"Love is always a leap into the unknown. You can try to control as many variables, and understand a situation as you can, but you're still jumping off a cliff and hoping that someone catches you." - Lisa Kleypas
"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present." - Francis Bacon
“Time is the most valuable thing on earth: time to think, time to act, time to extend our fraternal relations, time to become better men, time to become better women, time to become better and more independent citizens.”- Samuel Gompers
“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” - Ed Viesturs
"Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be, it's important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level. We need to literally 'count our blessings,' give thanks for them, allow ourselves to enjoy them, and relish the experience of prosperity we already have." - Shakti Gawain
"You have to decide if you're going to wilt like a daisy or if you're just going to go forward and live the life that you've been granted." - Kevin Costner
“If I were to let my life be taken over by what is urgent, I might very well never get around to what is essential.” - Henri Nouwe
"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." - Carl Jung
"I've learned that fear limits you and your vision. It serves as blinders to what may be just a few steps down the road for you. The journey is valuable, but believing in your talents, your abilities, and your self-worth can empower you to walk down an even brighter path. Transforming fear into freedom - how great is that?" - Soledad O’Brien
It all started when I purchased the new late 2016 MacBook Pro with touch bar on launch day. I needed a new carrying case/sleeve due to the new size, but quickly learned there wasn't anything available yet. I've always purchased protective sleeves from Incase and I expected them to have something to fit the new MacBook Pro either at launch or fairly soon after. Well, fast forward two months after purchase and there’s still nothing released from Incase. I reached out to them twice on Twitter and they never replied. At this point, I decided to search for a replacement brand and product since my traveling dates were fast approaching and I needed something quickly to keep my MacBook Pro protected while carried in my Ajna Fstop Gear Backpack.
This is when I came across a company called Mac-Case online and noticed something that appealed to me. I wasn't sure if it would work with the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, so I sent them a message via Twitter (@MacCasePortable) and they responded within a few hours. From there, they responded to two more of my concerns within hours. So I was off to place my order online and was excited to see upon checkout their option to use Apple Pay. It only makes sense right? How are you going to sell Mac accessories and not accept Apple Pay, the single most secured form of payment in the world?
The very next day, I received an email with shipping and tracking information for a fast USPS delivery. Impressed again! Arrival day. I was very surprised to see and feel such a quality product. The pictures on their website and the ones posted here do not give this protective sleeve it’s due justice. In my opinion, the quality of this protective sleeve exceeds anything else out there. The 13 inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar fits into the sleeve very nicely. It's not a tight fit nor is it a snug fit, but it’s a comfortable fit. When I was told that it wasn't going to be a snug fit like I was used to having with protection sleeves from Incase, I was a little worried. There's very little movement inside the sleeve, and in fact, the comfortable fit allows for easy entry and removal of the MacBook. The padding and protective edge guard is simply wonderful and the cloth inside it Is very soft.
So if you are looking for an awesome protective sleeve to fit your MacBook Pro with Touch Bar - look no further.
“Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” - Albert Einstein
"The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we hold of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us." - Quentin Crisp
Nothing makes a house a home more than hanging artwork on bare walls. It adds personal style and visual interest, and it reflects the homeowner’s personality. For most of us, it is fairly difficult to hang artwork properly. If artwork—especially the popular “gallery walls”—isn’t hung correctly, everything will look awkward and out of place, causing perfectionists everywhere to cringe every time they pass the wall. Before whacking away at your wall to hang artwork, here’s a checklist of what NOT to do.
Sometimes, a single nail just won’t cut it—especially with heavier pieces. While using a single hook might work for some smaller pieces, most of the time, it’s extremely difficult to get the artwork perfectly straight without using another hook. Using two hooks, one on each side, ensures that the weight of the piece is evenly dispersed on each side, keeping it from shifting over one way or the other. There are also picture-hanging kits available at most retailers that include the correct brackets, wall mounts and other hardware needed to hang your piece correctly according to weight and size. Just any nail won’t necessarily work—and if it does, it won’t last for a long time before it collapses.
Even though adhesive hooks are not ideal, sometimes renters don’t have a choice in the matter as it is common for most landlords and property managers to disallow renters to put holes in the wall. If you fall under this category, the “two-hook” method still works; however, it’s important to get the right adhesive hook for the weight of your piece. Otherwise, you’ll defeat the purpose of using the hook when your artwork falls off the wall and possibly damages it.
Nothing is more frustrating than trying to “eyeball” the placement of artwork. Yes, it may look straight while you’re up close to the wall and hammering away, but once you step away, it’s almost guaranteed that it will be crooked or too close to the floor.
Before you begin to hang your artwork, grab a measuring tape and measure 57 inches from the floor—that’s the ideal height for the center of the artwork to be. This height is at eye-level for most people, and it is the most commonly used measurement in art galleries and museums. Using a leveler will also ensure the piece does not slope one way or another.
Be sure not to use the 57-inch rule as the measurement for where the hook should be; that must be calculated using the placement of the wire on the back of the frame. Using our inexpensive Picture Hanging Tool is an easy way to mark the place where to put the picture-hanging hook on your display wall.
When hanging multiple pieces, or creating a gallery wall, the 57-inch rule is even more important to adhere to, because otherwise, the pieces won’t flow together properly. Hanging all of the pieces at eye level will create consistency. When hanging an arrangement of pieces in one location, you can use the “string and pushpin method,” where you measure 57 inches from the floor, marking each spot with a pushpin and running a string between them to ensure everything is lined up.
When creating a gallery wall, pre-planning where the frames will go saves you the headache and hassle of having to continuously rearrange the pieces on the wall—creating dozens of holes in the wall during the process A commonly used and quite effective method for pre-planning a gallery wall is to use craft or butcher paper. Lay the paper flat on the floor and arrange your frames in the order that looks appealing to you. Larger pieces placed toward the left can create a sense of harmony.
Trace the frames out on the paper, including the placement of the hooks, and tape the butcher paper to the wall with painter’s tape. Hammer the nails for the hooks through the paper on the wall where indicated. Take the paper down (without damaging the outlines of the frames) and use the butcher paper as your guide. Voila! The artwork is exactly where you intended.
