crooked house

I'll Eat You Up, I Love You So

Available in a variety of colors from olive + birch for only 5 bucks.

The Words You Speak

The words you speak become the house you live in. Hafiz. Love those Persian mystics.

Secret Heart Garden

A hot-air balloonist in England recently discovered this meadow in the shape of a heart tucked away inside a stand of thousands of oak trees.  Turns out it was made, secretly, by farmer Winston Howes,  in memory of his wife Janet, who died of heart failure at age 50, in 1995. From The Daily Mail:

Mr Howes, 70, said yesterday: ‘I came up with the idea of creating a heart in the clearing of the field after Janet died.

‘I thought it was a great idea – it was a flash of inspiration – and I planted several thousand oak trees. Once it was completed we put a seat in the field, overlooking the hill near where she used to live.

‘I sometimes go down there, just to sit and think about things. It is a lovely and lasting tribute to her which will be here for years.’

He created the wood next to his farmhouse in the months after her death, marking out the massive heart shape with a large hedge.

The entrance to the secret heart is accessible only from a track leading up to its tip.

Mr Howes added: ‘We got people in especially to do it – there are several thousand trees.

‘We planted large oak trees around the edge of the heart then decided to put a hedge around it too. The heart points towards Wotton Hill, where Janet is from. We plant daffodils in the middle that come up in the spring – it looks great. I go out there from time to time and sit in the seat I created.’

Janet and Winston Howes.

Drink the Wild Air

Ralph Waldo Emerson, found on Lauren Cerand's How I'll Spend My Summer pinterest board. (It's way more fun to plan how you'll spend your summer than to recap it once you're back "in school.")

Lighted Cardboard Tower of Crooked Houses

This is one of artist Annalise Rees's cardboard cities. It's on our list to reproduce -- it may be a good activity for Boxing Day!

Tell Me

On my facebook and twitter statuses the other day I jokingly misquoted this as "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS HOUR TO YOURSELF?" Other moms understood.

But I do love the real Mary Oliver quote and isn't this photo by Ez of Creature Comforts, so pretty? She should sell prints. This would be nice in the kids' room.

I found that image on pinterest. Come follow me there! I'm having a lot of fun with my good words board in particular.

How Do Books Work?

Via Condalmo.

Golden Rule Poster

All the elements in this poster featuring the golden rule were drawn or printed by six-year-old Koen with a Sharpie and then arranged digitally by his father. It is absolutely gorgeous. Move over ubiquitous Keep Calm and Carry On poster. I think you've got a little competition.

Patching Buildings with Lego

The people behind Dispatchwork fix cracks and crumbling bits of buildings all over the world with Lego. Love that. Ooh, this old building in Toulouse is fabulous.

TED: Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

"Everyone should watch this." Apparently, those are the most common words used in blog posts about this video featuring Ken Robinson, which has been around since 2006. I'm one of the few who somehow missed it and am posting it here in case you are, too. I've just downloaded the first chapters of Out of our Minds: Learning to be Creative and The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.