tuk tuk, Thailand, Olympus Epic

I am overwhelmed by emotion seeing the photos and reading the stories about the tsunami. I am sending prayers.

Below is a list of just a few of the many groups providing humanitarian aid to tsunami victims. These are places where we can contribute:

The Network for Good
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC Crisis Fund)
1-888-588-2372

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres
1-888-392-0392

U.S. Red Cross
1-800-435-7669

International Red Cross

Mercy Corps
1-800-292-3355

Chris Cobb’s piece at Adobe Books, Canon Digital Rebel

Chris Cobb, a local San Francisco artist did something amazing to a bookshop called Adobe Books- he arranged every single one of the 20,000 books by color. {Can you see this would be my fantasy?} The project is called “There is Nothing Wrong in This Whole Wide World” and is based on a simple idea:

“Even though there is so much to be unhappy about in this world, we should try to create something amazing and beautiful and interesting despite all of the problems.”
– Chris Cobb

Chris and a team of 16 volunteers stayed up all night (ten hours, several pizzas and 30 bottles of water later) and arranged all of the books by hand. Inside every book there is a tag saying where it belongs. If you live in the Bay Area, visit Adobe Books. And while you’re there, buy a book and support this wonderful independent bookstore {and the incredible owner who allowed his entire bookstore to be re-arranged!}

Because this piece has received so much attention {literally hundreds of people have visited the book store, including entire classes from the local Waldorf School} they have agreed to extend it until January 15th, 2005.

ADOBE Bookshop
3166 16th Street
San francisco, CA 94110
415.864.3936

McSweeneys did an interview with Chris Cobb if you’d like to read more about it.

purple yellow orchid, Canon Digital Rebel

Recently, a friend and I were discussing how often we apologize. She challenged herself to stop apologizing for one week and encouraged me to do the same.

I was amazed to notice how many times a day I say I’m sorry! Apologies seem to live in my everyday language. A person bumps into me in the grocery store and I say, “I’m sorry!” I don’t respond to a friend’s email for a few days and I say, “I’m so sorry for not getting back to you sooner…” If I don’t post for several days, I want to apologize to YOU.

It sounds like a subtle detail, but I think it does something to us psychically. The language of apology is disempowering when used for things we don’t need to be sorry for! and I think as women, we apologize a lot more than men {generally speaking, of course}

Try out this experiment for a week. When you type out, “I’m so sorry I didn’t…”, just delete. It feels good! and you will begin to notice where in your life you can empower yourself and build more confidence.

Steve Tannen & Deb Talan, Canon Digital Rebel

Amidst the buzz buzz of holiday jewel-ing and t-shirt mailing, I had a chance to photograph The Weepies when they passed through town on their tour. Matt and I had the pleasure of having them in our home for a few days which was a treat beyond the rarest treat. I realized I hadn’t played in a while. I’ve been all business and working hard and elfing away in my workshop to This American Life while taking intermittent trips to UPS. I hadn’t stopped to get inspired again.

If you haven’t heard their music , you will be sufficiently blown away when you do. Listen to some clips on their site and then know that the sweetest hearts imaginable are behind those gorgeous songs.

…..

Jeff Gates Patented Seven Step Gift-Giving System is brilliant and funny.

apple reindeer, Canon Digital Rebel

Superhero Holiday Gift Guide 

Books

Succulent Wild Woman by SARK. Although you should own every SARK book on the shelf, this one might always be my favorite. Every woman you know should own a copy of this book!

Spilling Open – inspiring artwork and words for young creative souls.

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. The perfect book when you need a little faith.

Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott. Hilarious and poignant. A perfect gift for a mom to be.

The Dot by Peter Reynolds. My husband gave me this last year and I cried right there under the tree as I read it. The perfect children’s book.

Jane Wattenberg’s Mrs. Mustard’s Baby Faces and Beastly Babies are for baby-preschool age kids, but I think I might be even more entertained by them. Another great gift for the youngins.

Harem by Dora Levy Mossanen.. Sensual, sexy story! woo woo!

My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen: One of my favorite books of all time. Wear your waterproof mascara for this one folks.

Everyday Matters by Danny Gregory. How much do we love Danny Gregory? I love everything about this book.

Living Out Loud by Keri Smith. Another amazing book by a friend and artist I admire to bits. A great book for your friends who are feeling shy to explore their creative parts.

Scarred For Life by Keith Hamm. For lovers of skateboarding or anyone who is skate-curious. Written by my dear childhood friend who is a brilliant journalist and has been skateboarding his entire life.

How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer. Dark, beautiful little stories about adolescence that had me completely transfixed. This book seeped in and took me somewhere far away in my psyche. 

Photo treats

Canon Digital Rebel: the best give I ever gave myself.

50mm portrait lens: yummy lens for the digital rebel.

the best flash in the history of flashes.

Lomo: creates mysteriously beautiful hypersaturated images.

85mm great portrait lens for a 35mm film camera

Action Sampler: shoots 4 images in one second! this one is a blast to use.

Polaroid Holga: haven’t used it but I am very intrigued.

Holga: the ultimate toy camera. Light as popcorn, looks like a fake camera (not intimidating to point at people) and creates unexpected and antique looking results. It’s also cheap!
 

Crafty Chicks

Superhero jewelry

Superhero tees: Short-sleeved tees are now in black and brown with capped sleeves. Very girly and cute!

Blissen

Good Together

Superfantastico

Booty Boutique

Sugar Paper letterpress cards

Omondieu flower rings 

Other delights

Cucina ginger soap

Buy a URL for a friend or loved one and set them up with a simple website or blog

Timbuktu yoga bag

Mighty Goods! a shopping blog by Mighty Girl

Moleskin journals

Creativity Explored art

Cabinet Magazine:a beautiful art and culture magazine out of Brooklyn. My husband Matt Passmore built an art installation in the desert of New Mexico last summer that will be featured in the upcoming issue of the magazine. Go Matt!

………

And because we loved them so much last year, I am reprinting the DIY gift-giving ideas again. Maybe you can add to the list? 

DIY Gift Giving

Sometimes the most generous expressions of the heart are in the form of gifts that don’t cost a cent. Here are some ideas to get the creative juices flowing: 

1. Thirty things I love about you

For my 30th birthday, my friend Jeff gave me a list of the 30 things he loves most about me. I swear, this one melted me instantly. 

2. Stone poetry

When this gift arrived in the mail from my friend Jen, I literally gasped. Imagine a heavy round box with a woman painted on the top. Inside are hundreds of smooth, irregular shaped rocks with gorgeous words written on each one-hope, radiate, simplicity… I had a friend close her eyes and choose a few rocks the other day. She chose “home, electric, home” This gift is full of magic. 

3. Love letters

The first birthday gift my husband ever gave me was a poem he had written on beautiful paper, scrolled and placed inside a genie bottle. We weren’t dating yet, and it was his way of letting me know that he thought I was the bees’ knees. Even though it took me a year to come around, he got me in the end! 

4. Performance art

My other favorite gift from my husband was performed for me at the San Francisco airport. I was leaving for Mexico, and as a going away gift, Matt wanted to give me a strip of photobooth pictures. As it turned out, the machine broke and the pictures never emerged, so he performed each cell of the photo booth strip for me. {One of the more hilarious and endearing moments of my life}. 

5. Postal art

During the first few months that Matt and I were dating, I painted a large painting on heavy card stock. When I was finished, I cut it into approximately 30 postcard size rectangles. One by one, I decorated the back of these with a message or drawing or just Matt?s name, and mailed them to him one by one. Each day he received a piece of the puzzle. 

6. Wish containers

I love putting wishes, lists, worries, and things I’d like to manifest in a cigar box. Some call it a “God box.” I call it the pneumatic tube (like the old fashioned bank deposit containers) Sasha made me a portable tube in the form of a hand bound book. She painted on several pages, and glued tiny envelopes inside to place wishes. This book is my portable wish container for the most tender things. 

7. Tribute books

The best gift I have ever given was a book that I made for my mom for mother’s day. I asked each of our family members and several of her old friends to answer three important questions: 1. How did you meet my mom? 2. Choose one word to describe her. 3. What do you love most about her?

What I got back were incredible stories (things I had never known about my mom), gorgeous old photographs, and poignant declarations of love from family and friends. It was truly one of those presents that was a gift not only to her, but to everyone who contributed to it. 

8. Gratitude Journal

After my post about Gratitude last week, Jennifer Higgins wrote to me about a “gratitude journal” she received as a gift. She started slow, writing a few things each day that she was grateful for (some as simple as someone smiling on the elevator.) She says, “When I look back through the pages, I am instantly overwhelmed at the blessings in my life. It’s helped me recognize the wonderful things all around me.” 

9. Tributes to your friends

Are you a blogger? Write a tribute to your friend/sister/parents on your web site. They will flush with pride and joy. Someone did this for me once and I will never forget it.

WHAT ARE THE BEST GIFTS YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?