doodle

Cute of Course

2010-09-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Poor little blog, how I have neglected you. I've been writing A LOT over at design.org, which means many ideas I would normally post here have been fueling the creativity there. And sadly I have not been toting my camera with me all that much.

I'm going to Bartlett Lake with my roommate tomorrow, so it will be a firm goal of mine to take some photos there. In the mean time, all of you angry/BORED READERS [ ; ) ] out there should check out this etsy shop of cuteness: The Secret Nest. I may need to get one (or five) of these prints for my future apartment. Simple but cute... I especially like the ones with holes.

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Moma Goodies and Hullo

2010-08-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hey! Sorry I've been away for a bit. Life has been quite busy, with its ups and downs, and has included a trip to D.C. exploring fun places with Lindsey, playing outdoor/indoor soccer (that's indoor soccer on an outdoor arena) and getting an exciting new job with Drawbackwards and Design.org. I'll be contributing blog entries for design.org and doing project management at Drawbackwards. I'm pretty pumped and excited! But I'll also continue to update here and try to get back on the regular-post bandwagon, since I'll be online much more often now. For now, enjoy these fun objects from the Moma shop.

Cute, no? I saw a few of these items at Tabletop, a home accessory shop at Dupont Circle, D.C., among many additional awesome items.
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Japan, edition two: Tasty Treats

2010-07-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

If Japan = Fun
and Food = Awesome
Japanese Food = Fun and Awesome.

Or something like that.

I promised some more Japan pictures, and I decided it was about time to upload the edibles edition. We experienced some interesting foods, but mostly we just ate semi-familiar things and plenty of sweet treats, which was fine by me. So please take a peak at this little catalog of treats. Click over through any photo to view my other photos from Japan on flickr.

And once again, we can see how much color and the art of display is infused in everyday life there.

First we ventured into the subway, and found a cute little bakery with glossy pastries and bright fillings.

Then we enjoyed our first meal in a Tokyo mall. Toshi, my friend Kerry's boyfriend, took us to have some okonomiyaki, a casual, fun meal where the attendants grilled cabbage and egg cakes (and three wieners that somebody requested) right on the table. I stuck to the veggie and beef variety, but there was one with some very rubbery looking tentacles. We sampled various condiments with the patties as well.

Next we went to visit the Sensō-ji Temple and wandered into a ramen shop down a nearby alley. Definitely different than its freeze-dried counterpart, this ramen was tasty and had a hard-boiled egg, fresh veggies and piece of pork floating around in it. We showed are appreciation by slurping it down. Slurp Allen, slurp!

Remember Tamagotchi? Just outside of an entrance to Harajuku there's a little tamagotchi shop where the little eggs are much more high-tech than I remember, and attached to the shop is a magical mini donut shop (yes, mini in both ways)! They were so cute.

The food stands in Harajuku were bright and cheery and offered an awesome variety of sweets. My personal favorite: The crepe stands, and as my cousin "reminded" me, "it's "crep" not "crape"!"
Yum Yum Yum! Please excuse my condiment themed outfit and the fact that I could not stop sampling, even for the picture.

Also fun: Ice cream stands. They show the flavors of everything with artificial foods. This case contained some weird ones, like rum-raisin, black sesame, rose and almond jelly.

Aisukurimu! I'll let you figure that one out.

And we wrapped up our trip with a japanese-style restaurant complete with private rooms divided by sliding rice-paper doors, removing your shoes at the entrance, and of course, sake!

And, apparently, even the japanese enjoy some meat-wrapped-cheese occasionally.

And That concludes our mini-tour of random foods consumed in Japan! Look out for more Japan photos down the road. Thanks for stopping in : )
<3<3<3

Cute... and free!

2010-06-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

Who, may I ask, does not love that!?! Lizzy House, an awesome textile designer, kindly created some bookplates to share with the world. The designs are based on her latest fabric line: Castle Peeps. You can download them here. (There may even be a few references some of you fantasy nerds will appreciate : ) )

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Milan Bozic and Olive Editions

2010-06-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hellllloooo my friends! Recently I ordered a copy of The Crying of Lot 49 and had it sent to Mr. Brandon as a little surprise (along with some fridge balls, which apparently have worked thus far to help keep his CSA goodies fresher longer). The cover was different than the version I ordered for myself a year or two ago, and I thought that the new version was pretty neat and unique. This week I was able to examine the paperback more closely and found that the illustrator responsible is Milan Bozic, whose website is pretty darn cool, though mostly under construction. I discovered that the book is indeed part of an edition realeased by Harper Perennial: the olive edition.

I forgot to take a photo of the spine, but I found this one floating around on the internets, at Out the Other's bookshelf:

Each book is $10, and rings true to the tag line "Look, they fit in your back pocket," with their petite size, it seems they would travel well, like a little moleskine. Once again, I show my affinity for bright and simple illustration.

I also like this cover by Bozic... yet another wise decision by Chabon (or his publishers):

I just love the world of book cover design. sigh.

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Hanging by the strip

2010-06-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Well, not reaaallllly, but I am waiting in the Las Vegas airport waiting to connect to Pittsburgh. There are slot machines everywhere, ringing and dinging and hogging all of the outlets. The colors and game designs made me want to look for some vintage vegas photos, so here you go! I love the faded but bright color pallets. As much as Vegas has expanded and grown and multiplied its led light displays, I feel like it has lost some of its glamor. What do you think? Click on photos for a link to source.

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Movin' right along...

2010-06-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hello amigos and amigas! I'm on the road again, or en-route on various flights, and returning from a fun and relaxing trip to see my friend Demee and her lovely family (and a heard of domesticated doggies) in North Carolina. It was a fun little getaway, during which i unfortunately did not take any pictures : ( But , I'll be putting up some new posts soon!

In the mean time, enjoy a visit from this little snail and a thrift store friend he recently acquired. The shells are from a day trip to california and the leaves from the flowers brandon sent me a little ways back.

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Belle and Boo Bunny Lovin'

2010-06-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

I love bunnies and illustration and vintage things/inspiration, so this lovely little blog and shop fit in quite nicely with both of my interests. Belle and Boo (check out the cute animated shop banner) is the creation of Mandy Sutcliffe, and illustrator who puts plenty of imagination and charm in her artwork. Belle is her main bobbed girl and Boo's her bunny friend. The drawings and characters have a vintage charm about them, and, let's face it, that bunny is just adorable. Her blog chronicles her product line and placement, new creations and commissions, as well as her life and trips.

And my favorite...

I really would like one of those bunny pillows! If I ever get some spending money, I just may have to make it mine. Her drawings and blog are filled with bright, fun colors, and when I look at her illustration I feel my mind wander a bit to childhood. Her images almost tell a story, letting your imagination fill in the blanks. Take a look at her shop and blog to see (or purchase) more fun images.
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Mumford and Sons... an excellent listen.

2010-06-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm back, and I have some fun pictures to share! But until then, have a listen to this... recently, a good friend, who happens to have great taste in music, introduced me to Mumford and Sons. And, I quickly fell in love (don't worry Brandon, just with the music!). We were able to catch their show in Cleveland last week due to Allen's skillful Craig's listing. Have a listen! They make me tap my feet and local hippies go wild with arm-swinging and head-thrashing galore!

If you like what you hear, they're currently on tour in the U.S., though most of their shows are sold out, but if you take a leaf from Allen's book, you may find some floating around the internets. : )

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Roadtrip!

2010-05-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Ohio...

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Hello Phoenix.

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Two totally different but pretty cool places.

Posts may be more sporadic this week (not that that's anything entirely new), as my dad and I are roadtripping it up across the continental u.s.!

If anyone knows of some must-see spots along the way, please do tell! We're probably taking the middle route, which is the fastest at (only) 2,050 miles and includes some combination of something like 70, 44, 40, and the 17 from Cleveland to Phoenix.

It should be fun, and I'll try to take some cool pictures along the way! Maybe I'll be able to capture and explain what it is about the hills of New Mexico that make me love them so. Perhaps then people won't look at me funny when I say just that. Wish me luck!

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A past adventure and cool signs!

2010-05-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I visited Bar Harbor, Maine with Brandon and some friends. While we were there we stumbled upon the A&B Cafe, which was right around the corner from our house. This little whole-food type cafe has some delicious smoothies, but what made me smile more than the smoothies were the hand-lettered and quirky drawn signs posted throughout the store. Have a peek...

And my personal favorite...

I really enjoy the simple stylized animal illustrations, and the one with the alligator just cracks me up. Displays like these are one of the reasons I love going into little markets and stores. They help remind you that there are people behind the products we buy and that not everything has to be super structured and uniform to communicate information. Plus the little signs add color to the store and emphasis the palette that's already there.
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So it may be overplayed...

2010-05-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

And they may rhyme "you" with "you," but this song still makes me smile. And I like that the video has some cultural flair. It just makes me want to dance (in the privacy of my own home)! <3<3<3

A quick little project...

2010-05-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

Brandon's dvd display/rack has driven me nuts for a while now. It's a nice display, but that calendar sign on top was not-so-pretty and made it look like the scavenged floor-model it was. So, when I last visited, I got crafty while he was at class. Here's the super-simple improvement...

Before:

and After:

It's just a simple little improvement that, I think, made the stand look more like a modern dvd display than a cast-off. And, bonus(!), I think he likes it! haha. For the images I pulled up a youtube clip of an old movie reel and screen-grabbed the individual numbers. They look a little grainy, but it gives it that old movie feel. I measured the sign, created a photoshop document the same size and dropped in the images. Then I printed them out, trimmed them up and dropped them into the slots. Have you done any little improvements like this on found or thrifted (or scavenged) items? Immediate results are nice sometimes : )
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Little Kitties

2010-05-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

I love this little illustration. If you know who made it, give a shout out! I found it floating around on tumblr.

Lately I've been finding that I'm really enjoying simplified drawings and designs.

<3<3<3

A little Japan

2010-05-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I promised some photos from Japan, and I have yet to post them! So here are a few. It was difficult to narrow down the choices and also sad to look at them because so many were out of focus due to my dirty UV filter. Sad face. But it was still an awesome trip with a few good photos and many good times. Click on photos for descriptions (in flickr). Notice all of the color!

These are some more general pictures. Later, I'll follow up with food and tokyo tower adventure photos and a fun pattern entry. If you like color and cute things and crazy foods, you should definitely consider visiting Japan. I wish I had taken more photos of people, because the girls have this pretty feminine and frilly style that I love. But they are tiny, so they can pull off all of those flouncey layers.
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Scrumptious Sundays: (Yes, on Monday!) Super-Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-05-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks! I forgot to post this yesterday, and it just must be shared immediately!
This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time, which is saying a lot, because I've tried many varieties and am very serious about my cookies. Originally, I received this recipe from a friend's awesome mother who ran her own bakery, and I've since found it floating around the internets as well. So below, for your baking pleasure, you'll find some cookie documentation and the fantastic recipe.

The secret ingredient? Butter-flavored crisco. Some people think using shortening is weird or immediately associate it with lard, even though it's vegetable based. But it makes the cookies perfectly crunchy on the outside and chewy and gooey and the inside. So trust me, just try it

Stuff:
3/4 cup Butter-Flavored Crisco
1 1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
A little milk (no more than 2-3 T)
1 tablespoon Vanilla
Egg
1 3/4 cup flour (I haven't tried whole wheat)
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda (A little less than 1 t gives you chewier cookies)
1 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark, or mix it up!)
1 cup nuts (optional... I usually leave them out just to avoid allergy issues)

To Do...
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter-flavor crisco, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Blend in egg. Pour in a little bit of milk while blending, and continue to add until creamy (instead of sticky looking). Do not exceed 2-3 teaspoons.
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Gradually add flour, and blend well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts). Drop rounded Tablespoonfuls of dough a few inches apart on baking sheet (do not grease).
Bake at 375 for 7 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 10-12 minutes for crisp cookies. Watch your cookies carefully, for the perfect cookies (in my opinion), they need to come out when they look almost undercooked, and the edges are JUST beginning to brown. If you take them out when the tops brown, they will be very crunchy.
Cool on baking sheet for two minutes (I usually move them with a spatula across the baking sheet when they first come out because they tend to stick a bit if you leave them in place). Remove to cooling rack. Makes just under 3 dozen cookies when I make them!
Let cool just a little, pour a glass of milk and enjoy! So much better than the store-bought dough. You also might want to sample some of the dough, if you're not too worried about the eggs and such ; )

Let me know if you make them and love them as much as I do!

<3<3<3

Colors, Books and Spaces.

2010-05-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

I love books and I love colors, so these spaces are really exciting! Someday (soon), I'd love to have a large shelf or wall space devoted to a growing book collections.

{Source}

I love this whole room so much!

How about you? Do you like amassing books, or are they just clutter to you? Or do you enjoy the large coffee table version (I have some of those too, hehe)?

Right now, my books are in stacks along the perimeter of my wall, waiting for me to get my butt in gear and do my bookshelf revamp! Hopefully I'll do that soon...
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Hey Starbucks Lovers.

2010-05-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Apparently Starbucks read my entry on iced coffee and saw that the travel cup I raved about would be the next big trend. When I walked by the coffee shop in the grocery store, I noticed a basket full of familiar looking cups.

This iconic cup look-a-like is, deceivingly, a reusable tumbler much like my awesome portable cup. I actually went to Starbucks the other day and wondered if they could make the drink in my cup but didn't ask because I figured they used their disposable cups to measure ingredients for their drink. So what a good solution this is for those iced beverage lovers out there! Like my cup, this one is dishwasher safe and bpa free. I don't visit them very often, so I'll probably stick with my homebrew for now, but if you drink a lot of Starbucks, you might consider picking one up! ($12.95 for a grande and $14.95 for a venti).

<3<3<3

New Banner & Smaul Camera

2010-05-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I stole "smaul" from my buddy Anna Z., but I just love saying it like that. Anyway, do you like the new banner? I originally planned to spell out "doodled" in yarn, but my results were less-than-stellar. This one came out much better, I think. But what do you think? Like it, love it, hate it? Did you like the old one better? I'd really like to know! It's difficult to judge your own work, so let me know if it looks lame or doesn't exemplify doodled well, and I'll get to working on another.

In other news, I visited Savers the other day, and found this little gem for $3.99! I love it! It's so little but had some weight to it, and the lens is removable and manually focussed.

When I got home I did a little research and found that the Pentax 110 auto is one of the smallest SLR cameras ever manufactured, and it has a decent following even today (manufacturing discontinued in 1985).

It uses a 110 film cartridge, and sadly, the last provider haulted production of the film last year. You can still find it online, but I'm trying to decide if it's worth the splurge or if I should just enjoy my little camera as the pretty object it is.

Have a lovely day!
<3<3<3

Scrumptious Sundays: Blueberry Scones! Plus, Amity and Sound.

2010-05-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

One warning: this is a longish post.
For some reason, I just don't like making jumps.

Last weekend my good friend Allen hosted an "Evening of Amity and Sound"— and what an appropriate title! The evening was filled with good friends, amazing music and a few tasty treats.

The gentlemen of "An Evening of Amity and Sound" (a bit out of focus)—Allen Shepard, Zachary James Dodds, and Tobie Milford

I made a batch of fresh scones for the event, and they seemed to go over well with the crowd. The previous week I also brought some into work (after I mailed some out to a few special people), and my coworkers said they were tasty too! Hopefully everyone was telling the truth, because now I'm sharing the recipe with you.

Fresh Blueberry Scones Recipe (From allrecipes.com)
These scones are soft and dense, not hard or tough.

Stuff...
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 egg

To Do...

-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

-Cut butter into mixture of flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt (you can use a pastry blended or two knives to cut in the butter, but don't expect it to blend in completely, just get the butter into smaller pieces and they will distribute through the scones when you mix the dough) pieces

-Add blueberries and toss to mix (rinse off your berries first and pat dry with a towel)

-In separate bowl beat together cream and egg, and slowly pour into dry ingredients, stirring with rubber scraper until dough forms.

-Once the dough forms, knead just until it comes together, 3 or 4 times. Don't overhandle or the scones will be tough.

-Divide dough in half. On lightly floured board, shape each half into a 6-inch round and press out with your hands. Mine were about an inch thick.

-Cut into six wedges (you can cut those wedges in half for smaller scones and twice the yield).

-Bake on ungreased sheet about 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

-Serve warm... I sprinkled one batch of mine with powdered sugar after baking and one with brown sugar before baking.

Enjoy, and let me know how yours come out! I made a little flag from a toothpick and triangle of paper to label the stack of scones, but I forgot to take a picture of the final product : /

<3<3<3

A visitor...

2010-04-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

After a nice peaceful shower...

Pounce likes to ambush me when I open the bathroom door. He meows, rushes in, and pads around the dewy tub.

I guess I can't blame him... if I were a cat I'd probably enjoy walking between airy curtains and balancing on ledges.

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A delicious color palette...

2010-04-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Have you seen ReadyMade's latest issue? They used such a fresh spring palette, and I love it! Plus, that tart looks delicious... maybe that will make for a good Scrumptious Sunday post... some mini rhubarb tarts? Yum.

Colors excite me so much this year. Maybe that's why my room currently has lots of bright and light colors... they just make me so happy!
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Snail Mail

2010-04-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

I sent these out to some friends from high school last week. I believe they have all received them by now : ) It was a fun little personal project, though I may have intended to have it done, ohhh, say a few months ago (better late than never?). So it turned out to be a happy new year, valentine, spring gift.

I asked each person to choose two songs that they liked or inspired them this past year and then labeled the back with the names of the people that chose the track instead of the artist. I think some people found new songs to like or enjoyed some they forgot about. I must say, it developed into quite an eclectic mix.

The playlist is as follows:

Hey, Soul Sister- Train
Sorrow- Bad Religion
Valerie- Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
1901- Phoenix
Stand by Me- John Lennon
Combat Baby- Metric
Manhattan- Kings of Leon
New Years Day- U2
You Oughta Know- Alanis Morisette
Fireflies- Owl City
Ragged Wood- Fleet Foxes
You And Me- Dave Matthews Band
Just Dance- Lady GaGa
Breakable- Ingrid Michaelson
This Year- Hurricane Bells
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea- Neutral Milk Hotel

I'm thinking about turning this into a regular thing... maybe creating a mix every few months for a larger group (I would love to do one each month, but I know I get a little overzealous sometimes, which, when combined with occasional laziness, makes for an unfortunate combination).

I sent the little cd packages in recycled cardboard envelopes made from various boxes and decorated with images from old magazines.

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Today I wish I were wearing...

2010-04-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

A breezy, white cotton dress.

{source}

(I can't remember where I found this one, so please let me know if you see it somewhere!)

With a pretty vintage scarf.

BetaAccessories: $15.50

allencompanyinc: $28.00

And light comfy shoes or sandles.

Like these...

Urban Outfitters: $48.00

Or these...

Urban Outfitters: $28.00

But instead, I will be wearing something very similar to this...

{source}

Glamorous right? I hope you have a day accompanied by lovely comfy clothing!

<3<3<3

Scrumptious Sundays: Is it iced coffee weather?

2010-04-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

Well, at least here is Arizona it is! Is it Iced coffee weather where you live (via Howaboutorange)?

The real question is, does it matter? Iced coffee is wonderful, and I've been known to partake in the beverage during less-than-ideal conditions, i.e. rainstorms and blizzards.
Maybe that's a little too extreme for you, but when you are ready to indulge in some icy goodness, why not make some yourself?

Purchasing coffee from your barista gets expensive if you start indulging more often and not just as a treat (a predicament I found myself in recently, which is also something I used to chide others for a little... I see where you're coming from now!).

Soooo, a long while back I read about a recipe for cold-brew iced coffee (also at Howaboutorange). Could cold-brew really be that amazing? Well I must say I was not disappointed.

The coffee comes out smooth and not bitter in the least. AND you can add sugar/cream/flavoring to your exact tastes without feeling like a yuppy freako (yes, could I have that venti with two pumps of hazelnut, sweetened, with cream, light actually, like, extra milk, if you wouldn't mind?).

So here is the recipe and a fun little article from The New York Times about the perks (harhar) of cold brew.

Cold-Brew Iced Coffee
1/3 cup ground coffee (try fair-trade or shade-grown coffee)
1 1/2 cups water

Optional: sugar, flavoring, milk

Combine coffee and water in a jar, cover and soak overnight or 8-12 hours at room temperature.

In the morning, strain coffee twice through a filter or sieve...

Into a container of your choice.

Pour one part coffee concentrate and one part water over ice. Add milk and flavoring (amaretto or hazelnut = yum!) if desired. I mixed in a little sugar directly into the coffee concentrate after straining. ENJOY!

(I doubled this recipe and kept some in the fridge for a few days for a quick morning coffee to-go)

BONUS: I found that awesome travel cup at target (dishwasher safe and bpa free!)I was not keen on the idea of drinking coffee from a water bottle, which I had resigned myself to because I needed something reusable and durable to bring to work (and something I wouldn't spill all over myself during my 4:30 am scramble).

While rooting through water bottles at target (which are located in at least five areas of the store... Good! Because I need a camping bottle and a workout bottle and a general purpose bottle AND a driving water bottle!), I stumbled upon the holy grail of reusable cups, complete with thick, washable, non-chewable straw, twist on lid, and clear, cup-like design! I swear I'm not getting paid for this, I just really like my new cup.

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Please excuse the banner...

2010-04-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

A new one is under construction (and I accidentally removed the old one before knowing if the new one worked, which it sadly did not). Doodled will be back soon! Until then, enjoy this fun button stash I picked up at the thrift store for $2. Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to do with all of them...

<3<3<3

Library table spruce (finally!)

2010-04-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's really happened... I finished the night stand/library table I started working on months (and months) ago! And here are the before and afters for your viewing pleasure! At the end of this post you'll find a few links about refinishing furniture that you may find useful, along with the mistakes I made, so you won't make them as well on your projects : )

The $13 table, straight from the store, before stripping and sanding.

After a very thorough stripping and sanding.

If I had a more rustic or shabby style I might have left it like this or painted it white and sanded it down a bit, because the wood was pretty once that weird stain was gone.

And the afters...!

I painted the table a very pale shade of green ("oak grove" from valspar) because I felt like there would be too much bright white against the teal walls in my room. I won't say I wasn't a little nervous, but I think it worked out nicely, especially with my favorite thrifted lamp on top.

The chain on the thrifted table was broken, and I found replacement at Ace... Home Depot didn't have any. Sometimes I find that Ace is much more useful when it comes to little accessories.

I'm pretty happy with the final results! But I did run into a few snags...

1.) I used and enamel latex paint, which worked out fine, especially with the sealer. Before I applied my sealer however, I had a tendency to sit things on the table while working on other things. The latex apparently is a little soft, and metal or heavier objects stuck to the surface. Luckily no damage was done, but be careful or the paint may actually pull off.

2.) Do not let stripper sit for much longer than the suggested time, and remove ALL of the stripper. It hardens after it dries, and if you leave some of it on, like I may have, you'll find yourself cursing yourself while you're sanding off drips and trails of plastic-like residue that you thought would be a piece of cake to take off.

3.) Do not attempt to brush over surfaces you've already painted less-than-recently, even if you see an imperfection. Resist! You'll just make it worse and create textured paint, which you'll have to sand down anyway (this may be more specific to quick-drying latex). It's kind of like trying to paint on a second coat of nail polish before the first one has completely dried.

4.) Patience and perseverance are virtues. If you try to hurry, you will screw up. If you leave the table outside for a week (or more) without touching it, it will a) stress you out and b.) need to be wiped clean multiple times to prepare for new coats of this or that.

5.) I used a water-based spray polyurethane to finish the project, since it seemed quicker and easier with the spindled legs. It went on pretty evenly for the most part, but I did notice a yellowish streaking in a few places. Maybe I sprayed too close to the surface or put too thick of a coat in these areas, but next time I'd probably try a brush application on a project with light paint.

Here are a few links that may prove useful to those of you looking to refinish furniture and create a durable and attractive new look. (I searched for this info before I started my epic project, but for some unknown reason I never seem to find these things until after I need them and they show up through some round-about search)

Young House Love: Furniture painting

Centsational Girl: Oil-based refinishing

This post includes articles on the pros and cons of latex vs. oil-based.

Mimosa & Mocha: Spray-paint redo questions and answer

J caroline creative: Painting and decoupaging night stands

I actually decoupaged some fabric onto the inside walls of the night stand to add some patter. Keeping the edges straight and cutting them straight was definitely challenging, but I like the effect.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have about this here project, and I hope these links are helpful if you're thinking about doing some furniture face-lifts! It's definitely rewarding to make something nice from something not-so-nice. Something you worked hard to fix finds a useful place in your home, and one less product from the goods chain needs to be made while one old product is saved and reused. I try my best to check thrift stores or elsewhere for whatever piece of furniture I might need before resorting to cheap pop-up furniture.

If you stick with the search, thrift stores and craigs list can yield items that are cheaper and sturdier than their big-box counterparts. (Check out Young House Love's recent craigs list redo!) Next up: the crazy book shelf, a $9 thrift store purchase.

<3<3<3

Hello Blog Buddies!

2010-04-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't forgotten about you or my little blog here! I recently returned from a week-long visit to Japan (not counting the three days I was stuck in Narita Airport!), and it's been a whirlwind of busyness since then. But, I have some fun entries in queue for you, including some japanese photo fun, with loads of cuteness. Here's a little doodle inspired by japan, where everything commercial is cute!

Talk to you again soon!

<3<3<3

A Pretty Surprise

2010-03-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

Last week I came home to find these waiting for me (ok, Brandon had to call and ask me if I received anything out of the ordinary because the florist decided to leave them outside the front door when no one answered, but still, how sweet and romantic!). Fresh flowers can make a space lighter and more brighter. They make my room a cheery place, and the smell of flowers wafts out every time I open the door.

They started with two open buds, and everyday a new flower has popped up, keeping the arrangement pretty and bright and me smiling. Thanks Brandon : )

<3<3<3

Scrumptious Sundays: butternut squash (sage, and parmesan) pasties

2010-03-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

So, I'm thinking it may be a good idea to start a little weekly entry on food, be it a recipe I tried, a diner I visited, or some D-licious cookies, coffees or baked goods, because food is a part of our daily lives after all, and for me it's a very important part. I enjoy cooking and seeing and tasting unique or scrumptious concoctions.

If I do share recipes, many of them may be vegan. Though I'm not vegan myself, my roommate and boyfriend both live the dairy-free way, and, for me, half the fun in cooking comes with sharing my labors with others. But, I love me some dairy, so sometimes I'll need to indulge in a little personal dessert affair. : )

So without further ado, this week's Scrumptious Sunday comes from a recipe I picked up over at Apartment Therapy's The kitchn via Ready Made. I made some alterations based on what I had in the fridge and pantry already (which is part of the fun anyway).

Butternut Squash Pasties

I used a whole-wheat stone ground flour. My crust came out a bit more dense than it should have. Next time I think I'd try a finer flour. I substituted vegan margarine for the butter and omitted the parmesan (which would probably be pretty tasty for those cheese lovers outt here)

Cutting butternut squash can be quite a challenge. I approach the task by cutting the squash in half, scooping out the seeds and halving the halves again. Then I cut each piece into slices and use the knife to take the peel off of each smaller piece. It takes a little while to do this, but I've found it to be easier than attempting to peel the entire squash. Does anyone out there do it differently (aside from cooking it first)?

I ended up making two large pasties, and two baby-sized ones. We had some celery in the fridge, so I chopped it up and tossed some in, which turned out to be an excellent idea, and I used thyme from our produce drawer instead of purchasing dill. They were pretty tasty if I do say so myself, and Erika seemed to agree. The dense pocket was perfect for packing as lunch too. Over-all: an easy recipe with hearty and tasty results. Omit the egg-wash for the vegans out there. This doesn't exactly constitute a traditional pasty, but it's enjoyable none-the-less!

And Pounce was a great helper doing what he does best...

Be on the lookout for more Scrumptious Sundays, you know, like every week or so!

<3<3<3

A bit of illustration and printed fantasticness.

2010-02-24T22:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I've been a traveling, recuperating, project-doing, working fool! My buddy Lindsey sent me a link to an artist's blog to check out, and guess what?! I did, and I was not disappointed (as to be expected with any recommendations from Miss. Loo).

Pardon the amount of images ahead of time, but I really enjoy his work, so maybe you will too!

Dan Thompson, or Dan Bob Thompson as his blog proclaims, graduated from Cal Arts with a bfa in animation. He currently works at Cartoon Network after a nine-year stint with Disney. His blog chronicles personal projects, character creations, prints, drawings and more.

I love the colors and layers in the print below.

He even wrote a children's book that's absolutely adorable and available on his Etsy shop (along with more prints of his work).

He has such a variety of work and a slight mixed-media feel that I just love. I'm also seeing a trend in my favoring his prints of certain large mammals. "Bear" was my second word after all (right after "ench iys," my youth still rings true today).

Have a wonderful day, and I hope you enjoyed this little artist spotlight!

One of the trips I went on recently was to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I admittedly have to concentrate to type that city's name, but it was a fun place to visit, and I got to ride this awesome tram. (I do realize that first photo is ridiculously out of focus, but it's the best I could do! And I like the tram car.)

<3<3<3

Small Spaces

2010-02-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

Those of you that know my love of nooks may recognize that I would be perfectly at home here...

I would put all of my books up in those lovely shelves, but I'd probably hang some sort of billowy curtain to cement that hide-away feel. And maybe hang some pretty feminine things from the ceiling, like the buntings, garlands and banners I've seeing popping up all over the internets. It would be such a magical place. sigh.

And check out this crazy amount of storage and all of those movies. I wouldn't say no to taking over that collection either... it puts my few dozen dvds to shame (and I'm sure he has better taste anyway... I wonder if he has Spirited Away, heh).

Found at apartment therapy.
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Thrift Store Finds!

2010-02-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

Last week I stopped at a small thrift store in Glendale, Arizona and found a few little gems.

A pretty little vintage convex framed flower print...

... and some gorgeous children's classics.

Aren't the illustrations just wonderful? I would love to see some fabric created with them.

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How cool would this look...

2010-01-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

...in the corner of my room! I love this vintage patio chair, and wish I had the spare funds to make it mine. If only everyone would replace their ugly, faded, and deteriorated plastic deck chairs with these! If you're interested, I found it on Phoenix Craigs List.

<3<3<3

A bit of design.

2010-01-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted anything recently about designs I've liked, so guess what I'm doing today?! These Chop Shop designs and packaging keep popping up on my Ffffound. They're just so neat, that I needed to take a closer look!

When I clicked over to the studio site, I found that the minds behind this typographically pleasing packaging and iconic imagery call themselves Ptarmak, or PTMK. They're excellent at branding and have created some awesome logos, designs, packages and icons for big names like MTV, Kashi, Penguin, Full-Throttle and more. They call themselves "A new studio of designers, writers, artisans, and thinkers" and, frankly, their site and designs make me want to beg to become a member of this sure-to-be super-cool group.

Here are some of my favorites...

Aren't they fun? They have a sort of old-school vibe, while being totally modern and clean-cut. I like the careful use of color as well. That "eat" logo is exceptionally clever and leaves me with that feeling of, "why can't I think of things like that?".

Maybe PTMK is already a big name that everyone knows about? Perhaps? This is one of the things I hope to improve upon the more I immerse myself in design culture: recognition. I often find myself looking at things I love and realizing the beauty of an image but never taking note of who actually created the piece. So, without adopting the name-dropping habit of those annoying people you meet at parties (or maybe some of your friends?), I vow to pay more attention to the artists who are responsible for the beautiful and neat-o stuff in this world!

<3<3<3

Doodle Dandy

2010-01-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

Inspired by little Russian stacking dolls. Just a doodle. I'm trying to start practicing and using and thinking about pattern more often. I see so many designs and illustrations that are brought to a whole new level through use of pattern or texture.

Have a fabulous week!
<3<3<3

A Purse Project

2010-01-08T23:49:00.000-08:00

This year I hoped to make most of my gifts for Christmas. And as often happens with lofty aspirations late in the season, I didn't quite achieve the "most," but I did create a few, and I was pretty pleased with those projects, including one that's still in the works.

I'd like to share this little project that I worked on for a wonderful friend as part of our Secret holiday exchange. Since my friend is a beautiful and stylish city-girl, I decided that a cute little clutch might be something fun to add to her mix of accessories, and I think she agreed!

I forgot to take a picture, so Lindsey graciously sent along a shot. The project was fun and fairly straight-forward despite my not sewing for awhile, and I added my own little embellishments to jazz it up. You can find the pattern here if you'd like to give it a go yourself! The tutorial for the rosettes I added to the bag seemed a little involved at first glance, but in the end they weren't too difficult to make. I also sewed on a little loop to connect a strap to (I found some pretty chain and a clip at the surplus fabric store to make the strap instead of using the same fabric, and it can be detached for a different look!).

The purse should actually have more pleats at the top, but I sewed my top seam a little too low, and they pulled out. But, overall, I think the results were just fine, and I think she enjoyed this springy little clutch!

If anyone else tries this, I would love to see some pictures or hear how you personalized the project!
<3<3<3

Project 365

2010-01-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon Project 365 through a few blogs and twitter. It showed up on my screen so many times that it seemed that I was destined to join, or something, so I did! The Project 365 flickr group asks photographers to post a new photo each day, and it's fun to see what everyone dreams up and experiences on a daily basis.

My photo for today isn't all that exciting, but I figure that taking pictures of everyday objects/events will help me develop more of an eye for light and composition as well as any exciting photo adventure would. So here's to taking more photos and finding interest everywhere during the New Year! This should help me with my goals of having an all-around more creative year and inspire me to work on other projects too. I mean, even if this isn't the best photo ever, it would make a pretty cool illustration! (Jotting in the idea book now!) Maybe you should give it a whirl? I'll be interested to see all of my photos at the end of the year and whether or not my skills have sharpened.
1/365 FridgeFright
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Oh people.

2010-01-04T20:49:00.001-08:00

Well I promised doodles, but I didn't promise they'd be awesome. So here's one, like that.
A little doodle while waiting in the airport while attempting to travel to the Cleve.

More on a little photo project tomorrow.

<3<3<3

Edits and Updates

2010-01-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hello! I just edited the New Years poster I posted below. The color was just a bit too light, because sometimes it's very difficult to tell what's "just right" on my laptop. Let me know if you'd like me to post other colors!

I also opened and tied a flicker account to Doodle, so you'll be able to click on each photo for larger views, and the blog photos will all be accessible in one place. Yay! You can also view a mini-feed of my recent flickr uploads in the upper-right corner of the blog (both blog-photo updates and other photos I may not post here).

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful time and were as lucky as I was to be surrounded by friends and loved ones.

<3 <3 <3

Also, Yay for Helvetica being available on blogger!

WoweeZowee.

2009-12-26T16:45:00.000-08:00

Once again, I must say it's been awhile. I've been pretty busy with my new job, traveling and various projects, but no excuses! That being said, a new year is fast approaching (crazy right?!), and I have many goals set for myself for this first year out of college. Sometimes I find it difficult to motivate myself without deadlines, but reading creative blogs and poking around the interwebs and the library has really helped me stay inspired and push myself more than I normally would.

(the asterisk blurb says "I will not, however, berate myself if I make a mistake. Mistakes are important sometimes, and part of this "resolution," by nature, includes learning from and improving upon lack-luster efforts and failures (should they happen to happen), i.e., progress, not regret.")

I don't generally make any definite New Years Resolutions because I think everyday is the perfect day to achieve a new goal, and waiting months until New Years to start working on goals, ambitions, and ourselves--I feel--is often a set-up for failure. But for me, this isn't just any new year... I'm in a new place, doing new things and stepping out of the box a little more than I'm used to. So, now that I'm better settled in and ready to embark on new adventures, both through travel and creativity, I'm also ready to put a few goals down on paper, and I guess the New Year just happens to fit nicely within my schedule this year : )

I made this little poster to tack up on my inspiration board. For me, putting something in writing makes me more accountable to my goals and having in front of me everyday will constantly remind me to keep up with them. So, if you'd like, feel free to print out a copy for yourself. Comment if you'd like a different color, and I can post a few. I will be writing mine out after some serious thought and consideration and tacking it up here too. Maybe posting more regularly will make it on the list, perhaps?

Maybe...

2009-11-20T01:07:00.000-08:00

these may find their way into the mail sometime in the next few days! They're cards for belated occasions that I concocted last week. The envelopes are upcycled magazine spreads. Finding colorful and interesting pages was fun, and I really like how they came out.

If Anna and I ever get our crafty shop going, maybe I'll design similar prints. Or maybe not. What do you think? Worth it, or skip it?

A sneak peek...

2009-11-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

at some of the items the will be going into my and Anna's vintage shop, Ollie Wins! I think I can speak for us both when I say we're pretty excited about this venture. I'll be sure to post an update when we get some things listed.

Doodle Substitute

2009-11-18T23:19:00.000-08:00

I made this a while back for a friend's geeky weekend event.

It was a fun little project!

Image Heavy

2009-11-16T23:03:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a few exciting images within one of my favorite areas of design: book covers. I believe I came upon designer Mikey Burton through ffffound, which I mentioned a few entries ago. After seeing this image of book cover concepts he developed, I had to see more...

I love that he designed these covers as a cohesive series. All of these books remind me of middle and high school, when I was just beginning to learn about literature and the world around me. How appropriate that these works should come together in one beautifully designed set (that I would love to own!).

He also design posters and bookmarks to include in this thesis project.

If you visit his flicker page for this project, you can also view some sketchbook and process pages.

When I poked around his website further I found even more goodies, including multiple Wilco posters. I've been seeing a lot of them in design imagery recently, and I think the band is making some great choices in designers and promotion, aside from them being great musicians and all.

I really love the texture and bold color he uses. Many of his images use simplified shapes and icons with just the right amount of detail.

When I saw this series in his body of work, I was pretty excited. Not only am I from the Cleveland area, but I saw some of these posters in town and remember thinking how neat they were. If only I had investigated then! I've been trying to write things like that down so I remember to do some research later (and maybe write a blog entry!), since my short term memory has been a little lacking lately.

{images from Mikey Burton}

Veggie Doodle

2009-11-12T23:43:00.000-08:00

I decided to play with my food this weekend while making some fresh salsa (Texas caviar!).

Hello Salsa.

I like the rings and color of the onion against the vertical wood-grain.

Final fresh ingredients.

Find the Deelicious recipe here. And if you're not feeding an army, definitely halve it.

Lost and...

2009-11-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ffffound! If you haven't bookmarked this site, you probably should, or at least take a peak. Ffffound is an image bookmarking site where users share their favorite images on the web. I keep up with the image flow and other blogs in google reader, but if you somehow get a hold of an illusive invite, you can also subscribe and build a personalized account that recommends images based on others you like. If you do get an invite and would like to share, feel free to let me know : )

These are some of my recent favorites...

If you click on an image from the main page, the next jump will show other recommendations below the main image, and I've discovered some awesome images in that section that don't show up on the main page. Seeing what these other artists create/compile/dig up helps inspire me, so maybe the site will be helpful for you too, whether it be for art, design or writing. If you sign up for an account, you can "♥" specific images, and future images will be tailored to your preferences (kind of like google ads, from my understanding).

I really enjoy clicking through the additional image on the bottom to see what other results they will lead to, kind of like those books where you select what happens next to see where that event will lead the plot.

Enjoy!

A photo day.

2009-11-05T21:29:00.001-08:00

On the way to work - Arizona

Giant piggy banks in Old Town, Sandiego

Dog on the street - New York

Flowers by the sea - Bar Harbor, Maine

Sedona, Arizona

Whaddup buddies!

2009-11-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

I'm still alive still!

Here is a list of things that interest me lately:

1. Saying Yo (with a slightly longer O)

2. This blog, which my dear friend Anna shared with me

3. Cooking vegetarian/vegan dishes for my lovely roommate homeowner

4. Doing projects! In the real world! Not the blogosphere (obviously). Like painting an awesome library table for a night stand!

5. Decorating cookies (I'm an idiot and forgot to take picturrreeesss)

6. Living cheaply

7. Working at an airline (Yes, they gave me a job!) (And we sometimes ship DOGS! Like Bernese Mountain dogs!)

source

8. Figuring out how to use inkscape because my brother doesn't know how to keep a deadline. Inkscape is very capable and cool, but all of the controls are different then illustrator, so it's a challenge adjusting.

And, I'm about to go on a walk with my roommate, Erika, and return some redbox and make some salsa (Texas Caviar to be exact. Beans Beans Beans).

P.S.- Doesn't that dog picture look like it belongs in a 12-months of Bernese Mountain Dogs calendar?

It's been a while...

2009-09-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Yes it has. The past few days I've been helping a good friend paint her new house before she moves in. She selected a different delicious color for each room, and my wrist is about to fall off from all the edging work, but it's coming along beautifully.

Before this grand scheme began, my pal Lindsey and I ventured off to San Diego, California, and here, for your viewing pleasure, I am posting some fun photos from our adventures.

On the way over to Cali, I passed a stretch of sand dunes. They only covered a few miles, but those few miles looked amazing. Someone later told me that scenes from The Mummy and Star Wars were filmed there.

Lindsey and I visited Balboa Park and stopped in the botanical garden. The plants were beautiful and the patterns and textures–inspiring.

We also stopped in Old Town San Diego and wandered through this fun pottery/wind chime/souvenir shop.

And who can forget the zoo! Apparently, zebras come in three different varieties, each with a different thickness of stripe. If I read the sign correctly, this type has the thinest stripes (and looks the coolest). I see now why zebra print is so popular.

I just love this picture. This snake in the reptile house was stretching up and sunning itself in a skylight. I can't remember if it is was a boa or a python, but it was BIG.

I enjoyed the sign-age throughout the zoo, especially this exit sign.

We stopped at a beach chosen at random and by our level of hunger. I believe we ended up at Mission Point. The icon on this lifeguard station is just awesome.

And we watched a pretty pink sunset.

Then I went home and made sun dried tomato hummus. The End!

I'll be posting some pictures of patterns and items that I found inspiring during my travels. Until then, I'll be painting bathrooms. Later!

Doodleday (so soon!)

2009-09-05T23:50:00.001-07:00

This is a very quick and random doodle, illustrating something a friend said today. Sometimes it's fun to take things out of context.

If you think so as well, you could take a peek at this book I saw at Urban Outfitters this evening... Things Drunk People Say

The cover illustration is fitting, and some of the snippets (which are also illustrated) were pretty entertaining.

Doodle Today

2009-09-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Please Phoenix airlines, have pity and give me a job, or at least answer my applications. I'm excellent with customer service, and I'm a hard worker, for sure. You're missing out without me, I swear!

Sweet Street Treats

2009-08-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to me! I know you've missed me, but I have some fun entries in queue that were worth the wait. Over the past month I've flown to New York, driven to Maine (in a compact SUV with five people and two Cocker Spaniels), gone back to Cleveland, and moved parts of my life down to Arizona with a detour in Houston and a weekend visit to Flagstaff and Sedona, AZ. Whew! So, now, I'm glad to be back and blogging with plenty of tidbits gathered during my whirlwind of traveling.

While in New York, I couldn't help but stop in for a visit at the MOMA, which I'll talk more about in another entry. But upon exiting the building this typographically awesome truck greeted me outside.

The Street Sweets truck, AKA "Chopper" after an owner's labrador (I'm guessing that's him in the corner), houses a traveling bakery. The team of Grant Di Mille and Samira Mahboubian share the goal of providing New Yorkers with sumptuous sweets and coffees right from the street corner, so, as they say: "move over donuts, get out of the way average cup o` joe, there's a new kid on the street.

Their truck and its type and graphics caught my eye and made me smile. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to sample any of the sweet delectables, and from the sound of things, I missed out. According to their website, they boast a seasonal menu that includes awesome ingredients like organic milk, raw sugar, and sustainably produced coffee. And they offer everything from cookies (YUM), cakes and muffins, to quiches, scones and danishes. They even have a create-your-own-croissant option where you can choose your own fillings like nutella, peanut and almond butter, marshmallow cream and more.

Even the website is fun to visit, with simple graphic elements, bright colors and type to match the truck.

They also have pleasing little rewards cards and "sweet dough" to use at the shop.

And how sweet they are. Just look at those darling silhouettes!

Does anyone know what typeface they've used? I'm trying to develop my visual eye for that, but it has proven to be a bit difficult. It's interesting to me to see what is respected and disliked within the typographic community. It seems to me that the designer did a lot of hand kerning to make everything legible and attractive, but I could be wrong (if so, someone let me know! Pretty please).

Signing out for now, but look our for some new New York updates soon. Thanks for reading! You can follow Street Sweets on Twitter (sweet tweets) to find their location each day along with other updates, and become a fan on facebook.

[Truck photo from me, all others from Street Sweets]

Back from Maine...

2009-08-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

And getting ready for Arizona!

I have some fun photos from New York and Maine (including inspiration ideas, an awesome snack cart, and some photos from the MOMA) that I hope to post sometime in the next few weeks, but since I'll be up and moving to Arizona soon, things might get a little crazy! This next week will be pretty busy, with saying temporary goodbyes to friends and family, packing and taking care of last minute details.

Flickr has such a wealth of photos on every topic, from artistic to archival, and sometimes it's fun just to poke around. This postcard image is from user Smaddy. She posted her collection of vintage postcards, including the Maine postcard above, and other papers on her flickr profile.

(image from Smaddy)

Paper Please!

2009-07-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

My good friend, Lindsey, tweeted about this amazing artist's site earlier today. Marshall Alexander is a self-proclaimed "paper engineer"–a fitting title. I've always liked geometry and figuring out how things fit together, but Marshall far surpasses my excellent cube and polygon folding skills. Here are some of my favorites of his creations:

There's even a blank model you can create a personality for. And the best news? He has most of these available for download, for free (yea, I said, fo' free)! So get printing and make yourself a little army of crazy, yet endearing, desktop creatures. As you can tell, his creations are pretty cartoony and retro. On his site he says that he draws inspiration from childhood in the `70s and `80s. I enjoy the bright colors and creative characters, and the retro touches like game systems and rubik's cubes.

Also, check out his site for the pure enjoyment of the site itself. It's clean, has plenty of white space (yay!), and it's to the point. I especially like the little hangtag boxes surrounding the characters, with just a hint of drop shadow.

I've been planning out a trip to the big city for the past week, and we're leaving tomorrow for a weekend in New York. Maybe I'll find some exciting/fun design-ish things to share photos of. Or maybe I'll just unknowingly take illegal photos on the train again.

Understandably, I've had maps on the brain, so look for a little post on the subject soon! Good day!

[images from Marshall Alexander]

Boredom Busters

2009-07-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hellow! Here's a doodletastic game I found online. It's actually not very difficult, but it is entertaining. Guide "doodle" through the levels and avoid bad guys like jumping, mutant and flying erasers. Though you don't technically "die" when hit by the bad guys, you loose a whole bunch o' points. See how far you can get.

I'll have more design updates and doodles soon. I'm currently helping my boyfriend search for an apartment, so once that wraps up, updates will be just around the bend.

Also, have you heard of Sporcle? It's a GREAT way to wile some time away. The site lists over 1,500 games that touch on everything from state capitals, to sports, to Pixar movies and chat acronyms.

Try the logo matching game. It makes me a little sad/frightened that I can name all but two of these, but only a handful of U.S. presidents.

Lovely Letterpress

2009-06-24T09:18:00.001-07:00

I have fallen in love with Letterpress, and the only thing stopping me from picking up and moving somewhere to find a job at a studio is the usual: lack of experience. So if anyone knows of a cool letterpress shop in Phoenix (where I will be for the second half of the year) that will allow me to intern/apprentice, please, do tell.

The blog Beast Pieces, with a digital letterpress banner to boot, chronicles the creative work of Studio on Fire. The Minneapolis-based studio prints and custom designs an array of letterpress projects including invitations, business cards, promotional pieces, packaging, posters and more. From what I hear they are some of the best in the business. I've never been one to be up to date on the who's who of the who's who, but a few people I've talked to know of them and also rave, and I've run into them elsewhere on the wide world of the web.

The coolest thing about letterpress is the richness of color and the texture of the finished products. Even dark inks look rich, like the paper just sops them up. The variety of papers for use is also pretty cool. Different thicknesses and textures make patterns and impressions come to life in so many different ways. It's such a versatile medium.

Studio on fire isn't afraid to deviate from the norm. And their use of colors, patterns, and shapes make their work so much fun to peruse.

(This is one of my favorite business card examples, mostly because I like the logo... a lot)

It's also a lot of fun to look through their wedding invite packages. They do custom stitching and die cuts, and seeing how different people devise ways to present their information is just fascinating to me.

On their blog they often give insight into different letterpress processes, which makes me happy because I feel like I'm learning and can appreciate the art even more.

[Images from Beast Pieces]

An unfortunate equation

2009-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

So, I'm back and sad to have been gone so long because of strange circumstances. Have you ever had such a stream of bad luck in one week that it really makes you question what you did to affect your karma enough to cause this many things to happen at once? Well, that was me a few weeks ago. My computer, which I planned to back up upon arriving home, basically died the weekend before finals. Luckily I wasn't working on my design finals on that computer, but I did have to scramble to contact people for copies of some portfolio work. I lost everything on the hard drive. And I was trying to graduate simultaneously, which thankfully did happen. Then I moved out of a house of nine people and was the last person to leave. This means I get to clean more and make sure the house is empty, which invariably takes hours and hours and hours. In between these events were other smaller disruptions such as stepping in dog doo, momentarily losing a flash drive and being convinced it was gone forever, losing three hours of design work and a few other events that would take too long to explain. I guess the point of all of this is that there has been a break in entry making, but note that the break is followed by a solid line. I am back and ready to write. Get excited! I am still moving things around while simultaneously preparing for a garage sale, so we'll see if anything interesting crops up. In the mean time, have a wonderful day! (P.S. - I haven't reinstalled my programs yet, so I am using the family PC with an ancient scanner, so pardon the poor doodle quality)

Peas Please

2009-06-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a legitimate doodle. Get excited.

It's based on something some cool person said a few days ago.

I wish I'd had a thinner pen. And remembered to use a question mark.

Mi Picasso es su Picasso

2009-05-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

That was probably gramatically wrong or something, but I haven't taken any form of Spanish since middle school, and that was every other year with French in between. It was a very confusing point in my life.

But my actual point is, you should put some Picasso in your life! Ok, this just can't compare to the master's work, but gosh it's fun to play with. Mr. Picassohead allows you to use their little flash component and a slew of Picasso-esque shapes, features and strokes to create your own work of art. That's mine above : )

You can send a Picasso to friends or view the gallery of other's creations, which are quite entertaining.

There's a doodle coming soon. I've been editing a rewriting and making a poster this past week, so time has been tight.

Have a happy Monday!

P.S. If you ever have a spare moment, check out the history and symbolism behind Picasso's Guernica. It's one of those lessons I found so interesting that I never forgot.

I'd love to see this painting in person, and I though it was awesome that it snuck into Children of Men, both as a symbol and an icon. Or maybe I'm just a nerd.

Jillian Tamaki

2009-05-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, at one of my jobs, I picked up an issue of HHMI Bulletin. The cover illustration was so fresh and fun that I turned to the feature just to see if more drawings waited inside, and luckily one did, along with a credit to the artist Jillian Tamaki.

Jillian has a certain graphic edge that I really appreciate. She uses a lot of texture in her drawings and isn't afraid to let the pen marks show. Her other illustrations are equally graphic, and she's able to use color in ways that I never think to.

Her bold and graphic style could spring from the fact that she also draws comics and graphic novels, including Skim, which was published in March of last year. Even while tied to this identity, she seems very flexible and produces work in varied styles and formats.

Her blog chronicles her sketches and some process work, and it's fun to look at and follow.

On a slightly related note, the people at HHMI Bulletin seem to be very conscious of design. The magazine is clean, uses white space nicely and their portraits (which are to be expected from a research mag) aren't overly cheesy. Take this page for example. I like the typography as an alternative to illustration.

So, that's it for now! Have a good day!

[images from Jillian Tamaki and HHMI]

Old books & Open Source Images = inspiring

2009-05-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been intrigued by design that includes elements from the past–old illustrations, block prints, stamps, envelops. Combing older art with modern processes can create dynamic illustration that keeps me staring for more than just a few minutes. Some of my favorite images originate from books, and this site has a library of high-res image scans from a myriad of 17th and 18th century books.

They organize the images according to categories, so it's pretty easy to find something relevant to what you're working on. Sections include plants, animals, scenes, ornaments, landscapes, characters, and more.

I hope i can work images like this into my designs, but I also have difficulty with the idea... I tend to want to maintain control over every part of my design process, and I sometimes feel like using found images is cheating. But, I'm beginning to cope and realize that the successful use of images can be just as powerful as creating them.

Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

This illustration and many more like it come from the folks at Ullman Design. Tina Ullman and other studio members design Perspectives Magazine, the research magazine I write for. They designed this cover illustration for Marietta Magazine as well as coordinating interior images like this one...

The collage aspect of these peices is particularly interesting, and, of course, the color pallet is pretty, with all of those beautiful muted tones.

And other artists have made use of vintage images to craft humorous and entertaining cards and prints. Example: Someecards. They have quite the following on facebook, and their captions are usually hilarious when paired with the illustrated scenes.

You can send any of their cards as free e-cards. If you're feeling extra-witty, they have an option to create your own card by pairing an image and background color with your own caption.

Jodie Hurt is another artist I stumbled upon who follows a more hands-on approach. She also introduces other materials like tickets, tags and used papers as a part of her collages. Her flickr page chronicles moleskine collages and other creations.

If you enjoy her work, you might consider visiting her shop where she sells little canvases and mixed media pieces.

[images from Marietta College Alumni, Ullman Design, Jodie Hurt]

animalistrations

2009-05-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Mignon Khargie is an illustrator from San Luis Obispo on the coast of California. I really enjoy her animal illustrations. And they've been featured in Communication Arts, Design*Sponge, Uppercase and more.

Aren't they neat? I like simple vectors, and these just have so much personality! Mignon also has a few blogs including A Plate a Week (which she's not currently updating once a week, but it's still fun to look at).

She designs the plates herself! But it sounds like her 8-year old is keeping her busy, because her etsy shop is currently empty. I personally would love to have some of her typography plates. Or, I could just take home her new puppy instead...

That has to be one of the top five cutest puppies I've ever seen. Seriously.

Mignon seems to have multiple talents and interests, and I'm a little jealous that she finds at least a little time to do those things. I've been so busy trying to graduate, that most of my artistic interests have fallen to the wayside. Luckily I still have my design classes : )

Happy Thursday!

Of sugar...

2009-05-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Whelp, I said I would start posting more doodles. This is less of a doodle and more of a drawing. But it's been a while since I sketched something, so I thought it might be entertaining.

It's always fun when you find time to do something you used to love to do and then find out that you still love to do it. I always thought spoons were interesting subjects for drawing because they're always changing–depending on the light and surrounding colors. I remember doing a series of spoon sketches in high school, and they really helped me learn to pay attention to light and dark and the shades between.

On the subject of spoons...

I stumbled upon Blog.spoon.graphics is a blog by Chris Spooner, a freelance graphic designer. He has a mind that can create easy-to-follow tutorials for designers on topics like trendy vector art, creating logos, and using a grid for resume design.

He also wrote an entry on customizing your twitter page. It's fun to read and helpful if you're interested in more then the default designs.

Ok, so I kind of like bunnies.

2009-05-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

It's true. I have a slight obsession with rabbits. They're just so cute and fuzzy, and I'm also convinced they are at least a little loyal or maybe enjoy our company. I had a pet bunny named Fluffy (give me some credit, I was four), who had free reign of our basement and would run to the stairs and circle my feet every time I would come to visit. Maybe he just wanted some extra alfalfa, but it made me happy.

That being said, here's a thinking exercise I did recently. The idea is to choose an object, translate it graphically, and then pair it with two words that change the normal understanding of the image.

The normal perception for rabbit is often cute, fuzzy, friendly or other happy adjectives. Using unexpected words makes us think twice about image's meaning. In this lies the value of the exercise: thinking outside of the box. I might not be able to use an image like this for anything practical aside from a substitute for a weekly drawing on my blog. But, it keeps me thinking, which hopefully will lead to innovation instead of stuck-in-a-rut-ed-ness. I'm not sure if it will make me any more inventive, but it's worth a try, and it's always fun to flex creative muscles, even if creepy results occur.

What do you do to keep thinking creatively?

Anthropomorphic Awesomeness

2009-05-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today I stumbled upon a magical Etsy site. Sarah Ogren's mixed media creations intrigue me and entice me to open my wallet.

She creates he collages using vintage photos, animal images, papers and hand-drawn patterns. I love the use of vintage and victorian patterns and photos. The color scheme too is calming, and the muted colors make me feel ok with the strange animal-humans that are just too cute/cool to be creepy.

She sells collages, canvases and–get excited–pendants. Affordable little pieces of wear-able art.

Sarah also keeps a blog where she chronicles her latest works (and her top etsy picks). Do you enjoy these creations?

[images from Sarah Ogren's shop]

I'm still here.

2009-05-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm just collecting some material and finishing up an article for my job. Please stop by again soon. Posts in the works include bunnies and cotton balls working together and the doodles I promised in my description. I do not, however, promise that they will be of high quality–just musings of the day.

Have a lovely day.

For the Love of Books

2009-05-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is to cruise through a bookstore and admire all of the new book covers and redesigns of classics. My boyfriend works in a bookstore, so I can do so under the pretense of visiting him. Just kidding Brandon... but it is a nice perk.

Here are some new versions of Shakespeare classics by Barnes and Noble. They have a fun option on their product page to "take a closer look." It plays a short little slideshow of interior and exterior details of the books

I love the exaggerated typography and the classic details with modern flair. And the color pallet is definitely a winner.

On a more recent trip, I noticed a bright stack of books on a sales display near the entrance and couldn't stop returning to examine this book.

I coveted the Yiddish Policeman's Union, by Michael Chabon (obviously a Pulitzer Prize winning author). But I did so guiltily, recalling the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover," and internally battling to give my love of design its due props without disrespecting my literary appreciations. Design Won. Though the Union is now in queue in my reading list, it currently looks very pretty on my shelf.

Bold and negative typography pops out from the rich backgrounds, and, though reds and blues together often mess with my eyes, the altered and muted tones just work together. The matte cover has some tooth to it, and the uncoated texture feels wonderful. Its pages are unevenly bound with unfinished edges, making it seem more like an art-piece than a mass-produced manuscript. And let's not forget the fun and iconic graphics. They draw on Alaskan and Jewish imagery and pulp detective novels (in the title arrangement), which makes sense with the story-line.

Will Staehle designed the cover as part of his design studio Lovewolfblacksheep, which does commercial design work and personal projects and development. Print Magazine named him as one of the "Top Twenty Under Thirty New Visual Artists." He has a wide variety of interests and talents including type design, silhouettes and papercutting, toy design and illustration.

What do you think? Do you like it? How do you feel about the colors or arrangement of images?

Concert Posters = screen-printed happiness

2009-05-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, I'll attend a concert where a band is selling limited edition, screen-printed posters. As with all art forms, some are better than others (or better than most), but whatever strain I encounter, I'm always left wondering, "how do I get that job?"

Well, I still haven't quite figured that out, but it helps me cope knowing that someone, somewhere has. And a few days ago, I discovered one such person as I wandered into a small, student-run gallery.

These are a few creations I have my eye on, and at $20 dollars, I might not be able to resist. (Check out the wallpaper texture in the Over the Rhine poster!)

The artist behind the screens goes by the name of Clinton Reno. I immediately ran home and clicked over to his website. (Shortly thereafter I realized with dismay that I had missed a lecture given by this DIY artist)

The displayed posters featured interesting and entertaining illustrations combined with the rich textures of halftone dots, crosshatching and well-placed, subtle patterns. Through the process of hand screen-printing, the patterns and solid-color fills create vibrant colors and scenes on toned paper.

His portfolio includes promos for bigger names like Gnarles Barkley, Rilo Kiley, Cold Play, Cake, Panic! at the Disco, the New Pornographers, the Decemberists and Death Cab for Cutie. And that's just a sampling. Many poster listings include a tidbit about the creative process.

The digital representations are good, but they can't beat the layers of ink and pigment visible in-person (especially the lighter or white inks on colored paper). His illustration definitely has style, but he still seems versatile. What do you think? Is it too cartoony for you, or do you enjoy the whimsy and darkness like I do?

[images from Clinton Reno]

Silly Labbit.

2009-05-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this little toy last summer during a lovely summer afternoon with a good friend. We visited the Waterloo Arts Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. A newer shop in the area, Shoparooni, welcomed us with bright colors, brick walls, light wood floors and modern displays.

I found this little guy peering over a display shelf and wanted to take him home. Unfortunately, I have an annoying habit of being completely indecisive when it comes to making purchases–good for my pocketbook, bad for my little desires. So, I passed this guinea-pig-sized guy up, and saved my $20. But, I yearned for his interchangeable mouth accessories (my favorite is the gum bubble).

My friend, Anna (pronounced On-a), remembered my love of the Labbit, and purchased one for me as a gift. She went back to Shoparooni, and they were out! But, they did have a stuffed version, which is extra cut and cuddly.

The Labbit is acreation of Kidrobot, a group that designs and produces limited edition toys and apparel and brings together artists from across the globe.

P.S. The Labbit comes in various box sets, and each features different "habits." Take a look-see.