Google Earth Alphabet
These alphabets were made using Google Earth images all taken in the Netherlands. There’s even a punctuation and numbers version. It’s amazing what natural and man-made structures look like when seen from above.
New Beginnings
As a traveler, I know the benefits of pushing myself. As a writer, I know the benefits of getting out of my comfort zone. And as a human being, I know that sometimes there are moments when we have to do both of those things, and take a giant leap. I took that leap last week with the official launch of my new business endeavor, co-founded with my lovely friend Emily, Under Solen Media. Sticking true to those Scandivanian roots, we named our company “under the sun” in Swedish. It only seemed right.
So what are we planning on doing? Something along the lines of providing dynamic, cutting-edge social media strategies to align outdoor brands, non-profits and adventurers. In other words, meeting and working with a lot of cool people! Matador did a great interview with us last week about what we’re doing, and we’re very grateful to them for the exposure.
And in other news I’m now writing for the excellent greenie site, EcoSalon. You can read my first post here.
So all in all, after a giant leap, I’m very excited for all the new endeavors!
Tio Gruppen Stockholm
Tio Gruppen is a name synonymous with Swedish design. The design collective, founded in 1970 by ten young textile artists and designers, has produced more than 600 printed fabrics and wallpapers. With a classic Scnadinavian aesthetic, Tio Gruppen designs incorporate simple and natural designs in a style that manages to be both contemporary and classic.
The Tio Gruppen store, located in Södermalm in Stockholm, is a design lover’s paradise, the walls covered with colorful prints in the form of bags, napkins, aprons and textiles by the yard. Always a favorite stop of mine when in the Swedish captial… very much worth a visit! And if you can’t make a quick Scandinavian jaunt, take a peek at the website.
Full gallery after the jump.
Winter Palace
As we head towards colder months, here is some gorgeous winter inspiration. Restaurant Tusen is a creatively and naturally inspired building in Ramundberget, Sweden and was designed by Swedish firm Murman Arkitekter. They recently won first prize in the “holiday” category at the World Architecture Festival.
More at my article in Been Seen here.
Friday Photo: Direction
In the height of an autumn Oregon storm, I spent last weekend in the quaint coastal town of Rockaway Beach. I got up early on Saturday morning to take a walk, strolling down the small streets before most of the town was out of bed. I captured the still, morning moment in this weather vane, which stood still in the calm before the storm. The photo sort of fits with the name of this blog, je vais où?, a simplified way of asking “where am I going” in French. At a time of a lot of transition it was exactly what I needed to capture on film, forcing me to ask myself “what direction are you headed in?”…
Garbage Bag Art Work
Especially for people who live in urban areas, sometimes it’s easy for us to shut our eyes to all the trash that our society produces; think of all the trash cans you walk by without even noticing. Garbage Bag Art Work is a project that pulls garbage away from its usual habitat — garbage cans and landfills — and negative association and puts it under a more creative light, forcing us to truly look at the problem. Using garbage in this way, the Tokyo-based Garbage Art Work project hopes to encourage more people to look at the waste problem, the environment, and the future of this planet.
Colorful Inspiration
On gray, rainy days, sometimes you need some colorful inspiration, like these funky stairs are in Wuppertal, Germany. The 112 steps are painted and the various colors express different emotions. Makes me want to go get out a paintbrush.
[Photos: Example.pl and Coconuts and Limes]
New Josef Frank Textile Designs from Svenskt Tenn
Svenskt Tenn might be one of the most influential design stores in Sweden, a well-known lifestyle company and boutique that’s been around since 1924. Founded by designer Josef Frank, his prints have been synonymous with the shop, and even though he died in 1967, his design legacy lives on. The store just recently released two new Frank prints, called Aramal and Ceylong, produced in the 40s but that have up until now never been in production; Svensk Tenn actually owns about 160 different Frank textile prints that are archived and released at random. The new prints are available on 100% linen textiles sold by the yard.
Makes me wish I was able to take a stroll down Strandvägen and take a look.
Full print images after the jump.
Sweden by the Numbers
A few weeks back The Traveler’s Notebook published my piece Sweden by the Numbers, a fun little collection of stats from my last trip to the motherland.
Since I’m feeling a little need for Sweden today, I figured I’d post a quick excerpt:
Bags of Swedish candy brought back in suitcase: 6
Meals that included potatoes: 10
Meals of blood pudding: 4
Days with less than two fika (coffee break): 1
Starbucks sightings: 0
IKEA sightings: 3
Postcards sent with photos of topless sunbathers: 3
Topless sunbather sightings: 0
It’s an interesting exercise to reduce a whole trip down to pure numbers. Whole article is here.
blog.annabrones.com 
