Forever 21 Jewelry

I am taking a much needed shopping trip tonight to buy work appropriate jewelry and other sophisticated items. I want to dress it up a little, and I will definitely be able to do that after I visit Forever 21.

They are selling some of the most gorgeous jewelry items right now! I absolutely insist they you go check some of these out at the store or buy them online! They look much more expensive than they actually are, and I don't think any of these are over $25. 

Here are some of my favorites:

The Rachel Zoe Project

I am so completely excited that the new season of The Rachel Zoe Project is back on Bravo. 

Total gorgeousness and some fabulously charming catchphrases, and what else do you really need? 

Tune in to Bravo, Mondays at 10pm!

Ohio State's Welcome Week Theme

Click to see the larger image

Piper Heidsieck

I live for this moment...where fantastic package design for a wine company reminds me of one of my favorite classic movies! 

I was getting my daily dose of The Dieline when I came across a design for the Piper Heidsieck Rosé Sauvage. It was the winner of the 2008 Diamond Pentaward Best of Show. 

I love the upside-down factor of this design. The bottle, is obviously the main event here...but I also love the attention to detail they've included by adding the upside-down functional ice bucket, as well as the upside-down wine/champagne glass. 

Here is a closer look at just the bottle, as well. I'd love to see it opened, so I can figure out exactly how that cork works...

And now, the movie it reminds me of: Every Girl Should Be Married starring Carey Grant and Betsy Drake. Piper Heidsieck is their favorite wine, particularly from the year 1933. Though, Betsy's character always pronounces it "peeper" Heidsieck by accident. 

The movie is a black & white story of a shopgirl, Miss Anabel Sims, who uses subterfuge and scientific research to try to entangle Dr. Madison Brown, a pediatrician. It's quite a zany comedy considering she tries to convince the doctor that she is actually dating her boss, a millionaire, but that he won't get marriage on the mind until he's convinced he has a rival. Well, in actuality, she is doing that very thing to the Dr. Brown as well. 

It's quite a sweet little movie, and really kind of a progressive idea for 1948, when it was made. 

The theme of it is, Why should women have to sit and wait around for the men to ask them out? Betsy Drake is just too perfect for words, and Carey Grant is as handsome as ever. 

I will definitely be letting you know when this movie is on the TCM schedule! 

J.R. Watkins

Yesterday I had a silly designer moment. And we've all been there before, okay. 

I was shopping for something completely mundane: all-purpose cleaner at Target. I passed the 409, the Clorox, and then suddenly I saw something with a label so pretty that I got excited and a bit panicky! 

What if it costs a lot more than 409? Am I only buying this because it will look good in my kitchen? Is this fashion over function: the number one no-no in the design world? 

Well, I was delightfully surprised by the answers to these questions! No, it was the same price, if not cheaper than 409. $3.99 to be exact. No, I need all-purpose cleaner anyway, and this one is made from natural ingredients and is better for the environment! And no, this cleaner seemed to be absolute perfection with a delicious lemony fresh scent! SOLD, ladies and gentlemen. 

Check it out here and be sure to consider purchasing the hand soap, dish soap, or laundry soap while you're at it. And get a look at these beauties below: 

The Most Delicious and Easy Salad

I have recently been obsessed with 

Double Nickel Salad Dressing: 

1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 c white vinegar
2 c corn oil
2 tbsps mustard powder
1 tbsp pureed garlic
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 c white sugar
1/2 c water

It is like this deliciously sweet version of an Italian dressing with a kick, and it complements a salad just beautifully. (I would recommend cutting this recipe down to 1/2, unless you are making it for a large party, or plan to use it for several weeks) 

And for a fabulous and easy salad for company, or even just dinner for one: 

I start with Romaine lettuce, though adding a little spinach can be delicious as well. Then I add sliced apples, chopped walnuts, slices of red onion, and bleu cheese crumbles. For an entree, rather than a starter, add chicken. It is so delectable with the Double Nickel Dressing, you will want to make it every week! 

The Little Retro Kitchen of My Dreams

I die for this kitchen. It is just amazing. There is so much storage, even for the 1950's. I can't even imagine having all of that space. Apartment living means I have about 1/8th that counter space and 1/16th that cabinet space. 

The entirely monochromatic color palette is maybe a bit much, I will admit. But check out that fridge!! It can be yours if you visit Big Chill.

In my opinion, a kitchen should always have clean lines like this, and minimal knick knacks because isn't it really hard enough to keep your kitchen looking neat and tidy anyway? 

Project Runway Faves

I am obviously a huge fan of Project Runway, and last night the new season (on Lifetime, this time around) premiered. And I truly have to say that there are some talented designers on this season! I can't remember liking as many of the first episode outfits as much as I did last night!

Here are some of my favorite looks from Episode 1. The challenge was looks for the red carpet of any awards show from the Emmys to the Oscars to the MTV VMAs. 

And finally, this look was the winner of this week's challenge...

I will try to blog more about my opinions on the designers later on throughout the season, but for now I'm in a rush. I'm heading out of town to go to Cleveland to visit Sarah! 

Au Revoir!

Made this today

I whipped this up for the inside back cover of the TBDBITL Media Guide, aka "The Project That Would Never End"

But it turned out to be pretty sweet. 

Give Great Service, Earn Great Stuff

Below are images from the Give Great Service, Earn Great Stuff Campaign for employees of Harrah's Casinos and resorts by Hatch Design in San Francisco. 

Aren't they fantastic? I, of course, love the retro aesthetic but I also love the idea of the employee characters in the same positions at work and at play, but surrounded by and using different objects. Great work, Hatch. Enjoy these goodies from their website below, and check out some of their other projects and case studies. I go there regularly for a dose of inspiration!

 

My favorite is the girl on the scooter!

 

Meet Me in St. Louis

With Brian gone to Atlanta, I have the TV all to myself, and have been watching Turner Classic Movies non-stop. I am definitely a lover of old movies, and I just never get sick of this one.

There are just so many wonderful things about it that make me happy. First of all, Judy Garland just looks like the picture of beauty in her lovely turn-of-the-century costumes. She is just radiant. 

Second, the music is amazing. "The Boy Next Door" "Clang, Clang, Clang Goes the Trolley" "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and of course "Meet Me in St. Louis" are all songs that practically every knows the melody to. 

Third, there are just so many moments that I love. The telephone scene between Rose and Warren, after the party when Esther and John Truitt turn down the lights together, the Halloween scenes, and of course the trolley scene! 

But also there's the Christmas dance when Esther goes with Grandpa, and then of course the proposal scenes for both Esther and Rose. And lets face it, everything Margaret O'Brien does in the movie is pure gold. 

This is absolutely one of my favorite movies ever. And the beautiful scene at the end, at the World's Fair, with all those beautiful lights, and the girls in pretty white dresses...it just makes my whole night to watch it. 

Kate Spade for Fall

I am obsessed with these looks for fall. For more, go here and spend the rest of the day dreaming about polka dots, pink cropped jackets and yellow tights. 

Stairway to Heaven

Seriously, who knew staircases could be so beautiful? They just don't make stairs like they used to. I hereby vow to someday live in a house old enough to have architectural details like these. 

Julie & Julia

Give me any movie with 1950's or 1960's fashion done impeccably well and I am sold. But Julie & Julia definitely rose above my easy-to-please expectations. I honestly can say that I enjoyed the movie from the minute the theatre darkened until the end credits rolled. I loved the concept, loved looking at all the delicious food, and especially loved the empowerment of how the characters were able to do things they had never done before and master them. 

I also loved the Julie storyline about her blogging, as I am new to the blogosphere myself. I thought it was funny that her mom wrote her first and only comment for quite some time...when so far, my mother is the only one who has commented on Jenna Sais Quois so far. But at least I know I have four readers! 

But overall, I found it to be a wonderful movie. And I especially loved the Paul Child character played by Stanley Tucci. Is it possible that such a wonderful man exists in modern times? Julie's husband sure wasn't as wonderful as Julia's. But then again, Julie wasn't as wonderful as Julia either...

What happened to the world where everyone was cool as a cucumber, and nobody flew off the hand or had a meltdown over something as trivial as dropping a goose and having the stuffing and other various innards fly across your kitchen? 

I think my favorite part is the toast, "You are the bread to my butter, and the breath to my life." What an awfully beautiful thing to say to someone. The movie was incredible. 

On another note, I have often thought hanging pots and pans on a pegboard a la Julia Child made the kitchen look a bit cluttered. But I love the idea of painting the area where the cooking items hang a slightly different color, rather than outlining them with marker. I want one someday in Martha Stewart Blue to match my mixer. (And recipe card holder, and teapot, and dish towels and...wow I love that color.)

What I've been working on

I am finally finishing up the Media Guide for the Ohio State University Marching Band, and I'm definitely happy with how it turned out. It was a fun project, and will be distributed to all news and sports television and radio networks at each game this fall, so it has a decently large circulation of about 15/20,000. 

Here are the back/front covers as well as an interior spread. The goal was to incorporate more visuals and ease some of the text-heavy pages with more photos than the prior years' guides have had. 

Packaging Design to Die for!

Today I was fortunate enough to find the dieline, "the world's #1 packaging design website." I can predict that I might be blogging more about packaging throughout the day, based on what I find while exploring this site! 

But first, you need to check this out. It is the packaging design for Help Remedies. They basically provide quick fix medicine, and you can buy their accessible packages of certain medications or first-aid items. They are streamline and functional while also providing stress free relief...they would be perfect for a mother's purse!These are all the different types of first-aid/medicines offered. They cover everything from allergies, the common cold, trouble sleeping...they even offer band-aids and healing ointments.

 

The Ohio State University Marching Band

Here I am in Atlanta, and what have I been doing during the day? Freelance work! Deadlines don't wait for vacations, evidently. But I am once again doing a project for the Marching Band here at OSU, and I have some of the coolest photos to work with this time around. I love them so much, I just had to share a few. 

They were taken by Edward and Karen Crockett, a husband and wife team, who have a ton of fantastic photos of the band on their website. If you are looking for any OSU mementos, one of these framed photos would make a great gift for a fan or recent graduate. 

Another Amazing Kitchen

I have been on quite a kitchen kick this week! And when I stumbled on this, I immediately adored it. You can't go wrong with a subway tile backsplash in that beautiful blue, and a pop of yellow. Fantastic. (I just wish they had a bright yellow mixer instead of the white one!)

What I've been up to!

I am using this space to update you on some of the things I've been working on. Here's what has been keeping me busy the last few weeks! 

This is a birthday card designed to both send Ohio Union staff and students a birthday wish, but to also remind them that the new building is opening! Illustrating the new building took hours! 

These tee shirts are for the multicultural sorority, Delta Xi Phi, and celebrate their recruitment theme of "Searching for Diamonds in the Rough."