let's think of something beautiful.

xoxo,

lesley

news flash

this newspaper vending box caught my eye while walking around in philadelphia... it seemed like a popular place for posting stickers and little bits of inspiration, so i thought i'd add a bit of my own :)

xoxo,

lesley

found encouragement... let go.

{photo by tiina treasure}

xoxo,

lesley

craft hope.

this is just a beautiful thing...

after hearing about the disaster in haiti, the ladies of craft hope decided to take action. they opened up an etsy shop and sent out an appeal to crafters and artists to donate whatever items they could, with all proceeds benefiting doctors without borders.

the ladies wanted to help out however they could, and had modest expectations for the shop. but in the past few days, the shop has sold 700 items and made over $10,000 for haiti relief... and the numbers continue to grow. i donated two prints from my etsy shop, and they sold before i could even spread the word!

if you're still looking for a way to get involved and help out those in need in haiti, this is it. there's still tons of great stuff up for grabs in the craft hope etsy shop... you can get a wonderful handmade craft and help raise money for doctors without borders at the same time. it's a total win-win.

and if you're not convinced yet, here is a selection of some of the lovely handmade items that have been donated to craft hope to tempt you...

click here to shop craft hope for haiti!

xoxo,

lesley

you are beautiful.

if you haven't yet seen the you are beautiful project, please, please go visit the site today. i promise it will make your day better.

here are some words from the project's statement:

the intention behind this project is to reach beyond ourselves as individuals to make a difference by creating moments of positive self realization. we're just attempting to make the world a little better.

intention is the most important aspect of the you are beautiful project in its idea of purity. nothing is sacred. everything that has a perceived value becomes commodified. we work extremely hard that this message is received as a simple act of kindness, and nothing more.

basically, the idea behind the project is a group of anonymous people who go around putting up installations with the message "you are beautiful" in public places. and i have to say, this is one of the most beautiful things i've seen in a long time. here are some of my favorite images of the you are beautiful project in action...

click here to see more beautiful photos.

xoxo,

lesley

found encouragement... a love letter for you

according to the city of philadelphia's mural arts project's mission statement, the program aims to "unite artists and communities through a collaborative process... to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives."

i recently discovered their latest public art project, called love letter, and i am head over heels. the project features a series of murals by stephen powers, which "collectively express a love letter from a guy to a girl, from an artist to his hometown, and from local residents to their west philadelphia neighborhood."

how perfect is that? i can really feel the love that was put into each one of these works of art. the murals are best viewed from the market-frankford elevated transit line... surely they provide a huge dose of encouragement for weary commuters every day!

and of course i couldn't resist this post-it mural...

click here to see more of the love letters murals.

xoxo,

lesley