Bloogle

(That's Blog + Ogle. I know... I'm really stretching it on this one.)

My coworkers used to constantly tease me about my obsession with blogs. Back when I had the time (you know, like 6 weeks ago) I religiously read an impressive array of different online musings written by people that I didn't know. And not only did I not know these people, but I didn't ever plan to know them. Which pretty much makes me the worst type of peeping tom -- rather than invading people's privacy, I invaded their entire lives. Of course, the authors posted their lives on the freaking World Wide Web (emphasis on the "World Wide", people), so I'm pretty sure they were intending for this to happen. If not, well, they need to adjust their privacy settings.

But, I digress.

When my coworkers questioned my interest in blogs, it was really tough for me to give them an adequate answer. This is because I work in a technical field, where people subsist on a diet of right and wrong, high and low, sick or well. All that matters is the facts. And maybe that's what I like most about the blogs I frequent: they're none of these things.

The some of the blogs I read center around fashion, culture and travel - things you might find in a magazine. But the majority are written by average people who's talents amaze me. Whether they exude a strong sense of style, are engaging writers, photographers, or artists, or merely have a talent for picking out the good in the world, I walk away from my computer feeling just a bit more open to others' idiosyncrasies, a bit more appreciative of the beauty around me, a bit more inspired.

One such talent is Kristena, author of the blog Thimbly Things. She's a wife, mother, and all around crafty dame who has the most amazing eye for identifying the potential of objects. One example? She rescued the following dress from a thrift store because she just "couldn't pass it up."


So what does she do? She somehow fashion's this abominable cotton atrocity into the following perfect-in-every-way skirt.

I mean, seriously. How can you not be inspired by that?