an awesome day on the world wide web

I love checking out my favorite sites and feeling overwhelmed with inspiration. Today I discovered Also ... a design firm out of NYC. Their work has a wonderful hand-made quality that you rarely find in web design.


I also came across KidsModern, a dutch web retailer with really really cool stuff. And the best part is that I can only window shop. I don't think they ship to the US. I love the marker and line drawings.


And while we're talking kid's toys, Tom found Oompa the other day (isn't that a great name?). I would love to say we only have all wooden toys. That is how it was while I was pregnant ... "we will only have well designed, sustainable material baby items". Right. D's toy bin is a plethora of wonderful plastic presents and hand-me-downs. They do the job just fine.


And finally a simple project that I would love to do on canvas for a rug or a chair ... fruit prints. Wouldn't this be great in a chocolate or apple green? Or both?

survivor gina

I don't watch Survivor. Or any of those reality TV shows. But I was curious today as I drove through Denver running errands. Three times I heard the radio ad for Survivor Gina. I first thought to myself "where is Gina?" and then I quickly wondered if they knew that when you string the words "survivor" and "gina" you get something that sounds a lot like Survive Vagina.

As I was telling Tom my discovery tonight, I asked him how you actually spell the country of Gina. He only had to look at me for half a second for the realization to occur. Gina is China.

Have I ever told any of you the story of "Look at that donkey run"?. Another post for another day.

busy busy busy

Friends and family visiting. And lots of freelance work. Little time to blog.

We saw the aspens last weekend. So beautiful. Unfortunately we were not alone. The line of rental cars (read: tourists not used to driving in the mountains) heading up the gravel road was slightly annoying. But it was worth it.

D was much more interested in the ancient truck that was at our roadside stop. Actually I was pretty obsessed with it, too.

i wonder where i've been

I just now found the magazine Wondertime. Actually, I found the website and am dying to see a hard copy of the mag. I have yet to see a magazine for parents that is worthwhile. Child and Parents play to the Better Homes and Gardens mom ... which there is nothing wrong with, I'm just not that mom. I was excited about Cookie magazine. The design is great, but it's aimed at the super wealthy New York City mom. The website for Wondertime is not overrun with promotions. The info is actually helpful and it's not full of fear like all of our local news. Imagine that.

botanic gardens

We had a great time yesterday at the Botanic Gardens (shouldn't it be BotanicAL ... for some reason the missing "al" bothers me). Lots of walking paths that D could meander through. He was exhausted from all of the walking.

Fall is in the air out here. I love it.

what's your favorite food packaging?

I am doing some packaging ... which I am super excited about. It is organic, green (not the color, the ethics), and fair trade. For inspiration I have compiled a few of my favorite companies that kinda fit that same bill. Please let me know if any of you can think of more.

the "animals" at the zoo

We joined the zoo today. It is super cool. Big, easy to navigate, and lots of large animals that kids love. Well, every kid but mine. I lifted Davis from the stroller to see the lions. He struggled to get out of my arms to hang with the other toddlers on the ground. I sat him on the fence to see the two enormous elephants, both playing with a giant ball. He found the fence grooves more fascinating. We raced to the penguins. Whew. They were swimming and jumping and waddling around. Davis laughed ... but only because the cute little girl next to him found the penguins interesting. I thought for sure that the monkeys would grab his attention. They kinda look like babies, right? Nope. He wanted to sit with the elementary school class that was drawing primates and their habitat.

So I have decided I am going to open a Kid Zoo. Not a zoo for kids. A zoo of kids. Heck. If CBS can exploit children in Kid Nation, what difference would it make to put them in cages and behind glass. There could be the swimming habitat ... a see-through tank full of swimmers, diving board and all. Maybe even a few BabyRuths. A "baby" area, so that toddlers could say "hey mom, look at the baby". A jungle gym as "wild habitat". With my luck though, D would want to be inside the cage. Maybe we should just call it "mother's morning out".

with a little help from my friends

So today I bought a LOT of groceries. We have been out of town for over a week and you know how it is ... anything that you have in the fridge usually needs to be thrown out. It wasn't my trip to the Gro-Sto (my mom's very appropriate shortening of the food market we all frequent too often) that was unusual. No. It was the fact that I walked away without paper or plastic. I had five Envirosax with me. And they rock! My brother and sister-in-law gave them to me for my birthday and I feel oh-so-save-the-earth-like.

Thanks guys.

flawed

Tom sent me this video last week and I cannot seem to get it out of my head. How does a person like this get elected? I find myself asking this question a lot lately. I know we are a diverse nation ... with many differing opinions. And that is part of what makes us great. But it is hard to understand how an educated person can honestly argue such a stupid opinion with so much conviction.

This man is not helping his cause.

open this box

Through the Global Giving website I came across Pandora. I read about Pandora years ago (or heard about them on NPR). It is a very very comprehensive music playing website. They put every song they hear through the Music Genome Project. It is similar to how iTunes and Amazon find new music for you by categorizing the artists/songs that you have bought in the past. But Pandora is much more detailed so you get more of what you like. And the kicker ... it's free. Of course they have a subscription offer so you won't have to deal with ads. But so far I haven't minded the changing screen ... I just don't look at it.

So create your own stations by giving them artists or songs that you like. New music is good.

brilliant banners

I rarely click on banner ads. Like ... I have maybe clicked on three in my lifetime. They have to be simple and well designed to peak my interest. Two of the three have been well worth it. The first was for Tonik, Blue Cross Blue Shield's health insurance plans for 19 to 29 year olds. The graphics are excellent, the website is maneuverable, and the writing is subtly funny.


The second great banner was for Global Giving. I have never quite gotten in the habit of tithing. I will hand five dollars to a homeless man, but cannot budget to send money to the people who need it (not to say that the homeless don't need it, I would just like to be a bit more regular and intentional about giving). All that being said, what led me to this site was it's simple graphics and colors. The logo is pretty dope, too. This site might help me step into the world of actually helping.

what if ...

this was the view out your back door?

We got to hang with our friends Mike, Colleen, Sean, Mike, Jill, Joey, Annie and Sarah this weekend. It was so much fun to be in Durango again. Like visiting anything from your past ... lots has changed. But the important things remain the same. Thanks for a great weekend, guys.