50 : pandora

We heart Pandora. More than a radio, Pandora is like your own personal musical soul mate. It learns all the music you like/dislike and creates a blend of new and old songs that you end up loving. A couple months back, we worked on an invitation for this music phenomenon, which was just a bit surreal. We listen at work, at home, while we clean, while we read...

49 : vintage herman miller ads

In the 50s and 60s, the furniture manufacturer, Herman Miller designed some of the most amazing graphics. The bold use of color with the simple furniture silhouettes are absolutely stunning.

48 : chocolate bacon bar

Applewood smoked bacon + Alder wood smoked salt + Deep milk chocolate...Bet you are reading this thinking "Bacon and chocolate are two words that don't go together." Right? Wrong! So wrong! One of my favorite chocolate companies, Vosges Haut Chocolat, makes this interesting combination, and so many more, into a chocolate bar. We sampled this creation at Alcove Cafe & Bakery in Los Feliz. After getting past the initial shock of the combination, I thought what the heck, why not, and was pleasantly surprised that it was actually pretty good. That first bar hasn't been and will not be my last chocolate bacon bar experience.

47 : rust

Yes, you read that right...rust makes me happy. Who knows how and when this love started, but there is something about rust that just fascinates me.

After a stroll on the Redondo Beach pier, these images were captured. The amazing colors that can be seen in combination with the textures, just bring happiness.

While everyone else was taking pictures of the ocean, pelicans, and each other, I was the dork crouched on the ground photographing rust. :)

46 : type coasters

Veer has done it again...These super amazing type coasters make us smile great big smiles.

These laser-etched bamboo coasters feature Baskerville Semibold, and have 4 different patterns.

If anyone wants to get us a present, these would look great in the office...hint. hint.

45 : ihop

In honor of "Pancake Day" today, we're going to give you a little insight into us...So, we give you, our IHOP story.

Breakfast is one of our "things", and always has been. There's something nice about starting off the day with good food and good friends (not that we're saying IHOP is good food). Before starting our studio we would meet often for breakfast and we'd usually land at IHOP. Over coffee and eggs, we'd discuss design, freelancing and our design dreams for the future. And it was one of those breakfast talks, that eventually lead us to the decision to start the studio.

Who knew that a simple idea that seemed so out-of-reach, could almost three years later turn into this? "Come Hungry. Leave Happy." is their motto... and we did....designhappy. :)

Cheers to pancakes and fond breakfast memories.

44 : mailchimp sayings

We're constantly entertained by the humor of the people over at MailChimp. We use them for our (along with several clients) email blasts, and we're never short on laughs.

Creating email blasts, updating contact lists, and checking blast statistics has never been more amusing.

Not only do they make us laugh, we also feel loved...

We love you too, MailChimp.

43 : trump & free wine

Today's post is a double whammy...Tonight we attended a fundraiser for The Wellness Community that was held at the Trump Golf Course in our own, Palos Verdes. For one, the place is out of control beautiful. From the decor to the views to the oh-so-delish food, it's simply amazing. If that wasn't happy enough, the event included complimentary wine. What's not to love?

Yup, people, we heart the wine.

We had a fabulous time thanks to our dear, dear friend Kristin (we love you!).

42 : goats

There's just something about goats that make us happy. Luckily for us, they aren't just reserved for petting zoos and pumpkin patches anymore. In fact, their amazing ability to eat anything makes them incredibly useful to builders and contractors.

Almost every day on my way to work I see these guys grazing in a huge section of empty land. With their mouths to the ground, they're busy clearing away the vegetation for whatever the contractors have in store for the space.

Today the herd was on the move and could be found right at the fence, within petting distance :)

41 : reading

Reading a good book is right up there on our happy list. There is nothing quite like being engulfed in a good story. When hours can pass and yet you still don't want to stop.

Our current reads:
Monique: "Her Fearful Symmetry" Jen: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."

40 : verbena

I'm addicted to scents. For as long as I can remember I have loved the smell of citrus... I would desperately look for a perfume (or perfume oil) that smelled like freshly cut lemon, orange or grapefruit. (I'm still on the look out by the way). So back in 2006 when in Paris, I fell in love with L'Occitane's Verbena perfume.

While not the fresh cut scent I long for, it does have a very fresh, clean smell with strong citrus tones.

A year later, I saw that in the summer, they have a Citrus edition, with even more of a lemony scent, than their traditional. It smells like happy :)

39 : olvera street

One little historical gem we often forget about is Olvera Street in LA. This little landmark is considered the birthplace of the city and offers vendors, restaurants and informational landmarks all with old world Mexican charm.

We stopped by a few months ago to get some inspiration. Towards the end of the afternoon we landed at one of the restaurants where we grabbed some carnitas tortas and mango margaritas. Although just a couple of blocks in length this place has so much texture and character!

Later on I met a handsome little Mexican man. Why this guy makes me so happy, I have no clue. I still wish I would have bought him. Maybe next time.

38 : the ampersand

Of all the letters, numbers and symbols out there, this little guy has to be the best...behold the ampersand. The word "ampersand" (or "epershand" as the Scottish call it) is a corrupted translation of the phrase "and per se and".

With beautiful curves and so many different forms...the ampersand makes us oh-so-happy.

Luckily there are others that appreciate it's beauty.

Coral Ampersand
Epershand Necklace
Ampersand Print
Cordial Bloom Brooch

37 : iced coffee

Another guilty pleasure of ours is hazelnut iced coffee from McDonald's. A week will not pass by without at least one morning where we have a cup on our desks. Don't judge! For some reason, McDonald's has crazy good iced coffee. Hey, there was even the taste test study that said most people preferred McDonald's coffee to Starbucks coffee. For this we would agree.

36 : funny valentine's cards

Funny cards are the best and it has become an inside joke of sorts with us. Jen has made it a mission to find the best "sexy men" cards and give them to me throughout the year. I <3 them, and they never cease to make me laugh. I now have a little collection of these cards from my birthday, Christmas and Valentine's Day. So in honor of Valentine's Day, behold the beauty of the "sexy man cupid" card. Last year cupid was sporting some nice cutoff jean shorts, but this year he is showing a little more skin. Thanks Jen and Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

35 : babycakes

As we're both single this year, we decided to bring a little heart day cheer to our loved ones. So on this Valentine's weekend we payed a visit to BabyCakes, one of the best little local cupcakeries. You can never walk out with just one. In fact, we left with 6 each, which wasn't too bad considering we were both bringing them to the fam. And anyway, with flavors like white chocolate raspberry (left), red velvet (center), strawberry shortcake (right), cabernet & cherries, hot chocolate, zesty lemon and loads others we challenge you to walk out with just one. To top it off, the cupcakes are decorated so well, and by now you all know we are a suckers for pretty things, especially when sugar is involved.

A testament to just how good BabyCakes is...my 99 year old great grandma, who "doesn't like sweets" ate more cupcake (we cut them in quarters so everyone could try the flavors) than anyone.

34 : mochi

Confession...I'm a recovering addict. My addiction...mochi. These little balls of white fluff are so good especially on yogurt! But I'm hard core and get plain mochi by the cupful. With Pinkberry across the street and Yummy Yogurt in walking distance I can get my fix. Jen even tried hunting down a container of mochi for me for my birthday but couldn't find one (I don't want the kind filled with stuff, I'm a purist). Thanks for trying lady! What a friend! :D

33 : friendship

So as gay as this may sound, 7 years ago today is when we first met. Not many people know the day/place they first met (especially when it's not someone you're dating), but we easily looked it up since it was the first day of class at El Camino in '03. We told you we were nerds.

So that day we happened to both be early, (which is rare for me since I'm late for everything), and were sitting on the floor in the hallway waiting for our classes to start. We just started chatting and found out we were both going to be graphic design majors but were heading off to different schools, Jen to Otis and I was planning on Art Center. The end. Never spoke again or saw each other all semester.

We never imagined that we'd end up in the same school (Otis) and see each other the first day of class the following year ! Random!! We hit it off and have been the best of friends since :) Funny how things work out like that.

Above is where it all happened...because yes, we went back to take a picture of the hallway we met in...we told you it sounded a little gay (not that there is anything wrong with that).

32 : the comedy & magic club

Belly laugh anyone? We've had our fair share at the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach. We are always getting their complimentary passes in the mail and try not to waste them :) They used to give 6 free entries for birthdays/anniversaries but now it's down to 2, but still no complaints here. Going to see one of there shows is loads of fun. Chris Rock even stopped in one night as a guest comic! You really never know who might show up last minute. We've never been brave enough to sit in the front row yet, but maybe someday... not tonight!

31 : not having cavities

There are two places I really, really dislike going: the gas station and the dentist. Obviously, one has a stronger dislike than the other.

But, today, I hit that wonderful six-month mark, which meant, yup, you guessed it: time to go to the dentist. It didn't make it better that as I was sitting there nervous, being scraped and polished, the woman in the next room kept saying "OUCH!" over and over. I'm just glad I left BEFORE he started on her root canal.

So, yes on National Tooth Ache Day (I won't even go there) I am very proud to say that I am cavity free...and that makes me very happy :) Oh, and not only did I get a toothbrush, I got loads of toothpaste samples.

30 : office randomness

A while back ago there was a knock on our office door. Monique was on the phone, so I answered, thinking it was FedEx. Boy was I wrong...

It was our newest neighbor (whom we had never really spoken to) standing there with a plastic bag with 3 cucumbers and a half eaten one in his hand. He pulled one out of the bag and handed it to me, saying NOTHING. He looked into the office, saw Monique, pulled out another one, and said "For your friend". Then walked away. Shocked, I said "Thank you" as he walked down the hall to his office...Umm...is it just me, or is that a strange thing to knock on someone's door and hand them?

The week after he brought oranges, and after that grapes. Thank goodness the random food gifts stopped. And for all of you wondering, yes, this is the same man who lives in his office and bathes in the sink...in the women's restroom I may add.

Never. a. dull. moment.

29 : reed diffusers

So, we're a little obsessed with having things smell good. We both ALWAYS have an air freshener in our cars (no, not the tree kind).

When it comes to the office, we're no different. We can't always vouch for the hallway (although on several occasions we bought the plug-in kind, but they kept winding up "missing"), but we guarantee there will be no funky smells in here. Our smell-good helper of choice: reed diffusers. We always have 2 of them in our office (yes, in our tiny 200 sq foot office, we have TWO). Not only are they pretty to look at, they work amazingly well.

28 : foam capsules

If you were a child of the 80's you may or may not remember these...

Little plastic capsules that held brightly colored foam. When you'd drop these little guys in warm water, the capsule would dissolve, and the foam would expand revealing various shapes.

When we found these at Michael's craft store, we were instantly reminded of our childhood. Why these things ever existed, we're not too sure. The excitement is very short lived.

We were less than patient waiting for these suckers to open...I can't imagine how we waited when we were young.

After a lot of "poking" they finally started to open up. Here we see a squid.

And finally, the end results:

27 : (the start of) craft day

We've decided to start stepping away from the computer more and instead, do something "crafty".

Today, with the rainy weather, it seemed like the perfect day to start. We went to Michael's and got some yarn and some crocheting supplies and attempted to "teach" ourselves with the help of YouTube tutorials.

Lessons learned: when attempting craft day, do NOT answer the phone. We maybe got 10 minutes of crocheting in before we had to stop to work on a last minute project. Oh yeah, and YouTube is way helpful in learning to crochet. We heart Aunt Esther.

Now we just need to figure out what we're going to make. Sweater vest, anyone?

26 : kern ring

For the typographic nerds in us...

As much as I love this, it does in fact bother me that there is too much space between the "e" and "r"... I mean really? If you're going to make a "kern" ring, shouldn't the kerning uh, be correct? I'm just saying.

For those of you that must have this, click here.

25 : client testimonials

We just received a glowing review from one of our newest clients, MercuryWineClub.com. It is one of the best feelings knowing that work we have done for a client is appreciated, has made an impact on their company, and that they've enjoyed working with us throughout the process. We have received some great feedback from clients and whenever we get a testimonial it makes us feel, as Jen puts it, "all warm & fuzzy inside." :)

24 : aquarium of the pacific

Sunday night we attended "Photographers Night" at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

We learned some very valuable things:

1. We desperately need to take some lessons on how to use the camera settings...that, or read the manual.

2. Our lens is WAY too slow for shooting in low light without a flash (thank goodness for the free Nikon rentals that night...not that it made that big of a difference).

3. Photographers are in their own little worlds.

Out of the 275 shots we took, literally, only a handful are in focus...yup, people, that's right...we officially suck at underwater photography. Yet, these three images made the whole night worth it.

23 : margarita monday

If it's a Monday night, more than likely we'll be partaking in the awesomeness that is Margarita Monday.

What's not to love? Cheap drinks, half price appetizers, and free veggies. Oh, and the people watching isn't bad either. Like the elderly group who order margaritas and when the waitress isn't looking spike their drinks with tequila they pulled out of their purse? Or the woman who fills her purse full of the free mini chimichungas? Yup. Never a dull moment.