Gimme More Mad Men

Just sitting at home tonight, avoiding sleep, watching "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day", (featuring wonderful performances by Amy Adams and Frances McDormand btw)  and surfing. I came across this flickr set via Drawn and I almost fell out of my couch groove! I am a huge Mad Men fan, so it was great to see someone who is so into the show that they dedicate their spare time to cranking out inspired illustrations, which capture moments in the show so perfectly! Kudos to NobodysSweetheart on her fabulous work!

Design Camp 2008

I just got back from a weekend at Design Camp in Nisswa, Minnesota. The overarching theme of the weekend revolved around the idea of change. It was all about taking chances, looking at things in new ways, and restoring the powers of the undo and redo commands. The highlights of my weekend included:

- An Adobe presentation on CS4. My friend and fellow designer Jen Young of KiK Associates who is infamous for winning Apple products, managed to win a copy of CS4, as well as winning a fish-naming contest! Long live the Red Eyed 2 Ply Southern Fried!

- Amazing, unique and inspiring speakers. We heard very different vantage points from Jen Trolio of Readymade magazine, Brain Collins of Collins Design Group, The Art of Chase and Tronic Studios (Theo Daley is our fellow Canadian from Torontonia). All though their paths are all very unique, their messages all revolved around change for a better world and the importance of following your personal convictions!

- A Silkscreen workshop with Aesthetic Apparatus! 

- Discovering my "katra" and dominating the dojo! I participated in a workshop about leveraging my strengths. I learned that I am a mouse, who can work well with a group, stays out of the limelight, and who can bring out the strengths in others. I have an opinion, but I am not quick to form one, as I like to take everyone's views into consideration.

- Morning cinnamon rolls!

- Grandview Lodge, for all of it amenities and beautiful fall surroundings. 

- All of the really cool people that I met over the weekend. There ARE other designers out there, dealing with the same things that we all deal with. We emerged from the glow of our computer screens for some much needed fresh air.

- The really cool people that I knew were cool all along. My weekend cohorts were Jen Young and Ana Morgan of KiK Associates.

-  And the mandatory stop at Target on the way home!!!!

Design Camp happens on the same weekend every year, so mark it on your calendars for 2009! I guarantee that you will have the time of your life and come back refreshed and ready to change the world with the click of your mouse!

Dane Cook airbrushed within an inch of his life

I found this a while back, on PhotoshopDisasters. It's a hilarious rant by Dane Cook, about the poster for his movie "My Best Friend's Girl". Just one look at this poster, and you can tell there are so many things wrong with it. I went for a double feature yesterday, and this movie was one of them. I still laugh every time I see the poster. Seriously, read the rant, it's funny. On a side note, Kate Hudson is always a sure bet to cast in Girly Movies. I loved her in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". It might be time to watch that movie again.

Licking icicles

I got it! Andy Goldsworthy! Andy works with natural materials like ice, sticks, leaves, rocks and dirt. For the most part his artwork is assembled with natural materials like thorns and even saliva (used for the ice star shown here). There are many books out featuring his artworks, and the one that I had the opportunity to flip through was titled "Wood". There is also a documentary that I am hoping to watch called "Rivers and Tides". View a clip here. I laughed at the end of this clip when he says "I am so amazed that I am even alive". I know when I lose a day worth of work (computer crash, lost notes, etc), my sentiments are a little different, and often involve cursing profusely.

Green Graffiti

Fall is my most favorite season. I love everything about it, especially the focus on nature. When I recently came across two artists who utilize natural elements in their works, i got really excited. The first artist that I would like to share with you is Anna Garforth. I love the concept of her "Moss Graffiti"! The piece shown here is titled "Mossenger". She is also featured on the site Environmental Graffiti. 

I will post about the other artist as soon as I can remember his name (watch for this one soon).

Tweed Beasts 3

This little guy is so CUTE! I love his tweedy-ness! Plush by feltmistress, based on the illustrations of Jonathan Edwards.

beach life

I am back from a wonderful week in Hawaii. We spent our week on the island of Oahu. If you are planning a trip there, feel free to contact me. I would love to share with you my insight into "things to do" on the island!

I tried surfing for the second time, and it is the hardest workout I have done in a long time, but I would totally love to do it as a hobby. I have also decided that the surfboard in the middle, is the one that I would own if I lived in Hawaii. Too bad we don't have much ocean around these here parts!