There's a new AIRSTREAM available

If you're like me anything that has to do with camping and my ears perk up! so when I heard rumblings that there was a new LIGHTER Airstream (it's aptly called NEST) on offer I got pretty excited. And yes, it's true... the cost is approx. $45k which still sounds steep to me, how about you!? They managed to cut the weight in half but not the cost. But at least it's good enough for dreaming.....

It seems just enough room to travel comfortably, well more than comfortably if you ask me! I think I still might have to go for the Scamp! But it looks incredible - see the full story here.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

We look forward to this day in our family, we take the family time (dinner) to do some learning about Dr. Martin Luther King and his values. Last year my daughter was lucky enough to have a teacher at her Middle School who teaches Kingian Nonviolence - in a way that went directly hand in hand with who Franny is as a person, she found this to really ring true with her heart. She asked me to join a monthly parent group which teaches the principles and I can say that it has changed me life as well. I am not far into it yet but the ways of conflict resolution have helped me so much in my home and in my work.

The approach is quite simple, and when you get into it the approach is so well thought out and practical that we can all gain from learning from the ways that Dr. King took to approach nonviolence. I consider myself well educated about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - I've seen countless movies and show's about him but until I learned from my daughters teacher, Mrs. Robin Wildman, about Kingian Nonviolence, I feel I did not know the essence of what he was doing. Now going back to see, listening to stories, I hear the references to the movement.

The Triple Evils of POVERTY, RACISM and MILITARISM are forms of violence that exist in a vicious cycle. They are interrelated, all-inclusive, and stand as barriers to our living in the Beloved Community. When we work to remedy one evil, we affect all evils. To work against the Triple Evils, you must develop a nonviolent frame of mind as described in the “Six Principles of Nonviolence” and use the Kingian model for social action outlined in the “Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change.”
(taken from the website: www.thekingcenter.org)

The Six principles of Nonviolence will pull you in but it is the six steps to social change that will help you start to use this method for yourself, in your family and in your community. I will take this opportunity today to learn more and try to pass on more of this social change that we all need today, but most importantly - use this method in your day to day life to create social change in your community.

SIX PRINCIPLES OF NONVIOLENCE
Fundamental tenets of Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence described in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom. The six principles include:

1. PRINCIPLE ONE: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. It is active nonviolent resistance to evil.
   It is aggressive spiritually, mentally and emotionally.
   
2. PRINCIPLE TWO: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation.
   The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.                                                                                                      
   
3. PRINCIPLE THREE: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people. Nonviolence recognizes that evildoers are also victims and are not evil people.
   The nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil not people.
   
4. PRINCIPLE FOUR: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform. Nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation.
   Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities.  
   
5. PRINCIPLE FIVE: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body.         
   Nonviolent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish and creative.
   
6. PRINCIPLE SIX: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win.
   Nonviolence believes that God is a God of justice.  
   

 SIX STEPS OF NONVIOLENT SOCIAL CHANGE
The Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change are based on Dr. King's nonviolent campaigns and teachings that emphasize love in action. Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolence, as reviewed in the Six Principles of Nonviolence, guide these steps for social and interpersonal change.

1. INFORMATION GATHERING:To understand and articulate an issue, problem or injustice facing a person, community, or institution you must do research. You must investigate and gather all vital information from all sides of the argument or issue so as to increase your understanding of the problem. You must become an expert on your opponent's position. 
2. EDUCATION:It is essential to inform others, including your opposition, about your issue. This minimizes misunderstandings and gains you support and sympathy. 
3. PERSONAL COMMITMENT:Daily check and affirm your faith in the philosophy and methods of nonviolence. Eliminate hidden motives and prepare yourself to accept suffering, if necessary, in your work for justice.
4. DISCUSSION/NEGOTIATION:Using grace, humor and intelligence, confront the other party with a list of injustices and a plan for addressing and resolving these injustices. Look for what is positive in every action and statement the opposition makes. Do not seek to humiliate the opponent but to call forth the good in the opponent. 
5. DIRECT ACTION: These are actions taken when the opponent is unwilling to enter into, or remain in, discussion/negotiation. These actions impose a "creative tension" into the conflict, supplying moral pressure on your opponent to work with you in resolving the injustice. 
6. RECONCILIATION:Nonviolence seeks friendship and understanding with the opponent. Nonviolence does not seek to defeat the opponent. Nonviolence is directed against evil systems, forces, oppressive policies, unjust acts, but not against persons. Through reasoned compromise, both sides resolve the injustice with a plan of action. Each act of reconciliation is one step close to the 'Beloved Community.' 

Based on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in Why We Can't Wait, Penguin Books, 1963.

All of this information is from the website: www.thekingcenter.org - and don't miss reading about The Beloved Community! And remember it is possible for your schools to teach this as a grounding principle - it takes a dedicated teacher, one who will not waver. We are so lucky to have this taught in our school in our area, it is solely the work on ONE teacher, it's taken her ten years to work on bringing this approach throughout our schools, how lucky are we!

conscious city guide

I stumbled upon this wonderful website Conscious City Guide which lists events going on all over the world, with one thing in common - these events are all good for you, good for your soul and good for you as a human being, they are 100% created to make you feel better about yourself and why you are on this planet. AND I am pretty sure that some events are free others have an option to purchase a ticket. With headline words like: RETREATS, MOVE, INSPIRE, NOURISH, CREATE, GLOW, and CONNECT you can easily find something going on near you, there are completely obscure or large events - it's all good. I would suggest a visit and see what's going on near you, this is new so I predict it's just going to get bigger and bigger!

Or maybe you want to list your won event... host a meditation!

 a bit about the founders Mel Nahas and Kiki Falconer -

we are women who woke and want the world to wake.

we come from many fields with a unified mission: to raise consciousness.

we have come together to collaborate because now is the time to unite, to gather our tribe and allies.  

the earth needs us. we need us
I am excited to see this community grow! Perhaps if you are traveling it's nice to check and see if there is anything interesting going on in your destination.... more to do, always more to do!

Conscious City Guide

California Fire Help

My friend Jess Brown got together with some of her friends to create a website of artists and makers - 100% of all the proceeds go to help victims of the California Fires. Check out the website here: www.californiafirehelp.com

The donations keep flowing in and as long as they are coming in she will keep the website going. So far they have raised $19,000 with 100% of sales to Redwood Credit Union North Bay Fire Relief Fund.

(I even have a piece on there :)

Have you ever thought about living on a boat!

It's a particular dream of mine, my boat (in my dreams) would be docked somewhere in the Mediterranean, not in front of Barclays London - but anyway.... I used to draw my converted tugboat on napkins when I lived in San Francisco - I promise you there was more than one drunken drawings of my lovely boat and I can still make that sketch if you ask me (it involves a hammock). So when this beauty came up on the Dwell blog I started to count my money, unfortunately I didn't make it... Maybe next time!

The details on this boat are amazing, the rustic outside compared to the quite beautiful and luxurious inside - pared down to the essentials but still, somewhat luxurious (I mean there's a queen size bed for gods sake!).  So the price quoted by Dwell... $424k! Not bad... two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living space and even outdoor living space. I mean it takes a very special life situation to live on a boat, but who knows, maybe that's YOU!

click here to see the full story on Dwell

Young Explorers

Just wondering what little kids would do all day if they wandered around alone? I think that's what the creators of this beautiful story were thinking. Jacob Krupnick followed these kids on a beautiful silent journey as they walk around their neighborhood. The kids are so natural in their habitat and I could just watch this all day long...

I think more stories will be added over time.

click here to watch Bejla and Tristan make their way around the town.

South Hampton :: interiors

Through July 31st get yourself to see the interiors project by R & Company (another mailing list you might want to get your name onto) They have this fun instillation with works by The Haas Brothers, Wendell Castle, Rogan Gregory, Carlo Hauner, Greta Magnusson Grossman, Joaquim Tenreiro and Jeff Zimmerman at Jeff Lincoln Art + Design. It looks fun and should be filled with wonderful inspiration.

Jeff Lincoln
200 North Sea Road
South Hampton, NY

renovating a mobile home

renovated Winnie!

I know I am not the only one with this dream, does your heart jump when you drive by a sweet looking Winnie? Who cares about a Porche when you can have an Airstream? Well if these are your dreams as well take a look at this 1982 Winnebago that was renovated by a young couple and they did a pretty bang-up job! Just gives you an idea what a little imagination and a bit of elbow grease can get you. And your days of touring the USA could be just a hearbeat away!

add your own personal touch with handmade handles etc...

this image gives you a full view

This renovation took them a bit longer than they thought but the result is so comfortable and just like HOME. These two quit their jobs and set out on a cross country trip for a year - time to find a new place to call home, maybe it's the open road!

The story was in an online Dwell magazine article - see the full article here.
It will give you all the details and quite a few BEFORE/AFTER images that will knock your socks off!

LET'S HIT THE ROAD....

IRENE PEUKES

racer top tied to reveal a burst of color and beautiful back of top

I know it's late in the season but Irene Peukes works on her own calendar and I respect that - besides I love these pieces all year round. I know they are not for deep winter but I'm telling you will use these pieces for just about anything and travel - just fold them up and throw in your bag and you are ready for anything!

gorgeously fitting with a racerback shape

Irene Peukes takes a different approach to fashion, and I like her approach. She works together with weavers to create these beautiful pieces, crafted and created on the loom. Each piece a work of art in it's own, so much so that each piece has the mark of the weaver on the bottom hem of the garment where their signature is stitched. These garments don't hang like a sac, they have folds and pleats, she adds a tie here and there so that you can leave it open or tie for another shaping of the top or dress.

Gorgeous pieces for a womans body.

shop on the website here

Jao :: PATIO OIL

Recently, sitting outside at a party, I was reminded to put my Patio Oil into my summer handbag - you know, just in case... I heard that this summer there will be a bumper crop of nasty mosquitoes so you can be the hero of any party if you bring your Patio Oil! It smells delightful, more nature than buy spray. And nothing makes me more irritated than someone pulling out a horrible bug spray and letting it float all over the party! GREAT FOR KIDS!

Keep bugs away with lemon eucalyptus soybean and other essential oils. Enough said right...

Plus like it says on the bottle, it cools as it refreshes and moisturizes skin with chamomile, calendule, hemp and jojoba oils.

get yours here

Education at Sea :: Oliver Hazzard Perry

If you are thinking that a cruise is not for you, well maybe the Oliver Hazzard Perry is your answer. The name Commodore Oliver Hazzard Perry is a familiar for anyone in Rhode Island, it's the name for one of our most traveled roads here in the South County, but did you know that he led us to victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. His namesake ship is now in port at Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island. It is the first ocean-going, full-rigged ship to be built in the United States in over 100 years.

Here ends your history lesson, this amazing ship takes 32 trainees and 17 professional crew members as a 'sailing school vessel' on a voyage that leaves from Newport or Boston up to Nova Scotia (there is also a shorter legs available). But don't think you will be kicking back and laying around this ship... On the Oliver Hazzard Perry you will take on the duties of any sailor. This ship doesn't take passengers, everyone has a role - which includes working the sails (crewing), working in the kitchen (galley), and keeping things neat and tidy. Everyone is involved, this program is focused on growth and leadership development for students of all ages.

Get a taste of life on a tall ship! Hands-on, inspiring, innovative learning - experience climbing aloft, hauling lines and being at the helm. This ship is some 200 feet, with 7 miles of rope, 160 belaying pins and 20 sails!

From what I can understand the ship is traveling the seas so you need to check the website to see where it's at and where you could pick up your journey. At the moment they are offering voyages for the summer of 2017, including the eastern seaboard up to Nova Scotia, Canada. There are 7 day legs or 15 day legs of the journey that you can take, this is a non-profit ship and you will be working all the while so accommodations are NOT luxurious. There are two, 16 bed berth with 2 shared bathrooms - which means you are sleeping in a tiny bunk with 16 people! But what a fantastic experience for any teenager (or any age for that matter!).

Get all the information from their wonderful website www.ohpri.org

Summer Travel and a Solar Eclipse!

You might want to plan your summer travel around the solar eclipse that is going to happen this summer on August 21st. We have not experienced this kind of solar eclipse since 1918! And it won't happen again until April 2024. I know, I know - doesn't it feel like this moon and sun stuff happens all the time? Well yes and no... This does happen but it isn't always visible from the United States, in fact, this eclipse will only be visible by a narrow, 70 mile path, across the country. You can watch the video of the path and where it's going here - the path begins in Oregon and crosses through portions of Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina before ending in South Carolina (but check the map to see exactly where it's going to be) and depending on where you are the moon will be covering the sun in a total solar eclipse for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. But remember you cannot watch a SOLAR eclipse without protective eyewear, you can look at the total eclipse with the naked eye, but nothing leading up to it or afterwards - that can cause permanent damage to your eyes.

Should you plan a trip to the Grande Canyon for that very special day... YES! I'm sure you will not be the only one with that idea but what an amazing sight! Apparently at the time of the exact eclipse you can actually see planets and stars! You will also notice a difference in temperature and birds and nature will go quiet. It all sounds very amazing doesn't it. So make your plans early and get yourself in the path of the eclipse. Read more about it on the National Geographic website in an article by Andrew Fazekas, the Night Sky Guy, who is the author of Star Trek: The Official Guide to Our Universe and host of NG Live! Mankind to Mars presentations. He writes a wonderfully detailed article with all the facts and additional photos. It also includes a map for the path of the eclipse. If you are not in the path of the eclipse you may see a partial, depending on where you are in the country.

It's all very exciting isn't it!

POP-UP in NYC! we have fun events planned for YOU

We hope you can visit us for the POP-UP Spring event we are hosting in the East Village

116 East 7th Street (between Ave A and 1st Ave) - NYC
Friday 3/31 - Sunday 4/2
Friday 11am - 8pm
Saturday 11am - 8pm
Sunday 11am and I am going to start packing up at 6pm so come early!

Jann (Lucky Fish) is creating a fantastical Tee Pee! made with her hand prints and filled with goodies - pillows, blankets and more!

Lucky Fish Tee Pee

I've been busy as a beaver and sewing vests! Come and choose a vest to add Jann's hand made patches, just how you want them! I will sew them on for you and you will be all set for SPRING! We have vest sizes for kids through Adults - so we are ready for anyone.

fistacon vest :: collaboration Lucky Fish and Nonchalantmom

Be creative come and have fun and SHOP till you DROP!

Visit Rhode Island!

Watch Hill Inn - Rhode Island

Watch Hill Inn

I was just grazing Jetsetter (a travel website that I like to use) and found they have some good deals on hotels here in Rhode Island at the moment (just a few days left!) - mostly in the Watch Hill area which is such a beautiful part of Rhode Island! We take amazing photographs on the beaches of Watch Hill because they are just amazing clear white sand.... Understand if you visit now it's not necessarily warm but it's still a nice time to take a walk on the empty beaches and get a feel for Rhode Island so that you know where to go and what you want to do on your next visit - in the summertime. I don't have time at the moment to put together a full itinerary but if you email me I am happy to give you a list of great things to do!

interior of Watch Hill Inn

here is the link to Jetsetter Rhode Island getaways....

Strand Beest

Careful you could watch all day long!
Theo Jansen uses plastic yellow tubing to create these beach walking creatures. Since 1990 he has created these beautiful moving creatures - take a look on his website here - but be warned it's mesmerizing!

click there to watch it move on his website: Theo Jansen - Strand Beest

There are many of these 'beests' and watch them elegantly crawl across the beach.

Svenskt Tenn

old photo from our home w/ Josef Frank shoji screen

Any trip to Stockholm deserves a stop at Svenskt Tenn. You won't get bowled over by crazy interior design, but it will create a major shift in what you see in interior design from that day forward. Luckily there is a story in T Magazine this week about Josef Frank, the 1940's print maker/furniture designer who made a name for himself, as powerful today as it was back then. You can walk into one of the most elegant Stockholm urban apartment (of the wealthy set) and find his unique take on interior design.

this could almost be a photo of my sisters living room - Hi Linda!

Here is a link to the story in T Magazine.

It's unfortunate but in the last ten years there have been a few American companies who tried to knock-off the prints - Anthropoogie comes to mind, the last time I was in Stockholm I was talking to the Director of Exports and he was pretty darn furious about this blatant copy. It's my impression that innovative Swede's would never imagine an exact rip-off such as this, it's just not in their dna - so watch out for the UNoriginal.

Supermoons and a super DUPER MOON!

Did you see the moon on October 16th? If you didn't, you have another chance on November 14th and if you miss that you can see it again on December 14th - that's right this year ends with an amazing THREE super moons. I don't know about you but I don't remember this whole SUPER MOON thing when I was a kid, but supposedly there are 4-6 super moons a year on average. What is cool about the super moon on November 14th is that it will be the closest it's ever been in the 21st century! There won't be another super moon like this one until November 25th, 2034.

What IS a super moon you ask? (because I did too) Who best to ask but NASA. There is a full article here with many images of the super moon. But they explain it pretty well: "Since the moon’s orbit is elliptical, one side (perigee) is about 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the other (apogee). The word syzygy, in addition to being useful in word games, is the scientific name for when the Earth, sun, and moon line up as the moon orbits Earth. When perigee-syzygy of the Earth-moon-sun system occurs and the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, we get a perigee moon or more commonly, a supermoon!

But that doesn't explain this super-duper moon coming in November. On November 14, it becomes full within about two hours of perigee—arguably making it an extra-super moon (or what I call super-duper). So look up in the sky at just about 8:52am EST on November 14th, that's when it's supposed to reach it's peak. During the event, on the eve of November 14th the Moon will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon.

There you go.. easily explained right? Read the full article for more information. And watch the moon on November 14th and December 14th of this year. And now that you are so into the moon and it's mystical beauty. Check out our moon workbook by Modern Woman, where you can learn to set intentions for yourself and use the power of the moon in your intention setting. You will be easily walked through all the details in the book, she even gives you ideas on what kind of intentions to set. We are all sold out of workbooks for the 2016 year but we will have new workbooks for the coming year (2017) in December. They go fast so let me know if you want me to hang onto one for you, just drop me an email.

There are many beautiful pictures of the super moon, have you ever tried to take one yourself? Not easy, so I borrowed this one from the NASA website. I love it because it's the in the desert....  I will try to get one over the ocean this time!?

Before the Flood - Full Movie | National Geographic

This makes such a great family movie night! We did it last night and it's good to watch together with your kids, because they have LOTS of questions - believe you ME! They were full of questions and it made for a long after conversation.

The great thing is that it's on youtube - and its FREE! until November 6th

My kids have learned a lot of this in school but it was a good thing to watch together and hear their opinions on each of the subjects.

next up.... The Human Experiment....

Travel :: Jens Risom house on Block Island

Block Island is a magical place, we try to make it every year for a bike ride or hike to the beach where cool clear beaches are some of the best on the East Coast. Hiding on Block Island is the summer home of Jens Risom. He approached Life magazine in 1976 with the challenge that he would build a pre-fab house for $25,000, the resulting home is the perfect tiny house we are all looking for today!

original photo from the Life magazine shoot in 1976

We grew up in Minnesota and of course we had a lake house "up North" were we went for the summers and on weekends. It was an A-frame that my dad built - perhaps he saw this very house and wanted to emulate it. Ours wasn't pre-fab so it took many summers of construction to build, it was just about finished when my father died. It's a dream of mine to have a place like this for our family to come together and live a very simple life.

Dwell magazine recently re-photographed the story of this magical home on Block Island, which still stands in much the same way that it did back in the 70's. Filled with the furniture of Jens Risom and even some of his prototypes.

two photos of the home as it stands today.

It's amazing today how they build homes that will never, ever falter. Employing materials that will never deteriorate, never change - however look at this home how beautiful it is in all it's simplicity. The family takes good care of the home and keeps it in a state that it was meant to be - not making it larger for the expanding families, it's really not necessary. This is a house built for one purpose, to live in and enjoyed - it doesn't need a flat screen TV, a separate bathroom for every person in the house, it's about the beauty that is outside. The Risom house has stood up to some of the most harsh weather, winds and rain possible. It still stands as singular and as magnificent as ever.

from the Dwell magazine shoot by Floto + Warner

Jens Risom what a beautiful Danish man!

and his iconic chair

click here to read the full story on the Dwell Magazine blog

your favorite cashmere scarves are back in stock!

Each season we re-stock these, what I like to call, perfect cashmere scarves. They are not huge and unruly, they are delicately light-weight and they softly keep you just warm enough! They are 80% cashmere and 20% fine merino wool (less pilling folks) and all for a deeply pleasant $98.

Our colors this season are white, light grey, dark grey, medium heather brown and black. They have selvage finishings and ends are just rustic and unfinished.

NOW, I was sold out last season and didn't have the scarf for an order, we together decided I would send it out when they came back in stock this season - here comes the hard part - during the move this type of paperwork that usually sits on my desk in a pile was inadvertently lost by my husbands attempt to put my life in order (HA!) so whoever you are... and you know who you are... I owe you a scarf! please email me...

Have a lovely week and enjoy this delightful weather!