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Archive for the ‘Random’ Category

Some of the most unique pieces in the world are made by artists that take everyday things, that most people throw away, and  make unbelievable art. The artists mind is the only limitation to his work, and these few artists have no limits. Their art enables you to look at things in a much deeper and meaningful way.

Ha Schult, a German artists, is world renowned for his work with garbage.  He has made “trash people” that have been featured  in famous places throughout the world.  The “trash people” are life sized and are made from mostly recycled cans and old computer parts, but Shult incorporates anything and everything that he finds. These statues make a definite statement, however, the meaning of that statement is left to individual interpretation.

   

Dr. Evermor has created the world’s largest metal scrap sculpture as well as an entire park devoted to his creations. The park is located  in Wisconsin and it incorporates metal from as far back as the 1880’s.  Dr. Evermor’s work began nearly 30 years ago with just a simple exhibition. Evermor always liked collecting odd metals and other objects. As time went on he let his inner child free and decided to make something extraordinary out of his hobby.

Based in London, Tim Noble and Sue Webster have created multiple exhibitions that allow people to  see garbage in a beautiful way. They accomplish this by playing with light and shadow. They create  art pieces that look like nothing more tha a pile of trash, but all it takes it the  right amount of light to be able to see a shadows of the most amazing forms.

There are many other artists such as the ones described above. They all work to bring awareness to the growing problem of  pollution and the importance of recycling, reusing and re-purposing your old materials.  Along with conveying an important message, the artists are revolutionizing modern day art.

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The Dee family, consisting of Jeanne, Vince and their daughter Mozart, has discovered a way of traveling the world and a lifestyle that is cheaper than living at home. They consider themselves enjoying a “Digital Nomadic Lifestyle.” This family of three decided to retire early by selling their home and a small vineyard. The couple, in their 50s, with their daughter dubbed themselves the Soultravelers3. They commenced their odyssey around the world back in 2006. Currently they are in their fifth year of traveling and living on about $23/day/person in the midst of a road trip of Europe. They wish to spread the word to everyone about this exciting lifestyle.

For more extensive information about this incredible family’s adventure visit them on the Soultravelers3 website or follow them on Twitter.

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The Kansas City Star ran an article a few days ago about 11 interior design trends for 2011. While everyone and their mother is blogging or reporting on trends and forecasts for the new year, there were a few points of interest that we wanted to address here. Will these apply to you? What do you think about these predictions?

1. First, a move toward intimate, more personal decor: “Ready for your home to look oh-so 2011? It shouldn’t be too hard because the on-the-horizon trends are all about making it more optimistic, functional and personal.” This bodes well for the green movement, which is all about functional, eco-friendly products and looking toward the future.

2. Good news for those who craft, repurpose, and/or recycle: “The ‘who knew?’ factor of upcycled house goods will be even bigger in 2011, according to those at Etsy, the online marketplace for handcrafts. Look for plastic bags turned into bowls and bike parts into clocks.”

3. Not such great news: “Victorian, Edison-style and squirrel-cage bulbs are surprisingly hot little numbers despite the shift toward CFLs and LEDs. No, not for all your lighting needs but perhaps for your decorative clear-glass and bare-bulb fixtures so that you can really see the filament.” Would you be willing to sacrifice your more eco friendly bulbs to return to “Victorian”-style lighting? According to the article, “New carbon-filament bulbs offer 1/3 of the light at 10 times the price.”

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The past year has been hard for a lot of people, especially here in Michigan. There has been so much going on lately that I just want to clean house and begin anew! Even if it isn’t the end of the year when you traditionally take stock of your life. So if your feeling the need to clear out the cob webs, here are a couple of tips on decluttering and removing negative energy in your home.

CleaningClean

10 Tips for Decluttering Your Home

  • Recycle or donate any items that you haven’t used in the past two years. Unless of course the item has sentimental value.
  • Ask yourself if you love or need it? If the answer is no, recycle or donate it.
  • Keep the energy flowing while you work by playing music.
  • Take frequent breaks. Organize your time into one-hour blocks, working for an hour and then recharging your batteries by changing your focus and then coming back to it.
  • Visualize the space as you’d like it to appear and start with baby steps so it’s not so overwhelming.
  • After a room is decluttered, work to remove negative or stagnant energy. Rooms that are especially vulnerable are rooms that aren’t lived in, and places where there have been arguments, or illnesses.
  • Leave small bowls of salt in corners of the room for a few days to remove stall air.
  • Sound helps to break up negative energy. Try using a bell, or clap your hands while walking around the edges of the room and reach toward the ceiling as you go. I know it sounds silly, but it really does change the energy of the room!
  • Use incense. Sandalwood incense has been traditionally used in Buddhist and Taoit temples to help clear spaces.
  • Open windows to let in fresh air.

-Danielle-

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About six months ago, shortly after Danielle got me hooked on Tim Ferriss’ book The Four Hour Work Week, I discovered one of his video posts about some crazy shoes. These wonky five-toed shoes are totally unique in both their look and their purpose. You can wear them running, climbing, biking, swimming or just walking around town as long as you’re comfortable with getting a few curious looks.

However cool these shoes may be, they’re actually surprisingly difficult to get a hold of. Luckily, there is a shoe store up in Harbor Springs called Heart and Sole and they had them on a specialty rack. They’re currently going for about 80 bucks, but they are a great value! They are super comfortable once you get your feet in them, which takes a little technique.

As far as ergonomic benefits, they are great for several different aspects of your feet and ankles. They spread your toes apart which helps to counteract the curvature you normally get with more confining shoes. This also helps a little with your balance. When running, you put more force on the ball of your feet rather than your heel thus helping with your arch support and building certain ankle muscles. In my case, I have extremely flat feet and get really bad shin splints so these shoes have become an ideal preventative measure.

The one downside to the shoes is how often you’ll need to wash them, especially if you end up running in them. I would suggest 1 wash for every three uses and DON’T forget to let them air dry as opposed to sticking them in the dryer. I also used a little baking soda which tends to kill any extra odors.

You can find Vibram 5 Toed Shoes at BackWoods, which offers free shipping.

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Tim Ferris Post on Vibram Shoes

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