325 : making plans

I love having things to look forward to on my calendar. I love seeing people I don't get to see as often as I'd like, and I love it even more when clients want to take me out to show their appreciation (who doesn't like to feel appreciated??). So, today was extra special when 4 (yup, FOUR) different people wanted to make plans. Three lunches (one a meeting) and a holiday party. It's looking like December is going to be a super busy, very joyous month.

324 : snail perfume bottle

So this is my little treasure from the fair yesterday... a vintage Avon perfume bottle (complete with the old disgusting perfume stench) in the shape of a snail. I don't know why I love it so much, considering I think live snails are kind of gross (except for the ones we had in our fish tank, of course...but even those took awhile for me to warm up to). He's just so stinking cute and a super steal at 3 bucks. You better believe he'll be adorning my desk in no time.

323 : torrance antique fair

I love going to the Torrance Antique street fair on the 4th Sunday of the month. It's such a small quite place to spend an hour walking around. I was so excited to see that they were doing it today, since it was a holiday weekend. I rarely find anything I can't live without, but today was one of those rare days that I found something I had to have. Stay tuned to tomorrow's post for what it is...

322 : linotype : the film

You have no idea how bad I want to see this... Hurry up and come out already!

321 : driving down the coast

Today instead of the madness that is Black Friday, I spent part of the day, taking my first real solo drive in the new car. It was an amazingly gorgeous day; perfect for listening to music way too loud, having the sunroof open and just driving. It's so therapeutic when you just need to get some clarity.

320 : family time

I love when the family gets together to celebrate birthdays and holidays. There's something so comforting about having everyone together, talking and laughing.

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was full of family, love and laughter.

319 : dolmas

I love Greek food, which may not be much of a surprise since I am infact, Greek. And being in charge of the Thanksgiving hor d'oeuvres this year, I thought I'd attempt a classic appetizer, dolmathes/dolmades/dolmas. Whatever you call them, they're the super yummy. Little cigar shapes of rice stuffed inside a grape leaf (we like ours sans meat). I've had them all my life but never attempted to make them until today. It was a long tedious process, and unfortunately I'm not too happy with the results. Maybe tomorrow they'll be better once the flavors have more time to blend. Maybe some shots of ouzo and some crazy authentic greek music while cooking would have been the key.

Anyone have a good recipe out there?

318 : squeak squeak

There are few things in life that make monster out of control happy: squeak toys, cuddles with me under a blanket and Pupperoni.

Whenever he accompanies me to the pet store his little Monster brain just can't handle it when anyone squeaks toys. He gets so alert and so excited and his tiny little body shakes more than normal (hey, he is a chihuahua). It really is no surprise that he has an insane amount of toys at home (the office supply needs to be restocked).

He sleeps with one under the covers, keeps one in his mouth as he uses the litterbox (best thing ever!) and would rather squeak in the car than look out the window. He's even been known to stick his head in bags on the floor to see if anything is inside that is "for him".

Sure, hearing the constant squeak of little rubber balls in the middle of the night makes me crazy, but seeing the excitement on his little face counteracts that and makes me happy. If only people were as easy to please.

317 : blankets

Today I attempted to spend the day at the office and literally felt like I was going to freeze. It wasn't long before I was out of there and hunting for a super cozy blanket. Super happy to find an amazing gray knitted one... At least tomorrow the Monster and I will be warm and cozy while we wait for the maintenance guys to come...

316 : seeing work

I love getting samples of work I've designed in the mail from clients. I love seeing it out in the real world even more. I finally got a chance to stroll down to Hermosa Beach to see the set of street pole banners I designed along Pier Avenue. Seeing it totally made me do the happy dance inside.

I'm so fortunate to be doing what I love and to have some amazing clients/friends/family support me through the years.

315 : cheat days

Jeff and I have been dieting for the past month. Measuring, weighing and counting every calorie...(and lots and lots of gym time). It's been a very successful month (down over 10 pounds!). But I can't even tell you how good it feels to ditch the fitness app on my phone today and cheat. But it'll be back to hitting the gym tomorrow... hardcore.

314 : buchstaben museum

Coolest museum ever. An entire museum dedicated to letters and typography. With a focus on vintage signage and oversized letters, this museum is my type dream come true. I'd probably be in big trouble in their gift shop... If only they were a little closer... maybe on my next trip to Paris...

313 : tree of codes

This amazing book, Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer totally pushes book design to new levels. When you flip it open each page is die cut to have only a few words exposed. Not surprisingly, they had a hard time finding a printer since each page has a different die cut...ie: the book was crazy expensive to produce. But it's really nice to see people more concerned with design than cost; that's when some of the most creative solutions come out.

A bonus is that the book actually sounds interesting. And at only $26 bucks on amazon, I think I may need to own this soon.

312 : internet

The last major step in getting the office back up and running is getting the internet installed. After 6 hours of (not so) patiently waiting, the Verizon guy finally came. After wondering why the thing wasn't connecting, he finally figured out that the phone jacks in the walls, were not actually connected to any wires. Only in my building.

At least we're all ready to go now. How did people ever live without the internet? 6 hours and I was going crazy.

311 : moving forward

After a hectic past few weeks dmmh is moving forward with a bigger, better office. Freshly painted, and with some new furniture, the office is almost back up and running. This past weekend brought a huge step forward in getting things together and it makes me super happy to see it just about done.

Now to just finish cleaning the ash off of everything...who would have thought it would have gone into every little space. Like into a closed box containing my new scanner, and in EVERY single drawer. Good thing I have lots and lots of paper towels.

A huge thanks to my dad for painting my new digs and Jeff for bringing all my furniture up the stairs...by himself.

310 : grow little terraniums

When I see these cute little terraniums  from Paris based company, Grow Little, I can't help but picture one sitting on my new (much larger) conference table. They're so beautiful in their textures and color, and there is so much detail in such a little space...

But then I seem to come to my senses and realize that thing would look beautiful on the table for a few days, and then slowly go downhill from there. You are in fact, talking to a lady that has successfully killed succulents and cacti (I'm not proud of this).

If your "green" thumb is greener than mine, you should check out their blog/website. Ah-mazing.

309 : dog days are over

Can no longer hear this song without picturing this kid in my head. Best dancer ever.

308 : baby monkeys

Let's face it, most babies are cute. But there's something about baby monkeys that just screams cuteness overload. Especially when they're so teeny tiny that they can cling to your finger.

Cutest Monkey feet EVER.

307 : going to the gym

Gasp! Did I just write that? I never ever thought I'd actually enjoy going to the gym. And it sure doesn't help that the entire time I'm there I just keeping thinking about all the things I could be doing... But during the past 3 weeks of hitting the workout routine hard, I can tell you that I already feel so much better. I still have my days where the thought of watching a movie on the couch sounds so much nicer than watching the ridiculously sweaty men walk by as I'm on the elliptical. And although I may complain to my workout bud about those same sweaty men and how bored I am while making pouty faces, I am in fact, happy to be working out and feeling better. Now to just time my workouts soat least one of the tv's in front of the ellipticals are tuned to something entertaining...

306 : body shop's cranberry

The holiday season seems to start earlier and earlier every year. Normally I dread hearing "Jingle Bells" blare through the stores before the turkey has even been carved. This year however, the holiday season brought a smile to my face.

Lately I've become addicted to the shower gel from the Body Shop. So the withdrawls I've been experiencing the past few days without it, have been no bueno. So today, I stopped in to pick up a new supply, only to find the super yummy holiday cranberry scent greeting me at the door. It almost made me want to take another shower today just so I could use it...

305 : ok go - last leaf video

This video from OK Go is so crazy amazing. The entire thing is a stop-motion video of images burned in toast. How crazy is that? At first I thought it was some photoshop effect, but it looks like the real deal. I can't even imagine how long this took to make.

304 : ant stamp

I don't know why, but this tiny rubber ant stamp always makes me smile, although real ants don't seem to have the same effect. This little guy, at less than a half inch long, is super cute.

303 : netflix

So I'm behind the times I know, but we just signed up for Netflix so I can watch stuff while we gym. Although that part didn't quite work out as planned, it's nice to have tons and tons of movies at your fingertips (and I love that they have a crazy amount of foreign films). If you're a movie buff, or just want to catch up on old seasons of your favorite shows, this is the best thing ever.

302 : paint swatches

Ever since I was a little kid I loved getting paint swatches from the hardware store. Now, getting swatches has a new meaning... I actually have to paint something. Having a more sensitive palette to color makes the task more complicated than for the average person. I love that the new swatches are so big, and single colored... it'll make it easier to see the color on the wall. But with over 20 swatches of gray, my color making decision is sure to be time consuming. Now I just have to go to the office with some tape and hope the process of elimination goes quickly... and that I actually do want gray walls.

301 : leaf sticky notes

I love post-it notes. I always have a stack on my desk, where I jot down notes and then stick them to my computer screen. Browsing the internet today, I found these amazing leaf shaped sticky notes from Appree. I'm so in love with them. Leaves stuck to my monitor will be so much nicer than florescent squares. I need them.

300 : going to bed early

It's been almost a year since I actually went to bed before midnight. I usually don't end up falling asleep until 1-2am. So it's nice that right now, at 10:45pm I'm laying in bed ready for sleep. This week of craziness and the day filled with work has wiped me out. Maybe I'll actually get a good 8 hours in tonight. And that is definitely something to be happy about.

299 : a new office

One week exactly after the fire and I already got a new office! Just one building over and a space twice as big, I'm one happy girl. Plus, some of my old office buddies will be my neighbors again. Can't wait to move in!

298 : transparent hole punch

Sometimes when hand-making invites or mock-ups, I need a hole punch. This punch, designed by Kisang Yoon and Kyubok Lee has a transparent top and red guide, makes it so easy to make the hole exactly where you want it. Such a good idea, I just can't believe it took so long for someone to come out with it.

Brownie points for the sleek, simple design.

297 : homemade is best

Found this video from the Ikea photo shoot from their new book : Homemade is Best. Love the way the ingredients are laid out, and the "test" layouts...could do without some of the music though.

296 : the office

Originally I had planned to put the office as my happy post for today. And I guess given the circumstances, now is the perfect time to do it. Today marks what would have been my 3 year anniversary at the office. That little space thought me a lot, and meant more to me than I knew. My little office space was missed today, but it's on to bigger and better things.