One of the most magical objects I own: The Lumio Book Lamp.
Friday Link Pack
– For you traveling folks. The Ostrich Pillow Go looks fab.
– It looks like a paint firework exploded over this sheep skin. So good.
– 10 Ways to Build a Snack Board with Stuff Already in Your Kitchen
– Why You Should Start Using a VPN (and How to Choose the Best One for Your Needs)-
– What a beauty of a tote, made with cotton cord.
– I want all of the letter boards.
– An electronic megaphone that automatically translates a speaker’s words into multiple languages.
– The world needs good juju.
– You can donate the sound of your voice for someone that is voiceless. Fascinating.
– Some of the reviews on this $199.99 Trump Christmas ornament are a work of art.
– 5 ways to curb your media addiction (via)
– A friend gifted me one of these Brooklyn Slate Cheese Boards. One of my favorite gifts I have received recently.
– Why Every High School Should Teach A Social Media Class
– The 10 most beautiful libraries on earth. Makes me want to travel.
– I like how simple, bold and large this is.
– A state shaped cutting board. Such a fun gift. (I proudly own one in the shape of Switzerland)
– Really excited over this collaboration: Quotes by Bruce Lee in his handwriting as Tattly.
– 17 Apps for Managing Email Overload, Anxiety, and Distraction
– A desk opened up at FRIENDS my small, kind, creative co-working community in Boerum Hill Brooklyn. Join us!
Tinybop: Space
Space by Tinybop from Tinybop on Vimeo.
Tinybop just launched their latest educational app for kids: SPACE Can’t wait to show my six year old tonight!!
Perspective in Form of a Scarf
I will not leave my house without a Slow Factory scarf these days. Wearing a NASA Space Telescope Image of a globular cluster or honoring Amelia Erhart gives me the perspective I need these days. Ever since the presidential election here in the U.S. I feel like there is a heavy gray cloud hanging over my world.
But we can’t have our spirits broken. We need to show up and be a positive force in the world. Slow Factory’s Scarves remind me of this. Every day. And yes, I am most likely their biggest fan.
Dead Bookstore
Designer Ben Pieratt creates collages out of old deconstructed books. Series 1 is now available and made of 12 found works spanning the last 65 years.
Forest Friendly Tissues
Forest friendly tissues in a design-y box. No trees harmed – made with 100% bamboo. They also offer paper towels and toilet paper.
Resist & Thrive
This Ignite talk by Yancey Strickler was presented at People We Love Camp, an unconference hosted by Kickstarter in October 2016.
♥ / Roadmunk
Big thanks to Roadmunk for sponsoring my blog and RSS feed this week!
Roadmunk is an enterprise SaaS platform that allows users to create visual roadmaps in a collaborative environment. Roadmunk makes roadmapping easy by focusing on superior design, powerful sharing options, and an intuitive user experience. Their customers include companies like Slack, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Adobe and Citibank.
How it works
Plug: Quickly integrate data from your existing software stack
Plan: Plot, pivot, and filter your strategy all in one dashboard
Present: Align your organization and lead faster more effective meetings
To try out Roadmunk for yourself, sign up today for a free 14-day trial.
(Interested in sponsoring a week of my RSS feed, learn more here.)
Bruce Lee x Tattly Collaboration
Best known as a legendary martial arts expert and inspiring cultural icon, Bruce Lee was also a profound philosopher and poet. Viewing the practice of philosophy as inseparable from day-to-day life, Lee carried a small pocketbook that he would fill with training regimens and general notes, as well as thought-provoking reflections, affirmations, and writings. To this day, more than 40 years after his untimely passing, these writings continue to inspire and motivate generations.
Team Tattly had the incredibly honor to collaborate with Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee’s daughter just launched a set of temporary tattoos in honor of her dad’s legacy.
Be Water My Friend is one of my all-time favorite sayings and being able to wear it in Bruce Lee’s handwriting makes me so happy!
The Be Water, My Friend set launched yesterday and is flying off the shelves! My heart!
Rainbow Playing Cards
What’s not to love about these colorful playing cards? They feature a full spectrum of colors on their face and a uniform black and white pattern on their backs.
(I discovered them via a comment in my blog post yesterday asking about what smaller companies should we be supporting this holiday season?)
The Last Steps
On December 7, 1972, NASA launched Apollo 17, a lunar mission crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt. It would be the last time humans traveled beyond low Earth orbit, the last time man landed on another celestial body, and the last time man went to the moon. The Last Steps uses rare, heart-pounding footage and audio to retrace the record-setting mission.
(via Bobby)
Joshua Tree Natural Throw
This linen throw by Caroline Z Hurley is perfect for a table cloth, beach towel, couch throw, wrap dress, or anything else you can think of. And there are so many more to chose from. Love them all!
“ISH” Cake Topper
This “-ish” cake topper made me laugh! I have been 29-ish for a few years now and it feels great!
Wavy Grid and Sleepy Eyes Throw
This wavy grid and sleepy eyes throw by AELFI made me smile.
(I discovered them via a comment in my blog post yesterday asking about what smaller companies should we be supporting this holiday season?)
Overhead Portraits of Street Vendors
Loes Heerink captured beautiful overhead photos of street vendors in Hanoi.
Support Good People with Your Holiday Shopping
Every time you buy something, you vote with your wallet.
As someone who has bootstrapped companies and knows just how hard it is to do it right, to fight the good fight and do things the right way, not just for the bottom-line, but actually run a business with a set of values that might make the world a tiny bit better, I know just how incredibly hard it is to make it work. Just like this election has shown, the ruthless ones, the ones that don’t care about anything other than full pockets, are the ones that usually win.
I have bootstrapped Tattly from the beginning and we had some wonderful successes but it is a bumpy road, even 5 years in. I believe in manufacturing whatever I can in the U.S. I believe in selecting my artists carefully and paying them a generous royalty. I believe in shipping everything out of Brooklyn and creating lower wage jobs in the city. I believe in creating a healthy work environment for my employees and offer sane working hours. I could go on! All of these values make it exponentially harder to succeed. Our business model has been copied by people that don’t care about any of these things and that are just in for the money.
All of this has made me realize that I need to be more careful on how I spend my money and who I support and endorse. My purchases have a direct impact. Supporting small matters. Here are are few small companies and individuals that I know, or have been following for a long time, that have a set of values I admire. I want them to succeed with their businesses.
Help me grow this list! What small entrepreneurs or individuals should we be supporting and why? Write suggestions below as a comment with links to their sites. I am actively keeping tab of companies that make the world a little better and will continuously support them, here on my blog and beyond.
Here is my GROWING list of companies I suggest you consider supporting this holiday season:
Sugru – the world needs fixing. The founder Jane is one of my favorite people. Watch her 99u talk and fall in love as well.
Slow Factory – Fashion as a tool for social and environmental change. NASA images printed on 100% natural fabric and eco-friendly dyes and process.
Holstee – a subscription that explores one mindful theme each month through art, words and action.
Various Keytags – get someone a special key chain. The people that run it are special too.
Three Potato Four – Janet Morales and Stu Eli began Three Potato Four through their love of found objects. It’s been a pleasure to watch their labor of love grow into a company.
Pipsticks – Monthly sticker subscription, run by a super kind couple with three kids.
Tinybop – the best educational kids apps out there. SUCH good, smart people that run this company.
Uncommon goods – Dave the founder is remarkable. Read their about page. Then support them.
JAM – online courses for kids. Zach Klein, the founder, is good people.
The Sill – Get some plants into your home and office. Healthy plants by healthy, lovely humans.
– American Heirloom – I have one of their cutting boards. It’s my favorite.
Field Notes – the original. I have admired Jim Coudal, the founder, for a long time and he has been instrumental in my decision to let go of clients. He is an entrepreneur with values I admire.
Jen makes beautiful jewelry. And she is a beautiful human.
Rifle Paper – satisfy all of your paper needs. Anna Bond, the illustrator behind the brand, has shaped this industry. She is probably the hardest working human on this planet.
Etsy – a company with fantastic values and a serious moral compass, supporting makers around the world. YES!
Brooklyn Industries – know and admire the founders.
Oliver Jeffers – one of the most talented and hardest working artists I know. Buy a print or look for his picture books next time you’re in a book store.
Brvtvs – a New York based jewelry collection created by Caroline Ventura.
City of Industry – It’s been a pleasure seeing Sara build out her pin business into more than just that. A labor of love I want to see succeed!
Soma – Good people. Good products.
Charity Water – instead of christmas/wedding or birthday gifts fundraise for clean water?
Lumi – I met Jesse Genet, the co-founder recently and was so impressed by her hustle and enthusiasm to improve the world of packaging goods.
Kikkerland – my favorite place to find fun gifts.
ban.do – a destination for slightly silly fun gifts.
Ghostly – it’s easy to get lost in their music or products.
Haptic Lab – stunning products by a remarkable woman.
Poketo – beautiful gifts curated by a beautiful couple.
Paper Jam Press – love these so much.
Hendley – I have never met a person before that makes perfumes. Hans’ love for this industry is beautiful to follow along.
Adam J. K. – one of my favorite places to shop for gifts on the internet.
Snowflake Tree Skirt
I have never cared about a tree skirt until I saw this one by Haptic Lab. Also, their quilts! My heart!
Ignite Talk by Yours Truly
At a recent un-conference at the Kickstarter HQ a few weeks back I was invited to give an Ignite talk. Here it is! And if you’d like to see the other presenters as well, you can see them all here! Enjoy!
(In case you’re wondering why I am talking so fast and am out of breath at the end. It’s the format of Ignite: Presenters get 20 slides, which automatically advance every 15 seconds. The result is a fast and fun presentation which lasts just 5 minutes.)
OK Go – The One Moment
OK Go’s latest music video is a visual firework, once again. My head nearly exploded! In case you’re new to OK Go check out these: Three Primary Colors, Upside down and inside out, The Writings on the Wall and I won’t let you down.
Ugly Sweater Time
Get your ugly sweaters out everyone, Christmas is fast approaching! Or, you can wear one with this new Reindeer Tattly by Berkley Illustration.
Also, you might want to know that today is Cyber Monday here in the U.S. which means crazy online sales everywhere, including Tattly. Take 35% off your order with Code THANKYOU35!
A Man Without Ethics
‘A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.’
– Albert Camus
(via)
Dwiss Recycling Center
Loving this beautifully designed recycling center by Dutch designer Paul Timmer. (I would also be ok with that kitchen!)