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holiday kickoff.

Thanksgiving is quickly becoming my favorite holiday. Heading to the mountains the last few years with (the local part of) my family instead of staying in Greenville has given the entire holiday new life.

This years Thanksgiving was:
pie made from pumpkins
a heritage turkey (brined!)
games on the iPad
an amazing view
never needing to know the time
a steady supply of food
magazines and books
Rook
Dutch Blitz
a giant puzzle
hiking to see a waterfall
naps and general laziness
taking photos
quality conversation

It was not:
football
a fireplace
Black Friday shopping
cell phone service
internet
emails
Riley

I’m so grateful for a relaxing start to the holidays this year. The next few weeks will fly by I’m sure, but it was wonderful to have a couple days to relax and take a deep breath.

editing.

I discovered the mo+mo living site last week. The philosophy of “paring to what is essential + valued + beautiful” resonates with me so much! I feel like I’ve been on a quest for the last year to simplify and purge my life of ‘stuff’. It’s way too easy for things (that are supposed to make life better) to take over. And it also seems difficult to reclaim simplicity, whether in the realm of food, work or simply living.

image from mo+mo living.

This idea of editing and getting back to the basics is extremely appealing, especially when it’s broken down into bite-sized tips for actually making it happen.

A few super-inspiring (and relevant to me) pointers from the blog:

· focus on investing in well-made goods and on having fewer things

· avoid rushing into purchases and instead carefully curate over time

· clutter can come in the form of unfinished tasks

    · make a list of unfinished tasks

    · each day schedule time to do one thing on your list

    · complete unfinished projects

    · let go of projects that no longer interest you

Problem Solving.

I posted a link not too long ago about good design actually being problem solving. I truly believe this! Here are some step by step photos of a problem I set out to solve this past week. We’re making (what feels like miles of) felt garland for Indie Craft Parade, and we needed to figure out a quick way to cut out the pieces. Here’s the solution I ended up with:

So with a scrap of cardboard as a template, a rotary cutter and seven cuts, you get twenty-two full-size triangles and a few scraps that will be turned into other fun things. Who knew geometry and a little problem-solving could be so rewarding?

Inspiration in numbers.

A collection of wonderful things designed with numbers in mind.

Clockwise from the top: The napkins that inspired this post / A tote made from recycled sailboat sails! / An enamel necklace made locally / Buttery 7 days a week shirt / A fabulous boy scout brooch.

Please know: I write these posts not to encourage us all to run out and buy more stuff, but because I want to share the things that inspire me — whether because of their beauty or their craftsmanship, or because I find them worthy of praise.

If you’re looking for something fun to do that’s out of the ordinary, you’ll want to mark your calendars for the upcoming Pecha Kucha Night in Greenville. It’s next Tuesday, July 27th, at the Warehouse Theatre in downtown Greenville. It costs $5 per person, and it’s definitely worth it! We attended the last one in March and had a really great time! I was fascinated by the concept of this event, so let me explain it quickly.

First, Pecha Kucha is in no way pronounced like you might think. It’s Pe-CHALK-cha, and it’s a Japanese phrase that loosely translated, means “chit chat”.

Each presenter works within the same guidelines: 20 slides x 20 seconds per slide. In total, a speaker has 6 minutes, 40 seconds to present their idea, and the next speaker comes on stage. It’s an intriguing way to learn about a variety of topics in a short amount of time. As an audience member, it’s fast-paced and engaging, especially since the topics range from anything to everything.

There are actually Pecha Kucha events taking place all over the world at various times, so if you’re nowhere near Greenville, SC, you can still check out the main site and see if there are any near you.

I’m honored to be one of the presenters on Tuesday, and while I am certainly no public speaker, I’m definitely excited about this opportunity. Come out and see what Pecha Kucha Night is all about. I really think you’ll be glad you did!

Update: You can now see the presentation online.

Uppercase Magazine

I bought Andrew a subscription to Uppercase Magazine as part of his Christmas gift last year. Obviously, I get to enjoy the gift as well. A win/win in my book! It’s a fabulous design/illustration resource. “A magazine for the creative and curious” is the official tagline.

Yesterday, I picked up Issue 6. Only two pages in, I was reminded exactly why this magazine is so impressive. Check it out:

Their advertising policy is revolutionary. Only six pages of ads per 100-page issue, and there are quality standards??? It’s almost hard to believe, because it’s completely opposite of the stance most magazines take. Every time I’m at Barnes & Noble, I look at different magazines. Time after time, I’m amazed at how bad advertisers/advertisements can make an entire magazine look terrible.

Even great magazines can be brought down by the number of ads they include. In addition to Uppercase, I also have the newest copy of Real Simple on my desk — a magazine I love and read from cover to cover every month. Just to give a comparison, there are nine ads (mostly two-page spreads) in my Real Simple, before you even reach the Table of Contents on page 17.

I realize that for most magazines, advertising funds printing. But there’s also a point where it detracts from the magazine itself. Uppercase has always impressed me with their content and quality production (beautifully printed on uncoated paper), and it’s nice to realize they’re not afraid to change the rules of the advertising game. Giving readers and good content priority over advertisers is a model I would love to see more magazines follow! Uppercase Magazine charges a premium price for their product, possibly because of this very policy. But in my book, it’s definitely worth it.

Good things seen today.

Left: Beautifully simple aprons from Ice Milk Aprons in Atlanta. [via]
Top right: A picnic, repackaged. [via]
Bottom right: Clay herb jars on Etsy [via]

So many people out there with amazing ideas. I love seeing them done well!

If you don’t have plans this weekend and are in the area, head up to Asheville, NC for The Big Crafty! What better way to support great ideas?

Simplicity: before and after.

One of the most rewarding kinds of design projects for me is when I get to take something that is average and/or boring and turn it into something beautiful. Good design can make anything more interesting and easy to use.

This company, Simplicity Law knew that even the smallest touch point for their brand needed to be considered. They asked me to turn this standard questionnaire into a branded PDF to distribute to new clients. Redesigning this intimidating 6-page document transformed it into a simplified, easy-to-follow checklist that strengthened their brand.

If you’ve never given much thought to the documents your clients and customers interact with, it might be time to take a look. These interactions are just as important as the larger, more visible design projects. Sometimes they can even be more meaningful when they truly make life easier for your clients — ever had to sit in a Doctor’s office filling out your name and address multiple times on multiple forms? or try to make sense of a huge legal document that’s all set in the same size type?

Take some time to consider what your documents are telling people about your company. Is it organized? boring? complicated? uncreative? Make sure you’re sending the right message.

Bikes in Europe.

Traveling outside of the US for the first time was an experience I’m so grateful to have had. It was good for Andrew and I to see a tiny glimpse of the elements (language, food, history) that make each culture different. To be able to compare the way we live with the way others live and to appreciate the differences.

One of the elements of Europe that we really enjoyed was the bikes. I consider my hometown, Greenville a very bike-friendly community, however the main focus here seems to be on ‘cycling’ as a sport. One of my favorite memories (one I didn’t get a photo of) was walking down streets in Germany and being passed by business men and women riding their bikes home from work. In their suits. Some with briefcases. Some with groceries.

For most of us, riding bikes is something we did as a kid. And unless you’re a dedicated cyclist or mountain biker, it’s not really something you do as an adult. But in Germany, riding your bike is just a regular, normal part of everyday life. One we really liked.

In Barcelona, I did get evidence of this bike culture!

This is a station where you could drop off and pick up a bike. In the the second photo, you can see exactly how many stations there are throughout the city! We didn’t rent one because we didn’t know exactly how the system worked, but we saw a good number of them being used as we walked around. From what I understand, these bike stations are part of the public transportation system. Bikes work alongside buses, trams and metros to move people around the city.

There is a company doing something like this in the US, called B-cycle. I think the concept itself is wonderful, and the website and materials for it are designed very well. I really hope to see B-cycle come to Greenville eventually. Their only current location is Denver, but you can vote for your city here (right now Greenville is ranked #17).

They Draw and Cook

Vegetable Stock by Nate Padavick

I stumbled across the They Draw and Cook site yesterday and am in love with this idea. Creativity combined with cooking. And the variety of illustration styles is so inspiring! This one was of my favorites!

Check out the site for yourself, or if you’re an artist, submit your own work!