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How Awesome?!

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April 3, 2012
Personal & Interior Style
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A mentor/teacher/doctor of mine recently told me that in order to be fully happy, I cannot “want” anything.  So, let’s just call this a list of things that I think are awesome.

This whole nail art thing keeps going and going. Just when you think you have seen it all, you haven’t. This website gives you tutorials on how to achieve the fun looks below. They make it look effortless, yet I can assure you, it takes some skillz.

I have been wearing hot pink lipstick lately and I intend to keep it up. It is so fun!

This picture does not do these amazing neon pants justice. You know when you try on an item and you NEVER forget it? That is what these pants are to me; I can’t stop thinking about them. You can buy these and other amazing printed jeans at Anthropolgie.

Yeah, this woman might look like a bug, but I love the color blocking trend. I have started to mix and match all the bold colors in my closet. It makes getting ready surprisingly easier!

Since I first saw this phenomenal video, I have been listening to Santigold’s Unstoppable over and over. What this dancing guy does is, well, awesome. It almost brought tears to my eyes!

Picturesque

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April 2, 2012
Pictures
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Happy April! Every week we ask some of our friends and family to send us a picture that they took and tell us a little bit about that picture. Here are this week’s photos:

Andrew – Cleveland, Ohio

I snapped this picture while I was producing an album for Groovesmith.  And took the next picture of Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio.

Nadine (Mom) – Ana Maria, Florida

Lauren and I started this puzzle when we were in Florida with my mom a few weeks ago.  It was just as I left it when I returned this week.

Aaron – New York, New York

Taken while studying.

Farrell – Brooklyn, New York

Is this for real?! I saw this dog walker the other day and had to take a picture.

 

Spick-and-Span

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March 28, 2012
Holistic Living
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“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Calm - Installation by Regine Ramseier

I have always had an affinity for cleanliness. I can remember cleaning up my room and folding all my clothes by the time I was five years old. I loved order, and still do. Every morning when I wake up, I make my bed. Every night before I go to sleep, I tidy up my room. These are practices allow me to start and end my day with a clean environment, inside and out.

In the meditation that I practice, there is an emphasis on internal cleaning. At the end of the work day, you are supposed to imagine all the impressions of the day being removed from your heart.

“All of our experiences—actions and reactions, thoughts and emotions—leave impressions. These impressions, called samskaras, accumulate over time, influencing our view of reality and consequently our behaviour. As habit patterns emerge and solidify, we continue to react in the present as we have in the past, setting the blueprint for future action. In this way we become, in a real sense, slaves to our past experience.” (Found here.)

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And while we are on the topic of cleaning, when I was in Cleveland this past week, I helped my mom do some of her spring cleaning – or more specifically, cleaning out her closets. The end result was SO gratifying. Here are the pictures to prove it:

Check out these related links:

Here is a checklist for spring cleaning from Martha Stewart.

Also, here is an article from the New York Times about how removing clutter can improve your health.

Picturesque

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March 26, 2012
Pictures
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Every week we ask some of our friends and family to send us a picture they took. Here are this week’s photos:

Ted – Rio  de Jeneiro, Brazil

A friend that I met on an airplane sent me this when he was in Rio. My band’s name is LIVIN. Check us out.

Farrell – Brooklyn, NY

This is a brand that I stumbled upon this weekend. The name of the brand is literally “Stop Using Water While Using Me.”  I think its a brilliant message.

John – Boise, Idaho

Sun Araw playing at the Treefort Music Festival.

Dave – Denver, Coloado

Shooting gats.

Teddy – Boise, Idaho

Eating candy and drinking wine before our show at the Treefort Music Festival.

Scott – Avon, Ohio

Carlos laying on the couch.

Aging Gracefully

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March 23, 2012
Holistic Living
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“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Mark Twain

“A man growing old becomes a child again.”
Sophocles

On Sunday night my whole family had an amazing dinner at my Dad’s house. There was a tornado warning and as a result, the power went out. We sat in the candle light eating cake and trying out the age booth app on the iPhone.

I was the first of the table to take have my picture taken and travel 30 years time to see what I will look like in 2042. Here is the result:

Upon seeing this photo, I screamed. At first, I laughed a little, but that laughter suddenly turned to tears and horror. I think I kept saying, “no, no!”

There is no way that when I am 56 years old, I will look that much like an old grandma, will I?

After that whole experience, I vow to take better care of my skin. Eat more anti-oxidants. Get enough sleep. Exercise regularly. And have a sense of humor about myself. Maybe I shouldn’t take the way I look SO seriously.

Why I Love Cleveland

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March 21, 2012
Inspired & Inspiring
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I am from Cleveland, Ohio and proud of it. Cleveland was such an amazing place to grow up. I spent summers on Lake Erie learning to sail and swim. I spent my falls and springs playing soccer in the Metroparks and the winters taboganing and sledding every day after school. Cleveland is so underrated. And not only is it a paradise in the summer, there are so many different kinds of people that call it home.

I remember calling my mom when I moved away from home to go to college in Boulder, Colorado and telling her there weren’t any “real people” there. At the time, I didn’t even know what I meant by that, but as I sit today in my favorite ‘cafe’ in Lakewood (suburb of Cleveland), I am realizing that people from Cleveland aren’t really trying to prove anything to anyone. I think Clevelanders encompass all cultures and that is what makes the people feel so real.

See, Clevelanders are something special. The people that live here, love it. As my friend Scooter says, “There is a humbleness to Clevelanders and they wear their love for this place on their sleeve.”

I’ve been asking some of my Cleveland friends what it is that they love about Cleveland, and I’m looking forward to posting their responses in the coming weeks.

Picturesque

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March 19, 2012
Pictures
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Every week, we ask some of our favorite people in our lives to share a picture and some words about that pictur with us.  Here are this weeks photos:
Meghan – San Francisco, California
Out for a walk
Michele – Vermont
Hiking in the Green mountains on Lake  Champlain. Sometimes you just have to pause and soak it all up!
Teddy – Columbus, Ohio (recent graduate of Ohio State University!!)
This is a wooden mask I made. It is one of three that are based on the same person at different life stages.
Abbey – Brooklyn, New York
This is a little British band I saw called Big Deal. They are young and endearing and a bit stage shy but completely sweet. I recommend checking them out.
Reed – Arlington, Virginia
First weekend back at the bike shop since October. Since the late ’90s the Hopwoods have been working here (all 3 kids!). In many ways this store has shaped who we are and has taken us to places like Iowa on our bikes, trikes, and tandems.
Becky – Austin, Texas
This picture was taken at the garden patio stage at avenue called The Spider House in Austin on Saturday. The venue had 6 different stages both inside & outside & tons of benches, tables, & gliders/swings to sit on. The band playing is called The Nightmare Boyzzz.

Lately

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March 16, 2012
Inspired & Inspiring
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These are just a few things that I have been doing this week and that have been on my mind.

I can’t stop thinking about these double exposure pictures. They are beautiful and remind me of the feelings of spring. Here is my favorite:

This is a picture including a quote of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s. I just happened upon it this morning and it struck me deeply as I just read “The Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway describes Fitzgerald in a way that I have never known. He was a writer that could not write, due to his drinking problems and his wife’s extreme jealousy over his work. He seemed like a tortured soul.

I love this Grimes song and her video.

I wrote down in a list of things to do the other day: “Remember to have a tee pee in your house”

I just started reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and I pretty much love everything about him. He was so much cooler than they let on in school. Check out his list of the top 13 virtues to live by:

  • TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
  • SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
  • ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
  • RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
  • FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
  • INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
  • SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
  • JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
  • MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  • CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
  • TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  • CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
  • HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

The Beauty of Spring

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March 14, 2012
Holistic Living
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Over the years, I have developed a passion for all natural products; it has almost become an obsession.  I love to read about new products and find out what their brands are all about.  After a lot of trial and error, I have come to really love certain beauty products. Here are the ones that I have developed a small love affair with:

Intelligent Nutrient Leave-In Conditioner

Intelligent Nutrients has the same founder as Aveda. Their tagline is “everything we put in our bodies should be nutritious and safe.”  This leave in conditioner smells of cinnamon and leaves my curls feeling so moisturized.

Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Liquid Soap

This soap is the best ever. I use it as a body wash, but it can be used to wash laundry, dishes, your teeth, etc. It makes your body tingle and has the most refreshing peppermint smell. Also, check out the documentary made about Dr. Bronner himself called Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox. He is a bit nutty.

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser

This whole entire beauty line is amazing. Every single one of their products produces amazing results. I will never forget the first time my sister and I tried their product line. We were both instantly in love. This cleanser is a bit expensive, but anything Tata Harper is worth it.

Soapwalla Lip Balm

I have mentioned Soapwalla’s amazing deordorant before, so you might be familiar with this brand. However, she has a new product and it’s amazing. This lip balm works wonders! The citrus ginger is the best!

All the products above are organic, vegan and chemical-free.

To shop for more products like these, visit Spirit Beauty Lounge.