Home Office Built-In Study room - traditional built-in desk dark wood floor study room idea

Sylvana Simons @ Mark Rutte: you fucked up dude, but we're ready to clean up your mess. Again.

Mark Rutte *fucking around on his phone, not paying attention*

Thierry baudet: rambling about conspiracy theories and attempting to joke about Mark Rutte's love life by saying they share a love of classical music and pass notes back and forth about it in parliament

Mark Rutte: 😂😂😂 that's my music bestie right there!!!

Gustyhontas

Cast:

Gusty (Classic My Little Pony) as Pocahontas

Dodger (Oliver & Company) as John Smith

Esperanza (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron) as Grandmother Willow

Spirit (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron) as Chief Powhatan

Tex (Classic My Little Pony) as Kekata

Faline (Bambi) as Nakoma

Roddy (Flushed Away) as Thomas

Rutt and Tuke (Brother Bear) as Ben and Lon

The Toad (Flushed Away) as Gov. Radcliffe

Sid the Sloth (Ice Age) as Wiggins

Percy (Thomas & Friends) as Percy

Thomas the Tank Engine as Meeko

Sheen Estevez (Jimmy Neutron) as Flit

Sion Reliquary Bag

Lady Áshildr inn Hárfagri

November 6, 2021

presented at axeman xvi

Summary

Knitting is an old form of textile production, with extant knitted artifacts dated to the 11th century. Our earliest examples of knitting are intricate, well-made pieces made with a mastery indicating a much earlier date of origin. The earliest knit pieces found in Europe are dated to the 13th century in Spain and Estonia. Five knitted purses were found in Sion, Switzerland dated to the 14th century. Knit in silk thread, in the round, and with a "fair isle" type multicolor patterning, these purses have been reproduced and studied by many artisans of the SCA. In this reproduction, I knitted a bag based on Sion relic-purse I, substituting mercerized cotton crochet thread at a larger gauge and to different dimensions to achieve a specific purpose.

Introduction

I have wanted to participate in Arts & Sciences for some time, but could not bring myself to put in the effort necessary for a project just for me. So in true Legion of Swashbucklers fashion, I determined the ultimate means to drum up the effort for a documentable A&S project would be a gift for the Queen of Ansteorra, Her Royal Majesty Elizabeth I, using my experience with knitting.

Knitting as we know it originated sometime before the 11th century, with our earliest artifacts being knitted short row heel socks from Egypt (Tissus d'Égypte). The earliest known knitted artifacts outside Egypt were knitted cushion covers and gloves belonging to Prince Fernando de la Cerda, some time before 1275CE (Rutt).

Five knitted purses were found in Sion, Switzerland dated to the 14th century, first described by Brigitta Schmedding (Schmedding). These bags are knitted from the top down from silk thread, closed with a three-needle bind off, and used two to three colors at a time to make a pattern. Each bag seems to be closed with a fingerloop braid and have a fingerloop braid strap.

I made this bag once before for HE Sara Asshton of York in the 2020 Sable Swap (pictured in Appendix A) and used lessons learned from that project to improve my approach to this project.

Method / Design

For the construction of this bag, I used Aunt Lydia's Classic 10 Crochet Thread in Dark Royal, Golden Yellow, White, and Black on Hiya Hiya US0 2mm double pointed needles.

I used double pointed needles as they are depicted in early "knitting Madonna" paintings such as Master Bertram of Minden's Visit of the Angel, dated to the 15th c and shown below.

Most "knitting Madonna" paintings seem to depict a 3-and-1 arrangement of double pointed needles, with the stitches spread evenly across three needles with one working needle, but I opted to use a 4-and-1 arrangement to better divide my stitches across much shorter, modern needles.

I used mercerized crochet cotton in place of silk for cost and durability concerns. As this bag is to be a gift for HRM Elizabeth, I want it to be a bag she can use and clean without fear of damaging delicate silk or expensive fibers. From prior experience knitting with both cotton and with silk, my joints and fingers suffered far worse with the silk than with the cotton. Because the readily available cotton (Classic 10) is a greater weight than the original silk, I used larger needles and produced a larger gauge than the original item. My gauge worked out to be 5 stitches/cm and 5 rows/cm as opposed to the 7 rows/cm and 5-6 stitches/cm according to Schmedding (using Knytir's translation). T

I cast on the project on August 9 with 14 repeats of the 12 stitch pattern, preferring the Sion I Chart interpretation in DesMoines's pattern to the chart in Lady Tola Knityr's interpretation. Progress pictures found in appendix B. The bag is only made long enough to hold a large phone, and as such does not have the number of rows or requisite tassels that the reliquary bag has.

There is a noticeable difference in gauge from the bottom to the top of the bag. The original is consistent throughout and bound off with a 3 needle bind off. Midway through production I found my gauge with 3-strand colorwork improving, which unfortunately changed the overall gauge. I chose to reverse the construction of the bag such that the firmest, most accurate gauge is at the top of the bag which will receive the most stress from the ties. The loose gauge at the beginning of the project is the result of knowing how an uneven but too-tight gauge makes colorwork "pucker" in an unsightly fashion, and that floats too loose but unseen on the back side of the product are typically more tolerable than too-tight floats with puckering.

Ends are left untrimmed inside the bag to allow repair options, as the cotton is slippery and I do not trust its ability to stick to itself should I simply weave in the ends and trim. If this bag begins to unravel, I wish to fix it.

The fingerloop braid closure is left off pending the presentation of the gift to the recipient, as it affects the fabric and if she has no interest in the drawstring closure there seems no point in needlessly altering the fabric itself.

Conclusion

If I ever try to knit 3 strand color work again, throw this paper at me.

Bibliography

DesMoines, Anne. Reliquary Style Pouches.

(downlaoded May 2020)

Knytir, Tola. Sion Knitted Purse.

(accessed November 1, 2021). Found in part here

20-knit-purses-in-14thc-switzerland/

Rutt, Richard. ​A History of Handknitting​. Interweave, 1987.

Schmedding, Brigitta. ​Mittelalterliche Textilien in Kirchen Und KloÌ​stern Der

Schweiz: Katalog​. Bern: StaÌ​mpfli, 1978

Tissus d'Égypte: témoins du monde arabe, VIIIe. - XVe. siècles. Collection

Bouvier, Exposition 1993-1994, Musée d'art et d'histoire à Genève. 1994,

Institut du monde arabe à Paris.

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

August 10, 2021

October 15, 2021

October 20, 2021

October 28, 2021

Blocking the Final Product October 28, 2021

Thank you for reading this kthxbai

"The EU’s Dodgy Deal with #Tunisia is a Classic of the Genre: Undemocratic, Unlawful and Unlikely to Work

"After a first abortive effort, the EU’s three musketeers, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, #Italian and #Dutch Prime Ministers Georgia Meloni and Mark Rutte returned to seal a dodgy deal with reluctant partner President Saied of Tunisia, who will accept a bag of Euros in exchange for pretending to prevent refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. It isn’t clear what extra concessions Saied extracted between the trio’s first visit in June and that of 16 July. It could have been more money or more likely changes to the modality of payment, with the EUR 150 million of budget support particularly appealing to a man in his position. It was perhaps the wording of the agreement that was adapted, now stating explicitly that Tunisia is not a place for settlement of “migrants in an irregular situation” and that it only guards its own borders – while it agrees to the opposite."

#EU #FortressEurope #FightTheFortress #migration #refugees #Antireport

Hella cute asks! 77, 87, 99, 88!

77: pink lemonade! but only when it turns pink cause there's blueberries in it... or blackberries... I love putting them in my lemonade... :D

87: Movies everyone should watch...? Hmmm. I am a big big big big big fan of Charlie Kaufman movies, so I'd probably pick one of his, but I also totally know that they aren't for everyone! Or most people even! My second choice would be Land Before Time!

88: Oh yes! Big fan of Rococo and Romantic perioda in terms of more "classic" art history. Big Goya fan. In terms of contemporary, I think it's probably pretty obvious that the pop art and psychedelia movements also have a pretty big influence on me stylistically! And personally, though I suppose this might be TOO contemporary, glitch art is near and dear to my heart because I have been playing with the intersection of art and tech since I met Bill Etra as a teenager, saw a Rutt Etra vid synth, and was blown away! He changed my life!

99: Ooh this is tricky. There are so many??? Hmmm. Okay. I will try to limit myself to three!!

Bjork - Hyperballad

Tori Amos - Space Dog

Tilly and The Wall - Nights of the Living Dead

Day 265 - Yoshi’s Island - Map (World 1 - 4) (8-bit)

That’s a mouthful of a title pfft

In a social rutt :/

It’s 4am where I live. I just deleted my TikTok account due to fear of more harassment. (I asked for a TW on the boys side of TikTok. Big mistake) This is my fourth or fifth account I’ve had to leave due to bullying/things that make me anxious- so I’ve just given up. I’m going to try to start over on a more open minded website.

oh yeah! I do music! I’m pretty mediocre and I am not a very continuous learner when it comes to instruments. I plan to work on that. I’m OK. I just have ideas. I’m creative. I’d like to share that to an audience without wondering if the site will take my content to a place it would get hated on simply to take advantage of the amount of activity that would happen. I’ve never suspected that with this site. We will see....

Anyway, I wanna make some friends! Here’s a bit about me : )

-I’m 17

-My pronouns are she/her 

-I’m bisexual/heteroromantic

-I am PRO LGBTQ+

-I am PRO BLM

-I am a Virgo (not too into that stuff but, why not!)

-My favorite aesthetic is a “bratty pastel alien” kinda thing?... xd

-I’m strangely uncultured. Growing up on the autism spectrum, I have never quite been interested in the classical pop culture- and it probably doesn’t help that my parents didn’t care to enforce popculture onto me- not that that’s a bad thing haha (so yeah if you reference something I will most likely not know a word you are talking about loll)

-My favorite creators are a bit mixed. I enjoy Vsauce, or really anything educational. I watch a bit of Vaush but I don’t as much anymore. Philosophy Tube is great! 

-I enjoy hypotheticalness..?? is that the word? Dk, but I really like to think about things that will probably never happen/be solved in my life time.

Well thats a quick overview, yeah? I hope to chat with anyone. <3

When Will a Stand Be Taken Against the Promotion of Murder? - by Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld

In civilized societies action should be taken against anyone who expresses the desire to commit murder. The Iranian government, Hamas, Hezbollah, various clerics, and other influential figures within the Muslim world, as well as neo-Nazis and other extreme rightists, openly proclaim their desire to commit murder or even genocide against Jews and Israel. Many in the Western world either refuse to heed these statements or actively support them. Many others relentlessly criticize Israel and remain completely silent about Palestinian promotion of the killing of Jews.

Civilized societies should not be silent when people state their intention to murder even a single person, let alone commit genocide. Many Western politicians and other prominent members of society do not seem to agree with this fundamental truth. In the non-Western world, many people have no inhibitions about saying, directly or indirectly, that they approve of murder in some cases and would personally commit it if the occasion arose. This is most easily seen when the potential victims are Jews. The leaders of Iran, for example, have spent four decades frequently and explicitly expressing their zeal to commit mass murder via the total destruction of the State of Israel. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has used familiar language to state this desire. Earlier this year he employed the phrase “final solution” on his website in yet another call for Israel’s destruction. Perhaps reminded of the phrase’s genocidal origin as the Nazi euphemism for the extermination of European Jewry, Khamenei later invoked a classic antisemitic trope by claiming that the extermination of the predominantly Jewish population of Israel would have nothing to do with Jews. “Eliminating the Zionist regime doesn’t mean eliminating Jews,” he said. “We aren’t against Jews. It means abolishing the imposed regime…Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Palestinians [would] choose their own government and expel thugs like [PM Benjamin] Netanyahu.” This Western-friendly waffling notwithstanding, Khamenei has made no attempt to conceal his true feelings. He has spoken of Israel as a cancer that must be forcibly cut out. In 2018 he tweeted: “Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen.” Other leading Iranian figures have spoken out in favor of the destruction of Israel, some explicitly mentioning the leveling of Israeli cities. Yet Iran is allowed to remain an unhindered member of the United Nations. The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas—elected as the majority party by the Palestinians in 2006—also openly and frequently discusses its desire to commit genocide against the Jews. This aspiration is clearly stated in its charter, which states: “Hamas looks forward to implementing Allah’s promise however long it might take. The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: ‘The [Day of Judgment] will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him!’” Senior Hamas officials occasionally call publicly for the murder of Jews. In 2019, Fathi Hammad, a member of the Hamas Politburo, urged members of the Palestinian diaspora to kill Jews around the world. Hammad said: “You have Jews everywhere and we must attack every Jew on the globe by way of slaughter and killing if God permits.” The Palestinian Authority (PA) provides generous financial payments to terrorists and their families. It thus creates a huge incentive for Palestinians to murder Jews in Israel. Nor are these pensions limited to the murderers. If Palestinians are killed in an attempt to murder Jews, the financial benefits they would have received accrue to their families. This amounts to a “pay for slay” policy—in other words, the PA actively promotes and encourages the murder of Jews. In 2019, the PA spent 570 million shekels (about $160 million) on rewards to terrorist prisoners. By August 2019, the Palestinian terrorists who in 2001 killed 15 Israeli civilians—about half of them children—and wounded many more in the Jerusalem Sbarro restaurant bombing had received more than $900,000 from the PA. In May 2020, the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah terror organization, Hassan Nasrallah, referred to the creation of Israel as “the establishment of this virus of an entity, this cancerous tumor amidst our umma.” He added, “Israel has no legitimacy to exist at all and must be destroyed.” Clerics and other influential figures within the Muslim world also call for the extermination of Israel and Jews. Some of these figures have a very broad and influential platform. In 2012, the cleric Futuh Abdel Nabi Mansur officiated at a nationally televised service at the Cairo Tenaim Mosque. The service was attended by then Egyptian president Muhammad Morsi. The cleric said, “O Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters; O Allah, disperse them and rend them asunder; O Allah, demonstrate your might and greatness upon them.” Morsi could be seen saying “Amen.” There is also prominent support for murderers elsewhere in the Muslim world. On November 18, 2014, two Muslim terrorists from East Jerusalem murdered six people at a Jerusalem synagogue, including a heroic Israeli Druze policeman. The terrorists were killed. The next day, Jordanian parliamentarians held a moment of silence for the murderers. They read aloud verses of the Quran “to glorify [the terrorists’] pure souls and the souls of all the martyrs in the Arab and Muslim nations.” The Jordanian PM, Abdullah Ensour, sent a condolence letter to the families of the terrorists in which he ”[asked] God to envelop [the terrorists] with mercy.” Neo-Nazis and other extreme rightists also call publicly for “death to the Jews.” Some have carried this out, as was seen in massacres at two US synagogues. In a similar case in Germany in October 2019, only a strong door stood between Jews praying inside the Halle synagogue on Yom Kippur and a man who had come to slaughter them. These murderous individuals, while very dangerous, have only local capabilities as yet and are thus not in the same criminal league as Muslim countries and major terrorist organizations that promote murder and genocide. Beyond the would-be mass murderers themselves are those who finance and promote them. Iran and Qatar make money available to Hamas that enables the group to finance its anti-Israel operations—money that it withholds from its own population to further its own ends. Several Western and other countries give money to the PA, a body that openly promotes murder. They claim their money is not being used to pay pensions to terrorists and their families, but they have no way of ascertaining this. The PA can use whatever funds it has available, including donor funds, to pay Palestinians to kill Jews. In the Western world, a variety of senior figures and bodies exhibit the opinion that when Jews are the target, the promotion of murder or genocide ceases to be objectionable. Some of them go so far as to directly promote the interests of the murderers. A striking example is former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who welcomed representatives of Hamas and Hezbollah to the House of Commons and called them his “friends” and “brothers.” Others include former US President Jimmy Carter and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2014, they co-signed an op-ed in The Guardian suggesting that Europe and the US should recognize Hamas as a political movement. They failed to mention that Hamas is an organization with genocidal aspirations. This was a showcase of senior human rights advocates promoting the interests of would-be mass murderers. The Dutch government advisory body Adviesraad Internationale Vraagstukken (AIV, or Advisory Council of Foreign Affairs) is in the same category. It issued a report in 2013 recommending contacts between the EU, the Netherlands, and Hamas. The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) wrote to Dutch PM Mark Rutte to disband the AIV for this recommendation, which would obviously come at Israel’s expense. The AIV’s recommendations were not accepted, but the organization was not disbanded. Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, does not bother to conceal his comfort with the extermination of the State of Israel. He said in an interview: “Iran wants to wipe out Israel. Nothing new about that; you have to live with it.” Another category—a major one—is those who freely criticize Israel but never mention the criminality of the major Palestinian bodies. They certainly never acknowledge those bodies’ open promotion of murder and genocide. If they criticize the Palestinians at all, they do so superficially and focus on other issues. One influential person who does this is US Senator Bernie Sanders, a Jewish politician who was a leading contender for the US Democratic presidential nomination. When he addressed the Israeli-Palestinian problem during his campaign, he spoke of the Palestinians’ dignity and called the Israeli government “racist.” European parliamentarians regularly criticize Israel while averting their eyes from Palestinian invocations of genocide and murder. In the Netherlands, at least one-third of the 150 parliamentarians have done this. In the Swedish and Norwegian governments the percentage is probably higher. Then there are those who unintentionally help would-be genocidal murderers. In 2015, then US President Barack Obama initiated the extremely flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement with Iran, which enabled the Iranians to sustain their quest for nuclear weapons with impunity and intensify their subversive and terrorist activities in the Middle East. In the context of this analysis one should also look at what is often called “Holocaust inversion.” This is exhibited by people who claim Israel intends to exterminate the Palestinians and/or that Israel is like the Nazis. In 2020, the Hungarian Action and Protection League commissioned a report by Hungary’s Inspira Ltd in which interviews were held with members of the adult population between the ages of 18-75 in 16 European countries. Twenty-four percent said they believe Israelis behave like Nazis toward the Palestinians. The main representative study before Inspira was published in 2011 by the University of Bielefeld on behalf of the German Social Democratic Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Their research was undertaken in seven European countries. The interviewers polled 1,000 people per country over the age of 16 in the fall of 2008. One question was whether they agreed with the assertion that Israel is carrying out a war of extermination against the Palestinians. The lowest percentages of those who agreed were in Italy and the Netherlands, with 38% and 39% respectively. Other figures were Hungary 41%, the UK 42%, Germany 48%, and Portugal 49%. In Poland, the figure was an astonishing 63%. It is not only Europe’s leaders who have lost their moral grounding. These results reflect the profound moral decay of major segments of the population of the European continent.

Shop Small with these Women Owned Businesses

It's that time of year again, when we're all looking to support the small businesses our communities hold dear. Purchasing goods and services from the pillars of your favorite neighborhood is the best way to show your support.

Below you'll find a list of 15 Women Owned Small Businesses. If you shop online this holiday season, don't forget these incredibly hard working folks.

1.) Messner Bee Farm

Rachael Messner of Messner Bee Farm in Kansas City spun her hobby into a flourishing business. Her operations began as a 900 square foot urban farm. Over years of never giving up despite what different seasons showered upon her, Rachael and her family now live on a full-fledged bee farm. You can even stop by for a tour if you'd like to know more about where your honey comes from.  

“Honeybees pollinate over one-third of all the fruits and vegetables we eat. Of course they also make honey! The best way people can help bees is by minimizing their use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, and supporting other organizations that do the same. Buy local honey, support your local beekeeper.” –Rachael Messner

Shop some of Rachael's products here. Read more about Rachael's story here.

2.) Woodward Throwbacks

Bo Shepherd and her partner Kyle started Woodward Throwbacks in 2013 as a means to repurpose much of the discarded lumber and abandoned antiques that plagued Detroit's streets. Their shop has moved from location to location, each time scaling up and offering even more goods and services.  

I started re-purposing found wood back in college but it became a serious hobby once I met Kyle. We used to bike around the city exploring different neighborhoods and during our excursions we noticed an abundance of wood from illegal dumping sites. We combined our love for the city and the idea that taking materials found in the street would also help clean our neighborhoods." -Bo Shepherd

Through their website you can shop salvaged doors, custom made and reclaimed furniture, and handmade goods. Read more about Bo's story here.

3.) Seattle Urban Farm Co.

Hilary Dahl is co-owner of Seattle Urban Farm Co. and host of the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast. The podcasts are quick lessons in farming, each one is easy to access—you can listen to them online and read the highlights.

Seattle Urban Farm Co. offers many services, and they differ from customer to customer. Their knowledgeable team can plan, build, and maintain the urban farm you always wanted but never thought you could personally manage—perfect for those of us who may not have a green thumb, but love the idea of homegrown tomatoes.

If you are an aspiring farmer or gardener, browse the different webinars Seattle Urban Farm Co has to offer on their website, ranging from soil health to harvesting techniques. These online lessons are a great gift (for yourself or loved ones).

Read more about Hilary's story here.

4.) Homestead Wisconsin

Brit McCoy is a woman of many talents. She’s a full time farmer, runs her own flower business, and works at her family's business, The Wood Cycle. Making strides in her career alongside her family is the most challenging and most fulfilling part of the job

Brit majored in Landscape Architecture at Iowa State University. Upon returning to Wisconsin, she and her husband Matt founded their own farm, first selling their ethically raised meat, eventually expanding their reach.

“My business started just like my father’s, to make our hobby our career. I started raising livestock as soon as I could afford to feed them." -Brit McCoy

You can order a box of their fine grass-fed beef and lamb here. Read more about Brit's story here.

5.) Blue Marble Ice Cream

Ten years ago, Jennie Dundas and Alexis Gallivan, opened Blue Marble Ice Cream in Brooklyn. Their products are entirely organic, made from only high quality ingredients, and absolutely no hormones, antibiotics, harmful pesticides or artificial additives. Manufacturing in New York with ethical and sustainable practices is crucial to this woman-run company.

“Nobody can really be sad eating ice cream, can they?” -Susan Jo, Ice Cream Chef

Ship Blue Marble Ice Cream straight to your front door here.

6.) Sustainable Crafted Wooden Goods by Alexandra Climent

Meet woodworker Alexandra Climent. She operates out of her own shop in Brooklyn. Her passion for the extraordinary wood she found in the jungle lead her to teach herself the trade.

All of the products Alexandra makes are set apart from other wooden goods. She sustainably sources her materials from the jungle, befriending locals and working with each regions’ governments along the way. The wood she harvests and brings back to her shop is ancient, packed tightly over years and years.

“The wood I use is some of the most dense in the world. When you put it in the water it sinks and termites can’t even penetrate it. It’s like working with steel, and it breaks pretty much any blade.” -Alexandra Climent

Shop Alexandra's one-of-a-kind creations here. Read more about Alexandra here.

7.) Sculptures by Amber Jean

From giant sculptures made from entire trees to carvings that fit in your hand, the interplay between humans and nature is the driving force behind Amber’s work. She put herself through college, finding work in the great outdoors that fueled her passion for earth and art.

Amber helped build the Continental Divide Trail, was part of the first all female crew at the Forest Service in Bozeman, fought forest fires in West Yellowstone, and was the first female wilderness ranger based out of the West Yellowstone District.

Amber was the first woman to carve in the country of Bhutan for the Prime Minister. She's created many large scale works that have earned her great recognition in the art community. And she even gave a Ted Talk about her work.

"I never wasted energy grumbling at, whining about or looking for prejudices. I just got to work, stayed curious, made lots of mistakes, and kept after it.” –Amber Jean

Shop Amber's sculptures here.

8.) Circa Ceramics

Nancy Witt and her husband Andy have been making their wares in the Chicago neighborhood of Ravenswood since 2001. Their signature style is iconic in the windy city, with their Chicago flag items constantly flying off the shelves.

Browse their online shop here. See behind the scenes into their studio here.

9.) Greta de Parry Design

Greta is a classically trained woodworker and sculptor in the Chicago area. She's been designing and making furniture since 2007. Her collection consists of clean lines and minimalist touches.  

Shop Greta's furniture here. Read more about her story here.

10.) The Little Flower Soap Co.

Michigan florist, Holly Rutt, started making soaps as a hobby. Combining her love for nature and interest in healing plant extractions and essential oils, she and her husband created a line of body care products. After realizing how much steam her side gig was gaining, Holly decided to devote the majority of her time to The Little Flower Soap Co.



“The maker movement is in full swing there has never been a better time to start your own small business. If you think your life would be better as your own boss in a creative field than get started and stick with it.” —Holly Rutt

Shop Holly's body care products here. Read more about Holly's story here.

11.) The Elk Coffee Shop

This charming coffee shop in the West Village of New York is owned by Claire Chan. Five years ago, she took over the space, renovated, and reopened with her grand vision in mind.

“I feel so proud of the all women-run businesses I see popping up, especially right now. At a time where women’s rights and female empowerment is more relevant than ever, it is important to express your ideas and exercise your values so that others will be encouraged to do the same. There’s strength in numbers, and it feels amazing to surround yourself with like-minded and strong women!” -Claire Chan

If you're in NYC, you can order The Elk's offerings straight to your door here. Read more about The Elk here.

12.) Amaltheia Dairy Farm

Amaltheia Dairy Farm in Montana is a family run operation.

“We have had our farm for over 20 years. We love the Bozeman area and our goats get to enjoy beautiful scenery and seasons we have here. It’s beautiful every day. The best thing about what we do is to provide nutritious, delicious organic goat cheeses, pork, and vegetables to people. Those people appreciate being able to get great food and are thankful. It is a symbiotic relationship.

We have been making cheese for 17 years, certified organic for 12 years. We are sustainable farmers and try to utilize all of our resources and byproducts responsibly. We use the whey from the cheese to feed organic hogs and compost and use all of our manure for fields and gardens." -Co Owner, Sue Brown

Ship some some of the famous Amaltheia Dairy Farm goat cheese straight to your front door here. Read more about the family here.

13.) Pewabic Pottery

Pewabic Pottery in Detroit was founded in 1903 by Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Her ceramics were nationally renowned, landing her a spot in the Michigan’s Women Hall of Fame. Mary went on to win several awards and established the ceramics department at the University of Michigan. The touch she had on Michigan and the arts and crafts community will always be remembered. The shop is still operating to this day and is now a National Historic Landmark.

Shop some of their trademark Pewabic blue pieces here.

14.) Live Edge Detroit

In 2016, Jenny, her brother Joe, and her dad Mike founded Live Edge. They now salvage the trees that Mike’s company removes. Once the wood has been cut and taken back to their warehouse, the crew mills them into new usable material.

“Our vision for Live Edge Detroit was to develop a branch of Mike’s Tree Surgeons, Inc. that focused on salvaging our local resources and making them available for the community to enjoy for many more years to come. Our long term goals are to uphold that initial vision and to see it bloom into a more sustainable and profitable branch of the family business. We aren’t planning to take over the world, but we want to make a difference within the community, and we feel that starts right here in our own backyard.” -Jenny Barger

Shop Live Edge's offerings here. Read more about the family business here.

15.) Five Marys Farms

A few years ago, Mary and her husband Brian were high-powered Silicon Valley lawyers/entrepreneurs who traded it all away to live the Carhartt way of life. Armed with a strong work ethic and the fearlessness to ask lots of questions, the couple and their four daughters who all share the first name of Mary – but who go by their middle name to keep things “simple” – have proudly become a fully-functioning ranch that sells its meats all over the country.

“I am so proud of the life we get to give our girls living and working together on the ranch,” Mary beams when talking about being the mother of four young farm girls. “I don’t think I gave my girls enough credit before we moved here,” she continues, “I made their lunches and filled their water bottles and did all of their laundry, not really expecting them to do too much. By necessity, when we moved to the ranch the girls had to step up to the plate and start helping more, and they are so much more capable because of it.”

Shop Five Mary's here. Read more about this amazing family here.

The Secret Reason Behind My Solo Travelling

(You can play the music from “John Williams - Fawkes The Phoenix” above to make it more touching while you read, but no need to rush because of the time, you can repeat it again when the music ends. Perhaps, when you read and listen to the music above, it feels like you read this article in Harry Potter Theme Park lol)

Yahhh Anyeong Hasaeyo!!

Today, I want to reveal the secrets behind my solo travelling to you guys. Actually, I’ve done solo travelling for 2 years back in February 2017 when I was studying in Switzerland and I still remember my first trip was to Interlaken, Switzerland. And you guys can call Interlaken as “Queenstown of Switzerland” because it has beautiful scenery there and it provides extreme ways of sports (e.g. Paragliding). Actually, I went to Interlaken, honestly, not because of the scenery, but because of my disappointment my friends and even my previous crush at that time. They always gave me a classic reason for not coming to Interlaken with me such as: “No money”, “Lazy”, “It’s too far”, “Save the energy for the orientation week”. So, whether should I accept it or not, I had no choice, I had to do Solo Travel for the first time in history. The good thing was this solo travel helped me enrich my CV for work, family, friends, future crush/someone special and also “her” family when they ask me “What have you done in your time in the foreign soil?”

After I went to Interlaken, my other solo trip was to Zürich (that was before I had an internship and I was still studying in 6th Semester), followed by Basel, Lugano, Lausanne and return to Interlaken for relieving my stress from horrible guests demands and complaints (this time I had already had a 6-month internship contract with my hotel) by taking extreme sports for the first time: Paragliding.

My hotel workplace

Outside Switzerland Trip

My next trip was to Stockholm, Sweden. I chose this because actually, I wanted to go to Iceland, however, the flight ticket price was so expensive and the hotel price itself in Reykjavik hadn’t got a Staff rate, as I work in the Zürich hotel with the same company name as in Reykjavik (The name is secret haha. But, I can spoil you the clue: “It’s International Chain”). So, I chose Sweden, because it had Staff Price and also I want to challenge myself to travel under -4 degrees Celcius. 

Moreover, I had to travel on my own, again, because my colleagues were busy on their works even during the weekends (It’s hotelier life guys lol, that’s why I’ve decided to retire from hospitality since several months ago). In addition, my friends who were doing an internship in another property were also busy and worst reason at that time, I had no lover beside me.

Dutch PM, Mark Rutte, was on the right side

Then, after the Stockholm Trip, I continued my journey to the Netherlands and France with my family (Uncle and his family precisely) and after those trips, I had to return to my country for completing my Bachelor Degree a year ago. Since then, I took hiatus for almost a year. In the end, I return to my other solo travel in Auckland back in February 2019, where I travelled around the city and the following days after, I travelled alone again to Auckland City, but this time, this is something special for me and unexpectedly and accidentally for the first time, I met my current special one in this place.

Secret Reason Behind Solo Travelling

(You can play the music from “Hans Zimmer - Time” above to make it more dramatic while you read, but no need to rush because of the time, you can repeat it again when the music ends.)

Well, I choose to do solo travelling, it’s because I want to experience it and also enrich my CV. As far as I know, according to the internet, HR also fancy on someone who likes Solo Travelling. Also, by solo travelling, I can be so proud to share my story and experience with my friends, family, other people even my future crush or someone special, either Face-to-Face or through Social Media.

However, the truth and honest reasons behind it was, besides the aforementioned reasons, based on my previous experiences, as Solo Travelling has already hit my peak of boredom, I “had to do it”. Even if I go with Group Travelling, I would be still relieved, however, there’s something missing on it while I do both Solo and Group Travelling. On both occasions, I always remain quiet and dejected, because there’s something missing. 

It doesn’t matter how loud I and my friends laugh, how cheerful I and my friends are, how talkative I and my friends are, how mad and sad I and my friends are and how happy I and my friends are during group travelling or gathering. Yet, I still feel something’s missing and incomplete. My face can smile, yet not with my world. At least, I’m still grateful that I can still join the group travel and I can share the moments with my mates and her friends automatically.

What makes me incomplete is the someone special is not always with us and “she” hasn’t been yet besides me. I know, all my previous ones and even the current special one are mostly “Homey Girl”, which means she prefers to stay at home during their free time, instead of travelling. However, this character of “Homey Girl” is one of my criteria lists. Hence, spending time with “Homey Girl” is neither a big problem nor a big deal for me because honestly sometimes I become “Homey Lad” when I have no mood to spend leisure time outside and also by spending time at home together, I feel my world is more complete as I have “Talking Friend” inside home rather than staying at home alone like past and present days. In addition as “Homey Girl and Lad” live under one roof, we can be “being lazy” together, “doing something silly at home” together and also “sharing our secrets” together.

However, as in reality that I haven’t got my someone special for either couple travelling and spending time together everywhere, I have to admit the bitterness that I “have to” go Solo Travel every time during free time. I know it’s really infuriating, but I have no choice in order to get out of my room, broaden my horizon, enrich my CV and kill my boredom. And thus, my recent Wellington Trip should be the last one for my solo travelling.

Vector Synthesis: Tired Eyes/Enter the Void [Scan Processing] from macumbista on Vimeo.

This clip uses audio signals to display video on a modified Vectrex console. A photograph is scan processed with the classic Rutt-Etra technique. The brightness information modulates the Z axis (depth) of the raster, which is then projected from 3D to 2D space with perspective treatment. Coded with my Vector Synthesis library for Pure Data.

Tour Der Ongeschoren Benen Classic afgelast

Na de persconferentie van Rutte en De Jong op dinsdag 18 augustus kwam de organisatie van de Tour Der Ongeschoren Benen Classic bijeen om de laatste puntjes op de bekende i te zetten om de Tour zo coronaproof mogelijk te organiseren.

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