Sleeping Baby, Please do not Disturb!

All moms know, there's nothing worse than fighting to get a fussy baby to sleep, then something happening that wakes them up. We live in a pretty convenient location, so we have people stopping by pretty regularly. And then there's the UPS guy who rings the doorbell & runs while Buzz barks his head off, ultimately resulting in a mad baby whose nap just got cut short. Not a fun time for anyone involved. So in order to reduce the chances of Jett getting woken up during his very few & usually short day time naps, I made a friendly little sign to warn people when he's asleep. So take one & print it if you need it, & I hope it will be as effective for you as it has been for us! I laminated mine with contact paper & keep it by the door so I can easily stick it on there when we're headed upstairs for a nap. Happy Sunday, everybody! Here's to a good long undisturbed Sunday nap!

A is for Adler

Well, hello there, Stranger. it's been a while. Momma's been busy designing the nursery, going to doctor appointments, & getting prepared for the new addition to the family. I've decided to design a set of flash cards, more than likely for decor use only. The majority of the subject matter will be things Jonathan & I are interested in. Maybe one day we'll look back & laugh, or maybe one day Jett will use it as decor in his kids room. Who knows. But for now, it's just fun. Each day, I'll either illustrate a letter or object to use on the card, then at the end, I'll make one big poster. I'm not sure if my objects on the card will actually help a child learn the alphabet. I just want them to be pretty and significant. So without further ado, here's A for day one.



Jonathan Adler. Love his design. From the geometric patterns to the quirky sculptures and especially the color palettes. I think JA is deserving of the beginning of the alphabet flash cards. Font used today is Gotham Medium.

See you tomorrow for "B!" Ooooh, what's it gonna "be?" Hahahaha! (I failed to mention I have the sense of humor of an 80 year old woman since I've been pregnant). Thanks for stopping by! Sorry for my absence :)

Beautiful Illustrations: Eleanor Grosch

If you know me, you know I love simple design with a great color palette. Clean lines, blocks of color, and a touch of a nostalgic feel. That's probably why I'm such a huge fan of the illustrations of Eleanor Grosch. Her prints are absolutely gorgeous. I purchased the skull print and had it framed in a chunky white frame as a gift for my sister, and I think it might have been one of her favorite gifts from me yet. And not only are they gorgeous, but they're insanely affordable. So buy yourself one, then buy one for your favorite friend!

Along with her prints, she also designs adorable greeting cards, t-shirts, coffee mugs, cd covers, posters, fabric and a ton of other goodies. I've seen her designs on keds shoes, baby clothing, diaper bags and even tiny sketchbooks at Urban Outfitters. She has such a distinct style that I know her work the second I see it! I hope you enjoy her work and are as inspired by it as I am! Here are a few of my favorite works of hers. Click here for her full site.

QR Readers | Advertising Uncensored

In case you haven't heard about this new technology(which has actually been out since the early 90's?), I'll just show you. If you have iPhone or any other mobile device worthy of the thousands of apps out there, you should definitely download the QR Reader if you want to keep up with the Jones's. QR stands for "Quick Response," which ultimately is what we all want. We want to push a button and be able to know exactly what we need/want to know as fast as possible. You may have noticed these ugly black and white squares all over everything lately. In magazines, on products, on bus benches, and even on billboards. Did you download QR reader yet? If not, do it, then hover your phone over this ugly box.



Took you straight to my site, right? So now you know what it does. Recently, Calvin Klein released an ad campaign using only their QR code that leads to a somewhat racy commercial that they probably couldn't have otherwise aired. They censored themselves before someone else beat 'em to the punch. Genius. Nice way to advertise exactly how they want without offending anyone. If you hold your QR reader up to their ad, you're asking for it. You're choosing to see what they want you to see. They're making it your idea! You're voluntarily taking time out of your day to look at an ad, when in the past, sometimes you don't even realize you've seen it. But now, it's open on a window in your phone. You are exclusive! You want to show your friends. They want to show theirs. After you scan the code and open the commercial, you can share the video on Twitter or Facebook. That's serious advertising. Here's the ad in case you want to check it out.



So what does this mean for the design industry? If you're a designer and have ever designed any sort of packaging, you know how annoying it is to have to add that ugly bar code. It's just sitting there in the corner. Being distracting from the design you've been slaving over for weeks. Looking all black and white and ugly. Now, not only is there the bar code to deal with on the back, but these hideous codes that will more than likely dominate the design. I'm not saying I don't like the idea of a QR code, I just don't like the idea of the print design being ignored so quickly because people will see the code and just get the information they need from the site it directs them to. It's nice for companies who use these though. How often do you look at your phone and realize you have about 5 windows open? The QR code enables companies to make you keep them in your pocket. This is yet another technology that's killing print. But it is pretty cool.

What are your thoughts?

Stella & Dot Packaging

Recently, I was in Jackson, Mississippi visiting my family. My sister had been invited to a Stella & Dot jewelry party and informed me I was coming along with her. I usually don't like these kinds of things for a few reasons: #1. I feel obligated to buy something whether I want to or not. (which is the point of this type of sales, I'm sure) #2. The stuff people sell at house parties is usually really ugly. BUT this Stella and Dot stuff is actually really cute! Not the most inexpensive, but reasonable for the most part. I'd been on the lookout for a wrap bracelet anyway, and I found one that luckily came in gold, so I wrote up my order, had a glass of wine, and I was on my way! THEN, the most exciting part...the packaging! I just got my bracelet in the mail today, and I felt like I was getting a special present! So pretty, and so exciting to open. Check it out:




I love this! "You Have a Great Eye" Why thank you, Box!


The bracelet is great quality too. I think it may turn in to an every day staple!


I just love the attention to detail from the lining of the main box, to the sweet little note on the jewelry box. The pattern comes from a shape that that use in some of their jewelry, which is also a nice touch. Nice work, Stella & Dot designer!

Is Script Dying?

I was at dinner at a friends' the other night, and a friend of hers and her daughters were there. One of her daughters was maybe 13 or so, and was on her laptop doing homework. So we all started talking about how weird it is that kids that age are using laptops for everything. Not that it's that weird since I use mine for everything too, just that kids in grade school use them just as much. She said they turn assignments in that way and everything. They don't write papers anymore, they type them. So we were talking about handwriting, since they don't really even write that much anymore, and I came to find out that schools aren't teaching script anymore. This girl had no idea how to write in cursive! I remember as a kid being so excited about learning to write like that and thinking I was all grown up once I learned how. It's just strange to think that script is a dying art. I understand that we don't really need it, but is the fact that it's not being taught anymore going to make it more of a beautiful art form? I think so. And although it's kind of sad, it's also pretty exciting. What do you think? Here's what I think.


Think about how much less we write today already than we did 10 years ago. A LOT less. When is the last time you got a hand written letter in the mail? It's been a while, huh? The only hand written anything I get anymore is from my grandmother. She sends a card for birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day, Anniversaries, and anything else you can think of. And she always writes the sweetest notes inside. I smile every time I read them because it's just so sweet and very personal. So sweet it makes you want to punch that stupid ecard you get a month after your birthday in the FACE! So that being said, go write somebody a pretty letter today. Spray some perfume on it. Draw something pretty on there. Fold the paper into an origami bird. And if you're lucky, you just might be the one getting it in the mail.