Let's make beautiful music together

One thing I absolutely love about the way the internet has developed it's that it has provided ordinary people with a portal to display their talents. Not everyone can get on American Idol, but with the right tools you can post your stuff on YouTube. If the ability is actually there, you could be catapulted into the fame stratosphere. People have gotten recording contracts after their videos proved hugely popular on MySpace (One Republic), gotten published - several times over - based on the strength of their blogs (Jen Lancaster), and now there's Thru You.

This feat of video editing and sound engineering will take your breath away. Pulling from all the assets YouTube has to offer (with all applicable credits given), Kutiman - a Funk/Afro Beat/Psychedelic artist from Israel (according to his MySpace page, here) has created brand new musical masterpieces that will amaze. I am SO impressed with what my fellow countryman has accomplished, words just cannot do justice (but I definitely will buy the mp3's, should they become available. I'm in love with #3). To see/hear/experience what I've been on and on about, check this out:

http://thru-you.com/

Peace.

Get Nailed

With the economy down, and without a steady income (a situation more and more of us are finding ourselves in) we may find we put less of a priority on cosmetic services. After all, some things have to be compromised, and if it's a choice of manicure or food, the choice is clear, no? But it doesn't have to be an either/or. Home mani/pedis can be a bit of a pain. But there are two products out there that can have your piggies look professionally done, without the expense or the hassle.

The first is Sephora's Nail Patch.

Believe it or not, they're actually nail-shaped polish stickers. You just glue them to your nails, and you're done. You remove them just as you would any other polish. You can buy them at the stores, or here.

Are you a fan of nail art? Like the look of little flowers peeking from your flipflops in summer? The second is for you. It's a new product by Sally Hansen, designed to allow us non-professionals to decorate our nails to our content. For those of us who used to draw with Sharpies on our nails to add interest, these are for you.

These pens come in a great variety of bright colors. And the best part? If you make a mistake you can just correct it with water. You can buy these here.

Brighten Your Day

Miss B.'s noble endeavor with this delightful blog is:

...to bring you a little metaphorical sunshine each day, to help you stop for a second and remember that life is (still) beautiful and that there is goodness in the world and to build some fantastic exposure for those contributors that have been generous and kind enough to participate.

Wonderful prizes are donated and awarded to the most creative answers to the question of the day. Not only are the prizes fun, but the questions really make one ponder life with the intention of finding that silver lining. With the economy being what it is, and with no sight of an up-swing, having a break in the day to realize life is actually pretty good is a precious - and rare - gift indeed.

www.thebrightsideproject.com

This isn't supposed to happen with Macs ...

Some bad news. Due to some severe issues with my MacBook Pro and my backup device (Time Capsule), I'm going to have to take a few days off from posting. I whole-heartedly apologize. I'm hoping to be back up and running by the beginning of next week, so please check back for new posts!

I've got a new toy

I discovered Twitter a few weeks back, and it’s now taken the place of most other web-oriented stuff I do. I’ve discovered that I can get a direct, person-to-person connection with a lot of people I find very interesting, and that, frankly, excites me.

What excites me even more, though, is that I’ve discovered a great tool that can help me combine Twitter with some really great type design. Wordle has probably been around for ages, but I’ve just now discovered it. Here’s what my Twittering looks like, thus far:

You can adjust the color scheme to your liking, pick from a selection of fun typefaces, and adjust the layout in a myriad of ways until you end up with something you find aesthetically pleasing. As soon as I feel I have enough posts on here I’m going to send this blog to Wordle and create some brand-spanking-new art for my apartment. In the meantime, have fun!

Infinite patience, infinite care.

Artiste Aoyama Hina’s paper cuts will blow you away. Words simply do not do justice to the intricacy and delicate beauty of these pieces, so I will let the pix do the talking for me. You can see her web page here (in French), and her Flickr photos here. (via black.white.bliss)

Now, THIS is what I call Yoga jewelry!

My friend J.C. and I have a running joke: every week, after our Wednesday night Kundalini Yoga class (at Yoga West), we go shopping. YW not only has a great collection of yoga accessories, meditation music and literature about Kundalini, but they also always have great selections of jewelry, clothing, and home accessories (specifically, fantastic candles I’m obsessed with by Pacifica). Anyway, it’s a great Wednesday night tradition, and always lots of fun.

And then I stumbled onto Paper n’ Stitch. In their words:

Papernstitch is an online exhibition space for talented artists, designers, makers selling handmade goods, and independent boutiques.

It’s here that I’ve discovered this great Lotus jewelry - kinda femmy, kinda rough, very beautiful.

From left to right: Lotus Pendant Necklace, Lotus Amethyst Diamond Hoop Earrings, and Lotus Blue Kyanite Earrings.

Sat Nam!

Note: For dream home.

I’m always on the lookout for great design in small places. One great example is my friends A.S. & J.C.’s place. It used to be a tiny studio apartment. Now they’re married, it’s still tiny, but due to changes created and built with the help of our friend N., it’s completely transformed and is beautiful. More details about this renovation in future posts. In the meantime, I’ve happened onto this gorgeous apartment design in Hyoshi, Japan, by Hiroyuki Tanaka Architects.

Now, those who know me are well aware of my weakness for books. I’m a self-described “voracious reader.” I read at every opportunity, and I always carry a book with me. So imagine my delight when I discovered a design that transformed a 300 square foot apartment into a book lover’s paradise. Not only is there ample shelving space defining the different living areas of the apartment, but there are benches and reading nooks incorporated wherever possible. Take a look at these pictures, and I think you’ll agree that this design is truly crave-worthy.

For more photos, and for the story, please click here.

Paradise Found?

An astounding discovery in East Turkey suggests that the biblical story of the Garden of Eden may have scientific backing, after all. While not a literal interpretation, the evidence is thought-provoking to say the least.

This discovery of standing T-shaped structures, similar to Stone Henge in England, has been dated to as far back as 13,000 BCE. In comparison, Stone Henge dates back to 3,000 BCE, and the pyramids of Giza to 2,500 BCE.

To read more about this astonishing story, as well as the theories about it being the “Temple of the Garden of Eden”, please read the full article here.

When work feels like a playground. In a bad way.

There are times when I feel like I’ve been given the total runaround, back-and-forth by my client, and I just say to myself: “My job would be so great, if it wasn’t for clients.” Of course, no clients = no money, but there are days when that feels like a fair trade-off. Enter Tiny Art Director.

Bill Zeman’s Art Director commissions various art works, and then critiques them. Some of the critiques sounded strangely familiar. Here’s an example:

And here’s the Critique:

The Brief: A Crocodile
The Critique: What’s he going to do to that bird? Is he going to eat him? That’s not what I want. You have to do it with him killing that bird.
Job Status: Rejected
Additional Comments: Killing Daddy killing! Can you do it killing him?

So, yes. The Tiny Art Director is Bill’s daughter, who is now 4 years old. Made me wonder about the state of mind of some of my clients. But, if you enjoyed this particular critique, please check out Bill’s blog for more.