kid’s book we love: joel henrique’s ‘made to play’

We’ve written before about how much we love Made By Joel’s, Joel Henrique’s website that features his charming handmade children’s toys. This October 11th will mark the release of Joel’s first book, Made to Play!: Handmade Toys and Crafts for Growing Imaginations.The book compiles a number of great toy-making and craft projects for children and…

Read More

apple’s ‘think different’ video: tribute to steve jobs

(Video link here.)  We’ve been at a loss for words to write about Steve Jobs’ passing, so thought we’d publish a few really potent ones from our friends and colleagues, along with the original “Think Different” ad from the 90’s, sent to us by Pamela Hovland: “…it expressed his vision for the company (Apple) but embodied…

Read More

elizabeth streb on the necessity of risk-taking

(Video link here.) We’ve long been a fan of Elizabeth Streb, an “action architect” whose wondrous choreography interweaves risk, action, danger, and flow into a thrilling experience;  her dancers interact with swinging concrete blocks and giant wheels where the potential is full-on hurt if they make a mistep; they often run into walls and  fall…

Read More

kickstarter project: a magazine about ‘makeshift’

Here’s a magazine idea we find compelling: called Makeshift, it’s about the ingenious solutions and inventions people all over the world are making with what they’ve got on hand. Right now it exists as a Kickstarter project. We see it as a quarterly reminder of possibilities in magazine form, an antidote to Martha Stewart Living, Wallpaper,…

Read More

transforming cheapo materials with paint

Walking around the Meatpacking District a while back, we spotted this weirdly beautiful door to an under-construction building:  rough, completely utilitarian, cheap (actually warped) plywood painted silver -possibly using the silvery paint meant to seal metal. It’s one of those surprise transformations of an ordinary material that we find both heartening and thought-provoking (and why…

Read More

help us fly!

If you find yourself looking forward to our posts in your inbox every morning, or thinking differently because of what you find on ‘the improvised life’, please help us continue to fly ad-free. Become a Friend with Benefits to lend your monthly support AND link to the community. via The Boston Globe   Related posts: thanks…

Read More

voyeur: suzanne shaker’s interiors

A few years ago Suzanne Shaker made the decision to change her path, from stylist par excellence to interior designer. She quickly became known for “a unique style that combines modern, traditional, and custom-designed furnishings, using natural materials and the sculptural qualities of light, personal objects and art” to make serene, minimalist spaces. Soon, she…

Read More

the ten principles of burning man (and life in general?)

We’ve long been fascinated by Burning Man, the annual “art event and temporary community” in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Every year our friend Kim Sykes  participates in the infamous festival firsthand. This year she sent us photographs and a report. To those that aren’t familiar with it, Burning man might seem like a 70’s style…

Read More

Posts navigation