Happy 2017 to us all!

wonder | wander | women and wonder | wander | world happily bid goodbye to 2016 and eagerly welcome 2017.

2016 was a tough and challenging year that has tested many of us.

One of the best things about it is all the great stories that have come out as a result.

What better way to celebrate the year end than with a good read from the best books for 2016.

remember the true meaning & purpose of Christmas

We all have been exchanging holiday gifts for centuries.

Eleanor Robson Belmont

Few remember that only after the ritual became legal in 1680 following a ban by the Pilgrims, who considered it a crass anathema, was it made possible.

By the 19th century Christmas gifts were a firmly entrenched tradition.

Members of The Society for the Prevention

of Useless Giving were known as Spugs

But by 1911, when a few dozen women in New York City formed what would later be called The Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving, it had reached an early fever pitch.

Read the full article here. Women Rally Against 'Useless' Christmas Giving

Read this and other incredible stories at Atlas Obscura: a definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders. 

the art of movement

This week we are inspired by the stunning images of The Art of Movement, the new coffee table book by photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory aka NYC Dance Project.

Image courtesy of NYC Dance Project

great losses of 2016

As 2016 draws to a close, wonder | wander | world takes pause in our holiday festivities to remember and honor some of the greats we have lost who contributed much to our lives and our world.

Happy trails!

OBITUARIES

The Last Word: John Glenn

By ERIK OLSEN, JOHN SCHWARTZ and TAIGE JENSEN | Dec. 8, 2016 | 6:44

John Glenn, a symbol of the space age as the first American to orbit Earth, sat down with John Schwartz in 2012 — the 50th anniversary of his flight — to talk about making history and that “beautiful view.”

My Three Days With Fidel

By THE NEW YORK TIMES | Nov. 26, 2016 | 4:57

Richard Eder, a former New York Times foreign correspondent, recalls interviewing the Cuban leader.

Related: 

• Article: Fidel Castro, Cuban Revolutionary Who Defied U.S., Dies at 9
• 
  
• 
• After Leonard Cohen’s Death, ‘Hallelujah’ Lives On

• By ROBIN LINDSAY | Nov. 11, 2016 | 1:04

  Leonard Cohen’s most well-known song has found new life through film, television and other musicians.

  Related: 
  

  • Article: Leonard Cohen, Epic and Enigmatic Songwriter, Is Dead at 82

our love-hate relationship with Disney World

This week's find is "Moana" - the new animated film feature of the Walt Disney Company. 

Team WoaWomen have an ongoing love-hate relationship with Disney - we love the graphic art and production design in their animation, no so much the creative license in their fictitious storytelling - 

Especially when it comes to [1] Disney princesses, [2] island folktales, and [3] indigenous tribes - subjects near and dear to us here at wonder | wander | world - we believe they absolutely suck. 

James Welch : path finder to the center of our hearts

Today wonder | wander | world pays tribute in honor of Native American author James Welch, considered a founder of the Native American Renaissance. 

His novel Fools Crow (1986) received several national literary awards, and his debut novel Winter in the Blood (1974) was adapted as a film by the same name, released in 2013. 

In 1997 Welch received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas. 

A Google Doodle by artist Sophie Daio was created in honor of what would have been his 76th birthday, watching over the Google home page in a drawing that evokes both his Native American heritage and his award-winning literary career. 

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin! 

on pins & needles

This week's pick on wonder | wander | world is Refinery 29. whose mission is to be the #1 new-media brand for smart, creative and stylish women everywhere.

The corporation is a female centered digital media company providing inspiration and tools to discover and pursue a more independent, stylish, and informed life for the empowered female of today.

celebrating trustworthy news

November 4, 2016 is Walter Cronkite's 100th Birthday. 

Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, known as "the most trusted man in America".  

He is best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years. 

During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited after being so named in an opinion poll. (Wikipedia). 

With so many opinions today being bandied about - from unsubstantiated facts or hoaxes and outright lies - this is a good reminder for us all. 

Haute Halloween

wonder | wander | world has blogged about a fave brand of ours in the past, Vintage Black Label.

This Halloween, we're having a blast with their over the top bling binge and bijoux bonanza!

Read their post here.

Halloween Horrors [NOT!] Chic-y crawlies are all the rage at 188 Galerie for the fall season. 

What a hoot to dress up to the nines, make a grand entrance, entrance with a memorable impact, and shine! Shine! SHINE!

Brightly into the night - GO!

Shine your light and be a beacon of delight!

big sky: Georgia O'Keeffe at the Tate Modern

Like the Joseph Cornell retrospective, this turned out to be unexpectedly personal and affecting. Like any dedicated artist, I knew a little about Georgia O'Keeffe. I knew she lived a long time, painted flowers and skulls with great beauty and skill, lived in the American Southwest, and was a feminist icon. Mostly, though, I knew her as my mother's favourite artist.

My Front Yard, Summer 1941

women warrior queens

In a week celebrating world peace and glorifying women and girls worldwide, Michelle Obama's New Hampshire speech last night was a true clarion call.

Women of the world unite!

Signed, sealed, delivered! Hear this call and take action people!

This is not politics. This is our future.

Decency in our world. Hope for humanity.

new reco : Lit Hub

On their ABOUT page: 

Literary Hub is an organizing principle in the service of literary culture, a single, trusted, daily source for all the news, ideas and richness of contemporary literary life. There is more great literary content online than ever before, but it is scattered, easily lost—with the help of its editorial partners, 

World War II Dutch Resistance Fighters

Lit Hub is a site readers can rely on for smart, engaged, entertaining writing about all things books. Each day - alongside original content and exclusive excerpts - Literary Hub is proud to showcase an editorial feature from one of its many partners from across the literary spectrum: publishers big and small, journals, bookstores, and non-profits.

support literary translation

In honor of International Translation Day, here are some things you can do to support translation every day.

It is celebrated every year on September 30, the feast of St. Jerome - the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators. 

St. Jerome in his study by Domenico Ghirlandaio

The celebrations have been promoted by FIT (the International Federation of Translators) ever since it was set up in 1953. 

Lief Peng's Today's Inspiration: vintage illustration heaven!

Vintage illustration is one of the most popular and imitated genres of illustration, but almost nothing is known about the men and women who created stunning work for endless magazines and agencies in the 50s and 60s. 

Lola Fielding

Leif Peng, himself an accomplished commercial artist, runs a well-researched blog called Today's Inspiration where he tracks down mid-century illustrators, gathering up every crumb of detail about their life and work, and making beautiful posts about them.

Koinobori - celebrating our children and future generations

On a visit to 188 Galerie last Sunday, wonder | wander | world fell in love with this collection of Koinobori. 

Lucky us got to take three of these lovely lucky charms back to our happy home. 

Koinobori are over sized carp in the shape of windsocks, streamers or banners that decorate the landscape of Japan from April through early May. 

fearless Filipinas

Accidentally on purpose, wonder | wander | women are focused lately on remembering and honoring significant women in our lives. 

wonder | wander | world upholds the trend with this commemorative on Philippine precolonial warrior princesses. 

“While women in precolonial Philippines were often designated to the venerable position of the babaylan, it was not an uncommon occurrence for them to pick up arms and become warriors.” – Perry Gil S. Mallari, The Filipina as Ritualist and Warrior

benchmark, birthday, birthright

Mahala celebrated her birthday yesterday. We refer to it as my labor [of love] day as well. 

YAY! for Team WoaWomen! 

Mahala's Art

Since she's shy and I'm her shameless mother, I blogged all about it on Change Warrior: "a grand design." 

More than crowing about my daughter and her significance to me or her accomplishments in life, it also covers numerology, the Number 1, and why it impacts us all. 

Read more at http://changewarrior.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-grand-design.html. 

#womensequalityday

Last year on wonder | wander | women we blogged about the history behind celebrating Women's Equality Day on August 26. 

This day marks National Women's Equality Day and the 96th anniversary of American women gaining the right to vote here in the United States of America. 

This #womensequalityday remember what our vote means and make that vote count. The leaders we choose to represent us will determine our performance and progress. They set the tone for our nation's democratic and diplomatic efforts. Vote wisely.  

Today women are voting more than men but hold political office in much smaller numbers. While women have outstripped men in voting booths since 1980, women still make up just about 20-25% of elected officials at the state and federal level. 

This November, stand up and be counted - exercise our right to VOTE! 

Insider's Guide: Island Hopping with Global Nomad

Featured in WendyPerrin.com, Lorenzo Urra of Global Nomad made it to their 2016 WOW List of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts.  

Whoohoo! Congratulations and kudos! BRAVO! 

Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Journey to Goblin City

For lovers of the iconic film Labyrinth, here's the latest treat!

The Center for Puppetry Arts is set to launch Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Journey to Goblin City Exhibit in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The exhibit opens on September 2, 2016 and runs until September 3, 2017. Don't miss it! 

marking time | making a mark | remarkable timing

Unbelievably, yet another year has come and gone for both wonder | wander | women and wonder | wander | world. We find ourselves belatedly celebrating our second anniversary of writing about what we love and what sustains us.

We created a spanking brand new logo!

As we did last year, we celebrate the occasion with grateful appreciation for a fulfilling fun filled year of productive creativity. Thank you for coming along on this adventure with us! 

Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Island, Philippines

Wonder Woman at 75!

Our lifelong hero celebrates a milestone! This year marks the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman, the Amazing Amazon. San Diego Comic Con had Wonder Woman fans out in full force, promoting the new DC Rebirth comic drawn by Australian powerhouse Nicola Scott, and of course the first major female-led comic book movie...WONDER WOMAN.

Here at wonder | wander | women HQ we could NOT be more excited. Wonder Woman is our hero and inspiration (since one of us was 2 years old!) and we have followed her rising and falling popularity with unchanging devotion over the years. If you're a Wonder Woman fan, read on to share our love; if you've heard of her but aren't sure what all the fuss is about, we're happy to show you why she's so inspiring to us. 

monkey see, monkey do

On the latest post of Change Warrior, we shared the 2016 Chinese astrology forecast of Gahl Eden Sasson on the Red Fire Monkey. 

Thus were we introduced to the art of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, and the gifted genius of Gorillaz.  

Nice, France

Today wonder | wander | world stands with the rest of the world as we extend our love and prayers over Nice, France.

art of the five senses

With summer upon us wonder | wonder | world celebrates the sunshine with food and feasting! This week we feature the Japanese fine food art of wagashi. 

Traditional Japanese Wagashi

NYC : 40th Anniversary of Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Display

If you live in New York this is a definite not to be missed highlight of summer celebrations.

2016 marks the 40th anniversary of Macy's fourth of July fireworks display.

sad for the UK, sad for the EU

In a world that is ever growing and expanding, the recent outcome of the BrEXIT vote stuns and saddens us here at wonder | wander | world. 

As a major player in the world stage Britain is looked upon as a leader and therefore judged accordingly. 

London is a major financial gateway, the biggest and busiest in Europe, rivaling Wall Street as a hub of international trading in stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities. 

It is also the current home of half of wonder | wander | women who believe that in an ever expanding world, not being inclusive is coming from lack. 

Happy Father's Day!

Our special find for Father's Day!

The Classic Bomber Jacket by Vintage Black Label, now available exclusively at 188 Galerie.

Available in store at 188 Galerie

Read all about the history and influence of this iconic counter culture garment as recounted in their latest blog.

VBL : Japanese Bomber Jackets

.
http://188galerie.blogspot.com/2016/06/vbl-japanese-bomber-jackets.html

Rolling Stones 50 book image

From vintage collections to high fashion houses, this garment has been reinterpreted in countless imaginative versions through the years. 

Bomber jackets have evolved from standard issue classics to the wardrobe staple of our current closets. 

ERIS: The Radical Feminine

“Unlike Mars who will fight to impose, Eris fights to expose.”

The Goddess Eris, art by Mystic Mamma

Eris embodies the dark and feared feminine which rises up to reclaim her place in a world long fractured by patriarchal power. Eris is the catalytic revolution within and without. 

On 5th January 2005 the dwarf planet Eris stepped onto the astrological stage to shake things up like never before. 

“As she prepares for a formative conjunction with Uranus (June 2016 – March 2017), we need our eyes wide open and hearts to match, ready for anything, fierce as they come and focused enough to do what we must.” ~ Sarah Varcas 

Mahala's illustrated book gets an award!

This book that Mahala Urra illustrated won an award - whoohoo! proud mama Issa Urra. WoaWomen Urra, proudly Negros, proudly Kolasa! Thank you Tahanan Books! 

2016 Skipping Stones Award for Multicultural & International Books

Panganod, redux

One of the best perks of flying home half way around the world is all the time air borne and all the views outside the airplane window from so high above.

Of all the views available so high up, at wonder | wander | world we love the clouds.

more finds at 188 Galerie

wonder | wander | world has found more gems from one of our favorite sites, 188 Galerie in New York City.

This month's blog features Sogara Yuzen which means "single view" in Japanese and refers to the large, hand-screened sheets of paper that depict vibrant elements of Japanese art and culture. 

Beyond Beauty : Shop our Sogara Yuzen decorative paper. Now available online and at our store. 

find of the week : CHEESEWEB

In an increasingly rush rush world of instant gratification addicts wonder | wander | world chooses to meander through a road less traveled. 

We are happy to add to our growing collection yet another kindred spirit! 

WELCOME TO CHEESEWEB

batik painting

On wonder | wander | women we just blogged about the twin birthday celebrations our whole family gathered to enjoy on the tiny, gorgeous island of Ko Yao Noi in Thailand. 

View from or batik making terrace. Image courtesy of Nicolo Torre.

We are eternally grateful to Global Nomad for this ten day spree of fun in the sun. What an extraordinary adventure indeed! 

The stunning beachfront estate at Ani Villas Thailand offers guests a magical Southeast Asian experience. Many activities and amenities are included, allowing guests to enjoy a variety of relaxing, adventurous, and cultural experiences as we desired. 

Earth Day 2016

We've come a looong way baby!

Google Doodle 2016

Yet we still have our work cut out for us to undo much in the name of progress.

Even among the well intended, much damage needs to be undone.

what peaceful, free, and open borders look like

View of the Great Courtyard of the Statale University of Milan [photo © Inexhibit, 2016]. 

Open Borders : between design and architecture at Milan University

As usual each year, during Milan Design Week 2016, courtyards and porticoes of the 
Statale University of Milan accommodate installations and micro-architectures which, 
for this year’s edition, are inspired by a theme entitled “Open Borders”.

The idea was to invite designers to go beyond the traditional distinction between 
architecture and design and to create proposals, quite different from one another, which 
also involve visual arts, cinema, social sciences, new lifestyles, and sustainability. 

vanishing borders & boundaries

If you are curious to see what peaceful, free, and open European borders look like check out Valerio Vincenzo's award-winning project, Borderline, the Frontiers of Peace. 

With the help of GPS and detailed maps, Vincenzo has explored dozens of free and open 
borders among 26 European countries that share over 16,500 kilometers of peaceful 
borders. 

Visit his project page. 

find of the week

Have any of you come across this blog called "Mystic Medusa"?

We discovered it here at wonder | wander | world, were immediately hooked, and want to share it with you all!

We came for a book review on Leonora Carrington's "The Hearing Trumpet".

We just can't stop reading stuff on this site - it's too outrageously fun!

And no this is not an April Fool's Day prank!