I Manage

My friends and family know me to be creative; not eccentrically so, but i have been known to get a chuckle out of them with my ideas. these ones are just a few that i have done.


this is my branch from a Manzanita bush/tree. my parents live on a big plot of land in rolling foothills of Northern California, so one Christmas i set off into the country and cut off a big branch and snipped off the little branches. it is currently hung on the wall above my couch.


Rocks and things from the ground have a special place in my heart. this one is a shell from a spring break trip to Maui. these necklaces first started when i was traveling Europe. instead of buying tacking souvenirs for friends, i picked up rocks from different countries and back in the States i wrapped them in gold wire and strung them on gold chain. they still wear them and it gives me no end of pleasure when they do.


I used to work in a wine tasting room and we would get all sorts of fun merchandise; one of which was bottle stoppers made from salvaged vintage door knobs. i loved them and an idea for a functional art piece popped in my head. i ordered old glass knobs from ebay, had my dad cut a plank of wood i found, i drilled holes into it, hammered some nails in it now functions as a key holder next to my front door. it was one of those pieces that actually turned out exactly how i envisioned it. it has a special place in my heart. hope you enjoyed.

Creative Power

These are the times of conscious and creative thinkers and creators. So much of that creative power is lying within developing nations’ women. One of my best friends forwarded me a New York Times Article, The Women’s Crusade, which speaks directly to this fact; that if women of developing countries are allowed to run businesses their surrounding community benefits and ultimately the nation.

A beautiful example is 31 Bits formed by four friends with 33 women of Uganda. Its “centered around using the creative art and entrepreneurship already present in the women. [31 Bits] goal is to help get them out of poverty, provide consistent schooling for their children, and proper nutrition and healthcare for the entire family.”
And they just recently partnered with Reef sandals, making a limited edition line of sandals. They also hope one day to extend 31 Bits to the women of Haiti.

There are many other groups such as these around the world who are providing an outlet for women feel empowered and change their circumstances. Live consciously and create.

The Year of Side Projects

I was listening to KCRW’s Morning Becomes Ecclectic with Jason Bentley and guest DJ Jason Schwartzman and they made a reference to 2009 being the year of the side project. So, curious is what I am; I decided to scour the internet hunting for these so-called side projects. Holy-molely there is a lot. So here is a list of some of the interesting ones I found (some are old news, but whatever).

-Monsters of Folk- Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket and M. Ward
-Flashy Python- Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands and Say yeah
- Riceboy Sleeps- Jonsi Birgisson, singer of Sigur Ros
-Rainbow Fang- Robin Pecknold from Fleet Foxes. no music released yet
-Julian Casablancas (self-titled side project) of The Strokes
-Ramona Falls- Brent Knopf from Menomena
-Handsome Furs- Dan Boeckner from Wolf Parade
-Drummers- Dan Auerbach of Black Keys
-Sunset Rubdown- Spencer Krug from Wolf Parade
-Black Prairie- Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, Chris Funk from The Decemberists with Annalisa Tornfelt and Jon Neufeld
-Codeine Velvet Club- Jon Lawler of Fratellis
-Atlas Sound- Bradford Cox of Deerhunter
-Thom Yorke from Radiohead
-Tired Pony and Listen…Tanks!- Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol
-Helsinki- Drew McConnell from Babyshambles
-Volcano Choir – Justin Vernon singer of Bon Iver
-Palmer, AK- Eric Howk from The Lashes (Seattle band)
-Shy in Sunshine- Sneezy Waters Jr. of Hopscotch Boys (Seattle band)
-Discovery- Rostam Batmanglij keyboardist/producer of Vampire Weekend and Wes Miles singer of Ra Ra
-Apparatjik Guy Berryman Coldplay bassist, Jonas Bjerre from Mew, and Magne Furuholmen keyboardist for A-ha
-Dead Weather- Jack White from White stripes
-Jenny Lewis(self titled project) of Rilo Kiley and The Watson Twins

this one is not really a side project but i found them in my searching. i love them! Dear Reader and Birdie Hilltop.

Have fun with these sides...devour and enjoy