#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 13: Short Stack Editions

My best friend Cate shared these super cute cookbooks from Short Stack Editions with me this past week, and I was totally inspired. They include recipes centered around a specific ingredient which would be perfect for someone with a favorite food (did someone say broccoli?) or for people with a CSA box who knows without a doubt that there will be tons of surplus fruits and veggies during various parts of the season. But most importantly, the covers on these are beautifully illustrated. I would love to have each and every volume in my kitchen, but could easily pick and choose the ones that will work best with my own cooking lifestyle. These are one of my top gift ideas this season, and super affordable at $14.00 each! How about you guys? What's your favorite food to cook with? Leave a comment below!

1  Eggs  |  Volume 1

2  Buttermilk  |  Volume 4

3  Lemons  |  Volume 13

4  Prosciutto de Parma  |  Volume 14

5  Brown Sugar  |  Volume 12

6  Corn  |  Volume 10

#Blogmas Day 11: Holiday Wish List - 2016 Planners

It's that time of year where you really start to wrap your head around the fact that it's about to be a new year. Whether you start getting your resolutions ready, or you at least try to get your affairs in order, a new year totally feels like a new beginning. And sometimes even just the feeling of a new beginning is important for keeping things in a busy, overwhelming life feel fresh, new, and fun. This also happens to be the perfect time to start the new year right with a planner. In the digital age, I know my phone and computer calendars keep track of my appointments and office obligations, but there's just something so charming and fun about keeping personal plans, birthdays, and other fun fetes in a beautiful agenda book. And why stop there? There are meal planners, diet planners, grocery planners, even content planners for bloggers and vloggers and people who work from home. I put together a few planners that I either have and am currently using, or have had my eye on for a while now. They would make excellent holiday gifts for someone special who's looking to grab 2016 by the horns and live their best-ever life!

1  Kate Spade 2016 Planners  I'm currently using the gold polka-dotted planner and it makes me so happy to look at it every day.

2  Skinnytaste Meal Planner I've blogged about this before, and I'm loving using it to plan out my meals (and grocery shopping/cooking schedule) for the week.

3  The Erin Condren LifePlanner This planner has a huge cult following on the internet. People create products specifically for it, they blog and vlog about it in Plan With Me videos on YouTube – it is kind of like the Rolls Royce of agendas.

4  Ban.do 2016 Agenda  These are so cute, and the design is flawless. I love the look of these planners, and they come with super cute stickers. This would be an amazing gift for someone in high school or college, but hurry because they are selling out fast!

#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

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

Sarah Lazarovic | The Ponchos of My Life

I'm sorry, but who doesn't love a good poncho? Especially when fall weather changes bring that dreaded combination of rain/wind! Whether it be wool, or made from a makeshift garbage bag, Sarah Lazarovic's illustrations on The Hairpin yesterday covered just about every poncho in not just her life, but in ours as well. Love. Check out all of the ponchos here.

All illustrations by Sarah Lazarovic via The Hairpin

Art Prints by Remko Gap Heemskerk

Happy Monday, friends! Fall has arrived in Manhattan, and it's brought rain and subway delays with it! It took me nearly an hour to get to work this morning...thank goodness I left early. Anyway, I would never complain too terribly much about New York life because despite the ups and downs, it really is a dream land. Just take a look at these beautiful art prints by Remko Gap Heemskerk for living proof that the vibrancy of NYC is apparent year-round. You can purchase these online here, and just as a suggestion, I'm thinking three of them lined up and framed would make a lovely series! My faves are below. Enjoy!

Park Avenue  |  Buy print

Tribeca  |  Buy print

Greenwich Village  |  Buy print

New York, New York

Illustration by Carolyn Gavin

I have spent this entire year crafting a post to accurately explain just how much my life has changed since I moved to this crazy, crazy place. It's been both the best and worst and most epically different year of my life. I never use this blog to complain, so I certainly won't do that. But when you think about starting over in a completely new place, moving in with 3 new roommates, making new friends and meeting new coworkers, starting a new job and then subsequently phasing into about a 60-hour work week in no time flat...it's made these nearly 365 days in the city go by in the blink of an eye! Take something similar to the fall semester of your freshman year of college and multiply it by 50x more stress and 30x more fun, subtract ALL of your paycheck when you realize that you will now burn through shoes at the rate that an F1 racecar burns through it's tires...and then add 25% homesickness and 25% friendsickness, divided by the square root of Pi, for good measure. That leaves you with a pretty strange equation that equals my new life in New York City.

I explained to my roommate once that I was a bit depressed that I never got to see or do the things I thought I'd certainly have crossed off my to-do list in the first year. Things like walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, or eating a Nathan's Famous Hotdog at Coney Island, or freezing my butt off watching the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade live and in-person. But then, he said something that really got me thinking...Jenna, you LIVE here. And you've LIVED here for a year. And that doesn't mean going to tourist attractions or vacation spots everyday. It means going to work, sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating takeout. It means paying way too much for a cab home because there is now nothing at all whimsical about riding the subway after a long, hard day. It's not about going to the hottest gallery openings, or taking vacations aboard Ramona Singer's yacht. Because life in New York is not a TV show. It's just life.

And for those of you who are curious about what I HAVE done in my time here, below is a list of things I am incredibly proud to have done/seen/accomplished:

1. I took a surfing lesson on Long Beach
2. I drove an actual racecar (!!!) in New Jersey
3. I got to sit in a floor-level box to see Madonna perform at Madison Square Garden (where Psy also made a surprise experience)
4. I added Hellmann's Mayonnaise, American Express, Klondike, and Dove Style+Care to the list of clients I've worked with
5. I drank a Black & Tan in the same bar that Abraham Lincoln used to hang out in
6. I saw Bon Iver perform at Radio City Music Hall
7. I saw about a bazillion shows on Broadway. Some favorites include: Newsies, Anything Goes, Porgy & Bess, Bring It On! The Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Heiress (Starring the dreamy Dan Stevens from Downton Abbey...sigh), A Christmas Story, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and maaaaany more.
8. I had visitors in the form of friends from high school, friends from college, friends of friends, my aunt, my parents, and friends of my parents...
9. I rode the Long Island Railroad and then took a train to Connecticut all in the same weekend
10. I got sunburnt to a crisp on the 4th of July on the beach at Fort Tilden Park
11. I danced the night away in a basement bar on Bowery street (a few times...)
12. I took the Chinatown bus back to Columbus for an incredible weekend
13. I made it through a major natural disaster relatively unscathed and sent many prayers to those who felt it's effects more closely
14. I have made incredible memories with incredible friends that I didn't even know existed only a year ago
15. and I have made an incredible, lasting bond with friends I did know existed but now I know them a whole lot better

It's been an incredible journey. One that I haven't been too communicative about...apologies about that. But while my plans of documenting my first year didn't go so well, I like to say that it's because I was too busy experiencing everything. And next year comes the writing!

City Showdown

Have you guys seen this adorable video comparing (in my opinion) two of the greatest cities in the world? I must confess, I'm a bit partial to bagels over baguettes, but I'll let you guys be the judge. Which one is your favorite?

     

Kate Spade: City Guides

I was beyond excited to find these Fathom for Kate Spade City Guides in my e-mail yesterday! I would by no means call myself a traveler, since I compare myself to my best friend who checks plane tickets to far away destinations before she even checks her e-mail each morning...or another who is zipping off to China for three entire weeks, just for fun...but I would certainly entertain the idea of planning a trip soon. There's been talk of Paris and Ireland, but these trips are getting bumped to next year because I have been enjoying my own little permanent vacation every day.

Anyway, these adorable, illustrated packing guides on Kate Spade make me infinitely happy. They have totally inspired me to spend more time illustrating things for this blog...So you can perhaps look forward to that! But for now, I insist you check out the rest of the City Guides, ASAP. Enjoy!

Tokyo Packing List via Kate Spade

London Packing List via Kate Spade

Los Angeles Packing List via Kate Spade

Tahiti Packing List via Kate Spade

New York City Packing List via Kate Spade

Live in the Sunshine...

I have been obsessed with this quote since I was in high school. My AP English teacher, Mr. Whittaker, spent a good long time hammering us students with the Transcendentalists...and I knew right away that the movement was something that interested me. The philosophy, the beauty of the writing, the emphasis on goodness. I remember it being the last thing I really liked in the category of "required reading." Well, not to discount The Great Gatsby, of course! But while the real Ralph Waldo Emerson quote reads "Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, Drink the wild air's salubrity," it most often gets cut short, like in this gorgeous illustration by Katie Daisy. I found it this morning and I'm pretty much head-over-heels in lurve with it. What about you guys? Any closeted Transcendentalists out there, or did Mr. Emerson lose you at that whole "transparent eyeball" thing?

Illustration by Katie Daisy

Holiday Printing Party

Wow. I had an incredible Friday night... And it started at 6:00 when Cate and I went to the Igloo Letterpress Holiday Printing Party. Kendall was there too, working, since she does her other internship at Igloo! I had never been inside Igloo before, so I was seriously mesmerized by what I found. Gorgeous, colorful, letterpress items coming (literally) out of the woodwork! Trays of movable type, tiny cubbyholes filled to the brim with envelopes and paper in every shade imaginable, and above all else, design inspiration. Everywhere.

A highlight was getting to meet and chat with Omar and Jen from These Are Things. You guys know I love them and their beauteous graphic maps because I've blogged about them here, here, here aaaaand here. Needless to say, I was excited to meet them, and score some free swag, but I about died from obscure-up-and-coming-blogger joy when they recognized me from Jenna Sais Quois! I hate getting designer starstruck, but These Are Things (And still Jeremy Slagle) invoke this feeling in me, and I can't really fight it. So I won't... But anyway, check out some images from the party that I pilfered from the Igloo and These Are Things facebook pages...including one of me with my new Ohio Letterpress Print. I am going to want lots of nods to my Ohio roots once I get to NYC, so I am beyond jazzed about this print. Plus, I even got to ink the press!

Images from here and here

L'Amour List: Eric

Hey lovelies! It's time for another L'Amour List! This week's featured lister is Eric, creative director of The Ohio Union, here in Columbus, my boss, and also the Capitol City's resident (real) ginger. Mine is fake, I'm sad to say... So without further ado, enjoy Eric's pop-culture explosion L'Amour List!

1  Eric is a very 3-dimensional thinker, and the possibilities with packaging design are virtually endless!
2  Andrew Yang's Kouklitas Couture fashion rag dolls are a huge inspiration for his interest in art toy design. The detail is exquisite!
3  Disney! It sparked Eric's ambition to become an illustrator and designer from a very young age.
4  Eric loves himself some Spice Girls music. Has since junior high.
5  Tom Ford...a true inspiration.
6  He's obsessed with all-things British.
7  Mashed Potatoes are his favorite comfort food.
8  Vintage wallpaper inspires him to create wonderful patterns and explore color within his own work.
9  Jem and the Holograms, He-Man, Ringer Tees, Cassette Tapes...What's not to love about the 80s?
10  Halloween is never complete without these delicious treats; Franken Berry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry cereals!

And there you have it folks, Eric's amazing L'Amour List! Would you like to share some of the things you love? Leave a comment below and you could be next Week's featured L'Amour Lister! (After you, Rose!)

Luxe Lettering

I love gathering inspiration for design projects and other odds and ends on Pinterest , in magazines, on blogs...you name it. But there's absolutely no denying the fact that sometimes the best inspiration comes from the past. In this case, waaaay back when. The gorgeous insurance maps  from the Sanborn Map Company came complete with some of the most exceptionally detailed lettering I've ever seen. And they were created over 100 years ago! I am just in awe. I really need to create something like this soon...

Images from Pinterest via Christian Annyas