matters of the art

I have a pretty neat project coming around the bend. I mentioned before that I've been helping my mom put a fresh face on The Century Bar with her "Bourbon House" rebrand. As a part of these efforts, we're focusing on being a bigger part of the arts community. Enter this wonderful opportunity; Each month Dayton hosts a large First Friday event. It's essentially a massive art hop where all the galleries open up, bars and coffee shops feature great bands and the streets are filled with a buzzing energy.

For February's First Friday (say that five times fast), we're working with the holiday and bringing on a special event—Matters of the Art Show! I'm excited to say we'll be featuring a lot of newbies to the art scene, as well as some seasoned veterans, all working in a variety of mediums. The only rule being that the art should reflect the Valentine's theme. I can't wait to see what all these talented peeps come up with!

Local, but can't make it for the premiere night? No worries! Art will be displayed for the entire month of February.

Pantone Hotel

Design geeks hold on to your butts! This got me so excited, I created a Pinterest board specifically for it and other places that I simply MUST visit one day! This Pantone branded hotel is so pretty, so smart, and so stylish that I was asking myself it it was "real life"! But it is! It's in Brussels and it'll cost you a bit should you decide to stay there. One might argue that the brilliant use of color and white space (had to say it) makes it well worth the investment and trip.

Fotoshop by Adobé

We all know that cover girls don't necessarily look quite as pristine in real life as they do on that highly polished, infinitely retouched glossy cover. It's easy to forget, though, when you're barraged with their perfect, shiny, all-too-white toothy grins when you're just trying to buy a tube of tooth-paste at your local Target. It's almost enough to make you reconsider whether or not you should have splurged for the Total Complete-Scope-plus-bacteria fighter-and-whitener-CrestCare, while you were at it.

Never fear! This hilarious "infauxmercial" is here to remind you of just how ludicrous the whole game is. Fotoshop by Adobé by Jesse Rosten is hopefully enough to snap you out of any body-image pity party. See the credits and behind the scenes photos here.

completely inspired by :: kickstarter

Anyone feeling generous these days? Maybe you made a New Years resolution to give more charitably in the upcoming year? In any case, Kickstarter.com is waiting for you with a bevy of worthy cases. Perhaps you have a soft spot for budding artists or people who love pugs (more on that in a moment), or peeps with a passion for making espresso machines? Step right up and find yourself a reason to give!

I first heard of Kickstarter when my husband and his bandmates (Me & Mountains) applied for a slot, and actually got in! The boys who grew up listening to their parent's music on record players (there were still a couple of those hanging around when we were little) had a dream to bring their sweet tunes to vinyl. So in an effort to share some of that nostalgic joy that is the sound of a real record, they decided to ask their fan base for help. Kickstarter gave them the platform to do so, and the response was amazing!

With this awesome website, you apply for a space on their site to make your pitch—be it through video, images or copy. You set a certain amount of money that you need to raise to accomplish your goal, and then offer backers sweet goods and incentives to pledge some money toward it. If at the end of your allotted time frame you've reached your monetary goal, the money is yours! If you fail to make it, you get a big ol' goose egg.

Does it sound kinda fishy to you? It did to me at first, too. However, the more I dove into the topic, the more I found to love. Some projects are a little off the wall, some endearing or funny, and some just plain old heartwarming! And most importantly, it works! Me & Mountains reached their $1000 goal in something like 6 DAYS. People continue to contribute to their cause and the boys couldn't be more tickled.


Here are a handful of my favorite causes. Check them out, or go find your own project to champion!

I am a pretty serious pug-lover. Not the crazy kind that refers to her pugs as her "kids" and totes them around with her everywhere she goes... But I do have a pretty healthy affection for the pudgy little mouth breathers. Amanda from Frolic Photography shares this love, times 1000.  Check out her 1000 pugs photo project.

This might be a shameless plug the hubbs and his band, but I'm okay with that. They already hit their goal anyway. Check out their Kickstarter page for a preview of the new album, Feral, and to pre-order it on vinyl!

Oh, Expletive won me over with their hilarious little promotional video. It features a teddy bear and a boston terrier. Both of which talk. If that's not enough to get you reaching for your wallet, their beautifully simple (and funny) screen prints just might. (I'm leaning toward this unicorn print myself)

inspired by :: tara mcpherson

These "Somewhere Under the Rainbow" art prints from Tara McPherson have got me imagining which little nooks in my house these will look the best in. They go on sale Thursday at 3pm EST on Tara's own Cotton Candy Machine website. They're printed in an edition of 100 each, so buy them up while they last! I know I just might have to.

modCloth :: just my type

I love, love, love ModCloth. Their website is chock-full of more of the cutest apparel, accessories and home goods than a girl could possibly ask for.  I could spend hours perusing their pages. I didn't need another reason to sing their praises, but I found one anyway!

To celebrate the fresh year ahead, they have outfitted a number of their staff members in their gorgeous goods for a feature called "Just My Type". The thing that makes this stand apart is that they didn't just pick their willowy, 20 year-old intern, who looks like a Forever21 model, to pose away. They chose real, stylish women and outfitted them in ways that are flattering and bring out their individuality. These girls run the gamut from petite to tall, slight to full, and sweet to tough. The one thing they all have in common is that they all appear confident and comfortable in their own skin. ModCloth even throws in their measurements and height so you can figure out how that awesome dress or cute cardigan might measure up on your own frame. BRAVO, ModCloth!

sunday snack :: ultimate paleo trail mix

It doesn't exactly take a degree in the culinary arts to make trail mix. All you really have to do is to throw together some combination of crunchy/salty/sweet/gooey/chewy/yummy/you-get-the-idea, ingredients. I would go as far as to say that a trail mix composition is a highly personal endeavor. However, if you're looking for a guideline as to what that combination should be, look no further.

Last night, as I was rushing to create a snack for a New Year's Eve party, I think I found the optimal trail mix formula. It just happens to also be paleo (well, you can split hairs about the chocolate and whether that makes this un-paleo, if you want). With just the right amount of salty paired with sweet, this energizing snack is a satisfying treat. This recipe makes a lot, so plan on taking it to a party or splitting it up into individually portioned baggies to eat throughout the week (or month).

Ingredients:

yields several servings

1-1/2 cup roasted salted almonds

1 cup roasted salted macadamia nuts

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

1 cup banana chips (go for the unsweetened to reduce sugar)

2/3 cup Enjoy Life dairy free Chocolate Mega Chunks

1/2 cup raw cashews

Method:

• I have one step for you, and that is to mix all the ingredients well! Oh, and try not to eat the whole bowl yourself :)

everything feels all new and shiny!

I've been away from Oh, Hopscotch! for a minute. Things got crazy with our vacation, Christmas, work, and the training I've been doing with CrossFit. I made all sorts of fun crafty stuff for Christmas, but had no time to share it out, which makes my heart hurt. And I'm only being slightly dramatic here.

However, it's a new year, life has (somewhat) slowed down, and I have some fun new things to bring to this happy little corner of cyberspace. I'm so excited for 2012 and all the adventure it will bring!

Do you make resolutions? Have any doozies? I don't tend to make resolutions per se, but I do have a couple of goals for the upcoming year:

• Write, write, write more!
• Complete a muscle-up (this YouTube clip makes it look so epic, but it sort of is, so whatev).
• Work on a healthier me, with a sharper focus on elite fitness and clean eating—Paleo-style!
• Host or attend at least one craft night with my girlfriends a month.
• Go to a local climbing wall and conquer my fear of heights.
• Give it my all in the CrossFit Open. I figure I don't have a snowball's chance in Hell of going to the Games, but I'm learning, and it'll give me great experience to build on for next year!
• Host at least one solo and one collaborative art show.
• Travel! See some friends, some sites, and maybe another country.
• Be a better wife, daughter, friend, co-worker, sister... person.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support this year and always. I love you all and hope 2012 holds nothing but magic for you! Happy New Year!