Blue Lollipop Road

365 days of blue lollipop road; day 7

1.7.14

The BLR for today is food again! What can I say, this girl likes to eat:

My go to favorite appetizer (that I often make a meal out of) is granny smith apples, Cabot Vermont white cheddar, (specifically the Hunters Sharp in the plaid wrapper) and baguette crostini with olive oil, black pepper and sea salt. This with a glass of pinot grigio = YUM. Somehow it tastes even better while watching awards shows and other things like The Bachelor/Bachelorette with a bunch of girlfriends. (Don’t judge, even us “non-TV watchers” like a little fashion, drama, and trash entertainment on occasion!) A little over a year ago, I was introduced to some specialty olive oils and balsamic vinegars from a place called Olio. This is where my apple and cheese life changed forever. I added a drizzle of Olio’s chipotle olive oil & cranberry balsamic to my favorite app, and voila! Heaven on toasty bread. (Seriously de-lish.) If you want a snack that’s a total crowd-pleaser, take this to your next get together.

So now an explanation as to why I keep playing with things like my food to make letters and what all this “356 Days of Blue Lollipop Road” is:

3 years ago, I went to a breakfast talk that featured a guy named Noah Scalin. He talked about how he created a project (Skull-A-Day) sort of by accident. He’s an artist/designer and was walking through the park one day, found a skull, took it home, snapped a photo and posted it online, then the next day added something funky to the skull, posted a photo again, and then continued to “make a skull” a day for 365 days, documenting and sharing the project daily. That project turned into millions of followers, and this awesome book and encouraging concept on a way to stay creative and “unstuck.” People from all over the world have been inspired to spend a year “making” something too and sharing it with others. Noah has featured a bunch of them on his Make Something 365 site.

Since meeting Noah at that talk, I’ve thought a lot about doing my own 365 project. I loved hearing about how during Noah’s Skull-A-Day year, he spent more time than usual with family and friends coming up with different skulls to make. He made skulls out of bread with a baker friend, out of an old TV another friend donated to him, he snapped shots of gum melted on the streets of NYC that made out the shape of a skull, and so on. He talked about how committing to create something original on a daily basis made him stop, take in his surrounding more, and be more aware. It made him “unplug” and get old school crafty. It made him excited to dream up ways to take otherwise useless/used items and give them another life. It helped him connect with people around him. I love that, because adults seem to forget to take a minute each day and “get lost” in a book, a moment, a time, a place, a person we are with. When we were young, everyday is an encouragement-fest to be anything you want to be! Paint, draw! Go, run, play! Make new friends, find an adventure, use your imagination. Noah’s thought for creating a thing consistently everyday reminds us how important it is to stay unstuck and out of the drone zone that’s easy to fall into.

So! In an effort for me to stay unstuck and creative as I have a home base now (because you know I’d rather be on the road, but I’m still trying to figure out how to make that work), and to feel like I am still “traveling” in my everyday, and also to keep encouraging all of you out there to stay curious, explore beyond everyday surroundings, and be fearless in pursuit of goals- I have started my own 365 project. I am “making” a BLR a day for this entire year of 2014. Whoop!

Here’s the fun part. I want YOU to get involved and hop in the party boat too! I want YOU to make  your own BLR and send it to me so I can share here. (Email submissions to Diane(@)bluelollipoproad.com)

Rules:

THERE ARE NO RULES! Write BLR on your face, bake, slice, glue, draw a B, L,, and R, paint it on a shirt and take a photo of yourself wearing it and doing something fun, use some sidewalk chalk, sharpies, pencils, pens, cardboard boxes…whatever!

Blue Lollipop Road to me is a place where I feel free. A time I feel inspired, and remember what really matters. It’s enjoying a simple and seemingly insignificant moment as totally awesome. It’s when I’m with someone I love who makes me laugh and feel special. The road of life is a different color to each of us. It’s all about spending time doing things that are important to you and being with people you love. So my question is; What does your road look like? I’d love to know how and where you spend your time. When do you take a minute to indulge in letting yourself feel passionate about your “thing.” How do you have fun, stay creative, and keep yourself unstuck?

Let’s get crafty and stay out of the drone zone together! Today is the day. What are you waiting for?

My road is a blue lollipop road. What’s yours?

#BLR365 #LifeOnTheBlueLollipopRoad #CheeseRules