design family history observations

Dr. Bronner’s Gets a Facelift

Have you heard of Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap? It’s liquid soap that can be used for pretty much anything, whether as a body wash and shampoo or as a household cleaner. We prefer the Hemp Peppermint variety. The soap is all organic, with Certified Fair Trade ingredients. The funkiest thing about this soap is the packaging, specifically the label. When you purchase a bottle, you get a spiritual/philosophical tome of very tiny print that covers…

Continue reading

art design history inspiration pragmatic historian

Tarot for Enlightenment

Happy Easter! Given the pandemic and the necessary stay-at-home order we are under, this is not a normal Easter. On a typical Easter, we would be getting together with family to eat a nice dinner and socialize. It would also be somewhat warmer. Instead, we are all in our individual homes doing homely (in the British sense of the word) things and it’s around freezing in Minnesota, with snow in the metro. I am writing…

Continue reading

design observations

Bunny Socks

I have been on a hunt of epic proportions. Ever since finding old-fashioned tube socks at my local Walmart, I have been wearing several pairs of them in constant rotation. What I love about them is they are thicker than most women’s socks. Because I am always wearing a pair of them, they are getting thin in the heels and toes. Soon I’ll end up with holes in my socks, so it is imperative that…

Continue reading

design writing

Greenville – The Unfinished Edition

I was part of a local authors event at our library today. Eleven local authors were featured, which just scratches the surface of writers within our area. Seeing everyone with their books, I was in awe of how prolific and accomplished we were in terms of what we have produced. It’s no easy thing to take a book from writing to editing to publication. I had great fun talking to people who stopped by my…

Continue reading

art design ideas thought fodder

Sustainable Creativity

As an artist who cares about the environment, I am keenly aware of all the stuff I put into the world when I make things. I am also aware of the resources I consume in making those things. We have reached critical mass with over-consumption and over-production in society, especially American society. Visit any antique store and look at all the useless crap that sits on shelves, of no real purpose other than having something…

Continue reading