#Blogmas Day 22: Adorable Holiday Illustrations from AnnieWitzDesign

I love sharing the cool, artistic things that people I know are working on! And when it converges with the holiday season and #Blogmas, I love it even more! Anna Horowitz, AnnieWitzDesign on Instagram is a mega talented illustrator and designer I had the pleasure of working with for a few years here in NYC. Her posts and drawings are super clever and always adorable, and you all should absolutely check them out! I cherry picked a few of her recent holiday-themed posts below. I mean, how cute is the Rollin' with the Homies one? Love the nod to everyone's favorite American classic film, Clueless! Hope you enjoy these as much as I do, and please head on over to Instagram and give Anna a follow now. You won't be disappointed!

#Blogmas Day 20: Modcloth's Epic Wrap Battle

With just five days left until Christmas, it's about time to start wrapping those prezzies! And I've been loving the weekly segment on Modcloth's blog, Story, called Epic Wrap Battle where two members of their staff go head-to-head to see who can come up with the most creative gift-wrapped creations! If you like something you see, they have follow-up posts on how to recreate the wrapping at home. My favorites are definitely the giant peppermint candy and also the meat (like, how cute is that?) And I've been loving staying tuned each week to see more gift-wrapped creations. How about you guys? Do you love putting tons of thought and effort into presenting your packages, or are you more the festive gift bag sort? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Week 1  |   Homespun Holiday vs. Candy Inspired Surprise

Week 2  |  Unconventional Patterns vs. A Rustic Rendition

Week 3  |  Meat-Lovin' Magic vs. Veggie Vibes

#Blogmas Day 17: Kate Spade "All in Good Taste"

I can't even explain how much I need this book. I just...there's a deep history of how much I love Kate Spade on this blog. I basically worship at the temple of the religion of Kate Spade. And not just because of her gorgeous clothing, or her statement handbags. The real reason is because I find her attitude completely celebratory of all things womanhood! While she's obviously an incredible tastemaker, I also firmly believe she is truly in touch with the modern woman who might not be perfect, but isn't trying to be! Her life is one big party with champagne and glitter and bows on everything, and frankly I want to jump inside her world and never leave. So when I saw that this book "All in Good Taste" was coming out, I knew I had to have it. In fact, skip the Holiday wish list and I think I'll just celebrate my own womanhood and pick it up on my way home from the office!

I want to get lost in the art of assembling a vibrant guest list, trying new recipes, raising a toast to myself frankly. It's been a long year, and a very tumultuous month. But I can firmly say that I'm even more proud of the woman I am today than I've ever been. Cheers!

#Blogmas Day 12: Pantone 2016 Color(s) of the Year

I know I'm not the only one who was a bit mystified at Pantone's announcement that they've selected not one but two colors for 2016 - Rose Quartz and Serenity! I personally have a soft spot for Rose Quartz (not that I'm very into crystals) but on a special vacation with my aunt quite a few years ago, during a time when I was going through a bit of a heartbreak, I first heard about the rose quartz and how it symbolizes unconditional love, peace, and comfort. Ironically, I find myself in a similar position today...and while Rose Quartz and Serenity are certainly not my favorite colors ever, I definitely aspire to the feelings of calmness they bring! While I know, with any setback in life, that I'll be fine if not better than ever after some time passes, I do know that makeup tends to act as a beautiful band-aid in the interim!

That being said, Sephora + Pantone Universe wasted no time in debuting their 2016 makeup line showcasing these two colors. From spot-on Rose Quartz and Serenity pastel lipsticks (not sure about these) to a palette of shadows and a line of lip glosses that I kind of love, we'll be able to step out in the pastels that will dominate 2016. How about you guys? Did you like the colors Pantone chose for 2016? Leave your thoughts on the comments below!

#Blogmas Day 10: Holiday Gift Guide - Kitsch Cat Press

Hello hello! We're 10 days in to Blogmas, and I must say I'm feeling good. I can definitely keep going, easy peasy. I've loved putting more thought into bringing you guys holiday content every day. But for those of you who aren't trying to buy thirty tons of makeup for yourselves and others, I thought I'd keep it fresh and share some incredible prints from one of my besties from high school, Jennifer, who is now a super cool screen printer (and badass improv comedian) in Chicago! Her online shop, Kitsch Cat Press sells some incredibly unique geometric and hand-drawn patterns that would make amazing holiday gifts. They can be purchased as framed art prints (how I've shown them below), or printed on tons of items like phone/ipad cases, shower curtains, carpets, even comforters for your bed! I am obsessed with Swim Fan, especially because I die for that name. Anybody remember that movie? But there are too many amazing options to choose from. Have a look for yourself here at Kitsch Cat Press!

Stoked Strokes

Abstract Flower Child

Swim Fan 

Swimmer Head

Geometric Pattern

Mannequin Bed Head

#Blogmas Day 9: Merry Quizmas

Okay, my little Christmas Kweens (or Kings), the time to prove your Christmas Pop-Culture Know-How has arrived! The Challenge is Merry Quizmas - A Nearly-Impossible Holiday Character Challenge that my friend sent me this morning. Things started out well for me, checking off the entire top two rows, easy peasy. Then there were some head-scratchers like...was this a Christmas movie? Why is the Russian from Rocky IV here again? I think I need to rewatch a lot of movies, starting with Trading Places. Also, this must have been made by boys because Little Women and Meet Me in St. Louis are nowhere to be found and there are so many aliens and people with guns #boymovies #amirite?

...BUT by the time I was half-way through, the entire office was in on the challenge! We were completely obsessed with guessing correctly, and as designers, we were drooling over these adorable illustrations by James Kenison! I could only manage to get 42 out of 60 on my own (the images in white vs. the colorful backgrounds). Note: I whited out the correct names so as to not give away any spoilers! Tell me your score in the comments below!

How cute are these illustrations by James Kenison?

Questions 1-30: Code by Tad Thorley

Questions 31-60: Copy by Ryan Kroker

The Bite-Sized Book of Bite-Sized Recipes

I am beyond excited and inspired to share my friend Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen's latest project, The Bite-Sized Book of Bite-Sized Recipes. You may remember Catherine's stunning photography work from the Cocktail Couture series back in 2011. Now she's putting her love of cooking and food photography to use creating possibly the tiniest, most adorable cookbook ever and she's set up a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.

"At 1 3/4 inches tall and 1 1/2 inches wide, it might be the smallest cookbook in the world. With 20 photos and recipes of cute, clever, bite-sized dishes, it's perfect for kids, cookbook collectors, foodies, anyone who loves to eat, cook, or entertain, photographers, book lovers, and collectors of tiny things."

If you want a mini-cookbook of your own, donate today! It would make an amazing stocking stuffer, and there's even an option to buy 1 book, and donate 1 to a children's organization. And the Kickstarter ends in just 19 days, so every little bit counts!

Meal Planning 101

A recent obsession of mine is weekly meal planning. I've known people, mostly married couples and young families, who were able to save a ton of money by planning and cooking each breakfast, lunch, and dinner for their week. But as a young professional, a New Yorker, and unfortunately a certified takeout queen, could I ever pull this off? The answer is a resounding yes!

I'm more than 3 weeks in now, and have already saved hundreds of dollars, since I was used to buying breakfast ($5+), lunch ($10+), and dinner ($15+) out every single day. Believe me when I tell you that ANYONE can do this, and the savings alone makes it worthwhile. But there are plenty of additional benefits like added nutritional value (this is amazing for dieters), less urge to snack since you know what and when your next meal is coming, and the satisfaction of both learning new recipes and taking pride in everything you put into your body. I am a meal planning believer!

I've been scouting Etsy for some cute printables that will help me in my meal planning endeavors, and I've displayed a few of my faves below. I may eventually DIY something of my own, but wanted to share for those of you who aren't graphic designers!

This week's meals included:
Sweet Cucumber, Red Onion & Dill Salad (Eat Yourself Skinny)
Clean Egg & Zucchini Muffins (Eat Yourself Skinny)
Spinach Lasagna Rolls (Skinnytaste)
Easy Crust-less Spinach & Feta Pie (Skinnytaste)
Squash-tastic Shepherd's Pie (Hungry Girl)

Customizable PDF from AtomicaPress - $6.00

Handmade Item from askingfortrouble - $8.62

Instant Download from SweetPaperTrail - $3.00

Instant Download from LauraDraytonCreative - $10.00

Instant Download from TinyStripes - $5.00

The Joy is in the Journal

You guys, I seriously love journaling. I have since I was a kid, when I would keep these elaborate notebooks filled with my pre-teen thoughts and Cosmogirl magazine cutouts. And then, of course, there was the early high school LiveJournal era. Oh, to be young again! Now I can't say that I've got tons of time to devote to channeling my innermost thoughts...but I do make time to use this nifty Q&A a Day 5-Year Journal that I picked up at Anthropologie last year. In fact, it's the last thing I do every day before I go to bed, and I highly appreciate the prompt so I never have to dig deep about what to write about!

Here are some other journals I'm loving, all of which can be found at Urban Outfitters. They would make wonderful gifts for friends, family, or yourself. Hope you like! Do you keep a journal, or have one of these? I want to hear about it!

Our Q&A a Day  |  The same journal I have, but for couples!

What Did I Eat Today?  |  Perfect for dieters, or foodies, or both!

Dream Journal  |  I am very into dreams, and drawing. Love this one!

Every Day  |  A 5-Year memory book for the freeform writing lover!

Travel Listography  |  Great for the traveler, and the lover of list-making!

Living Well One Line a Day  |  Great for tracking healthy lifestyle choices!

Artist Inspiration: Mary Blair

Did you see the beautiful article on Disney muralist and concept artist Mary Blair on The Huffington Post earlier this week? Her modern illustration style was a huge inspiration to me growing up, and her interesting take on shapes and colors was so quintessentially 50's and 60's that I credit her with being a large part of what I love so much about that period in art and design. Enjoy some of her paintings from the article below!

All images via The Huffington Post article

Mary Blair herself

Let's Go Skiing!

I have to say, the Winter Olympics in Sochi have given me the itch to ski. Luckily, it just so happens that my annual trip to the mountains is only a couple of weeks from now! Though, I must confess you won't be seeing my in the Olympics any time soon...I happen to prefer cruising along at a leisurely pace, enjoying the sights and sounds and smells. This year, we'll be traveling back to Sugarbush Resort, which was an ideal place to get away from the city for a long weekend.

And with skiing on the brain, my friend Cate shared with me these gorgeous vintage ski-themed posters from the book The Art of Skiing: Vintage Posters from the Golden Age of Winter Sport on the blog Brain Pickings, which I am absolutely obsessing over! I'll be sad when the Olympic flame goes out later this week, but at least I've got my own semi-athletic pursuits on the horizon. Hah! Enjoy!

All Poster Images via Brain Pickings / The Art of Skiing

Jamie Wlodinguer: TypeFoundry Prints

I'm loving these prints from the Etsy shop TypeFoundry. They were created by the talented artist and graphic designer Jamie Wlodinguer (who also happens to be one of my inspiring colleagues at BrightLine)! She is building out two different collections, both shown below. The first, her Type Foundry collection is inspired by typography and signage she's spotted on the streets, brought to life digitally. And the second, farther below, is the Half Full collection which focuses on simple shapes and colors and showcase hand-drawn illustrations digitally rendered. Both are incredible and available for sale now. I can't wait to see more from her!

Found Type: West Espresso

Found Type: Midtown Lumber

Teepee Village

Glass Mountain