295 : halloween

I can't remember the last time I actually dressed up, but I do however, love to dress up the Monster. This year, I used a recycled costume from a few years ago, and remembered how super cute he looks as a bee (even in a crappy cell phone camera photo). Oh, how I heart him.

294 : dark harbor

Tonight my evening was spent at the Queen Mary's Halloween event, Dark Harbor. It's been nice to escape the drama of the past few days, let loose and be scared by something that can't actually hurt me. The mazes were fun, but I imagined being scared more. Anticipating the scares has been worse than the actual people jumping out at us. That's not to say I didn't let out a few screams...because I sure did.

293 : the office wasn't burned

Today was another hard day...not as traumatizing as yesterday, but still really difficult.

I woke up wondering why I set my alarm and then remembered that this was real. Ugh. That meant today I actually had to face what happened and see the results of the damage. Even as I type this it still doesn't feel real.

There was such a quiet and somber tone that filled the building and the parking lot this morning. Various people surveying their own damages and loss, while others just wanting to see the destruction of the fire. The hallway was worse then I imagined and when I saw the plastic dripping down the wall, the sign that until yesterday, held my business name and suite number, my heart hurt. Thankfully, when I opened my door, I had little damage done to my office. My dad and Jeff helped me put everything worth saving in trash bags and we hauled everything out of there. After walking down the hallway and seeing the other offices, I'm just so grateful to have anything to actually haul out.

The remnants of the sign outside my door

The ceiling outside my office door.

The Hallway. Sadly, the light comes from the fact that the ceiling/roof are completely gone.

My office door

To my fellow suitemates, I've enjoyed (well, mostly enjoyed) my 3 years in suite 211 getting to know you all. Saul, we used to call you our "office dad" since you'd look out for us so much when we first moved in. Thank you. Adam, my heart hurts for your loss and damages. Seeing/hearing you run up and down the stairs became part of my daily life at the office. Thanks for being such a good neighbor. To everyone else, the best of luck to you all.

To my dad and Jeff, you're both my rocks and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me through this. I couldn't have done it without you.

It's hard to fathom that I won't see gizmo looking out the window. Or hear the hum from the dry cleaners below anymore. 2010 has been all about change for me, and as heart heavy and numb as I am right now, I know that this terrible accident will lead to bigger and better things.

292 : no one was hurt

Today was a difficult day for me... just after I got back to the office from lunch with a friend, my office building caught fire. Smoke quickly filled the upstairs hall, and in panic mode I grabbed the Monster and ran down the hallway out the building. With glass breaking, flames coming out of office windows and enormous amounts of smoke, I was anything but calm...safe, yes. Calm, no.

When the smoke cleared, I was grateful for a few things: no one was hurt, my office wasn't burned (just smokey), and I got back to the office when I did (had I been half an hour later, Monster would probably not be here).

Damage, destruction and heartbreak was definitely at 670/672 Silver Spur Road today, but at the end of the day, almost everything lost can be replaced...and that is something to be happy about.

291 : tuesday dinner

For the past month (or so) my Tuesday nights have been spent at my dad's house. It's been fun hanging out with him, Betsy and Grant, laughing at the dogs and hanging out. Having a close family (and now a few new members) is such a blessing.

290 : looking closer

As I've said before, I enjoy looking at the details, far more than the big picture. It's the little things that most people miss that fascinate me. Take our trip to Forneris Farm, sure, I snapped some pictures of the aisles of corn, but most of my time was spent taking photos of corn silk, strangely growing corn, and the place where the the leaves branched out from the stems of the corn stalks.

Happy that I got some good shots, as I was walking out of the maze I noticed a peach-colored mound on top of a bent corn leaf. And a spider web beneath it (if you've been following, you know I have a thing for photographing webs). So I got close and started snapping some shots... at first I thought it was the slight breeze that made it appear that the mound was moving... But then I realized that, no, the mound in fact, really was moving. And all those teeny tiny specs were actually little spiders crawling all over. Of the hundreds of people that have walked past that very leaf, I'm betting no one even knows this was here.

289 : mint shampoo

My favorite showers come on hot days, after getting dirty and after the gym (not that I don't love all my showers, and yes, I shower daily). On these better-than-usual shower days, I always reach for the Mint Shampoo from Whole Foods. There's something about it that's so refreshing after a sweaty workout, or excessive dirtiness (I hate being dirty!), and the slight scalp tingle...heaven.

288 : rhinestone jewelry

There's something about vintage rhinestone jewelry that attracts me. It can be so flashy and over the top, but it can also be quite simple and understated. I've always been drawn to simple shaped, clear stone, broaches. Whenever I'm at an antique store, sale, or thrift store, I always take a quick browse. And even though I very rarely ever them, I think they're beautiful to look at.

287 : forneris farms

Today we spent the afternoon at Forneris Farms in Mission Hills. We wanted to get some pumpkins but avoid the children-filled lots or supermarket bins. Thanks to my good friend Google, Forneris Farms was discovered. There aren't too many close to the LA area, but a huge corn maze at Forneris sealed the deal.

The maze was tons of fun, and proved just how good my map reading skills mixed with my sense of direction really are (like there was any question) :)

One corn maze, a giant pumpkin, a "pie" pumpkin, some pretty gourds, a spaghetti squash, a few eggplant, some green beans, figs, garlic and corn later we were finally headed home.

286 : body type

I have no plans of ever getting a tattoo, but I think some of the reasoning behind getting a tattoo can be rather interesting. Being the lover of typography that I am, this book titled, Body Type by Ina Saltz, caught my attention. An entire book (with a Body Type 2) dedicated to typographic tattoos and the reasoning behind each tattoo. I've seen the ampersand done numerous times, and it's a pretty graphic, I'll give them that, but tattooing the name of a typeface on your arm? Now that's just ridiculous.

Check out the website to find out more.

285 : facebook

There's really not a day that goes by that I don't check Facebook. It seems everyone these days has a fb account (even my grandma's cat has one...don't ask). I can connect with people I haven't seen in years and actually put some faces to names, since I have clients I have yet to actually meet in person. It's so easy to stay in touch via posts and pictures. Ah, the internet. Such a wonderful thing.

Hey, go show some dmmh love by "liking" our page.

284 : vintage buttons

My mom kept my great grandmas old wooden sewing machine, complete with drawers full of old thread, ribbon, safety pins, and buttons. I love looking at the old packaging on the ribbon and other notions, but I love looking through the drawer full of buttons even more. There's such a variety that she collected through the years; from plastic, to shell, to rhinestone and even crocheted.

283 : lip balm

I'm not a huge makeup fan. I don't plaster my face in thick foundation and I can't stand perfumy smelling lipsticks. I am, however, a lip balm addict (I have several in my purse). I absolutely love it, and feel naked without it. I used to be a die-hard Burts Bees girl, but for the past few years, I've gravitated towards ones from Kiss my Face. It makes my lips super soft and I love the fresh, fruity scents.

282 : short commute

 

Today I had to drive to a meeting in Beverly Hills, and then to drop off samples in Santa Monica. Good, because I got to kill two birds with one stone (as I type that saying, I realize how much I don't like it) and put some faces to names. Bad because it was well, the 405. Even with the traffic lighter than expected and a relatively smooth ride, I'm still so grateful that this freeway business is a rare occurrence. I don't know how people do it everyday.

Photo from djibnet.com

281 : greek soup

Growing up, whenever I'd get sick my mom or dad would make me Greek soup (avgolemono). For me, it's kind of synonymous with being sick, as I've never really had or made it when I wasn't (or someone I loved) wasn't sick. Some chicken broth, orzo pasta, a lemon and an egg. So simple, but so comforting. Now that I'm older, the tradition still continues...except now I have to make soup for myself...boo!

280 : monster (yet again)

Ok, ok. There have been numerous posts about my little guy, but today is a little bit different. I woke up super early today feeling like hell. My throat was killing me and my head was achy. Ugh. I hate being sick. The only positive is that while I stay in bed most of the day (and periodically move myself to the couch), the little monster is there sleeping soundly by my side. Cuddles from him is one of the best medicines there is (with nyquil a close second).

279 : good fucking design advice

Today I stumbled upon the website, goodfuckingdesignadvice.com. Yes, I know it's kinda harsh, but that is what makes it's funny... its blatant, no nonsense statements related to design (ironically, I got the one above about Comic Sans). And the site is full of advice. Each time you visit the site (or click the button for more advice), you'll be taken to a new statement.

Offended by the use of the f-bomb? You're in luck. There's a family friendly version...

278 : bee raw packaging

I'm not a big honey fan, so it's surprising that I have two posts about honey packaging on this blog. But these cute little vials from Bee Raw are just too cute. A beautifully simple way to create a "sampler" and showcase different flavors of honey.

Even their jars of honey are beautiful in their simplicity.

277 : comic sans (gasp!)

Clearly, I'm no stranger to typography. I've posted about it dozens of times on this blog. But today, I feel compelled to post about the black sheep of fonts, Comic Sans.

I really like what Tom Fauls has to say about Comic Sans in the above video. I do however disagree with the argument that it's not a well designed font because the default kerning is bad. Um, we're designers, people, we shouldn't be dependent on default kerning anyway. And it's overused? Seriously? What about Helvetica? Should we all hate that because you can't drive down the street without seeing it? I think not.

While I get the majority of the design world absolutely despises the font, I think it's ironic that one single font can't cause so much negative emotion in people. Love it, or hate it, I really don't care. Comic Sans has it's place in the world, just like every other typeface out there. I really don't see the sense in devoting so much time and energy into hating something that you have no control over. Don't want to see CS? Then don't use it.

"Good typography should be like a wonderful, clear crystal goblet that holds wine. Much better than a golden goblet, with jewels on the outside. Because the point of the crystal goblet is that you can see the wine on the inside; you can appreciate the colors of it." Tom Fauls

I completely agree. And if you can do this and use Comic Sans...well, the more power to you.

I did however, get a laugh out of this...

276 : house industries fish

For the past few years House Industries has been full of fun and interesting objects and type; many of which have been talked about on this very blog. Well, they seem to be doing it again. These wooden fish are super cool and oh-so minimal.

275 : flow charts

I like things neatly organized, and I'm also a terrible decision maker. Maybe that's why I find flowcharts so interesting. Some of them have so much thought put into them, it's pretty amazing; and some are just plain comical. And although I like the way they look and the organization and thought process that goes into it, do I think you should use a chart to make decisions....absolutely not.

 

I'd say, if you even need to ask whether you can date a person or not, the answer is probably "no". But hey, that's just me.

274 : angry birds

I'm so addicted to this game on my iphone, it's not even funny.

273 : pumpkin muffins

I've been on a pumpkin kick lately, which is kind of surprising since I don't usually like pumpkin all that much. So today, craving something pumpkin-y and having the desire to bake, I decided to make pumpkin muffins. Sometimes when baking I'm a little nervous... I'm not good at following recipes, and while in cooking, it's not really an issue. But sometimes, there are disastrous results when you freehand it in baking. Luckily, that wasn't the case today. The recipe I adapted from one on allrecipes.com, resulted in super yummy muffins and the house smelled delish.

272 : hockey games

I've only been to 2 hockey games in my life, and have never ever watched it on tv. The first game I went to was a Kings game a few years ago. The second, tonight to watch the Cal State LB with an old friend.

I literally have no clue what is going on during the games, I didn't even know they only had 3 periods until last night. But there's something I find really fun and exciting about watching a game. One thing for sure is that I love that I can scream and yell at the top of my lungs (during a good play, of course) and it gets lost in the screams of the other spectators. Every once and awhile it's nice to release any pent up frustration or stress and just scream as loud as you can.

271 : design events

Events geared toward designers are always fun and interesting. Tonight was the Sappi paper event featuring their new Standard guide. It's kind of amazing to see the lengths companies go to to get us to use their paper, or print with their company. Not that I'm complaining. What designer wouldn't like to mingle with fellow designers, snack on yummy food, drink some booze (they ran out of tequila 20 minutes after the start if the event) AND get to walk away with some paper samples? Plus, the new book on folding is super fun.

270 : type memory

Some of you may be thinking that this is yet another typography post... and you're right. But this was just too cool to pass up: a typography memory game. No longer are you matching barn animals or cartoon characters; this set of memory is for the serious type lover. The game includes 25 different typefaces including Akzidenz Grotesk, Baskerville, Centaur, Garamond, Helvetica Rockwell, Times New Roman, Univers and many more. So cool.

To get your own set click here.

269 : moonstruck packaging

I'm definitely a minimalist girl. Clean, modern lines, and tons of negative space makes me one happy girl. But occasionally, I'll see something elaborate that speaks to me. The newly designed chocolate bar packaging for Moonstruck was designed by typographer Kate Forrester, is one of those things. Love the hand-drawn lettering and drawings. So pretty.

268 : ampersand tote

I love these ampersand totes. In the time of everyone going green, and bringing their own reusable bags, these bags are way more me than the traditional ones found in the stores. Funky fonts and bright colors make them scream "type nerd" and that, my friends, is a title I wear proudly.

267 : elix vase

I'm a bit of a vase whore. I love them and I love the Elix vase by Pol Quadens. The spiral holds the stems in place and the base holds the water. So beautiful.

266 : kids

I spent my Saturday night with two amazing little people: Eli (6) and Dagny (3). So amazing in fact, I actually offered to watch them while their parents (a client turned friend) went to a movie. After a long night of beaded bracelets, painting, foam bats and ghosts, magic, card games, checkers, bath time and teeth brushing; they finally went to bed. Best kids ever.

265 : rainbows

To me, rainbows are one of the best things about rain. And still, even in my late twenties, I always get super excited whenever I see one. Today was no different. As it was an unexpected sight to see this beauty as I was leaving the office. Such a good way to start the weekend.