Category: Totally Random

Fresh tulips in the Spring.  Such a simple joy.

Hey everyone – I’m back from a wonderful holiday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (pictured above).  Even though I now have a LOT of work to catch up on, I’m so glad I had some time away.  It was lovely to relax, read books, sleep in, and recharge.  It’s so important to take breaks from work, even if you’re really busy (especially if you’re really busy).

While I was away, I read this great piece by Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney, called “Saying No”.  I highly highly recommend that you read it.  Like many entrepreneurs, I often take on too much.  I find it so difficult to turn down projects or opportunities, even if I know in my heart of hearts that it’s not a good choice for me, or for my business.  Reading Grace’s piece reminded me of how important – essential even – it is to say NO to projects that aren’t right for you.  She clearly outlines how she determines what’s a “yes” and what’s a “no”, and shares how she says “no” effectively.

Two points that Grace made that really really resonated with me:

1. “Opportunities are rarely luck – they are often the result of hard work and perseverance – trust that you can create them again.”

This is SO true.  I often think that opportunities just fall from the sky, and I should be thankful that something has landed on my desk, and take advantage of it.  But really, any opportunity that comes my way is because of some work I did a while ago.  I make my own opportunities, so I have to stop being afraid that there won’t be more in the future.  Of course there will be more, as long as I continue to do work with integrity.

2. “Are you willing to give something up to make room for this project?  Do you have to? If not, that’s ok. But if you do have to make time for this somewhere and you’re not willing to, you just can’t do it. It’s a No.”

I often forget that when I say “yes” to an opportunity, it often means that I have to say “no” to something else.  Even if that something else is my own time.  And the reverse is true – when you say “no” to something, you are creating space so that you can say “yes” to something else.

And finally, Grace reminds us that “you can’t continue to innovate if you’re too tired to do your best work.  Leave time to rest, restore, and become inspired.”

On that note, I hope you have a wonderful, restful, restoring weekend.  Enjoy the sunshine!

I know what I’ll be doing.  Sitting on my couch with a glass of wine, catching up with Don Draper.  Mad Men is finally back!

When I was a kid, I had those cheesy glow-in-the-dark constellation stickers in my room.  They looked so cool when the lights were off, but the stickers were all over the furniture and walls, and looked silly during the day.

I saw this Star Wars Death Star Planetarium in an email from Chapters/Indigo, and I thought it was so cool.  During the day, it looks like a replica of the Death Star (not as scary as it sounds – basically a grey globe), and at night, you can take the lid off and it will project stars on your walls and ceiling.  You get the “sleeping under the stars” effect, without doing any permanent damage to your walls or furniture (seriously, those glow-in-the-dark stickers were a pain to remove).

Want something a little more cute and cuddly? There’s a stuffed turtle that does the same thing.

I kind of love this.  East-end artists/couple John and Laura (of Labspace) have made a list of 365 things they’ve always wanted to do, and they’re going to (hopefully) complete them over the next 365 days.  Some things on their list are simple (watch Bonnie & Clyde), funny (have a spaghetti fight), odd (stalk a stranger), practical (make side shelves for the bedroom), crazy (GT/sled behind a motorized vehicle), banal (trim my nose hairs), romantic (kiss on a bridge at sunset) and adventurous (visit Machu Picchu).

Follow along on the website they created to document the process.  It will be interesting to check in after a few months have gone by, and see how they’re doing.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the publication of The BFG by Roald Dahl, the Royal Mail in England has issued a set of 10 stamps. They’re designed by Magpie Studio and feature illustrations from Quentin Blake.  Wouldn’t you love to have these as prints? I think they’d be perfect for a kid’s room.

What was your favourite Roald Dahl book when you were growing up?  I loved The Witches.

[via DesignWeek]

Just last week, Michelle and I were wondering when Wes Anderson was going to release a new film.  It’s been a long time since The Darjeeling Limited, and a couple years since The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Lo and behold, here it is!  It’s called Moonrise Kingdom, and it will be in theatres in May.  You can watch the trailer here.  Can. Not. Wait.