Don't Shower... SKETCH!

I should have showered after the kids were down for naps... cause I actually went to the gym!!

But treadmills are boring, and my brain is always going a million miles an hour... so I came up with an idea, and I had to sketch it.

THE MICRO HOUSE.
What if we built little bitty single-person houses as permanent structures for homeless or transient populations? 

+ What would the programmatic needs of this population be?
+ What are the security concerns?
+ What are the constraints (environment, demographic, materials, etc.) that impact design decisions?

So I sketched and came up with this little guy.  Lots o' notes. I won't bore you.

Good little exercise.
I wonder if I could get a KickStarter thing going to make a few prototypes and install them in the Transient Camp under the Savannah Bridge?  That would be fun. We could do "post-user analysis" to see how they helped the community. Simple and direct. I like this idea.

Don't steal my idea! ... Or do, I guess... The more good we do, the more good-er the world is.

That's all. Now it's shower time.


***** EDITED TO ADD ******

And then a friend of mine sent me this!
https://www.facebook.com/mythpla

Somebody is totally doing this!!! Niiiiice!
We can do it too, and do it better. That's the beauty of design.


***** EDITED TO ADD MORE *****

I've been looking at that guy's pictures and I like how we both have two key elements.... slant angled roof and a window that pitches out. Form follows function. Thumbs up.

I'm Back, Baby!

May 8th... well, five minutes away from May 9th.
The last time I wrote was May 10th, 2013. Two years ago.
It feels like an auspicious coincidence.

It feels like the completion of a large circle (or---as a wise man once said---a large pass around a spiral... a lot like a circle, but we're moving up!)

The last time I wrote I was at the beginning of a two year tussle with postpartum depression, the development of an anxiety disorder, a nervous breakdown, and an impossibly long recovery journey. I capped it all off with a second baby. Motherhood is like some weird form of torture. It will either break you or make you stronger... or break you and then make you stronger.

I'm stronger. Gentler. Softer. Kinder. Quieter. Simpler. And stronger.

I'm The Kawa Mama! But today, I know what that really means in a deeper and more profound way than I did on May 10, 2013.

I'm back, Bay-Bee!!!

My Mission: Part Two

I haven't been around lately because I've been fulfilling "My Mission." It's been a whirlwind of rush, hustle, and buzz.... while juggling the crankiest week of my entire life with Eames.... which culminated in him cutting a tooth, so that was satisfying.

This Week's Completion List:

- I completed phase one of my construction document set for a Frozen Yogurt store that starts construction as soon as we get our docs approved by fire marshal, health dept, land lord, etc.
- I completed a logo & brand redesign for a new skincare line that is being launched sometime this year.
- I applied said logo to a personal branding package.
- I had friends in town from the college days. During their visit I successfully went from being 200 points up to loosing by 300 points at Spades... good times were had by all.
- I made the most darling Mother's Day cards. (More on that later when they've actually been delivered.)
- I took one shower. Yes. Only one. The other washing-of-me was done in the bathtub with my son at night since I've been very busy during his naps.
- I made a cotton gauze baby wrap that my husband said I looked very beautiful in.
- I watched the Hobbit... enjoyed it... but also critiqued the stage make-up styling mercilessly. Why were they all so clean and fluffy?

And I still have a few days to go. Shew!

I didn't do everything I needed to. I didn't do it all perfectly or perfectly on time. But I did it. I was busy but I lived a balanced life, making time for all the good stuff and saying "No" when I needed to. That's all you can ask for, at the end of the week.

Cheers,
The KawaMama

My Mission

Today I asked myself,

"What is your mission within your passion to have your own design business?"

I think a mission has to be bigger than yourself.  If you're just working for your own glory, then I believe you'll be continually frustrated and defeated. At the same time, I wasn't just going to make something up... like people who sell plastic toys, but give 1% to save the whales!  A mission can't be fake just to make you sound better.  I think I got it...

My mission is to empower and accelerate the dreams of passionate people through excellent design.

I imagine the "power bar" of video games over the heads of people who are willing to dream big... they have the idea and the motivation, but they need that super charge blast of something special to go, "Buurrrr-ZING!!" and make the dream GO.  I think I do that.  When I deal with small business owners, I have the vision, the creativity, the practicality, the marketing-mindedness, and the mad skills to take their concept and make it concrete... sexy concrete.

Branding for a business is like wearing the right clothes to an interview. Sure, you may be a professional on the inside... but you're not really going to make it until you're professional on the outside.  Your dream may be 100% radical on the inside, but if it looks like a cheap clipart disaster, other people aren't going to catch the vision.  Being radical on the outside matters too.

That's my mission. My vision. My dream. I've already gotten the chance to live it out on a few projects this year... and I  know that I'm going to do it on a bigger and better scale every year for the rest of my life.

Cheers,
The KawaMama

6 Month Blooper Reel

Ooooh My Goodness!  So, I did a little photo shoot with Eames to celebrate his 6 month birthday.  There are so many BEAUTIFUL ones that I'm still working hard to narrow them down.... buuuuut.....

The blooper photos are CLUTCH!  I thought I'd share a couple to give you a giggle this evening.

In reality this is Eames' "something in my nose is tickly" face. He's started making it in the wake of the recent Pollenpocalypse.  But when you capture it on camera, it is just outlandishly funny. At least to me.

Cheers,
The KawaMama

My First Woven Wrap

I took the leap and bought my first woven wrap!  AHH!  This is a big deal!  Mostly because it's a big investment... (woven wraps can range from $75.00 to $1000.00 new.) 

For being "just a piece of cloth" baby wraps are a surprisingly complicated web of options.

You've got your basic preferences: color, pattern, and texture.  But there are also decisions to be made about material content, thickness, pliability, hand, and size.  I determined that I like wraps instead of buckle carriers or ring slings. I decided I like long wraps that are more grippy than slippery and silky.  Since I live in a very hot climate, I got a linen wrap because they are supposed to have great breathability. I'm very sensitive to color and pattern so I searched for a wrap with a beautiful texture and weave but no visual imagery or color.  This also gives me the opportunity to dye it later if I want to.

How did I determine all this stuff?  I'm a part of a great local babywearing group!  We have a lending library, an information forum online, and we have meet-ups in the park where you can try out different wraps from everyone's stashes.  This is an invaluable resource!  It's like test-driving a bunch of cars before you find the right one.

This is the beauty I settled on...

A Didymos Indio, Size 6, 100% Linen in "Natural Sand" color.

PLUUUUS....  I bought it from a "Wrap Swap" group that I'm a member of online. Women trade and barter their wrap stashes with each other.  If you're looking for an amazing deal, I recommend going this route.  I got an almost $200 wrap (before shipping) for $100 shipping included!!!  Yaaay!!!  Plus, if you don't like what you got or want to try something else down the line, you just swap your wrap for something else or sell it for what you paid in the group.  Wraps don't really lose their value. They're a good investment if you're a part of a wrapping community.

I am completely confident that I got a great deal.  Plus, the thing that makes a wrap awesome is when it is fully broken in and deliciously soft... so part of that break-in process will already be completed for me. Booyah!


Blair's Golden Rules For Buying a Woven Wrap
1) Test Drive Your Options
2) Don't Buy New
3) Accomplish 1 & 2 by finding a babywearing group and learning from them.

I can't wait to share some action shots with you when it arrives in the mail.

Cheers,
The KawaMama
(Image via WovenWraps.com)

Moonshine... Just Kidding (PART TWO)

If you've been following, you know I'm growing a little something in my kitchen... Details Here.

As promised... some updates!!  I promise it is totally not as gross as it looks.  Although, I admit, there is a bit of grossness involved. (My mom stopped in this weekend, and she thinks I'm a little crazy... but she's intrigued.)

So that's the little SCOBY, about a 1/4 inch thick.  It grew nicely across the surface of my starter tea. 

The first time I touched it, I had no idea what to expect.  It is actually VERY firm and rubbery... like... well... rubber.  The best thing I can associate it with is a floppy Frisbee disc you might give your dog.

Thank GOD it's not slimy and slippery... I could NOT handle that.  Ok, let's be honest, this is how we're all feeling right now... (see face below)...

AAHH!  Alien being!!

It goes without saying (I hope) that we handled the SCOBY with extremely clean hands.

Before adding the additional tea that will ultimately become our bottled Kombucha, we slipped the little buddy back in there.  He sank.  Which, for some strange reason, I found very reassuring. If it was all floaty and weird, I feel like I wouldn't really believe it was safe.

Something else I learned.... we have some red wine that's gone sour. I wanted to make vinegar.  So I did some research about whether or not I can use a Kombucha SCOBY to turn the wine into vinegar.  Apparently the answer is "Not really."  You are supposed to have a "Mother of Vinegar" which apparently has some different enzymes. So, yeah, now you know.

Cheers,
The KawaMama