I’ve been following Emerson of EMERSONMADE for quite a while now, and though she’s gotten tons of love from the blogosphere, I still can’t help but to gush. Completely amazing in so many ways Emerson is EMERSONMADE – artist, designer, entrepreneur, and model – she has transformed her one-woman-operation into a full-fledged business. I’ve loved keeping tabs on the blog and the latest fashion line; so much charm and character and produced in small batches!
Finally after all this time lurking around the site I am proud to finally report that I’ve made my first purchase: the leather and brass post belt. It will ship in September and I can hardly contain myself.
I could have easily done so much damage, but since I’ve been waiting for this belt for a while I decided this would be my first little gift to myself. No promises on the next order though, I think the BlueBells denim and some flower pins will have to be mine.
I also wanted to share her amazing pantry with you, too. I daydream about this regularly. No refined ingredients or sugars. Gorgeous!
Do you remember walking into the toy store when you were young, and the wave of euphoria that would come over you as you eyed the zillions of potential items you’d have to first test out, and then decide which you wanted to persuade mom and dad to take home with you? I haven’t felt that way forever, and I’d kind of forgotten about that feeling until we went for a little Sunday trip to Japantown’s New People center.
New People is a gorgeous glass front, three story building in the heart of Japantown that boasts all things J-Pop–and not just the typical kitschy trinkets you often associate with Japanese culture–but really cool and interesting toys that you won’t find just anywhere.
The building hosts a cinema that screens contemporary Japanese films, a small cafe serving Blue Bottle Coffee and Delica snacks, a retail space with Gothic Lolita and other Harajuku-style clothing and accessories, and the New People Store, which is where I had my flashback. Now that I think back, my sweetie and I must have looked insane, or maybe I’d even venture to say rabid with giddiness. We’d each go our separate way for a minute, then attempt to casually stroll back (when what I really wanted to do was run) to take turns showing each other what we’d found. We did this for a good hour.
One of the toys that caught my eye was the Aerobase “micro MUSEUM series” models that you assemble from pre-cut parts on a sheet of paper or metal. They’re tiny, tiny but so cool. The perfect gift for model lovers, but it’d really be a great little project for anyone since not all of the kits are super intense.
Image via New People
Image via Aerobase
I was dying to sneak in a few pics, but they’re pretty explicit about cameras in the stores. (The packaging on some of the stuff was gorgeous!) It would have been a bit overwhelming anyway, I would have left with a ton of pics, and of course not being able to pick a few, I probably would have posted them all. Really, there was that much cool stuff! In the end, here’s a pic of the goody bag we took home. We really did a good job in practicing restraint and left with a few gifts for friends.
Our goody bag!
National Geographic and photographer Joel Sartore present RARE: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species, the result of a three year investigation on the nation’s disappearing plants and animals. For over 2o years Sartore’s been photographing for National Geographic, focusing on endangered species and land issues, so this book promises to be amazing!
Have you seen the Planet Earth episode where the polar bear swims endlessly searching for food? I was a wreck at the end, but it reaffirmed why I choose to live as clean as possible. See the list that Joel has compiled below to help each of us make a positive impact. Oh, and by the way, if you’re still using chemicals to treat your lawn you should be slapped! (I’ll end it at that, although I could go on.)
Threatened – Polar Bear
NOW EXTINCT - Bryn, the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit
Threatened – Bog turtle
Want to know what you can do to help? Here are a few simple, concrete action steps that you can take to help save endangered species.
1. Be an informed citizen. Learn what the environmental issues are in your town, state, nation and even globally.
2. Reduce, reuse, and recycle whatever goods you buy. Try to leave the smallest ecological footprint that you can each day.
3. Drive a more fuel-efficient vehicle. Better yet, take public transportation or ride a bike once in awhile. If everyone did their part, there would be no need for us to drill in the last wild places left on Earth, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
4. Don’t use chemicals on your lawn. They end up polluting the soil and water. And think twice before turning your sprinklers on. It’s a waste of water, something that is becoming scarcer every year. You’ll save time, money, and prevent pollution because you won’t have to mow nearly as often. Around the U.S., many citizens have planted native vegetation instead of bluegrass, resulting in a minimal need for water and care.
5. Support groups that are trying to do the right thing such as The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International and the World Wildlife Fund. Locally, the Conservation Alliance of the Great Plains does good work, supporting education and advocacy here in the Heartland. Joel Sartore is a founding member of this group.
6. Vote. We citizens tend to get the government we deserve. We elect politicians to represent our interests. Only when the majority of voters respect and care about nature will we begin to see the political changes needed to start saving the earth.
Threatened – Atlantic loggerhead turtle
Endangered – Hibiscus flower
- All images via Joel Sartore. Please visit his site to see more beautiful photos!
- Buy the book here.
This is so cool: The Complete National Geographic on a 160-GB Hard Drive! It includes every issue from the past 12o years (1888-2008), and has been digitally remastered in hi-res, and includes an advanced interface that allows you to browse and search any topic, photo, or map. There’s also extra space for future updates, and an extra 100-GB for personal use.
Available at the National Geographic shop online: $199.95
Funny!
(The other day I spilled a glass of juice and for a split second I had the reflex to control + z and undo it. Sigh, if only that were possible.)
(via Like Cool)
