no matter who wrote it.. it's great advice

This has been floating around the internet for eons.. and has been credited to everyone from Microsoft head, Bill Gates - to Kurt Vonnegut - to Deluth state Representative Brooks Coleman.....

So who actually wrote it? I've tried to no avail to uncover this mystery. . .but regardless of the author.... it's damn good advice....

so just in case you haven't read it.... here it is.

Print it out to give your kids, your grandkids...

rules kids will not learn in school.

It talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your cloth es and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and lose rs, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you can read this, thank a teacher!

A to Z favorites...... K

K is for......

KIPI...

in her own words.....

I like color.

I like biology.

I like graffiti.

I like kitsch.

I like pattern.

I like depth and layers....

I like blending these concepts in my work.

And, most of all, I like the idea of others living with my art!
simply beautiful.... find them here.

Kreativlink......just imagine what you could write in this book... perhaps little life stories to be discovered years and years from now, beautifully preserved in this handmade, leather-bound treasure. Hand-torn, tea-stained pages make this a beautiful legacy to be cherished forever.
just seeing one of these skillfully bound books makes me want to be a writer.... find them here.

Kitchen stickers! (don't you just LOVE that fridge????)
according to their website,

"Yneko's stickers aim to combine usefulness and playfulness, to give the opportunity to anyone "to play the interior designer" by applying an original customised touch to our living space. The idea is to customise our everyday space by using something that we all have played with, at least once ..and maybe once upon a time ago ..the stickers!

The stickers are available in several designs, for the decoration needs of the entire house. ..And it is not all about decoration! By trying to meet the needs of today's hectic life-style, the stickers provide both a creative and an edgy solution for forgetful people
too. Too many drawers? Have you forgot your fork? We've got the practical sticker solution... for fun & find! So... spruce up your kitchen! The room that's the star of the house is no longer willing to settle for being just a functional space! They'll bring to your room an original touch, helping you find all stuffs! "

find them here.

Kast van een Huis.... The collection is designed as multipurpose furniture.The closets are designed as a storage for clothes, toys, books, crockery or even for office-equipment. If you place several models next to each other you create a street of closets or a room-divider.
What wonderfully lucky child wouldn't just adore these???

find them here.

Knife Hooks ... by tcstudio

found on DesignSpotter a bit odd... but so me... :)

KONZUK jewelry, with its innovative use of materials, is faithful to the clean, minimalist aesthetic of contemporary industrial design and architecture.

find it here.

Living Green

I've been trying to find gifts for my grandson.... it's harder than I thought it would be!

First, try to find something for a toddler that doesn't light up and make noise! Whatever happened to creative play? I don't want to teach him that you can always 'touch a button' and be entertained. I think it's important for kids to use their imaginations....

Second, with all the recalls of the past year I want to find safe toys that also help me feel confident about the impact of my purchase not only on my grandson but on the environment and workers across the supply chain.

I've done a little research and thought I'd share my findings...

The member businesses of Co-op America's Green Business Network are screened for their commitment to people and the planet. You can find this listing online at GreenPages.org

You can shop with confidence knowing that these businesses carry the most responsible products for your family. I've also come across some great shops on Etsy.com... individual artisans who spend their time and care creating unique, well-made toys.

Here are a few of the things I've come across.. most of which I've actually purchased - so I know they're great!

Every kid needs a sock monkey! I bought this one for my grandson at Christmas... You can find bunches of them on Etsy.com but this is the one I bought... from KellyJeanDesign it was super reasonably priced too! Only $16.00!
and best of all.... he loves it!!!

I've never met a kid that doesn't like to play with balls... Fair Trade Sports Balls is a member of the Green Business Network - you can be assured that no child labor is involved in their production and that workers receive a living wage in a healthy work environment.... and they donate all of their after-tax profits to children's charities!

For the younger set... thepolkadottotspot on Etsy makes beautiful handmade cloth balls with a little jingle bell inside! Only $10.00! She makes loads of fun blocks and balls in a variety of sizes and fun colors.

Children's Organic Hemp Sneakers! These sweatshop-free, chemical-free, cruelty-free, leather-free children's shoes are vegan and are made with only environmentally sound materials, including organic hemp uppers and soles made from reclaimed used tires.For toddlers and beginning walkers, our vegetarian kids sneakers are the ideal first shoe: supportive, soft, comfortable, durable, fair-labor produced, and 100% vegetarian. Only $25.00!!
Buy them and all sorts of products that are "safe for your baby, the planet, and all animals" at KidBean.com

Kate’s Caring Gifts brings you the very best natural, organic, and ecologically sustainable products that you can find anywhere.

These wonderful toys and books are made from durable, recycled material. The proceeds from the sale support the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy, a nonprofit nonprofit membership organization created to:
*Preserve the Golden Gate National Parks,
*Enhance the experiences of park visitors, and
*Build a community dedicated to conserving the parks for the future.
...and they're only $6.95!!

Stump Pond Woodworks has been delighting children with these toys for over a quarter of a century. For safety and durability, they use native hardwoods finished only with non-toxic drugstore grade mineral oil. For safety,no soft pine, paint,stain or breakable plastics are used in any of my 25 toys and puzzles. Made right here in the USA... This fabulous pull toy is handmade and is still only $22.60!!
I could go on and on.... I found so many wonderful things in my search that it would take pages and pages to show you... but the main point is...
You can make a difference! You can support businesses devoted to environmental sustainability, social justice, and healthy living. We can teach our kids to make a difference too!

You can help too!

Ok.. so my FABULOUS daughter got me a sewing machine for my birthday! (actually, I think it's a bribe so I'll make cool things for my grandson and for her.. like halloween costumes!) But I LOVE it! and it's also going to allow me to help 16 children in Ethiopia, Africa.

Check out this blog http://www.umbrellachild.blogspot.com/m/

These kids need school supplies, and clothing. Now that I have a sewing machine, I'm going to sew some clothes for these beautiful children. If you'd like to donate materials or even some clothing please let me know! The material does not have to be new... in fact, I'm making them skirts and pants out of some of my old clothes and t-shirts. Recycling is the best!! How about you??? Do you have some old clothes that I could re-purpose??

Let me know! I'll take photos of everything I make and post them here for you to see before I send them off! We need to send these by mid-November. Thanks!