A travel guru if there ever was one, Cole has amassed two million subscribers on YouTube and another one million on Instagram. Alongside his fiancé, Raya (a travel blogger herself), he shares his life on the road, treating life as a constant adventure.

“As I reflect back over this crazy year, as it comes to an end, the thing I’m most grateful for is having the most amazing, supportive, and incredible woman in my life!” wrote Cole in a recent Instagram post.

His most recent adventure? Heading across the US and then down to Costa Rica with a converted school bus, aptly nicknamed The Happiness Bus. Indeed, happiness seems to be the key to Cole’s way of life, and his enthusiasm is very much contagious.

His advice to other aspiring travel bloggers (and influencers in general)? “Come from a place of being passionate about capturing and sharing moments—not straight from this mentality that [you] want to make money or jump straight into having Instagram as a revenue generator or a business.”

“That’s an added bonus if you can get to that stage,” explained Cole in a chat with Entrepreneur. “But if that’s your initial goal, it could be quite tricky especially if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing. I think the audience can really notice that as well.”

The post Louis John Cole Has a Passion for Adventure appeared first on PlayJunkie.

In Halpern’s case, throwing society’s expectations out the window meant leaving her corporate job in fashion at the end of 2015 to go on a year-long round-the-world adventure.

Little did she know that this spontaneous adventure would end up changing the course of her career and reshape the way she thinks about work and life as well. Nowadays, Halpern’s goal is to help others realize their dreams. Her motto (and subsequent blog name) is “Live Like it’s the Weekend”, and doesn’t it sound nice?

“For me, living like it’s the weekend means saying yes to opportunities and invitations because I have the freedom to do so,” explains Halpern. “It means taking spur of the moment adventures to discover something new and beautiful because I don’t have to ask anyone else’s permission.”

Halpern’s optimism is refreshing, especially given the circumstances. In a recent blog post, where she recapped 2020, she reflected on the year’s little joyful moments.

An avid traveler with over 40 countries under her belt, Halpern didn’t let 2020 stop her from exploring, though these explorations were largely restricted to her “backyard”, meaning California.

“This year made me appreciate how much there is to explore in my own backyard and it showed me that even when travel fully opens back up again, I don’t need to take a 13-hour flight to arrive somewhere incredible,” she observed. “There are still so many destinations on my own California bucket list, not to mention just a short drive away in other states.”

And looking ahead, Halpern admits she’s willing to tweak her lifestyle to allow some time for family gatherings and reunions.

“While last year seemed to smash down a lot of my big travel goals, this year I’m going into the year taking a different approach to what I want to accomplish,” she writes. “I also want to work at putting more boundaries in place when it comes to balancing work and play.”

Her blog is a great teaching tool for people looking to spice up their daily routines and truly live like it’s the weekend.

The post Welcome 2021 By Spicing Up Your Routine with Michelle Halpern appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Journaling

Considered a mindful practice, journaling has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. It can also be a check-in tool at times when we feel unbalanced and unmotivated. Most of all, it’s a way of staying creative and being present.

Instagram inspiration: Menw Hurkens

The owner of Etsy store Rippels Paperhugger, Hurkens celebrates all things paper, highlighting the joyful practice of journaling. Based in the Netherlands, Hurkens’ Instagram is filled with the kind of journaling inspiration that will get your creative juices flowing.

Embroidery

The past year has seen a steady rise in embroiderers, and it’s easy to see why. Embroidery is a great and relatively cheap way to pass the time, and the end result makes for a great decoration. From embroidered wall hangings to quilts, they are elegant works of art.

Instagram inspiration: Liz Stiglets

“Let’s all slow down, get cozy, get crafty,” reads Liz Stiglets’ Instagram bio, which sounds like a perfect plan for quarantine.  The owner of cozyblue, Siglets believes that small, simple acts of creativity can make the world a calmer, happier place.

Hand Lettering

Hand lettering can be very meditative and relaxing. It also doesn’t cost much and the possibilities are endless! You can create custom birthday and thank you cards for family and friends, design typography prints to hang in your living room, or you can upgrade that journal you just started.

Instagram inspiration: Lauren Fitzmaurice

Watching Lauren Fitzmaurice’s lettering videos on Instagram can be relaxing in and of itself. Luckily for us, she also passes her knowledge onto others, by sharing her work on Instagram and teaching online classes. Her toolbox includes pointed pens, gouache, Tombow brush pens, and watercolor brushes.

The post 3 Unique Hobbies to Try During Quarantine appeared first on PlayJunkie.

After dedicating the past years to traveling full time, they decided to settle down in Magnetic Island on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, Australia, sharing their island adventures online.

The idea to travel, explains Evie, came after some reflection. “I’ve always thought that in 10 years, my daughter Emmie wouldn’t thank me for installing a brand new kitchen and bathroom in our home, but she would thank me for filling her early years with amazing experiences, learnings, and sights and sounds from around the world,” she wrote on her website.

“I’ve realized that working until I retire and then finally doing what makes me happy is not what I want my life to be about,” she adds. “I don’t want to work all through Emmie’s childhood. I want to enjoy our time together now and learn, explore, and adventure together.”

Her life-changing choice didn’t go unnoticed, with some 110,000 followers on Instagram alone.

We wish the two well on their journeys. In the meantime … here are some enviable highlights from their dedicated Instagram page!

The post This Mother & Daughter Duo Found the Perfect Solution for Quarantine appeared first on PlayJunkie.

With her online platform, Skimbaco Lifestyle, Presnal wants to introduce you to the ultimate Nordic lifestyle. According to Presnal, the Skimbaco lifestyle is rooted in Nordic values: sustainability, grit, and enjoying the small things in life.

“Skimbaco is modern carpe diem,” she explains on her website. “Skimbaco is the nordic lifestyle of having guts to go after your dreams, and finding happiness in your everyday life.” Not just sisu, hygge, or lagom, Skimbaco (explains Presnal) is a combination of all of these qualities.

The term itself is a made-up combination of “Skimba” (a Finnish slang word for a ski) and “co”, which stands for Colorado, as the brand was launched in 2007 when Presnal lived in Durango, Colorado.

“Skiing in Colorado was our way of living life to the fullest back then,” she recalled, “but Skimbaco is enjoying the moment where you are—you define your own skimbaco.”

She stresses that Skimbaco doesn’t mean skiing in Colorado, but rather living life to the fullest, enjoying every minute of it, and doing what you love. “When you are in Colorado—ski, when you are in New York—go shopping or to museums; whatever you do, enjoy the moment, live life to the fullest and enjoy the moment,” she writes.

But how do you live in the here and now when there’s a global pandemic? In a recent post, titled Thriving Despite the Chaos – It’s Possible, Presnal writes: “This year has been a sum of multiple unfortunate events, but in many ways, we have been able to turn the obstacles into opportunities, a theme that seems to be constant in my life. And that’s what I want to share with the world too. My methods of how to come out as a winner, despite what life throws at you.”

The post Introducing the Skimbaco Lifestyle—the Next Best Thing After Hygge appeared first on PlayJunkie.

But like most of us, 2020 hit Holeman hard. “It’s all so complicated, isn’t it?” she recently wrote in a candid Instagram post. “To travel, or not to travel. One thing’s for sure: the way we travel may not be the same for a very long time.⁣⁣” And so, she found herself back where it all began—Canada.

“At the moment I have absolutely zero desire to travel outside of Canada, or even to another province,” says Holeman, adding that the thought of traveling to a higher-risk location or being in close quarters with tourists who haven’t quarantined makes her itch.

Her solution? Travel closer to home. “I was in talks with Travel Manitoba over a year ago that I would spend this summer traveling around this beautiful province, and that is indeed happening. While I’ve already been to Bird River as well as Winnipeg Beach, Pinawa Dam, and Birds Hill Provincial Parks in the past month, I’m soon headed to Brandon, Swan Valley, and Riding Mountain National Park for a Manitoba series with Travel Manitoba.”

According to Holeman, she will be road-tripping and spending time doing what Manitobans do best: hiking, canoeing, fishing, camping, and supporting local businesses.

You can follow her explorations—both locally and internationally—on Instagram:

The post Travel Blogger Reflects On Traveling During COVID appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Angela is a California born artist and designer who, for the past 16 years, has been creating gorgeous fairy wings. She started as an entertainer in fairy and princess parties – she wanted to create a fairy costume based on her own vision of what a fairy would look like. She wanted her fairy wings to look as real as possible – as if they were plucked from a real fairy, and not assembled in a factory.  

Inspired by classical movies like The Labyrinth and by real-life insect wings, she decided to create her own wings. She started experimenting with different materials and styles until she developed an entire line of costume-made wings, and with each creation, her audience and customer base grew wider. Her reputation grew slowly, and eventually, her wings started showing up in fashion shots and runways. When her wings starred at the annual Victoria’s Secret shoe – that’s when she knew she’d made it.

The post This Designer Creates Realistic Fairy Wings appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“The main message of my art is just to share my life and experiences,” Weaver further explained in an interview with SD Voyager. “I want to connect with others that have had the same or similar experiences while creating a beautiful finished product that is enjoyable to look at. I hope that my work is uplifting, funny, and sparks fun memories in people. I hope it makes them feel good.”

Her work is sometimes directed at other aspiring creators, with some including messages like: “If it scares you, do it anyway,” and “start right now”. “I hope people look at my work and get excited about it,” says Weaver. “I hope it sparks a drive in them to create something wonderful that they love and are passionate about. I hope it is motivating to other artists and connects with people who just love to look at art too.”

According to Weaver, her inspiration stems from human experiences. “I don’t want to just create a beautiful piece of work,” she stresses, “but I want it to connect with someone and mean something to them too.” With clients that include Healthcare, Juice and Wellness Bars, and Float spas, people are definitely tuning in to her positive messages.

And when she’s not drawing on her ipad or watching tutorials on all things design and lettering, you can find her traveling, painting with watercolors, reading, and hiking (or climbing) her way through National Parks. Here’s one Instagram account you’d want to follow these days:

The post “Don’t Be Perfect, Be Real” and Other Inspiring Messages by Taylor Weaver appeared first on PlayJunkie.

It all culminated in Whitechapel Soap — a handcrafted soap brand based in Los Angeles, California. “I was fascinated by the movie Fight Club and I really wanted to make bar soap,” Simons further relayed in an interview with Matter of Hand. “I find it to be all-purpose.”

The soap is made by Simons himself in small batches using the cold process soap method. Each batch is hand-mixed, poured, and cut. The bars are then left to cure for four weeks. “I think there’s something unique about it, because for me everything is handmade, hand-cut, and hand-finished,” notes Simons. “I actually finish each bar with a boot brush to kind of knock off the rough edge and give it a tumbled look. So each bar has a little character.”

According to Simons, both cooking and soap making rely on science. “If you don’t understand what’s happening when you’re cooking, it’s never going to make sense,” he says. “With that, the cooking translates to the soapmaking. I wasn’t that interested in chemistry, I just needed to understand what was going on so I spent a lot of time just looking on the internet.”

His ingredients include water, sodium hydroxide, olive oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. Take a look at some of his collection:

The post From Cooking to Washing: Jared Simons Acquired the Science of Soap appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Back in 2005, John uploaded his first video to his channel, Primitive Technology. The video shows him building a hut with a tiled roof and a fireplace completely from scratch. John doesn’t explain anything in the video, and in fact, he doesn’t speak at all – but something about that display of invention and determination resonated with millions of viewers, and he became a YouTube star overnight.

John’s interest in building things goes back to his childhood – he was 11 when he created his first hut in the woods behind his house. He didn’t lose interest in his hobby even as a grownup, and it was after graduating from college and getting a job that he decided to start his channel and document his process. Today, with only about fifty videos, he’s one of the biggest creators on the platform, with over 10 million subscribers, and an entirely new genre he can take credit for.

The post This YouTuber Builds Insane Stuff With No Modern Technology appeared first on PlayJunkie.

A travel guru if there ever was one, Cole has amassed two million subscribers on YouTube and another one million on Instagram. Alongside his fiancé, Raya (a travel blogger herself), he shares his life on the road, treating life as a constant adventure.

“As I reflect back over this crazy year, as it comes to an end, the thing I’m most grateful for is having the most amazing, supportive, and incredible woman in my life!” wrote Cole in a recent Instagram post.

His most recent adventure? Heading across the US and then down to Costa Rica with a converted school bus, aptly nicknamed The Happiness Bus. Indeed, happiness seems to be the key to Cole’s way of life, and his enthusiasm is very much contagious.

His advice to other aspiring travel bloggers (and influencers in general)? “Come from a place of being passionate about capturing and sharing moments—not straight from this mentality that [you] want to make money or jump straight into having Instagram as a revenue generator or a business.”

“That’s an added bonus if you can get to that stage,” explained Cole in a chat with Entrepreneur. “But if that’s your initial goal, it could be quite tricky especially if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing. I think the audience can really notice that as well.”

The post Louis John Cole Has a Passion for Adventure appeared first on PlayJunkie.

In Halpern’s case, throwing society’s expectations out the window meant leaving her corporate job in fashion at the end of 2015 to go on a year-long round-the-world adventure.

Little did she know that this spontaneous adventure would end up changing the course of her career and reshape the way she thinks about work and life as well. Nowadays, Halpern’s goal is to help others realize their dreams. Her motto (and subsequent blog name) is “Live Like it’s the Weekend”, and doesn’t it sound nice?

“For me, living like it’s the weekend means saying yes to opportunities and invitations because I have the freedom to do so,” explains Halpern. “It means taking spur of the moment adventures to discover something new and beautiful because I don’t have to ask anyone else’s permission.”

Halpern’s optimism is refreshing, especially given the circumstances. In a recent blog post, where she recapped 2020, she reflected on the year’s little joyful moments.

An avid traveler with over 40 countries under her belt, Halpern didn’t let 2020 stop her from exploring, though these explorations were largely restricted to her “backyard”, meaning California.

“This year made me appreciate how much there is to explore in my own backyard and it showed me that even when travel fully opens back up again, I don’t need to take a 13-hour flight to arrive somewhere incredible,” she observed. “There are still so many destinations on my own California bucket list, not to mention just a short drive away in other states.”

And looking ahead, Halpern admits she’s willing to tweak her lifestyle to allow some time for family gatherings and reunions.

“While last year seemed to smash down a lot of my big travel goals, this year I’m going into the year taking a different approach to what I want to accomplish,” she writes. “I also want to work at putting more boundaries in place when it comes to balancing work and play.”

Her blog is a great teaching tool for people looking to spice up their daily routines and truly live like it’s the weekend.

The post Welcome 2021 By Spicing Up Your Routine with Michelle Halpern appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Journaling

Considered a mindful practice, journaling has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. It can also be a check-in tool at times when we feel unbalanced and unmotivated. Most of all, it’s a way of staying creative and being present.

Instagram inspiration: Menw Hurkens

The owner of Etsy store Rippels Paperhugger, Hurkens celebrates all things paper, highlighting the joyful practice of journaling. Based in the Netherlands, Hurkens’ Instagram is filled with the kind of journaling inspiration that will get your creative juices flowing.

Embroidery

The past year has seen a steady rise in embroiderers, and it’s easy to see why. Embroidery is a great and relatively cheap way to pass the time, and the end result makes for a great decoration. From embroidered wall hangings to quilts, they are elegant works of art.

Instagram inspiration: Liz Stiglets

“Let’s all slow down, get cozy, get crafty,” reads Liz Stiglets’ Instagram bio, which sounds like a perfect plan for quarantine.  The owner of cozyblue, Siglets believes that small, simple acts of creativity can make the world a calmer, happier place.

Hand Lettering

Hand lettering can be very meditative and relaxing. It also doesn’t cost much and the possibilities are endless! You can create custom birthday and thank you cards for family and friends, design typography prints to hang in your living room, or you can upgrade that journal you just started.

Instagram inspiration: Lauren Fitzmaurice

Watching Lauren Fitzmaurice’s lettering videos on Instagram can be relaxing in and of itself. Luckily for us, she also passes her knowledge onto others, by sharing her work on Instagram and teaching online classes. Her toolbox includes pointed pens, gouache, Tombow brush pens, and watercolor brushes.

The post 3 Unique Hobbies to Try During Quarantine appeared first on PlayJunkie.

After dedicating the past years to traveling full time, they decided to settle down in Magnetic Island on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, Australia, sharing their island adventures online.

The idea to travel, explains Evie, came after some reflection. “I’ve always thought that in 10 years, my daughter Emmie wouldn’t thank me for installing a brand new kitchen and bathroom in our home, but she would thank me for filling her early years with amazing experiences, learnings, and sights and sounds from around the world,” she wrote on her website.

“I’ve realized that working until I retire and then finally doing what makes me happy is not what I want my life to be about,” she adds. “I don’t want to work all through Emmie’s childhood. I want to enjoy our time together now and learn, explore, and adventure together.”

Her life-changing choice didn’t go unnoticed, with some 110,000 followers on Instagram alone.

We wish the two well on their journeys. In the meantime … here are some enviable highlights from their dedicated Instagram page!

The post This Mother & Daughter Duo Found the Perfect Solution for Quarantine appeared first on PlayJunkie.

With her online platform, Skimbaco Lifestyle, Presnal wants to introduce you to the ultimate Nordic lifestyle. According to Presnal, the Skimbaco lifestyle is rooted in Nordic values: sustainability, grit, and enjoying the small things in life.

“Skimbaco is modern carpe diem,” she explains on her website. “Skimbaco is the nordic lifestyle of having guts to go after your dreams, and finding happiness in your everyday life.” Not just sisu, hygge, or lagom, Skimbaco (explains Presnal) is a combination of all of these qualities.

The term itself is a made-up combination of “Skimba” (a Finnish slang word for a ski) and “co”, which stands for Colorado, as the brand was launched in 2007 when Presnal lived in Durango, Colorado.

“Skiing in Colorado was our way of living life to the fullest back then,” she recalled, “but Skimbaco is enjoying the moment where you are—you define your own skimbaco.”

She stresses that Skimbaco doesn’t mean skiing in Colorado, but rather living life to the fullest, enjoying every minute of it, and doing what you love. “When you are in Colorado—ski, when you are in New York—go shopping or to museums; whatever you do, enjoy the moment, live life to the fullest and enjoy the moment,” she writes.

But how do you live in the here and now when there’s a global pandemic? In a recent post, titled Thriving Despite the Chaos – It’s Possible, Presnal writes: “This year has been a sum of multiple unfortunate events, but in many ways, we have been able to turn the obstacles into opportunities, a theme that seems to be constant in my life. And that’s what I want to share with the world too. My methods of how to come out as a winner, despite what life throws at you.”

The post Introducing the Skimbaco Lifestyle—the Next Best Thing After Hygge appeared first on PlayJunkie.

But like most of us, 2020 hit Holeman hard. “It’s all so complicated, isn’t it?” she recently wrote in a candid Instagram post. “To travel, or not to travel. One thing’s for sure: the way we travel may not be the same for a very long time.⁣⁣” And so, she found herself back where it all began—Canada.

“At the moment I have absolutely zero desire to travel outside of Canada, or even to another province,” says Holeman, adding that the thought of traveling to a higher-risk location or being in close quarters with tourists who haven’t quarantined makes her itch.

Her solution? Travel closer to home. “I was in talks with Travel Manitoba over a year ago that I would spend this summer traveling around this beautiful province, and that is indeed happening. While I’ve already been to Bird River as well as Winnipeg Beach, Pinawa Dam, and Birds Hill Provincial Parks in the past month, I’m soon headed to Brandon, Swan Valley, and Riding Mountain National Park for a Manitoba series with Travel Manitoba.”

According to Holeman, she will be road-tripping and spending time doing what Manitobans do best: hiking, canoeing, fishing, camping, and supporting local businesses.

You can follow her explorations—both locally and internationally—on Instagram:

The post Travel Blogger Reflects On Traveling During COVID appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Angela is a California born artist and designer who, for the past 16 years, has been creating gorgeous fairy wings. She started as an entertainer in fairy and princess parties – she wanted to create a fairy costume based on her own vision of what a fairy would look like. She wanted her fairy wings to look as real as possible – as if they were plucked from a real fairy, and not assembled in a factory.  

Inspired by classical movies like The Labyrinth and by real-life insect wings, she decided to create her own wings. She started experimenting with different materials and styles until she developed an entire line of costume-made wings, and with each creation, her audience and customer base grew wider. Her reputation grew slowly, and eventually, her wings started showing up in fashion shots and runways. When her wings starred at the annual Victoria’s Secret shoe – that’s when she knew she’d made it.

The post This Designer Creates Realistic Fairy Wings appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“The main message of my art is just to share my life and experiences,” Weaver further explained in an interview with SD Voyager. “I want to connect with others that have had the same or similar experiences while creating a beautiful finished product that is enjoyable to look at. I hope that my work is uplifting, funny, and sparks fun memories in people. I hope it makes them feel good.”

Her work is sometimes directed at other aspiring creators, with some including messages like: “If it scares you, do it anyway,” and “start right now”. “I hope people look at my work and get excited about it,” says Weaver. “I hope it sparks a drive in them to create something wonderful that they love and are passionate about. I hope it is motivating to other artists and connects with people who just love to look at art too.”

According to Weaver, her inspiration stems from human experiences. “I don’t want to just create a beautiful piece of work,” she stresses, “but I want it to connect with someone and mean something to them too.” With clients that include Healthcare, Juice and Wellness Bars, and Float spas, people are definitely tuning in to her positive messages.

And when she’s not drawing on her ipad or watching tutorials on all things design and lettering, you can find her traveling, painting with watercolors, reading, and hiking (or climbing) her way through National Parks. Here’s one Instagram account you’d want to follow these days:

The post “Don’t Be Perfect, Be Real” and Other Inspiring Messages by Taylor Weaver appeared first on PlayJunkie.

It all culminated in Whitechapel Soap — a handcrafted soap brand based in Los Angeles, California. “I was fascinated by the movie Fight Club and I really wanted to make bar soap,” Simons further relayed in an interview with Matter of Hand. “I find it to be all-purpose.”

The soap is made by Simons himself in small batches using the cold process soap method. Each batch is hand-mixed, poured, and cut. The bars are then left to cure for four weeks. “I think there’s something unique about it, because for me everything is handmade, hand-cut, and hand-finished,” notes Simons. “I actually finish each bar with a boot brush to kind of knock off the rough edge and give it a tumbled look. So each bar has a little character.”

According to Simons, both cooking and soap making rely on science. “If you don’t understand what’s happening when you’re cooking, it’s never going to make sense,” he says. “With that, the cooking translates to the soapmaking. I wasn’t that interested in chemistry, I just needed to understand what was going on so I spent a lot of time just looking on the internet.”

His ingredients include water, sodium hydroxide, olive oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. Take a look at some of his collection:

The post From Cooking to Washing: Jared Simons Acquired the Science of Soap appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Back in 2005, John uploaded his first video to his channel, Primitive Technology. The video shows him building a hut with a tiled roof and a fireplace completely from scratch. John doesn’t explain anything in the video, and in fact, he doesn’t speak at all – but something about that display of invention and determination resonated with millions of viewers, and he became a YouTube star overnight.

John’s interest in building things goes back to his childhood – he was 11 when he created his first hut in the woods behind his house. He didn’t lose interest in his hobby even as a grownup, and it was after graduating from college and getting a job that he decided to start his channel and document his process. Today, with only about fifty videos, he’s one of the biggest creators on the platform, with over 10 million subscribers, and an entirely new genre he can take credit for.

The post This YouTuber Builds Insane Stuff With No Modern Technology appeared first on PlayJunkie.