The Craft Begins

I know, I know, I’m obsessed.  But honestly, what’s not to absolutely love about this little film?  It’s nothing short of magical.  Soon, Holi, soon….

I’m always interested in lettering that goes a step above average.  If you feel the same, I suggest checking out Handmadefont - below is just one of their gorgeous fonts in use.  The alphabets they create are so creative and inventive!

I’ve previously posted about Holi but I was reminded of it this week when I talked to all my new Indian friends and they were all gathering to celebrate this amazing festival.  If only we had stayed another week we could have participated with everyone!  Sigh.  Oh well, next time!

Has anyone ever been able to participate in any Holi festivities?  If so, I’d love to hear about it!  It looks like so much fun.

Imagine having one of these tents hanging out in your backyard, just waiting for a party – I think I’d have to have people over every day, just to show it off.

If you’re so inclined, you can get a fully-custom tent made for yourself at Boutique Tents!

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with jellyfish, in that I love them and think they’re fascinating and beautiful to watch but I hate them because I am really allergic and thus terribly afraid of them.  I’ve had my fair share of encounters with the squiggly beasts out there in the wilderness, but I think that I would prefer them in a lovely enclosed container on my desk.

This amazing tank is specially designed to hold jellyfish, which would get sucked up into the water intake of a normal fishtank.  Thanks to great success on kickstarter, you can preorder your tank right now!

You can find some amazingly well-designed and hilarious stereotype maps over at Alpha Designer – I’ve just showcased perspectives of the world according to Americans but there’s a whole variety of stereotypes to be had.  Click here to see just how many ways you can view the world!

This program is a really awesome way of taking low-res files and blowing them up as big as you could ever imagine!  It’s also just fun to play with.  Here’s my test image:

And here is just one panel of what would eventually be a giant poster that you can print out from a .pdf and tape together:

Kind of cool, no?  Just a warning, it’s an excellent time waster.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

How clever and amazingly detailed are these photographs?

The crab is my personal favorite.  Check out Paige Thompson’s portfolio for more adorable painted images!

I would love a set of these for general snarkiness purposes.

Get your own here.

There is something so grotesque and yet hilarious about these monster masks from Huck and Stuff.  I especially love the stories that these unique, hand-crocheted masks make.  Here’s a great example:

Yum.

I’ll admit that I’m still using my old nalgene – I’ve got one so old the plastic is soft, so I think that it doesn’t leech out any BPA. I wouldn’t trust me on that, but it does really make water taste like plastic if it’s been in there for too long.

I’ve tried to be a good consumer and go with the stainless steel water bottles that have lately seemed ubiquitous but I’ll admit to being a bit of a water snob and I think that the bottles give whatever liquid is in them a slightly metallic taste. I’ve settled for the plastic because, well, it’s got a taste, but at least it’s got a taste that I’m familiar with.

And then, enter the Lifefactory Water Bottle.

Made of glass, it’s completely chemical-free, and covered in a silicone sleeve, it’s almost impossible to break.  I mean, you could break it if you try, but if it falls onto the sidewalk you’re going to be ok.

They come in a variety of colors and sizes, and are really just a genius well-designed solution to a common problem.  Also, I know this isn’t a consideration for everyone, but they have kid’s cups and baby bottles as well, all with the same chemical-free unbreakable properties.  Would be a great gift idea for the new parents in your life!

I’m a little sad that I didn’t get the chance to actually witness the winter solstice lunar eclipse last week (it was way overcast here) but I did find this terrific video for anyone else who missed it, or even anyone who saw it but would like to see it again!

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Can you imagine what it must have been like in prehistoric times to see something like this happen? No wonder people thought there was a constant threat of the world ending. It’s a pretty creepy phenomenon (especially when it turns red).

I don’t have TV so I haven’t seen the latest episode yet – please, no spoilers!  In the meantime, I’ve been stalking about some photos of the unfairly beautiful Jon Hamm and January Jones.  I’m particularly enamored with this spread they did for Vanity Fair a few years ago.  Enjoy the photos!

Happy Fourth of July!  I have to say, this is my favorite holiday of the year, followed by Halloween.  There’s something about watching fireworks that just makes me so happy!  I got to see some last night, and I’m planning on the big show tonight.  Hope everyone has a fun BBQ and firework filled holiday!

I’ve always been a big fan of aboriginal artwork – I love the dots, the colors, their expressive nature.  I’ve been fortunate enough to see some really great exhibits over the years, both in Australia and the US, of traditional aboriginal artwork, but what always stood out the most for me was the bark paintings.

I feel like they boil down the artistic genius of this style to its very basic elements.  Something about them just grabs me.  You can read more about bark painting here.