remember the time

Two great tributes to Michael Jackson - remembering a music legend. I still remember listening to his Dangerous album with my sister, we'd lip synch to it and take turns playing the part of the boy in "Black and White." Good times.

no man is an island

You've got to watch this video. Taken entirely with a cell phone on the streets of Sydney and New York- such a poignant message. Lots to think about on a Monday. Thanks to my friend Matt for the link.

desktop wallpaper love

Right now this fun image is on my desktop, it's so summery and I love it! I took it last weekend while I was holding 13 golden balloons in preparation for a graduation event. Very "Up-like" no? Click to see it larger and save it as your wallpaper if you like.
Here are two other shots that I took that day too.
If you'd like to download some really beautiful (and free) wallpapers, head over to Kindred to pick out a summery and lovely desktop wallpaper designed by some of the coolest artists and photographers out there. My favorite is this one by Blanca Gomez, who also has a super cute Etsy shop filled with sweet and simple prints. And there's another one of a quiet and serene diving board scene by photographer Alicia Bock. Yay for summer!

a little soundtrack: maybe tomorrow

While traveling in New Zealand, our friends made sure that they highlighted the sights on the road with a wonderful soundtrack for us. They played quite a few songs from this NZ band called Goldenhorse that we really liked. Great upbeat songs with a distinctly Kiwi feel, like this one called "Maybe Tomorrow."

felt toys

As a child, I had this beautiful handmade wall hanging on the back of my door, with 26 pockets on it. Each pocket had a hand-sewn alphabet letter on it, and inside was a stuffed felt item that began with that letter. A for apple, B for book, C for car, and so on. When I came across these felt letters at Etsy shop MiChiMa, it was just so nostalgic! I love the idea of bringing back what's old as new again. These are adorable for learning how to spell or even to hang as a mobile. Coming up, a post on wooden toys! Oh, to be a kid again.

images via michima

a little artist: amy ng

These flora studies are done by Amy Ng, an artist from Malaysia who runs a blog called Pikaland. They are lovely both separate or together, I think it's so wonderful that she really got the flow and curve of the flowers. Click the image to see them larger, the small version doesn't do them any justice.

It makes me want to get out my watercolors again and paint something that was inspired by this trio. I just went through some of my old watercolor paintings the other day, and I think my painting aesthetic has changed a lot since then. Maybe I'll dabble in some soon!

cute and whimsical cards

I love letterpress and the whimsy of it when it is applied so simply. So these two card companies are just a hoot! Check out Paper Medium with their super cute illustrations and funny little creatures. I like the little pop of color and the witty sayings - in the second image it says "We raise this toast in honor of your birthday." Toast? Get it? :)

Salt & Syrup is from Stockholm, and they make cards with simple graphic shapes of animals - with the name of the animal in French, Swedish and English. Very sweet.

Click to see them larger.

a little soundtrack: defying gravity

Yes, yes ... I stole the name of the song from Wicked. But really, this is about a wonderful song written by Sara Bareilles. I love this live version below, the first time I heard it I got chills. It shows her recording for a charity CD, and I personally think it's the best version of this song on Youtube. Great songwriting and a heart-breaking topic. Oh, the things we put the human heart through sometimes. Turn up your speakers a bit for this one, it'll sound like she's in the room with you.

graphic grow poster

The clean lines and sweet color palette get this poster's message across. I really like that it's a tree, but not obviously so. And who doesn't need the reminder that we all need to grow a little? Only $14.95 for a 18 x 24 poster here.

from right brain terrain

friday photo: stephanie williams

I love the light and silhouette shapes in this photo by Stephanie Williams. (the flouncy dress!) Check out her blog, great photography with a vintage feel. This most recent post is my favorite so far. Love it! Happy Friday!

photo by stephanie williams

wonder foodie: a little clammy

Back in May, my sister, her boyfriend, and my husband and I prepared an early Mother's Day dinner for my mom. She was going to go into a long slew of medical treatments the week following, so we weren't sure if she'd be up for a celebration on the actual Mother's Day.

So we quickly got together an impromptu menu and made a four course meal for her, picking from different cuisines and putting our own twist on certain dishes. Here's what we had:

Steamed Manila Clams with Garlic Crostini
Green Chopped Salad with Balsamic dressing
Grandma's Steaks (she made this on the spot, so we had one more course!)
Kimberly's Special Chicken Tikka Masala
Banana Tarte Tatin with homemade Mango Ice Cream

The steamed clams were my favorite dish to make - I had this recipe bookmarked for 4 years ever since we had the clams at the Lahaina Grill in Maui. Finally came an occasion to have it! The recipe is fairly simple, but going into it I had no idea how much clam juice costs! Yikes! I paid $6 for two 8 oz. bottles at my local grocery store. Next time I'll shop around first. That said, it was completely delicious and fed 7 people that enjoyed it. Everything else was delicious and yum, time to do it again!

a little soundtrack: catchy country

Little known fact about me - I actually kind of like country music. And this little ditty? It's a great song to have on a road trip where you blast the music out the windows. You know, Route 66 style. Enjoy, even if you're not a big fan of country. :)

shower + travel + love

As the weather is getting warmer, it's definitely time for a party. I'm not always in a partying mood, but when I'm down it's good to have a get together with friends to remind you of the good things, the blessings. I am reminded of the wonderful time we had last September when we threw a bridal shower for one of my very best friends. She loves to travel so everything was travel themed - we set up vintage suitcases all over the house, we prepared food from different locations she'd been to, and even put up a big map for people to pin travel advice on. We collected toiletries from the guests to donate to a local homeless shelter, which is something she did when she was in high school, and we thought we'd bring it full circle.

And then we played the most hilarious game where she had to pick out photos of her fiance's body parts from a selection of pictures of random guys. That was topped off by a crepe bar. Seeing the smile on her face as she walked around that day was the best part of the whole thing though. Parties are such fun.

photos courtesy of jasmin canlas

maker faire 2009

This weekend I went to the Maker Faire for the second year in a row, and I have to say, it was inspiring and interesting as usual. There were so many fun things to see and experience. Always a must around this time of year, and it really challenges you to create something when you see what others have done. We saw a huge metal sculpture of angel wings, a cute dinosaur-themed handmade pinball machine (made by elementary students!), a Mercedes covered entirely in pens and markers, and we had a blast at the hula hooping station. Swing those hips!

That part made me feel like a kid again. And that was a wonderful feeling.