reading - Natalie Wise Blog

Tiny Stories: Volume 2

You all know Joseph Gordon-Levitt, right? Pretty face who plays beside Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer? Played Robert Todd Lincoln in the currently-box-office-hot Lincoln? Rumored to be playing Batman in a new comic-inspired movie? Yeah that guy.

Well, turns out he’s also the pretty face behind the online collaboration production company, HitRecord, that allows artists to post, compile, collaborate, and remix to create even better art, film, writing, and other projects. They travel, they publish, they produce CDs, sharing the collaborative art (and then sharing the profits with the collaborators). Pretty cool, right?

The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories Volume 1 debuted last year, filled with small stories and art created by HitRecord collaborators. They’re quirky. They’re different. Some of them are a little bit strange, a little bit funny, a little bit sentimental. Some of them make you cringe, make you wonder, make your heart swell, or make you shake your head and giggle a little.

Volume 2 is hot off the presses from It Books, an imprint of Harper Collins. It makes a wonderful stocking stuffer for a friend. Tuck a little bookmark or Starbucks gift card inside, wrap it in craft paper, tie it up with some twine, maybe add some washi tape. They’ll think you’re super cool. (which is true)

Here are a few of my favorites:

See artists worked together on the story and illustration. They hit record, they remixed it, they turned it into something unique. I adore this one.

Truth be told: These two volumes are lovely. They are a pleasant reminder of the tactile beauty of the printed book, with their textured, imprinted book jackets and their quirky, artsy vibe.

And I love that, being a quirky, artsy story-teller myself.

YOU can join, too! I scoped out the collaborative scene, and I think I just might jump in myself and contribute some writing to be remixed. Let’s fill some pages for Volume 3, yeah?

I have always identified with the quotation, “The universe is not made of atoms; it is made of stories.” ~Muriel Rukeyser

HitRecord adds one important word to that: tiny.

“The universe is not made of atoms; it is made of tiny stories.” ~Muriel Rukeyser and wirrow

Many thanks to it! books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. These words and opinions are my own.

Book Swap

I joined in a fun blog book swap this month! I’m always searching for real connection in the blog world, so something like this is the perfect way to join in and get to know more bloggers.

PLUS, it means I got a PACKAGE in the MAIL! Bonus!

{Reading with coffee. So wonderful}

Christen form An Unordinary Hello got my name! I love her blog name & design, so cute. She sent me a (big) novel called “Belong to Me” which I’m a few chapters into so far. Definitely enjoying it!

She also wrote me a really sweet note and sent me this beautiful bookmark:

She knew I am moving and hoping to start my own business, so this quote was so appropriate and I love all of the pretty charms. Did I mention she put an OWL sticker on my package?! I think that might have been my favorite little detail. 🙂

THANK YOU CHRISTEN!

and thanks, Kaylee, for hosting the book swap!

So much fun.

P.S. I sent You’re Already Amazing to Jessa over at Life of a Sports Wife. Read her post about it here!

Sunshine! I found it!

Some sunshine today!

Hip, hip, hooray!

I’m celebrating with Living Without magazine, my new Jack & Jackie Kennedy book, and iced coffee on the lawn. Oh indulgent sun, please stay awhile!

Friday Morning Musings

It’s a quiet Friday morning here–my favorite kind. I awoke late, and turned on my pretty little reading lamp. Stumbled to the kitchen, arranged a cup of tea, a buttered piece of toast, and some strawberry yogurt. Brought the meal back to the bedroom, fighting the urge to snuggle back in bed with it, and instead hunted down some museums and recipes and such online. With just the light in the corner from my little bedside lamp, it feels rather wonderfully old-fashioned in here; as though I were going to sit in the corner with my quill and write a letter, or a great American novel. Instead, I click-clack away on my laptop, creating a blog post. And now, I shall return to my bed with my second cup of tea and my book! Wake me upon lunch time should I snooze 😉

(I am currently reading The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which I have been completely enamored with since I saw the HBO series a year or two ago. I have since bought the DVDs and the books, and turned many people into fans of the series. It is only too bad it seems to be on an interminable hiatus 🙁 I HIGHLY recommend it! Go get it now. It is so soothing, and beautiful, truly being filmed in Botswana. Let me know if you want more details!)

Saturday Scones

An early morning baking. Bringing scones and a pink travel mug of hot tea to go garage sale-ing with friends. Reading a great magazine, Life: Beautiful. Have you seen this before? It’s the Christian version of Martha Stewart Living. I really enjoy it!! I urge you to find a copy, or perhaps subscribe. I found my copy, believe it or not, at Walgreens (!). Then perhaps a drive-in movie with the boyfriend? Enjoy a perfect Saturday, honeys!

Simplify to Exemplify

Simplify Your Life to Exemplify Christ is my new motto.

The importance of this has really come to the forefront of my life lately. How we need to have our lives ordered: temples of God, where there is space for him to enter, without us needing to sweep an armful of junk aside.

I’ve been reading about ordering my life from The Gentle Ways of the Beautiful Woman (wow, there’s a title for you!) by Anne Ortlund. Goodness, I have lots to learn from that title alone, not to mention the whole {rather thick} book.

After sifting through my life and reading lately, I’ve come up with a few guidelines:

1.) Simplify your thoughts.
2.) Simplify your commitments.
3.) Simplify your surroundings.
4.) Simply your devotion to Christ-like living.

One: Your mind is a temple of the Holy God. “Take captive EVERY thought, and make it obedient…” 2 Corin. 2:5b The Bible also reiterates over and over again how our minds are one of our most powerful (and therefore vulnerable) assets as human beings. There are many others who discuss this topic better than I do!

Two: Simplify what you devote your time to, where you invest your life. Think depth, not breadth. Another book, Only Angels Can Wing It, suggests these qualifications to any commitment: 1.) Will it matter in a week, month, or year? 2.) Does it fulfill a need of mine or of someone I love? 3.) Is there someone better suited to this who may be excited about the opportunity?

Three: Simplify your surroundings….I can breathe when I have a clean home, a made bed, and clean dishes. When we aren’t consumed with the “dailyness” of life getting away from us, we can be at rest in our minds and focus. We can have time to be still, space to listen.

Four: This one I made up entirely, I think. Be like a child with your faith. Come to the throne in awe, with a heart full of wonder. Realize that this is a relationship, not a rat-race with the others at church to see who is the “most Christian.” Live your life focused on GOD alone. Spend time getting to know where he wants you to put your thoughts and commitments.

~Discipline, you see? *my word for the year* The fruits of the spirit, right? Clearing out our lives so we are less likely to get lost in our negative thoughts, our commitments, or our messes. I’m working on it!