Sketchbook Covers!

Even if you are not one to necessarily care about the condition of your sketchbook on the outside, as long as the pages are protected, these would probably still come in handy. Not only does it keep your book clean and protected on the outside, but it has the convenience of storing pencils/colored pencils as well. Everything that you need when you go out to sketch or while you are traveling, are all kept together in one package. These sketchbook covers by {KristaMarie} are another great handmade idea!

Passport Pal

Before leaving for my trip to Europe this past summer - I did quite a bit of shopping around at different travel apparel stores. Each one I went to, had the same ugly/boring passport pouches. I saw this and wished I had thought of it myself or had seen this sooner! Great idea {BlissByHeather}.

Orange Jello Slices

The gorgeous weather this week has gotten me feeling like it is almost summer time :) It reminded me of one of my favorite summer afternoon treats: Orange JELLO slices - so delicious - and even kinda healthy!

Ingredients:

4 large oranges
3 oz. pack of orange JELLO
2 cups boiling water
2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice

Directions:

Cut all the oranges in half, from top to bottom. Juice them all and set the juice aside to be used later. Using a spoon, carve out the insides of the oranges. You will end up with 8 orange peel cups :)

Add the orange JELLO to a bowl of boiling water, mix thoroughly until the JELLO is completely dissolved. Add the fresh squeezed orange juice and mix well.

Pour the orange JELLO and fresh juice mixture into the orange peel cups. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, until completely gelled. I recommend resting them on muffin tins or else they might roll around and spill.

Slice the JELLO-filled orange peel cups as you would oranges and serve cold.

This can also be done with lemons and lemon JELLO as well!

Think Twice About Laminate?

Never thought of laminate in a good way? Join the club - that's what I used to think - until I saw these. It seems we now have an option besides wallpaper, paint, or stark white walls. The designers at {B&N Industries} have created an impressive set of wall paneling that will truly make you think twice about laminate. They come in a wide range of colors and finishes with an equally wide range of design choices.

Middle Eastern Politics...

I decided to bring back two projects that I am very passionate about - actually I am really passionate about political art/design on a large scale, but more specifically when it has to do with issues in the Middle East. The first are two versions of my visual interpretation of a poem written by Weam Namou.

I Am a Mute Iraqi, with a Voice.

I am an Iraqi
but was never asked, personally,
what was better?
Saddam threatening to destroy me
if I crossed him politically?
Or tons of deleted uranium, napalm,
bullets, explosives
and other unfamiliar concoction,
besieging me
at some hidden corner of my street?

I am an Iraqi
but was never asked, personally,
what I wanted?
Freedom to vote for men and women
I know little about,
who may or may not better my life,
or to safely be able to step out of my house?

I am an Iraqi
but was never asked, personally,
do I want democracy
or the tradition of my ancestry?

I am an Iraqi
but was never asked, personally,
buy those who've come to rescue me,
have we really benefited you, my dear,
since the day we came near?
Or have we simply made a mess
of your little hut?

Another issue that I feel very strongly about are the injustices being committed by the Israelis towards Palestinians. This set of Amnesty International Human Rights posters I designed, should speak for themselves. For a SHORT introduction and map of the extremely inhumane and barbaric wall being built around Palestine - check out a {BBC} article. {Amnesty International}, {Amnesty International USA} and the {Universal Declaration of Human Rights} were the inspiration for this project.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights #9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

- The Israeli Wall consists of concrete sections that are 6 to 24 feet high and when complete, will be 408 miles long.
- The Berlin Wall was only 3.6 to 11.8 feet high and was only 96 miles long.
- The Wall, when completed, will be 80% concrete, and 100% permanent, with fenced parts resembling fences built around the concentration camps. It will place the Palestinians into dozens of isolated ghettos, and will annex - by Israel's standard legal power of 'de facto' change, 42% of the West Bank. It destroys 16 Palestinian civilian villages that have a total population of about 200,000 innocent people.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights #13
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

- More than 500 Israeli checkpoints are scattered throughout the West Bank, which is roughly the size of Delaware.
- Palestinian students wait at checkpoints, sometimes for hours, to get to school. Laborers wait to get to work, mothers try to get to the grocery store, and doctors wait to get to the hospital. With a wave of a soldier's hand, they may be able to pass through or they may be stuck there indefinitely. Many of the checkpoints close at 5pm. If a Palestinian gets off work late, he or she is then unable to get home until the checkpoint re-opens the following morning.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights #28
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration can be fully realized.

- Israeli soldiers prevent Palestinian girls from going to school in Hebron.
- For Palestinian children, Israeli occupation means the interruption of normal life, including education, social interactions, accessibility to health care, and loss of income for their families. In addition, there is psychological trauma from exposure to shelling, shootings, and beatings that lead to injuries, disabilities and loss of life.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights #5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

- Men and women are tortured and humiliated at checkpoints throughout the West Bank.
- Palestinian men and women are strip-searched and even beaten in groups, their clothes thrown into a pile. When they are finally allowed to get dressed, they describe having to rummage through the heap of clothing - naked and barefoot to find their garments. An elderly female victim reported being forced to bend over for an Israeli official to search her internally.

Israel is using American tax dollars in ways that degrade, humiliate, and kill innocent Palestinians - many of them being women and children.

Hemeroscopium House

Hemeroscopium, for the Greek, is a place where the sun sets. This house was designed by {Antón García-Abril}, with the idea of defying physical limits. It was built out of heavy structural elements, defying aesthetics with beams that are perfectly placed, creating an aerial effect. Thought seemingly unstable, this structure was built in 7 days, but took a year to perfect. Complex calculations created the perfect balance of aerial quality and overall appearance. The use of heavy concrete gives an industrial and modern look, but somehow is able to look beautiful in its surroundings. I especially love the pool that looks like it is floating!

Green Windows on Edgemont

I was visiting family in Los Angeles this weekend and while driving down Edgemont Street near Hollywood I saw this really cool house. I absolutely love the wood panels on the concrete walls, the large windows, and the green frames! I couldn't just drive by without snapping a few pics :)