Salvation Mountain

This is a folk art installation in Niland, CA.  Leonard Knight created this incredible installation using adobe clay mixed with straw to hold it all together.  He reinforces the clay with coats of paint and estimates that there are over 100,000 gallons of paint on the mountain!  Read about this very interesting artist and his artwork or see more incredible photos here.

 Found these incredible photos on Earth Age blog.

New Ellie Goulding!

Light, airy, soulful pop. The new album comes out October 9th. Nice.

Olaf Hajek

See more of Olaf Hajek's illustrations here

The Book Whisperer and minor relapses

Went to the bookstore.  Totally intended to just browse, kill time, etc. because I have been on a self mandated 2 step program to quit spending money on books.  The steps are:

1. Don't walk into a bookstore.  Go to library instead.

2. If first step is broken, do not buy anything from said bookstore.  Just enjoy the general ambiance, take note of titles that interest, and leave to go to library.

I've been doing really, really good, honestly, but I relapsed because of the this amazing Barnes and Noble manager that I overheard helping another girl who was looking for a good mystery.  The manager was naming off books so enthusiastically I was sort of...drawn in??   (Help!!??  I'm relapsing!!  The books, they want me to buy them, ahhh!)

So naturally I eavesdropped until she was done with them and asked her about one book she had mentioned and she said,
 "OH! YOU WILL LOVE IT!  It's over here, I just love, love this book.  I've read it three times."  She then picked it up and held it to her face and began stroking it.  "Look how pretty the cover is?  You will love it.  And! If you like British authors, you will like this too..." and she led me to another author, who I had actually already read and adored so I was impressed.  This woman was a real, live Book Whisperer.  (How did she know I would love that one book, which is not a terribly popular book?  How did she know I'm a sucker for pretty covers? Also, would she be willing to be my new best friend?)

I'm back on the program, at least for the next month, but I can't say I regret going into B&N yesterday.  My taste in books is wide and varied but these are both sweet, whimsical reads with quirky characters.  So far I am liking Garden Spells but I just started it so we will see.

The book she held to her face and stroked lovingly: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

 

The one I had already read and loved: A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff

 

In an ideal world, no one would talk before 10 am. People would just hug, because waking up is really hard.

— Zooey Deschanel

Misunderstood Trends: Keep Calm and Carry On & Ed Hardy

I recently was in a store and a friend turned to me and asked what the big deal was about the "Keep calm and carry on" posters and giftables that we are seeing everywhere.  I just shrugged.  While I love the sentiment, it does seem a bit overkill and I am tired of seeing it and its variations absolutely everywhere.  But I recently saw this video that tells the history behind how it started and I found it intriguing and refreshing.  It gives the trend more substance and a timeless courageousness behind the simple and quirky statement. 

Another trend I've simply not been able to understand for the last few years is the Ed Hardy clothing trend.  While he does have some fun and colorful designs, I just didn't understand the mass appeal.

 The aesthetic just didn't appeal to me and I honestly got sick of seeing it everywhere.  So I was really surprised when  my husband and I watched a documentary called Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World a couple weeks ago and found myself sort of intrigued with the guy .  He started with nothing but a love for art that morphed into a love for tattoos, so he started a business doing it before it was a popular or accepted thing to do.   He's basically a hardworking dude from the Beatnik Generation who pursued what he loved his entire life and finally had it pay off in unexpected and big ways.  He marveled and laughed genuinely at the fact that his designs are now on t-shirts and perfume bottles.  He seemed to just shake he head at his good fortune then move on to talking about his newest passion (painting).  If you like documentaries you might find it pretty interesting.

Isn't it strange how ignorance can form bias but information can change your perspective even in the smallest things like recent trends?  I still don't really like Ed Hardy's designs, but I have this sort of begrudging respect for his entrepreneurial spirit and singular pursuit of his passion.

And the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters have taken on a whole new and courageous meaning when I see them, and I'm glad they're so popular.  Why wouldn't I want more positive messages in the world?

Sienna Miller

 

Love this photo of Sienna Miller by Ryan Mcginley