I did it!

One of my goals for 2012 was to read at least three books written for an adult audience.  Considering that I often go on young adult fiction binges that can last upwards of eleven months, planning to read three was doable, but certainly not a given.  I'm proud to say that as of April 11, 2012, when I completed Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, three of the eight books I've read since January 1, were not written for adolescents!  (Insert my happy dance here—which bears a striking resemblance to the twins' moves.)

That said, I want to share a graphic novel (written for young adults) I recently read with you.  Meet the Janes, who are the cast of characters in The Plain Janes, a tale written by Cecil Castellucci and illustrated by Jim Rugg. 

After the main Jane's parents move her to suburbia in the name of safety, our leading lady manages to make friends with three other Janes-of-various-spellings.  Together, they form The P.L.A.I.N. Janes, a secret "art girl gang" whose mission is to create thought-provoking public art, in hopes of inspiring their strip-mall loving neighbors to appreciate beauty.  P.L.A.I.N. = People Loving Art in Neighborhoods.

Reasons these Janes are kind of my kindred:   

• Main Jane's (far left above) first thought as she stares at the sky from the perfectly manicured lawn in her new yard, notebook by her side, bird chirping overhead: "I'm in hell."
• And as she enters her new high school, she tells herself: "Remember it's just four years . . . Om, and all that."
• Jane-with-the-bob (second from right above) puts on a prosthetic nose and recites from Cyrano De Bergerac when she tries out for the school's production of Grease, much to the horror of the "cool" girls running the auditions.
• "I want her to stop worrying and love the world again." —Main Jane, speaking about her mom.  
• P.L.A.I.N. projects include: installing hundreds of stuffed animals outside an animal shelter with clever signs encouraging pet adoption; a message bottle tree, with instructions like dance, hug, and skip inside the hanging bottles; and yarn bombing parking meters and fire hydrants with striped cozies. 

No doubt you understand why I would invite the P.L.A.I.N. Janes to help fulfill my birthday mission.  These girls would be all over #s 5, 9, and 12!  

p.s. You're still totally invited to help fulfill my birthday mission, too.  The Janes would be so proud, and I would be impressed, grateful, and a lot of other positive adjectives!   

Starting with #4

My partner in whatever the opposite of crime is (aka Ben) and I finally completed one of the projects for the Magic Mission.  We gathered provisions:

(yes, bubble tea played an essential role in this particular project)

and got busy.  Ben was, of course, all about the pun.

(TAG! You're it!, Don't leave me hangin', bro!, etc.)

Rhyming anthropomorphism also served as a muse—Cats shooting craps!

I, too, tried my hand at the visual pun.  See the corner of Have a [soccer] ball peeking out down there?  I was kinda proud of that one. :)

But sometimes just-plain-cute trumped clever.

Bonus points for sparkle.  Always.

We tied our tiny-messages-to-the-world on chain link fences, tennis court nets, tree branches, door handles, and bridge railings.  Today was such a windy day, though, that it was difficult to get photos of our tiny messages "in the wild".  Let's just say this guy reads, "you're a shooting star," ok? 

We saved quite a few of the lot, so the adventure will continue!  Do you have plans to complete a Magic Mission this weekend, friends?  If you're looking for an easy/fun one to start with, I highly recommend #4.

Cheers + magic to you!

X marks the spot

my kit: logbook, stamp, ink pads, cloth, pen

Are you a fan of deciphering cryptic clues, embarking on treasure hunts, recording important data in log books, rubber stamps, and being outside, hiking about?  Thought so.  Well, then, letterboxing may be your next favorite hobby.  In case you've yet to 'box, here are the basics:

Planting

1. Clever and creative people carve a stamp.
2. The stamp is secured, along with a logbook (and hopefully an ink pad), in a water-tight container.  This nifty little package is dubbed the letterbox.
3. The planter hides the letterbox.  Often the stamp and the 'box's location are linked thematically.  Sometimes, it's just a sweet spot, with a memorable view.  See photos below.
4. Finally, the planter writes mysterious directions, and posts them online, so you can be a treasure hunter.  Like Indiana Jones, sans all the dangerous boulders and snakes and stuff.

Finding

1. Before you head out on your first hunt, acquire your own logbook and personal stamp.  Part of the fun of letterboxing is carving stamps—both when you create your personal stamp and each time you plant a 'box.  There are countless tutorials online that explain (or even show with video!) how to make your own rubber stamps.  I like to keep it simple, so I've always used erasers and borrowed friends' linoleum cutters.    
2. Browse Letterboxing North America or Atlas Quest to find a 'box to seek.  Print the clues, or use your smart phone as your electronic treasure map!
3. When you discover a letterbox (Eureka!), you ink your personal stamp in the letterbox's logbook.  It's also customary to write the date on which you discovered the 'box.  Some people also include little tidbits regarding the weather or scenery, but that's not essential.  Then, be sure to collect your well-earned reward!  Enter the planter's stamp in your log book, and record whatever information you'd like to help capture the memory.

Any questions?  Did you know there were hidden treasures all around you?  Will you begin a quest to find one this weekend?

I couldn't wait till the weekend.  We in the Bay Area experienced unusual winter weather today.  At one point, my car thermometer gauged the outside temperature at 73º!  I knew I wanted to soak in as much sun and outdoorsy air as possible, so I decided today was a lovely day for a letterbox adventure.  I grabbed my 'boxing kit and went in search of this guy at Garin Park in Hayward.  Unfortunately, the letterbox was missing its stamp!  My outing was not for naught, though.  Look at the sights I saw!  I still managed to find some treasure.  :)     

Garin Park; Hayward, CA

the view from the letterbox's hiding place

blooming!

close up

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of mini-adventures.  Should you become an avid letterboxer, and decide to plant one, let me know!  A) I'd love to seek and find it, and B) I think that'd be another perfect way to participate in the Magic Mission.  ;)  Cheers!

Wish ignition (say that 3 times fast!)

I just finished reading Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (yes, I'm well on my way to reading more than my usual number of books intended for adults this year).  One of the circus tents in the story features a Wishing Tree: "You take a candle from the box at the entrance and light it from one that already burns on the tree.  Your wish is ignited by someone else's wish."  Charming concept, no? 

The image reminded me of Yoko Ono's Wish Trees, which were inspired by her childhood memory of writing a wish on a piece of paper and tying it around a tree branch at a temple in Japan.  Wish trees appear in various forms in other cultures around the globe, as well.

If you're still trying to devise a way to participate in the Magic Mission, I believe creating a Wish Tree for your community is another lovely* option.  Igniting some hopefulness in this world fits the purpose of the project perfectly.  :)

*and simple!  All you need is paper, a hole punch, yarn or string, some writing utensils, and wishes!  Oh, and a tree, of course.  

Inspirational Potholes

What?  You heard me.  I'm telling you: folks can make magic pretty much anywhere.  Case in point: check out these re-imagined potholes!

Juliana Santacruz Herrera enhanced the heck out of some potholes in Paris with some yarn.  I originally typed "I wish I'd seen some of JSH's pothole enhancements when I was in Paris last fall," but then I worried I was guilty of humblebragging.  Thought you should know.  (Discovered @ Honestly...WTF.)

And Claudia Ficca and Davide Luciano's cheeky pothole vignettes amuse me to no end.   If potholes persist, why not get some doughnuts, baptisms, and down the rabbit hole-ing out of them?  Read a nifty interview with the creative duo over at My Modern Met.

I hope both the pothole projects inspire you to make some similar magic in your neck of the woods.  You are still cordially invited to participate in my birthday celebration, the Magic Mission.  In fact, the offer does not expire.  :)

The ball is rolling

(Pun intended.)  

You guys!  Our first Magic Mission* is complete!  Janet (aka This Confetti Life) tucked some bouncy balls amid, near, and around all the yummy treats at her local Trader Joe's.  I envision a sly Janet, clad in black Wayfarers, black turtleneck, black leggings, black ballet flats and a beige trench coat, looking both ways before painstakingly placing the bouncy ball on the mochi, and then tip-toeing over to the mini peanut butter cups to find the next hiding spot.  I sincerely hope she had fun being a little mischievous, and I hope you help us keep the ball rolling!  

Read the Official Invitation for all sorts of ideas to help spread some magic.  I cannot wait to see how you'll interpret the project!

*Tentative name.  Anyone have a better name for the project?

You are cordially invited

You may have heard (from me): my birthday is nigh!  Which means, my annual opportunity to bring a little beauty into the neighborhood and joy to strangers is also upon us.  I'd really like this tradition to grow.  I hope for more beauty and cheer; I hope to include more communities; I hope to involve more people. 

Consider yourself invited to join in the tradition.  This year, I have not organized one set day and time for one particular activity.  No no no no no!  2012's celebration (which I don't have a clever name for!) is flexible, like Jane Fonda.  You can participate whenever you want, wherever you can!  Just pick one of the following projects to plan and actualize, and do so knowing that you're giving me the best possible gift ever.  Without further ado:

1. Flour some hearts on neighborhood lawns.  Or attack some windows with hearts.  Also, more public he(art) inspiration. 

2. Make words from pipe cleaners and yarn, and tie them around your 'hood. 

     

3. Gather a large bouquet of balloons and bring them to mortals in line at the DMV.  Or recreate 2011's classic 100 Balloon Walk.    

4. Paint rocks; distribute.  Have fun finding the perfectly camouflaged hiding spots!  Or perform another brilliant Color Me Katie project, and send tiny messages out into the world for folks to discover.   

5. Pinwheel a fence that looks like it's in need of some whimsy.

6. Create "Have a nice day!" cards for elderly residents of an assisted living home, or a fun care package for someone you haven't spoken with in a while, and head to the post office.  You may as well bake some cookies or muffins for the postal employees since you're headed to the P.O. anyway.  ;)

7. Deliver the following to the waiting room at a hospital: fresh flowers (use jars or cans for vases—easily thrifted if you don't have extras); coloring books (Find cute printables here and here. Bummed we've already passed Chinese New Year! But, behold: Mardi Gras pages.) and crayons; sudoku and crossword puzzles and pencils; magazines headed to the recycling bin; and don't forget little envelopes of coins to tape to vending machines.

8.  Craft up some crowns and costumes (see gorgeous image below, for which I wish I knew the source), collect musical instruments (or noisemakers—pots, pans, and wooden spoons in a pinch), and march down the street in a merry parade.  Bounce around a lot, and if people ask what you're celebrating, say, "2012 is a Leap Year!"

9. Launch some guerilla gardening in your neighborhood, with this simple and comprehensive How To.  Or for less of a commitment, drop some seed bombs where you'd like to see some color.  (Stilettos and red bag optional.)  Here's an alternative recipe that uses newspapers rather than fertilizer and clay.  (Heart-shaped bombs also optional.)

p.s. Be sure to do your research, i.e. select plants or seeds that are hearty and native to your area, be aware of soil and weather conditions, etc.!

10. Set up a lemonade stand, but don't charge for your refreshments.  Or create your own ice cream cart (insulated backpack + an umbrella?), and wander around the local lake or park distributing free, frozen yumminess.

11. Do you have a Polaroid (or any type of instant) camera?  Set up a "booth" complete with backdrop (as simple as striped, floral, or solid bedsheets, or as fancy as this glamorous deal) and bag o' props, at a park or other public area.  Props can include, but are certainly not limited to: pointy party hats, viking hats (I see a trend here), masquerade masks, superhero capes, Mr. Potato Head lips, face paint, mini-chalkboard + chalk, or anything you have on hand!  Enjoy being photographer for a day, free of charge, to park visitors, tourists, and random passersby.   

12. Do you have bunches of books on the shelves that you'll probably never read again?  Or approximately $3 to spend on a bag of books at your local thrift store?  Plant them all over your neighborhood—at laundromats, in cafes, on public transportation—a la Bookcrossing.  Include little notes inside the covers (or using Post-its) of each book to let finders know you intended for them to find and read it.  Encourage them to pass the books on as well! 

13. Invent a similar project of your own!  The only stipulation is that your scheme must bring joy (big, small, or both!) to at least one other person apart from yourself.        

Whew!  That's a lot of joy-creating to ponder.  I do hope you decide to join me in embarking upon one of these missions, if not for bringing a unique experience to your community, then in honor of my birthday. ;)  Also, remember when I said (oh so long ago, way up there at the top of this post) that I want this tradition to grow?  To include more communities and involve more people?  Please invite your friends and family to participate, and feel free to send this post all around your social media haunts.  I'd love to hear about pinwheeled fences in Seattle, pop-up Polaroid booths in Austin, book fairies in Providence, or your very own idea wherever you may be!

Please RSVP in the comments, and let me know which project you plan to undertake!  If possible, please take photos (or video!), and send me a little note when you've completed your mission.  Ideally, I'd like to share all of the magic you create here on We hope for more.  But, if you'd prefer to keep your magic between us, I'd still appreciate a recap.  :)

Happy (my) birthday to you!