
Summer is the time to unplug, turn off your iPhone and head to the beach with a scandalous book in one hand and a set of headphones in the other. And yet… actually ‘unplugging’ isn’t so easy when most of us read on our trusty Kindles or iPads and all of our carefully curated playlists live on Spotify or Rdio.
1. Papyrus: If you’re throwing the always essential summer picnic or pool party this August and want to send out invites the classic way, I would recommend heading to the nearest Papyrus for a handful of these beautiful handmade picnic cards. Just make sure you plan a picnic that looks just as good as this one!
2. Cleverbug: Or if you feel like trying something new, you can jump on your iPhone and download Cleverbug, an app that connects to your Facebook and lets you send photo-personalized cards anywhere in the world. Once you download the app, just select “invitations” from their various categories (they also have birthday, thank you and Valentine’s cards to name just a few), fill in the date, time and RSVP info, select a photo or two and send. And your first card is completely free!
3. The Jane Austen Collection: Finally planning your very own Jane Austen book club? If you’re envisioning a get together at a chic coffee shop or a handful of your friends talking about Gwyneth Paltrow’s portrayal of Emma Woodhouse on the big screen while sitting in a circle of beach chairs, then you should consider investing in this beautiful vintage-looking set designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith for Penguin Classics.
4. Slice Bookshelf: Feeling literary and tech savvy? Then transport Pride and Prejudice to the digital world and check out Slice Bookshelf, a new social way to keep track of what you’re reading, get recommendations and share your latest favorites with friends. If you’re planning a book club meeting you can use the comments feature to coordinate and even borrow books from friends through Bookshelf’s “borrow and lend” feature. And to make your experience extra social, Bookshelf can automatically import titles you’ve bought online or liked on Facebook and Goodreads, so it’s easy to get started right away.
5. Cocktail Recipe Books I like to think of myself as bartender in constant training (read: I’m always down to craft a few cocktails for my friends pre-beach day), which is probably why I often find myself lingering at the table of cocktail books before checking out at Urban Outfitters. If you’re playing host or hostess this summer, check out their selection. My personal favorites are The Staff Of Parragon’s The Bartender’s Guide (for famous drinks and recipes), Emma Christensen’s True Brews (so you can brew beer, wine, sake and more at home, true DIY style) and Andrew Bohrer’s The Best Shots You’ve Never Tried (for a more aggressive get together).
6. Mixology: If you want to take your mixing skills to the next – er, digital – level, then the Mixology app is a must-have. With this virtual liquor cabinet you’re guaranteed to impress even the biggest drink snobs. Mixology comes loaded with over 1,000 ingredients so that you can browse drinks by category, liquor and mixer or learn about mixing techniques and the perfect glassware. You can even use your location to find bars and liquor stores.
7. Adorable Agendas: Heading to Mexico for an authentic margarita? Then you’ll need do some research (and make sure you don’t lose your notes and plans somewhere along the way). I try my best to jot down ideas, recommendations and reservations in one place. If you want to make your vacation plans even more colorful then you should check out a Lilly Pulitzer agenda or Kate Spade Saturday notebook. Because nothing says summer quite like something pink and green and patterned.
8. TripIt: Can’t bear the thought of writing all your plans out or printing a million confirmations? Then TripIt has you covered. The mobile travel organizer creates one itinerary for all your plans, so you always have vital confirmation numbers and addresses at your fingertips. All you have to do is forward your confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com, and voila, TripIt’s itinerary will show your flight plans, hotel reservations, rental car bookings, and even activities like boat tours, online restaurant reservations and event tickets all in one place.
9. The Perfect Beach Bag: Heading to the beach, the bay, or the pool? Then we have the perfect bag for you. Roberta Roller Rabbit’s totes are not only adorable, but they’re big enough to carry every beach necessity under the sun. I’ve even used mine as a carry-on flying coast to coast.
10. Stow: If a beach day is just one of the many parts of your vacation plan, let us introduce you and your packing needs to the Stow app. Once you download Stow, you’ll answer a few basic questions – whether you wear glasses or contacts, if you take medication, and if there’s anything else you just can’t live without – and select what kind of trip you’re taking. Stow will supply a template that you can use as packing checklist. Not as cute as your beach tote, but just as useful!
11. Foreign Language Phrasebooks: Vacationing abroad? Then you’ll want to make sure that packing list has a pocket dictionary or phrasebook. The traditionalist in me would suggest a Pocket Oxford dictionary, but Lonely Planet has plenty of student-friendly dictionaries and phrasebooks as well. Both are available in plenty of languages – ready to be consulted and consumed by the eager traveller.
12. iSayHello: If you’re totally lost in another language, then it might be time to turn your data and check out the iSayHello apps, the perfect digital phrasebooks and translators for when you’re on the go. Whether you want to learn a few last minute phrases in Italian, German, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Japanese or Chinese, iSayHello will make sure you’ll never be at a loss for words while traveling again.
13. Craft Store It Up: If you’ve been meaning to compile your exotic snapshots, concert tickets and other summer collectables, then head to the nearest craft store when a rainy day hits and start scrapbooking. As much as online services make it easy to pull together a digital scrapbook, it’s not the same as crafting your own photo mats, getting your fingers sticky with gold glitter glue and laughing with your siblings over ridiculous photos that don’t quite make the cut.
14. Shutterfly: Want to skip the glitter glue? Then grab your laptop and head straight to Shutterfly, where you can choose from 20 styles of photo books in five sizes or create your own custom scrapbook from a collection of layouts, backgrounds and embellishments. Of course, the best part is that you can upload photos right from your digital library, which if you’re anything like me, is full of preciously preserved moments.
15. Chevron Frame: When it comes to saving and sharing a memory, frames will never go out of style. Anthropologie always has a few stylish frames to choose from – like this adorable Chevron frame – and these Beach Avenue Frames on Etsy capture the summer spirit perfectly. So if you want to have a few memories on your desk or wall, or if you’re gifting a moment captured on film, I say splurge on a colorful frame.
16. Printstagram: With Printstagram, my go-to Instagram printing company, you can turn your Lo-Fi filtered memories into printed polaroids, calendars, posters, mini books, stickers and more all right online. There’s nothing like a Sepia-toned photo of a Lake Tahoe sunset to make you nostalgic for a long June night.
Have any other on and offline recommendations for making the most of your summer? Share them in the comments!
Artist Dev Heyrana On How Bravery, Resilience and Sunshine Influence Her Work
Ever meet someone who you feel immediate kinship with on a deep almost spiritual level? That is legit every person's experience upon meeting Dev Heyrana, the star of this edition of Creative Crushin'. A fine artist, hip hop dance teacher and constant collaborator, Dev's particular brand of creativity is one-of-a-kind. She manages to be warm, welcoming and woke, with a focus on inclusivity, social justice and motherhood that comes through in every piece of art she creates.
Anjelika Temple here, co-founder of Brit + Co and one of many humans who has benefitted from Dev's boundless generosity and kindness. We first connected at a launch event, then I asked her if she and her family would like to model for a B+C shoot (they did!), then months later, I asked the IG universe if anyone would be down to co-parent with me for a day so I could speak at a conference. Dev said yes! And for those that know her, none of these serendipitous moments are surprising.
Now it's time to delve more into Dev's story, her creative inspiration, her thoughtful approach to parenting and what makes her more passionate than ever about bringing her point of view and artistic voice into the universe.
Anjelika Temple: First, foundations. Where did you grow up? What is your heritage? What did you study in school? Where do you live now?
Dev Heyrana: Born in The Philippines and immigrated to the U.S. when I was 9 years old. Me and my family are from the island of Cebu and I'm a proud Cebuana. My childhood in the Philippines felt like freedom. I had my swimsuit in my backpack for whenever we decided to swim and I biked everywhere.
Immigrating here at 9 yrs old was a transition, to say the least. My parents had big dreams but the move was heavy on them. It wasn't easy. I had to grow up fast. I took care of my sisters while my parents worked night shifts. By the age of 12 I would cook dinner and get my sisters ready for bed. Something I didn't realize was that kids my age didn't do those things until I got older. We would play these make-believe games to make, in hindsight, our hard situation brighter.
I think this is really when art played a big role in my life. It was something I could escape in and always felt healing.
I witnessed racism towards my family and didn't know how to make sense of it. These events left a mark. I was a quiet kid and observed everything and everyone around me. I think about my grandparents, Lolo Jose and Lola Rita, a lot as I walk through life. When I make decisions. As hard as it feels, you have two choices, do you let it take you down or take it one step at a time forward. I kept going and it really shaped me as to why I am the way I am today.
I studied Fine Arts at The Corcoran in DC. I owe that decision to my art teacher, Mr Giles, in High School. He was retiring and wore a Hawaiian shirt every day during my senior year. He was a curmudgeon and I felt incredibly special since out of everyone in the school he really believed in me. As grumpy as he seemed to the class, he would tell me things like "Go into the other studio and break some glass, then put it on a canvas." He's the reason why my abstract pieces have elements like clay and sand in them.
I've had incredible mentors and all were teachers. Mr. Giles in High School and Christine George in College. Christine was the one who told me to go either to New York or San Francisco because "D.C. is no place for an artist like you." She told me to not listen to anyone, how I can still paint, be a graphic designer, and, if I choose to, have a family. I've never had anyone tell me anything like that before.
I took a chance because of her. Moved and went to Design School in 2006 and I've stayed in the Bay Area ever since, raising two girls with the love of my life.
Anj: You are one of those magical human beings that has figured out how to be a full-time artist. What was your career path like before you were able to dive fully into your creative passions?
Dev: The most radical thing I could have done in my family, I did, I went to college for Fine Arts. A mix of being so young and having to do it on my own, I went with the school that gave me more scholarships. Even then I worked three jobs to be able to get through it. Hard work is ingrained in me.
With my sculpture background, I fell in love with Print and Packaging and why I came out here to San Francisco. I appreciated the security of having a career in Graphic Design. I also learned how to work with clients and the business side of things. Even then, I never stopped painting.
A few years ago I went through a pretty hard time with my health. I dealt with six surgeries in one year and I still have to do some follow-up ones. That experience almost broke me and what got me through was my family and painting in bed while I recovered.
When I finally got back on my feet, my heart just wasn't in Graphic Design anymore. So I made a two year plan. With a toddler and a mortgage, I wanted to make sure my steps were thought out. I put myself out there as an Artist while I still worked in Design. After a year I worked part time as a Graphic Designer and stepped down from my Creative Director position. I loved it, to be creative as an Artist and as a Designer. I looked at 2018 as my year to make the jump. If my work as an Artist balances out with my salary then I would quit in the Summer of 2019. And so here we are. I also am sharing a studio with my good friend, Naomi PQ, and I feel like my creative drive is just beginning.
Anj: What do you love about painting? How do you feel when you're in a creative flow state?
Dev: Like every part of me is free. Free to express myself through the stroke of my hand. How all of it leads back to my heart. These elements I use to paint have a mind of their own and how I need to respect the process.
It centers me and reminds me that the process is just like the life we lead. I know I still have so much more to learn but while I'm painting no matter how it's going, I'll embrace this moment.
Anj: You reference your roots quite a bit in your work. Talk to me more about how your roots inspire your work.
Dev: One of my earliest memories is of my Lolo Jose teaching me how to water mango saplings. He converted to Buddhism when my mother was young, so he viewed the world with love and kindness. I didn't realize it then but watering those mango trees were life lessons. We need to take the time to nurture, practice patience, and respect all living things. I still imagine him walking beside me often, carrying his teachings as I find my way in this world.
Nature and the Sun drive my pieces. My abstract works are fragments of moments. Like the sunset I grew up with when I was seven years old in the Philippines, like how I saw the water in Cebu when I dove in as a young adult, and like when I saw the redwoods with my children for the first time.
I see earth in our skin and especially when I paint people. How our mango trees grew and blossomed because the dark earth was rich with nutrients. I imagine the Sun piercing through these women I depict. I paint their love and bravery because their resilience cannot be contained. I want to celebrate all of it.
This is the beauty of Art, I am able to paint exactly how I see it.
Anj: Motherhood and your daughters are also central themes in your work. How has motherhood changed your approach to creating artwork?
Dev: Everything. I was still deep in my Design Career and I would paint at home. One day Quinn, who was 3 years old at the time introduced me at the park to a mom. "This is my mom, she's an Artist." It struck me that my toddler knew who I was more than I knew myself. That's really when I really owned it. I am more fearless because of my girls.
I own my body, I thank people when they compliment me, and I am selective but fearless when I use my voice. I am more in tune how I speak about myself because of them. When I paint these women I want to celebrate them. I notice how I embrace myself is translated in my paintings.
Anj: What advice can you give to parents who are trying to tap into their kiddos' innate creativity?
Dev: I don't have a lot of guidelines set up. I'll say "Let's draw the biggest fish we can draw" or "how many silly lines can we make" and I let them lead me. They ask me questions, show me things, and I sit there with my coffee watching their eyes wide with excitement. Watching them in their creative process is pure joy for me. Those silly lines can turn into a dragon or waves and next thing we know, we're drawing a big beach scene. My advice would be that you can suggest something to start it off but be open to how they take it. It is such a beautiful window into their minds.
Anj: Shifting gears to HIP HOP DANCE! Talk to us about his component of your creative expression.
Dev: I loved the Hip Hop scene in DC and discovered how much fun the clubs were in college. My friends told me about this Hip Hop Crew I should try out for, I was so scared because I've never taken a dance class in my life. I got in and it was like having another family. We competed all over the East Coast, it was a blast!
I found hipline when I started my first Design Job and needed an outlet. It was exactly what I needed and one of the owners asked if I was interested to teach. I've been teaching there since 2009 and am still going strong. It's a wonderful community of women. Now we're virtual and reaching clients all over.
Anj: What does a typical [pandemic] day look like for you? How does it differ from your rhythm before COVID?
Dev: I've been practicing being kinder to myself lately. Both me and my husband work full time and so having the girls at home is a challenge. Some days we are amazed by how smooth it went and then there are others where if the girls are clean and bellies are full, it's a total win.
Now that we're on month 8 our rhythm before covid felt more chaotic to be honest. I felt like we were always rushing out the door while carrying so many bags. Now my husband and I try to have coffee together, if he has a break from his meeting, and we sit with Quinn before school to see what she has to do for the day. Rowan's preschool closed down but we were able to find a wonderful speech therapist for her and she has an Adventure Pod we go to two times a week.
The one thing we really try to do is go outside once a day. Have some magic in their childhood no matter how small. It could be just going up for a hike by our home and picking up leaves, riding our bikes, or watching the sunset from our window. Seeing how the girls' react to these adventures we have is pure magic.
Anj: When you get creatively blocked or burnt out, how do you reset? Do you have tips you can share?
Dev: I go outside. I go out for a hike or go to the beach. Even if it's 15 minutes, something about grounding yourself in Nature is really healing. I also do exercise where I doodle for two minutes because it feels doable. Judgment-free doodles, always opens the doorway to more.
Anj: I know firsthand that community-building is huge for you. Tell us more about what your support system and creative community looks like.
Dev: I feel a lot of love and strength when I think of my community. My relationship with my sister led the way what women supporting women looks like. It's listening, asking questions, remembering, cheering for all the wins, being there even if it's hard, and taking time to invest in them. The way me and my sister show up for each other is why I have these amazing women in my life. I can talk to them about my family, motherhood, and we're all trying to balance it all while sharing my most recent project. I feel really blessed especially looking back in my college years where I don't know where Art would take me.
Anj: When you need to give yourself a pep talk, what does it sound like?
Dev: I usually take a deep breath then say or think "One step forward". Most of the time, I'm scared (as shit) but the thought of not trying scares me more. That one step forward can be hard as hell and maybe even heartbreaking, but I have to try.
For more on this brilliant artist, mother and friend, follow Dev @_heyrana on Instagram and check out (and buy!) her artwork here.