July 22, 2008

Merci.

Two BIG thank you’s I want to hand out before anything else this week.

1. To Wrappables. For extending an invitation to me a few weeks back to post on their product design blog That’s a Wrap. You can check out my article on eco-chic items I love right here.

2. To Stationary Trends magazine. For including Design Crush in their To Blog or Not to Blog? article and to Kati (of The Finer Things) for giving me the heads up! Other blogs included were Creature Comforts, The Finer Things, One Good Bumblebee, Design*Sponge, Decor8, Print + Pattern, Poppytalk, Design for Mankind, Hostess with the Mostess, Tastefully Entertaining, Style Me Pretty and Design is Mine. The author of the article, Christienne de Tournay Birkhahn, put together some of my favorite blogs and bloggers. Thanks, Christienne!

I had crazy Saturday filled with over twelve hours of unpacking only to wake up Sunday feeling like the bottom of someone’s shoe. My sinuses were incredibly unhappy with me, so much so that I even missed work yesterday. And I hate missing work – I always feel like my boss is going to think I’m playing hooky or something! Anyway, I’m back today and slowly crawling out of my sinus headache-induced black hole.

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July 16, 2008

15 x 3.

I’m in list-making mode today, so when I saw this on In(side) the Loop I had to accept Courtney’s challenge of Three Tag. Join me for TMI, won’t you?

1. What are the last 3 things you purchased?
• an electricians services to install two ceiling fans and a light fixture
• a fat-free carmel Macchiato from Starbuck’s
• gasoline

2. What are the last 3 songs you downloaded?
• Wearing Thin – minipop
• Dandelion Halo – First of June
• Dreams – Behind the Scenes

3. Where were the last 3 places you visited?
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Pittsburgh, PA

4. What are your 3 favorite movies?
• Say Anything
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• Jurassic Park

5. What are your 3 favorite possessions?
• my house!!!
• my two kitties – Roxy and Peanut (if you can consider them “possessions”…)
• the engagement rings of both of my grandmothers

6. What 3 things can you not live without?
• my MacBook
• my mom
• good music

7. What would be your 3 wishes?
• for my friends and family to all live in the same state as me!
• happily ever after
• to keep growing and become a better person

8. What are 3 things you have not done yet?
• been married
• owned a dog
• raised a child

9. What are your 3 favorite dishes?
• my grandmother’s potato salad
• my mom’s salisbury steak
• cheesecake of any sort

10. What 3 celebrities would you want to hang out with the most?
• Audrey Hepburn – no one said they have to be alive!
• Charlize Theron
• John Cusack – I’ll have to if we’re going to get married one day!

11. Name 3 things that freak you out.
• snakes – ew.
• the thought of someone breaking into my house
• anything and everything pickled!!

12. If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?
• compassionate
• organized
• creative

13. Name 3 unusual things you are good at.
• packing for trips – I can fit a lot into a carry-on!
• I make a mean meatball
• speed reading

14. What are 3 things you are currently coveting?
• boxes to be unpacked and everything in its place in my house
• a wooden fence around my backyard
• baseboards that aren’t all dinged up!

15. What 3 bloggers would you like tag?
I’m curious about everyone I come across, so if you want to share leave a comment and we’ll all follow you to your place to read up about you!

:: photo via ffffound

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June 19, 2008

Memed Me.

I’m such a sucker for these sorts of things and I haven’t participated in any for awhile. (Thanks Danielle!) Besides I’m sure you’re all just dying to know more about what goes on in my life! (Ummm, that was a joke. A bad one.)

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
In June 1998 I graduated from high school. I was working at the concession stand of the community pool and spending as much time as possible with friends before leaving to go to college halfway across the country.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
Take deep breaths and not scream (if possible).
Finish the ad I’m working on.
Call the movers I’ve chosen and let them know they’re hired.
Grab dinner and drinks with a friend after work.
Pack. More. Boxes.

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Broccoli and garlic hummus
Almonds.
Apples and cheddar.
(Note: I like how healthy these make me sound! Ha!)

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Hook up my parents and grandmother for life.
Start my own stationary business.
Travel.
Buy a second home back in Pennsylvania.
Give to a bunch to animal sanctuaries.

5. Places I have lived:
Pittsburgh, PA
Norman, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Minneapolis, MN
New York, New York
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH

6. Jobs I have had:
gas attendant – let’s hear it for first jobs!
concession stand clerk
one of those cookie places at the mall
telemarketer for the university
medical records
the Gap
Should I go on??

7. Bloggers I am tagging who you will enjoy getting to know better:
I’m not because I’m pretty sure everyone I’m curious about has already filled this out. But if you haven’t and want to consider yourself tagged!

:: photo via ffffound

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May 5, 2008

Dear 1,000.

Dear Post 1,000,

Oh, how I have dreamed of this day. Some bloggers measure in years, but we do it in posts. Who would have imagined little ol’ us hanging around for so long. Do people seriously read our blog? Do they actually pay attention to what I find interesting?? Post 1,000, as much as the two previously noted things surprise me there is something that is even better. And that’s the friendships I’ve formed because of and through Design Crush. These are the things that really make it all worthwhile.

Here’s to 1,000 more!
Kelly

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April 21, 2008

Tag: Signature Me.

I saw this tag list posted on Kim Vallee’s site this afternoon and couldn’t resist. I’ve been wanting to post about beauty products for awhile now and just haven’t gotten around to it. This seemed like the perfect segway!

My Foundation: Lancome Teint Idole Ultra.
I have to admit that I’ve only started wearing foundation a few years ago because up until that point my skin was really even toned. I love this foundation because it’s not heavy or cakey and spreads evenly over my skin every single time.

My Mascara: Lancome Definicils.
At the moment that is because I’m forever looking for the perfect mascara. My lashes are long, but not all that thick, so it’s a never-ending battle in my make-up world.

Day Cream: Lancome Aqua Fusion SPF 15.
This amazingly light and refreshing moisturizer instantly gets sucked up by my skin. It’s not at all greasy and I don’t have to wait around for it to absorb before putting my make-up on. At night I use Lancome’s Primordial night cream which makes my face feel like a baby’s behind as well as Clinique’s All About Eyes.

My Beauty Product Brand: Lancome.
Obviously. Followed up by Proactiv for their skin care line.

My Essential Beauty Product: Bourjois Baume de Nuit Night Lip Balm. Seriously the best balm ever, straight from this gloss-a-holic’s lips! i put it on every night and wake up with a fully moisturized pucker.

My Favorite Makeup Product: Stila Convertible Color in Fuschia.
Besides gloss and a powder compact I don’t carry any make-up in my luggage bag of a purse. Weird, I know. So this all in one is perfect for cheeks, lips and even eyes in a pinch.


My Perfume: Philosophy’s Falling in Love and The Body Shop’s white musk are a tie.
Although I have about ten bottles sitting on top of my jewelry box in all, those are the two I go back to time and time again. Falling in Love literally smells like cotton candy to me and the white musk just reminds me of the days when I was becoming Me.

Three Products (besides solar) to bring on a Deserted Island: Toothbrush, deodorant and sunscreen!

Woman I admire for her beauty: Right now Rachel Bilson.
I love her girl next door look and easy to pull off outfits. Not only that, but the girl taught me to wear navy blue eyeliner instead of black! It really makes your eyes pop.

Woman with the Best Sense of Style: Audrey Hepburn.
Every. Single. Time.

My Ultimate Dream: Running my own stationary company.
‘ve been toying with the notion since college and one day it just might happen. Stay tuned to find out!

How Do I Define Womanhood: Confidence. Dignity. Grace.
And one day I hope to embody them all.

My Favorite Fashion Publication: InStyle.
Although I probably see more pieces that catch my eye via all the lovely blogs I visit daily!

I’m tagging five more bloggers who I’d like to get in the make-up bagss of:
Creature Comforts
Design Smack
heysusy
In(side) the Loop
perfectbound

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March 18, 2008

Post2Post Virtual Book Tour: The Back of the Napkin.

For Design Crush readers let me fill you in a little: Idea Sandbox’s Post2Post Tour is a web-based book tour where authors and their books are connected with websites and readers. For five business days, making five stops, the author moves from one site to the next – discussing with the web hosts and readers – the book, the big idea, and other items of interest. And for those of you visiting Design Crush for the first time: Welcome!

The star of this leg of the tour? The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam. In very, very short summary the book follows this philosophy: Any problem can be made clearer with a picture, and any picture can be made using the same set of tools and rules. Used properly, these tools can work their magic much better than any computer program.

A graphic designer by trade, this philosophy has intrigued to me to say the least. What about my Photoshop? My Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver? Surely I can accomplish more than someone who’s never so much as drawn a line.

According to Roam, solving problems has absolutely nothing to do with drawing pictures or innate artistic ability. In fact, sometimes those who have those talents struggle the most. The process of visual thinking is comprised of four steps, each of which we’re already good at. Looking, seeing, imagining and showing.

Visual thinking means taking advantage of our innate ability to see – both with our eyes and with our mind’s eye – in order to discover ideas that are otherwise invisible, develop those ideas quickly and intuitively, and then share those ideas with other people in a way they simply “get.”

Ideas govern our world. Imagine if Aristotle or Socrates hadn’t been able to get their ideas across – we’d be screwed! We’ve all imagined fantastic ideas, but unless we can successfully convey them to others, the value and possibilitiy of our ideas may never be known. Everyone’s drawn on a bar napkin at some point, whether it be to sketch your Next Big Idea or to give your phone number to that hottie sitting at the other end of the bar. And according to Roam, that’s as complicated as it needs to get.

With this process, as with so many others, there will be times when the steps don’t flow 1-2-3-4. Sometimes we’ll even need to go back and make changes. This happens most frequently with Look and See which constantly feed off one another. But if we’ve successfully shared our idea and done the job right, the people we are showing work to will immediately start their own visual thinking process. And so the cycle begins.

As I said in the beginning, I’m a creative-minded person by nature, so I was really quite interested in how this book could possibly effect me. I can draw, so surely I can get my ideas across. Or so I thought. My main takeaway is that bigger isn’t always better. Just because I have the capabilities some others might lack artistically or in the computer department doesn’t make me a better communicator. Simple is best when it comes to getting your point across. It also leaves more room for the people you are sharing you idea with to expound upon the initial thought.

Check out the other stops in the Post2Post Tour: The Back of the Napkin!

Monday, March 17:
Jeff De Cagna
Principled Innovation Blog

Tuesday, March 18:
Peter Durand
The Center for Graphic Facilitation

Thursday, March 20:
Chris McCrory
Kennen, LLC

Friday, March 21:
Keith Bohanna
Pureplay

And if you’re still thirsty for more stop by The Back of the Napkin blog for the inside scoop.

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March 11, 2008

Book Tag.

In a alternative to the usual rules of getting tagged, Josyln of Simple Lovely asked me to open the book I’m currently reading, flip to page 123, read the first five sentences and then post the next three sentences.

I just started The Learners by Chip Kidd a few days ago and am loving it so far. Here goes nothin’!

So what we’re doing with this project is bringing together a number of adults, of different occupations and ages, and are asking some of them to be teachers, and some to be learners. We want to find out just what effect people will have on each other as teachers and learners, and also what effect punishment will have on learning in this situation.

What was all of this about punishment?

I’m going to pass on the love to five more bloggers I’d love to get inside the books of:
A Cup of Jo
d.Sharp Journal
(In)side the Loop
Mackin Ink
MadeByGirl

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