Current state:
Seriously, you guys. If you're not in New England, I can't even begin to describe the amount of snow--here in Fairfield we got 35 inches. THIRTY FIVE INCHES. The majority of the snow fell Friday into Saturday, and as of Monday morning we are still not completely dug out.
It's insane.
2.11.2013
2.08.2013
Just stuff I see that I like: 2.8.13
File approved, release to printer.
My 5 favorite words this week. 1 client has said them to me--waiting on 1 more!
Seen + noted this week:
From the "This Person Has Too Much Time on Their Hands" department: Gangnam Style, drawn by hand.
Last week was the final episode of 30 Rock--and while I haven't watched the show in a while, I did enjoy it in it's prime. Here's a fun list of infographics based on 30 Rock jokes ("It's after 6. What am I, a farmer?" gets me every time. If there was one role Alec Baldwin was born to play, it was Jack Donaghy).
Last week was also a pretty big, fancy football game. During the game, the lights went out. And people tweeted about it. Some of those tweets were funny.
People: pay your graphic designers. Well, really, pay anyone who does any sort of work for you. But seriously, when you don't pay the person who has access to your web server, this happens.
Memos from the 80s (30 YEARS AGO, if you're into feeling old) are funny, especially this one from the New York Times, citing their computer policy.
It's getting real in the Whole Foods parking lot. Funny.
Instagram of the week:
The weather forecast here is snow, snow, snow--and I for one, can't wait! We are hunkering down Saturday, and saving our energy for Sunday when we'll hopefully be skiing on fresh powder. I hope you guys all have a great weekend, no matter what the weather brings you!
My 5 favorite words this week. 1 client has said them to me--waiting on 1 more!
Seen + noted this week:
From the "This Person Has Too Much Time on Their Hands" department: Gangnam Style, drawn by hand.
Last week was the final episode of 30 Rock--and while I haven't watched the show in a while, I did enjoy it in it's prime. Here's a fun list of infographics based on 30 Rock jokes ("It's after 6. What am I, a farmer?" gets me every time. If there was one role Alec Baldwin was born to play, it was Jack Donaghy).
Last week was also a pretty big, fancy football game. During the game, the lights went out. And people tweeted about it. Some of those tweets were funny.
People: pay your graphic designers. Well, really, pay anyone who does any sort of work for you. But seriously, when you don't pay the person who has access to your web server, this happens.
Memos from the 80s (30 YEARS AGO, if you're into feeling old) are funny, especially this one from the New York Times, citing their computer policy.
It's getting real in the Whole Foods parking lot. Funny.
Instagram of the week:
This past weekend, we traveled to Philadelphia... basically for lunch. We had a crazy night Saturday night, and our kids all had to be in different places at different times, but the teenager's photography was going to be on display at Drexel University, and the opening day was Saturday, so how could we not go? Logistics wouldn't allow for us to make a weekend out of it, so Saturday morning we dropped the other 2 kids off with helpful friends and family, and we drove 3 hours to Philly, ate lunch at Drexel Pizza, saw Ashlee's artwork, and drove the 3 hours back home. We might've been in Philly for an hour and a half--but very worth it to see the teenager's work up on a gallery wall. And, quite frankly, the talent on those walls was amazing. So the Instagram of the week is the teenager's gallery debut--hopefully the first of many.
2.06.2013
Speechless
Sometimes I come across something so jaw-droppingly beautiful, it leaves me speechless (hard to imagine, I know). But seriously--these graphite drawings by cuban artist Jorge López Pardo? I can't. There just are no words to describe the beauty.
López Pardo uses a plane as a symbol of the modern man who undergoes the trials and tribulations of life—struggling with inner dilemmas, from loneliness to one's own personal path. They are artistic portrayals of the plight of man.
To explain his chosen subject López Pardo says, "A plane has no boundaries—in fact, it’s always breaking them." He also points out their globally recognized form and the multicultural cargo and passengers any given aircraft holds. His message about the contemporary man's internal struggle is a universal one. The artist explains, "The sobriety and the formal synthesis, as well as the vague environments, make these works spaces for a gaze toward the interior, a search that exceeds the limits of the machine and becomes eminently human."
2.04.2013
Watch this
Football is stupid, and Downton was on, and you've probably seen most of the commercials anyway so I'm not going to be doing any Super Bowl recapping today.
Instead, I'm going to show you a commercial that aired locally in CT during last night's game. It's for the Smilow Cancer Center at Yale, and features the Chamber singers of my 9 year old's children's choir (she's not in the Chamber Choir--yet) singing Smilow's feature song, Closer to Free, in a flash mob at Union Station in New Haven.
If you can't watch this without crying (and maybe it's just me; some of the singers are friends/siblings of friends with my kids--and, you know, the whole, people surviving cancer), then you definitely should not watch the 3 minute cut, which is even more impressive.
Everything about this is so amazing: the singers (that kid that gets up to sing at first--can you imagine being him??), the dancers, the looks on people's faces... Love, love love it. Much better than some of last night's national ads, no?
Instead, I'm going to show you a commercial that aired locally in CT during last night's game. It's for the Smilow Cancer Center at Yale, and features the Chamber singers of my 9 year old's children's choir (she's not in the Chamber Choir--yet) singing Smilow's feature song, Closer to Free, in a flash mob at Union Station in New Haven.
If you can't watch this without crying (and maybe it's just me; some of the singers are friends/siblings of friends with my kids--and, you know, the whole, people surviving cancer), then you definitely should not watch the 3 minute cut, which is even more impressive.
Everything about this is so amazing: the singers (that kid that gets up to sing at first--can you imagine being him??), the dancers, the looks on people's faces... Love, love love it. Much better than some of last night's national ads, no?
2.01.2013
Just stuff I see that I like: 2.1.13
This week has been filled with lots of little odds and ends for me: I'm working on a couple of website designs, some stationery suites, and a client just got back to me regarding a logo I worked on before the holidays. She didn't pick my first choice, which is a little more than the usual bummer; as I worked so hard on the concept behind it, and I truly, truly loved it. Don't get me wrong, I still like the logo she ended up going with--just not as much as my first choice. Ah well, you win some, you lose some; and--in this case--some just end up coming in second place.
Seen + noted this week:
Ladies and gentlemen (but mostly ladies): may I present John Slattery at the SAG Awards. Normally I'm a Jon Hamm kind of girl, but really, the suit? The glasses? THE HAIR?? I die.
Speaking of I die... check out these Underwater Dogs photos. A small handful of the dogs look vicious, but most are completely head-over-heels adorable.
I'm embarrassed to say how I came across this link for calligrapher Rajiv Surendra's website (I'm not saying I did, but I might have found it in a Buzzfeed article titled Where the Guys From Mean Girls Are Now. I said MIGHT). Anywho, don't read that Buzzfeed article--if I did read it I would report that it's 100% useless and not that entertaining--instead check out Rajiv's beautiful work. Much more visually pleasing.
I love the idea behind this This Downton Abbey Super Nintendo game, even though it looks more painfully boring than "tastefully exciting." The video is cute, especially the background theme music.
Speaking of Downton... Recapping This past week's episode, or what I like to call, HOLY CRAP! Or the much lighter Season 3, episode 4 recap via Facebook.
Claire Danes + crying = Claire Danes Cry Face Project. Made me giggle.
I can't decide if I like this new Vine app or not. I think if my kids knew about it, they'd have a field day (they love making videos). Have you used it yet? What do you think?
Instagram of the week:
Wednesday morning was super foggy here--you could barely see in front of you. I made the girls walk to school, because prior to that it was raining, and prior to that it was about 2 degrees--for a week. When I got home from Wednesday morning's walk, my hair could best be described as "Afro." But the fresh air and the dense fog blurring everything was worth it.This weekend we're off to Philly for the teenager's photography exhibit! I can't wait! We usually go skiing Super Bowl Sunday, but because we have such a busy Saturday I'm not sure that's going to happen. We will be hunkered down Sunday night, with Mattio more interested in the game and myself more interested in the ads (and Downton, natch). I hope your weekend is just as fun as ours promises to be!
Seen + noted this week:
Ladies and gentlemen (but mostly ladies): may I present John Slattery at the SAG Awards. Normally I'm a Jon Hamm kind of girl, but really, the suit? The glasses? THE HAIR?? I die.
Speaking of I die... check out these Underwater Dogs photos. A small handful of the dogs look vicious, but most are completely head-over-heels adorable.
I'm embarrassed to say how I came across this link for calligrapher Rajiv Surendra's website (I'm not saying I did, but I might have found it in a Buzzfeed article titled Where the Guys From Mean Girls Are Now. I said MIGHT). Anywho, don't read that Buzzfeed article--if I did read it I would report that it's 100% useless and not that entertaining--instead check out Rajiv's beautiful work. Much more visually pleasing.
I love the idea behind this This Downton Abbey Super Nintendo game, even though it looks more painfully boring than "tastefully exciting." The video is cute, especially the background theme music.
Speaking of Downton... Recapping This past week's episode, or what I like to call, HOLY CRAP! Or the much lighter Season 3, episode 4 recap via Facebook.
Claire Danes + crying = Claire Danes Cry Face Project. Made me giggle.
I can't decide if I like this new Vine app or not. I think if my kids knew about it, they'd have a field day (they love making videos). Have you used it yet? What do you think?
Instagram of the week:
1.31.2013
Watch this
More video... this time, from Disney.
If you suffered through Wreck It Ralph this summer, than your patience was rewarded before the movie even started with this beautiful, silent animated short, Paperman.
From Time:
First-time director John Kahrs employed a technique—a groundbreaking hybrid approach using a software called Meander—that fuses the hand-drawn 2D animation that gives Paperman its old-school look on top of a CG world. Producer Kristina Reed said, in her official comments on the film, that the goal was not to make a photorealistic CGI look but instead to bring an artistic touch, with drawings that were transferred to computer without losing any of the original expressiveness of the work. Art director Jeff Turley added that the graininess, soft focus and style of photographers like Ansel Adams and Berenice Abbott inspired the unique look of Paperman.
Makes me smile every time I watch it.
1.30.2013
Wish I could watch this
One of my favorite Twitter accounts lately is @SeinfeldToday. The premise is pretty simple: "What if Seinfeld were still on the air?" Basically, it's a Seinfeld plot--in today's world--in 140 characters. And, really--if you're a fan of the show, can you not see these totally working?
Kramer follows his car's GPS voice wherever it says, even though it's broken. KRAMER:"She's a professional, Jerry!" JERRY:"She's not real!"
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) January 25, 2013
Kramer pitches Amazon a Kindle with no screen that reads books out loud. JERRY: "You mean audio books? That's audio books! We have those."
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) January 24, 2013
In light of the Manti Te'o story, Jerry, George, and Elaine begin to doubt Bob Sacamano exists. KRAMER:"Oh he's real. He's real alright!"
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) January 24, 2013
Jerry's gf (Carla Gugino) is mad he can't "speak emoji." JERRY:"It says building, crying cat, clock!" KRAMER:"She's running late, Jerry!"
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) January 22, 2013
A homeless man refuses Elaine's offer of a used first-gen iPad. George carries an empty Starbucks cup so he can use WiFi at any location.
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) January 18, 2013
Hysterical. I can envision every single tweet as an episode, and I love it. Even better is that they are good about posting a couple per day. It's like a gift-wrapped present every day, designed to make me giggle.
1.28.2013
Watch this
Volkswagen's pretty funny pre-Super Bowl ad (featuring viral YouTube "stars" best known for being upset):
It's no The Force, but it's cute.
It's no The Force, but it's cute.
1.25.2013
Just stuff I see that I like: 1.25.13
I know, I know, I've been writing a lot about Caliber Collection--but it is truly exciting to see all of the press they are getting! The LA Times, NY Post, Yahoo... I could go on and on, but instead, I'll just link to the Buzzfeed article that has a lovely banner image of the packing.
Speaking of Caliber Collection packaging, I'm thrilled to tell you all that I recently won an American Package Design Award for it (man, we have a house FULL of winners this week!). The American Package Design Awards are put out through the trade magazine GD USA, and I am so thrilled to be a part of it.
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Seen + noted this week:
Mad Men season 6 cast photos are here! Mad Men season 6 cast photos are here!
The Fascinating Business Cards of 20 Famous People: Not sure how real this is, but in any case, my faves are Steve Martin and Andy Warhol. Super cool to see Abe Lincoln's business card, no?
Speaking of Lincoln, have you seen his inaugural ball menu? With items like pickled oysters, tongue en gelée, and boned and roast grouse, I don't think I would have enjoyed it very much--no wonder there was a food fight. Although. That whole right column is dessert-type food, yet there is a separate (and lame) dessert category at the bottom. Huh.
Here's food (OK, drink, but hello? Segue?) I can get behind: beer. Specifically, The Intersection of Color Design and Beer. I love the idea behind a swatchbook of beer colors! Also, cool logo.
I want this job: graphic designer for film and television. I mean, really. How freaking cool is this?
And finally, yet another well-designed (and fun to look at) annual report, this time from Mail Chimp.
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Instagram of the week:
The temperature has been hovering around 10 degrees here in CT--certainly not the winter norm. While I like to ski, and I like the winter, 10 degrees is far too cold, and 5 straight days of it is ridiculous. So I've got my fingers firmly crossed that Mother Nature is going to ease up a bit. In the meantime, I am dreaming of wearing these cute gold sparkle flats that I scored at Target for a mere $7.
Speaking of Caliber Collection packaging, I'm thrilled to tell you all that I recently won an American Package Design Award for it (man, we have a house FULL of winners this week!). The American Package Design Awards are put out through the trade magazine GD USA, and I am so thrilled to be a part of it.
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Seen + noted this week:
Mad Men season 6 cast photos are here! Mad Men season 6 cast photos are here!
The Fascinating Business Cards of 20 Famous People: Not sure how real this is, but in any case, my faves are Steve Martin and Andy Warhol. Super cool to see Abe Lincoln's business card, no?
Speaking of Lincoln, have you seen his inaugural ball menu? With items like pickled oysters, tongue en gelée, and boned and roast grouse, I don't think I would have enjoyed it very much--no wonder there was a food fight. Although. That whole right column is dessert-type food, yet there is a separate (and lame) dessert category at the bottom. Huh.
Here's food (OK, drink, but hello? Segue?) I can get behind: beer. Specifically, The Intersection of Color Design and Beer. I love the idea behind a swatchbook of beer colors! Also, cool logo.
I want this job: graphic designer for film and television. I mean, really. How freaking cool is this?
And finally, yet another well-designed (and fun to look at) annual report, this time from Mail Chimp.
----
Instagram of the week:
The temperature has been hovering around 10 degrees here in CT--certainly not the winter norm. While I like to ski, and I like the winter, 10 degrees is far too cold, and 5 straight days of it is ridiculous. So I've got my fingers firmly crossed that Mother Nature is going to ease up a bit. In the meantime, I am dreaming of wearing these cute gold sparkle flats that I scored at Target for a mere $7.
1.23.2013
Winner, winner, chicken dinner
Two photography celebrations at my house this week:
First, one of the teenager's photos has been included in the Drexel University High School Contest Exhibition! Out of 1825 entries received, hers was one of the 140 chosen to be in the exhibition. We're going to the opening reception on February 2, and I'm sure I'm going to be the mom that teenager's nightmares are made of, because I am just bursting with pride. Here's the photo that was selected, Burned:
Second, the 9-year old dabbled into photography for this year's PTA Reflections contest, and ended up winning 2nd place in her school! The theme was, the Magic of a Moment; and if you don't know the intern, then you should know that not only is this the perfect representation of her personality, but there is a lot of magic in this moment.
I couldn't be more proud of both of my budding photographers!
First, one of the teenager's photos has been included in the Drexel University High School Contest Exhibition! Out of 1825 entries received, hers was one of the 140 chosen to be in the exhibition. We're going to the opening reception on February 2, and I'm sure I'm going to be the mom that teenager's nightmares are made of, because I am just bursting with pride. Here's the photo that was selected, Burned:
Second, the 9-year old dabbled into photography for this year's PTA Reflections contest, and ended up winning 2nd place in her school! The theme was, the Magic of a Moment; and if you don't know the intern, then you should know that not only is this the perfect representation of her personality, but there is a lot of magic in this moment.
I couldn't be more proud of both of my budding photographers!
1.21.2013
Whatever, paper cutter
Sometimes I have to comp things up for clients and sometimes I might be a big baby about it. Cutting out 1 or 2 business cards is fine, but 5 different stationery suites? Ugh. I usually cut myself; and heaven forbid there's any spray adhesive involved--I'm sticky for like, a week. I swear it's like I'm a kindergartener; except that kindergartners probably handle x-acto knives better.
So it is with great awe that I watched this video, depicting the re-creation of Beck's new album cover (lettered by the fab Jessica Hische) in paper art. Like, this person is CUTTING and CURLING all those little pieces of paper. And if that's not enough, they then glue them in specific places to mimic the album cover design.
WHAT THE WHAT.
I need to hire this person, stat.
So it is with great awe that I watched this video, depicting the re-creation of Beck's new album cover (lettered by the fab Jessica Hische) in paper art. Like, this person is CUTTING and CURLING all those little pieces of paper. And if that's not enough, they then glue them in specific places to mimic the album cover design.
WHAT THE WHAT.
I need to hire this person, stat.
1.18.2013
Just stuff that I see that I like
The other day, I blogged about Caliber Collection, a project I was fortunate enough to work on. They've been getting CAR-RAZY amounts of press lately (yay!), and I think the ultimate was Newark mayor Cory Booker presenting Rachel Maddow with 2 bracelets on her show:
YOU GUYS. I can't even explain to you how excited I am about this. First of all, Cory Booker is like, holding packaging that I designed. AND THEN HE GAVE IT TO RACHEL MADDOW. And then, she held up the bracelet... with the tag dangling just so... and the super cool tag that I designed... was backwards, and not shown on national television.
Ah, well. It's been a super great week for Caliber and I couldn't be happier for them. Tag, or no tag.
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Seen + noted this week:
Old(ish) news: The White House officially denied a petition to build a Death Star.
Not to be outdone, the Galactic Empire then responded back (Some might say the Empire Strikes Back. Heh heh).
Warby Parker released their 2012 annual report, and it's a treat to look at (and read).
This made me giggle: 20 of the Most Ridiculous Job Titles in History (The guy who's a Bear Biologist and Paper Folder makes me curious).
This note--taped up in a university bathroom stall--is beautiful.
Finally, here's a super cute Instagram pic of my dog, who (clearly) likes to sleep in weird positions. Yes, she is sleeping with her front paw straight out in front of her, way up off the ground. Someone told me that dogs who sleep all weird like this are happy dogs. Mine must be thrilled.
YOU GUYS. I can't even explain to you how excited I am about this. First of all, Cory Booker is like, holding packaging that I designed. AND THEN HE GAVE IT TO RACHEL MADDOW. And then, she held up the bracelet... with the tag dangling just so... and the super cool tag that I designed... was backwards, and not shown on national television.
Ah, well. It's been a super great week for Caliber and I couldn't be happier for them. Tag, or no tag.
----
Seen + noted this week:
Old(ish) news: The White House officially denied a petition to build a Death Star.
Not to be outdone, the Galactic Empire then responded back (Some might say the Empire Strikes Back. Heh heh).
Warby Parker released their 2012 annual report, and it's a treat to look at (and read).
This made me giggle: 20 of the Most Ridiculous Job Titles in History (The guy who's a Bear Biologist and Paper Folder makes me curious).
This note--taped up in a university bathroom stall--is beautiful.
Finally, here's a super cute Instagram pic of my dog, who (clearly) likes to sleep in weird positions. Yes, she is sleeping with her front paw straight out in front of her, way up off the ground. Someone told me that dogs who sleep all weird like this are happy dogs. Mine must be thrilled.
Happy weekend!
1.17.2013
Everything Ipsum
Way back in 2011, the internet seemed like it was a flutter over "ipsum" websites (for those who don't know, Lorem Ipsum is placeholder text in a layout [It's Latin, and doesn't really make much sense]). There were sites like Gangsta Ipsum and--Mattio's favorite--Bacon Ipsum--basically nonsensical gangster and bacon gibberish that could be used in lieu of regular, boring, plain Lorem Ipsum.
Mattio and I had a brilliant idea of making all kinds of Ipsums: shoe ipsums, beer ipsums, you name it; and host them all on one website called Everything Ipsum--basically choose your own Ipsum (OK, how many more times can I say Ipsum in that sentence??). And way back in 2011, I must have had hella free time on my hands, because I even designed a logo:
Mattio and I had a brilliant idea of making all kinds of Ipsums: shoe ipsums, beer ipsums, you name it; and host them all on one website called Everything Ipsum--basically choose your own Ipsum (OK, how many more times can I say Ipsum in that sentence??). And way back in 2011, I must have had hella free time on my hands, because I even designed a logo:
Unfortunately, the hella free time didn't last long, because aside from a logo, not much else got done. But still, cool idea, right?
Right it is, because somebody else has gone and done all of the hard work and cataloged all of the Ipsum websites for us!
It's not Everything Ipsum, it's Choose Your Ipsum. And internet, you don't ever let me down. Romney Ipsum (which is spectacularly hilarious)? Bluth Ipsum? DOWNTON IPSUM??? Awesome, awesome, awesome.
Going forward, clients, you might want to take note of placeholder text. You never know when I'll be slipping some Samuel L. Ipsum in there.
(I mean, really. Samuel L. Ipsum? So mother f*cking funny, as he might say).
1.14.2013
I'm back. For reals.
The past few weeks I've had thoughts and ideas that make great blog posts bubbling to the surface, but no time to get them written down. The 5 or so months before that, I was just lazy. And busy. But mostly lazy.
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One of the thing that kept me more busy/less lazy the past few months was a super fun new project: Caliber Collection. I had done some work a few years ago for a Greenwich, CT-based jewelry designer, and she called me up over the summer with an exciting new project.
When I got to her house for our kickoff meeting, the only thing I knew was that I was there to help with the aforementioned exciting new project. After quickly catching up, she showed me... a box of guns, and another box of bullet casings. Ummmmm... OK.
The project was Caliber Collection: the guns and bullet casings were from Newark, NJ. They had been processed as evidence and the case had been closed on them. At this point, they were just taking up space. Enter my client, who'd like to melt them down into bracelets, sell them, and donate a portion of the proceeds to Newark's gun buy back program. She had Cory Booker, super cool mayor on her side, and since the launch in late November, she's sold so many bracelets that she was able to donate $20,000 back to the city of Newark. So cool!
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One of the thing that kept me more busy/less lazy the past few months was a super fun new project: Caliber Collection. I had done some work a few years ago for a Greenwich, CT-based jewelry designer, and she called me up over the summer with an exciting new project.
When I got to her house for our kickoff meeting, the only thing I knew was that I was there to help with the aforementioned exciting new project. After quickly catching up, she showed me... a box of guns, and another box of bullet casings. Ummmmm... OK.
The project was Caliber Collection: the guns and bullet casings were from Newark, NJ. They had been processed as evidence and the case had been closed on them. At this point, they were just taking up space. Enter my client, who'd like to melt them down into bracelets, sell them, and donate a portion of the proceeds to Newark's gun buy back program. She had Cory Booker, super cool mayor on her side, and since the launch in late November, she's sold so many bracelets that she was able to donate $20,000 back to the city of Newark. So cool!
Here's the final logo:
And the logo for 250, the first 250 pieces from the collection:
Here's my mockup for the packaging: manilla "evidence" envelopes, with stickers that can be checked off for "suspect" size, and "weapon" of choice; as well as a rubber-stamped logo:
And here's the real deal:
"Evidence" tags were affixed to each bracelet, mimicking the envelope labels:
The back of the envelope:
And finally, the bracelets themselves:
I am so super proud of having worked on this--it was a blast to design, and it's so awesome to follow all of the press and attention it's getting. It's pretty awesome when your friends are texting you to tell you that Cory Booker is on Rachel Maddow, talking about a project you helped make come to life!
Here's Jessica, the woman behind it all, presenting Cory Booker a check for $20,000.
6.27.2012
Marry me:
I love hearing about proposals. I'm a total sap when it comes to stuff like that--whether it's a viral internet lip-dub sensation that the whole world is privy to, to something as intimate as rolling over and proposing in bed, I think there's no wrong way to do it (well, there might be, but I haven't seen one that bad).
So when one of my favorite typographers put together a website that went through how she and her fiancé met--including proposal--well, let's just say that I wasn't exactly PRODUCTIVE for thathalf hour. Seriously, you guys; Jess and Russ' wedding website is cute and clever when it comes to design (including their friend's illustrations--LOVE THAT), but add the story of their coming together, and their engagement... well just mop me up off the floor, will ya?
So when one of my favorite typographers put together a website that went through how she and her fiancé met--including proposal--well, let's just say that I wasn't exactly PRODUCTIVE for that
In a secluded corner of the park, she spun around and half-jokingly exclaimed ‘This is where you ask me to marry you!’
He had been waiting for the right moment and decided this was it. He got down on one knee and took out the ring.
Confused by his reaction to her joke, it took her a second to realize that he wasn’t actually joking. She shouted “Yes!”, jumped into his arms and nearly knocked him off his feet.
Truth be told, Mattio proposed to me in a very similar fashion, which may be why I am so drawn to this particular proposal.
Actually, he asked me while we were in bed (oh, get yer minds out of the gutter). He had been trying to get me to go out to dinner with him for weeks, and I just couldn't make it happen with my waitressing schedule (because I was SUCH A BUSY waitress, you know). So one night, we were lying in bed talking about our futures--as lovestruck twenty somethings are wont to do--and I turned to him and said, 'One day, you're going to pull a ring out of that [nightstand] drawer.'
And to my surprise, he did.
See you guys? Proposals = awesome.
6.25.2012
More Brave, less princess:
Today--first day of summer vacation--it rained. Like, poured; with thunder and lightening. So: no beach, no playground, no pool. So we did what everyone else does on a rainy summer's day, and went to the movies. And naturally we passed up Madagascar part 32: Ben Stiller Still Needs a Paycheck (Oh, I kid, I kid--it's going to rain again this summer, so no worries, we'll see it) to see the latest Pixar installment: Brave.
First, the good (alright, the obvious): it's Pixar, so the animation is UNREAL. I mean, it's so realistic, it's UNREAL. OK, maybe UNREAL isn't the best choice of words. It's top notch, as usual.
Seriously, the background, the bears, the hair on Merida's head--spectacularly realistic. The scene where Merida and her mom--as a bear--are catching fish? Look at the water and tell me that's not awesome. Oh, Pixar, you guys never disappoint in that department.
The story: it was cute. OK, adorable. I was pleased that the story was about a princess (GROAN--see below) who didn't want to meet a prince and fall in love and live happily ever after (YAY!). Actually, as far as princesses go, Merida was pretty badass, in a Katniss Everdeen sort of way (I'm thinking archery is going to be a thing now).
But seriously, you guys: a princess? Why? Is that some sort of... void that needs to be filled in the entertainment industry? Especially family entertainment? Come on!
Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie... I'm just tired of princesses. I feel like they're being shoved down my girls' throats (and as a parent, mine too). You know what made movies like Up, and Monsters Inc, and Wall-E, and Finding Nemo awesome (aside from the fact that they were completely original)? THEY WEREN'T ABOUT PRINCESSES.
Look, Pixar: I don't mean to complain (OK, I do), but enough with the Princesses! Let Disney take care of that end--you guys just stick to awesome, non-princessy movies.
6.13.2012
Whoa:
I have a celebrity column in TweetDeck that I don't pay much mind to--every once in a while I'll scan it quickly but I certainly don't check it day in and day out. But in scanning it the other day, I came across a tweet from Neil Patrick Harris (who is awesome, btw. If you're going to follow a celebrity on twitter, follow him):
Ooooh, NPH talking about art? I'm game. Let's go check it out, shall we?
Um, WHOA. Those little dots on the screen? Those are nail heads. And the make up of the image is one single strand of black thread:
Constellation is an ongoing series of portraits by New York artist Kumi Yamashita known most prominently for her innovative light and shadow sculptures. Each image is constructed from a single unbroken black thread wound through a dense array of galvanized nails mounted on a painted white board, meaning that the darker areas within the portrait are formed solely from the density of the string. Colossal is no stranger to artworks created withthread and nails, but these are certainly some of the most impressive and intricate works I’ve ever seen made using this method.
You guys, go to Kumi Yamashita's website and prepare to be amazed. I am in love with with her "rubbings", portraits created by rubbing their image over the subject's expired credit cards.
Unbelievable, indeed. Thanks NPH.
6.11.2012
New work (launch):
New artist site: devinemodernart.com.
Between our art talks, and our college conversations (we both have high school juniors), artist Catherine Devine was a dream to work with.
Oh, and her art's pretty fab, too. Go to her new site, if you don't believe me (you should go there even if you do believe me)!
Between our art talks, and our college conversations (we both have high school juniors), artist Catherine Devine was a dream to work with.
Oh, and her art's pretty fab, too. Go to her new site, if you don't believe me (you should go there even if you do believe me)!
6.05.2012
Oh, baby:
Before I begin today's post, I just want to put this out on the table, lest the post title fool you: there are no new babies at traciedesigns HQ. There are no new babies on the horizon--nor will there ever be. Don't get me wrong, I love babies--I'm just at the point in my life where I love other people's babies.
Anywho. One of my BFF's had a baby last week, and I am beyond thrilled. Of course I am beyond happy for my friend and her husband, but selfishly I'm thrilled because there's a newborn in my life again (one that's not mine! +1!), AND it's a boy!
To welcome Dimitri into the world, I made this:
Anywho. One of my BFF's had a baby last week, and I am beyond thrilled. Of course I am beyond happy for my friend and her husband, but selfishly I'm thrilled because there's a newborn in my life again (one that's not mine! +1!), AND it's a boy!
To welcome Dimitri into the world, I made this:
And remember how this weekend, I was all, creative rut, boring work, WAAAAAHHHHH! This project was fun. This was a great first step into getting my groove back (I know, way to make this birth all about me, right?). But for serious, you guys, this project was a great combination of the things I love: design, typography, CUTE LITTLE BABIES. Perhaps this is a first step into a little side business? Something to think about...
6.02.2012
Truth:
It's embarrassing that I've gone a whole month and a half neglecting this blog.
SO.
Embarrassing.
I wouldn't be lying if I told you that the reason for the lapse in posts is because I'm super busy--but I wouldn't be completely honest, either.
Truth is, I'm in a rut. A really bad rut, where I just feel like everything I do is so uncreative, so uninspired. The past few projects I've been working on have kept me busy, but at the same time, they've been so unsatisfying, creatively. I've taken on these mediocre projects basically to pay my bills, not to keep things fresh, fun and interesting. And this morning, I had a great pep talk from Mattio about the future and what I need to do to, well--as Stella did--get my groove back. Until he pointed it out, I had no idea how glaringly obvious it's been that I've been in a creative stupor. Now that it's out on the table, I can address it and figure out ways to fix it.
So am I back 100%? Not quite yet, but I'm working my way up to it. I've got some fun ideas to get things going again, and pretty close to the top of my list is blogging regularly again. So, until next time (which won't be another month and a half from now)...
SO.
Embarrassing.
I wouldn't be lying if I told you that the reason for the lapse in posts is because I'm super busy--but I wouldn't be completely honest, either.
Truth is, I'm in a rut. A really bad rut, where I just feel like everything I do is so uncreative, so uninspired. The past few projects I've been working on have kept me busy, but at the same time, they've been so unsatisfying, creatively. I've taken on these mediocre projects basically to pay my bills, not to keep things fresh, fun and interesting. And this morning, I had a great pep talk from Mattio about the future and what I need to do to, well--as Stella did--get my groove back. Until he pointed it out, I had no idea how glaringly obvious it's been that I've been in a creative stupor. Now that it's out on the table, I can address it and figure out ways to fix it.
So am I back 100%? Not quite yet, but I'm working my way up to it. I've got some fun ideas to get things going again, and pretty close to the top of my list is blogging regularly again. So, until next time (which won't be another month and a half from now)...
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