Viva la feminism! No part of the human form should be taboo, and I love people and companies who stand for that thought in tasteful, tongue in cheek ways. Best of all, several of these shops donate a portion of proceeds from each purchase to organizations that give back!
Last month was a whirlwind, so we’re doubling down on DIY art projects in April – here’s the first. I want to bring the joy and carelessness of art class back with these projects, in other words nothing complicated and lot of free spiritedness. We can all remember using a pencil’s eraser to create a stamp, but today we’re using one to paint!
I love using household items to create, and with a pencil there’s no worry about messing it up because you can simply throw it away when finished if you’d like. Like all of our art DIYs this one is fast and loose, stick to a pattern if you’d like or be more abstract. Go monotone with one color or use the whole rainbow.
Supplies
• canvas panel, I used an 8″ x 10″
• craft paint
• pencil with fresh eraser
• palette or paper plate
I started by eyeballing the center of the canvas and creating the middle square that’s twelve dots wide by twelve tall, but if you’re not the greatest at visualizing measurements just get out your ruler and measure to find the middle. All of the other squares were built off of that initial shape and the number of dots used. With each dip of my eraser in the paint I was able to create about three dots before having to reload, so some of them are more opaque than others. I didn’t pay too much attention to keeping super straight columns and rows, and in hindsight I actually wish it had turned out a bit more carefree. This DIY was really cathartic because I loved the mindless repetition.
I can’t even name the last time I had a wall clock, but I’d put up one of these New Time wall clocks in a second. All six designs, including the two newest, are made of super durable cotton fiber that you can crumple and torture to your heart’s content. What’s more is they’ll hold their shape!
Silke Bonde is a Copenhagen-based is an artist and designer hoping to share the joy of nature through her work, reminding us to slow down and enjoy the smaller things in life. The good news for us is that her latest series of four – Sky Collection – is available as prints.
When I think of the sky I imagine an enormous canvas that every human being gazes at every day. The sky changes its colors and structure every minute, and it is able to change and influence our mood and circadian rhythm. We are able to control much in life, but the sky is unchangeable, which is exactly why this phenomenon in my opinion is so fantastic.
I am intrigued by the blue sky’s revitalising effect and fascinated by the starlit sky a cold winter’s night. The sky is humanities common ground, a master piece which we need to protect and value every single day.
In my dream home I have an entire room as a pantry, a la Martha. But in the real world it’s about working with what you’ve got – whether that be a closet you can convert, a corner to build out, or a few existing cabinets that need to do all the heavy lifting. Or you can get creative, make it an entire wall of open shelving or a free-standing piece of furniture. Whatever the case, we all know food storage in the kitchen is a necessity, read on for some organizational tips and inspiration!
Keys to a keeping a super functional pantry:
1. Go through and clean it out regularly.
2. Use it for more than just food – serving pieces, cookbooks – if you have the space.
3. Have everything visible, or as much as possible. Risers work great!
4. Group like with like (cans, baking ingredients, etc).
5. Place the things you use most often at arm’s reach.
6. Think vertically as well as horizontally, store cookie sheets and serving trays upright.
7. Set shelves at different heights to use your space best.
8. Bring in baskets to collect dish towels and more.
9. Use glass containers to store dry goods, they’ll stay fresh longer and you’ll always know how much you have.
10. Take advantage of the inside of the door as well, it’s a great place to keep spices and food storage supplies.
Bay Area-based sculptor Crystal Morey‘s rural Northern California upbringing shaped her perspective on nature and how humans interact with land, animals, and each other. All of that is evident in her Delicate Dependencies porcelain series that pairs the female form with different species of animals native to the western United States.
These creatures exist in habitats stressed or impacted by human activity, leading them to an unclear future. They inhabit a space where the relationship between humans, and the plants and animals around them, are intricately and physically bound together, dependent on each other for their long-term viability. Sculpted from the silken white earth of porcelain, I see these delicate figures as containing power, as modern talismans and precious telling objects. They see a heightened vision of human influence in the natural world and are here to remind us of our current trajectory and the delicate dependencies we all share.
Sseko Designs is an ethical brand that’s using fashion and design to help bright, brave young women in East Africa attend university. To date they’ve enabled 86 women in Uganda go to college to pursue their dreams and become change makers in their communities!
At the beginning of February I first connected with Sseko Designs founder Liz Forkin Bohannon, thanks to a mutual friend we met up and when she reached out about being a 2017 Sseko Sole Sister I was in 500%.
As a Sseko Sole Sister I’ve been connected to one university-bound woman on Sseko’s team in Uganda – meet Shakira! She lives with her mother and three siblings and loves wearing bold prints in simple designs, reading for fun, and spending time with her friends. Shakira seeks out happy moments, loves horror films and chili-flavored snacks, adventure and exploring new places, and hopes to one day get to Switzerland to see the sights and learn more about its neutral and stable history. She looks up to her mother and the strength she has shown in every situation. When things get tough, Shakira likes to remind herself that, “for every successful man, there are very many unsuccessful years.”
She reminded me a lot of myself and so the deal was sealed! (And that dress! Style for days.)
In school Shakira’s favorite subjects are literature and geography, and she hopes to go on to study art at the university level – specifically design. “One thing that makes me love art – I love nature,” she explains. “I love everything about nature. So maybe if I can put it toward design, something can come out of it.”
The fifteen women in this year’s Sole Sister class won’t be making beautiful sandals, bags, and accessories forever – they’re destined for more and deserve the chance to pursue their dreams. The Sseko community wants them to know we’re here, rooting for them and cheering them on the entire way.
And with every single purchase made through mine and Shakira’s link, sales will go towards earning her an additional scholarship towards university!
To kickoff the start of my year as Shakira’s Sole Sister and to get you outfitted for spring in some super stylish ethically made goods,we’re giving away $100! Choose from their incredible selection of handmade sandals, leather bags, and accessories – I’ve already picked up the Brave necklace with a few charms and a pair of camel Rue sandals or myself.
