Everything We Need is Already Made

Happy Valentine's/My Vintage Art

2012-02-14T22:56:00.000-08:00

My amazing sister scanned and sent this to me today... its a valentine that we think I sent to her during her first year of college, when I was in THIRD GRADE! My favorite part is the attempt for realism: we had wallpaper like that, and a white garbage can too! The little valentine on the right says "Cupid is Working (Knock!!!)." Wish I could get into my childhood head to find out what the heck I meant by that! Since I didn't get to designing some hip valentines like I might have once planned to (during a coffee inspired spree of unrealistic design project planning), this will serve as a valentine to you all. I hope you had a lovely day!! :)

Happy February: Website News!!

2012-02-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Remember my chalk board goals? Well, February has arrived and I'm not entirely done with each of the items on the list, but I have at least started them all. And I'm totally excited to announce that I now have a live portfolio website! Check it out at julievanscoy.com!

Spring 2012 Film Series Postcard

2012-01-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

I get to make a postcard for our film series every semester (old ones here and here). I love these projects because I get to come up with a new look every time, and the small size helps to keep things simple. Some films have awesome press photos available for download, but others require a little creativity to find something usable. This time, rather than doing a collage of images from multiple films in the series I decided that this image from Waste Land would have a lot more impact. The film follows artist Vik Muniz as creates huge portraits made of trash at the world’s largest garbage dump in Rio de Janeiro. I can't wait to watch it!

Fredric Jameson Poster (Drafts)

2012-01-24T23:22:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite done with this poster for literary theorist and cultural critic Fredric Jameson, who will lecture at Berkeley in February, but I thought it would be fun to share some work-in-process! I've basically decided on the format on the far right, but am still working on refining colors. If you know Jameson's famous book, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, you will see that the image here is a play on that book cover (which uses Any Warhol's Diamond Dust Shoes), relating it to the title of the lecture: "The Aesthetics of Singularity." This visual reference will *hopefully* be recognized by more than one academic walking around campus. Either way, I'm sure the name Jameson (conveniently HUGE, if you didn't notice) will catch their eye, so hopefully we'll get a good turnout. :)

Movie Screening Poster

2012-01-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

I recently made this movie "poster" for a screening a friend is hosting this week. I had so many ideas with the camp theme of the movie, but decided to go with the friendship bracelet angle. It was a fun project!

Chalk Board

2012-01-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

Before they were trendy (or maybe the 1st time they were?!?), my grandmother had a huge chalkboard in her kitchen, with a weekly schedule, important phone numbers, etc. At the top, she had written "The Hurrier I Go, the Behinder I Get." For as long as I remember, that sentence had already been there so long that the chalk had cemented on there; it would never wash off! When I saw this chalkboard for sale at a garage sale for just $3, I had to get it! I mounted it to my wall with some of those crazy strong velcro mounting strips, and have been enjoying it ever since.

I plan to change the quote/drawing every few weeks. And right now, you'll see I have marked down a few goals for January...go ahead and read them...maybe then I'll be accountable to actually getting them done!

Photo offers a sneak peek at my bulletin board, which I am also pretty proud of...will post about that soon!

Hometown Pride

2012-01-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

While at home for the holidays I spied this sign in the grocery store. I think its a very well-designed display, and I love that they said "ridiculously proud." Go AE Dairy! (Thanks to sister Em for the i-phone photo!)

The Relics of Christmas Past

2011-12-27T09:08:00.001-08:00

This year at home for Christmas we went through the ornaments that didn't
make it onto the tree and finally got rid of some of them! While they didn't
make the cut, I enjoyed some of the retro styles! Oh, the memories...

Before & After: Mini Holiday Greeting Project

2011-12-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

I didn't make homemade cards this year, but when I ran out of store bought ones, I quickly

designed this little ditty up. Here's the original inspiration on the left and the final product

on the right! I traced the photo, added a more visible tail and a little bling, and I'm quite

happy with the result! I haven't blogged much recently, but hope that changes in January--

I have tons of design projects on my list to execute! I'm heading home tomorrow and can't

wait to enjoy time with my family. Enjoy your holiday season!!

Thanksgiving mini-project

2011-11-22T12:50:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited for Thanksgiving this year! I have quite a few family and good friends gathering together at my house this year for a potluck. I bought my first-ever turkey and am feeling the requisite anxiety about how to cook the thing, but I'm sure everyone in attendance will help.

This is also the perfect excuse to do a fun little project: a welcome sign for the door! I created it in just a few minutes using this feather from the Graphics Fairy and this free font.

I hope you have a great, thankful holiday and a lovely long weekend!

Logo Land: Townsend 25th Anniversary

2011-10-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

I've had the opportunity to make a few logos lately. Here's one I did for my Center, which will be used on almost all our materials during the year of our 25th anniversary. Woo!

Logos can be a challenge, but I like practicing making something simple that can be really small. Its also a good exercise to work in B&W only (even if the logo uses colors later) so you aren't distracted by colors or fancy effects.

I just finished a freelance project involving a logo as well, and hope to share all of the stuff I created for that with you too!

Creative Chandelier

2011-10-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe in all this time I never blogged about this lamp, which was hanging over the dining room table in my old house. One of my housemates sent out this photo when we were moving out, and I just re-discovered it in my email. Our landlord in that house was a contractor, and he had done all these interesting modifications to our house, including this chandelier made of scrap copper and other stuff. Isn't it great?!

A Great Wedding, a Great Design Project!

2011-10-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

Some of my very great friends got married about a month ago in Minneapolis. These are the same folks we threw an engagement party for just a few months back. I was so excited when they asked me to help with a few design projects for the wedding!

I had some fun with signage for the ceremony, which was held in an old theater....

and for the reception, which was at an art gallery...

And the coolest project of all: aren't these glasses as favors a great idea? Even cooler is the fact that the bride drew this graphic of the Minneapolis skyline (it was also used in their invitation). Then we worked together to digitize the drawing and add the date and the city. I've seen favors like this with the couple's names and hearts for the design...but does anyone really want to keep that? This seems less likely to hit Goodwill in 2 weeks, am I right? ;)

I had already designed a logo that was printed on glass for the beer fest project I did a few months ago. Still, I was nervous when we sent the file off to the glass company...but they turned out great!

I love this photo from the big day (they are actually standing on the bridge that is featured in the drawing. Congratulations, A&M!

Another Day, Another Poster

2011-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a poster I just sent out to the printer. I'm not in love with it as a whole, but I do love how the three images in black and white look in a row. Also it is an important lesson about design: sometimes you just have to give your client what theywant, and sometimes you may not love the outcome. That's all I'll say about that. :)

And moving on, this is going to be an awesome event! Desdemona is a collaboration between Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison, singer/songwriter Rokia Traoré, and Director Peter Sellars, in response to Sellars's 2009 Othello. The play is supposed to be "an intimate and profound conversation from beyond the grave between Shakespeare's Desdemona and Barbary, the woman Shakespeare identifies as the African nurse who raised her." I got to talk about it with Peter while they were still working on it, and I can guarantee it will be amazing!

Toni Morrison doesn't travel much, but we did get her to agree to skype in for a panel discussion. I wish I could have told my freshman in college self (reading Beloved in a lit. class) that I would one day receive an email from Toni Morrison...so cool!

Quick and Simple Flier Design

2011-09-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

I had to create a flier very quickly today, and I am actually pretty happy with how this turned out with only 1 hour of work. Simple and effective, I think. This is a good reminder that not everything you make has to incorporate a new skill or design trick: though I like using each new project as a learning opportunity to try something new, sometimes you just gotta make something! And sometimes, you'll get something you kinda a like when you do.

The Golden Hour

2011-09-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Over labor day weekend I was in Minnesota for TWO weddings. It was a whirlwind weekend of festivities, and after all the organized fun was over, I met up with a few of the friends (including one of the newly married couples) for some quieter time on the gorgeous Mirror Lake, behind the house of the groom.

This was one of my most favorite chunks of time ever. What more do you need than some good friends, a few little boats, and the glow of the late afternoon sun?

Work for Work: Lecture Series Poster

2011-09-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

I finally sent our series poster for the "Forum on the Humanities & the Public World" to the printer, so thought I'd share here! For this design I had fun creating the speech bubbles and using some layering & clipping mask techniques to add the texture and different colors within them. Took longer to do than you might think! Now I've got the process down though, so it will go quicker in the future!

29 years

2011-08-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

I was so fortunate to grow up with three great friends, from the very beginning of my life. We were all born within a month of one another...I spent a lonely first month of life before they followed, and since our parents knew each other we were friends from the start! After high school we have scattered around the country, but try to catch up when we can. A few weeks ago we spent a long weekend together in Steamboat Springs, CO, enjoying good food, local art, tubing down the Yampa river, and even the grand tasting at the Steamboat wine festival!

H & H celebrated their birthday yesterday, and A will tomorrow, so I thought a happy birthday post right in the middle would be appropriate. Thanks, you three, for 29 years of friendship!

New Toy

2011-08-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Many of my family members are big on sewing, which you may know from me talking about my sister's fabulous etsy business and my references to Mom sewing my prom dresses, and though I always have dreams of altering goodwill finds into amazing numbers like this girl, I haven't done much sewing on my own. But I've been meaning to. So, imagine how excited I was to acquire this machine for $10 at a garage sale last weekend. $10!!!! Its a "School Model" so not super fancy... but I think its enough to start. Hopefully I will have some little sewing project successes to show you later this month!

A note to my mentors: Mom, this likely does not mean I won't come home with a few projects every holiday season, needing your help... Sister, get ready for a request for skype video chat help when I get stuck...

I Heart Photo Booths

2011-08-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love taking funny photos with friends? Here are a few photo booth experiences I've had with good friends this summer. I love taking 4 in a series....planning them out and seeing what happens! Props or no probs, these are goofy and great!!

P.S. I seriously love the mustache props! Would be easy to make with chopsticks and card stock, eh?

Work for Work: Depth of Field

2011-08-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been pretty silent on here for awhile...part of that is the intensity of everything going on at work right now as we prepare for the start of the semester! I've been designing like crazy in my 9-5... sometimes in more of a rush than I'd prefer, but still coming out with some stuff I like. Here's the postcard for our film series, which I just sent to the printer... I can't wait to see some of these films!

Yard Sale Booty!

2011-08-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

My new neighborhood is buzzing with garage sales on the weekends lately. This weekend I stumbled upon a great find: what appeared to be someone's grandma's jewelry box full of treasures! I spent about 20 minutes untangling chains and digging through the mess for earring pairs, but it was worth it. I got all this stuff for $6!! I have some grand plans for converting clip-on earrings and re-stringing some beads. Others are perfectly wearable as they are. Look for posts on the transformations of some of these jewels soon!

Cabin Getaway

2011-07-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I flew to Minnesota to join my college friends for a weekend away at a cabin in Wisconsin. We had the best time! When I arrived, the girls in the first car had decorated the cabin and set up a complete surprise party for my birthday. I was totally surprised! From there, the weekend included lot of swimming, sun-bathing, cocktail sipping, nail painting, boating, reading, game-playing, and just plain quality time with some of my favorite people (who I don't see often enough!).

I feel so fortunate to have the means to travel, and to have so many amazing ladies in my life.

Hope we can do it again next year!

Amber & Aaron: Hitched!

2011-07-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

My good friends Amber & Aaron were married in Portland last month, and we finally got to see photos from the photographer, Kendra Joy Seymour (check out her site, especially if you live in D.C)! Meanwhile, I just got these fun "photobooth" photoshop brushes, and wanted to try them out. So, I made this little montage. What a beautiful wedding it was!

Also thought I'd share a little wedding card I made for them. These flowers are in the backyard of the house we lived in when we were all housemates, and I had been wanting to utilize this photo for something!

P.S. Amber & Aaron are the people who inspired me to have a blog in the first place...and I'm hoping that now that she's done being a super wedding planner, Amber will take her's up again. Hint, hint...

Tahoe Time

2011-07-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I got to meet up with some of my lovely lady friends from Minnesota who were in Tahoe on a summer getaway. We had an amazing beach day at Sand Harbor Beach, and I'm so in love with these instagram photos Miss Mandi took. Aren't they great? Tahoe in summer is just as great as Tahoe in winter...and good friends are great in all seasons. :)

Friday Tunes

2011-07-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted on music in a long time, and wanted to share a few of the songs I've been listening to NON-STOP as I design our fall publicity materials at work. Enjoy!

New Place

2011-06-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

So, in case you haven't noticed from my emotional posts lately, I'm moving! Its time to look forward to new experiences rather than long for what once was. In that mindset today, I looked the new place up on the ever-impressive Google Maps. So, this is where I'll be from July 1 and onward! Pretty nice place. Come visit me and we can sit on the porch with mint juleps, or some other summery drink. ;)

You Gotta Start Somewhere!

2011-06-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I took my first ever web design class; HTML Fundamentals. I already knew a bit of html, but not some of the foundational stuff about starting a website and actually putting it online. After the 2 day class, here is my site! Now, keep in mind that this was a fundamentals class, and that without CSS or anything else you can't really do anything too pretty (i.e., I'm not in love with how this looks, of course, but happy I built it all with code!).

And here is it in code form!

Obligatory Diploma Shot

2011-06-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

Its official- I have a professional certificate in graphic design! Now its not art school or anything, but I think its an accomplishment. I have learned a TON in the last 2 years and I think I have found something I really love and am pretty good at. And today, I took my first class in web design, so the drama of my professional development continues!

Its coming...

2011-06-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

I took this photo about a year ago in Santa Cruz. And how perfect that I found it while browsing through an old image folder today, because change is looming in my life! After two amazing years in a great house with people I love, we are disbanding as some of our group move across the country. I am very sad, but hoping for a great new chapter in my life, and reminding myself that change can be one of the scariest things about life, but also one of the things that makes you feel the most alive.

You know what moving means...new blog posts about room decor! Stay tuned :)

Shell House: Another Reason to Love Where I Live

2011-06-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

Nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood not far from my own is something that will shock and awe--this crazy shell house!! I'm not sure of the true story behind this place, but I have heard that a man built it for his mother, who was deathly afraid of earthquakes and comforted by the sea. He created a structure that is both earthquake-safe and shaped like something straight out of the The Little Mermaid. Isn't it beautiful and strange? I am dying to see the inside...

Save the Dates (again)

2011-06-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

Remember my Save the Dates for our annual fall reception at work last year? Well,
since we have the word annual in there it means we are having another one in the fall and its time to tell people to mark their calendars! Here's this year's version...

Class Work Exhibit!

2011-06-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

Some fun news: one of my class projects was chosen to be in an exhibit at the UC Berkeley Art and Design Center in San Francisco! This poster and box design will be hanging in the halls of the building until July 11. The box is "Boarder's Best lip balm"-- I wanted to make a small box and this was the smallest snow-related box that came to mind. :)

As you may remember from my "Weekend Away" post about a trip to Tahoe this spring, the inspiration for both of these projects came from ski trips. In fact, I did a good bit of the design work on my laptop in the car...which goes to show that a a little play can help your work!

Letterpress Goodness

2011-06-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

I recently followed a wonderful tutorial on Pugly Pixel on how to make things look like letterpress in Photoshop, and thought I'd share my result! By the way, there are TONS of things to learn from that site--check it out!

Hesitant

2011-06-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Look at this sweet little guy! I don't know what he's really thinking, but I think I may be feeling the same way: my life is going to change quite a bit in the next few weeks as a number of folks in my close community of friends move far away. I will also have to leave my wonderful house. I am mostly optimistic, focusing on how all this will bring new people and places into my life, but sometimes I too feel like floating in a still pool like this, reflecting quietly on it all and hoping I can pause time before waves of change come rushing in.

Photo via pinterest.

A Panoramic Day

2011-06-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend we got snowed out of a camping trip we had planned, so instead went on an awesome hike on Mt. Tamalpais; we hiked a few miles down first, ending at Stinson beach, then climbed back up the mountain. It was great! I got to try out the cool panoramic feature on my camera; we had such sweeping views throughout the hike.We also worked up a huge appetite, which was promptly satisfied at Pearl's Phat Burgers, which I highly recommend! Don't you just love a long weekend?

Click on the photos for a larger view.

Hops for Humanity

2011-05-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting much on my recent work, mostly because I'm not currently in class and churning out new stuff every week! That doesn't mean I haven't been working, though. I just finished a big project for a beer festival fundraiser for the Bay Area Lutheran Volunteer Corps! Here's the image used in the email blast sent out. I also made a poster, postcard, and the logo is even going to be printed on pilsner tasting glasses!

If you are in the Bay Area, you should come to this event! What a great deal for unlimited tastings. Check out the event webpage for more info!

You Have Everything You Need

2011-05-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

I was recently admiring the work of Deedee Cheriel on a blog called "My Love For You." This bear roaring a colorful stream of shapes just blows me away.

Then I saw this photo (below) of Deedee pasting this image that says "You Have Everything You Need" onto a city wall and I said "WOAH!" Isn't this quite close to the title of this little blog? Its worth revisiting why I chose this title. One day, walking through the rather activist campus where I work, I heard someone shouting "End this consumerist lifestyle! Buy reused!" and then, the golden phrase: "Everything You REALLY Need is Already Made!" I loved is instantly and as you know, stole it for this blog. Now, I do buy stuff and I love to shop. But also, I grew up in a family of people who value reusing and recreating something from nothing, and I often find myself drawn to up-cycled, reused, reinvented things.

Here's what Deedee said about her posters on the blog post:
"That photo was taken at a wall downtown. The bears have always symbolized the Buddhist idea that to desire is to suffer. I think I first started painting bears when I quit smoking, and I was constantly looking for something outside myself to fill up the emptiness left by overcoming that addiction."

Reading blogs, looking at pinterest, and just being in the world often leaves me wanting; new clothes, pretty things, etc., but its worth revisiting this buddhist idea, and being reminded that things are just things and not who we are or what really gives us fulfillment. Its a bit different idea than "Everything we need is already made," but its in the same family of ideas, and definitely something to ponder.

Anthropologie Inspiration

2011-05-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

In addition to the beautiful clothes, Anthropologie has the most wonderful store/window art. Here's what they had when I was there a few weeks back.

Cardboard tube art. LOVE IT.Would have to think about how to attach to the wall...

Awesome ball of corks and succulents.We oohed and aahed over these for about 20 minutes while our friend waited in the check-out line

My friend and I got up close and personal to see how they did it: chicken wire around plastic (so the ball is light), and we figured you could just hot glue the corks on. The succulents are in plastic pots nestled into the plastic. It would take years for me to save this many corks; it would be fun to make a mini version, though! Or, I could always hit up the Easty Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, which probably has a HUGE bin of corks. I just realized I have never blogged about that place...will have to do that soon!

Backyard Party: People Photos

2011-05-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

At our backyard brunch party this weekend, half of the beauty of the whole event was the smiling faces. I snapped a ton of photos, and here are a few of my faves.

Too bad they have already sent out a Save the Date; wouldn't this have been perfect?!?

Luckily, we had some beautiful blooms reaching through the trellis part of the fence from our neighbor's yard!

Little ones always make a party better.

The couple and the hostesses!

Backyard Brunch Party

2011-05-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

My good friends recently got engaged, and this weekend we threw them an engagement party.What a fun excuse to spiff up our backyard, sit in the sun, and drink mimosas!

The story of the engagement itself is pretty involved, so I used that as the focal point for the invitation. I think this typographical solution worked pretty well!

Fresh flowers and banana bread. What else do you need?!?

We wanted to keep the party simple and not create too much waste. We made the flag bunting with construction paper and reused paper from the inside of business envelopes. A patterned sheet became the tablecloth!

The guestbook, with some signage that has the same feel as the invite.

Tissue paper flowers added color all over the yard!

I'm lucky to have an amazing backyard, and some amazing friends!

The Signs of Austin

2011-05-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

I recently spent a fabulous weekend with my siblings in Austin. Austin is an artsy town, and we were loving all the cool signage, especially around the South Congress area. I snapped a lot of photos, so when I am stuck on an idea for my next design project, I will have plenty of visual inspiration!

Life moves so...

2011-04-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Doesn't it??? Until you are forced to slow down, that is-- I'm sitting at the airport waiting for a delayed flight, and noticing that I finally feel I can take a breath and just SIT for a minute. I'm so excited to be slowing down for the next few days, in fact; I'm taking a long weekend with my siblings in Austin! Look for a trip-photo post soon!

Trunks & Tusks & Wrinkly Knees

2011-04-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of designing a "congrats on your new baby" card last week, and while researching what's already out there I saw a lot of animals. As I scrolled down my google image search, I found myself really drawn to elephants. They really are amazing-looking animals, aren't they??

Coincidentally, I was also cleaning out an old "design inspiration" folder on my computer and ran across this, which I saved as an image about 2 years ago. I love it! Unfortunately I can't give credit where its due because I didn't save any info on this one...

The realistic black and white of this tote is so great.

And if you take away all that grey wrinkly detail, you also have a really fun shape for color blocking!

Don't just think elephants are for baby shower cards though...this one is so hip.

Oh, Poppies!

2011-04-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with poppies lately. Mostly I attribute this to living in California, where I see the lovely California Poppy growing wild everywhere!

Imagine my delight when I saw the latest Martha Stewart Living earlier this week! Truly visual candy, the photographs in this issue make me want to throw on a pink chiffon dress and go frolic in a field.

What a lovely feminine dress. Could I ever wear such a huge flower pinned to my shoulder? Kinda feel like trying.

Fresh Air is Good For the Soul

2011-04-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

The weather was amazing this past weekend, and I discovered a great bunch of trails in the hills, beginning just a few blocks from my house! It was so wonderful to hike alone and appreciate the scenery and the sun on my back. As you can see in this self-timer photo, the trees are in full bloom. I know the focus isn't right, but I kind of like it this way, with the blades of grass in sharp focus and the blue and yellows softened in the back. This is my mid-week reminder to get outside for a few minutes if you can!

Lorraine Daston Poster

2011-04-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

Remember my rainy triangles? They did indeed make it into a real-life poster. What do you think?

My bosses like this version, and they also liked another version I did. We were all feeling a little indecisive, so ending up printing both. I like the triangle version best, but the bright color of this version below does pop and will probably stand out well among other posters on campus.

An Exercise in Black & White

2011-04-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

I did some more work for La Clinica de la Raza recently and wanted to share (remember the photos from their event last fall? yummmm, sushi...). This is for their staff fundraiser; its going to be a big poster where they can keep track of their progress in getting all staff on each team to donate. This year they wanted to do something in the theme of Le Tour de France. It was fun to make, and I think each team will have fun filling in the mountains to track their progress! It was nice to design only in black and white and avoid the usual color distraction, too. Hope you like it!

2011-03-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

I was recently introduced to "Pinterest," an amazing website where you can "pin" things you love and want to share with others. You can organize your pins by categories on "boards." Being someone who is always saving scraps of paper with doodles, illustrations from magazines I love, and other treasures, this is a fabulous virtual version to satisfy my hoarding tendencies. I also have tons of bookmarked pages on my computer, where I save things I find that inspire me. I find Pinterest to be a better way to "save" things I see online, and to share them with others. Here's a snapshot of my current boards, and a link to my boards online. You've got to check this site out! Right now you can only join by invitation; if you are interested just let me know and I'll invite you. I'd love to have more than 3 followers...

Ivory Tower

2011-03-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share with you the front of a postcard I just finished, for promoting the Townsend Humanities Lab (a collaborative humanities research website created by my employer). The challenge here was to create something compelling with lots of images from the site, which were all super small and low resolution (and thus could not be very large on the card). We also wanted the postcard to be "fresh." I thought this solution was a bit more fun than just a collage of square images or something like that. Can't wait to get it back from the printer and start seeing it head out into the world!

Rain, Rain

2011-03-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Its been a very rainy few weeks here, and the forecast is only predicting more. I thought it fitting to share something I made while following this tutorial. Its got a kind of rainy feel. What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Sip, Sip: Barrel Tasting

2011-03-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend some friends and I drove north to the Wine Road Barrel Tasting event. You pay one fee and then can tour all around the area visiting wineries, sampling wine, tasting delicious food pairings, listening to live music, & enjoying the scenery.

Everything seems artful in wine country, even spills.

A few of us enjoying some Zinfandel.

They serve the new wines straight from the barrel, and warn you that the bottled version will taste slightly different because it will age a bit more.You can buy "futures"--once the wine is bottled it will be sent to you.

I'm loving the color of wine-stained barrels. Degin inspiration everywhere!

I'm thankful for good friends and good times. :)

Just The Facts (And Some Pretty)

2011-03-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

This week I had an assignment involving creating graphs in Adobe Illustrator. I decided to use this blog for some data, analyzing the category tags I post about most. So, here you have it! I incorporated a font that I am currently obsessed with (its called Cul de Sac) to help build the bars of data. I was also trying to break out of a color palette streak of blues and greens I've been in for awhile now, so I added some orange hues.

For the line graph requirement I used data from Boutique Girl's lovely shop of goodies. Remember Boutique Girl and our redesign project? It was fun to carry the look we created into a new type of document.

Pralines and Hurricanes

2011-03-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

One of my colleagues just returned from New Orleans, and brought us some praline treats! Aside from being delicious, I thought the box they came in was great, so I canned it for my design inspiration files. The flourishes and banners (which might seem gaudy elsewhere) are so appropriate, don't you think?

Speaking of The Big Easy, I am almost done with a book that takes place there. In Zeitoun, Dave Eggers offers an account of one man's ordeal at the hands of US military officials in the wake of hurricane Katrina. As I am reading this I keep thinking, "I can't believe this happened in 2005!" In any case, I recommend this book (which also has a pretty sweet cover design, if you ask me).

Irina Werning: "Back to the Future"

2011-02-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

My friend Alison just shared with me great a website, featuring part of photographer Irina Werning's portfolio. In her "Back to the Future" series, Werning re-creates people's childhood photographs with amazing accuracy! I am dying to try this with my siblings next time we are all together in our childhood home, or with Alison, who is my longest childhood friend. Be sure to visit the site for more amazing photo pairs!

Weekend Away

2011-02-23T08:34:00.000-08:00

This year for our long President's Day weekend, a group of friends and I rented a cabin in Tahoe! We played games, enjoyed the feet and feet of snow (seriously, it was over our heads in the backyard!), skied, tubed, ate, laughed, and slept. I also had an assignment to accomplish: a poster using patterns I create to advertise a store of my choice. Can you guess where the inspiration came from?? :)

I'm Enjoying...

2011-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

We recently got an espresso machine at work. Now, almost every morning my boss has prepared everything we need for delicious cappuccinos! The office is still quiet, and we sit taking small sips and checking our email. A lovely way to start a day.

New Exhibition: Matthew Mullins

2011-02-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

I'm wishing more of you who read these little ditties of mine lived nearby, so you could join us tonight for the opening reception for our new exhibit, "Here and There," paintings by artist Matthew Mullins. Mullins does these great large watercolors of archives, depicting things like the shelves of VHS tapes in storage at the South Pole. That may sound strange, but believe me, these are beautiful! They also seem quite relevant with all the talk on digital archiving and even digital hoarding that's going on these day. Check out more of Mullins's work on his website.

Prelinger

36" X 48 " | Watercolor and Gouache on Paper | 2010

Book Cover Art (mine!)

2011-02-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

Here's my take at the book cover assignment I discussed earlier. This assignment required the use of clipping masks, so I had fun first creating some leaves and then clipping leaf photos into them. It reminds me of the magazine clipping collages I like to make! I like the resulting contrast between the "realistic" of a photo texture and the very graphic of the other leaves. I was also playing around with the combo of casual, hand drawn text and more formal type, and working on an effective and unusual use of white space. Fun stuff! This is a fabulous book too, so if you haven't read it yet you should check it out!

Book Cover Art

2011-02-09T13:38:00.000-08:00

If you know me, you probably know that I LOVE reading. This week my class assignment is to re-design any book cover I want; an overwhelming choice! Below are some covers of books I either love for their content or their cover (and some for both!). Not sure if I'll redo one of these or something else... any suggestions?

Covet

2011-02-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

I love this girl's carefree and beautiful style. And I want that dress!!!
Photo via (Pininterest).

Postcard inspiration

2011-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Look at this cute postcard I just got from Columbia University Press, advertising their spring catalog. At work we are always looking for interesting ways to convey the concepts of scholarship, reading, and academic publications. We have taken TONS of photographs of people in libraries and stacks of books, and we've sort of run out of ideas. I love what they did here: Adding this charming little lady and a nice scripty font makes this postcard stand out and sets a bit of a playful tone. And the simplicity made me eager to turn to the other side to see what it was advertising. Nice!

Recent Work: Caring For Creation

2011-01-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I'd share some recent work I did for a friend's church. This flier was fun to make, and it may lead to some work for their website. Yay, portfolio building!

Don't Forget

2011-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking lately about how easy it is to get wrapped up in the future, with thoughts about how things will be so much better if we can just get that job, house, or whatever it is that we think will make us happy. Now, I do think planning is necessary and looking forward to things is even better. But its worth the reminder that our lives are happening NOW, and if we spend too much time thinking about tomorrow, we miss today. So, I've scanned for you something I keep by my desk at work, lest you forget this important detail about life:

This is Me (?)

2011-01-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

My first assignment in my new class was to create a self portrait in Adobe Illustrator, using only a few tools that create simple shapes. We couldn't even draw a line or use the cut tool! I had all these grand ideas about the artistic, impressive, and abstract rendering I would make. Then my weekend got in the way ;) I actually DID spend a chunk of time on this, but I wouldn't say the result is a work of art. I'm sharing it though, because its kinda fun, and I'm trying not to stress too much about class this semester. I chose to draw myself at an art show, because I've been spending lots of time at work collaborating with artists on our 2 upcoming art exhibits. And (I'll admit it) I chose to have my arms behind my back, because I didn't want to draw hands! Better luck next time...

Eat Your Greens, Go And Play

2011-01-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

We had the most amazing weather last MLK Day weekend. So awesome that I was outside the whole time and I am just now getting around to blogging about it! A few friends and I got salads from one of the awesome-est places in town, Cafe Intermezzo. As we sat enjoying them in a park near our house, I realized that I have never shared this wonder with you before.

This place has HUGE salads, for next to nothing. Case in point: the to-go containers we are holding full of salad are actually ONE salad split in half, all for only $6.50!!! (Dining in gets you the enormous bowl pictured below). Pair that with one of the bluest skies we'd seen in weeks, and what else do you need??

If you have visited me, I hope I took you there. If I didn't; my deepest apologies. Come back.

Joyce Carol Oates, Pt. 2

2011-01-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

And the winner is...

What do you think??

Joyce Carol Oates, Pt. 1

2011-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Exciting news at work-- author Joyce Carol Oates is coming to give a lecture! This was a last minute addition to our schedule, but a big one, so I've been frantically working on the publicity. Here are some of the runner-up poster designs. I used the title (The Writer's Secret Life: Woundedness, Rejection, and Inspiration) as my starting point, and had a lot of fun with it. Wanted it to be sort of mysterious and shadow-y. I am now refining the look we chose, so you'll see that soon!

It's Vintage DAH-LING

2011-01-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas is over, but I just had to share my Christmas eve outfit with you. This fun sparkly red number was made by my Grandmother in the '60s! My mom saved it for me as they were clearing out her closet. The buttons are huge but fake; behind them are snaps that close the shirt in the most interesting way from the shoulder to the waist. I love thinking of my Grandma, the farmer's wife, designing and wearing this! Where did she wear it? Isn't it fabulous? Isn't my sister standing next to me fabulous too? :)

Holiday Highlights

2011-01-03T22:07:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a lovely holiday at home with family and friends! Here are a few photo highlights.

Also, please excuse the weird look of the blog/banner right now. I accidently changed themes, only to find out that my old theme was outdated and unavailable. So, guess its time for a redesign! Look for that soon...

The table, with this year's copper ornament made by my father.

Snow is a perfect cooler for Belgian beer.

Tree.

Grandmother's house.

Sweet Meggie the dog, lover of all things meat.

New slippers and a good book...yesssssss. And the poinsettia background just makes everything look so lovely.

Holiday Cards, The Grey Series

2010-12-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

As you may remember from my holiday card post last year, I like to make handmade cards. Its extremely hard to get them together at this time of year...I should plan ahead and make them in October next year! I'm almost done with this year's set, and wanted to share a few. Grey, silver, and white emerged as prominent themes, evoking a winter's solitude feel. They aren't at all as bright as last year's, or these, but I think they are kind of nice. What do you think?

Nutcracker X 4

2010-12-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

Have I told you yet that I'm an usher for the San Francisco Ballet and Opera? Its a pretty good gig: you get to see any show you work! One (down)side of ushering, though, comes with the required 4 performances one must work during Nutcracker.With some 32 performances, I understand that they'd run out of help pretty fast! This weekend was my Nutcracker marathon...

I was pretty grumbly about spending 9+ hours each day as an usher, but it actually turned out to be a pretty fun experience. Here's why:
1. Amazing Dancing & Awesome Sets: expected, and confirmed.
2. Variety: In addition to seeing different dancers perform the key roles, I was in a different spot for each performance. Balcony (tip of the top, need binoculars), dress circle (below balcony), standing room on Orchestra level, and 2nd row on the side. It was great to see things from different places.
3. Perks: when I worked in the box seats, we got free cider, champagne, and cookies after a private VIP event.
4. Magic: I had the chance to figure out how most of Drosselmeyer's magic works. Except the moment with the Nutracker pops out from a box...that one is still getting me (seriously, it sounds obvious but if you saw the show you'll know what I mean).
5. Nostalgia: I loved the Nutcracker when growing up. It was so fun to see all the little girls in their holiday dresses with huge bows on their heads, prancing around the halls before and after the show!

All That and Gravy Too

2010-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

I just realized that in my crazed weeks finishing up my portfolio class, I didn't post about my lovely Thanksgiving weekend! I was lucky to have two friends willing to drive the 8 hours north with me to Eugene, where my brother lives. We made a great turkey dinner, ate it on his ping pong (dining room) table, and then had a tournament! After that came pie and darts. So great! Wish you had been there...

Heart = WARMED

2010-12-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

While reading some of my favorite blogs yesterday, I found this great video of a youth choir performing "Lisztomania" by Pheonix. The intensity of these little performers is amazing! And they have some nice harmonizing skills I had never heard of when I was their age! Oh, this makes me want to be in a choir again...
If you need a quick cheer-up, this should do the trick!

Here's another :)

Santa Cruzin

2010-12-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

Very punny title, eh? Its pretty dreary and rainy out today, but I just found this warm weather photo that my friend took when we were in Santa Cruz a few months ago, hiding out in a corner on my cluttered computer desktop. Thought I would share; it might warm you up a bit even during a cold holiday season! The photo is better bigger, so click to see a full size...

Our Holiday Cheer

2010-12-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Everyone in my house is traveling later this month, so we decided not to get a tree this year. But we did find this lovely (and pre-lit!) garland at a thrift store for $7, so we decked out our mantle and had a roaring fire last night. Just what I needed to get me in the holiday spirit! Do you have any decorations up?

Gutter Magazine

2010-12-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

I was looking at ads in the London Review of Books today, because I need to create another one for work and I want it to fit in (see my previous ad here!). Most of the ads are for academic publishers, featuring book covers and abstracts. Then there's this ad for Scotland's Gutter magazine. Isn't it hip and fabulous? I love this crazy mash of images coming out of this guy's head. I am now brainstorming a project that just needs a look similar to this!

Portfolio is Finished!

2010-12-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

I presented my final portfolio in class the other night (finally! This is the reason for the lack of posting), and I can't wait to share it with you! I'm working on the best way to share it (hopefully a website), so expect that in about a week. For now, I wanted to share the cover! Fun and colorful. Plus, if you haven't noticed, I kinda like collage. :) You can clik on the image to see it larger.

Gift Stress. Relieved!

2010-11-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

The holidays are fast approaching. Do you feel it? It is creeping up on me...the panic of choosing the perfect gifts! Every family has those members who a) seem to have everything, b) already buy whatever they want for themselves, leaving any great idea you had in the lurch or c) don’t want to acquire more junk.

Never Fear! Wishpot is here!

Last year my friend Amber introduced me to this website, where you can “register” for things you want, rating their priority (“I neeeeeeed it” or “I wouldn’t mind having it” are a few options). Users can anonymously “reserve” items from your “ wishlist,” indicating to others that this item has already been purchased.

I do believe that the quality time spent during the holidays is worth more than any stocking stuffer I could get, but it is fun to give gifts that are useful and desired. What I don’t love about this site is the consumerism encouraged here (with easy links to online shopping, for instance). However, you can create custom items, so why not request a sewing tutorial or a back rub? Now I just need to get all my family members to fill out lists...

You can check out wishpot here.

I'm Listening To

2010-11-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Today on repeat is Cloud Cult's "You'll be Bright." Here's what NPR had to say about this song ( I figure why try to write my own description when this one's so good?):

"All the things you'll love / All the things that may hurt you / All the things you shouldn't do / All the things you'll want to," singer Craig Minowa sings, adding a plea to "travel safely." From first kisses to crises, he lists off blessings and possibilities, with the song getting more urgent and hopeful as it builds to a blessing — "And you'll be bright / You'll be bright" — that soars to tremendous heights. A non-denominational call for fulfillment, "You'll Be Bright" acknowledges humanity's limits even as it calls for us to exceed them. The song was conceived as an invocation for Minowa's infant child, but its message is potent enough to work on anyone.
Take a listen!!

Great Illustration

2010-11-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Look at this amazing image that came on a brochure that was mailed to our office today. We get a lot of brochures/posters with the academic/old world/map feel, but this one is a little more unique than many I see. I love the color and texture of the water, and the whales!!! I will have to come up with a project that needs an image like this soon...

Paint Creatures

2010-11-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

I was exploring the Communication Arts website the other day and found this amazing ad campaign for a paint company in the Philippines. How amazing are these paint splash creatures! Now they may have some photoshop love goin on here, but I still adore them. Check out the full post here.

Portfolio: Teaser

2010-10-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

My class this semester is all about refining/expanding your existing work and creating a portfolio. So this month I've been busy not only revising old work, but also working on how to present my designs visually. Photographing books and brochures has been a new challenge, but I think I'm getting the hang of it!

Here's one item that will be featured in my portfolio, a proposed redesign for Gardening with Herbs for Flavor and Fragrance, the latest edition of which was published in 1970. Stay tuned for my full portfolio, available in a little over a month!

Photo Work, revisited

2010-10-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

Remember my post about taking photos for a local non-profit a few weeks ago? I just saw that they posted some of my photos on their site, so I wanted to share. I always get a little joy from seeing something I've worked on "out in the real world." Click here and you can view the photos.

Boutique Girl

2010-10-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm from a family of creators. From my father working on oil paintings in the garden, my brother bending old wires into sculptures, my step-mother teaching me to cross-stitch, and my mother sewing my prom dresses, each of us has our own artistic outlet. My sister has turned her creativities into a fabulous business. We recently worked together to re-style her branding, and I'm so excited to reveal the results!!

First, we updated the business card. This funky flower echoes the kinds of fun fabrics she uses. The dashed line suggests that most of the items are sewn, and the tagline in a scripty font adds a handmade charm.

Next we expanded the design to her Etsy shop! Check it out here to see the banner and avatar I made (and the totally affordable bibs, blankets, aprons, etc. that she made!)

Here's a shot of the new design on product tags.

Not only was this a project that updated her look and gave me material for my portfolio, it was a fun way for she and I to connect and keep in touch even though we live so far away from each other!

Photo Work

2010-09-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

I recently took photos at an event for a local non-profit organization, at Yoshi's sushi bar & jazz club. Here are a few of the shots!

Fall Posters

2010-09-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten around to posting some of the recent posters I made at work. I especially had fun with this yellow graphic one-- it was a fun challenge to not use any photos. What do you think?

1/100

2010-09-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Today, I celebrate my 100th post! I'm thinking back to what has come of blogging for about a year. Its been fun! More than one person has mentioned in conversation that blogs can be very self-serving, navel-gazing endeavors. I see their point, but still, I have enjoyed this experiment and would like to keep going. I don't believe that thousands of people should follow this blog, or that I offer something unique and amazing to add to the world through this medium. I do, however, enjoy keeping a bit of a public journal, one I can review for myself and share with my friends and family. Another reason is accountability: Being committed to this blog, to posting about fun things I do, music I find, and things I make, keeps me doing all these and celebrating life!

In addition, I so love reading the blogs of other people I know. Here are two you may want to check out!

Boutique Girl Gifts : My sister blogging about her etsy business (amazing handmade items, check it out!), her thrifty finds (can you tell we are related?) and her life in general (I'm on the current post!)

Let Us Go Then, You and I : My friend Amber's blog. When she was my housemate last year, we still found out things from one another's blogs that we didn't talk about in daily interaction. Now that she has moved across the country (wah!) this has become an important way for me to keep up with her!

S. Carey

2010-09-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

I am LOVE LOVE LOVING S. Carey's album, "All We Grow." If you like Bon Iver, you may like this--he's their drummer! Here are some tracks I recommend. The first is very calming and the 2nd just sounds plain cool. Enjoy!

When Two Became One. Or, Tragedy to Triumph!

2010-09-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Within the last year I lost quite a few earrings. Most of you ladies will understand how sad this can be--you are left with the lone remainder of the pair, which brings bitterness to your heart whenever you see it sitting uselessly in your jewelry box, unwearable. This long weekend I finally had the chance to reinvent the earrings I had left from what used to be two of may favorite pairs. I bought a chain at the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, and got out my jewelry pliers. So, here's introducing my newest accessory, lone earrings transfigured!!

Emiliana Torrini: Heartstopper

2010-09-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a little ditty for Friday! Happy long weekend :)

Měiwèi (Delicious!)

2010-08-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Recently some Chinese friends helped me reminisce about the year I spent teaching English in China by teaching me how to cook some of my favorite Chinese dishes! These aren't what you'll find at the local Chinese restaurant in America, and I love that I now know how to make some authentic Chinese food!

Chungming taught me to make Di San Chen (Three Fresh Vegetables). This is Green Pepper, Potato, and Eggplant.

So delicious, but though it might seem healthy know that you have to try each piece of vegetable in oil!

Next we made Gong Bao Ji Din, which is chicken with peanuts, green onion, and cucumber. Its a little spicy.

Then Bing taught me how to make Tomato & Egg (Don't know the pinyin for this one!). It basically scrambled egg with tomatoes and a little sugar.

What a feast! We had a fun time talking about Shijiazhuang--which happens to be both the city I lived in and the city where they grew up! I am reminded again and again that it is so valuable to have friends all over the world.

London Review of Books

2010-08-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Today I got to see my ad design in the London Review of Books! Yay! We've already advertised The Townsend Papers in the NY Review of Books, which was also cool, but when I opened up the package sent from across the pond and looked at our copy, I got a little chill when I saw something I had made printed inside. Its not a review of the book I thought I was going to write back when I was a child, but it is still pretty fun to see. :)

Cover above, and the ad below, page 8!

Chew on This

2010-08-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

One of my latest assignments in design class was a fun one-- designing gum packaging! This was a group project, and after lots of hard work I am happy to say that I love our final product!

Our conceptual inspiration was based on the fresh, minty flavors of the gum (pepperment, spearmint, icy mint). From there, our visual inspiration came from the plants themselves and then the water and earth that support them, which led to a desire to produce an environmentally aware package. We chose a tin, with a design that was pretty enough to catch a consumer's eye and hopefully make the box something they want to keep and reuse!

Inside, you get a pretty sticker that has a similar design but less branding/package-y text. Consumers can stick this over the original label, making the box something they treasure! If this was for real, we may have embossed the tin itself, but this was our substitute.

The inside wrapper around the gum lists ideas for reusing the tin.

It was fun to see our finished product, and would have been even more fun if these were actually going to show up on the shelves at Target, as was the hypothetical assignment. Maybe someday...

Van Scoy Kids Retreat

2010-08-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

For the last few years my siblings and I have made a point to get together for some quality time, usually near where one of us lives. This year we met up on the Oregon coast! We stayed in a lovely house near the beach, played cards, explored, and caught up on life. So much fun. Now I'm in the airport getting geared up for homework...so sad the weekend of fun is over!

Self-timer on the beach!

What views!!
I didn't take too many more photos, because much of the rest of the time was spent cooking in our wonderful house, playing phase ten, calling Grandma, and other fun things. We DID visit the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory, but we'll have to wait for sister to share her photos before I can show you that wonder!

Rejoice! Free Music & The Weekend is Here (almost)

2010-08-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

You know I love discovering new music, especially when it's free music! So when my friend Lisa forwarded me this free download of the Outside Lands Sampler I was overjoyed! I've never coughed up the money to go to this festival, but they always have such an amazing line-up, and an amazing poster too. While I'm sad I'm not going this year, I'm very excited to enjoy a getaway in Oregon with my siblings! No matter what you're plans are this weekend, check out these tunes so you can jam out while you're doing it!

New work

2010-08-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

I've been designing like crazy at work. Here are a few new pieces; first a postcard for our film series, and 2nd a flier for the Course Threads Program for undergrads at UC Berkeley.

Google Fights

2010-08-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

I know some people who work as editors who may think this is horrible, but sometimes when I'm trying to decide whether to use nation-state or nation state, 5th Century or fifth-century, in writing and I just can't find that old Chicago Manual of Style, I do an internet search to figure out what it used more, and thus what might be more correct. Now I know there are many fallacies associated with this, but still, I have to share the newest tool I found for such comparisons...GOOGLE FIGHT!!

At this fun little spot you put in two things and let the internet dual it out, polling google results to see what appears more! There are little fighting guys while your results are calculating. Here are some fun fights they have:

God vs. Satan
Mac Donalds vs. Burger King
Headache vs. Aspirin

Lately, I've been swamped with my design class assignments, so I looked in to the magic crystal ball and made a fight between me and Homework. Phew! Looks like I'm going to make it...

Friends, Birthdays, Adventures

2010-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Its been two weeks since my birthday but I haven't gotten around to posting because I wanted to finish up Guatemala posts. However, I had a great birthday week and want to thank everyone who helped make it so special! On the actual day I was very busy with work and class, but two of my housemates surprised me at work with flowers and whisked me away to a lovely lunch at Intermezzo (Also mystery named Cafe Mattina sometimes...Pretty much the best salads in the world). Then on the weekend we met up at Le Bateau Ivre for a drink, and then had a bunch of friends over for mojitos and guacamole in the backyard. It was blissful!

So lovely in the afternoon sun.

Yummy ice cream cake! I share a birthday with Anders (housemate), so we got two cakes!

To top it all off, some of us went kayaking in Half Moon Bay.

Guatemala: Man-Made Beauty

2010-08-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

For my last Guatemala post, I had to complement all the natural photos of my last post with some of the other wonders I saw on my trip.

The ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Tikal-- phenomenal!

Here we are in the ruins of a cathedral back in Antigua.

In the small village of San Marco (right on Lake Atitlan), there was this wonderful wall made of soda bottles, filled with trash. This was part of an effort the town made to reduce litter. I love the concept! I also saw a sauna made of wine bottles cemented together in a beautiful pattern. The idea of reusing things to make even our houses is very interesting to me.

This one isn't so beautiful. And it represents both natural and man-made I guess! Its one of many roads that were wrecked by the torrential rains that came along with Hurricane Agatha. This little disaster made a 2 hour drive to the lake 4 hours: here we were just ten minutes from San Marcos, but since we couldn't pass we had to turn around and go ALL THE WAY around the lake to get there, adding another 2 hours to the trip!

But, it was worth it! San Marco was beautiful. This is the view from the honeymoon suite of a place where we ate brunch.

The whole hotel was decorated with ornate mosaics that a French artists had done. This is the bathroom in that same suite. One thing you should know about me is that I love love love mosaic. This was my dream spot.