It’s been a busy summer; not only with the Euro Cup 2012, the Olympics and Paralympics, and the Mars landing, but also here around the office. It’s been a summer full of shoes as we started working with wonderful Lucia and her stylish shoe brand LLXLLQ. If you haven’t already, check them out here or read my blog post on them.

Now with the change of the season, I decided to make a new Spotify playlist. For a smoother transition I tried not to make it too dark and dusky. Don’t miss out on some colorful songs and access it now. No risk of fall melancholia!

According to Billboard, the No. 1 song of the summer of 2012 is “Call Me Maybe” by Canadian Carly Rae Jepsen. Thinking that you probably have heard it over and over this summer, it is not in the playlist (You’re welcome!). Instead, here are some fun covers and parodies for you:

Harvard Baseball (16,048,367 views):

Laina Walker a.k.a. the Overly Attached Girlfriend (17,221,174 views):

Pomona High School Staff (7,835 views):

Romney and Obama (530,341 views):

Happy Fall!

Anna
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She  paints people in various shapes and forms – dressed, naked, families, adults, children, athletes in action, board of directors… She loves to honor individuals with portraits done her own way; larger than life. Her most recent exhibition was “United Statements of America”.

The Artist, Catrine Näsmark, will visit San Francisco February 16-18 in preparation of her coming exhibition.

Ileana Facchini, Board Member of San Francisco Opera House BRAVO! Club, is hosting with Herringbone a limited, invite-only after-dinner meet-and-greet gathering February 16, with light refreshments, and a personal 20 minute presentation by the Artist starting 9.15pm.

For a preview, see photos below and more info at www.nasmark.nu – should you have recommendations on gallery or whom to meet, in order to bring Catrine’s artwork to San Francisco and beyond – please let us know.

Should you desire to have a portrait made (size from 70X70cm/2.3×2.3ft), this is an exclusive chance to have the Artist come during her visit and take the photo herself.

Personally, I love the artwork created by Catrine Näsmark. The colors, depth and witty that it embeds – the photos are beautiful, and the originals provide so much more in the details. It is a pleasure for me to introduce her art to California. I foresee her art work at the Museum of Modern Art, NYC.

Enjoy,
Johanna C. Nilsson

Download her press kit.
Order a portrait.
Like her Facebook page: Facebook.com/ArtbyNasmark

After almost five years since its launch, Tumblr has more than 42 million individual blogs. When I checked a few minutes ago over 56 million posts have been published – today!

Microblogs and Tumblr might not be any news to you, but why do people like it so much? One of the popular features is the “reblog button.” On the microblog site a Tumblr user can “reblog” other users’ blog posts, which means that in a rapid pace content can go viral and users are always in the loop. A user can also follow other users to make sure she knows what’s happening – an important criterion for the largest user group, which is teenagers and young adults aged 18-24. And of course, the fact that users can customize their own pages doesn’t hurt Tumblr’s popularity either.

Among celebrities using Tumblr, e.g. John Legend and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, maybe President Obama is the most famous one. People are also becoming famous through Tumblr. Seventeen-year-old Taylor-Ruth Baldwin created Hanging Rock Comics with her own comics and illustrations. Taylor-Ruth has over 32,000 Tumblr followers and has been mentioned in various media.

Earlier today, TIME published 30 Must-See Tumblr Blogs that is definitely worth checking out. At the office we like Awesome People Hanging Out Together, which contains photos of celebrities doing just that – hanging out together.

Are you using Tumblr? What do you think about it? Is it only for a younger crowd or will it soon be a household name?

Anna

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-Michael E. Gerber

That is one of my favorite quotes. And I would say, what ever gift you have, you can apply that to a life with purpose.

A clear example of that is the Swedish painter Catrine Näsmark, who is changing the world with colors. Her upcoming exhibition, United Statements of America, takes place this coming Saturday, October 15, 2011 in Stockholm. As the artist herself expresses:

I see this exhibition as a tribute to a country that have had and has so many great human beings that left their mark not only in history but also inspired humankind.

Who did not cry when Obama was elected president, who has not been absorbed by Bob Dylan’s lyrics, been seduced by the Elvis moves, or impressed by Steve Jobs’ efforts.

One could wonder how long the U.S. will be the superpower. With all the crises they have gone through. But people / icons / heroes remains. Their winged words are there. And they will always retain their power and continue to give strength, cohesion and focus.

Here are some of the statements put face and color to in the exhibition:

Broadcast Queen. ”Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” Oprah Winfrey

Storytime. ”All animal life, all …..is awakend.” Sitting Bull

I Like. ”By giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.” Mark Zuckerberg

Kissing a frog. ”I am storming, ambitous and I Know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bich. Ok.” Madonna

Fly away. ”Nobody tears my city apart and gets away with it.” Superman

Freedom. ”I’m the lady next door when I’m not on stage.” Aretha Franklin

Who Am I. ”All I can do is be me, whoever that is.” Bob Dylan

Queen of Spades. “There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made.” Michelle Obama

Take Off. ”Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.” Amelia Erhart

Black or White. ”The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at the work.” Michel J

Do Not Ask. ”Don’t Ask what the country can do for U, Ask what U can do for the country.” JFK

Innocent. ”We are on a mission from God.” Blues Brothers

Can we ever get enough of messages like these? Go visit Catrine Näsmark’s exhibition, or website, and enjoy. It won’t be long before you can see her art in the actual USA. Hold tight.

Get heard,
Johanna C. Nilsson