just wrapping things up in the studio so i can take off to denver for the creative freelancer conference june 5 & 6, immediately followed by the how design conference june 6-9. it’s going to be a grand-slam design conference marathon, and i’m going to blog about every day of it.
biznik article of the week
bad boundaries, bad business—are you too nice? by jovanna joan casey
i like this article, because boundaries are a very common issue among small business owners. it’s part of the process of getting to know yourself in business, defining for yourself what your polices and boundaries are, and sticking to them. we train our clients through the actions we take, so we may think we’re bending rules or making an exception, meanwhile the client comes to expect this as the norm. i think casey does a great job of describing each type of boundary issue and helping readers identify where they might be getting into trouble.
beyond design
Running on Empty from Ross Ching on Vimeo.
it’s always cool to see shots of LA with no cars in them, and these are time-lapsed into video, by ross ching.
fun on the web
[image: smashingmagazine.com]
bizarre web sites on which you can kill time with style from <a href="smashingmagazine.com is a wonderful archive of games, interactive animations and experiential sites where you can explore and have fun.
eco-friendliness
[photo: d’arcy norman]
if you’ve got some items that you think may be recyclable, but you’re not sure where to take them or how to do it, re-nest was nice enough to publish hard-to-recycle items and where to take them to help you figure it out!
locks in a box: i’m sending my hair to clean up the gulf oil spill from greenlagirl.com. if you’re getting your hair cut sometime soon, maybe pass the info along to your hairdresser. i’m not sure how much hair can do considering the ever-expanding spill is not even contained, but they’re going to need all the help they can get, and if it comes from something we normally throw out, i’m all for it.
diy
another from re-nest i want to share is nontoxic diy cleaning solution for swiffer wetjets which is something i’ve wondered about for awhile. perhaps i could have tried harder to get the cap off the solution bottle, because i thought i’d break it, not realizing it was glued. i also don’t want to damage the internal parts, so it’s nice to hear from people who have done it with success.
design sponge’s biz ladies: budgeting and forecasting breaks down the steps in creating your business plan, finding out what you need to make & how, and creating a budget you can use to run your business, for those who might be dragging their feet on the more businessey aspects of running a business. good info!
food
[photo: lacucinaitalianamagazine.com]
i just picked all the fava beans, and now zucchini season has started in my garden, which means keeping the zucchini production in balance by also eating the blossoms. i have always loved using edible flowers, especially ones that are perfumed versions of their vegetable offspring. there are many ways to do stuffed zucchini blossoms, it’s usually a matter of what you like in your ricotta cheese mix. i like this recipe because it’s fairly simple, seasonal and satisfying: zucchini blossoms with vegetables from lacucinaitalianamagazine.com.
creative inspiration
infographic mailer
[photo: underconsideration.com]
this 2010 food issue mailer from travel & leisure, profiled on underconsideration.com combines a few areas of interests in an awesome piece! i love infographics, i love food, and i love knowing what regions specialize in different foods locally, so this map of the states by food really caught my eye. beyond that, 2-color printing is close to my heart, french paper is a drool-worthy paper source, and hand lettering gives a really fun personality to the piece. follow the link to read more!
snowboarding apparel
[photo: smith optics]
i’ve been snowboarding for 10 years now, and as much as i love it, i have to say that the fashion options for anyone over 17, especially women, are consistenly sorely lacking. this week, nubby twiglet posted examples of goggles and helmets she designed for smith optics which will be available next year. i have always wanted something classy and stylish to wear instead of opting for solid colors as the only alternative to a decidedly male adolescent fashion demographic. great work!
design industry
principles of minimalist web design with examples is a great showcase of sites that eliminate the clutter and allow visitors to focus on desired information. take a spin and let it help you re-imagine the possibilities for your own site.
ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes in type design? why did i start a type foundry is an interesting look at starting a foundry and getting fonts published and sold. cool!
something i’ve been writing about lately is what goes into a logo development, and it’s really outlined how you can’t really design a logo without a complete brand strategy in place. help your clients talk about their logo as part of a bigger plan with how to convince your clients they need a brand and not just a logo.
when applications crash and we get those report windows, sometimes we report bugs, sometimes we shut them in disgust. possibly, though, we’re missing some awesome opportunities for expressive prose!
what’s new in the garden
we’re in our last month of spring, and my garden has really started to take off. it was so nice to come home from our retreat and not have to immediately buy food, but rather go out back and pick a bunch of kale to throw in a quinoa pilaf. kitty kazoo helped me document what’s been growing and what’s ready to pick.
in the garden
i tried twice unsuccessfully to grow zucchini in the past 2 years. the first failure was due to the fact that i hadn’t fully committed to converting this oddly narrow slope we have into a terraced garden. the second was because after i did commit, i had no room for it and tried to plant it in this other section of our property that never got enough sun and only flowered. lessons learned! this year i had plenty of mature compost to add to the beds and chose the sunniest spot.
i’m happy to see them taking off so well. there are a few first babies of the season already. this one is really only about half the size of a mature fruit, but i’m happy to see they’re already getting started.
i was too late to plant tomatoes from seeds this year, but i bought a couple nice selections from a seller at the farmer’s market and a couple others from tomato mania. we’re not quite into june yet, so it remains to be seen whether the june gloom will suddenly cause blossom drop, but so far i have a few green tomatoes growing on each plant..
i got this really nice light oregano last year, and it’s doing really well in its corner of the garden. i also got italian parsley, which was stunted in the shade of tomatoes last year. the zucchini is already starting to shade it, so i’m going to see what i can do to trim the leaves and encourage it to get tall. either that, or i unknowingly planted it over a buried rock and the root system is having trouble…not sure, but it’s much smaller than my previous italian parsley.
preserved harvests
last year, i made it a weekly project to buy something seasonal in bulk and preserve it somehow for the off-season. i did a really good job of this with summer fruit, but i think i was too careful about using it, because i still had 9 jars of nectarines, peaches, plums and pluots as of this week. since we’re just around the corner from another summer where i can replace them all again, i decided to defrost a couple and make some galettes. i used this galette dough recipe from the food network. since i packed the fruit with lemon juice and lemon rind, and they were sweet enough at the time not to need added sugar [for my taste anyway] i just added vanilla extract and rose water to the nectarines, and strawberry liquor i made recently and some orange blossom water to the pluots and let them marinate a bit. once the dough had refrigerated a couple hours, i rolled it out, filled each, folded and pinched, and baked. whee!
this is the nectarine galette. we haven’t tasted it yet, but it smells heavenly!
this is the pluot galette, and it’s now half gone. packing the fruit in diluted lemon juice acted as an extractor, the flavor is really intense. there was a good amount of remaining syrup after assembling this one, so i made some flavored soda with it. so delicious, i think i’ll have to do this a bit more often!
event calendar: may 24 – 31, 2010
between last week’s retreat and the creative freelancer conference at the end of next week, i’m just popping out for some design inspiration on wednesday, otherwise working hard on deadlines! happy memorial day this weekend!
here’s what i’ll be doing
wednesday, may 26, 5-10pm projections: 2010 CSULB graphic design BFA senior show FREE and open to the public.
creative retreat: friday
i’m on retreat this week and the studio is closed. however, i have lined up a selection of getaway-themed posts to enjoy while i’m gone. one is set to go up each day, so stay tuned…
for my friday articles, i figured i’d keep in the theme of the creative retreat and point out 3 articles that can help you plan and prepare for your own creative retreat. i think these kinds of activities are great for the development of any business, but especially for creative types, we need regular excursions to recharge our senses.
5 ways to have a successful retreat, from designsobriety.com
how to host a fun and productive staff retreat, by lisa simmons for chiff.com
plan a management retreat with lasting results, by christine corelli for CED magazine
if you haven’t planned a business retreat before, i highly suggest at least a year-end getaway to step outside your business, reflect on the past year and plan for the next.
creative retreat: thursday
i’m on retreat this week and the studio is closed. however, i have lined up a selection of getaway-themed posts to enjoy while i’m gone. one is set to go up each day, so stay tuned…
destination dining!
i’m taking my retreat in mazatlán, sinaloa in mexico, so my vacation version of a recipe round-up is a little spotlight on mexican food and mexican-inspired dishes. all of them are light, quick & easy [which is my way of saying i’m not overlooking the more authentic stuff, i just prefer to point people to things they can make at any experience level] from el restaurante mexicano, epicurious.com and mmm, me gusta, a little cooking show.
http://www.viddler.com/player/9f29f82/
my friend claudia yuskoff has been building this great little cooking show mmm, me gusta which demonstrates a new recipe with every episode. i really liked this refreshing cucumber snack, pepinos con chile y limón!
here are some more fun things to make when you want a little taste of mexico!
cucumber and chayote slaw
cactus salad
papaya and black bean salsa
cactus jack quesadilla with black bean relish
southwestern gazpacho
creme of cilantro soup
smoked fish ceviche
seafood sauté with avocado mango salsa
grilled fish tacos
caramelized chipotle chicken
carne asada
mayan hot chocolate
classic flan i’m not suggesting that flan is easy, but this is the easiest version of a recipe i’ve ever found, so for those who want it, go to town!
creative retreat: wednesday
i’m on retreat this week and the studio is closed. however, i have lined up a selection of getaway-themed posts to enjoy while i’m gone. one is set to go up each day, so stay tuned…
if you take a retreat in a sunny place, you can’t avoid a sun-protection strategy. here’s a list of sun protection products i love to use.
body care
[images: etbrowne.com and aveeno.com]
palmer’s cocoa butter formula with vitamin E spf 15
i love this lotion for day-to-day use. since i’m fair-skinned, i should be using something stronger when spending the day in the sun, but for running around town on a normal day, spf 15 is enough [if they made it any stronger, i’d be right on it]. the cocoa butter formula smells like chocolate frosting, and conditions your skin long after it washes off. a very soothing treat!
aveeno positively ageless sunblock spray with spf 50
when it’s time to get serious and cover up, aveeno has some very nice spray-on sunblocks that offer complete coverage in a waterproof formula. i used this one all last summer and avoided burning successfully.
protect your face
[images: coppertone.com and aveeno.com]
coppertone water babies sunscreen stick spf 55
if i’m spending the day at the beach or by a pool, where i may be in & out of the water a few times, i like waterproof sun protection for the face that is non-irritating. there are plenty of higher-end products for this, but i go for this baby formula sunscreen stick. sure, it’s slightly greasy, but as a person who is always dealing with oily skin, i’m pleasantly surprised that i’ve had no problems with it clogging pores or causing breakouts. pretty much every drugstore makes a generic as well.
aveeno essential moisture lip conditioner with spf 15
while i like palmer’s cocoa butter lip balm for normal non-sun days, it has no spf protection, so when i’m out in the sun, i use this lip conditioner by aveeno. it is highly conditioning with spf 15.
between sun days
[images: mariobadescu.com]
i am a devout convert to the mario badescu line, and while i use a lot more than this selection above, these are regular go-to items in the summer season. before or after a day in the sun, i use my favorite cleanser and follow it up with the special glycolic cleansing lotion to help clear away any dead skin cells. if it’s a normal non-beach day, i’ll apply the complex moisturizer with vitamin E spf 20, which is highly conditioning and light enough to go under makeup [if it is a beach day, i’ll use the coppertone stick above]. if we’re talking après soliel, i’ll follow up with the glycolic skin renewal complex for extra conditioning and renewal, along with the hyaluronic eye cream for extra attention to the delicate skin around the eyes.
sun accessories
[image: target.com]
there are a number of accessories you can mix and match for maximum sun protection. i picked up this sun hat by liberty of london for target, not only to protect my face from unnecessary exposure, but also because my eyes are extra-sensitive, so if i want to get some of that beach reading done, i need more shade than my transitional lenses will provide. if you’re lucky enough to have perfect vision, a pair of sunglasses in your favorite style are a fun & useful accessory to bring. i will admit, i do have a pair of prescription sunglasses that have a nice wrap design, to keep out sunlight that likes to try to creep in from different angles. if you’re not going anywhere with a built-in palapa, pick up a beach umbrella, which can cut down uv rays by an additional 15spf. i also like to bring a wrap or cover-up for when i’m just sitting and reading or walking to & from the beach or pool, not just for the sunblock they provide, but when you’re wearing the same bathing suit every day, it’s a nice way to make different outfits from the same base materials, and a nice way to feel somewhat dressed while wearing your bathing suit.
and finally, once all this malarky is done, and these products are on for each of the conditions they require and you’ve got all your accessories packed in your beach bag, you can crack open that book or magazine and relax! ha.
parlato design studio 