October 31, 2012

Link Love: Weather

“After the Storm” by Nomadic Lass – click for info

I don’t know about you, but I love a good thunderstorm, and I could lie in the yard for hours watching the clouds on a summer day. Weather can be beautiful, inconvenient, or downright scary — but any way you look at it, it’s a fascinating subject. With Hurricane Sandy currently beating down on us, we East Coasters have weather on our brains, but wherever you live the weather is doing something. Below are some links to help you get your inner meteorologist on.

  • Go back to virtual science class and learn about the basics of weather, from El Nino to tornadoes, with this brief and informative tour of weather cycles.
  • Impress your friends by predicting the weather with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center. Then track current storms via satellite.
  • Want to get high-tech weather prediction? Stormpulse is a comprehensive service that pulls weather data and warnings from all over the internet.
  • If you’re curious about what it takes to become a meteorologist, check out the American Meteorological Society’s info and standards. (Hint: It’s about more than being wrong 50% of the time.)
  • For further reading, explore the World Meteorological Society’s weather e-library. They link out to online documents about everything weather-related, from health and environmental impact to scientific journals.

What do you love or hate about the weather?

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August 24, 2012

Tooling Around: Stop, In the Name of Love

My darlings, we need to talk.

First, you need to know it isn’t you; it’s me.

I hope we can still be friends. If not now, then in the future. Perhaps we’ll even find ourselves together again. Who knows.

Sometimes, the most powerful tool you have is the word “no.”

If you say “yes” to everything you prioritize nothing, and, without priorities, your business cannot become the very thing you most want it to be.

Via Jones Design Company. Click image for details.

I do not have the time or energy to make Tooling Around everything I want it. Honestly, you deserve better. The team of Scoutie Girl writers so carefully selected by Tara Gentile and Carrie Keplinger can give you more of what you need right now. I must, therefore, step down and leave you in their capable hands. I plan to stop by every now and then, if you’ll have me.

In the meantime, I want to leave you with some of my favorite tools: websites. Many of these are my go-to sites before I ever start writing a post. I think you’ll like them, too.

For the stitchers:

  1. http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/
  2. http://inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html
  3. http://www.coletterie.com/category/fabric-haberdashery (I adore the posts on fabrics).
  4. http://elegantmusings.com/tutorials-2/
  5. http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2009/08/sew-basic.html
  6. http://www.adventuresindressmaking.com/
  7. http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2009/05/how-i-get-my-groove-on.html

For the sketchers and the painters:

  1. http://alisaburke.blogspot.com/2012/08/frequently-asked-questions-sketching.html

For the renovators:

  1. http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/p/hi-renovators.html#.UC6Z_PVjdD9

For the floriculture lovers:

  1. http://botanicalbrouhaha.blogspot.com/2012/08/working-designer-wednesday-mixed-bag.html (Look at every single Working Designer Wednesday post).


For the crafters:

  1. http://www.lemonjitters.com/2012/02/craft-adhesives-basics.html

For the bakers:

  1. http://www.makeit-loveit.com/category/make-a-cake-series

For the writers:

  1. http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/40uYMR/www.dailywritingtips.com/50-problem-words-and-phrases/

For you all:

  1. http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/exploring-handmade-tools/?ref=fp_blog_title
  2. http://pinterest.com/ (The place for inspiration, tutorials, and losing track of time).

Darlings, I’m so glad to have had you in my life. Thank you for welcoming me into your hearts, homes, and internet browsers. I’ll miss you when I’m busy tooling around in my studio.

But for now, I must say…

Via Piccsy. Click on image for details.

Filed Under: Buy You, For You, Tooling Around Tagged With: , , 1 Comment
August 23, 2012

Little Things Link Love: Bees

Pollen in Honeycomb with Worker Bees by Linden Photo Design – click image to view more

I’ll be honest and admit that I have a terrible fear of bees.  Whenever I did something bad as a child, I had to hoe our front garden where a hive of burrowing bees lived.  Yes, you read that right: burrowing bees.  There’s nothing scarier than bees crawling out of the ground to fly angrily at you.  However, now that the bees are disappearing, it’s so important that we put away our fears and work hard to keep them in our gardens.  After all, where would we be without honey?

Here are some fun links for all you (new) bee lovers:

  • Did you know that some bees live in bee homes?  You can make your own bee home easily to ensure nicely pollinated plants and a gentle hum around your home.  The National Wildlife Federation shares this easy DIY on How to Build a Bee House so that you can be a bee home builder.
  • Scientists now know that bees communicate information and directions to delicious flowers through dance moves.  Yes, they really are the bees’ knees.  (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)  Thanks to this Youtube video, you can watch a bee come back from a garden and do a waggle dance for his friends.
  • While I don’t like bees, I LOVE their honey.  It’s nearly the end of summer but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time to get in one last round of homemade ice cream.  This delicious honey-almond ice cream by A Sweet Simple Life doesn’t even require an ice cream maker!
  • If you own a garden and haven’t been seeing many bees this season, you’ll definitely want to check out this Guide to Bee-Friendly Gardens by the Urban Bee Gardens.  They list flowers and plants that the buzzy insects love best and how to conduct ‘safari trips’ with your kids in the garden.
  • If you have the itch to make something spectacular this fall, you are going to love this Bee Keeper’s Quilt Knitting Pattern by Magpie Patterns.  This quilt combines breathtaking patchwork ‘hexipuffs’.  So it’s intricate AND puffy.  How cool is that?

(Oh, and as a side note, it’s fine if you still don’t like hornets or wasps. Those are just plain mean!)

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June 12, 2012

little things link love: bicycles

Bike Photo by Bomobob - click image to view more

Now that I live in California, I’m addicted to cycling. My bicycle, which my boyfriend and I built ourselves, is now my car and my means of adventure. It took me a few months to learn how to signal effectively, how not to scream when someone does try to pick me off, and how to learn basic repair and ‘bike culture.’ I’ve gained so much confidence thanks to my two wheels. (Especially confidence when it comes to accidents like your handlebars coming off thanks to your boyfriend not securing them properly the first time.)

With summer officially here, it’s bicycle season everywhere! Are you ready for your tune-up and first ride?

Here are some links for all you bicycle fans:

  • Bike Hacks – If you’re into DIY, you’ll love this site. It has everything from making your own chain cleaner to how to build your own truing stand. There are projects enough to keep you busy all summer!
  • Bamboo Bike Studio – Did you know you can create a bike frame out of bamboo? This San Francisco studio offers mail-order kits so you can construct your own frame. If you want more, they also offer classes so you can get all the help, tools, and inspiration you need to create the bike of your dreams.
  • Bike Planter from Wearable Planter – Want to bring a little friend with you on your errands? Wearable Planter, a maker on Etsy, sells absolutely adorable planters that attach to your bike frame so you can take a teeny tiny plant on your ride.
  • Bike Museum of America – If you’re ever in Ohio, you’ll want to check out this unusual museum. They have hundreds of models for you to drool over and you’ll leave a bicycle history buff.
  • Rails to Trails US – There are countless abandoned railroad tracks that have been turned into amazing biking trails and this website shows you where they are! You can’t help but feel like an adventurer when you’re out on these routes.

Where does your bicycle take you?

Filed Under: Link Love, Read & Play Tagged With: , , , , , 2 Comments
October 5, 2010

inspired links

While Bonnie was road tripping across the country to Colorado last week, I had a little guest post on Going Home to Roost. Learn what John Cleese thinks about finding his creativity.
Read: Concentration, Creativity, and a Different Kind of Disconnection

It’s American Craft Week, did ya know? Megan has 3 fantastic ideas for spreading the word about CRAFT.
Read: How Will You Promote Craft Week?

In case you need someone to say it other than little ol’ me, Steven Pressfield is encouraging you to improv it.
Read: Start Before You’re Ready

Why do you DIY? I loved Elizabeth’s answer.
Read: DIY: Between Desire and Reality

And sometimes, we just need to feel the rhythm.

PS I just launched an ecourse for learning the basics of creating the website you want. Need to get your web space in order before the Holiday season arrives? I can help.

PPS Go check out maechevrette, the artist behind the painting above.

Filed Under: guest posts Tagged With: 2 Comments