step by step

one by one, things are falling into place (not without a bunch of effort, though!) the other day, i received a box of postcards that i ordered for the catalog release party. i'm excited - they look great! i'm currently updating my mailing list which has emphasized for me the fact that my list of e-mails is much more extensive than my list of physical addresses -- if you would like me to add you to my list, please send me an email with your information: tia(at)silvercocoon(dot)com (hopefully soon, there will be a little button that you can click on our website that will allow you to do the same thing. until then...send me an email)

seconds ....

it is late. i should be going to bed. i've been working for hours preparing and laying out images for a website refresh that is planned to coincide with the catalog release and instead of actually going to bed, i felt the crazy need to catch-up on some blogs. i checked today's outfit on the uniform project and was looking back and despite having seen sunday's outfit on sunday - it hadn't registered that she was wearing my THIN bracelets again. for a second i thought my mind just mixed things up (because i should be going to bed!) .. but no. she is indeed wearing them again. (i hope that means that she likes them.)
...... wow. i'm so flattered.


*reminder for the locals: i will be one of 12 presenters (am actually going 2nd) at the 2nd Pecha Kucha Night at The Lab wednesday night. mingling at 7pm - presentations start at 8pm. come - it'll be good for your mind!

the uniform project - 07Aug09

i received a sweet little email just now from sheena of THE UNIFORM PROJECT telling me that she was wearing my THIN bangles today - and sure enough, there she is! (and isn't she so cute!?!) i originally stumbled upon the project through kat's blog and it essentially is one woman's pledge "to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion" - stemming from her childhood in india, where uniforms were mandated. she worked with a clothing designer & friend Eliza Starbuck to design a dress and then they made 7 of them (indentical) - one for each day of the week. she takes pictures of herself each day and the ways in which she layers and accessories her one dress to create a unique outfit. i was so inspired that i contacted her and eliza to see if i could send them any of my jewelry for use in the project. i sent some over last week and today - august 7th - she is wearing one of my pieces! i am so excited to be a part of such a cool venture! i encourage you to check out her site here.

pecha kucha night MSP

Pecha Kucha Night MSP
Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.


Mark your calender. - Volume 2 will be taking place at The Lab Theater in downtown Minneapolis, August 12th 7:00pm.


Presentations:
Matt Novak: In the Year 2000: A Brief History of the Future

Tia Keobounpheng: inFORMal Inspiration

Brent Stickels: Died for your Sins

Jim Kakalios: Physics from the Nano to the Neuro

Josh Mattson: Inquiry into Wish Fulfillment

Jerry Allen: 5 Great Ideas & 5 Challenges the world needs to address

Jim Foti: Freeways: Love'em or Hate'em? Yes

Chris Pennington: Burn the Galleries: How to bring art back to the people

Val Cervenka: Invasions from Entomology

Dave Machacek: Steamroller Printing

Taylor Hill: 20 Questions with the UMNSVP

Andy & Jenna Kruger: How to run an indie craft fair in your spare time

flip & tumble

a year ago, i bought 4 reusable bags by flip & tumble from a local design store. i have always had a weakness for bags (of all kinds) and, at the time, had even been sewing my own reusable bags, as gifts for friends, that were based on a simple clothe grocery bag that i had purchased from a grocery store in finland in 2007. i tell you all of this, because i had no business buying another grocery bag - let alone FOUR of them! but, i loved them. i loved the thoughtfulness of materials, colors and design-details. i loved the cleanly designed product-tag. i loved that they folded into themselves and even more that they became a little round ball. the thing i love the most, however, is the fact that i actually USE them. more than any other reusable bag i own. and mostly for groceries because i always have them with me. (sure, there are little things that i would personally like to see - like offering a version with a longer strap for wearing across my body, or a version with 2 shorter handles for carrying in my hand with my arm straight down.) but i must say that it is a fantastic bag! i'm so tempted to get a new one in a different color to add to the mix.

so, you can imagine my pleasure to find their newest offering. a produce bag - sold in sets of 5. i've often hated the fact that i bring my own bags to the grocery store, but use those plastic produce bags for fruits and veggies (granted i've pretty much stopped buying veggies all together this summer because of our garden) ... and i'm not yet convinced i'll transition to this new habit very quickly. but for only $11 i thought perhaps it is a habit i can attempt. if it doesn't go well, at least i can use the bags for packing other items in my suitcase when i travel.