Jimmy Towels... Let's get behind this!

Have you guys heard of the Jimmy Towel?  This project has everything going for it...   It's a local effort to replace paper towels with a reusable microfiber cloth (made in the USA).  I was really impressed with their concept and the way they presented it.  Watching their kickstarter video, I feel like the point really hit home when they mentioned that "51,000 trees are cut down every day".  EVERY.  DAY.  That figure is unacceptable.  Where I grew up, it wasn't uncommon for people to carry a handkerchief, or tiny washcloth with them.  In many parts of the world, keeping a cloth in your pocket or purse is commonplace.  For some reason, that's not the case here- but Jimmy Towel is working to change that. They've got 14 days left to raise $3,264 of their $15,000 goal or their project will not be funded and they'll go back to square one.  Let's help!  I just supported them on kickstarter, and I hope that you will too.  ♥

And life gets in the way...

Posting has been a bit light this past week or so, and there are two particular reasons why...  

1. Work, work, and more work.  Not that I could complain about it, because I really do enjoy my work- but wow, has it been non-stop lately.  Remember this video of Elliott?  Well, it inspired a similar short movie for Ambiance, downtown.  If you're curious, you can see it here.  It was a lot of fun, but a LOT more work than my little home movie.

I'm also really excited to share that an image from this photo shoot was chosen to run as a full page ad in the recent "Best of SLO" insert.  It's only my fourth ad photo, but I'm just tickled about it.

2.  Ok, last but nowhere near least: Awful, horrendous, the worst...  Allergies.  Are you suffering too?  I'm going on my second week of the worst attack I've had all year, and my brain has been reduced to a worthless fuzzball- something resembling Pascal's tail.

So there it is...  the good and the bad, and the delicate balance of both.  C'est la vie, friends.  ♥

P.S.

Speaking of "Best of SLO"... I am SO very proud of my darling dearest who won Best Visual Artist for the 3rd year running.  I can tell you in all honesty- that I don't know anyone more deserving and more committed to his craft than Jeffrey.  Though yes, I am completely biased.  ♥

Tag, you're it!

A couple of weeks ago, we rode over to Ruby Rose on our bikes, and rather than my usual m.o. which consists of:  a handful of sample cookies and straight to the clothes- Stephanie stopped me in my tracks, "Watch out, Coral, I tagged your blog".  Can you hear me saying "Mmwhaatgh?" with a mouthful of cookie?   Here's how she explained it... "a handful of us will answer 11 questions so that we can get to know each other better."  Yeah, I'm totally game!

The Rules:

....you must post the rules

....answer 11 questions the tagger posted for you

....create 11 questions to ask the people you tag

....tag 11 people

....let them know you've tagged them

Stephanie's questions for me:

1. Dinner party--What six people would you love to have at your table?

2. Flash back to 17--What did you want to be when you grew up?

3 What does a perfect day look like to you?

4. Favorite movies?

5. Online shop or "touch and feel" shop?

6. Who or what has had an impact on your life?

7. I have a 16 year old--What advice would you give her now that you can look back on that age?

8. What would surprise us to know about you?

9. What five things would you grab if your house was burning down?

10. Do you blog daily, weekly, monthly? What do you do when there is a lack of inspiration?

11. Fly or drive to a vacation?

1. Dinner party--What six people would you love to have at your table?

Jeff and I have discussed doing dinner parties with various artists and creative business owners.  There's this amazing design firm in Soho called "The Apartment", fronted by a guy named Stefan Boublil.  The Apartment hosts weekly dinners with a great mix of architects, artists, designers, writers, and miscellaneous other interesting characters.  Sometimes the guests all chip-in to cook, sometimes world class chefs do the honors...  all of this takes place in Boublil's amazing loft.  Anyway, THAT is my dream dinner party.  A medley of interesting people in interesting fields who will let me pick their brains over yummy food in a designer loft.  Oooh, yes please.  Ok, ok... the fantasy answer?  Marie Antoinette, Pablo Neruda, John Lennon, Louis Kahn, Roald Dahl, and maybe Banksy or Andy Warhol (for Jeff).


2. Flash back to 17--What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a teenager, my best friend and I wrote and published a zine which was sold in various little shops from Honolulu to Japan to San Diego, to Seattle...  It wasn't fancy, and we didn't make much, but in exchange for ads and band profiles, indie record labels would send us concert tickets with on-stage passes to interview bands.  As a kid, it was pretty amazing and at the time, I just assumed I would go into publishing at some point.  I didn't. 

3 What does a perfect day look like to you?

Hmmm...  Well, tonight when I got into bed, Jeffrey said "We had a good day".  I smiled and said "Every day is a good day" and he said "Yeah.  When did they start getting so good every day?"  I honestly, feel like the luckiest person in the world.  I get to wake up next to the love of my life every morning, and my children are healthy.  I couldn't ask for more than that.  A stroll along the Seine with a crepe in my hand couldn't hurt from time to time... but life is pretty darn great.  ♥


4. Favorite movies?  
Oooh...  SO tough.  I love love loooove movies.  We haven't had cable in...  I don't even know how many years- so movies are a big deal.  Off the top of my head (and not particularly in order), I'd say:
1. Amelie
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
3. Rendezvous
4. Pride & Prejudice (the Keira Knightley version)
5. Romeo & Juliet (the 60's and the 90's versions equally)
6. Fight Club
7. Harold & Maude
8. Strictly Ballroom
9. The Red Balloon
10. Marie Antoinette

5. Online shop or "touch and feel" shop?

Both.  I am a diehard fan of sourcing that perfect thing, and I'll put in the legwork to find it.  I believe strongly in supporting small, local shops first and foremost- so I always start close to home.  But in the end it's really about the item itself, and I'm not afraid to scour the globe in search of what I really want.  For those surprise finds that I didn't know I couldn't live without, nothing beats a good brick and mortar in my own neighborhood.  

6. Who or what has had an impact on your life?

More than anything else, love has impacted my life.  The people I've loved have shaped me.  My mama, without question...  I've never known anyone else like her.  A jack of all trades and a master of every single one of them.  She's incredible and tenacious and fearless and beautiful.  She's everything.  If Ralph Lauren and Wikipedia had a child, it would be her.  My children...  they make me feel like my heart fills up my whole body.  Jeffrey...  I feel like every trial and tribulation, every decision, and every single step I took in my life, was destined to put me right here where I am right now, right next to him.  And that is exactly where I belong.  He inspires and encourages me endlessly.  He's my biggest fan, my hero, and my whole world.

7. I have a 16 year old--What advice would you give her now that you can look back on that age?

Well, I know what I'd like to go back and say to myself when I was younger.  I'd give young me a BIG hug, and say:  "It's ok.  Maybe it's doesn't feel ok right now... today... but it will all be ok, I promise.  Trust your own instincts more.  Be authentic, whether it's popular or not.  Do more of what makes you smile.  Don't waste your time on a useless degree, study what you really love.  Pause and appreciate the moments that move you, they're worth slowing down for.  And finally, but most importantly... don't worry.  Life will surprise you, but it all works out beautifully in the end."

8. What would surprise us to know about you?

You might be surprised to know that I am full of surprises:

I'm a black belt, twice over.  I studied Tae Kwon Do for many, many years.  

I can fly a plane.

I've broken 6 ribs, my back in 3 places, ruptured my spleen punctured a lung, and shattered my pelvis.

I don't drive a car anymore.  At all.

I'm a diver.  I can free-dive and spearfish.

I can filet and de-bone a fish.

I've been in a hot air balloon.

I've been widowed.

I pick up languages easily.

I'm obsessed with the French Revolution.

I've ridden horses since I was 4.

I was born with hip displasia & spent the first 2 years of my life in a cast from my armpits to my toes. 

I have to (HAVE TO) sleep on flannel sheets.

I still use the same shampoo/conditioner my mom used on me when I was little.

I'm addicted to soup, dark chocolate, lemons, and karaoke.

I'm a book nerd.  A big one.  At last count, we had around 1,700 of them in the house.

Ice cubes makes me cringe.``````````

9. What five things would you grab if your house was burning down?

Assuming my family is out?  My photos and my great grandmother's lamps.  Everything else is expendable.

10. Do you blog daily, weekly, monthly? What do you do when there is a lack of inspiration?

I make a serious effort to blog daily, and schedule posts ahead when I feel inspired.  On a good day, I can knock out a week's worth of posts.  I'm super overly-sensitive to my environment and the things around me... in my home, I feel inspired.  Talking to Jeff inspires me.  Eating a great meal, reading, walking around town, taking photos, getting dressed, shopping, getting my hands dirty...  inspiration constantly takes me by surprise..

11. Fly or drive to a vacation?

Fly.  No question.  Preferably back to Paris.  :)

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Whew!  Thanks for including me, Stephanie.  This was fun and I loved reading your answers too.  

Ok, my turn:

1. What's your secret to a happy life?

2. What is your idea of heaven.

3. What's the most important lesson you've learned in your life?

4. What would you do with a (tax free) million dollars?

5. You've got a free ticket to anywhere on earth... where are you going?

6. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

7. What would it surprise me to know about you?

8. What thing do you think you do differently than everyone else?

9. The best advice you ever got?

10. The most magical moment of your life so far?

11. Top ten favorite books?

*I'm only tagging my mother, because I don't want to obligate anyone to do this- but please feel free to tag yourself and link to it in the comments section!  I would really love to hear what you have to say.