Capturing the Seven

Hello Thirty!

2010-02-18T16:42:00.007-05:00

Wow, that's the first time I have typed that out today but it's true, folks, today is the day I turned 30. For real, I am thirty today. Well, actually this morning was the official time I entered the world back in the day in 1980 (on a frigid Monday morning). I can’t really believe it. Still, though, I must say that if my day since waking up is anything how the rest of the year will be, I am more than okay with that.

It started when Matt joined me on my annual “birthday run” (don’t worry, it wasn’t done in my “birthday suit” - it is way too cold and I am way too against public nakedness). I should say that I am a runner but I make certain that a run is scheduled specifically for my birthday. Ad above from Asics (my running shoe and running ad of choice).

Next for the day was having both of my parents call and sing a happy birthday to me as well as a call from INDIA from Kathy (how great is she?) followed by many texts/emails from friends and family here in New York to California to Virginia to New Hampshire and more phone calls from my best gals here in the city, Sari and Caitlin, and Katie home in Massachusetts. And my favorite people whom I share a desk with gave me some beautiful (and totally Spring-y!) tulips as shown above. I even think the guy who made my egg white omelet this morning made it with extra love. It really was extra puffy. Though I did have to do work all day, February 18th is ending with a (hopefully) delicious meal with Matt in a cozy Brooklyn restaurant.

As every year on my birthday, but more and more as I get older, I realize how good life is. I have the most wonderful friends and family and boyfriend and what could I want more than going into 30 with them by my side? I just feel truly blessed. This is a complete opposite to how I was thinking/feeling over the weekend when I was lamenting on my lack of permanent job position, not owning property, having no ring on my finger and no brood of children in my home. You know what though? My new manner of thinking is now, “All in good time”. Because as of now, I have everything I want.

I couldn't end this posting on a sappy note hence this following paragraph. Not only calls and emails and texts and hugs were given today, but I asked around for some advice for 30 from those who have already turned this lovely age. I thought I would share with you the humor and wisdom of some friends and loved ones:

"Are you happy? Then keep doing what you’re doing."

"It’s now officially okay to fall asleep early on a Saturday night."

"Its time to be a role model."

"Starting lying about your age. Today."

"Life only gets better. Live it intentionally."

Cupcake photo from none other than the Queen of party decor, Martha

Just A Little Something for the Summer...

2010-02-17T16:29:00.002-05:00

Ahh, how my mind is going in a hundred places these days. Work has been crazy busy, I am about to hit a new decade (20? No dears, you are SO sweet to think that, however) tomorrow AND it's snowing almost every other day here in this northeastern city of NYC that I ponder why we shouldn't just pack it up and move someplace warmer. This last one has been on my mind all week. Well, not the moving so much but the wanting to go somewhere warm for a quick trip. Or perhaps ending this winter-coat-wearing. I just can't take it anymore! I can't leave the apartment these days without scarf, mittens, boots, winter coat and sanity. I just can't.

I believe that my mind escaped to thinking about the beach because this is the time of year (this WEEK exactly) when my family and I would head to the airport and fly to Florida to visit with my grandparents. I have many fond memories of building the best sandcastles on the beach, getting a sun-kissed glow, spending as much time at the pool as possible and looking for seashells. Not only that but I also got to celebrate my birthday in the warm weather. Being a February baby doesn't have many perks (your birthday party is canceled because of a snowstorm, etc), but when that date falls over school vacation and your Grandparents live in Florida, the world is your oyster (err, seashell).

That is what prompted me to start looking at fun summer clothes online. I just needed to catch sight of one bathing suit to remind that we do, fortunately, live in a region that gets seasons and soon enough (4 months!) it will be time to hit the beach or the lake or even just the park in just one layer. My first trip online took me to Old Navy and that's where I stopped (for now) as I found some cute little suits and fun dresses and accessories. A sample of what I wish I could wear this weekend to the beach and afterwards. How cute!

Genius, Green & Gourmet.

2010-02-15T21:15:00.003-05:00

I love to cook, in case you didn't know. What I don't love is having my herbs go bad after a few days, cooking too much pasta (though Matt is fine with that and thinks there is nothing wrong with pasta for leftovers three days in a row. My threshold is once every two weeks), and cooking accessories that take up way too much room in our small kitchen.

Enter this fabulous new find, A + R, from Venice, CA as well as an online mecca of goodness for the home. Their motto says it all: Global Design. Edited. The products shown above (as well as many, many more) help all of my situations above.

Something Smells Good...

2010-02-12T14:28:00.002-05:00

Pure by Donna Karan

Versense by Versace

BLV by BVLGARI

Whenever I start a new packaging or 3D assignment, I always look to perfumes. I don't know why, but there is something to be said for the minimalist beauty of most scents these days. Just take a stroll down the aisle in Sephora and you'll see why. Seeing an ad for the latest Versace fragrance in Elle prompted me to take a gander at some others out there. They all seem so clean and serene and luxurious. Here are three that I most recently was lulled by.

5 Babies in the Next 5 Months!

2010-02-10T13:22:00.004-05:00

I've seen more sonograms in the past few months than I have in my entire life. No, no, no. Not my own. Three of my best girl friends from home plus one of Matt's best friends from home plus Matt's sister (I'm going to be an "Aunt" to a third lil' one!) are all due in the next 5 months. That equals 5 babies being born to friends & family near and dear to us.

I am so excited for all of them but even MORE excited to put together sweet lil' baby gifts. I have an automatic "awww" and "ahhh" and "ohhh" when looking at baby clothes and gifts. Call it a girl thing, but the BabyGap just has that effect on me. In fact, I just went to their site to see what's selling these days and came across a line for the girls and the boys called "POP SHOP" which is for bebes under 24 months old who love patterned perfection. Oh. My. Cute. Little pears, fish, seahorses and strawberries plus lots of stripes and polka-dots for the girls in pretty colors. Tiny airplanes, monsters (cute ones, not scary ones), monkeys and stars also with their own color-combo-ed stripes for the boys.

So far the gender count is 2 for the boys and 2 for the girls (one more to be found out this weekend) which means I can have fun with all sorts of colors.

Craig Cutler and IBM.

2010-02-09T16:53:00.004-05:00

Taking a small break between projects today I decided to check out the latest from Stockland Martel's uber-talented group of photographers. I don't know if this really qualifies as a creative, but hey, for me looking at beautiful photos is something I wish I could do a lot more than I already do. After their book arrived on my desk in the mail yesterday it's all I have been wanting to do. The book shows a few samples of each of their talented artists and of course is printed on some delicious paper with a most compelling cover and back art.

So this is what prompted me to check out their pick out a photographer and go with it. The first one I clicked on was a talent named Craig Cutler whose recently photographed an IBM campaign which I fell for. Fast. I haven't seen it in any mags recently but that doesn't mean it's not out there right now. It just means I am most likely not reading PC Magazine or INC or another business magazine for PC-users. It's okay because discovering it on Cutler's site was fine by me! I love the campaign as a whole for its simplicity and great photos, of course. And the fun little black lines. How could I forget about those!

Béatrice Coron's Papercuts.

2010-02-08T12:54:00.003-05:00

When I'm on the subway I am usually reading. Or watching people. Or listening to 20 year-olds who think they are the next Chris Brown belt out song lyrics with their headphones on for the ENTIRETY of my trip to work this morning. Just an example. Anyhow, another thing that I do is look at the art and the ads. Arts for Transit is a division through the Metropolitan Transit Authority that promotes local visual and performing artists in the subway and rail system.

One of my favorite series are the horizontal posters that they have in the subway cars. About once a year, I notice a new one and after checking out their website, I see they have a new one every year featuring a different artist. The one I saw most recently was a papercut print of Béatrice Coron which was pretty spectacular (first image shown above). This of course led me to some Googling and checking out the rest of her papercut work. All so intricate and with great contrast, here are a few samples above from this French-born artist who has been living in NYC for over 25 years.

Kate's Lookin' Good This Spring.

2010-02-05T18:01:00.003-05:00

Love these new stylings for Kate Spade's spring collection. Actually, I love the copy writing that goes with each of the outfits AND that they picked one main piece and dressed it three different ways with fantastic pops of color and accessories. Cute, right?

The gray and white striped jacket above (which I love!) has been titled:

"Gave it a Fresh Spin"
"Took A Chance on the Convertible"
"Stepped Right up to the Raffle"

And the white dress with black polka dots has been titled:

"Got Carried Away Selecting Her Next Read"
"No Wallflowers Here"
"Loved Salty Snacks and Sweet Surprises"

Vanderbyl Design.

2010-02-04T18:24:00.003-05:00

Stumbled upon this studio, Vanderbyl Design (located in California) today. They specialize in print and environmental design and there site is VERY clean. Looking through their 2D portfolio I came across these three logos above. Of course I was drawn to them because they are food and wine related. The first is a winery, how clever is that?!

A Toast to My Favorites.

2010-02-03T10:02:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Design*Sponge I am sure that these will be all over the blogosphere this morning via other blogs but I just had to personalize what I would get as my own set of these lovely JHill designs. She has a way of making you want to share what you love – in print design! Long live print design! Her latest series is "A Toast To..." and picks out various states and countries and showcases the year they were incorporated and a few things that are unique to them. Though she has a wide selection I can't believe New York isn't on there! Oh well, my chosen three are above and these are the reasons why:

Massachusetts
...because I was born and raised in the great Bay State in New England
...because it is the place that my parents still live in, in the home that I was brought home from the hospital to
...because though I have lived in NYC for 7 years I still root for the Boston sports teams
...because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and it's always been spent here
...because the Boston accent (that I no longer have) cracks me up in movies when people try to copy it totally unsuccessfully

Spain
...because I spent three blissful/educational/trying/enlightening months there in the fall of 2008
...because the architecture and design there made me take notice of everything, everywhere I went
...because it took me out of my comfort zone of the English-speaking, friend-filled, work-filled, hectic wonderful craziness that is NYC
...because it had me back in a classroom for the first time since college
...because I was on my own in a foreign country and I made it back in one piece
...because I fell in love with jamón after not eating meat for 10 years

Hawaii
...because I spent 7 weeks there the summer after sophomore year and before junior year of college taking classes (ceramics wheel-throwing and nutrition science. And yes, I got my credits for both despite the fact I went to the beach everyday)
...because the people there really are SO nice
...because the sun shines all day long, the beaches are amazing, the ocean water really IS the color of the postcards and you can wear flip-flops all day
...because I ate fresh pineapple almost everyday
...because I met people from all over the country who also fell in love with this tiny island that makes you feel like you are no longer IN the United States

The Day You Love to Hate and Hate to Love.

2010-02-02T15:04:00.010-05:00

Lego cufflinks from bunny logic via Etsy

Print from dekanimal via Etsy

Book from Urban Outfitters (how "love" is said around the world)

Mugs from Urban Outfitters

Soap from Urban Outfitters

I've always been a person who has loved Valentine's Day. I swear it's not because I am a gushy romantic, but it's because my birthday is four days later. I guess I feel the need to harbor love for holidays within a 5-day proximity? I see why people can't stand it – the pressure, the Hallmark quality of it all, the marketing/candy hearts-driven aura about it. I get it, I do. I also see why people like it. It's that day out of the year to celebrate love! Not dressing up in costume (ala Halloween), not celebrating the first feast (Thanksgiving), not celebrating oil lasting 8 days (Hanukkah) or the birth of Jesus (Christmas). Actually, just celebrating love. It's sweet. Matt and I didn't do anything crazy last year and won't be doing much anything crazy this year. We'll be having a nice Sunday night dinner at home (long weekend! yeah!). I'll be cooking - making a meal that's extra delicious –and I couldn't think of anything I would rather do.

However, in case I wanted to celebrate V-Day in a cute/funny way, these items seemed quite fitting for that love-to-hate and hate-to-love holiday in mid-February!

7 Years Ago Today.

2010-02-01T12:53:00.007-05:00

I remember that day 7 years ago today like it was, well, today! There I was, in the car with my Mom while my Dad trailed behind in the rented van full of almost all of my belongings (the remainder was in my Mom's car with us) driving south to New Jersey from Massachusetts. I bet when I was first born that my parents had never had moments where they looked at their baby daughter and thought "One day, we'll move her into her first apartment in New Jersey.". Well, whether they thought about it or not, that's what they were doing that first day in February in 2003 with me. Moving me into my 4th floor walk-up apartment with bright blue-painted stairs that were "steeper than you told us!" as my Mom first exclaimed when we walked into the small building on the main street in the one-square mile town.

The apartment my friend Jim (a good friend from school who shared the same Communication Design major and same love for college basketball) and I had found was surprisingly bright, surprisingly large, and a close walk to the PATH train that would take us into NYC (a short 10 minute ride under the Hudson River). Since it was our first apartment post-college, we didn't have much in the way of furniture or in the way of a budget, and so our first furnishings has to be modest. We first painted the place and then decided it was time to buy some seating for the living room (we had been eating dinner seated on milk crates). Scouring Craigslist we found a steal located just a block away from a guy who was moving out and looking to GIVE his couch to whomever would take it out of the place. Free? Yes, free. So ,Jim and I decided to check it out and after about a 5 minute discussion while looking at it in all it's emerald green velour gloriousness, (a slipcover was the way we would go) we decided we would take it off the guy's hands (literally) and carry it across the street. Well, it wasn't as easy as we thought and I ended up directing traffic as they barely made it out the door and down the stairs. The couch was a beast and the guy was so happy to have it out of his apartment that he even helped Jim bring it up our steeper than steep and windy stairs to the top and fourth floor that we lived on. It barely made it past the second floor landing and with some coaxing they got it up to four. But that, my friends, is where the couch stopped because it is there that we realized that the size of our door frame was too narrow to accommodate such a beast of an emerald green velour couch. And so there that couch story ends for a few weeks. Until my parents came back to visit and brought with them my Dad's saw so we could cut the legs off the couch and a few more tools so we could remove the door frame and get the couch inside and then replace the wood of the frame. I moved out a year later, and Jim a year after that. We always joked that no matter who moved in and out of that apartment, that that couch would always remain.

Moving to the city area was a bit risky at the time because I had no job. Yes, that's right. No employment. It wasn't as hard to find a job as it is for this past year's recent grads but considering it was just a year after 9/11, it definitely wasn't a time of "jobs for everyone!" being chanted on the streets of Manhattan. While shuttling my design portfolio to any and all companies that would look at it was my choice of work during the day, that didn't pay the bills so the day after I moved, I went to a neighborhood restaurant to get a job as a waitress. I figured I could pass the time waiting tables and making some good money before being hired as low woman on the totem pole and being paid peanuts. The restaurant was a favorite in the tiny 1-square mile town. The food was good, the service was great (I'm not just saying that since I worked there) and the atmosphere inside was just a place that you wanted to be at. The colors that went around in the decor were mostly golds and yellows with deep, rich browns. I must say that of the three places I have spent time delivering food and drink for tips, this one was by far my favorite.

It's hard to believe that just 7 years ago I came to this fair city without a job, any furniture, and knowing only my close friends from college. I can't believe that this is the city I officially call "home" when I go away on vacation and someone asks me where I'm from. "New York City" is always my answer, unlike years ago when it was "well, I come by way of NYC but I'm really from Boston". I like to think in life we are in control of our actions and decisions, and I must say, that my move here 7 years ago was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Whereas that emerald green couch might be at the bottom of the list.

all photographs are beautiful wares from Anthropologie

"We Are All Mad Here"

2010-01-29T10:25:00.005-05:00

How great is that quote for the movie poster of the remake of Alice in Wonderland?! I can't wait to see it. It was definitely one of my favorite stories when I was a little girl and one of my favorite movies to watch. The tea party cracked me up every time as did Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Maybe I was a little scared by the Queen of Hearts but that didn't stop me from hitting rewind on the VHS tape and watching it again.

Now as an adult, I haven't thought much about the story but the SECOND I saw a teaser for the movie in the theater and then these posters up in my subway station near work the other day. And seriously, these posters are styled to a tee. The colors and patterns and placement. Oh my! Plus it's a Tim Burton film. In 3D!I am taking Matt along for the ride come March when the movie premieres. Love the copy writing for the premiere date. So VERY Alice in Wonderland:

"You are invited to a very important date 3/5/10"

Tobie Giddio: Illustrator

2010-01-26T16:27:00.003-05:00

Ahhh, if I could be a gal in this amazing illustrator's, Tobie Giddio, paintings I would be so purposefully decorated. Alerted to her incredible portfolio from our art buyer at work I immediately fell in love with these paintings – the colors, the energy, the silo-ed background. It's all fabulous and something I would love to have on my walls. Checking out her biography, I see she has a beyond well-respected client list (Bergdorf's, Apple, Tiffany's, Neiman Marcus, Amy Sedaris' hysterical and helpful book "I Like You, Hospitality Under the Influence") and actually sort of looks like the ladies she is painting. As they say, there is a piece of yourself in all of your art.

I wonder if she sells prints...

And I think she has inspired me to do double-time on my Mac-based work tonight so I can break out the paintbrushes tomorrow night.

It's Raining, It's Pouring. I Needed a New Umbrella This Morning.

2010-01-25T10:02:00.004-05:00

I know, it's crazy. Talk about global warming. It's 56 degrees outside and raining and it's the end of January. Go figure! The rain this morning did remind me I need to purchase a new umbrella since my 4 year-old wonderfully pink one (never mistaken for the omnipresent black umbrellas that grace the hands of all New Yorkers and all bodega owners) died in a horrible windstorm back in the summer. Sad? Yes. Belated replacement? Much needed. Of course in the winter in the northeast one needn't think about umbrellas since it is always snowing when it is precipitating but alas, Mother Nature had something else in store for us today. And unfortunately Matt's umbrella that I have been borrowing just isn't cutting it. It was tossed backwards at least thrice on my 6 minute walk to the subway and by the last 10 yards of my trek, I gave up.

Alas, my posting about these adorably patterned Marimekko rain stoppers. I am thinking I am going to have to decide on my favorite and make a purchase either at their Upper East Side concept store or via Amazon.

Dress Code.

2010-01-22T09:50:00.003-05:00

On my way to work this morning, aside from being jostled by passengers all over my side of the subway car (god help me when I can't get a seat) I was able to maintain a firm grasp on the cold vertical subway pole with my right hand and a borderline firm grasp of my PRINT magazine in my left hand. Embarrassed, I am to say, that it was December's issue because I have been way too busy to read it and thus has collected a bit of dust in the corner of our living room along with some other mags. However, now that I am finished with my book, Born Round (an amazing memoir written by former NY Times Food Critic Frank Bruni), I needed something to read on my commute. Enter PRINT magazine. Not any issue though...dum dah dum (drumroll please)...the regional design annual!

It seriously almost brought me to tears because I realized what incredible work people are doing while I am work designing what I design. I am not complaining, I am just saying. Samples above are from a studio that's featured, Dress Code, who are located in NYC and do some fun work. These pieces above are for a local theatre company called Lightbox Theatre. Check out the rest of their site and the PRINT regional design annual for more.

This is How Busy I am at Work...

2010-01-21T10:35:00.003-05:00

I swear, it's that much. And I do apologize. Hopefully everyone else's new year's haven't been this crazy. But perhaps time flying by through the cold winter months is okay? Either way, I will be back and posting next week. I do promise!

~Capturing the Seven

The Breslin.

2010-01-14T17:07:00.005-05:00

I know this restaurant opened in the fall, but I am just starting to see visuals of it; specifically in Sam Sifton's review of it in the NY Times yesterday. The Breslin (part of the Ace Hotel here in NYC) had the good luck of being designed by talented duo Roman and Williams. Just a photo of the front of the place with it's typography on its windows made me swoon; nevermind the bright pops of red in their chairs combined with their rustic and wooden delicious all over the place. It might be one of those places I would walk into and say, "Hey, I could live here".

Photos from Joonbug and NY Times.

A Calm Winter's Morning.

2010-01-13T13:59:00.003-05:00

I know it's not snowing here (but may be soon or so the weather people say) but had to share this photo I took on Christmas Eve day at Matt's Mom's house. I love the calm and peaceful quality of it. Which is exactly how that morning was when I took it – the calm before the storm of people that would be over later that day for Christmas Eve festivities. There is something I really like about taking pictures of snow, I don't know why. Chalk it up to still having that New England girl in me!

Food Should Taste Good.

2010-01-12T13:48:00.002-05:00

Yes, I totally believe that credo and would hope you do too. I mean, afterall, if it doesn't taste good, why eat it? This credo, Food Should Taste Good, is also the name of a new chip brand I have just discovered. The cafeteria at my company is pretty good about having a wide variety of options of healthy food options. This one in particular caught my eye because of the uber clean packaging design. I saw it last week and today decided that as part of my one day a week to eat lunch down in the cafe, I would find the chips and try them out. Sure enough the reason I was able to find them was because of their pretty minimalist design. Each chip has its own rustically drawn illustration of just one chip from the inside.

Another reason I love this brand is because of the equal cleanliness paid to their website. Each chip has some information about it as well as what would be a good pairing spread/dip. And (being the recipe-lover that I am) there are recipes for each.

Props to this small Massachusetts company making healthy snack alternatives in a pleasing package with a great name!

We're All Fans.

2010-01-06T15:58:00.003-05:00

Carrie Underwood

LL Cool J

Beyoncé

Walked by an ad for this year's Grammy Awards on the street the other day and am really liking the concept a lot "We're All Fans". If you peer close at each of the posters (one showcasing one nominated artist) it is made up of lots of screen grabs from various websites talking about/showing the artist. Online is a much cooler experience as you can you can actually click on each one and see what the material is and what "fan" it is. Check it out here.

Here We Are...2010!

2010-01-05T15:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to 2010! Can't believe we are already 5 days into this new year and new decade. With the new year, comes lots of new ideas floating around in my head for myself and this blog. By the end of the week I will have a new project to share with you all that I am oh so excited about.

In the meantime, here is a picture I took at Gaudi's Parc Guell in Barcelona. Bet you would never guess that while I was taking this, it was raining and I was huddled under a Gaudi-made "cave" in the park. I love the way the trees were making a perfect frame, the bright yellow umbrella and then the quintessential Spanish cross all the way on the right.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T11:54:00.004-05:00

With an emphasis on the "new". Have a great New Year's! Whether it is a relaxing night at home, out to dinner with friends, or dancing up a storm in the middle of Times Square (my own personal nightmare). Matt and I will be staying on this side of the East River in Brooklyn and I couldn't be happier about it.

Much cheer, champagne, noise-makers, good wine, delicious food and love to you and yours tonight and see you in 2010!

2 1/2 Hours in the Air...

2009-12-30T10:30:00.006-05:00

No, I'm not going on a plane. Not for me. My New Year's Eve will be spent in a cute dress in a warm cozy Italian restaurant here in Brooklyn. I will be spending the shortest amount of time outside possible. Unlike the location of these ads above. One night a few weeks ago I spent almost an hour staring at these ads in the 59th Street subway station. I know, I agree, that's about 45 minutes too long to be underground. I got to check out each one that was lined up against the wall downstairs while waiting for the 4/5 downtown train. Considering I was beyond irate about waiting for the train, the ads kept me entertained. I have never been to St. Petersburg or Clearwater and I still don't think I have any desire to go (sorry, travel bureau of St. Petes/Clearwater). I did think the ads were pretty fantastic though. It's funny because they really did pick the best of the worst parts of NYC. Sometimes New Yorkers get stuck looking at terrible ads that were supposed to have been "made for them". Usually they end up poking fun at the subway crowd. There is so much more to poke fun of. And this ad agency did a fantastic job.

My Gift to You.

2009-12-23T10:06:00.004-05:00

This drawing was made possible by myself and my trusty Sharpie ultra fine pen

Before heading to New England for Christmas with Matt’s family and an impromptu family gathering of my own later in the weekend (my little cousin’s 12th birthday party), I wanted to leave a gift for you dear readers. A gift to have a great LONG weekend. To sincerely enjoy time with friends or family. To enjoy your Christmas turkey or Chinese food. To enjoy waking up to presents or to a trip to the movies. To go ice skating or build sandcastles. To just relax. To let the stress of the year melt away with last weekend’s Northeast snowstorm.

I am hoping to get a couple of more posts up next week before the new year brings some new items to the blog (more to come on that). 2010 is the year to “do it”. Call it the Nike year, if you will.

Anyhow, have a wonderful holiday weekend, eat some good food and don’t worry about the fact that you haven’t worked out in 5 days (like myself. Eek!!!).

Olivia!

2009-12-21T13:49:00.005-05:00

Oh how I wish this cute lil' pig was around when I was a kid. Who am I kidding?! I love reading the Olivia books now, at the almost ripe age of 30. With the cleanliness of a graphic designer who loves their white space, the eye of a skilled illustrator and humor of a fantastic writer, Ian Falconer, took the love and inspiration he found in his newborn niece (named what else, but Olivia!) and started a whole series of books for kids. They are funny, smart, and clean. Just how I like my kids' books.

I had so much fun picking out one of them for Matt's youngest niece this year for Christmas. Hopefully she won't groan when she opens up one of her gifts and sees a book. I vaguely remember not always loving getting books as gifts when I was a kid. Now? Seriously, just take me to Barnes & Noble for a field trip and I am happy as a clam. And hopefully she remembers one of our gifts to her and her sister last year was Olivia Helps with Christmas. Luckily she doesn't read my blog (or even READ yet...she's only 3) so I know she won't have the surprise of one of her gifts spoiled. She loves all things having to do with making music so I thought Falconer's latest Olivia Forms a Band would be perfect for her! I of course had to flip through it a few times before wrapping it last night. Perhaps next year (or next birthday) will bring her the Olivia Counts book (last image above).

As someone who has been wanting to write, illustrate and actually publish their own children's book since the age of 8, when I wrote about and drew some frogs, Falconer is an inspiration!

Flatbush Farm & Bar(n).

2009-12-17T12:43:00.004-05:00

Oh Brooklyn, how I love thee. I feel like I wax poetic way too much about a borough that I haven't even lived in for two years yet. I apologize. I know some might be completely over hearing about it, but I am not. I love the feel that all of the neighborhoods have - they don't blend together as much as the ones in Manhattan can seem to do. There is really a distinct aura in each. I feel so fortunate to have REALLY explored almost all of Brooklyn thanks to Matt who was raised in the BK. We love checking out new places not just in our own neighborhood. It is definitely always an adventure and we wouldn't have it any other way. Example A: we once spent almost an hour driving around Crown Heights looking for jerk chicken at a place that had their grill OUTSIDE of their shop. I kid you not. Matt would not stop unless he saw smoke and the smell of grilling spicy poultry from the street.

Speaking of being in our neighborhood, we have a small list of "places to try" and this is one of them. Flatbush Farm. I love the signage and have heard their brunch is pretty spectacular. Add that to the fact they go local and organic with almost all of their offerings and what's not to love? They have this wonderful "new rustic" (I just coined that myself) quality to their website as well as their interior it seems from their photos. A few samples above.

Partners & Spade.

2009-12-16T10:01:00.004-05:00

Is it me or are sketches sometimes more fun to look at than the final artwork or actual photos? There is something raw and wonderful about hand-drawing. In fact, my sketchbook from senior year in college was one of the pieces that I used to bring out to my first interviews post-graduation. It was one of the last things I showed and used to get great feedback from my interviewees. So many people in this day and age (even people who graduated when I did from design school though not Syracuse) just jump straight to the computer when they get a new assignment. To this day, as it has been since the day I started graphic designing, I MUST start all projects with paper and pen in hand. It's an integral step for me. Throw me right on the computer and I am borderline lost. Because of this love of sketching, I love to look at OTHER people's sketches. Most artist showcases in museums have a small section of their sketches. I think you can tell so much about the artist through them. It's their first ideas! It's the less perfect but sometimes better thoughts coming through. I know in the case of design, its usually the best ideas. It's before marketing has had their hands in it, sales has thrown in their two cents and also printing logistics.

In honor of sketches, here is a fantastic grouping of them from Partners & Spade's website. In order to share with possible customers their store's collection, they have sketched out all of the pieces in black and white under "store inventory". Online it's actually a horizontal scroll through (I have cut it into segments so you can see it all). Definitely click on each image above to get a larger view!

Wrap Me Up in the Container Store.

2009-12-15T12:17:00.004-05:00

Well, not really IN the Container Store but IN their wrapping paper. It is always my go-to store for wrapping gifts no matter what the occasion or season. Yes, that's right, I will take the local train on my way home, stop at a station just 4 away from my office, then walk an extra 5 blocks and then get BACK on the train to actually go home. All in the name of fabulously designer wrapping paper. I know, I have a disease. I can't help it, though. It is not that cutesy and cheesy nonsense they sell at most CVSs or DuaneReades or any other store. It is marvelous and affordable and DESIGNED. Some of my favorites are above. I love the simplicity of the red dots, that to me, look like and resemble Rudolph's nose. How cute? I sent Matt two of these images so when he stops by the Container Store later he can pick one up. He asked why he couldn't pick one out himself and I told him that we should leave the pattern-choosing to the designer in the household.

Growing up I used to love (and actually STILL love) wrapping presents. It was almost more fun than picking out the gifts themselves. I would walk downstairs and open up the "wrapping" drawer in the wooden dresser (which always stuck for some reason). My little hand would reach in and pick out my favorite paper at the time and then hijack the white box that had 8 different colors of curling ribbon coming out of it. Next stop was the kitchen drawer to get the scissors and tape. Last stop? My room to assemble and wrap! I of course would usually forget to return the scissors and tape to the kitchen and inevitable would hear my Mom asking for it the next day when SHE needed to wrap presents.

Happy wrapping this season!

Dallas Shaw: Illustrator.

2009-12-14T11:04:00.004-05:00

Being part of the Pingg Designer Series is something that I love, though something I need to work on adding more work to. It is a unique way to get my designs and illustrations out to the masses in hopes of one day getting some commissioned illustrated pieces. Just another item to add to my ever-growing personal "creative to do". You all will be happy to know that I have now used my shiny new liquid watercolors and set to work about once a week (for the past two weeks) playing with some painting. Yeah! Hopefully will have some art to share in the next couple of weeks. I am LITERALLY just playing and getting used to using brushes and paints again (its been over a year).

Long story short, I was on the Pingg website and was looking through the other designers/illustrators galleries and came upon Dallas Shaw. Her watercolor work is great! Check it all out here (and some samples above).

Zoku.

2009-12-14T09:49:00.002-05:00

Flipping through the latest Real Simple magazine I came across an ad for these fun popsicles. I know it seems like the last thing you would want to eat now that the northeast winter has settled in for the next few months, BUT when those spring temperatures roll in I want to be ready with these. It brings me back to my childhood and the popsicle holders that we used to fill with orange juice or KoolAid and freeze and stand and wait around the freezer for the moment they were solid. No one wants to take the lid off of one of those and watch the half-frozen popsicle drip to the ground. Well, this nifty invention called Zoku (and exclusively for Williams-Sonoma) would amaze even the child-at-heart. Only about minutes in this fun little machine (which is used OUTSIDE of the freezer) produces a ready-to-eat popsicle.

2010: Pantone of the Year

2009-12-10T13:28:00.003-05:00

It's official, 15-5519 is Pantone's color of the year. Read all about its uplifting and tranquil properties of 2010's Turquoise here and here.

Pretty Packages.

2009-12-09T11:03:00.004-05:00

I have no idea how any of these smell but there is something pretty outrageous about the packaging. Outrageous in a good way, of course, so I had to share. Loving the patterns, typography and colors in these three: Very Hollywood by Michael Kors, Brown Sugar by Fresh, Cleopatra by Tocca

Insta-Birthday Candles.

2009-12-08T10:14:00.000-05:00

How many times would this be handy? From online store Poketo! (and found via the Dieline) here are 5-minute candles. I love the idea of candles in your pocket (but that look like matchbooks). Genius. And pretty reasonable too, for that ease of design and ease of transportability.

YoSushi.

2009-12-03T09:39:00.004-05:00

Smart and clean ads for YoSushi (sushi bar and restaurant) that I found on one of my new favorite blogs, AdGoodness.

Trouble Gum.

2009-11-30T11:52:00.003-05:00

Finally I went to see the Society of Illustrator's Children Book Art show on Tuesday night. I made it just in time as the show officially closed on Wednesday. In awe of everything as usual and wanted to jet straight to Pearl Paint on my way home to Brooklyn to buy new watercolors so I could start those children's illustrations I want to start doing every year at around this time. For real, this time, I am going to start. Perhaps if I put it out to the world (aka the internet) then this will be the year I really do this. Perhaps a new idea to refresh this blog of mine. Perhaps.It's crazy how such inspiration stems from the root of my love of art – the basic beauty of children's book illustrations (which, most times isn't that basic at all – it's detailed and wonderful).

My favorite of the show is the book above, Trouble Gum, by Matthew Cordell. Of course I had to check out his website and see what else he has done and ended up reading some of his blog too. Great clean work and he even does illustrations for his wife's YA books (what a talented family they are!). Check 'em all out here.

Kate Spade 20.

2009-11-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

Ah, Kate Spade, how you make me happy. Check out this link and roll your mouse over EVERYTHING! Just a simple little animation for each number (don't forget to click for more at the bottom of the first page) but enough to keep you smiling – before getting into your car and driving 4 hours north, along with lots of other people driving north. Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving weekend. May it be just the right amount of time with your family and friends, whether you are staying put and hosting dinner yourself, going out to eat or traveling.

I know I can't wait to spend time with my family (some of which I haven't seen since LAST Thanksgiving), seeing how my lil' cousin has grown (from two years old to three! She is going to be a lil' chatterbox, I am sure of it), seeing good friends from home and overall just enjoying delicious home-cooked meals.

Anthropologie Household Monsters.

2009-11-24T10:34:00.007-05:00

It's a pretty safe bet that whether I walk into an Anthropologie store or peruse their catalog online or in hand, I am going to ooohhh and aaahhh and wish for almost all of everything I see. This recent trip to their site was no different as I discovered some hysterical large-scale embroidered canvas pieces by artist Ruth Ashton. Check them all out here.

After Party: Chandon.

2009-11-23T11:12:00.003-05:00

Seeing this commercial on TV yesterday afternoon was such a breath of fresh air. Not only do I think that most television commercials are lacking inventiveness but also in the alcohol industry around the holiday time, they can be pretty stale. A typical holiday-looking event with pretty people drinking and having a splendid time on some private rooftop. Bo-ring.

Well, Chandon changed my view with this commercial yesterday. It started off looking as typical (previously mentioned fancy roofdeck party and pretty people) but took it a step further. Using the elements that make up the top of their champagne bottle (the wire, foil and cork) their ad people created two fabulous characters who do a wonderful dance around their own party setting. Check it out here (stills are above) to get the full effect.

Fantastic Mr. Fox & New York Magazine.

2009-11-20T11:57:00.003-05:00

Retrieving my New York Magazine from our narrow silver mailbox in our apartment building makes my Monday (though as of recently, it has been coming on Tuesday. Anyone else?). Not only do I anticipate doing the crossword puzzle on the subway the next day (I know, I know. I'm a word geek) but I know the articles and other regular favorite sections (Dining Out and the Intelligencer to name a couple) will make my rides that much faster to and from work.

This week I was extra excited when I saw the cast of "Fantastic Mr. Fox" on the cover as well as an "inside the shooting of the cover". I love the behind-the-scenes information – one perfect single shot is not just taken, it is MADE. Hours of hard work (and in this case 6 hours of prep for these lil' figures) and a cast of specified creatives. I of course had to WATCH the behind-the-scenes which was conveniently on the NY Magazine website.

Random Thursday.

2009-11-19T10:35:00.003-05:00

Loved the lollipop-nature of the trees in Villa Borghese

One of the many impressive sculptures inside the Vatican Museum

One of these seriously talented and artistic street artists who sit and pretend like they are really part of the scenery/street. This guy didn't budge when I took his photo and other tourists crowded around for a bit.

I know this is crazy, its my first post since last Friday. I have actually been doing really great work "stuff" which involved a two-day photoshoot for the brand I design for. It was exciting and great experience to be working with real people and not inanimate objects such as cookies, cocktails or bottles. All went well and as we speak I am making contact sheets of the past two days photographs. I have none to share with you from the shoot BUT thought I would share three random photos from Rome that I took last year when I was there. Katie and Erik were here visiting this weekend (who I was able to share some time with in Rome) and so there was a bit of reminiscing which led me to want to post a couple of photos of the trip here today since I have not done any design/photo/illustration-related research/finding.

Kwiat and Holly Houk.

2009-11-13T15:35:00.002-05:00

LOVE these ads for jewelry company Kwiat made possible by talented artist and illustrator, Holly Houk. I love the clever juxtaposition of art and jewelry. Some of my favorites above, but they can all be seen from the Kwiat site.

Illustrated Calories.

2009-11-13T11:15:00.003-05:00

A good article and a great (and entertaining but true) illustration talking about menu calorie-labeling.

Zoo Studio: Barcelona.

2009-11-12T10:47:00.004-05:00

Nothing reminds me more about Barcelona than seeing work from their talented design studios. Just learned about this one, Zoo Studio, this morning and couldn't stop clicking through their site which is chock-full of inspiring design. Just a few samples above but I would check out their full site for more.

Designers & Their Food.

2009-11-11T10:07:00.003-05:00

Over the past few years I have realized that I have a serious addiction – food photography and gourmet food packaging.

I think it all started when I was younger and used to flip through my Mom and Grandma's Bon Appetit magazines. The gorgeous colors of the meals and luscious foods laid out on the 2-dimensional glossy pages between my 7 year-old hands held me captive. Hands that at that time probably had only helped my Mom pour chocolate chips into cookie batter. Today? It's the magazine's combination of photography and colors and textures and layouts that hold my almost 30 year-old eyes in awe.

Being a designer means always being on alert and so a trip to the grocery store, the neighborhood restaurant, and even the deli on the corner results in scoping all things food and design related. I am not the only one who does this. There are all of the designers and food stylists who MADE this beautiful work possible.

It is with this keen eye that I am always on the lookout for combo of food and design and can't believe that I somehow missed the August Food Issue in PRINT magazine (well, perhaps our subscription here at work ran out). They interviewed designers who do awe-inspiring work (some actually in the food field) and also had them make one of their favorite recipes which they photographed along the way (see above). Of course, their end presentation is spot-on as are their answers to the interviewer's questions. Check them all out:

Louise Fili
Peter Buchanan-Smith
Matteo Bolgna
Alan Dye
Julie Hirschfeld
Khoi Vinh

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street!

2009-11-10T09:25:00.002-05:00

One of the very first shows I ever watched on TV, Sesame Street, turns 40 today! I have such fond memories of it. Reading more and more about it recently (due to its 40th b-day) I have learned a lot about the deep meaning of the show and how groundbreaking it really was. I hope it lives on forever! New York Magazine had a quick graphic of when certain characters were introduced to the show and I learned that Elmo was introduced the year I was born so next year Elmo will turn the big 3-0!

Chocolate: A Love Story.

2009-11-09T17:22:00.002-05:00

I wish I could share more illustrations/graphics with you from this book, Chocolate: A Love Story (65 Dessert Recipes from Max Brenner). Here is a better description from the good ole Strand Book Store. I flipped through it Barnes and Noble during lunch today and came close to walking out of the store with it in a bag (paid for, of course) along with about 8 other cookbooks I wanted. Each spread of Brenner's book had a deliciously designed illustration from Yonatan Factor (whose personal website I am totally unable to find. Google, I need your help here!). Please go on your lunch break tomorrow and check it out!

Whew!

2009-11-06T14:55:00.004-05:00

These trees might look pretty, but watch for their droppings... (image from here)

Well dear readers (yes Mom, that includes you), I must apologize for this blog a-lackin' in material the last few weeks. I think since coming back from the glorious and refreshing vacation we had in Costa Rica, that I hit a wall with the blog and feel like I am scrounging around for design, ideas, things to post about. I mean I posted about Brussels Sprouts at the beginning of the week for goodness sake! Brussels Sprouts!

Dear readers, I am sorry. I have hit a wall as hard as I almost hit the pavement this morning walking to the subway. Yes, I was carefully trying to NOT step on those nasty smelling gingko biloba pods that are littered on the avenue I walk to get to the train in the morning (that article that I just linked isn't my neighborhood but makes me feel better that all of Brooklyn must share this). The irony being that I tried so hard not to step on them with just a tip of the toe of my beautiful brown boots from Spain that I almost ended up with my entire body/coat/bag/newspaper covered in them. Ughhhh. I can't even fathom that demise. Long story short I slipped, but caught myself before taking a nose dive into the guts of the biloba pods. Though entirely graceless, I managed to eke by with just a dab of nastiness on my boot toe.

Anyhow, I digress. Perhaps after the weekend I will know where I am going with this blog. It's been around for about 2 years and I can say that my greatest posts were the ones I put the most of my love into were the series from Spain. If I could find a way to bring back personal photography combined with real writing, I think that might be where this blog is going, but don't hold me to it.

Either way, thanks for bearing with me as I leave you SANS posts more days than with...

Schroeder Milk.

2009-11-04T10:58:00.004-05:00

This is by far the best packaging I have seen in awhile (via Lovely Package). Perhaps I am jaded because the client actually let the designer keep it clean. Let the product stand for itself. Maybe because they didn't try and muck it up with 80 different claims stating that milk does this and milk does that. Milk is milk. And Schroeder gets it and knows their consumer is smart. Kudos to the design studio Capsule who made this beauty possible AND to Schroeder for letting them run with a fabulous idea. God, I wish I lived in Minnesota so I could buy this at the store...

ISAK.

2009-11-04T09:47:00.003-05:00

After seeing just the one computer wallpaper for offer via Design*Sponge, I knew I had to check out the rest of UK-based ISAK's portfolio of work. I am glad I did! Such cute and clean illustrations and patterns that they turned into real wallpaper and other items for the home. Check them all out here!

Brussels Sprouts.

2009-11-03T11:37:00.005-05:00

I think that food is designed. I think that recipes are in fact, works of art. I feel creative when I take groceries and raw foods and combine them just so, to turn a bag of seemingly random ingredients into a meal. So imagine my awe at this latest Brussels sprouts design by Mark Bittman (one of my favorite food bloggers). He has added bacon and figs and called it mid-fall salad! Check it out here.

Brussels sprouts, myself and my plate were first introduced for the first time in my life last year. I had low expectations that were exceeded with flying colors. I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet and delicious they were – nothing how I imagined the one vegetable that seems to get mocked the most when it comes to finicky child and adult eaters. Who knew? Eating them plain and roasted with just a bit of salt was absolutely delicious but here, by some fine design and Mark Bittman's imagination, we have something pretty amazing!

Photo above from NY Times

The Toledos + Lexus = Someday.

2009-10-30T10:08:00.006-04:00

After seeing this ad in October's W magazine the other day, I decided to go online and see if I could find it in a digital version. I wanted to send it to my design/artist BFFs-in-crime, CM Illustration and A Design Affair, who are huge fans of Isabel & Ruben Toledo. Though I didn't find it online anywhere (and had to scan it), I did find out some interesting information about it. Turns out companies are now turning to the magazines they advertise in to create the ads; afterall, they know their readers the best and know how to reach them. So when Lexus wanted to advertise to Conde Nast and Hearst fashion readers, they turned to the artist and fashion designer couple and EXTREMELY talented duo, Isabel and Ruben Toledo to help them with the ad above. Enjoy!

I definitely recommend clicking on the images to see the fabulous details in the painting and use of fabrics (this appears as a double-page ad but I scanned them separately to show more of it)!

*PS. A Design Affair warned me that if I didn't post about this ad, then she would!

Townhouse: Miami

2009-10-28T09:24:00.003-04:00

Of course the moment you are on the plane landing at your home airport from vacation you are already imagining your next getaway. This was literally happening on the first leg home on our flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Miami International. I made a medium-sized list of "Places to Go to in the Next 5-10 Years" which now hangs from the side of our refrigerator.

Being at the Miami airport made me realize two things. One, flying in on an international flight and then leaving on a domestic one is quite a process! The second thing I realized is that I have not spent any sort of significant time actually IN Miami. Sure I have used the airport as a layover on more than two occasions, but actually exiting that airport door where the sign says "ARRIVALS" is something I have only done once. And even that was a 16 hour stay that consisted of 8 hours of sleep and 1 hour driving around and around the airport waiting to pick up a friend who was arriving and who then would travel to Key West.

Matt and I have been thinking about our next quick trip (4 day weekend perhaps?) for the winter and are throwing the idea of Miami around. In preparation I have started to do some quick searching for Miami hotels (which I imagine will be quite opposite of where we stayed in Costa Rica). Now let me be frank and say I know absolutely NOTHING about anything having to do with Miami. Nothing about the beaches, the hotels, so everything seems pretty new and exciting to me. One hotel I came upon recently is called Townhouse (in South Beach) and I just loved their graphic look (you know I was getting to something graphic design-related in this post, didn't you?). This is all photography from their website which is nice and clean and chic.

Design USA.

2009-10-27T09:51:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a pleasant and most inspiring afternoon at work as the creative team left for a field trip. Every now and then, you have to let the designers out! We went to the Cooper Hewitt Design Musuem for the newest exhibit, Design USA. Let me tell you, it was just what every creative needs in their life – especially on a dreary and rainy day like we are having today in NYC. Categories such as the ones above were where designers of all mediums (communication, product, innovation, user-experience, architecture) fell into place to make for a fun walk-through of GREAT DESIGN. Plus, there were iPod touches to be used as audio guides with extra pictures from the winners of each category as well as some interviews and video. Along the way you could leave comments which were then launched on their website and on 6 large Apple monitors at the end of the exhibit. I highly recommend checking it out (from now until mid-April).

White Collar + Thomas Pink.

2009-10-23T09:11:00.002-04:00

If I were a boy I would be so be at Rockefeller Center right now (just a few blocks from my office, how convenient!) waiting in (a very long, or so I hear from a male coworker) line to get a free custom-made shirt from the most handsome shirt-maker, Thomas Pink. Some marketing team made a great pitch and so in conjunction with the start of the new show on USA called White Collar, you can get your OWN white collar (or blue or pink or striped or checked or...well, you get it). For free! A shirt that would most likely cost you $400 is now yours for the taking. If you have the time to stand in line, that is. Either way, a memorable and clever idea.

First photo above from TimeOut NY

Melody Gardot.

2009-10-21T10:31:00.003-04:00

On Sunday afternoon we had NPR on the radio and they were talking about a new-ish music sensation on the American jazz scene. It was a most amazingly talented gal named Melody Gardot (don't you love people whose names completely describe what they do?) who is 24, from New Jersey and has quite a story to tell. Her music is so great and after sampling her newest CD on Rhapsody yesterday afternoon here at work, everyone who came through the creative department stopped and asked "Who IS this?". I think I made her at least 7 new fans yesterday. Not to mention how great is this cover art photo above? Take a listen for yourself here.

Jessica Hische: Initial Cap Project!

2009-10-20T11:28:00.003-04:00

I know a lot of her work for this project has popped up all over the design blogosphere, but I couldn't help but make a little collection of my own of her new project. What a great way to type/design/illustrate/challenge yourself?! I could use a project like this myself. What oh what would it be? Something that is the opposite of what I do in my day-to-day and will keep me fresh and arty! While I think that up, I will gaze longingly at Jessica's fabulous work. See it all here.

Costa Rica: In Photos.

2009-10-15T14:39:00.006-04:00

4 days in from being back from Costa Rica and it still isn't easy to adjust to being indoors all day staring at my Mac. Alas, reality is reality. At least I can keep looking at my pictures as a refreshing reminder. And share them with you of course. Here are a few of my favorites from the almost 300 I took. Thought I would show some flowers (gorgeous and as colorful here as they were in real life), some sunsets, some amazing trees (it was the jungle, people!). Enjoy!

I'm back. And tan!

2009-10-13T17:40:00.002-04:00

Hello dear readers! I am back from the rainforest/jungle of southern Costa Rica and to the reality of my concrete jungle in New York. Back to being inside all day long under florescent lighting and behind a Mac all day. Quite opposite to our non-techy vacation! Matt and I had such a great time and were able to be outside as much as possible, which was ideal. Lots of outdoor activities were done as well as some surfing, of course. Lots of photos to come for you all to see, but for now thought I would leave you with this one above – one of the favorites that I took. I just loved the framing I was able to do with the tree leaves above and the crazy birds - turkey vultures – below (they were EVERYWHERE and would hop on their two feet when they were on the ground instead of walk.

Off To A Warmer Place...

2009-09-30T18:47:00.005-04:00

Hopefully I will be able to stand up on my board more than I will be off of it!

I will be taking a LOT of photos! Get your smiles on, jungle monkeys.

Ahhh, fresh, locally-grown coffee every morning with breakfast. In the great outdoors.

NY Times Wine Club.

2009-09-29T11:18:00.001-04:00

I noticed this logo for the NY Times Wine Club on the back of one of the sections of the Saturday paper a couple of weeks ago and instantly loved it. Even though it's a wine glass (an icon that is fairly prevalent when dealing with wine, of course) I thought it was done in a clean and clever way.

NY Surf Film Festival.

2009-09-28T11:21:00.000-04:00

Getting ready for our upcoming (read: three more days!) vacation to Costa Rica where we will be taking in the great outdoors in the form of surfing and any other outdoorsy activity we can get our feet on, I thought it would be only appropriate to check out the 2nd Annual New York Surf Film Festival (love their logo!). We have watched a couple of movies already at home in prep for the trip – Endless Summer was of course one of them.

Maira Kalman & The City of NY.

2009-09-25T09:28:00.003-04:00

Always something I look forward to seeing on the NY Times homepage the latest from artist Maira Kalman. Some of my favorites from her illustrated story "For Goodness' Sake" are above. The story is about her visit to various city offices and departments. Definitely read and see the whole piece here.

Nora Thompson: Illustrator.

2009-09-24T11:15:00.002-04:00

It's almost that time of year for the Society of Illustrator's Children's Book Show. Almost. In eager preparation I found a fantastically fun children's illustrator, Nora Thompson, whose work I wanted to share with you. One thing about her site that I loved is that she shows her sketches and then the final art. There is something wonderful about seeing the bare bones of a piece of art. I have posted them next to each other so you can see.

Polaroids & Pinholes.

2009-09-23T11:21:00.004-04:00

Some fun photography from the UK via Polaroids and Pinholes on Trunkt. The artist uses some unique techniques to get these desired effects. A la this one about the first photo, The Bud and the Bloom:

"This photographic print is a section of virginia creeper vine, ripe with seed berries. The image is part of my darkroom photogram series - created with light from a camera enlarger directly onto colour negative paper, processed in RA4 colour chemistry and contact-printed to create the positive image."

Paul Smith for Evian.

2009-09-22T16:22:00.002-04:00

From the Dieline today. LOVE. IT.

MAC & Artist Inspiration.

2009-09-22T10:37:00.003-04:00

by Richard Phillips for MAC

by Maira Kalman for MAC

by Marilyn Minter for MAC

A few weeks ago I found myself in a MAC store waiting to get my make-up done for my friend Kristin's wedding. Though I love the clean design and layout of MAC stores, I rarely go in them. Spending almost 90 minutes (between the wait for the artist and actually getting my make-up done) in the store my eyes had a treat. I noticed up on the back wall was a life-size piece of art from Richard Phillips in striking bold colors (shown above). I asked the artist, Dana, who was working on my eye make-up at the moment, what that was all about. He told me that MAC took three artists - Richard Phillips, Maira Kalman, and Marilyn Minter – to inspire colors for the Fall collections. What a fabulous idea! Art imitates life or now here, life imitating art!

Caitlin's Illustrations: A New Site!

2009-09-21T11:58:00.004-04:00

I couldn't help myself and have to blog about my EXTRAORDINARILY talented bff, Caitlin, and her new website (hot off the HTML press as of yesterday) that showcases her work in a most perfect light. I am proud to say that I know of almost all of Caitlin's work as we met before the first day of school when we were in all of the same freshman foundation art classes at Syracuse. Since then, I have watched her amazing watercolor paintings flourish in the apartment we all (with Kathy) shared post-college for almost 5 years. Some of my favorites are above but I highly recommend checking them ALL out.

AdamsMorioka.

2009-09-17T09:54:00.004-04:00

How I love a good website. One that is clean, easy to easy but at the same time a little bit fun without being drowned down with annoying Flash techniques. The site for AdamsMorioka, a design firm in both LA and New York and whose work I love, has a site that fits the bill! A fun and EASY user experience. Click here to play around a bit.

Morning Coffee & Tea.

2009-09-16T10:10:00.003-04:00

I love mugs. They remind me of the morning and homeyness and just warmth. Only good things come in mugs: coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup. One who waxes poetic about mugs should have a pretty good collection of these breakable wares so it shames me to admit that I actually only have two mugs in our our kitchen cabinets. TWO! And they were part of Matt’s gift two birthdays ago (fabulous “Brooklyn” mugs from one of my favorite NYC shops, Fishs Eddy...reason behind the gift? At the time I noticed my new boyfriend didn’t own ANY mugs). Limited shelf space has prevented me from adding to this collection but recently I have been thinking about adding to this. I want to be able to invite people over for brunch and let them drink out of fabulous ceramic mugs too! Perusing Etsy, I found these quirky ones from the shop Mr. PS based out of England. I think they would look great displayed on a narrow shelf on the kitchen wall (thus not cramming cabinet space and allowing mugs to be art! Everyone wins!).

Spacecraft.

2009-09-14T13:26:00.003-04:00

Welcome earthlings to a new place called Spacecraft. Noooo! Not THAT kind of spacecraft but literally a space where you can MAKE crafts. What a great concept for all of those DIYers east of Manhattan who have little apartments and lots of ideas. Discovered this today via the Martha Stewart Crafts Dept. blog and am pretty excited to check it out the next time I am in Williamsburg. Perhaps a Michaels Crafts store is on its way to Brooklyn, even if it was at the end of the Q train?
photos from MS Crafts Dept

Michel Comte for John Richmond.

2009-09-09T13:48:00.005-04:00

Looking through photographer reps' studios websites and/or physical portfolios is one of my favorite "chores" (and I say that completely tongue-in-cheek because I LOVE looking at photography!) that MUST be done as a graphic designer/art director. Currently I am looking for inspiration for some new beauty visuals and one of the first sites I checked out (is one of my favorite photo reps) is Walter Schupfer which is where I just gazed longingly through Michel Comte's photography for John Richmond's fashion line. Loving the energy and of course the cropping the art director did (who? I don't know).

Carnival...on Labor Day...in Brooklyn?!

2009-09-08T13:05:00.004-04:00

Being Labor Day yesterday, the day was ours to do with it whatever we wanted. From driving to the beach on Saturday, Matt and I had seen the police barriers getting set up at the side of one of the main roads in Brooklyn as well as various Caribbean flags being sold out the back doors of various vans. A little Googling told us that what we saw was the preparations of the 42nd walking/dancing/running of the West Indian Day Parade. Being it's the one time of year where Matt can get one of his favorites, jerk chicken, just a few blocks from our apartment we were off to the parade in the early afternoon. He mildly prepared me for what I would be seeing and it did not disappoint. The bright and bold colors of the many flags of the West Indies plus the costumes being worn by parade marchers/dancers was quite amazing as well as the smells and sights of all of the food vendors (don't fret, we ate the much-anticipated jerk chicken). I was so glad I had brought my camera! And of the many photos taken, I put some together for you, dear readers, above. Enjoy and I highly recommend taking a trip out to Brooklyn for it next year. This year had an attendance of almost 3 million spectators and marchers combined.

Shake Shack!

2009-09-04T12:44:00.005-04:00

Pretty much anyone in NYC who has ever walked by Madison Square Park (since 2004) has surely noticed the lengthy line of hungry New Yorkers (or tourists who are in-the-know) waiting outside of the wind-powered metal-sided "shack" that is Danny Meyer's Shake Shack. This is not new news here, people. However, your hostess here at Capturing the Seven has never eaten at this ALWAYS recommended "restaurant" known to forever be found in lists of "top burger" in NYC.

This is not because I am behind on the times but because my dietary choices had been contradictory to what they are currently (thank you, meat-eating boyfriend). Up until about a year and a half ago, I hadn't consumed red meat or pork products in almost 10 years. I can hear all of you gasping right now. I know what you are thinking, "but she went to Spain last year. Spain! The land of the cured pig product!" Well, thankfully, Matt had had his carnivorous influences on me since our 5th date or so and by the time I arrived in Barcelona, I was ready for the jamón. Mmmm. Jamón. Sorry, sidetracked by the thought of the delectable Spanish cured pig product.

Long story short, I eat red meat every now and then without a second thought. I must say, eating at restaurants is much more enjoyable now. Enter now: the burger at Shake Shack! It was INCREDIBLE (and how great are the graphics on their website? You know I had to turn this into a design-related post)! Though Audra and I waited in line about an hour it was decided between the two of us that it was worth every minute. Delicious. I now understand what Kathy has been swooning about it since the first day she went.

Paris.

2009-09-03T12:56:00.005-04:00

I believe that the last time I made a "I must see this movie" mention was also a French film, but honestly, I can't help it. The French movies I have seen usually have beautiful art direction and cinematography, and is one of only a few languages I love the sound of. This latest film on my list is called appropriately, Paris, and just looks gorgeous, even if I think it is going to make me bawl in the theater. I'll just have to go to it with my cry-at-the-movies partner-in-crime, Audra. I recommend watching the trailer, but thought I would show a few film stills from it.

The Smells of New York.

2009-09-02T10:18:00.003-04:00

Okay, to some of you, that subject conjures up lots of quite disgusting scents (aka the dingy subway must) and perhaps some more quite tasty odors (boiled hot dogs). However, all areas of this great island of Manhattan have their own distinct scent on various street corners (some of which I will not talk about now for not wanting to gross anyone out). You could, in fact, write a book about the strange smells. Well, someone has done one better! Jason Logan (for the NY Times) made a fabulous illustration of our fair city with a "scent key" for each neighborhood and listed out what you are likely to smell where. Perhaps this could go into the next Lonely Planet New York next to the subway map for out-of-towners? Either way, its sure to entertain locals and tourists alike. The interactivity is a lot of fun to scroll through, so smell away!

Little Pea.

2009-09-01T13:52:00.003-04:00

Looking in a remarkably edited children's toy store in the village last week, I immediately found myself drawn to the cover of this book, Little Pea, illustrated by Jen Corace. After flipping through it and actually reading some of it I was in love. Plus call me weak, but I just love illustrations that personify produce.

Pica Press.

2009-08-31T14:51:00.003-04:00

A recent trip to a blog via another blog found me here, at Pica Press. Once I arrived, I looked around and discovered some fabulous "state-tionary". Love the use of bold graphic and small typography combined to make really clean and fun pieces. I guess its a good thing no one from the "square states" asked for any letterheads. Not sure how pretty Colorado, Wyoming or Kansas would turn out compared to a curvy state like New York or Florida. No offense to Coloradoans Wyomingites or Kansasonians.

Nike Really Does Do It...The Best.

2009-08-26T12:28:00.000-04:00

After seeing Art & Copy Monday night, I felt the sudden urge to look up a lot of the ad campaigns that were shown (you will have to watch the movie to see them all). One in particular that is near and dear to my athletic soul, Nike, who does a lot for the female athlete. See above images, which are one of their latest for Spring 2009 by design studio, Jager Di Paola Kemp Design, with creative director, copy writer, and super talented (seriously, check out her site) Kimberly Harrington, at the helm.

Art & Copy...Inspiration & Entertainment

2009-08-25T10:06:00.004-04:00

Jeff Goodby of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Rich Silverstein of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

David Kennedy & Dan Wieden of Wieden & Kennedy

Mary Wells, considered the "First Woman of Advertising"

Lee Clow of TBWA Worldwide Chiat Day

What can I say about a movie that inspires? I don't know if any words can really do justice to a piece of film that makes you leave feeling, well, really grateful that you ARE a creative, ready to take on any project and makes you WANT to take on anything and really accomplish & create something wonderful, smart, beautiful and creative. Films like this are rare (Helvetica was another in which I left the IFC feeling the same) and the previous statements are not ones I make lightly. If you are a right-brainer like myself who possibly needs some inspiration in their lives then let me recommend to you Art & Copy, a film about creative advertising which features some fantastically talented, enlightening and humorous people (shown above..images from Art & Copy website). Three characteristics that truly make a creative professional skyrocket to the top of the business world.

Bikes & Life.

2009-08-24T09:55:00.003-04:00

I bought a bike last weekend and life has changed – I have 2 wheels! It's awesome. I can't believe I haven't had one since high school (and THAT was pink & seafoam green. And a Huffy.). I guess I thought that spin classes at the New York Sports Club was enough for the past 6 years but now? Spin class will take a backseat to being able to do laps in the park in the great outdoors. And since Matt also got a bike, I love that we can go "ride bikes" together. It's so simple and sweet and was a wonderful way for us to spend a Saturday afternoon together exploring Brooklyn in a different way than we usually do.

Sari has been chronicling her own bike adventures here and I am sure she is going to love this sweet print I found from artist Jessica at Vol. 25 (above).

Coco Chanel: The Anti-Amélie.

2009-08-20T11:09:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite movies of all time is Amélie, about a quirky and lovable girl in France played by Audrey Tautou (famous in France but not as much here in America, though she did play Tom Hanks co-star in The DaVinci Code). Her whole demeanor is that of a sweet girl and yet in her next role she will be playing Coco Chanel who, supposedly, was the anti-Amélie in terms of personality. She was tough and rough but at the same time a trailblazer for fashion and businesswomen. After reading this article about the new movie, Coco Before Chanel, I am pretty intrigued about this woman I know not too much about but whose name comes up in almost every discussion of "the best and most timeless brands of all time".

Blues & Greens: Calming from Anthro.

2009-08-18T19:05:00.000-04:00

Checking out Anthropologie's home section of their website is sheer torture for me. Torture, I tell you! I start to envision their well-chosen collection in various parts of my home and see myself clicking "add to cart" on every other item I see. This time around was no different as I fell hard for their retro-inspired blue/green collection and have decided that if I ever decide to wear an apron while cooking (a look that I am sure might shock but entertain Matt all at the same time) I would have to wear this one above.

Items above from the Anthro website here: ceramic coasters, apron, timer, dessert dish.

Le Fooding.

2009-08-17T12:04:00.003-04:00

Yes, that's the official title of a most fabulous-sounding French/New York foodie event taking place in none other than Long Island City's PS 1 art museum (that's just east of midtown across the East River, dear readers who don't live in this fair city of New York). I am sure that tickets to Le Fooding will be extremely hard to come by but a gal can dream, right? Not only that, but proceeds go to Action Against Hunger. Eating for a cause with some fabulous sponsors and the best chefs in New York? Again, I am signing up as soon as possible. Plus, the illustrations for each chef or sponsor are quite delicious themselves (see above some of my favorites). A great summation of the event as the website states:

"12 chefs, three mixologists, two butchers, one ice-cream maker, two DJs, 15 graphic designers, a select vintner, a ﬁne Champagne, some fromages and a mystery guest, to feast your senses and do some conscious good."

Take Your Vitamins.

2009-08-12T11:01:00.002-04:00

Fabulous concept design for vitamin packaging from Polish designer Viktoriya Gadomska. I see this as something I would have loved to create in college for a design class; combining my love of building things and typography all rolled into clean and beautiful packages. If this existed for real, I would take my vitamins everyday! And proudly display them on my counter or in my bathroom.

Found via the Dieline

New Hand-Written Goodness from Kate Forrester.

2009-08-12T10:31:00.003-04:00

Kate Forrester's work really makes me jealous. And makes me want to completely ditch this computer I am on right now. And pick up every black OptiFlow pen that's sitting in my desk, along with a stack of heavy white paper and call out sick from work for the next month. I would just draw and draw until my heart's content. Play with letters. Make some drawings. Play with gorgeous text that was inspired by whatever I was sitting next to at the time. Combine them all and not stop...

In the meantime, I will have to take to just admiring Kate's new work on her blog. Check it all out here.

Kenji Toma.

2009-08-06T09:57:00.003-04:00

Kenji Toma's portfolio happened upon my desk the other day and wow, I was happy to have made the time to open and go through it. Would I get the chance to use him for a future photoshoot I would be pretty excited! Above were some of my favorite from a make-up series.

Go MAD.

2009-08-05T14:09:00.002-04:00

No, no, no. I am not suggesting that you go angry but am in fact talking about the MAD, aka Museum of Art & Design. Yesterday's warm weather prompted a midday creative field trip for our group over to the less-than-a-year-old museum in Columbus Circle here in NYC. The building is situation on a funny-shaped block/corner/segment diagonally from Central Park and the Time Warner Center. Not only were there some good exhibits on display BUT I really liked some of the internal structure design of the different floors. One of the current exhibits is The Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Ceramics, some samples shown above. Honestly, I could look at ceramics all day PLUS the some of the walls were painted a most fabulous blue color that I made a mental note to remember next time I paint my bathroom. Not that our bathroom is painted now...perhaps a next design project?!

Movie Posters. Simple.

2009-08-03T17:02:00.003-04:00

Not sure how much I will like these movies – Only, Whip It, and Despicable Me – but I love that their posters on Apple trailers are done minimally in three colors or less!

Julie & Julia.

2009-07-30T11:19:00.002-04:00

Ahhh, I can almost taste the food that is on the screen in the scenes for this new movie, Julie & Julia. The book on which it is based has been on my "must read" list for the past two years and now it is SERIOUSLY on my list because I refuse to watch a movie unless I have read the book first. Now more than ever I want to get the book STAT because I must be ready for the August 7th premiere which is in only a week! Growing up I used to watch Julia Child's cooking show with wild amazement and especially looked forward to the end when she would sign-off with "Bon appetit!". For the longest time I thought she was French until I learned just a few years ago that she is American and actually from California. Who knew?!

This NY Times article about the food styling of the movie (something I am particularly enamored of, and why my coworkers find me eying Tastespotting.com and Bon Appetit with more awe than hunger...though when its close to lunchtime it's usually hunger) was so interesting and left me even more excited for the movie and jealous of Susan Spungen, the film's food stylist (who has also had the enviable job of working as a food stylist for Martha Stewart). So much curious behind-the-scenes information about the food that was actually cooked for the movie as well as cooking techniques and lessons that both Meryl Streep (who plays Julia Child) and Amy Adams (who plays Julie) needed to learn in order to shoot the film correctly. Some images above from the NY Times sidebar (from the article) which is definitely worth reading - you will watch the movie with a different perspective now.

Plus, how great is the movie poster above?

Eva Juliet.

2009-07-29T11:33:00.003-04:00

I found this illustrator/artist through Each Pretty Penny and then of course had to check out the rest of EvaJuliet's collection. Why is it that everything looks and sounds better in French? The first one is "Spoons" and would be perfect in our kitchen. The third "Scissors" and the second "Carrot Soup". I thought this second one was a great idea for a fun way to display your own favorite recipe in your kitchen; make some cute illustrations and great hand-written typography; you'll never have to take out your cookbook again!

Louis Vuitton & NASA.

2009-07-27T09:57:00.003-04:00

Flipping through Sunday Styles in the NY Times I was amazingly startled by this gorgeous ad for Louis Vuitton celebrating space travel (happy 40th anniversary to moon-walking last week!) and featuring three people one might never think to see in a LV ad: Sally Ride, Buzz Aldrin, and Jim Lovell. And of course a LV bag with Ms. Ride. Further inspection led me to their own microsite called Louis Vuitton Journeys where you can watch interviews with all three astronauts. Also, I discovered that the talented Annie Leibovitz was the photographer behind this incredible image on the ad. I wonder if this will be a segue into a series using history-makers and the wonderful Ms. Leibovitz? I wouldn't complain about that combination.

Hable Totes.

2009-07-24T08:41:00.003-04:00

Usually Sari is the one telling me about new Hable bags (and I am sure she has already seen these) but just checked out Hable Construction's site for new totes and am absolutely loving the shape and pattern on these two! It would be the perfect bag to tote around on the weekend, pick up produce from the farmers market or take to the park. I think I might keep my eye on these on their website for a sale and/or see when their next sample sale hits NYC...

Name That Theme Song!

2009-07-22T14:51:00.002-04:00

Totally not a design-related posting today but I HAD to share my new internet find of the day – TelevisionTunes.com. Ever sung a TV’s theme song out loud only to wonder “what is the rest of it?” And before you know it, you and your coworkers are trying hard to design AND think up as many TV shows from the 80s and 90s with fantastic theme songs, finding them on a list of hundreds and hundreds and listening to them one by one.

A few of my personal favorites are Punky Brewster, Wonder Years, Growing Pains, Blossom, and Saved by the Bell. They also have ALL seasons of the Cosby Show since they changed their music every year.

Above was a great sidebar ad campaign for YouTube on this site. I thought the copy writing was PERFECT and really went well with the website it was being shown on.

Happy Wednesday afternoon!

A US Design Policy.

2009-07-21T11:20:00.004-04:00

What a fantastic idea to be implemented as new bills are getting passed and new programs are going forward with our new administration. Countries around the world already have them in place. Why don't we? A most interesting article from the New York Times about the redesign of the government including money (examples above from the Dollar ReDe$ign Project), mortgage and health insurance forms (the recent is one I can definitely attest to and agree with a need for some information architecture).

Visa Gets Up to Go.

2009-07-21T09:39:00.005-04:00

"do your tastebuds deserve a tropical vacation?"

"doesn't chicken chow fun sound fun?"

"have you taken the time to smell the roses? and gardenias? and lilacs?"

Absolutely loving the newish Visa "go" ads. Two simple letters filled with photos of whatever the theme is. I especially love the period representation in the first and third. I bet this is something we might see around for awhile as it has so many legs to walk on for advertising; the possibilities are endless! See more international print and national television advertising here.

Click images for enlarged view with tag and copy.

Southern Tier Brewery.

2009-07-20T09:06:00.006-04:00

Last night's perfectly clear weather prompted a post-dinner walk around our neighborhood. After a stop at our favorite spot for italian ices, Matt and I wandered up and around some of the avenues and streets, making another stop along the way home with ices still in hand but melting slowly. This stop was at one of the best specialty beer shops in Park Slope, Bierkraft. It caught our eye more than usual because we noticed that they had recently changed up the right side of it and added some wooden picnic benches inside so you could sit with one of their gourmet sandwiches (of which I haven't tried yet) and one day (when they get their beer license) a cold brew from their seemingly endless refrigerators.

We decided to go inside to just look around. While Matt was looking for some good new Belgiums, I was not able to just look at the beers for beers sake, of course I took this as opportunity to scour the shelves for some fine beer design. Goodness, it's tough being a graphic designer sometimes. What I found was more than a few companies who are doing a stellar job with their label design. One in particular is the Southern Tier Brewing Company of New York! Check them out above; I love the woodblock cut-looking design, clean in just two colors. And I recommend beer-browsing next time you are in your local beer shop!

Maren Caruso: Food Photos.

2009-07-16T09:13:00.003-04:00

Just some delicious photography to start your Thursday. I love these compositions by Maren Caruso, a San Francisco photographer who started her career shooting hippies and drifters as a teenager. Eventually she started making a personal collection of food photography for chefs and farmers alike. I love that she deconstructs the food until it gets to be a piece of art. Delicious eye-candy for sure!

How Simple it Used To Be...

2009-07-15T09:27:00.002-04:00

Remember in elementary school when you liked someone and you would just do the most basic of things with them? Ride bikes! This shirt from Fred Flare brings it back to those simple days. I love it!

Back From the Woods!

2009-07-14T15:01:00.002-04:00

Just spent the past four days in the woods of upstate New York sleeping in a tent among the wildlife and am busy catching up on work. Will be posting tomorrow but wanted to leave you a quick illustration I did that sums up one of my favorite activities of camping!!!