traciedesigns*

Watch:

2012-01-30T11:26:00.001-05:00

Ferris Bueller? Check. Beautiful day? Check. Calling out sick? Check.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the best commercial of this year's Super Bowl (alright, we still have another 6 days. But this is awesome--it's going to be tough to top).

Want:

2012-01-26T12:36:00.001-05:00

I've been in a little shoe drought lately, and these cuties are just the thing I need to get out of it. I mean, look at the navy, with the red treads! How adorable!

All in a day's work:

2012-01-18T16:13:00.000-05:00

My office is located about 20 steps from my bed. So, once the kids are where they should be, my commute is not hard (Oh, don't be jealous; you'll see where this is going in a second).

However. Every once in a while, I'm asked to work in someone else's office. Which is awesome--I get to be around other real, live human beings! When I speak aloud, someone answers back! Sometimes there's food! We might order lunch! Or hear a funny story about someone's weekend! (OK, there's work involved, too--it's not all fun and games).

But. Getting to that office? Every time I have to commute to work, I have a new appreciation for those that do it every day. Even more so for those that do it WITH KIDS.

Yesterday, for example: we had to be out of the house at 7:30 because there was a breakfast thing at the 8 year old's school. Great! We don't have to do breakfast at home! That'll shave SO MUCH TIME off of our morning. This day is already shaping up to be SO EASY!

8:15: Get back home with the intern. We have a half hour before we have to leave to drop her off at school.

Did I mention that last night, I made lunches--even mine?? I'm SO ORGANIZED.

8:20: Jump in the shower. No time to wash my hair, so it looks like today's a baseball hat day (fortunately I can get away with that at this particular office). Shower, brush teeth, throw on minimal makeup so I look well rested... and make my first mistake of the day: check email.

8:35: Read email on phone and boot up computer to make client-requested changes to a document. Changes can't wait until the afternoon.

8:40: Still waiting for the Photoshop document to open.

8:45: Still waiting.

8:50: Finally! Make changes and send them off. Whew! Looks like we're not going to be late to school after all!

8:59: Get intern buckled into her car seat. Realize that it takes 10 minutes for the intern to get her coat and shoes on, so yeah; we're going to be late.

9:03: Run back into house to grab both the intern's snack and lunch (already packed!).

9:17: Get the intern to school, 17 minutes late.

9:30: No traffic? SCORE!! Get to Westport in record time! Think of something funny to tweet on the way there, fish around in my purse for my phone, only to realize... IT'S AT HOME.

9:31: Turn around to go back home.

9:40: Get back into Fairfield. Drive past Starbucks when I realize that this day isn't SO EASY, it sucks. And the only thing--THE ONLY THING--that is going to get me through it is a Venti skim Chai. Hit the brakes and run into Starbucks.

9:50: Get home and retrieve phone. Tweet my funny thing. FINALLY.

10:05: Arrive at work. I am completely proud of the fact that the only thing I have managed to do right today, was to pack food for myself (LAST NIGHT).

1:00: Leave work (that's right, I worked for a whole 3 hours) to pick up the intern at school.

1:30: Pick the intern up, and immediately drop her off at the sitter's--last night I volunteered (WITHOUT A GUN TO MY HEAD, I might add) to switch "Mystery Reader" spots with a friend. They don't allow siblings to come with the Mystery Reader, so it's off to the sitter's for the intern.

2:00: Get to school. The smile that spreads across the 8 year old's face when she sees me as the Mystery Reader (hence the mystery part) makes my day worth it. Almost.

Read for half an hour, go home for 5 minutes, just to pick her back up from school. Get home, do snack and homework supervision, and work in the peace and quiet for a few more hours.

5:00: pick up the intern. Wow, those few hours went by fast.

5:15, get home, get the 8 year old changed for basketball (SCORE! I don't have to drive to or pick up from! Carpooling might be my favorite), and fed.

5:40: Tell the 8 year old that if she DOESN'T HURRY UP, THERE WILL BE NO BASKETBALL PRACTICE. NOW OR FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE.

5:45: Get the 8 year old off, get the intern dressed to go back out (remember from this morning, it takes her 10 minutes to do this), and pick up the teenager from work.

6:15: Drop the teenager off at the library for study group. Head home to make dinner. Collapse.

People who leave the house every day, I salute you. Seriously, you guys are my heroes. Now, if you need me, I'll be in bed, under the covers; hoping to never have to leave the house again.

Airbrush this:

2012-01-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

(OK, OK, I know I haven't gotten to my goals for 2012 yet--or much of anything, for that matter. But this was too great not to share).

I think my favorite part of this video is that they use actual Photoshopped examples that are recognizable: Faith Hill's infamous Redbook cover, Gabourey Sidibe's skin tone on the cover of Elle, and an actual model from Ann Taylor's website.

Pretty awesome.

(via Adverve)

Hello, goodbye (part 1):

2012-01-02T17:34:00.000-05:00

Hello internet friends! It's good to be back into a normal routine now that the holidays are over (although, I do love me some Christmas; and this year the entire Christmas/New Year's week seemed especially laid back and relaxed). Some reflections on this past year...

This past year, I think the biggest lesson I learned was to separate work and life. I realized that my business was not going to crumble apart and fail if I let the intern play with her friends for a half hour after school. People weren't going to stop calling if I took a week off in August (which is typically slow anyway). The world wasn't going to end if I took some time for myself and my family; and even though in the back of my head I knew that, it was still reassuring to find out first hand.

I also blogged more. Probably wasn't as much as I would have liked, but this year had more posts than any other year. Looking back on that, it makes me feel good. Still striving to blog more often... so this is a step in the right direction.

I rode in my first big group bike ride. I bought a bike this past spring, and really made a commitment to riding it. So much so that I signed up for the CT Challenge, and completed the 50 mile route. The Challenge was a great way to force myself to train, and the feeling I got at the finish line was sooooo worth it all. I rode my bike 50 miles! All in one ride! Yep, that's one to shout from the rooftops.

I participated in my first gallery show. Last summer, I was asked to be part of the Hang in There Poster Show, which was a group of posters with a positivity theme. Even though I was terribly nervous leading up to the show (holy cow, it was like a who's who of graphic design in CT!), I was really proud of my work (and incredibly honored to be included).

I saw Derek Jeter's 3000th hit. OK, not really a personal accomplishment so much as stupid luck on my end (we had bought the tickets really early in the season, and had he not been injured, or had the previous night's game not been rained out... it would have been just another Yankee game), but still: cool.

My work won some pretty cool graphic design awards. That's always a good feeling. As Sally Field said it best: "You like me! You really like me!"

Stay tuned, tomorrow's post is my goals for 2012.

Get Crafty:

2011-12-21T10:08:00.000-05:00

This time of year, I barely have time to eat a proper meal, nevermind make a craft. From scratch. I actually have a fun craft planned for the kids to do--I thought of it like, a month ago--and we haven't even thought about starting it.

However, Trader Joe's--purveyor of the quick and easy appetizer (once we did a whole party with TJ's appetizers, and people just kept raving about it. So delish, and so easy. God, I love Trader Joe's)--makes it, well, quick and easy, with their holiday bags. Want to get all DIY this holiday? Grab your scissors, and maybe some tape, and cut out their holiday gift tags...

or their festive holiday garland, printed on the sides of the bag.

Now this is a craft I can get behind... and since I'm getting so many TJ's bags, I may as well fill them with their awesome selection of heat and serve meals, because clearly I am lacking in that department, too.

Sing:

2011-12-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

I've already admitted that I love, love, LOVE Christmas music. I've been listening to it since mid-November, and I'd listen to it for another month and a half if I could. But deep down, there's something... not quite right about some of these songs. Let's examine:

Baby, It's Cold Outside: Well this is the most obvious questionable holiday song: "Say, what's in this drink?" Yep, it's the official date-rape holiday song.

Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer: "All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names..." So, this Christmas song is about bullying someone because of their unconventional looks, until the bullies need their help. Then they're just going to put all that bullying aside and guide that sleigh like nothing ever happened. Uh-huh.

There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays: Perry Cuomo is a little TOO happy about the traffic being "terrific." Nobody's ever that happy about holiday traffic, and terrific is probably the worst adjective ever to describe it.

Frosty the Snowman: Lawlessness, and global warming.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus: Uh, hey there, mom. I was sneaking around the house--when I was supposed to be sleeping--and I kind of caught you not only kissing Santa, but you were, uh, tickling him too. Somehow I don't think it would have been a "laugh" if daddy had seen.

So there you have it; Christmas songs, while on the surface are fun sing along songs, deep down they're pretty messed up. Have any others that I might have missed? Hit me up in the comments!

Gift Guide: Hosts

2011-12-19T10:00:00.001-05:00

With a less than a week before Christmas, I'm closing out the gift guide series with host gifts. This time of year I feel like we're going, going, going--little trinkets like these are sure to be appreciated by your party's host (or, you know, more presents!).

OK, a bottle of wine is a sure thing. I know I've said before, I'm a total label snob and will NOT buy a bottle of Mommy's Time Out simply because the label sucks. However, the Bellus label is something I can get behind (probably because I helped design it). It helps that it's actually an awesome-tasting wine, as well. Added bonus: a portion of the proceeds go to the Tory Burch foundation. $19.99 at Crush Wines and Spirits
Now that you've got your wine, you'll need something to pour it into. These glass bottles with wood stoppers are gorgeous alone, but add the fact that they can be personalized? Lovely. $29 at West Elm
I've read that if you are going to bring your host flowers, bring them pre-cut in a vase. That way the host doesn't have to leave the party for long to prep the flowers. Totally brills idea, and plus, who doesn't want this gorgeous vase? $29.95 at Crate and Barrel
In charge of dessert? Crumbs cupcakes are a sure thing. They conveniently come in mini 12 packs of different flavors (hint: you might want to get more than 1 package. Sometimes 12 mini cupcakes just aren't enough. Right, Marcy?) $24 for 12 mini cupcakes, at Crumbs
What hostess couldn't use a new tray? Dwell Studio's patterns are beautiful, and they transfer wonderfully to home goods like this. $62.50 at Dwell Studio
Is your host a foodie? Look no further than this sampler pack of olive oil. Hint: if you are coming to my house, this is an awesome host gift. $39 at O & Co.
Personalized mugs are all the rage. Fill one with K-cups or those Starbucks Via individual coffee packs--or even better, hot cocoa and marshmallows. $6 at West Elm
If your host is a baker, why not add some whimsy to their kitchen with this awesome rolling pin? It's so cute, it might make a better display item, than actual rolling pin. $18 at anthropologie

Gift cards also make great host gifts: Starbucks, your host's favorite restaurant, or--especially for women--a spa pedicure are awesome and are always appreciated (especially if I am your host).

This is it, guys. This concludes my gift guides for 2011. If you're anything like me, you're already bought and wrapped, and these are more pretty things to look at. HA! I'm totally kidding, you guys! It's 6 days till Christmas and I am more unprepared than ever! As I've been working on these guides, I've been all, oooohhhh, that's a good idea for so and so! There are 5 shopping days left, and I plan on utilizing that time right up until the last second (hello, I made 4 trips to Target alone last week!). So if you're anything like me, give me a buzz and let's panic shop together!

Gift Guide: kids

2011-12-15T20:51:00.000-05:00

It's kind of hard to put together a general children's gift guide, because their likes and dislikes vary by age. But I did my best putting together a little something for everyone ages 10 and under.

The clothes at Tea Collection are so darn adorable, and to get 5 mix and match pieces of clothing for $130? That's a pretty good bargain. Of course, you could always get just one outfit... but consider the source here, people. If I'm buying clothes, of course I'm opting for the mix and match set of 5 (also available in boys)! Girls clothing set from Tea Collection, $129
What child doesn't like music? Problem is, most kids music... well, sucks. Kidz Bop is awful--I'd rather let my kids listen to the original song, thank you very much. Original kids music can be a total snoozefest. Fortunately, Laurie Berkner and her band do a great job of performing kid-friendly pop that's not too bad for adults, either (that is, as far as kids music goes). Hey, at least it's not the Wiggles. Kickin' it old school on CD, $8.99 at Amazon
Kids are creative naturally. Think of all the times that they get a gift, and the box is more enticing. That's why this I'm Not Bored Anymore Art Jar is great: it's literally a craft supply store in a jar. Set them up and let their imaginations run wild. $29.00 at Land of Nod
OK, technically, you can't buy a child an app--but if their parents have an iPhone or iPad, then an iTunes gift card makes a great gift. Forget Angry Birds--there are so many book/activity apps, and Mo Willem's famous Pigeon is sure not to disappoint. $6.99 at iTunes
I really can't think of a better gift for a child than a book. And what child wouldn't love this one: press the yellow dot, turn the page, and voila! 2 dots! This book is pretty much the opposite of an app, yet is about as interactive as a book gets. $8.12 at Amazon
Animal hats seem to be all the rage this year, and they don't come much cuter than these kitty hat and mittens from Mini Boden. $30 at Mini Boden
Babies are pretty adorable to begin with--but put these awesomely adorable Dwell Studio PJs on them, and poof! They become masters of cuteness. Seriously, I am cooing over these PJs, and there's not even a baby in the photo! $32 at Dwell Studio
These blocks might make it to MY Christmas list, they look so fun. Bold, graphic patterns; and super fun colors? It'll be awfully hard to share with the kids... $40 at Dwell Studio

Gift Guide: Men

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

OK, this list really draws on what Mattio loves--let's face it, until recently, I was with the guy 24/7 (relax, casual readers who don't really know me, he just got a new job that involves leaving the house every day, as opposed to his old situation working at home), so his likes and dislikes are what I know best (with the exception of the argyle sweater; that one's all me).

Also, good to know: The first item, the Bacon money clip. Yeah, you should go to the Jack Spade website and check out the original photo. Then you should come back here, and view my crop. Do you know why it's cropped like this? Because holy crap! did Photoshop give me the HARDEST time about opening an image with money in it. Photoshop totally thought I was counterfeiting! Hello, Photoshop! Would I really counterfeit with a BACON money clip of all things??

Bacon: as you can see, my view of men is that they LOVE bacon (Guess who's a bacon fanatic--fueled by the fact that it's a total treat for him [because I can't stand the way it stinks up our house]). If he didn't have a wallet already, this would be under the tree for him this year. $65 at Jack Spade
This stuffed bacon toy is supposed to be for children... but back to item #1: men love bacon. I'm pretty sure that Mattio would sleep with this every night. Bonus: Not only is it called My First Bacon, but when you squeeze it, it says, "I'm bacon!" $14.99 at Think Geek
A couple of years ago, I ordered this very shirt for Mattio. There was some sort of flood in the warehouse, the package got here a few days later than it should have (which was no big deal for me), and the company felt so bad about it, that they called me to ask what kind of bacon I would like, because they were going to send me some as an apology. I won't get into how silly it is to ask me what kind of bacon I like, but every men's gift guide I ever do will now include Bac'n.com, because they are just awesome (even if they do make a living selling bacon). $15.99 at Bac'n
Another Mattio gift: I picked up this beer-making kit last year on a whim; and it's really neat. For one thing, when you make beer, everything has to be super sterile--which means that the kitchen is SPOTLESS. The other thing is that our kitchen is teeny-tiny, and this is a perfect kit for us (one of the reasons I bought it was because the packaging said that you didn't need a big kitchen). Good to know: beer making is smelly, and not in a good, beer-smelling way. It actually smells like a wet barn, so it's best to make beer when you can open the windows. $40 at Brooklyn Brew Shop
Once you make all your beer, your man is going to need something to drink it in. The beer elements glass is fun; or, if you're buying for a nerd, there's the include beer tags. Periodic Beer Glass, $8.99 at Think Geek; Include Beer Glass, $7.99 at Think Geek
Like the cashmere sweater for women, a flannel shirt is a men's wardrobe staple. $69.50 at J. Crew
I'm a sucker for argyle, so of course I believe that like the flannel shirt, every man should have an argyle sweater $79.50 at Banana Republic
We got this telescopic fork for my father in law years ago--and it still makes him giggle to this day. A very funny stocking stuffer. $2.89 at Amazon
Obviously men aren't walking around carrying purses--but they still need something to put their stuff in. Messenger bags are fantastic for that, and lucky for men, they have kate spade male-equivalent Jack Spade for the perfect one. $195 at Jack Spade

In myt attempt to give you the Mattio gift guide, did I miss anything? You know where to let me know!

Gift Guide: Women

2011-12-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

Just so you know, I had this whole week planned for gift guides (because I don't know about you, but I am still not done shopping; and, quite frankly, there's no end in sight). Sunday night I was putting the finishing touches on this, the women's gift guide, and I decided to go to bed before I published it--you know, so I could look at it with fresh eyes in the morning. And then yesterday happened, and it was about 7:00 at night before I sat down--and when I did sit down it was at my friend's house for book club (which was awesome, btw), and so, here we are beginning gift guide week on Tuesday instead.

Seriously, how adorable is this Cheers necklace from the always reliable (and my favorite--can't you tell?) kate spade? What girlie girl wouldn't want to find this under her tree? $78 at kate spade
OK, OK. It's obvious I like kate spade. But come on, these gloves? How cute are these gloves? $78 at kate spade
This Tory Burch clutch is on the WAY expensive side... but worth it. Clutches are a total pain, in my opinion; I'm always leaving them behind, and they're downright horrible if you have children. But that goes to show you I must really love this one. Plus: orange? Patent leather? Yes, please. $325 at Tory Burch
This is one of the handful of items on this list that I actually own, and I can completely endorse. Let me tell you that if you know a girl who always has cold feet at home, look no further than these slippers. The warmth and comfort of Uggs, without having to leave your house in them (although, be forewarned that I have left my house in them... and really, I wasn't fooling anyone)! $90 at Zappos
Full disclosure: I am not a smelly candle person. They're just not my thing. But sometimes, the garbage makes the kitchen all smelly, and you've just got to fire one up. Last year I bought a couple of holiday scented Mrs. Meyers candles, and they just smell so... clean. The lemon verbena scent is just wonderful. A most excellent stocking stuffer. $9.99 at Mrs. Meyers
Who wouldn't love a cashmere sweater? If you're shopping for me, I love a good cashmere turtleneck (hint, hint). $178 at J. Crew
I'm not a lipstick/gloss person--I'm perfectly happy with my Kiehl's lip balm, and I'm good to go. So when I do find a lip gloss that I love, I want to tell the world. World, meet Stilla lip gloss (plus, it's a $110 value for only $25! I'm such a sucker for that!). $25 at Sephora
Another item that I own, I get more compliments on these necklaces than I ever imagined. They are great as a set (which is how I wear them most often), or on their own. Adorbs. Heart, $49 at Stella and Dot; Arrow, $49 at Stella and Dot
Finally, books! I just picked up Diane Keaton's autobiography just yesterday (as a gift! Talk about taking your own advice!). She is so likeable, that I can't wait to dig into it. $13 at Amazon I just finished reading Mindy Kaling's book, which is not only adorable, but completely hysterical. If you're anything like me, you'll want to invite Ms. Kaling to your next girl's night out, because you know that you will totally become BFFs in a matter of minutes. Trust me on this one. $12.50 at Amazon

Tomorrow is the men's gift guide. Have any additions to this one? Anything I didn't cover? Hit me up in the comments!

Friday LOLs (Christmas Edition):

2011-12-09T11:47:00.001-05:00

If you've ever head a supervisor (and 12 "experts") standing over your shoulder, telling you to constantly tweak something that was perfect to begin with ("Add a little more blue to that green. No, just a hair more. No, now I think that's too much. Bob, what do you think?" "Well, since I have had *considerable* experience with the color green, I can tell you that taking some of the blue out would really make it more... well, green." And so on, and so on), than you'll appreciate this greeting from Dailey and Associates:

This:

2011-12-05T19:57:00.001-05:00

Dear companies: want me as a customer for life? Have awesome customer service.

I know, I probably speak for a LOT of people when I say this. But think about all the times you have had a total crap customer service experience that made you say, I'm never going back there again. Now think about when you have an exceptionally great customer service experience; don't you want to have that awesomeness ALL THE TIME??

Case in point: Last October, I bought the 8 year old a winter coat from Lands End. It was a little big on her last year, so I know we'd get multiple years out of it. It was also one of the coldest winters ever last year, so she wore it just about every day (never mind that it was also her ski jacket). Well something must have happened to the zipper at the end of last winter, because she put the coat on for the first time this year just the other night, and the zipper was 100% stuck. Like, it wasn't going anywhere. I know that Lands End has awesome customer service, and that their products are guaranteed, so naturally I called them with my zipper issue. Know what happened?

They're sending us a new coat.

Granted, I have to send the old one back (which is fine, because hello? zipper), and because I had gotten the old one WAY on sale, and the new coat wasn't WAY on sale, I do have to pay the difference (which is about $25). But come on. How many stores will take back a 1-year old USED coat, and give you a brand new one in exchange for it?

After such a positive experience, I tweeted about it, I'm blogging about it, and I'm generally just going to become a walking billboard for how awesome Lands End is for the next few days. And what did it cost them? Practically nothing.

Holiday Monday: Believe:

2011-12-05T09:33:00.001-05:00

2 out of my 3 children still very much believe in Santa--I know this because this weekend they were working their way towards the naughty list, and I made them write letters to Santa explaining that they were naughty. This activity did NOT go over well (alas, the letters have not been sent, but are there as a reminder to BE NICE TO YOUR SISTER). The teenager stopped believing long ago (sigh), and fortunately for us she never questioned the existence of Santa when she did believe. However, the other 2 might, and when they do, I am going to borrow heavily from this letter.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.

Heck, I might just copy the entire thing. What a beautiful way to explain to your children the magic of Santa and Christmas.

Hopefully I won't need it for a long, long time.

Sing:

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's December 1, bitches! And do you know what that means? That means I no longer have to hide the fact that I have been listening to Christmas music for TWO WHOLE WEEKS (alright. Three).

Seriously. I. Love. Christmas music. I have no qualms about listening to it in mid-November. It doesn't make me angry, and I don't get tired of it. Actually, I don't understand people who DO get tired of it--you guys listen to the same pop crap over and over and over. Christmas music is played for the month of December--that's it. Then you get your repetitive pop crap back. Me? I'll listen to Christmas music right through January, with no complaint.

Anywho. I digress. Christmas music rocks; and for me, the season has not fully begun until I hear Christmas songs by the Beach Boys and the Carpenters. When I was a kid, my parents had 2 Christmas records (yeah, that's right. I said records): yep, the Beach Boys and the Carpenters. We would play the crap out of them every year whilst decorating the tree. So for me, they both signified the start of Christmas. And to this day--much to Mattio's chagrin--they are among my favorites.

Glitter:

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm just going to admit it. For all the world to read. It's no longer a secret:

Internet friends, I love glitter (Oh, don't act all shocked).

Glitter and the holidays go hand in hand, so if you're like me, you stock up now. I've pieced together a couple of my favorites below. Maybe we can call it, Tracie's Go-To Glitter Guide. I kind of like the sound of that.

1. If you're shy about wearing glitter and/or sequins, I think this Banana Republic sweater is a good way to dip your toe in.

2. Glitter shell from J. Crew: I have this in black, and plan on getting it in about every other color they offer. I wear it underneath cardigans for a peek of glitter, or on top of button-downs for full force shine. So versatile, for glitter.

3. Platinum dress, from anthro. I seriously wish I had somewhere fancy to go (alright, and a spare $400), just so I could wear this dress.

4. This Free People dress is fun (but maybe on the short, tight side for me. But still, adorable)!

5. I'm loving this beaded skirt, also from anthro.

6. I've seen a lot of sequin skirts this season, but they all seem way too short (and by way too short, I mean basically a belt). I think this version, from Ann Taylor Loft, is just the right length.

7. Sometimes I feel that black sequins/glitter is a little, been there, done that. But this blazer? Why don't I own this glitter blazer from Banana? Why??

8. I can't get myself excited over the sequined Uggs I'm starting to see everywhere. Maybe because they're Uggs, and they're ugly to begin with. Don't get me wrong, I think the kids look adorable in them. But a grown woman needs grown woman shoes. These sequined boots from the always reliable kate spade are awesome, and strike a nice balance between Squeeee! Sequins! and well, grown woman shoes.

9. These kate spades come in other colors, but omigod the navy! Glitter! Sophistication! More glitter! Not black! Can you tell? The navy by far and away is my favorite.

10. Finally, if you're looking for shine, but only a little, this purse from J. Crew is adorbs.

Muppets:

2011-11-29T08:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday, internet! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving--and by that I mean I hope you ate until you had to unbutton your pants (come on, what other day of the year allows that??). At our Thanksgiving this year, I was in charge of making the pies. I don't know what I did to manage my time so successfully, but I was done baking by about 1:00 Wednesday afternoon. So naturally, with all this time on my hands, I did what any red-blooded child of the 70s would do: I took my kids to see the Muppets.

First of all: holy awesome. This movie did not disappoint at all. If you enjoyed the Muppet Show in the late 70s, or any of the 80s Muppet movies, you will no doubt enjoy this. My friend Bob blogged about the movie as well, saying that this movie was a prime example of rebooting a franchise; and I whole-heartedly agree.

There's a million recaps online, and a super awesome Muppet Wiki (which was very helpful in solving the disagreement between myself and the 8 year old: what is the sax player's name? I was pretty insistent it was Floyd, however was proved wrong when a simple search turned up that Floyd is the guitarist [and Animal's handler], and Zoot is actually the name of the sax player). So instead, I leave you with a song that will be stuck in your head for, oh, I'd say the next 2 or 3 days. But well worth it.

Holiday Monday:

2011-11-12T15:46:00.001-05:00

New feature here on the ol' bloggity: Holiday Monday; where everything holiday-related will be posted. Since it's still early enough in the season (but never to early to start celebrating!), I thought I'd start off with holiday cards. Of course, it's not too late to have your favorite graphic designer (ahem) design custom cards for you... but in case you're not going that route (really?), I've picked a few of my faves.

Naturally kate spade is at the top of the list (although this list isn't in any particular order, it's never a bad idea to start with the alway adorable ks).

These Peace, Love, Cookies cards are the perfect non-denominational, whimsical way to wish your friends and family a festive holiday season. Running a close second is the Break a Resolution New Year's card, and the Snowglobe gift tags. Adorbs, but then again, I expect nothing less.

Next up is the cute cards over at Tiny Prints. These are great cards, especially if you have a photo you want to add. My favorite is this tri-fold:

Tiny Prints' cards are bright and energetic, and the message across the board is fun.

Also good if you like sending photo cards is my friend (and neighbor!) Sugar and Spice Designs. Since Laura, the owner, is paper crazy (like, ahem, a certain graphic designer), the great thing about her site is that you can pick the paper stock you'd like your cards to be printed on. Besides the fact that she is a small, local business, she is also a photographer; which means that she'll take the fantastic portraits you want to put on your cards (of course, it's OK if you use your own photos--but she's a pretty awesome photographer, so, you know...).

Etsy is a fantastic resource for great cards, but sometimes it's really noisy and there's all kinds of great design shouting at you. Here's some of my Etsy faves:

Good Cheer cards from the Office of Nature

Winter Wonderland from Spring Olive

Map Card by Sara Luke Creative (love this if you've moved recently!)

Tree of Hope by Dancing Pen and Press

Finally, these online retailers all have a great selection of cards to spread holiday cheer:

MoMA

Hello, Lucky

Minted

Pear Tree Greetings

Pinhole Press

What's your favorite place to get your holiday cards? And, besides gift guides, what else do you want to see on Holiday Mondays?

Book club:

2011-11-04T09:53:00.003-05:00

Last night was another fun meeting of the Rulebreakers^TM Book Club. The book we were discussing (yes, husbands, we actually discuss the book) was The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern.

Overall, book club liked it. The visuals were dreamy--if you couldn't guess from the title, the book is about a magical circus that takes place--wait for it--at night. OK, it's really about a lot more than that (magical challenges, illusionists in love...), but the overall theme was this black and white night circus, and we all agreed that it was a circus that we'd all like to visit. Personally, I felt the plot itself was a little slow-moving, but the descriptions of everything about Les Cirque des Reves--down to the smell--were so so crazy detailed, that it more than made up for it.

Naturally the theme of our evening was the circus--with a dash of black and white--with popcorn, pretzels, black and white cookies, and magic bars (YUM) to eat. Our host Kathy did a great job decorating with the theme of the book, too--black, white and red tablecloths, candles, tickets...

Unfortunately, Erin Morgenstern wasn't available via Twitter (she was nice enough to let us know beforehand that she would be traveling; and she did answer a question before her plane took off [I'd like to think that the flight attendants were all, Miss, you HAVE GOT to turn off your phone, otherwise the plane can't take off! And she was all, HOLD ON! I have an important book club question I have to answer!]).

Since we're trying to be Twitter BFFs with the authors of our books, we have started taking group photos (to tweet back to them). Here we are, in our black and white (and red) glory:

All in all, another super fun book club. Next up is the Steve Jobs autobiography--which happens to coincide with our annual holiday meet, where we get grab bag gifts. I'm hoping somebody gets an iPad (you know, to go with the theme)... but with a $15 spending cap, that might be hard.

Hello:

2011-11-03T08:40:00.001-05:00

OK. I know. Lots of shoes here, but I can't help it! I feel like I've been in a shoe drought for far too long--and by drought, I don't mean lack of shoes, I mean lack of shoes that I actually like. This past spring and summer's selection of shoes was really meh; and I was really slow to love anything this fall as well--that is, up until last week. And when these babies showed up in my Facebook feed, it was love at first sight:

Seriously. How cute are these Lucky Brand boots? Like I need another pair of knee-high boots... but the fact that they fold over like this? I'm sold (well, I'll be sold once they go on sale)!

So internet friends, tell me: what shoes/boots are on your radar this fall?

Breakup:

2011-10-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

Dearest Halloween Candy:

I love you--I do! But I just can't do this anymore: Halloween Candy, we have to break up.

Truth be told, I don't even want to be friends with you anymore. Don't get me wrong, you're attractive (you look good enough to EAT!), and let's face it, you have a good personality, too (it's even in your name: Fun Size!). But you have a dark side, Halloween Candy, and I'm not just talking about the dark chocolate.

It's just--well, sometimes, Halloween Candy, you make me feel bad about myself. And you do it VERY subtly. It's never in moderation, Halloween Candy. Never, I'll just do it this one time. No, it's 20 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and a stomachache (although, let's be fair, you know I'm putty once you break out the chocolate-peanut butter combination). Then, I just think constantly of all of the spin classes I'll have to take to get you off of me; until I'm in the midst of spin, thinking, I'm exercising, surely I can enjoy just ONE piece of Halloween Candy.

You see where this vicious cycle is leading me, don't you?

I'm sorry Halloween Candy, I really am. I hope you find happiness. I mean, I know you will. You're great! Just not for me. I hope you understand.

~~Love,~~ Sincerely,
Tracie

Shoesies II:

2011-10-27T14:09:00.000-05:00

It's cloudy, rainy, yucky and all around gross outside today. I think lime green shoes (with a hot pink heel) are in order:

Oh look at that! Kate Spade happens to have a pair right here. I know I just bought a fab pair of shoes... but a girl can never have too many, right?

New work:

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, I posted a little sneak peek of a project I was working on... and now I'm ready to pull the cover off that sucker and do the big reveal:

Over the summer, I was asked by fellow CT-based graphic designer Patti Murphy if I would be interested in designing posters for a group show at a gallery in New London. Um... Hells yeah?

The guidelines the artists were given were loose: the show was in October, the posters had to be 12 x 18", and the theme was positivity. That's it. Photographic, typographic, illustrative... the medium was entirely left up to the artist.

Holy cow, this project was beyond fun; and I wish I had more time to devote to designing even more posters! It was incredibly therapeutic for me to design with so few limits, using the graphic design method of my choice.

Opening night, Mattio and I took a ride up to New London, and it was so awesome to see everybody's work (leading up to opening night, it was nausea-inducing. Seriously, my work was hung amongst some pretty big deals in the graphic design/illustration community, and... uh, I was a little nervous). It was so exciting to see my work hanging in a gallery (squeeee!), and incredibly honored that it was hanging in such great company.

Here I am, all famous in a gallery! See that teeny picture on the left? That's me!

If you guys are up that way, I highly suggest you go and check out the Hang in There poster show at the Hygienic in New London (now through 11/12).

Shoesies:

2011-10-25T16:43:00.000-05:00

I love Tory Burch (especially the shoes. My God, the shoes!), I love a good sale, and most of all, I love a good sale on Tory Burch shoes. So last Thursday, when facebook notified me that Tory Burch had a special offer just for TB facebook fans, I was sold. And, just my luck, they happened to be having a sale on the shoes I had been coveting ever since my friend Marcy featured them on her blog (proving even further that we might be twins separated at birth--at least fashion-wise--we unknowingly bought the same exact pair of shoes). They were half off, so there was no way I was NOT buying them.

Fast forward to yesterday, when UPS delivered the goods. Have you guys ever gotten a package that was just so... pretty? And fun to open? Because I am a packaging nerd, getting the shoes themselves wasn't enough--can I just say: squeeee! Packaging!

It was like my birthday, all over again. I've ordered my fair share of shoes online, and I've never been so excited to open a package (and not because of what's inside). Fun orange wrapping paper, with an embossed gold sticker, holding a note from Tory herself (OK, not Tory herself, but still. Fun).

Um, yes, Tory... I did find what I was looking for, and I DO love them!

Even the receipt/return shipping ugliness came packaged all nice in this pretty little envelope. The back says, "We love this envelope--it's a great place to keep all those lists, receipts and unframed photos."

I love this envelope, too; but not because of it's usefulness (although, bonus points). Packing receipts are rarely pretty, and return shipping labels are just downright ugly. But all of that yuckiness was contained in a pretty cute sleeve.

Oh, and the shoes?

Bright red penny loafers? Yes, please!

LOVE them.

Candy:

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hey--I'm back! Apologies for the hiatus, internet friends--things here at traciedesigns HQ were busy, busy, busy... and, well, something had to give. But I didn't stray far, and now I'm back, posting with my (somewhat) usual regularity, so never fear.

So, let's get down to it: candy corn. Basically solidified corn syrup, right? But--sweet Jesus--how awesome is it? Well, let me clarify that: how awesome is the orange/yellow/white combination (none of this pumpkin shaped baloney; or worse--the imposter "Autumn selection" consisting of yellow/orange/brown)? I have basically been living off of it the past few days--seriously, it's become a whole separate food group at this point. And just when I thought I couldn't eat any more, the intern came home with a whole jar full (for coming closest to guessing the correct amount in the jar, at a party--go intern!). Naturally that did not stop me, and I ate so much of her candy corn, I felt bad and bought replacement candy corn. Which, I have basically finished. It is a downward spiral, friends; one that I am going down faster and faster. Won't Halloween just hurry up and get here so all this candy corn will disappear (that way I won't have to make it disappear myself, and/or check myself into some sort of candy corn rehab)?

Do you guys like candy corn? I heard not too long ago that it is the number 1 most-hated candy. Like, people like black licorice better. Huh? I can't even comprehend that.

Wedding week:

2011-10-10T07:41:00.004-05:00

My brother in law is getting married Friday night, and through all of the preparations going on this week, I found these save the dates I designed for them:

They didn't end up using these (actually, I'm not even sure I presented these, as they never sent out save the dates), but I came across it last night and there's something about it that I really love. Maybe it's the fact that they chose a more traditional wedding invite (which I'll feature later on this week), or maybe it's the fun, block-y font. Either way, I'm putting this in my back pocket and keeping it around for a while...

Thank you, Steve:

2011-10-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Richard Dreyfuss did the voice over for the one they actually aired on TV; but this here? This one's all Jobs.

Happy/sad:

2011-10-05T20:06:00.002-05:00

Today is my birthday. As birthdays go, it was a good day: I worked, hung with the kids, had dinner at Shake Shack, and thought my night would end with a cupcake, and a little more work.

Instead, I had a cupcake, and read the news of Steve Job's passing.

I am heartbroken. I didn't know Steve Jobs personally, but my God. He has had such a huge impact on my life, it's hard not to feel the emptiness, now that he is no longer with us. Because of Steve Jobs' vision, I have a career. When Apple forced Jobs out, the company began a slow and steady decline, almost to the point of bankruptcy. Hired back in 1996, Jobs began changing the way the world operates; first by introducing the revolutionary iMac (from which I am writing this on, and from which I work every day), then the iPod, iphone, iPad...

Without his ingenuity, his genius, I wouldn't have a machine to work on. Sure, I could clunk around on a PC, but I guarantee that the field of design would not be the same if not for Steve Jobs and the way he brought Apple back to life. And he took it and ran, introducing the world to a new way of listening to music, a new way of communicating with one another, a new way of computing.

His great mind will be missed. I think my friend BJ put it best when he said that we are lucky to have lived in the Steve Jobs era.

Very lucky indeed.

Sneak peek:

2011-09-27T07:55:00.004-05:00

Just a little side project I'm having loads of fun with... I'll have more details soon, but for now, you guys will just have to live with this little taste.

Life:

2011-09-22T11:13:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy couple of days here at traciedesigns HQ. I have enough work to keep me going, but the kind of busy I'm talking about is life.

Last year at this time, I was the HBIC of the PTA at the 8 year old's school. It was not an easy job, and looking back, I see exactly how much of my time it took up (A LOT). But I enjoy volunteering at the school, I've met lots of great people and I can't even begin to tell you how rewarding it is (seriously. If you're feeling down, go have lunch with your kid at school. Watch their face light up and I guarantee that you will feel light years better). The 8 year old took great pride in my role as president (getting so frustrated with me if I couldn't answer her questions; "You're the PRESIDENT. Don't you know EVERYTHING??!" I wish).

But this year, I'm not the HBIC. Somebody else is running the show, and I'm OK with that. I enjoy having my time back, doing things with my kids, and not constantly checking my email to approve email blasts and flyers (OK, I still constantly check my email, but not for things like that). I enjoy letting the kids play on the playground after school gets out, and not having to run home to... yep, check email. I enjoy coming downstairs in the morning to a clean kitchen, instead of last night's dishes still in the sink. Most of all, I enjoy the sense of order I am restoring to my life.

So this past week, I've been doing just that. I've got work that I'm doing, but I'm really concentrating on a healthy work-life balance. And so far, it seems to be working.

Winning:

2011-09-14T09:37:00.004-05:00

When you work from home--alone, for the most part--sometimes simple things like getting the mail is exciting (don't be all envious of my thrilling life). I don't know why I look forward to it day after day, as it's mostly bills and junk (let's play how many credit card offers will we get today!); but every once in a while, you get a pleasant surprise thrown in.

Like, yesterday, for example.

Yesterday was a pretty standard 5:1 junk to bills ratio (I guess it's good that it's not the other way around), with the exception of one Big Envelope. And that Big Envelope had a GD USA return address on it. Which could only mean one thing:

American Graphic Design Awards came in the mail!

The American Graphic Design Awards is a design competition that "spotlights areas of excellence and opportunity for creative professionals... It honors outstanding work across all media." This year's awards attracted 8,000 entries, with a select 15% winning.

There seems to be some sort of mistake on one (2 entries are listed--does that mean they're both winners?), so I may have won 5 total--Wheeeeeeeeeeee! And the winners are:

Melt Sandwich Shop website

Objects blog

Stylesson blog

The award with 2 entries listed:

art + interiors website redesign

Mari the Studio website

I'll find out later this week what the mix up was, but in the meantime, let's start pouring the bubbly and celebrating!

Monogram this:

2011-09-13T08:24:00.000-05:00

Fun with monograms? Yes, please!

I'd never be able to pull it off (because I have children who ask questions), but I love the idea of a WTF monogram. Hee hee (or, should I say, LOL?)!

Fresh:

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

The (powerful) message is clear here: from the great stop motion animation, to the completely appropriate use of Coldplay's The Scientist (chillingly redone by Willie Nelson), this might be my new favorite commercial.

Chipotle, I'm yours.

(via Fast Co. Design)

Friday LOL (nostalgia edition):

2011-09-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

This one's not so much funny ha-ha, but funny like, awwww, we used to work on that machine!

Shrine of Apple:

Awesome photos and videos of every Apple product, ever.

Remember the Lisa? Maybe you have a little ipod nostalgia--it's all here (and if it's not, the site says it's coming).

Fun to go through and see how very, VERY far we've come!

Type:

2011-09-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

It's a good thing these are on the internet--I'm afraid my drool would ruin them if I had the real deal. Ladies and gentlemen, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map TYpography:

Holy cow, the typography on these maps is CRAZY gorgeous. I could look at them all day. As a matter of fact, if you need me, that's where I'll be...

(via kottke.org)

Inbox zero:

2011-09-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I've pretty much come to terms with that never, ever happening.

Like, ever.

How do people do it? How on earth do people stay so organized--so ON TOP of their email--that they can claim inbox 0??!

I try so hard to be good--deleting Twitter notifications as they come in... OK, that's about as good as I get. I mean, I have client folders. I have etc folders. I'm not sure what prevents me from taking the extra 2 seconds to place an email into one of said folders.

This madness has got to stop--I have got to get on top of this email disaster! Internet, how do you keep your inboxes from becoming such a mess, that they end up looking like, well, mine?

Six:

2011-09-06T15:42:00.002-05:00

This always slips my mind, because this time of year I am in full-on back to school mode, but--you guys, this week traciedesigns is 6!

Now, traditionally, the 6th anniversary gift is iron. Boooo-ring. The modern gift is a wood object. I'm sure if I went through my bookmarks, or scoured the internet I'd probably find at least 20 wood objects. But do you know what the traditional UK gift is?

Sugar.

Ah yes, sugar. The stuff ~~my dreams~~ cupcakes are made from. Mmmmmmm, cupcakes. The perfect 6th business anniversary present, ever.

Friday LOL (baseball edition):

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

More Alec Baldwin/John Krasinski funnies.

"Call 912! Call 912!"

"What is 912?"

"911 for rich people!"

Shop:

2011-08-31T09:18:00.003-05:00

Well I guess now I HAVE to shop at Saks to get one of these fun bags:

Designed by Pentagram, the new bags encourage shoppers to follow Saks on Twitter. The custom @ symbol has been integrated into their print campaign, and will be seen in an upcoming catalog. Read and see more here.

Type:

2011-08-30T07:00:00.001-05:00

Cape Cod is one of my favorite places; it's got nothing but charm, everything is SO laid back, and--most of all--ice cream. Lots of ice cream. Like, I'm seriously going through withdrawl now, there was so much ice cream.

Besides ice cream, the other thing the Cape has in abundance is hand-lettered signs. Because you're hard-pressed to find a lot of chain stores (save for Subway and Dunkin Donuts, at least in our neck of the woods), most of the stores are mom and pops, complete with hand-lettered signage.

Mmmmm, fudge. In addition to ice cream, there's no shortage to fudge on the Cape, either. I know. Too bad, right? Love the "mouthwatering fudge" lettering. Oh, and the fact that THEY MAIL CANDY.

I think I drove by this book store about 20 times a day, as it was right around the corner from where we stayed. It is the cutest little bookshop I have ever seen, and made me want to not order from Amazon and stay there and browse all day. True story. Love the flourishes.

Love the Agro Dolce--not so much the hologram effect, but the lettering is nice.

The first time I saw this sign, I swear I almost crashed my car, craning my neck to see it. Flourishes, script, gold detail... I loved it so much that I went WAY out of my way to snap this pic.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for Bodoni poster, even more so for hand-lettered Bodoni poster.

Come on, it wouldn't be a trip to the Cape without a weathered lobster sign!

Finally, I snapped this at the Brewster General Store. It's not hand-lettered, but Oh. Em. Gee. I love it.

Come on, Irene:

2011-08-29T14:46:00.003-05:00

Wow.

So first things first: pardon my absence last week--we took a much needed week off and spent it on lovely Cape Cod. Yes, the Cape was all kinds of lovely... up until we left. We were supposed to stay into Saturday, but because of the hurricane that was due to arrive on Sunday, we left late Friday night.

After planning and prepping all day Saturday (which included the most insane trip to the grocery store I have ever taken, AND an unsuccessful attempt to get batteries [DANG! Why didn't we think to bring those back from the Cape??!]), Irene hit, taking our power with her--but that's it. And as much as I like to whine about not having electricity, that was the worst of it. Our cellar didn't flood, our house didn't collapse... our friends and family were safe, and we had to live like the Amish for a day and a half. Big whoop.

Post-Irene, Sasco Beach in Fairfield

It was still super windy when we went down, way after the storm left us...

...So windy, in fact, the intern almost got swept away!

Friday LOL (Jersey edition--part II):

2011-08-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

So this is my second Jersey Shore-themed Friday post in as many weeks (also, apologies to those who follow me on Twitter, as I announced this the other day and now it's just old news). Why? Because these people are funny. Well, maybe not. But their circumstance is.

I have never watched the Jersey Shore. I know the characters have nicknames, like, the Situation, and Snookie, and J-Wow; but I couldn't pick the Situation out of a line-up. Apparently, these characters--the Situation in general--like to wear Abercrombie & Fitch. Problem is, A&F doesn't want their brand associated with this cast of characters. So much so, that they are willing to pay them to NOT wear their brand:

"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans. We have therefore offered a substantial payment to Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino and the producers of MTV's The Jersey Shore to have the character wear an alternate brand. We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response."

I swear, you can't make this stuff up! How funny is this? What tickled me even more, was that A&F is calling this a "win-win" situation. Hysterical.

(You can see the full text of the statement here: click on 8/16, A&F proposes a win-win situation)

Wednesday LOLs (Andy edition):

2011-08-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

Mattio and I just watched Wet Hot American Summer for the first time last week (I know, we're pretty late jumping on that bandwagon, huh?), and by far and away, the best part of the movie is Paul Rudd. I mean, duh, who doesn't love Paul Rudd? His character, Andy, was the best. My favorite scene in the entire movie is this one:

I love it. Of course, I immediately thought of my children, and their hissy fits. But now, every time I have to do something so stupid and useless and expend even the slightest amount of energy doing it, I think of this scene. Case in point: I went to wish somebody a happy birthday on FB the other day. I wrote HB on their wall, and hit return. Nothing happened. I hit return again. Nothing again. I realized that I had to physically take my mouse and click on a button, and I was so. put. out. I immediately watched this scene, and giggled not only at Andy, but at my own silliness.

Lessons:

2011-08-16T13:21:00.002-05:00

You get what you pay for. I think this is true for a lot of things, but lately it seems to especially ring true in graphic design.

Last week a new DIY logo design site was launched--LogoGarden (I'm linking to their FB page here. Check out the wall full of designers saying LG ripped off their work!). The premise is, for $69, you can choose from a bunch of pre-designed icons, slap some text on that bad boy, and call it a day. Or a logo. Whatever.

Sounds like it's too good to be true, right?

Yeah, that's because it is. See, these pre-designed icons? They were pre-designed by other graphic designers. Who designed them for other clients. And LogoGarden just took them, and started selling them as icons to be combined with text to make your own logo. Only, LogoGarden doesn't own these icons.

Steve Douglas has a really great post about it here.

Lesson learned? If you're starting a business, and need a logo… hire a professional, for the love. You can work with a professional graphic designer and get something completely custom--not predesigned (and, er, stolen). Yes, it will cost you more than $69, but if you're investing in your business, isn't it worth it?

Want:

2011-08-15T13:30:00.002-05:00

OH. EM. GEE. You guys, Target has partnered with Missoni to bring us all affordable zig zag goodness!

Debuting on September 13th, the Missoni for Target line includes clothing for women, men and kids (natch), as well as accessories, housewears, and a bicycle. Yes, a Missoni bicycle.

You can see the entire collection (and read some of the hysterical comments--"This doesn't look like something I can wear to a PTA meeting or soccer game!" Ummmm...) on Target's Facebook page.

Hello, adorable. Seriously, I think I might just go broke buying this stuff (not to be worn together, natch. I think it's a little much if you're piling Missoni, on top of Missoni, on top of Missoni).

There is a very blurry line between want and need when it comes to these shoes.

As with these great winter accessories. Hurry up and get cold so I can wear these!

OMG My kids are going to rock the socks off the world in this adorableness. Seriously. How. Freakin. Cute. Is this??!

Home accessories? Yup, I'm in.

Friday LOL (Jersey edition):

2011-08-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I love that somebody matched the skin tone of the Jersey Shore cast to actual Pantone colors.

The second guy down (I only know Snooki) is looking pretty light. Obviously he's not concentrating on the T part of GTL (which I totally had to look up what that stood for. OMG that makes me feel old!).

Photo:

2011-08-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here I am, riding my bike in the CT Challenge with a big 'ol smile on my face (OK, so this was clearly taken at the beginning of the Challenge, not sure how much I was smiling at the end). Behind me is my friend--and CT Challenge mentor--Ed. Such a fun day!

Faux real::

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

When I was a child, I wanted to grow up and be an artist--but not just any old artist. I wanted to be the artist that Hollywood producers called when they needed artwork for their movies (as in, the lead character is an artist, but my artwork would be shown as theirs). I had no idea how that all worked--I really thought that was a specific job you could have ("What do I do for a living, you ask? Well, have you ever seen critically-acclaimed, box office smash Movie About an Artist? I was actually the artist behind the Artist.").

Alas, I'm not working for a studio, and my artwork doesn't appear in the movies. But, there IS hope. Check out Fauxgo, a Tumblr of logos of companies that exist only in the movies. Lots of Pixar love here, Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Up and Wall-E are all represented; as well as huge pop culture icons Dunder Mifflin, Sterling Cooper and Oceanic Airlines.

I'm checking back regularly to see what else gets added. Who knows, maybe one day that will be my claim to fame.

(via swissmiss)

Yum:

2011-08-08T07:05:00.000-05:00

Can we just take a minute to talk about my new design crush, Jocelyn Warner? I first saw her on favorite design*sponge last week, and, come on, who is not drooling over this:

Check out the gorgeous coordinating wallpaper, rugs, fabric and lamps, and if that's not enough for you, head on over to Terrain to see some furniture. Lovely.

(via design*sponge)

Illusion:

2011-08-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

This post, like the 13th floor in a high-rise, does not exist. I mean, like the 13th floor, it really does--you're here, reading it, right?--but I'm going to take my cue from high-rise-floor-namers, and not call this what it really is: my 666 post.

Scary.

Friday LOL (best ever edition):

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Do you like Mad Men?

Do you like Arrested Development?

If the answer to both of those questions is HELLS YEAH, then have I got a treat for you: a fantastic tumblr called A Trick is Something a Whore Does for Money (see G.O.B. introduction, season 1 episode 1).

Screenshots of Mad Men, coupled with dialogue from Arrested Development. Enough said.

(via Jezebel--I knew this was special when they titled it, Pete Campbell is a never nude.)

Mecca:

2011-08-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Vogue shoe closet? Yup, that my friends, is Mecca.

Everything Prada:

2011-08-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

Quite a number of years ago (more than I would care to admit), a friend found a great little hole in the wall in Chinatown for knock-offs. Completely convinced I was going to find a gorgeous [insert designer name here] knock-off, I trekked into the city, only to be completely let down by that day's selection (first world problems, I know). However, they did have a decent selection of basic, black, nylon Prada bags. For $20? Sure, I'll take one. Problem was, all of the metal Prada tags on the purses were scratched (I think we're beyond first world problems at this point). I reluctantly asked if they had any bags without scratches... and do you know what happened next? The woman took a plain black bag off the wall, and opened a box FULL OF METAL PRADA TAGS.

Naturally I asked her if I could just buy the box of tags.

Naturally she had no clue what I had just said.

So I got my knock-off with a shiny new Prada tag (and believe me I got my money's worth, as I still use that bag to this day). The running joke is that I wanted to buy the box, and stick a Prada tag on everything: our refrigerator? Oh, it's Prada. The TV? Prada. These shoes? No, that's not Nine West crossed out--they're Prada.

Now at least I don't have to worry about labeling my fonts Prada, as Alias has already done so:

Prada the font? I'll take it!

I love how they call it Prada Candy--it seems so appropriate. And, if, if they ever sell it, I won't need that box of metal tags anymore!

Challenge:

2011-08-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

This Saturday, I rode in the 7th annual CT Challenge--it was my first time. Even though I'd just gotten into road biking this past spring, I've been training hard and completed the 50 mile route. It was such an amazing experience!

The CT Challenge raises money to support cancer survivors. There were plenty of survivors who were riding, others who chose to volunteer, and lots of survivors cheering riders on. Before we all took off, there was a survivor's walk, and after that they announced that the oldest survivor riding was 71, and the youngest was 8. I'm not sure which was more impressive (and made me cry more!).

The spirit out there was unbelievable. Riders were looking out for each other, yelling "car back!" or "car up!" depending on the direction the car was coming from (a couple times, it was "runner up!"). As we headed through Ridgefield, about a million Ferraris passed us by on their way up to Limerock (and, just so you know, if you're ever on a bike and a Ferrari is behind you, you can totally hear it coming). The rest areas--about every 15 miles or so--were incredible. Stocked with power foods, water, Gatorade, electrolyte tablets, pain relief, EMTs and bike mechanics, they were such a great oasis to ride up to. I don't think I've ever eaten so many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my life!

As I rode, I kept my friend Kathy and her mom in my thoughts--Kathy's mom is battling cancer as we speak, and every hill I climbed I thought of the battle she was fighting. I also kept in mind my BFF Sara's father in law, who just last week passed away from cancer.

There were some tough hills, and every person I know who has been touched by cancer helped me up them. It was such a great feeling finishing the race--I had been on some longer training rides, but never 50 miles. The race to the finish line felt great--we traveled from Westport up through Ridgefield into Bethel and Newtown, and back down through Easton, Fairfield, Southport, and back to Westport--I got excited approaching the Merritt Parkway on the return trip, and even more so once we passed I95. It felt great to finish, but truth be told, I was just so proud that I got to take part in something so amazing!

The CT Challenge is a fundraiser who's mission is "is to empower cancer survivors to live healthier, happier and longer lives. The Connecticut Challenge serves its mission by creating and funding programs, offering credible resources and building a community of support. To date, our programs have impacted the lives of 5,000 survivors in our state." If you are interested in donating, click here.

Friday LOL (font edition):

2011-07-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Comic Sans Criminal.

Recently I had a whole Facebook discussion over Comic Sans. I linked to sites like Ban Comic Sans and the Oatmeal (as well as gave my own opinion, which is that Comic Sans is the official font of the PTA), but today I came across this little gem and think that it is the perfect response to the Comic Sans discussion.

If you ever feel the absolute need to use Comic Sans, I definitely suggest going here first to see if it's entirely appropriate (hint: if you're not 11 or designing a comic--or even dyslexic--it's not OK).

Pillow fight:

2011-07-27T10:31:00.002-05:00

So remember a few months back when we recovered our dining room chairs? Being that we recovered each one in a different design, we had quite a bit of fabric left over.

In completely separate news, I was having a hard time finding some throw pillows that I loved for our sofa. Can you see where this is going (because it took me quite some time to figure this one out)?

Yep, I had my mother in law, who is pretty handy with the sewing machine make some throw pillows (I, however, have not used a sewing machine since 6th grade home ec--which, by the by, they don't even call home ec anymore. It's like, consumer science or something like that. Why can't we just call it sewing and cooking? That's what it is, right?)!

Behold, our new pillows, which I love, love, love!

We only had enough of each fabric to do one side (with the exception of one pattern), so I told her to mix and match front and backs. FUN!

Happy birthday:

2011-07-26T12:33:00.005-05:00

It's the now-8-year-old's birthday today (hmmm, artist-previously-known-as-the-7-year-old?)! Hard to believe that 8 years have come and gone so fast--as, like most parents, I remember her birth as though it were yesterday.

She's grown into a really cool kid, with a fun personality (see above), and--I might add--pretty decent taste in music (one of her favorite bands is Matt and Kim. Of course, she also likes the Bieber, so let's not go crazy here).

Happy birthday, 8 year old... The past 8 years have been a blast--can't wait to see what the next 8 bring!

Ride:

2011-07-21T10:06:00.002-05:00

This past spring, I've really fallen in love with riding my bike. I've always liked spinning, but there is something about riding on the road that I'm really drawn to. So much so that I signed up for my first long-distance ride (50 miles next Saturday, part of the CT Challenge), and have taken more of an interest in the Tour de France (watching it while sick last week--picking up pointers from the pros, natch--I couldn't believe that these guys were racing down a mountain at 61 mph. Sixty. One. Miles--not kilometers. Per hour. On their bike. Yikes).

So it was with great interest that I read Christian Annyas' series Graphic Design in the Tour de France. From team logos and jerseys, to bicycle logos, to component logos, to saddle and pedal logos, it's all covered here in 4 well-researched posts.

I think my favorite feature is the Components--specifically the evolution of the Shimano and Campagnolo logos (let's just take a second to swoon over that gorgeous Campagnolo typography. Whoa). I also love the bike logos--again, some great typography there (yeah, I'm looking at you, Wilier Triestina). All in all, a nice round up of bicycling-related graphic design.

Fools rush in (RANT):

2011-07-18T07:00:00.002-05:00

Friday was July 15th--mid-way through the month. As of Friday, my kids had been out of school for a whopping 3 whole weeks. They don't go back for another 7 weeks (not that I'm counting).

So what better time than now to launch back to school?

Yep, back to school is in FULL effect--last week we got multiple catalogs just about every day; advertising backpacks, supplies, and clothes. FALL clothes. Long sleeves, jeans, tights, and--wait for it--puffer vests.

Puffer vests. On July 15th.

While I hate that school has barely ended, and companies are already shoving back to school down our throats (isn't life rushed enough? Can't we just enjoy the laziness that the summer months bring?), I get that different areas of the country start school at different times. For instance, we happen to start in early September, but I know some areas in the South start in early August.

But you know what? They don't need puffer vests. Nobody needs a puffer vest for back to school (except maybe kids in Alaska. Maybe). Did I mention that the puffer vest had a (faux) fur-lined hood? Grrrr.

So I'm going to continue to toss these catalogs straight into the recycle pile, without a second glance. But if you ask me what puts me over the edge, I'm not going to say the summer back to school push (or Christmas in barely-autumn--or July, as there was a Christmas display in a Hallmark store I went into this weekend--which is also spectacularly annoying).

No, I'm going to say puffer vests in July.

Friday LOL (Don Draper edition):

2011-07-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

What Would Don Draper Do?

It's no secret I love me some Mad Men, and I love me some Don Draper even more. Even though he's a womanizing, alcoholic jerk; he looks good whilst doing it, so therefore he is swoon-worthy (take your swoon pause here).

Actually, he is so alcoholic (OK, maybe not this last season) that the Oatmeal has made a comic about him. And--spoiler alert--it all ends with a drink. But the journey to get there is quite funny.

Want:

2011-07-13T09:05:00.003-05:00

Tattly designy temporary tattoos.

Started by the super-awesome Swiss Miss (aka Tina Roth Eisenberg), Tattly tattoos were born from everyday temporary tattoos looking, well, childish and clip-art-y. So what's a designer to do? Start her own line of temporary tattoos, of course!

If I can't afford to hire Jessica Hische to design me a real tattoo, this is definitely the next best thing.

As Tina says, "Life is too short to drink bad wine and wear ugly temporary tattoos. Right?"

Right.

Dress me up:

2011-07-12T10:37:00.003-05:00

I saw this dress the other day on the always fab Zooey Deschanel, and thought to myself, adorbs!

Then I found out it was from my fave Kate Spade, and I thought to myself, naturally!

So now, I'm thinking to myself, I just need an extra $500 and a reason to wear it.

Mr. 3000 (or what I did this weekend):

2011-07-11T09:13:00.005-05:00

This past spring, we had a plan. See, we're pretty crazy Yankees fans, and every year we try and get to a couple of games. But this year, our plan was to go to 1 game, and spend more money on better seats. The game we chose was this past Saturday, July 9th.

It was kind of a good game to go to.

This is actually hit 2,999. I didn't have my camera/phone on my for hit #3,000. Aw, snap!

In case you live in a cave (or don't follow baseball. But mostly live in a cave), Derek Jeter reached a baseball milestone: 3000 hits in his career. To give you a little perspective, only 27 other players have achieved this milestone. To say the stadium was rocking this past Saturday is putting it mildly.

We sat in the first tier above 3rd base--awesome seats that gave us a clear view of everything (and were right in the shade the entire game. Note to self, sit there from now on). Hit #2,9999 sent people screaming. The energy in that stadium was unbelievable--as was the fact that his at-bats were the quietest I've ever heard.

Hit #3,000 was amazing. The 7 year old and I happened to be across the stadium--over by 1st base--standing in an aisle (we were on a sno-cone quest), and he smacked that ball--a home run--and the stadium erupted. I cried, natch.

So our plan seemed to be a good one. Who knew, back in March, that we'd be purchasing tickets to history?

Friday LOL (food edition):

2011-07-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

What's Good at Trader Joe's?

It's no secret that I love me some Trader Joe's. I started shopping there years ago, when their prices were super duper cheap. Nowadays they're still a bargain, but with food costs rising everywhere, it's not quite like the old days. But I continue to go back: the employees are awesome, I can do a week's worth of shopping in 20 minutes, and--best of all--the food? Well, it rocks. And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so:

Hello. My name's Nathan, and I love Trader Joe's. My wife Sonia does, too. She's a great shopper, has excellent taste, and knows good value when she comes across it. As many of you know, Trader Joe's is unsurpassed in the world of good-value grocery stores, so we spend a lot of our time and money there. Although the store fairly consistently delivers great taste with its own unique line of food products, there are definitely some big-hits, and unfortunately, there are some misses...

After doing a couple of internet searches for reviews of TJ's food items, Sonia discerned an apparent dearth of good, quality reviews for the store's offerings. So, at her suggestion, we decided to embark on a journey of systematically reviewing every Trader Joe's product, resulting in the blog you are about to read...

It's a great site--obviously much thought and care goes into each review, which is awesome. But I think my most favorite part is that I stumbled upon the site just as they reviewed the Wild Blueberry Vanilla Chèvre, which played a pretty big role in last night's all violet book club! And they gave it 9 out of 10 golden spoons (which I would completely agree with)!

So maybe this site didn't make me laugh out loud... but I think I love it just the same.

Book club:

2011-07-07T09:25:00.006-05:00

Last night my book club met, and since I chose the book, I got to host. The book was the Violets of March, by Sarah Jio. Every time we meet we try and do a matching theme to our book (we also have a bottle of whipped cream vodka that comes to every meeting, but more on that later); but this one was challenging. The book itself took place in Seattle, and went back and forth between present day and the 1940s. There wasn't too much food in the book, and save for fish and coffee, I was stumped as far as Seattle foods went. So I got a little creative and decided to have a violet food theme. Blue corn chips, purple grapes, figs (or Fig Newtons in our case)... you get the idea. So I tweeted:

And Oh. Em. Gee. You guys, the author of the book tweeted back!

As my book club gals arrived, I told them the awesome news about my twitter conversation, and you know what? Sarah Jio not only live tweeted with us throughout the meeting, she BLOGGED about our little violet book club meeting(and called us trendsetters! Squeeeee!)! It completely reaffirmed my love of the Twitter.

We promised Sarah that we would tweet some pics to her; here we are toasting her with our blueberry creamcicles (sparkling blueberry juice and whipped cream vodka):

And here is our blue foods spread:

Purple grapes, Washington apples, brie, blueberries and chocolate covered blueberries, Fig Newtons, blue corn chips, hummus (that wasn't blue, but was delish!), and goldfish! Also, red velvet cupcakes for the red velvet diary in the book. Whoever thought of that is the honorary book club rocket scientist.

Cannolis with purple sprinkles? Yes please!

Book club is always a blast--we're such a diverse, fun group of girls--and so far we've picked a bunch of diverse, fun books, so I always look forward to a meeting. The fact that Sarah Jio was conversing with us all meeting long was the icing on the cake. I think the only way the meeting could have been topped is if she was there in real life (her living in Seattle, and having recently had a baby were just a few minor obstacles). But rest assured, next time she does a book tour on the east coast, I am SO there!

Email this:

2011-07-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

The last week or so, I've noticed links to an Email Charter floating around the internets. What exactly is an Email Charter, you ask? Well, it might be my new favorite thing:

We're drowning in email. And the many hours we spend on it are generating ever more work for our friends and colleagues. We can reverse this spiral only by mutual agreement. Hence this Charter...

The Charter includes things like respect recipients' time; attack attachments; and slash surplus cc's. There are some days where I do feel like I'm drowning in email. Since I'm the only traciedesigns employee, I can't pass it off to anyone else to answer (or hand my work off so I can devote an entire day to responding to email). An Email Charter might not be the perfect solution, but when you're up to your eyeballs in email, it's a great start.

EOM/NNTR :)

Refreshed:

2011-07-05T08:45:00.002-05:00

So last week I told you guys that I had split my days between work and play.

Well, late Friday afternoon, I turned my computer off, and I didn't turn it back on until this morning. And let me tell you--especially coming from someone who is tethered to her computer--it felt great. I'm sitting at my desk first thing Tuesday morning, and I don't feel stressed, I feel calm, and ready to take on my day.

I could have worked this weekend--lord knows I had plenty to do (fortunately no screaming deadlines), but I'm really trying hard to work on my work/life balance, and I think I got it right this weekend. It was a great mix of friends, beer, parties, kids, pools, beach and fireworks--I can't think of a better way to kick off summer.

(last night's gorgeous sunset as we waited for the fireworks)

Week off:

2011-07-01T12:56:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, internet friends. This was the first full week of no school for my kids, and while the oldest and youngest had enough going on to keep them busy, the 7 year old (almost 8!) had a week of nada. To be fair, camp for her starts next week and continues for the rest of the summer, so I think 1 week of nothing was just fine.

But, she is 7 after all, and so boredom comes quick. We spent most of the week like this: let Mommy work in the morning, and we can do beach/playdates/whatever in the afternoon. She caught on quick.

So I haven't gone very far, friends; and I promise to be back starting next week... this week I just found myself with some sand between my toes (which was just fine by me).

Friday LOL:

2011-06-24T08:29:00.003-05:00

Today's LOL isn't funny so much as it's cool: Dear Photograph.

Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present.

The site is a mix of funny ("Any idea where them dinosaur shorts are at?") and poignant ("Dad never took a picture of me, ever. Then I noticed his reflection in the glass"), with a lot of memories mixed in.

It reminds me of a photo of myself, taken at a local park when I was around 2 or 3. When my cousin was born 14 years later, he looked so much like me at that age that my mother took him to the same park and photographed him on the same rock. When my eldest was the same age, we did the same thing. The 7 year old got the same photo, and this fall, the intern will have her turn to sit on the rock. It's pretty cool to look at all of these photos and see the park's changes through the years (much like Dear Photograph).

Cooking with color:

2011-06-21T07:00:00.003-05:00

I think I may have to find a new title for these types of recipe posts, because I have been cooking with the same palette of colors all year long.

Anywho. I love vegetables. And I especially love them in the summer, fresh from the garden. This "recipe" was made up one night when I was looking for an alternative pasta salad. I just tossed some veggies and pasta together, threw in some olive oil, and voila! Summer yumminess. This one is definitely a summer staple in our house.

Summertime Veggies and Pasta:
(please note that there are no amounts, as I don't really measure when I make this. The general rule of thumb is that I love veggies, so I try and do equal amounts veggies to pasta)

Cherry or grape tomatos
Any color pepper
Red onion
Capers
Fresh Basil
Pasta (brown rice pasta is yum with this--and normally I'm not a fan)
Olive oil
Salt

Chop up all your veggies into bite size pieces. Boil, and then cool, the pasta. Combine veggies, capers, basil and pasta. Add olive oil and salt, and mix. For extra spice, throw in a little hot pepper.

New work:

2011-06-20T09:20:00.004-05:00

traciedesigns edition.

Back over the winter holidays, I decided that I was (finally!) going to bite the bullet and redesign my website. I was tired of the brown, I needed to update my work, and there was a lot I wanted to do differently. So January 1, I hung a "be back soon" sign on my site, and set out to work.

Then, clients started calling.

Being a 1-woman show, I couldn't exactly ask them to wait until I finished my site, so, as usual, my personal work got put on the back burner. For a loooooooonnnnnnngggggg time. I would revisit it every now and again, trying to tweak things here and there... but I never really felt like it was finished enough to go live.

Well I don't know if it was prolonged sun exposure from the weekend or what, but I (finally!) bit the bullet last night and decided that I was just going to put up what I had--because lord knows that's better than a "be back soon" message--and tweak things along the way. And once it went up last night, I realized that there wasn't very much to tweak.

So ladies and gentlemen of the internet, I present to you the all new traciedesigns (version 3.0 if you're counting). I really feel that this site reflects my design style so much better than the last one did. I hope you all love it as much as I do!

Day off:

2011-06-15T10:07:00.005-05:00

The 25th anniversary of the release of Ferris Bueller's Day Off was this past weekend. Let's just let that sit for a moment, eh? 25 years ago, FBDO was released. 25. Years.

Yikes.

I remember seeing this movie in the theater (which I guess is a sign of getting older--sigh)! I remember staying during the credits to the very end. To this day I can't hear Yello's Oh Yeah without thinking Rooney eats it. Of course, I can't hear the Beatles' Twist and Shout without thinking of Ferris hamming it up on a parade float, either.

So of course when I saw illustrator Max Dalton's version of a FBDO board game, I ate it up.

If this were available for purchase, I would buy it in a heartbeat; maybe for the fact that I will always--no matter what I'm doing--stop to watch FBDO because it's such a great movie, or maybe because the vintage-type illustrations are just plain awesome. Either way, win/win.

Work hard, be kind:

2011-06-14T07:30:00.003-05:00

It starts off hysterical (natch), but towards the end, Conan O'Brien's commencement speech from Dartmouth is inspiring and awesome:

So, at the age of 47, after 25 years of obsessively pursuing my dream, that dream changed. For decades, in show business, the ultimate goal of every comedian was to host The Tonight Show. It was the Holy Grail, and like many people I thought that achieving that goal would define me as successful. But that is not true. No specific job or career goal defines me, and it should not define you. In 2000—in 2000—I told graduates to not be afraid to fail, and I still believe that. But today I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.

Many of you here today are getting your diploma at this Ivy League school because you have committed yourself to a dream and worked hard to achieve it. And there is no greater cliché in a commencement address than "follow your dream." Well I am here to tell you that whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that's okay...

I have told you many things today, most of it foolish but some of it true. I'd like to end my address by breaking a taboo and quoting myself from 17 months ago. At the end of my final program with NBC, just before signing off, I said "Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen." Today, receiving this honor and speaking to the Dartmouth Class of 2011 from behind a tree-trunk, I have never believed that more.

I can't think of better advice to give to recent college graduates--and anyone, really.

You can read the text of the speech here (but it's much more fun to watch it).

Feel good:

2011-06-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I participated in Relay for Life, an overnight fundraising event to benefit the American Cancer Society:

At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

For the second year, I was on team Survive, Thrive and Endure, one of 164 teams that participated. All in all, over $241,557.10 was raised by 2053 participants (our team raised over $7000)!

Saturday night into Sunday morning, I walked 12 miles in honor of both of my grandmothers. It was a chilly night (much colder than I had anticipated), and I don't remember being as exhausted so early on last year, but it was a great night. While I had a good time with my friends, the cause and mood were not lost. Looking forward to doing it next year!

Friday LOL: Baseball Edition

2011-05-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

As we head into the weekend that traditionally begins summer, I thought more Alec Baldwin/John Krasinski baseball laughs were in order:

"You have the hands of a plumber!"

Poster love:

2011-05-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am really digging on these Sasha Blair-designed posters for the Washington Lottery:

Great typography, whimsical illustrations... all in all, these posters are definitely winners (see what I did there?).

Themes:

2011-05-23T10:10:00.000-05:00

I don't look back on the old Mac OS (pre OS X) design fondly, but you have to admit, it does make a quirky Wordpress theme:

Friday LOL: Hipster edition

2011-05-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Dads are the original hipsters: high-larious.

Your dad wore Chuck Taylors before you did. Those were his “Just do it” shoes. He could ran faster, jump higher and ride your mom longer because of them. The only training you hipsters have done in those shoes are Natural Spirit chain smoking marathons and smug bike rides to dive bars. I wish time travel was real, just so your dad could kick your own ass for wearing the shoes that he made a legend.

Love it.

Exciting:

2011-05-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

A Marimekko online shop, via Crate + Barrel? Sign me up, please!

Surprise, surprise: I love Marimekko prints! The bold, colorful designs always make me feel so happy. In fact, if I didn't already love my comforter, I would totally spring for this bedding set:

Adorbs, right?

Revised work:

2011-05-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

trishareger.com

The interior design firm Reger has been my client for years. They started with a snazzy flash website that showcased their beautiful work (go ahead, flip through their portfolio section, I'll wait). Unfortunately, we all know about the iPhone, iPad, and the subsequent demise of flash.

Recently they wanted to update their website, and wanted to be more visible on mobile devices. I think we all know where this is headed... no more flash-based website!

The design of the site is basically the same as when it was programed with flash, and what they lost in fluidity going from page to page, they more than made up for in the time the site loads. The entire team at Reger is thrilled they made the switch, as am I.

Yay, revised work!

Want:

2011-05-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Holy hell, I need to get me a letterpress necklace, pronto:

Gorgeousness.

(via Joanna Goddard)

Monday LOL: silly edition

2011-05-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, a girl's just gotta to ask herself: am I wearing pants?

With the onset of leggings, jeggings, and other questionable -eggings, sometimes a girl's gotta consult a high power to determine if her legs are covered in proper attire.

Not sure if you're wearing pants? Check out this flowchart in it's entirety here.

Like:

2011-05-04T08:08:00.004-05:00

I was in a Starbucks recently, and this CD was at the counter:

(Starbucks sidebar: new coconut mocha frappuccino. Try it. Seriously, you can thank me later)

So, I'm all waiting in line, and this kd lang CD catches my eye. I love the layout--I would totally buy this based on the cover art alone.; nice photo, gorgeous type. Well, of course it's gorgeous because the next day, my type-design crush Ale Paul tweeted:

Photo: k.d.lang new album using Mrs Sheppards! Sing it loud…

Love it.

Wednesday LOL (interior design edition):

2011-04-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

What if you lived at Ikea? Come on, you know you've walked around an Ikea store wanting to do this!

Tuesday LOL:

2011-04-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you need to laugh on a Tuesday, too.

Last week, I was watching Parks and Recreation--which is becoming more and more a favorite, the more and more I watch it--and this happened:

I'm pretty sure Ron Swanson might be Mattio's hero.

Want:

2011-04-25T10:27:00.004-05:00

I pity the fool that doesn't have this Mr. T teapot + mug set. Now quit yo jibba jabba and go out and get one. And don't give me no back talk, either.

First name mister, middle name period, last name, T. (I just added that one because it's my favorite. Did you know it's from Silver Spoons??)

(link found via swissmiss)

Friday LOL (interwebs edition):

2011-04-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

I think we all have some of these Facebook "friends" in our lives:

Altoids "Curiously Strong Awards" from Marc Ritzema on Vimeo.

(via swissmiss)

Cooking with color:

2011-04-20T07:58:00.003-05:00

I've been sort-of vegetarian for the past 15 years--actually, I was a straight veggie for the first 7, and when I found out I was pregnant, I added poultry to my diet in an effort to get more protein (well, that and I was so nauseous the first trimester that *when* I could eat, it didn't really matter what it was. But let's go with the whole protein thing).

One of the reasons I went veggie was that I'm not crazy for the taste and texture of meat--so when I added chicken and turkey to my diet, I wasn't out eating turkey burgers left and right, because, well, the texture of a burger--no matter what it's made with--is gross to me.

That is, until I found this recipe. The thing I love most about it is that it breaks up all the meatiness with loads of veggies. You can use as many or as few veggies as you like--although, if you go overboard with the veggies, the burgers fall apart on the grill. Trust me--I know this from experience. Veggie turkey burgers are a staple in my house come grilling season--they are so yum!

You'll need:
1+ lb of ground turkey
Veggies! I like to use 1 pepper, and 1 onion, but I always try and mix it up. Sometimes I'll do half of a red pepper, and half of a green pepper; a lot of times I like to throw in some jalapenos, or another type of hot pepper to spice things up a bit.
1/3 cup shredded cheese
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
a smidge of black pepper
a generous smidge of garlic salt

Dice all your veggies in a bowl. Add the ground turkey, cheese, ketchup, soy sauce, pepper and garlic salt and mix it up good. Form into patties, and grill!

*Hint: the colder your meat is, the better the patties hold their shape on the grill. Sometimes I'll make these in the afternoon and refrigerate the uncooked patties so they're easier to handle on the grill.

Want:

2011-04-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

This Shoes Appreciation Society Poster (and, well, duh, membership into said society):

(via gariphic)

Listen:

2011-04-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

OK. I know there have been rumors, and you guys, I'm finally admitting it. For all the world (or, at the very least, the internets) to read:

I kindofsortofmaybe like the new Britney Spears song.

So much so, that I kindofsortofmaybe downloaded it. From iTunes--like, I paid for it and everything.

You guys, don't judge! I can't help it--it's so damn catchy! And my Friday spin teacher--who's all kinds of fun, and makes class fly by awesomely fast because she has pretty decent taste in music (hello? LL Cool J spin? Hells yeah!)--has been playing it for WEEKS, and it wasn't until I shazammed it that I realized it was Britney.

And then I was all, well, NOW WHAT? Next thing you know, I'll be listening to boy bands, putting money in their pockets. And then it would be like I didn't even know me anymore.

Fortunately, there is a happy ending. And this happy ending features none other than my other fave female singer at the moment (the one who doesn't need all kinds of digital manipulation to sound good): Adele. Ladies and gentlemen, the best of both worlds--here's Adele's Rolling in the Deep, mashed up with Britney's Dancing Till the World ends.

Friday LOL (baseball edition):

2011-04-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've always loved Alec Baldwin, but I especially love him in full Jack Donaghy (as a Yankee fan!) mode. He definitely doesn't disappoint debating with John Krasinski (uh, I hope he's really not a Sox fan!) in this New Era commercial:

"Go ahead, celebrate in April, we'll dance in October." Made me love him just a little bit more...

Cool:

2011-04-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

When your friends who make music announce they are getting married, of course you are going to want to make them a wedding invitation that doubles as a paper record player:

Paper Record Player from kellianderson on Vimeo.

There is WAY too much to love here; starting with the fact that it would have been really easy for this designer to burn the song onto a CD, and package it with the invitation. Instead, she did a TON of research, and made a record. And since few people have turntables these days, she also made a paper record player to play said record on.

So much thought, so much care (so much science! And math!) went into this, it's awesome, adorable, and, well, awesome, all rolled into one. Plus, imagine the bragging rights the bride and groom have: "Oh, your wedding invitations were made out of paper, too? Yeah, but could they PLAY RECORDS???"

(via twitter)

New work:

2011-04-13T09:03:00.006-05:00

You know what's a really fun project for me? Anything that has to do with a wedding.

I LOVE weddings! They are such happy occasions--plus it usually gives me an excuse to buy a new pair of shoes :)

But seriously, anything wedding-based is alright by me; I'm actually working on some invitation designs for my brother in law and his fiancée, and just last night I found out that a good friend got engaged, and he asked if I would do their invitations, too. SQUEAL!!

But back to the project at hand. Lydia Ross Taplett hired me this winter for a new logo, and internet friends, I got excited. Lydia is a wedding planner, who just happens to have incredible taste. In our initial meeting, when I asked her about other logos that she liked, it was pretty much like talking to myself. How awesome is that?

First, I played around with her initials. But I didn't want to go the traditional monogram route, because I feel like for weddings, that's done a lot:

I love the font Fling so much that I want to marry it. I thought it would be the perfect fancy-but-fun script:

One of the things Lydia noted in our initial meeting was a love of Greek key patterns. I found inspiration there, while designing something that would also make for a nice icon:

A tiara! No wedding would be complete without a tiara!

These next 2 logos incorporate the very technical design term "swirlies." I love playing with swirlies, and thought that this was a good way to incorporate some "wedding" into the logo, without going full on church script:

I know owls are the big thing right now, but man, I think hummingbrids rock. Plus, if you think about it, a wedding planner is like a hummingbird, all moving so fast behind the scenes you can't even see her:

Finally, incorporating a little Martha into it. I love the icon, and the script was placement for something a little more custom-y handwriting:

And, the winner is...

Hummingbird!

I'm so glad Lydia chose this logo, as there is SO. MUCH. we can do with the swirlies (there's that very technical design term again). I've already done an ad for her for Westport Magazine, incorporating those swirlies into it, and it was so. much. fun! Plus, I not-so-secretly love the subtle gradation at the bottom of the swirlies. Next up: I'm working on a blog redesign for her--can we say swirlies on the web?!

April showers:

2011-04-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

Well, if April is going to insist on being all rainy and chilly (weren't we JUST talking about peeptoes?? Come on, Mother Nature!), the least we could all do is look cute out in such dreary weather. I'm all for this impossibly adorable rain coat (or Rainyday Duffle, as theiy're calling it) from Boden:

Oh, look at that: they have it in my size. Let's pair it up with some classic Hunter boots (in a fun color, natch):

Now let's go play in the puddles.

Shoes:

2011-04-05T13:42:00.002-05:00

It's time.

Time to put away the boots. Time to put away everything fur-lined. Friends, it's time to break out the peep-toes.

While it's certainly not warm enough (in Connecticut, anyway) for sandals, it's time to start thinking Spring. And that, my friends, means peep-toed shoes, and--of course--pedicures.

And while you're at it, enjoy this adorable post about kate spade staffers' slightly unhealthy (says who??) obsession with shoes. If I worked ~~in an office~~ at kate spade, I would be hoarding shoes this way, too.

Get crafty:

2011-04-04T12:21:00.004-05:00

This weekend, I got myself a little crafty. OK, on the craft scale of things, it was probably a way lot crafty. It involved multiple trips to Staples and Home Depot. It involved a power staple gun (after the guy at Home Depot told me that mine wasn't powerful enough, I thought he was saying that *I* wasn't powerful enough. I got way super insulted. Then, once I realized what he was talking about, I got way super embarrassed).

People, the dining room chairs got a nice little face lift this weekend. Let's take a look at before, shall we?

Oh, what's that? The stains don't look that bad (OK, really, they do. But I'm going to zoom in for you anyway).

Yes, this is what happens after 8 years and 3 kids get to them.

But now let's get to the fun part, the after. As I said earlier, I found 5 different kinds of fabric that I loved, and that I thought would be perfect for the project. I couldn't decide, and they all looked great together, so we used all 5 (even though we have 6 chairs. Two chairs have the same fabric).

The dining room is actually part of our living room--the walls are light and medium gray, and the sofa is charcoal. We're using yellow and orange accents throughout the room, so you can only imagine the squeals of excitement when I found this fabric.

Of course, we still have 3 children (one of whom is three years old). And some of these fabrics are pretty white. So I'm just going to enjoy these while they're still stain-free. And of course, stock up on those Tide stain remover pens.

Friday LOL (clever edition):

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Anti-theft lunch bags.

I have heard horror stories of people in larger offices losing their midday meal to lunch thieves. Fortunately for me, I've always worked in smaller offices, so I've never really had that problem. But if I ever do, I'm totally getting some of these bags. Awesomeness.

(Thanks Lee Moody, for the link!)

Rant:

2011-03-30T12:56:00.003-05:00

Packages.

I love the internet, and I love the convenience of ordering things off the internet, and having them delivered to me. Know what I don't love? This:

(and no, I'm not talking about the pants--but more on how adorbs those are in a sec)

So, package on the right: 2 toddler sized shirts, and 1 toddler sized pair of pants. Teeny tiny box, for teeny tiny clothes. Way to go, Gymboree!

Package on the left: not loving it so much. The only thing that came in it was the pictured envelope liner templates--yes, they are the width of the box, but what the photo isn't showing you is that A) they're about as thick as a piece of cardboard; and B) that box is 4.5" high (and filled with all sorts of plastic air pockets). For reals, they couldn't ship that in an envelope (I would imagine that the cost to ship an envelope would be less expensive as well)??

This isn't the first time this has happened. Over the holidays, I ordered gift cards, which cost me $5 to ship. And they came in a box. Gift cards. In a box. The silliness--and wastefulness--of it boggles my mind.

OK, now to the pants: seriously, how cute is the intern going to look in those fancy-pants! Adorable, right? Know what's not adorable? Wasteful packaging!

(OK, rant over)

Winning:

2011-03-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

Logo Lounge Master Series Book 4: Typography and Enclosures.

See that book title up there? Yeah, I'm totally going to be in it.

I KNOW.

I can't even begin to tell you guys how totally thrilled I was when that email showed up. Aside from the fact that it is a HA-YOOOOOOGE honor to have one's work selected for inclusion in ANY of the books put out by Logo Lounge, the email was perfectly timed. Friday afternoon, a file that I had been struggling with all week long crashed, and--to add insult to injury--corrupted.

Yep, I was starting from scratch.

So Saturday morning, I locked myself in my office, and started working. When I heard the PING! of my email, I was so unfocused on the annoying task at hand that I immediately checked--and boy, am I glad I did. Because upon seeing the words

You are receiving this email because your logos have been selected to be in Master Book 4.

I immediately forgot all my woes and did the happiest of happy dances.

While there isn't a ton of info on this Master Library book, previous versions have included "...3,000 outstanding very focused logo designs from the LogoLounge.com database..."

Dude. Outstanding. Very focused.

OK, OK, enough of my rambling. Which logo was selected?

Well Written is a logo I did for a company started by an independent writer/editor.

I am so BEYOND psyched to be published in this book (in case you couldn't tell), I can't even begin to describe it. Time to start celebrating!

True love:

2011-03-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Twitter.

Sorry internet friends, this is yet another post that doubles as a love letter to my most favoritest social media application, like, ever.

Why? Why do I love the Twitter so, so much? Last Thursday, the answer became very clear to me in 3 distinct tweets.

Tweet #1: Oh Joy for Target:
Joy is a super cool graphic designer, who wrote a super cool book about being a graphic designer, as well as having a super cool blog that chronicles her super cool taste. Via Twitter, I found out that she has a line of notebooks coming out at Target. This is awesome because, obviously, I admire her style (and will be purchasing said notebooks), and also, because I follow her tweets, have read her book, and was genuinely happy to hear about her success.

Tweet #2: Alejandro Paul and the Daily Drop Cap:
I have professed my love of type designer Alejandro Paul before. His work is simply stunning, and I think Daily Drop Cap creator Jessica Hische (who I also have a design crush on) sums it up well when she says:

Ale makes fonts that designers love. They’ve got a lot of personality, are well crafted, and include all sorts of extra characters, ligatures, and swashes that make designing with them super fun. I cannot believe how prolific this man is. I don’t hesitate to direct people to his fonts (here’s a link to both veer and myfonts) when they approach me for lettering but have no budget or no time, his work is pretty much the next best thing to custom lettering.

Turns out that last week, Alejandro was the guest designer for her ongoing Daily Drop Cap project. LOVE.

Tweet # 3: Gary Hustwit appearing on Design Chat:
Design Chat is a weekly video conversation between host Ryan McGovern and an inspiring member of the design community. Past guests include the likes of Swiss Miss (Tina Roth Eisenberg), Debbie Millman and Sean Adams. Apparently, Ryan (and another Twitter friend, @gariphic) have been using Twitter to persuade the acclaimed Helvetica and Objectified producer to be on the show. Hustwit's response (via Twitter, of course)?

Okay okay, I give! But it's going to have to be sometime later this summer, okay? Cheers!

See that? Twitter totally brought them together!

Yes, to some people, Twitter is yet another way to broadcast what they had for lunch. But for me, it's a way to meet new people, and get information, especially about the creative community and things that I'm interested in.

Oh, Twitter, don't ever change.