Mar
26
Triangles Angles
ROW 1: Triangle Trolley from Project Decor // Triangles Scarf from Bobo Choses // Triangles Tea Towel from LEIF ROW 2: A3 Multi-Triangles from seventy tree // Hippe Pannenlappen Set from Indie-ish ROW 3: Pyramid Pendant Necklace from A-Thread // Golden Gate Linen Dress from The Gorman Shop // Corner Table by George Nakashima ROW 4: Faceted Triangle Stud Earrings from Charlotte Russe // Twin Triangle T-Shirt from Chic Nova // Les Tri-Angles from Papier Tigre
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Mar
19
Easter Egg Tastic
ROW 1: Neon Dip-Dyed Eggs // Calligraphed Eggs // Dipping, Marbling, and Speckling ROW 2: Metallic Egg Art // Gradient Eggs // Painterly Pastel Eggs ROW 3: Tie Dye Eggs // Natural Easter Egg Dye ROW 4: Washi Tape Easter Eggs // Stamped Easter Eggs // Scrambled Lines and Letters Eggs ROW 5: Easy Silhouette Easter Eggs // Golden Marbled Easter Eggs // Watercolor Easter Eggs
Mar
12
Gone Green
ROW 1: Leprechaun Mojito // Baileys Irish Cream Cookies // Cucumber Margarita ROW 2: Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur // Boozy Shamrock Shakes // Chocolate Guinness Cake with Whiskey Caramel ROW 3: 3D Shamrocks // DIY Shamrock Honeycombs ROW 4: Drunken Grasshopper Fudge // Easy Corned Beef and Cabbage // Green Sangria ROW 5: Irish Soda Bread // Garden Path Wrap // Printable DIY Rainbow Boxes ROW 6: DIY Shamrock Streamers // St. Patrick’s Day Cups // Shamrock Wreath
Feb
26
Tips&Tricks
Welcome to our newest monthly column, Tips&Tricks! Ways to make your life easier, save you time, and generally make your days better. Each month we’ll be sharing a collection of helpful ideas from around the web, most will focus on a specific theme but we’re starting off fast and loose for February. Feel free to chime in with tried and true tips and tricks of your own in the comments!
01/ How to clean up files for a faster Mac.
02/ The easiest way to hang anything with T-slots.
03/ How to remove leftover wax from candle jars.
04/ Make homemade Vicks Vapor show disks.
05/ Revive gross old paintbrushes.
06/ 50 new uses for old things.
07/ How to calculate yardage for window coverings.
08/ Eucalyptus in the shower.
09/ How to ditch water rings on wood.
10/ How to fix wooden floor dents.
11/ Get your paperwork organized for 2013.
12/ The best times to buy certain things.
Feb
21
It’s Time to Party: Awards Season
It’s here! Awards Season is once again upon us – did you catch the Grammys last Sunday? So many wardrobe hits/misses and unexpected wins and losses that it’s a shame to watch alone, don’t you think? Well, I do. So I’ve put together a little inspiration for my ideal Awards Season party including decor, appetizers, desserts, and cocktails. My goal was to create a bit of an old Hollywood-meets-cozy winter wonderland feel with a twist.
THE LOOK
DIY Mercury Glass Votive Holders – A Beautiful Mess
Brushstroke Dinnerware – Diane Von Furstenberg
Silvery Chevron Tray – BHLDN
Lockport Portable Fireplace – Holly & Martin
Eclectic Candles – Tom Dixon
Lighted Birch Forest – Terrain
THE APPS
Easy Salt & Vinegar Veggie Chips – eBakerie
Ricotta with Lemon, Basil + Honey Bruschetta – Martha Stewart
Fries with Lemon + Rosemary Salt – Alexandra Cooks
Crab Spring Rolls – Cajunlicious
Kale + Artichoke Dip – Spoon Fork Bacon
Garlic + Herb Stuffed Brussels Sprouts
THE SWEETS
Clementine Cake – A Tasty Love Story
Coffee Meringues – My Kitchen Affair
Chocolate Orange Bark – Cake Merchant
THE LIBATIONS
Baileys Over Ice
Baileys and Coffee
Baileys Hazelnut Martini
Sponsored by Baileys Original. Join @BaileysOriginal on Twitter to celebrate #girlsnight and the women of the Red Carpet.
Feb
19
The Zodiac
ROW 1: Ursa Major Constellation Pillow // Original Abstract Constellation Drawing // Constellation Pendent Necklace ROW 2: Best Friends Sky Map // iPhone Constellation Case // Nightwalk Watercolor Print ROW 3: Compass to the Northern Sky // Zodiac Birthday Cards ROW 4: Zodiac Print // Ralph Lauren Wallpaper // Night Sky Map ROW 5: The Southern Sky // Constellation Matches // Constellation Globe
Feb
14
Say Hello
Clockwise from top left: Animal Friends Set by MaeMae Paperie // Cards by Karolin Schnoor // Cards by Designers Care // Cards by Michoucas // Cards by The Nimbus Factory // Small Bird Card Set by Lin Morris // 12 Greeting Cards by Anna Emilia // Hand-drawn Grumpy Cat Cards by Afternoon Coffee
Feb
06
A Few More Valentines
Column 1: So Good by Snow & Graham // Kiss the Hell Out of Me by Paper Society Co.
Column 2: Gotcha by Maple and Belmont // Love Fox by Heart & Fox // Letterpress XOXO by Candida Etc // Gold Leaf Funny Valentine by ella cute
Column 3: Happy Love Day by The Paper Club // Biggest Fan by The Social Type
Feb
05
Heart ‘Splosion
ROW 1: Bing Bang Oversized Ray Heart Button Earrings // DIY Painted Heart Bag //Valentine’s Heart Attack ROW 2: Neon Screenprint Valentine Poster // Easy Pixel Heart Cookies // Home Is Where the Heart Is Print (Pennsylvania) ROW 3: Giant Geometric Wall Heart // Heart Shaped Donuts // DIY Be My Valentine Heart Kite ROW 4: Heart Straws // DIY Tree Heart Installation ROW 5: Red Heart Pillow Cover // Heart Pendent Necklace // Modern Welsh Lovespoon ROW 6: Joyceanne Sunglasses // Valentine Sorbet Sandwiches // DIY Gold Heart Piñata ROW 7: Heart Serving Bowl with Ladle // Stuck On You Valentine // Heart You Leather Wall Flag
Feb
04
I Went to Alt! (And Caught the Plague)
PHOTO: Alt Summit
Alt 2013. It happened.
No doubt by now you’ve already read countless posts from other bloggers speaking about everything they learned, how awesome the other bloggers are, and how inspired they left. And you know what? It’s all true. This year marked my fourth year attending and speaking at Altitude Design Summit (affectionately Alt) and I’m still not tired of the feelings I leave with every January. It’s basically impossible to not bond with these people who are on your wavelength, who get your obsession with analytics and tolerate you anyway.
PHOTO: Alt Summit
Most attendees arrived in Salt Lake City sometime Wednesday. Past years I’ve had punishing early morning flights, but this time around lucked out and didn’t even have to depart Oklahoma City until after one o’clock. I had a lovely traveling partner in Rachel Shingleton of Pencil Shavings fame, and we arrived in SLC shortly before everyone started heading off to their Wednesday evening sponsored dinners.
I has signed up for a lovely meal with Joss & Main, a members-only site that curates 3-day long shopping events, at Sapa Sushi Bar & Grill. I ended up having such a great time and so many quality conversations that I forgot to snap even one photo! That has to be a record.
Thursday morning’s sessions started bright and early at 9am, and in the main hallway I immediately noticed what was one of my favorite new additions to Alt this year – three sheet metal boards ripe with magnets for showing off business cards! Business cards are the equivalent of gold at this conference, and the boards were the perfect way to showcase everyone’s creativity and long hours. They also unintentionally gave me recognition of someone before ever meeting them face to face. I can’t recall how many times I exchanged cards with someone only to say how I’d hoped I would meet them after spotting their card first.
PHOTO: Alt Summit
Thursday night brought with it the much anticipated Clue party. We had all been instructed to dress in the color of Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. Peacock, or Mr. Green. I thought for sure one color would be dominant but nope, the room was a rainbow of vibrant color! All of the board game’s rooms were represented, sectioned off and identified in the classic Clue font and projected in light from the ceiling amidst the apropos furniture setting.
I loved all of the little touches that went into the planning, from the huge array of colored flower arrangements to the artistic takes on each weapon, to the colored lights in the rear of the room! (This is obviously the end of the night, these tables were packed!)
This is the lone good photo of me from the entire conference – as Miss Scarlet! – because the next morning I woke up with a raw throat and aching ears. I’d been sick for most of January and traveling lots, so I don’t know why I was surprised. But I was. Guess I should have taken more note of all the hand sanitizer being handed out and not put that plastic bear mask on in the Bing photobooth. But speaking of Bing…
PHOTO: Alt Summit
… they had a great footprint on the entirety of Alt, in a very genuine way. Their support of creativity and voice were palpable, starting with the amazing lounge they put together around projects nominated by the attendees. (And from what I hear, people ended up winning and taking each one home!)
Land of Nod also threw one heck of a tea party, complete with a full-size plastic swan boat (you can see a photo of me and my roommate, Jaime Derringer of Design Milk, canoodling in it on Instagram!) and plenty of polka dots and stripes.
Three cheers for Bing, Land of Nod, and all the sponsors of Alt for helping it reach its full potential!
PHOTO: Alt Summit
We had the opportunity to see three fantastic keynotes, one Thursday and two Friday. First up was Chris Anderson, CEO of 3D Robotics and former longtime editor-in-chief of Wired magazine. To be honest Chris’s talk was a little over my head, but I’m looking forward to reading the copy of his book – Makers: The New Industrial Revolution
Friday’s lunch keynote resonated most, no doubt because it was one of my long-standing graphic design crushes – Stefan Sagmeister of Sagmeister & Walsh. His talk focused on the exploration of happiness through his projects The Happy Film (which finally has backing) and The Happy Show. We had the chance to preview twelve blissful moments of the movie, which will be at film shows this coming year. Needless to say, totally amazing.
The closing keynote was the lovely Katie Sokolov of Color Me Katie and street art fame. I have to confess that I didn’t make it to this one, cold meds had me taking a short nap in my room instead. But this is what I missed out on…
PHOTO: Alt Summit
So yeah, disappointed doesn’t even begin to cover it.
PHOTO: Alt Summit
Friday evening brought with it the much loved Mini Parties! Each sponsored room has its own distinctive decor and vibe, I think my favorite was Go Mighty‘s valentine-themed crush party with plenty of red, balloons, and candy. I also had a great time visiting with Better Homes and Gardens and Hayneedle!
PHOTOS: Alt Summit
Oh, the trends! Alt wouldn’t be Alt if the ladies (and handful of gents) didn’t bring their A-game. I was excited to see the latest (colored denim, mixed patterns, fascinators) and the reliables (topknots, big glasses, totes).
PHOTOS: Alt Summit
Some sights became old hat by the end of the conference – water to fight dehydration, Sagmeister kissing everyone in photos, and killer calligraphy to name a few.
Every year the business cards get better and more outrageous. This year was no exception with trends like thick cotton letterpress, blind embossing, and colored edges making their mark.
La La Lovely // South Holly Road // A Blog About Love // Artifact Uprising // Emily McDowell // The Artful Desperado // Citizens of Humanity // Design Milk // House of Earnest // Creature Comforts // Grassroots Modern // The Cuisinerd // Pinegate Road // Hitch Design Studio // Cloth & Kind // Leslie Fandrich // Meg Biram // Paper & Stitch
It seems like this year more than ever people were above and way beyond with their cards, some were flat out gifts. Prints, notecards, calendars – even a hamburger yoyo and wooden corgi pin!
The Proper Pinwheel // Melissa Esplin // Engaged & Inspired // The Cuisinerd // The Ravenna Girls // Donuts, Dresses and Dirt // The Paper Mama // Twig Creative // Shauna Younge
If you couldn’t make it to the conference you should definitely look into it for 2014! In the meantime, here are a few links to reviews of some of the panels. I’ll continue to update the list as new ones come out!
PANEL REVIEWS
Up and Coming Blogs
How to Craft for a Living
Organizing Social Media + Advanced Blogging
Collaborating with Sponsors + Earning Revenue
Planning Offline Events
Advanced Blogging Skills
Getting Past Zero
Building a Killer Portfolio
Personal Branding
How to Organize Your Online Life
Being a Contributor
Stefan Sagmeister’s Keynote
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