unsolicited opinions on random things
The website Unsplash features gorgeous photographs in high resolution, that are free to use however you’d like (that includes commercial purposes). I check it out every once and a while to look for images for my design projects, but I also like looking just to see the pretty pictures. They would make gorgeous wallpapers for your computer desktop, or your Facebook cover photo, or printed on a card. Check out Unsplash.
After spending all last week at Kinnon‘s family cottage in Quebec, I’ve got vacation properties on my mind. Of course, that’s all a pipe dream for now, but it doesn’t hurt to look, right? Today I saw this posting in Toronto Life, for a dreamy modern style cottage that’s for sale in Muskoka. They say “this modern and airy design proves that a cottage doesn’t have to have wood paneling and a dead moose on the wall.” I couldn’t agree more. Swoon.
[images via Toronto Life]
I didn’t blog for over a week, because I was super busy working on an exciting new project (details to come this fall), cramming in as much work as possible, because now it’s vacation time! We’re off to Kinnon’s cottage in Quebec for a week, relaxing and having fun with friends. I might pop in on the blog this coming week, or not. I’m trying not to make promises, with it being a vacation and all. Hope you’re having a wonderful summer!
[photo via The Most Photogenic Pug Ever]
I love this. New York-based artist Philip Romano got his very first car and then covered it in chalkboard paint. When he parks it, he leaves a box of chalk on the car and encourages people to draw on the car. See more pictures here.
[via Twisted Sifter and New York Daily News]
I read about Nautilus in an email I receive from Smashing Magazine, where it was described as a science magazine that “concentrates on only one single topic a month and explores it from a scientific, cultural and philosophical point of view to finally create the big picture that connects to our lives”. It even promised to be like “a New Yorker version of Scientific American”. Wow, tall order.
The website is gorgeous, and from the little I’ve read, Nautilus delivers. I’m bookmarking it for my upcoming summer vacation, when I’ll have more time to do a deeper dive into the content. Right now Nautilus is only online, but a print version is planned for the fall.
Toronto Public Library has partnered with Zinio, the repository for digital versions of magazines (it’s kind of like Apple’s Newstand, but kind of better). You can now get current issues of over 300 magazines for free, either online or on your iPad. I tried it out, and quickly downloaded this month’s issue of Dwell, Canadian House and Home, Today’s Parent, Hello Canada (I kind of love trash magazines), National Geographic, Martha Stewart Living, The Oprah Magazine, The Walrus, MacWorld, Cottage Life, and more. FOR FREE.
Here’s how you do it (follow these instructions step-by-step, because it’s a little tricky). Do these steps on a desktop or laptop computer – it’s tricky to do on your iPad.
Now you’re done with the desktop/laptop, and you can go over to your iPad. Download the Zinio app from the App Store. Open the app on your iPad, and log in to your Zinio account. You should see your magazine in “your library”. Click on the issue to download it to your iPad, and enjoy!
I know it seems cumbersome to load up your magazine choices on your computer, and then go over to the iPad to download them. But I honestly couldn’t figure out a way to do it all in the app. It seems like you MUST go through the library’s portal website.
So, it takes a few minutes to set up, but once the issues as loaded, you’re good to go. And that’s a small price to pay for free magazines that look gorgeous on your iPad.
My favourite local flower shop, Florabunda, won the American Express Neighbourhood Gems contest for best local small business. There’s a video on the Globe and Mail website all about them, their prize, and some tips for other local small biz owners. Oh, and Clara’s wonderful old nanny is in the video (she’s wearing a hat).
Congrats Florabunda! I’ll be by tomorrow to pick up some goodies…
[photo from Florabunda’s Facebook page]
Love. Have a wonderful long weekend, everyone!
Last week Ian and I had to meet our insurance agent downtown (thrilling, I know), so we decided to do some shopping while we were in the area. I remembered reading that there was a Drake General Store pop-up shop in the lower level of The Bay on Queen Street, so we had a look. It’s fantastic, and fairly big, considering it’s kind of temporary (the retail clerk told me they’d be there through the summer, but then who knows). After debating with Ian about whether it was cool (good) or too hip (bad), I decided to go for it and picked up a Toronto Public Library t-shirt, and a funny book. I also pointed out this iPhone alarm clock to Ian, as a note for future birthday present ideas. It’s the same one I blogged about over a year ago, and I still like it.
[photo of the Drake General Store pop-up shop via Toronto Shopaholic Blog]
I don’t write much about work here on the blog – this is usually my space for the other stuff. But I did read something this morning that I wanted to share – a short piece on 99U called “Spend Half Your Day Alone”. I find this idea really intriguing, and I’d like to try it out.
For the past few weeks I’ve had lots and lots of meetings, and it’s put my productivity in the toilet. Yesterday I specifically made a day without meetings, so I could plow through work and get some designs out the door. It was amazing! I was thrilled with how much I could accomplish when I put my head down and wasn’t interrupted.
Of course, a lot of meetings are necessary. So I’m not knocking the concept of meetings – I’m just going to try scheduling them differently, so they don’t cut my day into tiny pieces. I’m going to set office hours for meeting times and design time, and once the meeting time is all booked up, I won’t will try not to infringe on the design time.
Have any of you tried something like this? How did it go?
[images via Some eCards]