day 276 : #52coffees // week 1

last week, i wrote about my newest social project ; #52coffees! 

{you can read all the details here}

the idea is that i will connect with one person a week, for the next year. there really aren't any rules ; just me, someone awesome & some time chatting. some folks, i have never met. others, i have. like i said, no rules. my big goal is to be more intentional with my time & energy.

i kicked off this series with wendy jacobson, who runs a digital magazine called 'minneapolis happening!'

                           

we met at the dunn brothers in linden hills & chatted for a couple hours! we talked about the kindness business {she wrote a sweet story about the box here}, moving around, families, rescue pups, and more! 

i find that i am just so inspired by people who take big steps, follow their dreams and do rad things! along with that, its so cool to see how many people i am surrounded by who are doing just that! {just to clarify, you don't have to quit your job & move across the country to be inspiring!} i am SO pumped to kick off this #52coffees project ; so many awesome humans to connect with!

also, if you live in the twin cities {or plan on visiting} ; be sure to check out minneapolis happening! lots of great articles, resources and a calendar full of upcoming events! 

day 275 : Fall Be Nice Box REVEAL

happy monday, all! 

tonight, blake & i are heading out to see anberlin play their very last mpls show EVER! we are both pretty big fans & knowing this is their last tour is making me all emotional! i had an old boyfriend back in 2005 make me a mix cd with 'audrey! start the revolution!' on it & they have been one of my favorites ever since! 

anyways, lets talk about the fall box! 

this is our very first quarterly box & contains a list of 30 acts of kindness to complete, 10 {awesome} tangible items to help complete some items on the list, along with a handmade gift! 

boxes are STILL available & will be until the very beginning of december.

you guys, i am really proud of how these boxes turned out! 

also, we have new boxes, a new shipping & labeling system and had the chance to work with some really great folks! also, we changed the way we present the good deeds {which i am super pumped about!}

{ps : winter boxes are now on sale & you can grab one here} 

with past monthly boxes, i have written out each of the good deeds, but since there are 30 {and because this box is such a fun surprise!}, i am going to pass this time around! BUT, on the bottom of the post, you can find out about all of the awesome companies & artists we worked with this month! 

INCLUDED in the boxes // You Are Beautiful gift wrap from YAB // paint chip gift tags // KINDNESS bookmark made by Taeamade // salt dough ornaments // hand-wrapped yarn mini-wreath // TWO bars of soap from Hope Soap Project // Big Bloomer card from bloomin' {each card has a plantable piece that you can take off & plant!} // 'you've been ghosted' tags from Artsyville // two mini-boxes of Glee Gum // a crocus bulb from Eden Brothers // two notecards with handmade envelopes from Elizabeth Millard
and your gift : this awesome Give Thanks garland designed by DajonSmiles
{she also designed all of the good deed cards that were included}
{PS : if you are looking for graphic design work ; let her know! she's awesome!}


{i just want to give a HUGE thank you to all the amazing folks who have supported me & this little business in the past year ; my gratitude is infinite!}

day 274 : donate a load of books {part of SuperPurge2k14}

one of my October goals is to super-purge the apartment. i try to do this at least 2-3 times a year and fall always seems like such a great season to go through everything! 

the other day, i spent 8 hours going through every drawer, cupboard and closet {the kitchen and craft room aren't finished yet} i have a huge bag ready to go to the second hand shop, a few items i am trying to sell and a bag of books that daphne & i will be delivering to different little free libraries around the neighborhood! 

most of the books we own are from other LFLs or thrift stores ; we really never purchase new books. we are lucky enough to live a few blocks from the library!
tell us : do you have a little free library in your town? your neighborhood?

day 273 : I'm an elected official, man!

this is a fun one, folks! 

anybody who knows me in real life, knows that i am pretty political. i follow the news, i *always* vote and i try pretty hard to advocate for causes that mean a lot to me.

and while i believe that every american should vote to elect our congresswom/en, senators & the president, lately, i have realized how important local politics are! 

with each passing election cycle, it seems that our country becomes more and more divided ; which makes ALL issues harder to compromise on. 

a few months ago, i joined a neighborhood committee for sustainability and environmentalism. we are a small group, meet once a month and find ways to engage our neighborhood re: recycling, composting, solar panels, ect. {for those of you who aren't local ; our neighborhood is really incredible & is by far, one of the most progressive 'hoods in the mpls // st. paul area}

we have a few neighborhood committees, and one neighborhood council. anybody can join a committee, at any time during the year, but the council is a 2-year term, with an election. 

there have been a few openings on the council, and with elections near, i knew i wanted to put my name in the hat! 

i feel like kindness and local politics go hand in hand. seemingly small issues {by washington standards} such as city-wide compost programs, or new bike lanes, or safe routes to school programs are things that we can change! each of us can be involved in making our neighborhood better. better neighborhoods mean better cities, which means better states. and like the late {great} paul wellstone said, 'we all do better, when we all do better!' {probably one of my favorite quotes of all time!} 

so, here i am, the newest member of the linden hills neighborhood council! our first meeting is in a few weeks & i am really excited to document the things that i learn!

{and spoiler alert : in the {{far-off}} future, i would really, really love to run for city council!}

day 272 : {another awesome} gift for Harry Potter LOVERS

you know i love harry potter! 

i showed off this amazing hp book collection {its SO cool!} and blake & i even went down to florida this year to check out the wizarding world of harry potter {here}

both my sister and i are huge harry potter fans ; she started reading them when she was just a kid and its always been 'our thing.'

she got married this weekend {super excited to share some photos this week!} and i knew a potter-themed gift would be awesome! 

fun, right? 

if you are local, both the print & the candle can be found at Paper Hat {50th&Penn}

if you aren't local : puzzle // candle // print // wedding card 

day 271 : kindness carousel {the best links from around the web}

friday!
i have been so absent here, BUT i have so many great things to share!
my sister gets married tomorrow, so i will be offline ALL weekend {hooray!}

until i come back, check out these awesome links from around the web!

1) 18 of the most beautiful children's books EVER! ---> #2 is my FAVORITE! i have given this book as a gift many, many times!
2) this guy is committing to having coffee with each of his 1,000 Facebook friends!
3) spreading kindness to others is awesome {duh!} ; but here are 40 acts of self-kindness to practice!
4) umm, this might be the coolest Little Free Library i have EVER seen! {bikes + books + community ; HELLO!}
5) this story from the Charity:Water blog gave me goosebumps. and the photos are SO beautiful!
6) its always awesome to see Minnesotans doing rad things! a new running group has launched geared towards homeless folks. {i am looking to join // lead runs // volunteers! fingers crossed it works out, I'm super excited to be involved!}
7) and the finalists for the National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest have been announced. prepare to be amazed...

have an awesome weekend!

day 270 : my newest project // #52coffees

happy monday, everybody!
the fall be nice boxes have shipped {i have two i'm delivering today and three more i have to drop off later this week}, but WHEW, it feels awesome to have them out in the universe! i worked really, really hard on them & am excited to see folks spread kindness! ps : the boxes are still available until early december, so there is STILL time for you to grab one for yourself or gift to a friend! {visit the shop here}
{aimee shared this picture of her fall box & i LOVE it!}

lets talk about #52coffees! 

last year, i saw someone use the hashtag and explain her goal. in 52 weeks {one year} she wanted to have coffee with 52 folks. i LOVE this! and, fall is such a great season to start new goals {at least for me!}

so, starting TODAY, i will be meeting with 52 folks, over the course of a year! i already have had over 30 people express interest {which is awesome}

some people, i have met in real life {not many} other folks, are people i have followed // followed me through social media, but never met. i have a few people on my list who have no idea who i am, but are doing really incredible things that i want to reach out to {local radio host & a woman doing INCREDIBLE things in the somali community!}

there are no real rules! some folks will meet for coffee. or maybe brunch. or maybe donuts {those people will probably be my favorite}. or maybe a bike ride. or a run around the lake. {you get the picture!}

we will talk about things. like donuts. and biking. and maybe dogs. or our favorite books. and our favorite backstreet boys songs {as long as you love me ; duh!}

like i said ; no real rules.

my main goal for this project is to really be more intentional with my time & the folks i surround myself with.

the folks who have expressed interest in this project are doing cool things {working for rad companies, running their own businesses, and generally making the world better!} ; so after each meeting, i will do a recap on the blog, so you can get to know these folks better, too.

ps: do you live nearby? or planning a trip to the cities? want to connect? 

lets do it!