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These new stamps from the USPS provide that extra motivation to send postcards this summer - so fresh!
You’ve probably already heard of John Dorian. I know I feel practically whacked over the head I’ve heard the name often enough. (The work is lovely enough, but enough already with the press.) So it was a super-duper delight to come across the tiniest, most precious, jewel-box of a store in Greenwich Village that made me totally desire glass decoupage for the first time - Kaas Glassworks.
Each piece is created in the basement of the little store; the images are originals, painstakingly collected antique and vintage, so each is unique and really quite lovely. That’s really all I have to say - utterly charming and lovely - but if you’re so inclined, see more here.
The truth about stationery is that I haven’t been thinking a whole lot about it lately. The extent of it has involved list-making: as in, a new, updated and much longer list of people to whom I’d like to personally write notes. With pen. On paper. To say thank you. To say hello. To say I’m thinking of you. Send in mail. Beyond that, stationery is a bit on the backburner… {although I certainly do still think about getting back on track with providing updates from the fantastic Stationery Show. As mentioned, there really was some beautiful and inspiring work there that I really want to share: particularly those who haven’t been as lucky to be covered relentlessly in blog-land.}
But for now, I’ve been thinking a lot about time. How we spend it. And about love and how we show it. And particularly about being nice and how best to do that. I’m not the best at being nice all the time. But, I credit myself for at least being conscious of that fact and for at least trying, as much as I can, to be nice. It’s often not enough, and I am incredibly hard on myself when I look back and see moments when I really should have done better. But sometimes, the people I worry about even more are those who don’t even seem to try and be nice. The people I really worry about are those who can look back at a time when they weren’t nice, and not see it for what it was: not nice. That’s a little scary, to not even recognize. I don’t want to be that way.
I really believe that life can be better if we live it consciously, in awareness of our actions and the results of our actions. Again, I’m just not there yet, and may not ever be. Sometimes I spend more time thinking about it than living it, which is something I intend to try and change. I used to wear a LIVESTRONG bracelet daily; in fact, it stopped being anything to do with my cancer a long time ago, and instead started being something else altogether: a reminder to me to be aware, to literally be awake, be conscious of my actions. My friend Rachel gave me my first yellow bracelet and I would be forever grateful - I doubt she has any idea that it turned into a tool-for-being-nicer-and-more-calm. I’m probably going to get back to wearing that bracelet, because for me, a visual reminder - bright yellow - it’s like a mini-wake up call during the day. Hello? Check in! Wake up! Be nice! And would it kill you to laugh a little?!
[Beautiful Rae Dunn porcelain stones are also a fantastic "Hello? Check In!" wake-up call if you need one - such simple, elegant reminders.]
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I see you, line graph showing the Oh, Pickles! stats. “Thud!” went the visits as I’ve been ignoring my files chock full of inspiration and creativity. Excuses abound - from a multi-day electricity outage to a new full time job. And the time in between? Just plain gone. Gone to a favorite new hobby: mowing the lawn. Gone to my favorite restaurant. Gone to visitors from out of town.
But here I am with my mea culpa. And a plan to get back on track.
{stand image from Keen… the stand festival takes place today in Portland, OR, a city which is always doing such cool things}
The Chicago Art Source Gallery just sent an email about an upcoming exhibit. I saw the image of a piece by Mary Rousseaux and I was bummed I’d miss the show. It had sounded like the artists were all Chicagoans… Click onward and come to find out that Mary is actually in Detroit! Here’s hoping to see her work up close and in person here locally. Check out more of her work at her website here.
