Well hello there ...

Ooo. $1,000,000 + a mansion to call my 'studio' would make the happiest ... so I could buy up all the beautiful things and spend my life appreciating them and sharing them with the world.

Etsy Find: peppersprouts

Aaron Draplin, DDC

Aaron Draplin. Met him this weekend at Geekend 2009 in Savannah.

He's my new hero.

See video - but cover your ears if you are offended by the F* word.

America Is F*cked.......(Graphically at least) from Jess Gibson on Vimeo.

Etsy Find: Vinylville

Ok - Look at this ridiculous find!!! Vinylville got my attention on Etsy.com.


I looooooove it!

Umbrella Prints

It takes a lot for me to find fabric that I love. Enter Umbrella Prints. Although they are from Australia, they also have a shop on Etsy.

Now ... what to buy, what to buy ... ?

Freya to Andreas

Freya's illustrations reminded me of a gem in the midwest: Storypeople by Brian Andreas. If you're from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and so forth you, know exactly who I am talking about. Another whimsical artist who adds narrative to his illustrations. They are the best gifts ever; I have one proudly hanging in my home. (click image to make bigger)

Jumping Across the Pond ...

... & she's worth it!

I just came across Freya Art - and it's lovely. Along with her whimsical illustrations, Freya adds lighthearted sayings making her artwork perfect for any room.



And as anyone smart person would do - she's selling her artwork on Etsy.

I'm Hooked

Anthropologie is as awesome as always. Check out these hooks (& knobs).

DIY: Resurrect a Broken Camera as a Flowerpot

My mother-in-law passed along this little find: Resurrecting a Broken Camera as a Flowerpot!! from photojojo.com. Look how absolutely-creatively fun this is! Really, you can make anything that can retain soil and water into a flowerpot ... we were close to planting something in the broken microwave at work ...

How to Make a Broken Lens Into a Flowerpot

What do you do when your camera dies? Go for the literal version of “pushing up daisies” and grow a plant in the broken remains of your lens!Just slap on an old lens hood, fill it up with dirt and nestle a small plant into it. That’s all it takes to make all your camera geek pals green with envy!

Where to Find Old Cameras and Lenses
Keep an eye out at thrift stores, estate auctions, flea markets or eBay for broken camera parts.

Broken lenses and camera bodies are often labeled “for repair” or “for parts.” Since they don’t work, you can get them dirt cheap.

Keep an eye out for auctions of large lots — pick up a bunch at one time and make a set of planters.

The Water Issue
Here’s the thing though: cameras and lenses, though highly sophisticated examples of engineering prowess, are NOT designed to hold water. Bummer.

While not entirely avoidable, water leaks can be reduced by putting a plastic saucer into the lens or lens hood before filling it with dirt.

Water the plant sparingly, and keep a paper towel handy to sort out any stray dribbles.

Camera-Friendly Plants
One solution to annoying water drippage is to use plants that don’t need much water.

Cacti and succulents are good because there are lots of small varieties and most don’t need water more than twice a month.

Best of all are tillandsia, a.k.a airplants. They’re perfect for this because:

• they’re relatively small
• they don’t need to be planted in soil (neat, right?) and
• you water them by running them under a faucet.

Just take the plant out when it needs water, wet it down, wait for it to dry a bit, and drop it back in. No drips, no dirt, no drama.

The Camera Body Version
If the body of the camera is completely irreparable, don’t write it off as a total loss.

Just take off the lens and put a plant inside the camera body!

Sure it’ll never work again, but at least it’s out of the junk drawer and looking good.

The Twin Lens Version
If you find yourself with a great-looking but utterly dysfunctional twin lens reflex camera, what do you do with that?

You can’t use the lens, and filling the body would just look strange.

Use the waist-level viewfinder instead! It won’t hold water well, but a pot will work nicely.

Get a tiny plant in a 2-inch pot and drop that into the finder. If you don’t like the look of the bare pot sitting there, pack some dried moss around it to cover up the rim.

Food Photography?
Once you get the taste for collecting broken cameras, you’ll want more, more, MORE!

Line a bunch of cameras up on the kitchen windowsill and plant different herbs in them.

It gives new meaning to the phrase “food photography!” (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.)

The Perfect Wedding Stamp

I was at the Post Office the other day and saw these! I wanted to get married all over again ... just to use these stamps!

King & Queen of Hearts 44¢ Stamp

This is a Convertible Booklet of 20 44–cent Love: King and Queen of Hearts definitive stamps.

On May 8, 2009, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service™ will issue a 44–cent, Love: King and Queen of Hearts. The stamp was designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, and Jeanne Greco of New York, New York.

Since the beginning of its popular Love stamps in 1973, the U.S. Postal Service® is paying clever tribute to the world’s favorite “game” with the issuance of the King and Queen of Hearts, the latest stamps in the Love series. Artist Jeanne Greco, New York, New York, created the art on her computer for the two stamp designs, one showing the King and one showing the Queen, by using images from 18th Century French playing cards as a reference.

Over the years, the Love stamps have featured a wide variety of designs, including heart motifs, colorful flowers, and the word “LOVE” itself.

Do It Yourself Keepsakes

Luckily for me, my husband finds nostalgia in the same things I do. In our first house, we were renovating our bathroom - he went up in to the attic to install recessed lighting. He found an old Coors beer can from the early 80's. We kept it. Why? I don't know. It even made the move across state.

Then, while my husband was digging holes to place the foundation of a fence, he found some sort of tool. Who knows how old it is. We live in southern Georgia and am pretty sure our neighborhood was once farmed, yet we have wetlands in our yard, too. While clearing out our land (maintaining the wetlands ... ) we even found an old turpentine stump. Pretty neat. We left that, too. At any rate, we kept the tool as well.

So now we have two random mementos from someone else's past. This weekend, I decided to make them ours. I took both items and placed them in shadow boxes with matching matt. Then I labeled each piece with it's street address. I think they came out great - and we definitely have a conversation piece in our kitchen now!

Who wants free stuff???

Some pretty cool fonts, backgrounds and icons on these blogs. Definitely some good applications for print and web work on the horizon.

http://www.outlawdesignblog.com/

http://thunderpanda.com/

Enjoy!

DIY: Craft Fail

Ever bummed about how your DIY's turned out? Venture over to craftfail and know that you're not alone ... and that it is very well possible there are actually worse outcomes than your project.

Sunshine. Laughter. Music. Design.

Here's a fun read that is updated often ... Sunshine. Laughter. Music. Design. by Nicole Galleta covers marketing, branding, wedding palates and other miscellaneous paraphernalia.

"Originally from Savannah, Georgia, I just moved back to the creative coast after spending the past four years in Atlanta in the marketing & interactive industry. I {heart} photography, letterpress, typography, architecture, interior design, event design, and all things weddings."

Nicole is a good social networking buddy of mine. :) I am always plesantly surprised when I read her blog. She'll keep you informed on things like awkwardfamilyphotos.com, but more importantly beautiful design, inspiring photography and she will introduce you to many other creative people online (just look at her blogroll!).

Design*Sponge: Before & After's

As an avid Design*Sponge reader - I live for Before & Afters -

Who would have thought to redo a folding chair? Super awesome ... Super fun idea - and super that I have 12 drabb-y folding chairs in the shed. Check it out:





There are SO many other awesome ideas on Design*Sponge!! Check them out for yourself at: www.designspongeonline.com

Do It Yourself

Time to try something new. I've blown dust off of forgotten books and purchased new ones. I've traded up sewing machines thanks to my mom. I went from antique to outdated; but it works and that is all that matters. :) It looks like Amy Butler has something comparable to Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Babies ... so I might have to visit Amazon - yet again.

New Purchase: Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

New Purchase (waiting arrival): Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby

Dust Free : Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing

New purchase: Amy Butler's In Stitches

We all know who Martha is. No introduction needed there. I used to despise her. Looking back - I have no idea why. She has an empire that I'd love to be a part of and I'd love to have a craft 'building' just like hers. I currently only get a portion of my office to devote to stashing 'crafts.' I forget where I learned of Lotta Jansdotter, she's Scandinavian and produces great prints and patterns - you can find her work in textile or paper. My cousin, Alyson, introduced me to Amy Butler - she has great fabric and such fun ideas. Not to mention, I love the simplicity in her bright patterns.

Time for some do-it-yourself makeovers and projects. There is nothing better than the positive feeling you have after accomplishing a DIY project. Hell - if they actually turn out - perhaps our Etsy Store might get an update, too. :)

Household Brand Overhaul

5 Recent Beverage Brand Overhauls

Check out why these popular drinks were made over

By Brynn Mannino Posted May 05, 2009 from WomansDay.com

In an attempt to regain sales lost during tough economic times, many companies are spearheading brand redesigns in hopes that a little creativity will go a long way. Putting the theory to work are some of the most famous food and beverage brands out there, including the five shown below. Drawing on everything from individual setbacks, sales goals and competition as additional motivation behind the marketing makeovers, each case is unique in terms of the specific reasons behind the transformation—and the consumer reaction they’ve provoked thus far.

Gatorade: Behind the “G”

According to The Wall Street Journal, Gatorade’s sales have been on the decline since 2007 largely due to an over-saturated enhanced drink market and a fade in the sports drink trend. Its redesign—part of PepsiCo America’s CEO Massimo d’Amore’s $1.2 billion-dollar effort to overhaul the company’s biggest brands—was an attempt to contemporize and modernize the brand in order to regain the lost market share and attract non-sports oriented consumers.

Coors: Cold Activated Cans

The beer industry is one of constant packaging innovation. Thus, Coors’ upcoming release of cold activated cans (following last year’s release of bottles with same capability) is not a total surprise. The redesigned cans turn the Rocky Mountains in the foreground of the logo blue when the beer is at the optimal drinking temperature, catering to the company’s initiative to stay ahead of the cold beverage curve.

Snapple: Biggest. Overhaul. Ever.

NACSOnline.com reports that March saw the most significant makeover of Snapple in the company’s 37-year history—referring to its ingredient update along with the bottle and label redesigns. Experts suggest the overhaul is an attempt to break through the beverage clutter to boost sales (which, according to Forbes.com, sagged 4% last year) and to disassociate the brand with the current backlash against high fructose corn syrup by launching an “all natural” line that uses real sugar instead.

Pepsi: Where Have All the Soda Drinkers Gone?

Though Americans drink more soda than almost every other nation (49 gallons a year), BusinessWeek.com states that sales are down nearly 30% in recent years. In hopes of slowing the decline in sales, Pepsi revamped their trademark red, white and blue logo by tilting it so the white stripe shoots upwards to look like a smile—so the brand appears hopeful and modern.

Tropicana: Welcome Back, Orange!

Another brand from d’Amore’s total overhaul, Tropicana took a vicious consumer thrashing when the redesigned packaging, meant to create new emotional connections with Tropicana’s long-time consumer base, did just the opposite—cutting ties and confusing loyal OJ drinkers. Dubbed generic and unappealing, PepsiCo bowed to consumers and reverted back to the original design after sales decreased by 20% during the few months the new carton lined grocery store shelves.

Font Conference - one of my Favorites

Watch Font Conference and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

A Modern Twist to Your Outdoors

Spring Fever.

I love being outside. Plain and simple.

My husband and I have a wonderful backyard that has endless possibilities.... However, the options for accessories at our local 'hardware stores' leaves me disappointed. Don't get me wrong - they have the bird houses, the bird feeders, the planters and the wind chimes - but they all are such a bore. God love her, but all of these items look like they would be better suited for my grandma's backyard. So - I am on a hunt for some outdoor accessories with some punch; some pizazz. I want the backyard to be a haven to escape to. So, here are a couple that I things that I found:

Windchimes from Modern Artisans

The Nidusa Birdhouse

Egg Birdhouse by J Schatz


Birdhouses by Modern Birdhouses


Birdfeeder From Eva Solo


Birdfeeder From Nova 68

Birdfeeder From Andrew Lowe

Two Spoons Up!

Lunch at Noon = FABULOUS website.

This website full of recipes used an exciting way for you initially browse - by choosing the type of serving dish that correlates with the type of recipe you are looking for.

It definitely adds a breath of fresh air to the stuffy recipe sites.

* Lunch at Noon

Happy Birthday, Little People!

For those of you who don't know, Little People® by Fisher Price, are celebrating their 50th Birthday! As part of the festivities, Fisher Price has introduced a 50th Birthday line that is reminiscent of the playsets we used to play with. They even sport the peg-legs.

now...

and then...

Welcome, welcome!

Well, here is the first of many posts. To hit the ground running, I thought I'd share with you an article about my favorite font, Comic Sans.

However ... that was sarcasm. I absolutely despise that font. I never have a reason to use it. I hate it because it is SO misused.

But, the rest of the world seems to love it. It's a font based off of comic books. It's childlike. But, people seem to think it's appropriate for anything. Tech services at my place of employment uses it for professional messages and it drives me crazy. I see it in restaurants that don't have children's menus, botanical newsletters, emails and so much more. The only place this font is appropriate is in a daycare and other child-friendly places. It's not mature and anything using it can't be taken seriously. (There are even websites out there banning Comic Sans)

This article put a smile on my face.

Read it here: Typeface Inspired by Comic Books Has Become a Font of Ill Will