a little soundtrack: from the hubby

This great little ditty was sent to me by my dear hubby. In this day and age, you can find us IMing each other on occasion when we're at home (funny eh?). So he sent this to me because he knows I love new artists and acoustic and catchy music. Gotta love this girl, and her new album was just released on iTunes! Here's a music video for a song called "Bitter Heart" by Zee Avi from Malaysia. I love the Super 8 quality it has, and her cute vintage dress near the end reminds me of this one. Enjoy! I hope it brightens your day as it did mine.



This video is no longer available, hear the song here

companies with a conscience

The other day I saw this great TED talk about - tribes and leadership by Seth Godin (the techy blogger), He spoke about how groups of people can make change happen and lead movements. It was inspiring, and in the "I can make a difference" kind of way. As a side note, if you haven't listened to any TED talks before, you should!

And it made me think about the awesome drive and commitment of companies that feed more than our desire for beautiful things, but also our desire to help those in need. Because, really ... we're all in need of something - whether it's food, a home, someone to love, a life purpose, or even a sense of belonging.

That's why I love these pictures below from TOMS. Toms sees a need and meets a need! Toms was created by Blake Mycoskie, and for each pair of shoes sold, another pair is given to a child in need around the world. And if you purchase their shoes, and wear them on your feet, those shoes tell a story. I just love the innocence and joy of the children in their photos (taken on their shoe drop trip to South Africa). And the red-orange stripe on that shoe - so stylish!

And who wouldn't love these bright blue ones for summer? Or a sweet madras print. Buy 'em here.

Another company that seeks to do good unto others is Rosa Loves. This t-shirt company screen prints enough shirts to meet a specific need, and sells that entire edition of shirts until the goal is met. 60% of the price of the shirt goes toward the needs, and the other 40% goes into operation and goods. The shirts are designed with the need in mind, for instance, a recycled bike project is represented by a modern seafoam green shirt with a graphic bicycle print. My favorite is called "From the Heart" and is the classic Rosa Loves tee.

Companies like these are great examples of how to take creativity and make it truly impactful.

sheep's milk

In my bathroom I have this funny sheep container that I use to store cotton swabs - a friend gave it to me, and every time I look at it I just get a kick out of it. I think it's the pun-lover in me that likes it so much. 

I mean, do you remember sticking cotton balls onto construction paper sheep as a child? Fun fun fun! Purchase it here.

So when I saw this milk container, it just made so much sense. A glass ... of milk! Half-pint actually. Who wouldn't love to use this in the morning? Or stick a flower in it. Find it at Fred Flare.

via happy mundane

what a clever idea!

I saw this adorably cute shirt dress tutorial for little girls on Sweet Juniper's blog from Dana Made It - and I am now convinced more than ever that I need to learn how to sew before I have kids! This tutorial takes a man's dress shirt from this:

And turns it into this super sweet little dress:

Perfect for birthday parties, the county fair, or even church. I love it. Look at this super preppy one made with the cuffs of the shirt, so lovely.

See the other dresses that have been made from this tutorial at the made shirt dress flickr pool.

Oh, I hope I have a girl ...

images via dana made it

aussie adventures

Here are a few more lovely pics from our adventures down under. I forgot to mention that we also spent a few days in New Zealand as well, trekking around in an RV. It's pretty amazing to be able to park your car/RV by these wondrous views and have some lunch. I'd say we were spoiled!

finally back again

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry that I've been neglecting this blog, I've really been busy with life - our family was struck with some news that has been pretty difficult to swallow, so our time has been spent with each other and sorting everything out.

But I do have to say, all in all, I feel blessed. I always feel that I'm being shown wonderful things every single day and it's a privilege to realize that and take it all in. Our Australia and New Zealand trip was a good example of that, and I hope to recount some of the experiences so I can remember them for a long time to come. The whole trip was filled with good friends, good food, and spontaneous moments. We knew what we wanted to do, but didn't make a set itinerary. We really just planned our trip from day to day. And it was perfect that way.

Three words that I'd use to describe some of the trip: seafood, smoothies and ice cream. Yes, all of those were food. There is so much more to tell, but the food is a good start. This first photo is of the smoked salmon and prawn salad from James Squire Brewhouse on Darling Harbour, the second is the hubba enjoying his breakfast sandwich and a tasty mango smoothie, and the third is homemade honeycomb ice cream.




Can't wait to share more with you - it was an inspiring trip to say the least.

cheating a little

I'm back from my trip and it was amazing. We experienced so many breathtaking views and fun sights, there is so much to share! Unfortunately, I don't have much time to blog about it right now. So I'm cheating and sending you over to my sister-in-law's blog where she's updated with a few photos and the first part of our trip. Have fun, and I'll try to update soon! Here's a quick photo of a brilliant Vodafone ad that we saw in the airport. The whole thing was just genius, as it depicted Australian scenes made up in type.