First of all, this Hang on Outlet makes so much sense! I'm not sure how it helps save energy...maybe because you'd be inspired to unplug your stuff? [via productdose]


This would actually live in my purse. I'd never use take out cutlery again! [via econscious market]


Aaand this can't live in my house until I have a baby. But when I do they'll have a rad nursery- hopefully from Dwell Studio [via Design Public]


*sigh* if only it wasn't $3,000. Beautiful Bamboo Stagger Shelf [also via Design Public]


Okay, perhaps this Stink Tree Coffee Table shouldn't live in my house... well not unless it had a glass top because I'd probably spill my coffee on it. But I heart it anyways. [via 3rings]

Posted by Jen at 8:05 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Green Living, Love for Others

So my aunt is opening a fabric and yarn store next week and I've been doing her design work. Here's the sign and her business cards. Website will be up when her store opens and I've done some other bits and pieces. She likes the design and so do I!

Posted by Hanna at 10:19 PM 1 comments  

Labels: Our Projects

I'm not usually a poet kinda girl, but this one really inspires me.



To Be of Use

The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

Marge Piercy


The picture is from our travels in Bolivia. I love the shot.

Posted by Jen at 4:45 PM 0 comments  

This is a website I designed the graphics for and Karl coded. Final Stitches is a long arm quilting service, so if you have the urge to make a nice big quilt, do up the top and they can quilt it for you!

Posted by Hanna at 7:39 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Love for Others, Our Projects

1)Adorable ceramics at Pepe and Friends, I love how these are cute and whimsical, but not too precious. This is Rif and Raf, the salt and pepper set. (via the kitchn)



2)Pin Strip Set by Shim and Sons. So this is a fabric covered pin board with four covered tacks, very cute, my office wants it :P



3)Cuuuute Products by artist Shinzi Katoh (via Oh Joy). She even has fabric!



4)Have I blogged about how much I love j.m.aranez's peg bears? Also this one is in fabric by Lara Cameron who I adore.


5) My life is a constant battle between knowing that giftwrap is wasteful but really really loving it. A lot. Heidi's is soooo pretty. (via HWTM)

Posted by Hanna at 12:01 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Friday Five

This post has been inspired from Apartment Therapy Re-Nest's post on Kill Your Plumbing. (And yes, I borrowed their photo too!)

I always turn off the tap while brushing my teeth, washing my hands, etc. And I've recently started filling a mason jar with water while I'm waiting for it to get warm enough to wash my face, and then use that water on my plants. But I can do more!

Here in Victoria, we pipe all of our grey and black water out to the ocean. All grey and black water means is the water that's from your sinks (grey) and from your toilet (black). I won't even get into the ecological consequences of having everything we put down our drain going into the ocean - that's for another day. (If you want to know more, check out POOP: People Opposed to Outfall Polution for some good info). But just the sheer fact that water going down the drain has (a) not being touched by anything (ie, waiting for warm water to come) or (b) has been used to wash hands or dishes (using biodegradable soap, of course!). Those hardly justify -in my mind- the idea that this water is useless now.

So my question is why are we wasting this water? There are severe water shortages happening globally, but here in Canada we feel so disconnected from those issues. I suppose it's because we hold an estimated 20% of the fresh, accessible water in the world. Which means we should take action now and use our water more wisely!

How?

I want to put in a Guerrilla Greywater system in my home -- they have a specific page for renters too. There's a woman I know who's disconnected her kitchen and bathroom plumbing so the water drains into a bucket that she uses to water her plants and lawn. Providing you're not washing anything toxic, plants and soil naturally breakdown the chemicals in that water. Regardless, it's Reducing and Reusing!

And that my friends, is something we all need to get better at doing.

Posted by Jen at 1:29 PM 0 comments  

Yaarrr! I think I should wear an eye patch when landing on Discovery Island- if I were a pirate I'd hide my loot there. (Psst, random fact: did you know pirates wear an eye patch so they can go inside without needing time for their eye to adjust to the dark- they just switch the patch to the other eye! True Fact - Mythbusters said so!)

Anywhoo. Discovery Island. It was swell. I brought out all my readings and notebook for this course I'm taking...and forgot a pen. And no one else had one. I'm taking an intensive course on Community Research Methods. It's 13 weeks of material crammed into one loooong week. Me? Stressed...just a little.... I spent 12 hours at the school yesterday. Ugh.

Back to Discovery. I love it there. We go every year with a rad friend who has a tinnnny tin boat. It takes a couple of trips to get us all there.

Joel was having fun playing with his new lens I bought him for a late birthday present. (I spilt water on my new camera at Sam's wedding, the optical lens is shot.)

I really feel like I'm having a string of bad luck. Bad luck comes in 3's right? 1. Jewelry tools confiscated 2. Broke camera 3. Stressed? Does that count? Am I waiting for one more?

See this is what happens when I don't post for a week. I have too many random thoughts when I do post.

Pictures - Enjoy!

Posted by Jen at 5:29 PM 2 comments