space, architecture and seeing beauty in the mundane, his photography makes my heart sing.
It never ceases to amaze me how many incredibly talented, creative humans live in NYC. Also, dogs are friend-making machines.
10 of My Favorite Things of 2021
These are things I lovingly own:
My all-time favorite object in my house at the moment is this acorn vase.
Zena Swiss Vegetable Peeler. It might not look impressive, but let me tell you, this thing WORKS!
This LED light that can hold a charge for about 10h. I use it as a desk lamp and nightstand light. (My kids are each getting one for Christmas)
The Vava short-throw home theater projector has changed our life. I honestly don’t know why I ever need to set foot into a theater again. It’s expensive but oh-so-worth-it!
This acrylic bird feeder has brought endless hours of delight to both me and my cat. (I am looking at a BlueJay in it while I am typing this.)
I have had this cat litter box for a few years but have a new found appreciation for it now that I have adopted a dog and she can’t get to the cat’s poop. It’s such a sculptural and beautiful design, I don’t mind it sitting in the corner of my living room.
One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book. I write a sentence or two every night, and in a year I can see where I was the year prior and travel in time every night. Fun!
This boldly patterned wool scarf by See Design. (I also own and love this toiletry bag.)
This Ginkgo Leaf Shaped Dog Blanket/Bed. (That’s my rescue pup. I adopted her 3 weeks ago. I love her.)
Onsen bath towels make me happy. I ilearned about them because they sponsored my blog years back. I was curious and ordered a bunch of towels and loved them so much I replaced ALL of my towels in my house. I swear by the gray Bath Towel. My kids approve of them too.
If you’re looking for more gift ideas, click through the Great Gifts category.
I Want To Live
“I want to live
the rest of my life,
however long or short,
with as much sweetness
as I can decently manage,
loving all the people I love,
and doing as much as I can
of the work I still have to do.
I am going to write fire
until it comes out of my ears,
my eyes, my noseholes-everywhere.
Until it’s every breath I breathe.
I’m going to go out like a fucking meteor!”
– Audre Lourde
(via)
Melting Rugs
I am in love with the ornate rugs by artist Faig Ahmed Ooze that ooze onto the floor in drippy fabric puddles.
Peculiar Looking Candles
Enamored with these peculiar looking candles by Piera Bochner. Brooklyn made!
Lunch Bag
I recently discovered The Organic Company and I love so many of their products. This is one of them.
Spaghetti Brain
“Men are like waffles because they are better able to compartmentalize. They have little waffle squares which they pour syrupey information into. And each square can contain a different subject. Making it much easier for men to think of one thing and one thing only at a time.
Women on the other hand are spaghetti brains. Meaning all of the noodles of information touch each other. So while thinking of work, a woman can be thinking of the errands she has to run and what she’ll have for dinner and a myriad of other topics.”
Yes, this is a ridiculous simplification but it made me chuckle. Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti, by Bill and Pam Farrel
(via Bailey)
Link Pack
– This app helps you keep a shortlist of your favorite restaurants
– Totally into these colorful Verloop slippers.
– I love the feel and mission of The Organic Company.
– I don’t like to iron, I mostly use a steamer. I might treat myself to one of these this year.
– This blew my mind: CJ Hendry has done a series of photorealistic drawings of hair called BLONDE
– The celebrated illustrator Christoph Nieman reflects on changes in the industry over the past 30 years, in particular the impact of social media on artists’ work
– This is so cool: Water Shadow Curtain Turns Any Room into an Underwater Oasis
– Wellington, NZ, has over 300 individual, private cable cars to take residents up to their homes.
– I love this vintage looking drawer/labeling handles.
– A sustainable, moveable, open-air bath for swimming that floats in Copenhagen’s crystal clear harbor was the goal for Maritime Architecture Studio’s ‘Dyppezone’. A clever and good-looking concept for year-round bathing in the Danish capital’s waterfront.
– A zen puzzle game about unpacking a life (via Chris)
– This exam question is brilliant.
– This soap by Soeder is a big hit in Switzerland. I saw it EVERYWHERE.
– I am in awe of this round house in Los Altos Hills.
– Why do I want this?
– Trying to find a new job? Try the CreativeMornings Job Board. Or attend an upcoming chapter event or FieldTrip.
– This new Tattly Sheet by Gossamer Rozen is making me happy. Look at that squid!
When A House Finds You
In summer of 2020 I was unexpectedly offered to buy my dream home in the Hudson Valley. November 12th marked the one year anniversary of me owning this house, I would like to share this magical story:
In fall of 2015 I found the listing for Maitopia on Airbnb. I gasped and within minutes booked a stay that was a good 6 months out, the first weekend I could get my hands on. I’ll never forget the moment when we entered the driveway, in spring of 2016. There she was, this modern, tiny beauty. I could barely breathe of excitement. As we got out of the car my daughter noticed the Swiss cross flag on the shed and jokingly said: “This house was waiting for you, mommy!”
We kept coming back to Maitopia, 1-3 times a year, for long weekends and I became Instagram-DM friends with the owners. Every time I stayed, I would post about the house, gushing about how perfect it was and thanking the internet for the sharing economy. What a magical world we live in!
Then, on June 17, 2020 the owners messaged me saying “We are thinking about selling the house!”
I remember jumping from my chair, screaming “OMG!” My daughter thought something bad happened and looked at me with a look of horror. “What’s wrong, mommy?” I said “Heath and Sarah-Mai want to sell Maitopia!” I typed back, in all caps: I WISH I COULD BUY IT!
Their response blew me away: “Well, we were hoping you’d say that, as we can only sell the house to someone who loves it as much as we do and we think that person is you. We won’t put in on the market!”
I felt so many feelings.
I was in no place of buying a house. Or so I thought. With the pandemic raging in NYC, I was terrified of losing everything I had built over the past 15 year. The last thing on my mind was buying a house. I was sure I couldn’t afford it.
Yet I knew in my heart of hearts that this property found me. So I examined my limiting beliefs, tried to find solutions on how it could work, and things started falling into place.
About a week later, I asked the owners, whom I had never met, if they’d meet me on the sidewalk outside their Upper West Side home. I shared with them that I didn’t take it lightly that they offered the house to me. After all, it was their labor of love. They designed it. They built it. It was an extension of them.
I handed them a plant and my offer (love) letter, which was wrapped in drawings of the house that my kids made.
It was a powerfully loving moment. On both ends. Some tears were shed.
(This process taught me so much, as it made me think that if I ever were to sell one of my companies or anything else I have built, this is how I would want this transaction to go down. Loving. Heart-centered. Thoughtful.)
A few days later they let us know they accepted our offer. My kids and I were estatic, dancing through our Brooklyn apartment!
The mortgage journey that followed after was not the most pleasant but we got there eventually. Lots of lawyer-y non-heart-centered stuff followed too. Part of the process, I guess. Deep breaths.
And here we are, a year later.
I have been a homeowner for 365 days. I admit, I have dealt with more broken things than I want to acknowledge, but I am starting to really understand the house. My friend Sue once said that the house is teaching me how to take care of it. I feel that.
This also means I have been an Airbnb host for 365 days straight. And let me tell you, I have grown as a host. (I have so much to share on this front, but that’s for another time.)
Today, I just want to revel in the fact that this house found me. It is my happy place. My heart swells up every time I enter the driveway.
Thank you for choosing me, Maitopia.
PS: Yes, I do rent the house, you can see the listing here. Please note I am slow about opening up the calendar, I do it a few months at a time. If you want to see more photos, you can check the Instagram account here and a walk through of the house is here. Sarah-Mai and Heath who built the house have since created a new magical home in the Northfork and are soon going to be renting that one out too. You can see it here.
The Wine Not the Label
I keep cracking up about this. One of my favorite Schitt’s Creek scenes.
Around the Bend Rug
Loving this colorful rug designed by Meg Lewis for Citra. (Also comes in black and white.)
House Bookends
Loving these Housebookends.
Link Pack
– Grace Bonney is a force, she did it again: Her latest book Collective Wisdom celebrates the wisdom, inspiration, advice and lessons from a richly diverse group of trailblazing women over 50. Ordered!
– My friend Jon told me about Meowtel, a service that allows you to book a cat sitter, for drop-ins or even to stay at your house. Smart.
– Perfecting the New York Street: An achievable, replicable plan for a city that’s embracing public space as never before.
– The ladders of wealth creation: a step-by-step roadmap to building wealth
– This Shitshow puzzle made me giggle.
– Brilliant AirPod Hack: One way to help increase the chances of lost AirPods being returned to you is to change the name of your AirPods to a short contact message, like “Please return to YOUR PHONE NUMBER HERE.”
– We should all Adopt a Lyle.
– Sharks will soon have their own ‘superhighway’ in the Pacific Ocean
– Morph transforms from its own packable pouch to a formidable super tote.
– »the solution« by Anatol Knotek
– I love the layered paint art by Chinese artist Li Songsong.
– How does canned food last so long?
– 6 Reasons Why Making Art is so Good for You(via)
– This thread: What’s one thing you’ve removed from your life that’s made it significantly better?
– My favorite towels by Onsen are currently 30% off.
– A fascinating video explaining how the the Covid vaccine works.
– “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.” Why Tokyo Works by Cole Lubchenko
– I adopted a dog 11 days ago. (I think she rescued me, not the other way around.)
– Trying to find a new job? Looking to hire? Have a glance at the CreativeMornings Job Board. (We keep hearing the kindest people and companies find each other.)
– Speaking of hiring: My company Tattly is hiring a head of creative. It’s a fantastic role. More info here. (Application deadline is Monday 11/15)
Power. Love. Leadership.
What an honor to be amongst these remarkable humans, reflecting on Power, Love and Leadership.
My brief take on love in the work place is here.
Thank you Jessica.
How to Do Nothing
I enjoyed this talk. In her first book, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, multi-disciplinary artist and writer Jenny Odell argues that taking control of our attention from the capitalist forces determined to monetize it and reconnecting with the world around us is a critical form of resistance.