July 10, 2010

Mini Pockets of Genius

What are you up to this weekend? I hope it involves a little lounging.

Perhaps some ice cream. Below is a photo I took two weeks ago while up at Tahoe with my Dad. We went to Log Cabin Ice Cream — where I spent many a summer night as a kid. It’s still around and they still have the same exact sundae menu. It makes me smile.

And maybe…if you find yourself with a little downtime, you’ll want to check out a few of these sites. You know, we often talk about how much trash is on the internet (and don’t get me wrong, there is), but there are also mini pockets of genius. Everywhere. Here are a few new-to-me sites and projects that I think you’ll get a kick out of. Happy weekend.

The Selby: This is a site devoted to capturing creative individuals in their personal spaces. Creator, Todd Selby, has a true eye for domestic spaces, and each photo tells a true story of a moment, a morning, a couple, or a meal. Check it out.

Lisa Congdon: I like Lisa Congdon. I don’t know her personally, but I know I’d like her. She has funky glasses, an awesome smile, and her design work is brilliant. She lives in San Francisco and has a few really cool projects I’m into, one of which is A Collection A Day. Essentially it’s a place for Lisa to photograph or paint a picture each day of the year chronicling her collections or objects she’s surrounded by. She explains that she always found herself mildly obsessed with collecting, arranging, and organizing, and began embarking on the project “because I love my collections, and I want to document them in a way that makes sense to me, and share them with whoever might be interested in looking at them.”

This Joy + Ride With the subtitle, Poetry + Photos + Inspiration, I was drawn in immediately. And in a world filled to the brim with blogs and websites, this one’s refreshing. It’s utterly simple and beautiful. Two friends who both happen to share the name Shari have put together the site to celebrate simplicity + beauty through photographs and interviews with poets, photographers, designers, and other creative folks. They generally feature”On Nightstand” “Am Loving” and “Three Constants in Your Day” with each person interviewed. You could spend hours here and be whisked away.

Shared Sugar: 2 friends who bake and share their recipes and inspiration. I like it. Neither Kesha or Mara is professionally trained, but their point of view is fantastic and their pictures are lovely. I’m looking forward to trying a recipe.

The Donut Project: You’ve probably already heard of The Donut Project haven’t you? I’m guessing I’m late to the party on this one. Their tag line is: “A group of young designers who aspire to inspire.” In short, there is a group that all went to college together and got sick of sharing cool, random links back and forth with each other so they created one space…and it grew. And now you can see it, too. From iphone Polaroids to World Cup beer posters, a creative, cool endeavor.

The Sketchbook Project: I heard of the sketchbook project through the Donut Project, actually, and if I wasn’t so darn noncommittal and unreliable at the moment, I’d totally do it. So I’m passing it along to you now in hopes that you do it instead. Anyone from anywhere in the world can participate by having a sketchbook mailed to you for a relatively small fee and choosing a theme (anything from “Sleepless,” “Nightmare,” “I’m sorry I forgot you” etc.). Then you’ll use it often, send it back, it’ll travel in a cool show with everyone else’s scrapbooks and eventually be permanently catalogued at the Brooklyn Art Library. I love this.

Heather in SF
July 10, 2010

Your Tahoe pictures are lovely, it really takes me back to my summer vacations up there; camping, fishing, and sneaking out for ice cream! I am looking forward to exploring these links, all of them are new to me, so you are not the last to the party!!

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shannalee
July 10, 2010

fun pictures, fun links. I love posts like these, filled with inspiration! heading to check them all out now!

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Janet
July 10, 2010

Ooh, fun and pretty new things to read! Love the shots, too. All I did today was lounge - and sleep! :)

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jacquie
July 10, 2010

but what kind of sundae did you get? and did it "take you back" to when you went as a child?

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Mardi@eatlivetravelwrite
July 10, 2010

I love your "little pockets of genius" Megan. You always find the coolest places on the web!

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Maddie
July 10, 2010

I love that your pictures look exactly as if they were taken many years ago, during your childhood, even if they were really snapped two weeks ago. It creates a lovely, summery mood. Thanks for all the inspiration here!

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Ricky Salsberry
July 12, 2010

Well well,
We owe you a big thank you for such a generous plug. Really appreciate the kind words. It's great to know people out there enjoy the site as much as we do.

Keep up the good work over here :)

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kickpleat
July 13, 2010

That ice cream shop photo looks amazing! I love places like that and I'm jealous of all that lounging!!

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Meg B.
July 17, 2010

I'm so jealous -- my husband has been promising me a trip to Tahoe or Shaver for two months now! Instead, we've been to the coast several times!!! Ok, maybe I shouldn't complain about the coast, but I'm a bigger fan of the mountains!

Thanks for the links! I've been so out of the blogging scene because of college, I had no idea about a few of these.

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M.
July 22, 2010

Oh, my!!! I love Log Cabin!!! their ice cream and their breakfasts, homemade muffins and best salmon eggs benedict on a crroisant ever.
Lots of great summer memories from there as well :)

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