Art Date: 21 Swings

Created by Mouna Andraos & Melissa Mongiat

A beautiful art installation that brings the community together in a positive, imaginative and playful way.

Wouldn't you want musical swings in your downtown? I know I would!

Have a great weekend,

Karen

Love of Books!

 I recently re-joined a book club that I used to attend regularly. With the renewed motivation to read and the first book under my belt, I am re-invigorated! Today, I'm posting this wonderful animation made by a Toronto couple, the Ohlenkamps, at their local bookstore.

 "As much as I love the idea of new technology and the convenience e-readers provide, there's something special about reading an actual book. Memories are made when you read a book, like getting a coffee stain on a page because you were reading at the breakfast table; or if you accidentally dropped it into the bath tub (and it miraculously survived). You can pass your book on to future generations, a book you've had since you were a child. Books can represent the past, present, and future." 

- commenter on YouTube

Support your local independent bookstore!

Read on,

Karen xo

Gratitude

 

TED speech by Louie Schartzberg 

Hey everyone!

Found something amazing today.

The above talk is around ten minutes long. This might seem like a long video, but I encourage you to listen to the contemplative words and be absorbed by the magical images that accompany it. xo 

"Today isn't any other day, you know."-Lewis Carroll

 Karen

Il Volo!

Aren't these guys awesome? They're TEENAGERS! The group is called "Il Volo", which means "The Flight" in Italian! It's inspiring, if you ask me!

Karen :)

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Clementine, 2011

A friend sent me this video, and I thought that I'd share it with you guys. 

Isn't it purrrrfect?

Karen xo

P.S. Click here for all the "Simon's Cat" videos

Wednesday, December 22nd (Happy 18th Birthday, Kaylie!!)

Hello friends!
The holiday season is upon us, and I know everyone is busy this week, so I thought that I'd just post a little something to make us have a little laugh.
All the best to you and yours, 
Karen xo

P.S. check out some great xmas photography tips . Click on "Transport to an awesome blog" on the right!

Inspire Me Wednesdays: Week 31

First of all, congratulations to my good friend JAN for winning the ArtRocks paper contest! 

Contact me to choose your prize! Thanks to all who entered. xo

A couple of days ago, I decided that the topic for this week's Inspire Me Wednesdays would be one of my favorite poems (the first verse is in the picture above!) by e.e. cummings. I love this poem because it is  joyous and grateful. (The full poem is at the bottom of the post!!)

Naturally, I turned to my old friend Google to find out a little bit more about the poem. While doing this, I discovered something awesome.  First, I found out that a composer put the poem to choral music. Then I found out that a high school choir in Japan sung this song in a competition and won. (I throughly enjoyed this video. Check it out!)

Afterwords, I found out that Eric Whitacre (the fellow who composed the music ) was also the conductor of a "virtual choir", in which people all over the world sing his composition in their room in front of a camera, and then he puts it all together as a group. The actual visuals of the video aren't the best, but the
concept is wonderful and the music is worth taking a listen to.

I hope you are as inspired by this as I am!
Have a great Wednesday,
Karen

**************

i thank you God for most this amazing 
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything 
that is natural which is infinite which is yes


(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)


how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?


(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of eyes are opened)


-e.e. cummings

White Christmas!

I was lucky enough to see an uplifting and spectacular production of "White Christmas" last night!  Here's another salute to snow in the "Snow Song" from the original 1955 White Christmas movie.

I thought it fit the theme perfectly! And if you love musicals, go see the MTC production!

Karen :)

Inspire Me Wednesdays, Week 22

And now for something completely different!

Check out this awesome award-winning (Canadian!) short film by Claude Cloutier - an imaginative retelling of "Sleeping Beauty".

Happy Wednesday!

Karen