i *heart* marta

ohmygoodness. blogging.

it's literally been years, but today's shout out from marta dansie and martawrites.com warrants a post.

so thrilled to be mentioned on marta's wonderful blog. i am a fan of her.

love to you all. more soon. simple ink is firing up again!

p.s. - find these little prints, inspired by the grandmother i never knew, here.

{image courtesy of martawrites.com}

A Little Grammar... a Little Fun.

This grammar poster I discovered yesterday by The Oatmeal kind of made my day. Maybe I thought it was so funny because, well, I've never been great with the darned semicolon. Or maybe it's because, if I didn't run Simple Ink, I'd like to be an English teacher.

There is more to the poster beyond what I've shown above and there are many more great ones -- some grammar related, some just plain funny. (Like 10 Things You Need to Stop Tweeting About and How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You.) Buy the semicolon poster here.

Also important to note is that I discovered The Oatmeal via a great piece of advice (given my awsome blogger Melissa of ISLY) as part of a very cool Blog and Business Workshop being hosted by the lovely Marta, of martawrites.

If you're a blogger... or a small business owner... or both... seriously check out all of the wonderful information Marta is offering as part of her workshop. It has become my little guilty pleasure checking on her updates every day this week.

{images courtesy of The Oatmeal}

Craft In America

My mom is a great Finder. She finds good stuff. All the time. And, frequently, she's finding things on PBS and that are heart-stoppingly awesome.

Last year she turned me onto the PBS series Craft In America. It's not new news -- the series has been out for a while -- but if you haven't seen it... well, I can't recommend it more highly.

You can purchase the series (like I did for Mom at Christmas) in DVD format or comprised as a beautiful coffee table book. Or PBS has kindly made the series available online for free. Watch it here.

For me, watching the series was inspiring in a life-changing sort of way. Granted, I am someone who lives in the world of craft, but I think there's something for everyone in these amazing stories.

My favorite portion, of course, was the section on Julie Chen, the amazing book artist. Find a quick summary here. Or watch the whole segment on Julie in the "Process" chapter of Craft in America.

Enjoy. You'll be inspired.

His Holiness Comes to Washington

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is meeting with President Obama in the White House this morning, so I'll use that event to share this favorite-of-all photos of mine.

Taken almost exactly thirteen years ago today, the photo is starting to show some wear, but my memory of the event isn't fading. We were a lucky group of American undergraduates (our beloved professor and her husband have special ties to His Holiness); lucky enough to meet with The Dalai Lama at his home in Dharamsala and have one hour to ask questions.

You know how, when you look back on your life, there are moments of time -- almost like pin pricks -- that change you and your world view forever? This was one of mine.

To read more about the Chinese occupation of Tibet and Tibet's struggle for freedom, go here and here.

A Free Film

So I thought for a good long time this morning about posting this heavy subject here on my light-hearted blog.

And I'm gonna go for it.

Tonight in L.A. there will be a film premiere. But not one with a red carpet or Brad & Angelina. It's a film, sponsored in part by philanthropists like Warren Buffett, about nuclear war. About a potential nuclear war.

The team of individuals "starring" in this film include two former Secretaries of State, a former Secretary of Defense, and a former U.S. Senator. A team of individuals who have dedicated their lives to this topic.

And today, if you wish, you can get a free copy of the film. Just click here.

I have not yet seen it (although I hear a download may be available soon). And if you do watch the trailer, beware: there are some graphic images. Colin Powell's endorsement is also available. It's heavy stuff.

Just thought, in case you didn't know, I'd pass along the info. It seemed appropriate for today, not only because of the film's premiere, but because of Mr. President's Address looming this evening.

Sigh.

Now I'm off to open that can of silver ink that just wouldn't budge last night. Where's my husband when I need him? :)