Dig this amended sign we found on the charming blog Magical and Otherwise, and it’s spot-on commentary: Loving that someone added to the original message by simply adding a “not”. Serendipitously, there was easy space provided for this and the original message left reads undamaged with the additional commentary. As we beings are, both perfect and…
Read Morepainted wood ‘coloring book’ floor
We view this beauty of a floor as a kind of coloring book for adults: paint a color within the lines of each floor board and look what you get, the ultimate d-i-y, pattern already built-in. (Practicality: be sure to lightly sand and prime the floor before painting…) via Inside via Newyorkicorn Related posts: zigzag…
Read Moreour reader’s brilliant salad improvisations
We got SO many good ideas from reader’s entering our giveaway of Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating that we could put together our own potent little pamphlet of salad ideas. The randomly chosen winner’s idea proved to be an especially charming one: There is not much I won’t put in a…
Read Moremental health break: riding teahupo’o waves in slo-mo
(Video link here.) A writer we know confessed her method to us: when she was blocked, she just lay down and read something completely unrelated until she fell asleep. It’s like shutting down a computer. When she woke up, she’d usually be able to continue her work. OMG, we do that too! We were SO…
Read Morecreating personal shrines (and portable ones, too)
One of the images Laura Handler sent us of her Montana Log Cabin was her “shrine”, with these notes: A Mexican Day of the Dead smoking shrine found in Oaxaca Mexico – note the cigarettes on top. I have not smoked for eleven years – it’s working! We know quite a few people who have…
Read Moremorning haiku: christopher walken via jim meskimen
(Video link here.) Over the past few months, we’ve made much of our practice of reading poetry in the morning, rather than jumping to the computer. We especially love haiku, the ancient Japanese form of poetry that follows a rigorous formula: three lines of five syllables, then seven, then five again. Haiku tend to be brief,…
Read Moreunplanned still-lifes (they’re all around us)
Last weekend, we had a friend over for dinner, to hang out in the new space. Toward the end of a long evening of talking and eating, we both happened to look over at the kitchen counter at the same time and said in unison: “Look at that still life!” It was though someone had…
Read Morethe d-i-y perfect soap dish: a sponge
The soap dish is one of those inventions that seem destined to NOT fulfill all the requirements we need them too. Designed to keep bar soap from sitting in water, the wet residue from the soap has to end up somewhere, either on the sink/tub surface or in the bottom of the soap dish, requiring…
Read Morelast chance to win: mindy fox’s ‘salads: beyond the bowl’
Today, Tuesday the 17th, is the last day to enter our giveaway contest of Mindy Fox’s Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating. It is a book that will be useful all year long. Wondering what to do with quinoa? Check out Mindy’s Red Quinoa, Raw Asparagus and Endive Salad with Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano:
Read Moremarc johns’ visual mantra (+ post-it note art)
We found this on Marc Johns’ website the recently. His own words tell its story better than we ever could: I wrote this in my sketchbook the other day, as a reminder/statement/ mantra to myself. I used to spend all day in front of a computer, emailing, photoshopping, designing, layout-ing, etc. I enjoyed being a…
Read Morehouse tour: laura handler’s montana log cabin
Intrigued by a brief mention on her website of her renovated log cabin in Montana, we wrote designer Laura Handler to ask if we could see some pictures of the place. We not only got pictures with charming, haiku-like notations, but the wonderful story behind the cabin: Fourteen years ago, my mother died and left…
Read Morethank you for being a friend
One of the things we love the most here at The Improvised Life is the sense of community we feel with our readers. We get some amazing feedback, and what we hear more often than not is that you love to wake up to the little tidbits of inspiration we post here bright and early…
Read More15 improvised kitchen tools for summer house cooking
In summer, we sometimes find ourselves spending time in the badly-equipped kitchens of rented or borrowed summer houses that can be a great challenge to cook in. So we apply the concept of makeshift: When you find you don’t have a particular piece of equipment you need, improvise a substitute or “shift” the dish you…
Read Moregrownups on swings
The other day walking in a nearby park early one morning, we came upon a line of swings – big kid’s swings – in a playground. So we thought ‘Why not?‘ and did what we hadn’t done in many many years: swung HIGH looking at up at trees and sky. via DVDP Related posts: xhousegifts to…
Read Morehome planners and other ways to envision a space
When I was looking for an affordable space to buy in New York City, I devised strategies for envisioning how I might tailor the various spaces I was considering. I ended up teaching these strategies to several friends who were “stuck” when trying to design a new kitchen, study — any room at all; these…
Read Morewhat bridge are you crossing?
Makes us think about: What bridge are we crossing right now… ….and are we crossing it wholeheartedly? Then we remembered the poem we read this morning, by Ryōkan: Too lazy to be ambitious, I let the world take care of itself. Ten days’ worth of rice in my bag; a bundle of twigs by the fireplace. Why chatter about…
Read Moreblueberries, feta and mint recipe from our giveaway…mindy fox’s ‘salads: beyond the bowl’
There’s one week left to enter our giveaway, Mindy Fox’s Salads: Beyond the Bowl. Summer is the perfect season for this book, though there’s a ton of ideas for all year (think Shaved Brussel Sprouts, Olive Oil, Lemon and Peppered Sheep’s Milk Cheese, or Shredded Celery Root, Manchego and Pistachios…). To enter the giveaway, leave…
Read Morelaura handler’s cool designs (+ her new blog)
When designer Laura Handler sent us word of her new blog, Interesting Found Objects, we instantly started poking around. We love Unmentionables, her latest post, with a divine, mind-boggling Japanese condom package-design. Then we flew to her website to find out about her. We looked at her designs and was smitten with her stacking, interlocking…
Read Morewhat happens if you start your day with a poem?
Every morning, a friend calls me, or I call him, with a poem to start the day. This seven-month-old tradition arose out of an ‘improvised life’ post called “What’s NOT wrong?” about NOT jumping out of bed to check email or read the news first thing in the morning. Instead, start with a few minutes…
Read More‘tiny wings’: more on the theme of flying
(Video link here.) By now everyone knows we’re smitten with images of people leaping, jumping, flying for all the obvious symbolic meaning they can hold: liberation from old constraints, taking chances, or just grooving along. So, although we haven’t experienced the ‘Tiny Wings ‘ app that has become so wildly popular, we love this relaxing little…
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