The Living's Easy...

A Few Things to help you Slow Down and Enjoy Summer!

1. Top of the List: If you're home-improving, check out DiggersList, a website where you can buy, sell, trade or donate home improvements & construction materials in your area. FREE site diggerslist.com
2. Stamp It: Letterpress style stamps from the Inkorporated immortalize your return return address in rubber and ink--and feel more official then writing it out. Bonus: A portion of the proceeds goes to United Cerebral Palsy $20 inkorporated.etsy.com Another option $18 asspocketproductions.etsy.com
3. Green Clean: The Organic Fetching Dog Shampoo Bar from skinnysskinny is a green way to keep fido fresh. Which means: this planet was not harmed in the making of your newly cleaned pup. $8 skinnyskinny.com
4. Shwood You: Shwood sunglasses evoke a 70s nostalgia we love. Each pair is handmade in Portland, Oregon with wood sustainably harvested in Africa. Did we mention the lenses are optical grade from Carl Zeiss, and many are polarized to offer 100% UVA/UVB protection? Canby glasses $98 shwoodshop.com
5. Hang Time: If you need a break from all your making: Stop, hammock time. There's no better way to relax than a Two-Person Quilted Hammock, complete with comfy head pillow. $130 worldmarket.com
6. Go Adventuring: If you're jonesing for adventure, try Trailbehind. This mapping system pulls information from Google Maps, Flickr and other online troves. Click something in your area, and Trailbehind shows a list of nearby parks, historic sites, trails, notable landmarks & tourist attractions. It also includes reports and comments from people who've gone before you. Create "trip pages" to route your jaunt and invite more adventurers along for the trek. Trailbehind also makes cell phone GPS apps that work for real offroading. trailbehind.com
7. It's a Wrap: For the rugged woodsmen and city folk too, the Best Made All-Purpose First Aid Kit is the way to tend your wounds. The Best Made Company started being awesome when legendary graphic designer Peter Buchanan-Smith needed an ax, then the company went on to design additional products with the same durability. The OSHA-certified and U.S. Forest Service approved first aid kit is chock full of mending material. The white metal box comes with adhesive Certi-Tape, a wire splint, a CPR mouth barrier, and a first aid wall chart--more than you'll ever need (we hope) Good design. Good bandages. Safety first! $89 bestmadeco.com
8. Color Me Happy: There's nothing more summery than bold color and cute sea creatures--so we flipped when we saw Garnet Hill's new summer line. The Hable Construction hooked rugs and pillow covers play up the "aww" factor with cartoon crabs, sea horses, and buoys (we love the buoys). Add a few around your house for a touch of seaside living and we'll see you at the beach (even if "the beach" winds up being you, a book, and a frosty beverage). Pillow covers $58, garnethill.com
9. Cycle Shop: It's time to pull out the cycle and spruce it up. This custom bike head badge from Future Crash is simple, but it certainly makes your bike a standout on the rack. The badge affixes to any part of your bike with a little epoxy or good ol' fashioned screws, depending on your preference. Starting at $60 for custom work, futurecrash.etsy.com

P-Town Props
It's great that Pittsburgh was featured in in a ReadyMade.com April/May 2011 issue, but can we get some props for places other than the the tourist traps and the Steelers? How bout a shout out to ConstructionJunction.org That place is a DIYer's dream. There is also the Toonseum.org to check out, the Pittsburghglasscenter.org or the ContemporaryCraft.org The WaffleShop.org is a quirky place for food and entertainment. The Harrisgrill.com for their fantastic bourbon wings, The CityGrillPittsburgh.com for their handmade pasta, MadMax.com for the Thai burrito, PipersPub.com for their Boxtys on the weekends, and GypsyCafe.net for fantastic rustic European fare. And that's just to start.

Fav Follows
@attnemployees - Attention!Employees is to the employee newsletter what the Onion is to the news. attentionemployees.com
@honestly_wtf - Run by a stylist and a designer, Honestly WTF is a site of fashion discoveries and inspirations that's part mood board, part reinterpreted runway for the DIY-minded. honestlywtf.com
@tinybuddha - Quotes and bits of wisdom that will bring happiness, zen, and perspective to your Twitter feed. tinybuddha.com
@kendieveryday - Kendi, a Texas-based style blogger, snaps photos of cute-and affordable-outfits with a dazzling with to match. Follow for inspiration to break out of your clothes rut. kendieveryday.blogspot.com
@kristenschaaled - Follow the comedienne Kristen Schaal, who you might know as the fan from Flight of Concords, for a welcome dose of awkwardness.
@thedailywhat - Stay up-to-date on memes, social medias, and other slices of internet heaven. thedailywh.at
@brokelyn - A web mag for Brooklynites living on small change with useful tips for where to eat, shop, and have the most fun. brokelyn.com

REMEMBER TO SMILE! BE NICE TO OTHERS & BUY AN ICED-COFFEE TODAY :)