Can you say no to Adair?

Haunted by Halloween!

2010-12-03T13:42:00.001-05:00

Oh yeah. I have been meaning to post the logo I created for the Townhouse of Terror, which is what we branded our Hallowe'en party with, but I kept forgetting to.

Life's been busy!

So here's a low res version of the logo this year. It was a blast!

It was a great turn out, with tons of great conversations and it was a great mix of people. I think we're growing up, it was almost a cocktail party! With crazy costumes, that is. I went as a clairvoyant this year. Contacts are a riot.

My mind has been completely filled with everything social networking and beyond lately. It's incredible how much things have changed in this new digital age, and how many opportunities there are to reach out to audiences if you want to put the effort into it. My gears are turning and the creativity is flowing; I hope to have more to share with you soon!

Trying to appear athletic..

2010-12-03T13:33:00.000-05:00

Spending a lot of time shopping for other people this year for Christmas has had me stumble across this beauty:

And OMYGOD I neeeeed it! Oh, imagine how cute it would be to carry my lovely camera in. MUCH better than the lunchbag-looking one I currently possess. Santa, I've been very good this year!

The camera bag is by ACME MADE out of San Fran, and I think they're kinda brilliant!

I have a coupon code, even (psstt "MILLER50") for 50% off (which applies to all their products, shoppers!). We'll have to see how Christmas goes this year. This may be something I'll have to get myself! :)

Subliminal Messaging

2010-11-30T08:58:00.003-05:00

My coworker showed me this video of subliminal messaging and how it works, and I thought it was so neat, I just had to share it! So, please enjoy this video!

Click here to go to youtube, sorry, it won't let me embed it)

This is Hallowe'en, Everybody scream!

2010-10-06T14:01:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. My daily design challenges have become very un-daily, but I am definitely working on getting some time to myself to it again. Or at least once a week!

I've got some stuff in motion, because Hallowe'en approaches, and we're excited to be hosting the "Townhouse of Terrors" at our place this year!

So.. here we go - branding, invitations, etc. I'm getting very excited about all the ideas that I am waiting to put into motion.. let's see what we can accomplish this year.

Dollar store, here we COME!

Better Together

2010-09-23T12:38:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to share with you the project I have been working on for Family and Childrens' Services. It was a capital campaign called Better Together, and I got the wonderful job of branding it in its entirety - from logo to print pieces.

This brochure can also be found here, as an online .pdf

Unfortunately, life's been busy so I haven't had a chance to photograph these pieces for you and the computer mock-ups just don't do it justice, but I'd like to share with you anyway!

It's called Better Together, because it's based on the concept that families operate when they can learn together. They want to build a family center, so instead of splitting up families, they can enable and encourage everyone to work together as a team, with classrooms and courses - to give families tools to stay together and create healthy environments. It's pretty awesome. Click here for more details about it!

If you're looking to make a donation, this is such an excellent cause, and such a wonderful team. I can't wait to see the completed building. It was such a pleasure to work on something that is so wonderful.

I don't know how to do 'jumps' on a blog yet, so I'm sorry to drive you bonkers as you wait for these to load, but here are a couple more pieces:

Signing off!

Last Fling

2010-08-29T18:24:00.000-04:00

My lovely friend, Di, is getting married - as one of my other 'daily' design challenges shows. So, I've decided to throw her the bachelorette party, which I am super pumped about!

So, today, I created this - in order to come up with the theme and colours of the party - based on the birch theme that she and her fiance will be using for their wedding.

Love you, Di! This is sure to be a blast!

Smize!

2010-08-20T11:35:00.001-04:00

Oh man, am I a lucky girl or what? My brother and my Nana (awesome, awesome lady) decided that for my birthday, a week ago, they would get me a Wacom Tablet!!!!!. I have to be honest. I thought I would pick it up and voila, I'd be a regular Monet in no time, but it's quite a bit more difficult to adjust to than I had thought, which made things very intimidating, and ended up with me letting it sit on my desk this week, for fear of failure!

I like to be able to pick things up quickly, this was not going to happen overnight!

So today I figured I'd try that graffiti application on facebook with it, and voila:

I've got a ways to go, but I'm starting to get more of a feel for it. This could quickly become an obsession.

In other news, I am also now the proud owner of a Schwinn Veracruz:

TheGuy decided to spoil me. I'm tricking it out, so imagine it with a wicker basket and some pink streamers - more to go, but that'll come! So I've been ripping around town, and I can't even tell you how much FUN I've been having with it! What a summer it's been so far - keeping me away from my own design challenge, but I'm getting fresh air and sunlight, and lots of laughs, so I think it's okay!

Stay tuned - hopefully I will have more wacom delights to share with you soon!

I wish I invented this

2010-07-08T16:31:00.000-04:00

How freaking cool is this?

I'm going camping this weekend and stumbled across this little beaut. How COOL is this? So small, it can be towed by a small car - can hold up to 800 lbs of stuff.. everything folds and packs away making this a terrific trailer for towing ATVs and stuff like that - also, bike racks can be mounted on top. And there's room for a King and a half sized bed in there - mattresses can fold down, or two singles - plus they're flip to be a table! What a sweet little trailer for a couple of camping enthusiasts! I love the look and design, and I love how spacious it is inside!

But.. sigh, money doesn't grow on trees, and so, this won't belong to me any time in the near future. But still, so cool. Y'know?

Wanna read more? Click here and you'll see pics of it, too!

Braceface

2010-07-04T18:40:00.000-04:00

I always thought it would be cool to come up with a line of cards that are for the not-so-everyday occasions. I figured it would be ten thousand years before it was possible, but with this zazzle business, I can get to work on it right now!

Braceface by pattiatti
Browse all other greeting cards available at zazzle

So, there's the first - a congratulatory card for new bracefaces - whether it's from a family member or from a dentist, I think it'd be pretty handy. More stuff is floating around this head of mine, so we'll see what the outcome of that is.

In other news, it is hotter than blazes here today - I've just been laying low, sipping lots of water, trying not to generate any body heat. Ah, summer. All I need is a pool, and life would be perfect!

Can you say no to adair?

2010-06-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

So, I'm really making an effort here, people. Really trying to get into the blogging groove again. So I thought I'd share something that I did for my brother earlier this month - or maybe it was last month.

He decided that he was going to run for co-president of his highschool (in the name of being politically correct, there's no head girl / head boy anymore. It's co-prez). He really liked that my blog is called 'Can you say no to Adair' and he wanted to use that as his catch phrase for his highschool. So, that part was done. It was just making it a little fun and wacky for the highschool students to gobble up.

So there it is. I used the graphic from my blog because that was easy peasie. And there's good ol' Tim on the front. The best part? He won. He will now get to spend his last year of highschool as top dawg. woof woof, Tim. Congrats.

Back to it!

2010-06-26T22:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been a pretty crummy blogger for the last few months. Moving has just inspired me in different ways and, let's face it - this weather just begs a person to stay outside and soak in the sunshine.

That being said, I've been newly inspired by this whole Zazzle business. The idea of having my work printed on tees, notecards, etc. is just too exciting for words. So, I've gotten my mojo back. More ideas that I can create at the moment, which is super, super awesome! So I've got two goodies to share with you today, as a way to be all like "yo, I'm back - please keep checking this pathetic excuse for a blog". I hope that you enjoy them.

The first is all abut a little song that all-to-often gets stuck in my head. Maybe you'll like it (it'd make a conversation piece of a tee, wouldn't it? (sorry about the linking to the goods.. I'd just like to sell some stuff, but feel free to ignore!)

The second is a big 'holla' to all those lovely moms out there who have, are going to, or are, popping little human beings out while being gorgeous femme fatales at the same time.

Yummy Mummy

Stay tuned, there's more up here in this wackadoodle brain of mine!

Razzle Dazzle a little Zazzle

2010-06-24T00:30:00.000-04:00

Uh-oh. Addiction ensues.

the hem of your garment...

2010-06-23T15:59:00.000-04:00

Get it as a t-shirt!

Zazzle.com

I think this might be the beginning of an addiction!

J-E-L-L-O

2010-06-23T14:26:00.000-04:00

Bill Cosby would be proud.

Strange where inspiration can come from. That was a whole lot of weird and oddness - thought I was going crazy. Our web programmer just calmly said "oh, it's an earthquake" and hasn't said anything since.

Ack. 2012 is getting closer....

Love, love, love.

2010-05-28T10:21:00.000-04:00

Today is theGuy and my 10 year anniversary! Pretty exciting if you ask me! He sent this pretty bouquet of flowers to my work - I feel special!

It's been a while since I've posted, but I assure you I have been working hard! I have some stuff to post to share, I've just been super busy. Not to mention the fact that I got a new scanner and can't figure out how to get it and my computer to talk to each other. Guess they're not the match that theGuy and I are.

Happy day to everyone!

Hit me with your best shot II

2010-05-07T09:19:00.000-04:00

Finally. I've had to be very patient in waiting to show this to you, because this is, quite possibly, one of my favourite jobs of the year. The HotShots Street Hockey Tournament is a local tournament to raise money in order to help provide kids with opportunities to participate in sports, camps, art and other after-school activities. It's a street hockey tournament where kids and adults can be sponsored to play, and it's a riot!

I have the fun job of organizing and managing the media-side of things, as far as t-shirts, bags, ads, etc. The artwork above is this years' t-shirt design, which I designed in a way that is (hopefully) fun for a person of any age or gender. The shirts are usually a hit, so, fingers crossed, people feel the same way this year!

I'm really lucky to be able to be involved in something that's so positive through my work as a charitable donation. Work like this brings such a sense of well-being; instead of just making the world more pretty, I'm making a difference. That's my thing, for sure! And what a great cause!

If you're from the Kitchener-Waterloo area, feel free to sponsor or participate in the events of the day - May 29th at Sportsworld Crossing. :)

Fertigo 'aint no Alfred Hitchcock.

2010-05-07T08:44:00.000-04:00

So, I just thought I would share with you another new favourite font of mine, Fertigo. It's delicate and lovely, and it's available free here. Can't believe I'm giving that one away.

Anyway. My life is crazy busy - as usually happens this time of year - and I've been in a flurry of activity! Excitement! I do have some challenges in mind for the upcoming weeks; it'll just be finding time to do them!

Happy Friday!

Sew, what's new

2010-04-30T10:04:00.001-04:00

Okay. So, I pretty much rule in the whole suck-at-keeping up a blog realm of the earth. This house business has kept me busy, and between birthdays and all the other little things I've been doing, life has been busy. See that? So extremely busy that busy is italicized.

Anyway. Excuses, excuses. I have been busily crafting, which has been wonderful - but I should be documenting my results here. And, to be quite honest, I miss my daily design challenges. They were fun and whimsical and made me happy.

But! The house is much more set up now, and so I will be able to start using my studio,my drafting table that's been stored away for so long... I'm excited. The studio has been such a fun project for me! I am now in love with spray paint - got some old frames, scuffed them up, and had a lesson from theGuy, who is the king of finishing (let's be honest here.. he kind of.. erm.. saved the day and made them what they are) and printed and framed some of my daily designs. But my favourite thing of all is that I finally busted out the lovely sewing machine I got from my mom for Christmas in 2008 and made this curtain:

It's felt. I cut those circles out and sewed them together! I can't take credit for the concept; Design Sponge had a lovely tutorial and I just gobbled it up! Happy Days! I now have a sweet little curtain on the door to the balcony off my studio, and I love it.

Keep checking in. I have a few projects I'm excited to share with you, but I have to wait until they are officially released to the public before posting them. Stay tuned! Happy Friday!

Change of address

2010-04-17T17:31:00.000-04:00

Since we're in internet world, I removed the address from this little design - a change-of-address card that we can e-mail to our friends and family, so they can update their books.

Get it? We're little birdies, and there's our new house. Awww. hehehe.

Sorry the posts have been random and not-so-frequent. It's amazing how much you can find to do when you move - still working on the last few boxes, and everything in between!

Not a latte

2010-04-09T11:27:00.000-04:00

Today someone was nice enough to pick me up a latte from the evil coffee place that starts with an 's'. I fancy myself a bit of a caffeine junkie - I run off the stuff. Butt I drink teas, people. TEAS!

I will never drink a latte again. I am so jittery right now, I could literally register on the Richter scale. Serious!

So, to take my mind off it, I whipped up this jittery little latte.

Type sourced from Dafont, it's called "Lakestreet".

Oh baby - this is going to be some crash!

Rain on my parade, why don'tcha

2010-04-08T10:58:00.001-04:00

Just a little quickie with my new favourite font, Museo (with a few little tweaks, of course), which, incidentally, became my favourite just in time for Dell to swoop in and make it theirs ... hiss.

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring or something. I know that rain is all spring like, and hey, I'm not against the whole April-Showers-bring-May-Flowers thing, but it is making me yawn and yawn and yawn, and I need a little pep in my step!

Home at last

2010-04-07T00:13:00.000-04:00

I'm baaaaack.

Although it may have seemed like I was slacking off big-time, I've actually been knee deep in moving: drywall dust, boxes, paint - working from dusk till dawn (actually, way past that, but there aren't any cliches that I can think of which will sum up exactly how hard theGuy and I have been working). There's still some unpacking to do, pictures to be hung, but the house is really starting to come together and feel like ours.

Our friends lived in this house previously, so I've been here many times. After we first moved in, it felt oddly like we were just hanging out at their house, instead of feeling like ours. So, we painted.

And painted and painted and painted. Oh yeah, and there was this whole incident with plaster and drywall dust that still leaves my skin feeling like it has a film of dust on it. And so, the cleaning...

That occupied a lot of our time but we are now at the point where I can steal away to start the crafts that I have planned. MUAHAHA - so, my apologies for my digression as I get all house, house, house on you, but I thought I would share today's little project!

This is my bathroom door (aren't those windows at the top cool!?):

I don't quite know whose idea it was to install a door with a window on the bathroom, but I made the most of it. I found an awesome idea on the Design Sponge website, and decided to give it a go - making it look like the windows were etched (when in reality, it's simply frosted mactac, a paint marker and a little creativity!). Here's a close up (and I apologize for the bad photos - I haven't unpacked the cord to my camera yet, so these were taken on my phone):

That's all for now - stay tuned!

Typwnd

2010-03-24T11:01:00.002-04:00

I did NOT do this glorious book, although I wish I had!

Graphic designer Lauren Kaiser is the brain behind this amazing take on your typical picture book. Instead of using standard fairy tale imagery, she used type to convey the emotion of this tale. I found this tale over at Type Theory and, wow.. am I ever glad I found them. I thought it would be nice to share a little tidbit with you since I've so been on the absentee side, and that is a blogging no no!

Thinking about it, what a brilliant idea this book is... it would help with kids reading outloud, learning to emphasize the big words to make the story come to life. Or, if the type is a little hard for them to read, at least the parents can get a kick out of it!

Ooooooh. Scary, ominous typography. Nightmarish and delectable at the same time!

I may just have to keep this up my sleeve for my next (not-so) daily design. Cheers!

Pack it up, pack it in.

2010-03-23T10:35:00.001-04:00

Although I know I'm coming off as a complete slacker who has totally forgotten her vow to RULE THE EARTH by adding some creativity to her daily life, I truly haven't been a slacker - moving is just taking over my life as I know it.

But every time I write the room on a box for packing, I try to make it pretty. And sometimes I add things that I think might be humourous to those lovelies that are helping us with the move. Like "Box 'o Booze - Precious Cargo" or "Living Room, yo". (I may find myself more funny than I am. Whatever.) Also "What are you doing reading this box? Get to work!". That's what I wrote on the Ringbolt wine box (we got all our boxes from the liquor store. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE INSERTS {three people told us that} they're pretty) box.. where I also wrote Ring (Patti Likes) Bold (Ryan likes)... and, let's just say I'm going LOOPY with all this packing business!!!

So, bear with me please - I am going to be scannerless as soon as that badboy makes it into a box... I will return and get back to the challenges!

Wish me luck (and if I don't return in 3 weeks, I'm buried under a box somewhere, and leave this blog to my brother, Tim)!

Closed-circuit

2010-03-16T00:21:00.000-04:00

I adore typography. Adore. So, as a combined effort of today and yesterday, I decided to design a font. It's called circuitboard because it reminds me of the inside of a computer. Pretty as it is. The intended purpose of this font would be for each letter to be used as a drop cap. You could write about computers!

Getting ready for the move. Two weeks from yesterday! Purging, purging, garbage, garbage. Spent the entire day running around yesterday for some crafty items, to come back with only a couple shower curtains. Seems like the crafts may not happen till we're all moved in. Something tells me we have our work cut out for us!

Case of the Sickies

2010-03-13T17:13:00.000-05:00

Obviously, my last design challenge didn't exactly turn out as I had planned.. my last week kind of went by in a haze. Between the cold medication and the congestion in my head, it was like a crazy mental block! So, I went to a cartoon doctor, and the official diagnosis is in - I had booger brain!

So, sorry for the lack of posts; life has been a crazy whirlwind, and this booger brain really took me out of the game. I am going to put in loads of effort to get back on track, because I miss my design challenges!

Next week, we're watching theGuy's parents house, so I may not be at the computer much, but I'll see what I can do!

Slacker

2010-03-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

I am such a slacker this week. Okay, wait. That's not entirely true. I haven't been a slacker, I've just been very, very, very busy, and also battling a cold. So, you see, the whole combination doesn't really go together very well. At all.

And, if you're feeling sad that you haven't seen any daily design challenges worth seeing this week, check out these gems of awesome! Best daily design portfolio I've seen so far! So, if you're looking for inspiration, that's the place to go - and maybe it'll inspire me right out of this rut I've been in!

Looking forward to getting some time to create this weekend. Moving day is two weeks and two days away.. and holy work, batman. We'll be hard at it, for sure!

kjlsadkjalksjdaksjd

2010-03-10T00:08:00.000-05:00

This is my brain on drugs.

When I'm sick, I'm a big baby.

And between all the running around I've been doing, seeing so many fun people I don't get to see nearly enough, I got like 2,409,890 colds all at once. And so, to combat the ridiculous sniffles, I have turned to the dreaded cold medication. Which means I've been on vibrate since Saturday.

So, I've been slacking on my design challenges, sleeping, and my taxes, all in the name of trying to get better. Tonight, I finally had the energy to sit down and design something; I even had an idea! But it just wasn't happening. Stay tuned!

Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun

2010-03-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

I think that the weather was trying to prove me wrong today. After my snow blower design, today was the most beautiful day we've had in a while! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I had the most lovely walk home I've had in a while. It's so nice to see the sun shining later into the evening. I am imagining myself spending summer evenings sitting on our new patio, sipping a summer tea, soaking in the sun. Ooh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun, Please shine down on me!

Ode Canada

2010-03-03T14:07:00.001-05:00

Since my posts seem to have some Canadian flavour (Olympic fever!) I thought I'd share a couple amazingly awesome videos that pay tribute to this great country!

TONIGHT, POUTINE!

Shane Koyczan Talksreallyfastandwhathesaysisawesome

Enjoy! :)

Snow Day.

2010-03-02T23:43:00.000-05:00

On the weekend, theGuy had to borrow his step dad's snow blower so that we could clear our driveway, because it was almost impossible to get in or out. While watching him carrying out the hard labour (I like watching), I thought of how similar the snow blower is to a lawn motor. And then I realized that in any Canadian winter, I would likely use a snowblower more than the lawn mower.

Okay, snow. I've had enough - is it time for spring yet?

Kings of the Castle!

2010-03-02T00:06:00.000-05:00

I'm not a sports person, but I'm all about teamwork! So, although I griped and groaned to watch the hockey game last week, that last hockey game was definitely one that got the blood rushing!

And Canada... all those gold medals..

Not only do we have heart, we have 14 gold medals, too! It was a rocky start, Canada, but it was a great show, and congrats to team Canada for pulling it off!

Bye bye Birdie

2010-02-28T15:15:00.000-05:00

Holy busy, batman! Between ladies night, date night, plays and privates coming for a visit from Afghanistan - I have been on the run. Right now I'm thinking of how wonderful it will be to sleep in my own bed tonight!

But I wasn't slacking off! The creativity was still coming. I shot the photos above at the play I attended on Friday. After braving a major dumping of snow to make the trip to see my little sister and brother doing what they do best in Bye Bye Birdie, I caught as many moments as possible! Above are two of the shots. It was a high school production but it was awesome! It's amazing to see these kids and their level of professionalism and talent. Definitely a great way to spend a Friday night!

Hit me with your best shot!

2010-02-25T09:14:00.002-05:00

It has been a super creative week this week! At work, at home - I have been teaming with creativity and inspiration! Whee!

It's HotShots time again! At work, we support Family and Children's Services by being the designers for the HotShots Street Hockey Tournament every year. It's my third year working on the committee and it's always a blast. Since I can't show you the t-shirt design for this year, I decided to post the design from last year. It's a challenge to create a t-shirt design that will please the committee members all the way down to the young kids who compete in the tournament (which, by the way, is to raise funds for children to participate in sports, etc.)!

On the other side of life, my brother's punk band, snatch. has me working on album artwork, which is so fun. Even thought I don't like punk music, I can appreciate that they have a message!

And glory, glory! New house crafts! New house crafts! Now, I just need in invent a craft that will remove the dark purple circles that have taken up residence under my eyes. I can't turn my brain off at night and I'm surprised theGuy can even look at me without running away screaming!

Let there be light!

2010-02-24T00:24:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, theGuy and I secured ourselves some second-hand lamps, which will surely be useful in the new place, especially since there is no over-head lighting!

The lampshades are pretty old and boring, and I was thinking I would have to buy new ones, until theGuy's mom said "why don't you just re-cover them?" Since then I've been scouring the net for diy tips and tricks for lamp shade crafts, and now my mind is teaming with possibilities! Ooh! Looks like I'm going to be getting crafty!

spbbbbbbt!

2010-02-23T00:08:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wondered how to spell the sound that you make when you stick out your tongue and sputter at someone? There has been an entire study on it - I saw it online somewhere - if I find it, I'll post it. Anyway - the title of this post is my approximate spelling of that action - I sounded it out.

Mondays - what is it about you that makes me want to just spbbbbbbt at you? Poor Monday - the most loathed day of the week - I wonder if it has a complex?

Edit: This is not the article I read - but apparently I spelled it wrong!

Wiki Answer

Ah-HA! Found it! The Sneeze is a hilarious blog - Here's his article on that topic!

Can you say no to a dare?

2010-02-20T17:53:00.000-05:00

Working on making this blog pretty! I wanted to come up with something to brand my blog, and this is one of the millions of sketches I came up with. I think it'll do for now. What do you think?

Home Sweet Home

2010-02-20T16:08:00.003-05:00

Very exciting news has hit theGuy and I this week - we're moving! I am so very excited and keep thinking of all these crafts that I can do in the house! There is an amazing website that has so many diy projects that I can't wait to take on, it's called Design Sponge and you should really check it out.

So, moving day will be April 1st - there might be a lull in activity around then (not unlike lately!), but hopefully I will be able to do a ton of creative projects and post them on here to share! Whee! I am so excited for my new studio - hopefully it will be inspiration headquarters!

So - step one - I am on the hunt for old school ornamental frames. They can be hideously ugly, plastic, glass-less, housing a painting of a seagull, whatever - but I would like as many as possible - so keep your eyes peeled, people. If you see a stash somewhere, please let me know! I can't wait for my first project!

FYI

2010-02-16T11:12:00.001-05:00

Because it seems a little silly that I keep writing "All elements were hand-drawn by me", and not including them on all of the illustrations and designs that have been completely rendered by me - for future reference, all elements were created by me - unless otherwise stated. In the designs to this point, the "Oh Brother" design, my portfolio link and "eat it", I think are the only ones that have not been completely rendered by me. So there. Saves time!

Going to see k-os tonight, and super excited; but it's a late show so I may not get a chance to design today - although I'm sure that show will leave me inspired!

Happy Tuesday-that-feels-like-Monday!

Sketchy

2010-02-16T00:36:00.000-05:00

A quote by Milton Glaser, the creator of the I Love NY logo. I'm not sure the last time a quote rang this true with me, but wowza. TheGuy and I were sitting in Chapters, perusing our favourite sections, and while skimming through a book on Typography - there it was - the quote of all quotes!

I'm not sure if it's because my first year of college was done completely by hand, or whether it's because these daily design challenges have brought me back to my sketchbook like never before, but it's true! Little imperfections that are created on paper make things more perfect, more human, and more real. And it's something that can't happen by accident on the computer. :)

All elements rendered by me.

Pi

2010-02-14T17:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Hope you enjoy today's little design!
Now! Off I go for some lovely time with theGuy! Hope your V-Day is awesome!

Shake it like a Polaroid picture..

2010-02-13T16:07:00.000-05:00

Thursday was my lovely friend, Jakey's Birthday. He turned 27! TheGuy and I celebrated his birthday with him yesterday, and I was struck again by a) how long we've been friends, b) how comfortable and nice it is to be friends with him and c) how much it would suck to be ALLERGIC TO ALCOHOL - seriously - the birthday boy had 2 1/2 drinks and was sick as a dog. Not a happy moment for him! Poor Jakey!

Anyway - Jake is a designer who has such a different way of looking at things! He is able to see beauty in old things, he has an eclectic sense of humour and loves things that are a little rough around the edges. His work is always a little kooky - in a good way. I wanted to do something a little modern, but a little imperfect to honour his special day! A polaroid popped into my head - how beautifully ugly are polaroid photos? The hues, odd exposures and perfect frame make the polaroid an iconic visual that I thought would speak to Jakey!

Happy birthday, Jakey!

All elements were created by me!

Having a ball!

2010-02-10T23:58:00.001-05:00

TheGuy: What're you doing?
Me: Thinking of what to do for my design challenge.
TheGuy: Here, draw this.
Me: Ok!

And that is the story of today's daily design (although there is a much longer, more involved story to the rubber band ball itself.. another time).

All elements were hand-drawn by me

Logo landscape

2010-02-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

I didn't get a chance to scan and upload my design challenge from yesterday - but it's coming!

Instead, I am happy to share with you the latest logo design I created at work, for a lovely landscaping company. This company specializes in concrete work, gardening/landscaping and water features. They like to look at things differently and offer unique solutions that many other landscapers don't offer- hence "inspired".

I've included some conceptual work here, as well (there were at least 50 concepts - but most are pretty rough) to show you some of the ones that didn't make the cut.

Being creative for a job is fun!

Case of the blahs

2010-02-08T22:55:00.000-05:00

A typical Monday in February.

Today's challenge is pretty self explanatory (hint - that's me)

Coming Clean

2010-02-07T14:27:00.002-05:00

Life has been busy, and, although I have been creative at work, I just have not been able to set time aside for my design challenges since Tuesday!

So, I thought I'd share a little secret of my racy life with everyone - and share the domestic bliss that is date night with theGuy and I.

For real. Friday night, the coveted night of the much anticipated weekend, was spent doing laundry. We are hardcore, people!

But I think this may be the truth behind more people's lives than would care to admit. At least, this is what I tell myself!

All elements were hand-drawn by me.

Ding!

2010-02-03T00:24:00.001-05:00

I was a little stumped today, not sure what I was going to do for my daily challenge. I was staring off into space when DING, this idea floated by and I caught it!

Ah, February. We're two days in (what happened to January?) and the ground hogs have informed us of 6 more weeks of winter. Think sunny thoughts, people. We'll get there!

On the other hand, there really is nothing like a warm bowl of soup and a hot chocolate on a cold winter night. I made the Madras Chicken Soup from Chatelaine Magazine tonight, and it was totally amazing!

Queen of Hearts

2010-02-02T00:20:00.001-05:00

The night got away on me today, so I did this quick drawing for today's challenge - my version of the Queen of Hearts!

Since it is February, it's love, love, everywhere. And, quite frankly, as a hopeful romantic, I'm gobbling this stuff up! (Even though I know it's way more socially acceptable to be a cynic of this consumerism driven holiday)

That's just the way I roll!

Love is in the air!

2010-01-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last night, two of my very favourite people got engaged. I wanted to do something special for them to celebrate the beginning of their new family!

Di, Mike and Elliot - cheers to a wonderful and bright future, filled with love, beauty, music and laughter! xoxoxoxox

All elements of this illustration were drawn by me and converted in illustrator into vector artwork)

Turkefest

2010-01-31T14:17:00.001-05:00

Last night theGuy and I attended the annual Turkfest, put on by our lovely friends, one of whom is a sous-chef, so I'm sure you can imagine how delicious that meal was!

So, for my daily design, I played photographer for the evening. Here's one shot that I particularly love. Can't get someone to smile in a photo? Make 'em? Thanks to H and R for participating in this shot! :)

Sew, what's new?

2010-01-30T18:06:00.001-05:00

Tea towels. Have you ever noticed that they have a habit of walking away? Or being used for very un-teatowel like purposes? That's the drill at my house.

So, at Christmas, I was, like the domestic goddess I am, admiring my Grandma's tea towels. Someone had crocheted (or knitted - what's the dif - I don't know) edges on her tea towels so they hooked around handles and, with a button, secured themselves there.

Although a button requires pre-school dexterity, I thought this was a genius solution to the missing tea towel epidemic at my house. (Although, to be perfectly honest, theGuy is pretty good at leaving them alone.) I made a comment to my lovely Aunt, who said that she was the one who crocheted this marvel of modern(?) technology. I expressed my enthusiasm.

TheGuy and I came home the other day to a package from my Aunt. Inside were four of tea towels she had crocheted just for us! And let me tell you - they haven't left the oven handle since!

So this was a Thank You to my Aunt Ninny. I wish that it had scanned better - it looks so much more awesome in my sketchbook! But what're you going to do!?

Comfort Food

2010-01-28T22:38:00.001-05:00

Two nights of asian food - two nights of wonton soup. Yes, overkill on the All-You-Can-Eat front, but there's something special about sharing conversations over a good meal.

Becky, you make my wonton soup smile at me!

Oh brother!

2010-01-26T23:32:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is my little brother's 23rd birthday.

TWENTY THIRD!

The creepy part of that is that I remember changing his diaper! How is my little brother already 23?

So - since tonight was a bit of a brain fart as far as design goes, I figured I'd use my saved inspiration for tomorrow, today, and then it can be up for his entire birthday (hopefully encouraging people to buy him presents!)

Dan's really pretty awesome. He's in a band; he plays guitar. He came over once to kill a house centipede; he's nice. Key elements to ruling, in my book!

Happy Birthday, Dan-Dan the Diving Man.

Stick it to 'em

2010-01-25T23:14:00.001-05:00

Although I'm pretty sure I've now officially ensured myself a place in geekdom forever, I'm also sure that I'll be in good company.

If you know what this is about - then you're a part of the club! If not, well, this reference will have completely no meaning on you, and I'm not sure if I should divulge this secret with you...

Okay, "Mr Pointy" is a reference from the final episode of Season Two - Buffy the Vampire Slayer. NOT that I have every episode memorized; I happened to watch those two episodes tonight, and that's what inspired me today!

Self-appointed nerd. Yep.

All elements drawn by hand, scanned, and converted to vector in Illustrator. Typgoraphy based on the font used in the Buffy logo

Inspiration

2010-01-25T13:17:00.000-05:00

Good afternoon!
I found a great website this morning that has probably been discovered a thousand times over, but I thought I'd throw a link up here for anyone who is looking for business card inspiration, or just inspiration in general!

Oh, to get the clients who understand how valuable die-cuts and interesting paper stocks can be... check out the Cardonizer for shots of some really awesome and unique business cards!

Bird Lady

2010-01-24T23:47:00.000-05:00

I'm a bird lady.

I wasn't always a bird lady, but my sweet little budgie, Cosmo, has certainly won my heart. There is something to be said about coming home after a long day at work and being able to speak to a little pal, without feeling like you're crazy.

Really - imagine walking home and talking to your television.

"Hey, sweetie! How was your day? I'm so glad to be home!"

Wouldn't be the same.

So, today's daily design is dedicated to my sweet Cosmo, who happily serenaded me as I made this picture.

All elements of this illustration were created by me.

Computer Error...

2010-01-23T17:45:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I wonder why we are constantly creating faster computers, better tvs, quicker and more convenient everything. Will it ever be enough? Then, on Thursday, I started this design challenge.

I was working on a monster of a file in photoshop, airbrushing artwork that ended up being 16 feet long. Files that big are very hard on your computer. Saving the file, opening the file, altering the file.. all of these things meant I had to stare at the progress bar as it hung up my machine and took it's time performing the task at hand. So, I started this challenge.

Inspired by Marian Bantjes, my favourite typographer, it reads:

"When my computer is this slow I can hear my hair turning grey."

Y'all feelin' me? :)

Love, the spice of life.

2010-01-23T15:36:00.001-05:00

TheGuy and I went to Crabby Joe's on Frederick Street last night. It was delicious.

They have crayons and paper on the table, which is always awesome for me, but not always so awesome for theGuy, as I get totally distracted by colouring and less conversational.

I was inspired by the salt and pepper on the table and drew this little cartoon. The lighting was low, and it was hard to get a shot, but it reads:

Pepper: "I'd like a pinch of you, baby."

Salt: "You're so dashing."

Love: The spice of life.

Decisions, decisions

2010-01-21T00:27:00.000-05:00

I left my daily design challenge at work today, but I wanted to do something anyway. Today is one of those days where there is tons running through my head, so I came up with this type exercise tonight (instead of going to bed early - which is really what I should have done, seeing as I can't seem to shut my brain off when bed time hits!). Decisions, decisions. Ah.. how to play this game of life?

The World Wide Web

2010-01-20T00:05:00.000-05:00

Getting back into web land today - I set myself up with an online portfolio. That was today's daily design challenge :) I had help from theGuy making this graphic!

http://shownd.com/Patti

Enjoy!

Winter Blues

2010-01-18T23:53:00.000-05:00

Had a quasi-date-night with theGuy tonight, so I decided to do a little doodle while watching Buffy, and this is what I made.

Are you dealing with the Winter Blues? The summer seems so far away! I can't wait to go outside and feel the lightness of flip flops - instead of being bundled up.

I feel like a child in a snowsuit once I head out for my walk home in hat, scarf, coat, gloves, sweater, cardigan, shirt, two tank tops, two pairs of socks and leg warmers. For real. That's what I wear.

Oh Canada, how I love thee. But maybe we could have a couple extra months of summer this year? Pretty please?

I pity the Fool

2010-01-17T21:47:00.000-05:00

Today was a chill day after a crazy busy week. It made me think about how much I'd love to have more moula kickin' around.. take a vacation somewhere or just treat myself to something SUPER awesome and amazing. Then I thought.. hmm.. money would be so much more rad if it sported Mr. T's mug, don't you think?

I'd totally take my paycheques in quarters!

Miss Pink

2010-01-16T17:54:00.000-05:00

My lovely and adorable friend, who goes by "Miss Pink" in cyberland, celebrated her 30th birthday on Thursday! Wow! So, since theGuy and I were away, and we're all celebrating it tonight, I thought she would be the perfect inspiration for today's challenge!

Happy 30th, Miss Pink! Love you!!!

Pause

2010-01-14T11:40:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I have to put the design challenge on pause for a couple of days; theGuy and I have a family function and will be out of town.

I'm already excited to get back to work when we come home! See you soon!

soar

2010-01-13T00:08:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days. I just wanted to hop in a balloon and float away for a while! It's just too bad I'm afraid of heights!

Drawn by hand and manipulated in photoshop.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

2010-01-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

My daily design challenge for yesterday; a little drawing to let my brother from another mother know that I miss him and am thinking of him as he serves his tour in Afghanistan. I never thought I would be a part of a military family, or one with any militant affiliations. But here I am, doing my best to support theGuy's brother in all his endeavors and having my eyes opened to the reality that is life in Afghanistan for so many innocent civillians.

I don't believe in violence and I don't believe in war - but unfortunately, I'm not the one making the decisions for the world - so I support those brave people who will be proactive to help souls they have never met and may never meet.

Miss you, Greggie. Come home in one piece!

Boogers.

2010-01-11T00:04:00.000-05:00

Has anyone ever noticed how much it sucks to be sick?

I have avoided this Germy character so far this season, but it's all around me. Hovering, attempting to seduce my body into letting it in. I see friends and co-workers coughing and sniffling and look at them with sympathy.. and suspicion. Don't come too near me. No need to infect me, really. I start to break into cold chills at the thought of using the phone at work, typing on a keyboard, touching doorknobs. So I imagine the germs as one fine germ named Germy, a sultry yet lazy germ who understands that it's just not my type.

It's not you, it's me.

Illustration and typography by Yours Truly

"I'm going to the Jersey Shore, b!tch!"

2010-01-10T12:48:00.000-05:00

I am hooked on MTV's reality tv show, Jersey Shore. If you have missed out on seeing this hilarious show that follows guidos and guidettes in their summer in a Shore House on the Jersey Shore, you are missing one the first pop culture smashes of the decade!

If you want to learn a little more about it, check out Conan's Introduction of two of my favourite cast members!!

Oh, hilarity. These are people you have to watch - in the beginning the tanning beds that one member owns in his house to keep "fresh", seems a little overkill - but as you watch this show, you begin to love each one of these tanned, polished and gelled Italians!

Hope you like my artwork for today's daily design challenge, all elements were hand-drawn by myself, scanned in and redrawn in illustrator. I really need a wacom tablet!

Wow!

2010-01-10T00:19:00.001-05:00

Went out for sushi with friends last night and was once again stunned by the awesomeness that is sushi. I could think of only one word after that delicious meal, so this is what I made!

Music to my Ears

2010-01-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

I am so totally cheating - I made this before Christmas! tsk tsk!

Okay. So I'm trying something new here; a different blog editor. We'll have to see how it goes.

Either way, I totally cheated today - I've got some other stuff in the works so the daily design challenge for today rests in the scribbles in my notebook at work. But here's a little something I did - and a show you should really go see!

Rich Burnett is a super talented musician. His voice is warm and clear; his music is calming and beautiful. This poster was created for the CD release party he is having with the talented Michael Holt. I'm hoping to do more work for them in the future; normally I wouldn't want there to be quite so much copy, cd artwork and two photos - but, you know how it is - it's all about making the client happy! So this is what I came up with the merge the two different types of music in an organized kind of way.

And have you seen the featured guests? Lots of talent there!

Happy Tuesday! Wish it was Friday... it's going to be a long week!

Hungry, Hungry, I am hungry. Table, table, here I come!

2010-01-05T16:24:00.000-05:00

So, there was a lack of a post on Sunday .. I was busy being creative all day, however, I can't share the fruits of my labour with you because it was a risque, top secret project for a friend (I live vicariously through them)! I thought that instead I would pop these menus up here! Simple black and white menus for Marbles Restaurant in Waterloo, I created these for the kiddies to doodle on - with a huge amount of freedom - this was my favourite project, ever.

When I was a kid, I LOVED these kinds of menus (who am I kidding? I still do!). On days of particularly slow service, I just HAD to colour in every. single. component. of the menu. So, using my memories as a guideline, I made these menus so there was as much colouring area as possible!

All content was illustrated by me - the font, however, is a great font called "Hrawolam", downloadable at Dafont.com, my favourite place to go for fonts!

Bon Appetite!

JUST EAT IT!!!

2010-01-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

We have a few little, ahem, pets that have decided to make our home theirs as well.

Mice. Blech. I knew that Mice were something that accompanied old homes, but I always thought that they only lived in dirty places. I have since learned that this is not true!

After an evening of vacuuming every nook and cranny, sealing all of our food in rubbermaid containers and setting a wide variety of traps, the mice thought they would prance around the house, while I hid in terror. Home alone.

I finally came up with (other) logical explanations for the occasional creak in the house (GHOSTS!) and drifted to sleep at one in the morning last night - waking up, ten minutes later, to a horrifying SNAP! Bang! Bang! It sounded like someone had tap shoes on in the studio. Terrified and home alone, I texted theGuy in horror - hiding myself in my tightly tucked covers. Half an hour later, he came home. (MY HERO!)

One of the mousetraps was gone.

We caught a mouse. By the tail. He managed to get across the room, but in the end we (okay.. theGuy... I was still hiding) were able to get him and take him away to release him miles from home.

This morning, I saw another one. These little jerks have gotten too smart. It doesn't matter that we have FIVE MILLION TRAPS - they just do a little dance routine around them. I know it. In tutus. They're cute when they're held hostage, but not as a dark smudge that streaks across the room - leaving one's very imaginative mind to add fangs and bloodshot eyes and foam.

So today's daily design challenge is a drawing I made in illustrator.. my lovely levels of exhaustion leaves me unable to focus on anything other than the RODENTS who are tormenting my poor budgie!

Enjoy! :)

Flashy!

2010-01-02T19:35:00.001-05:00

I dabble in photography.

I dabble in most things artsy, really - doesn't mean that I'm more than an amateur, but it keeps me happy! This year, the Guy was kind enough to hook me up with a flash for my camera! I love it, the diffusers I got are also pure genius, and, if nothing else, the appearance of them will surely mean I can get up to the front of any concerts I'm attending - people will think this amateur is a pro! Works for me!

Today I spent the day unloading camera cards (I'm usually so on the ball with that but not the point and shoot I hijack from the Guy occasionally!), so there wasn't much time for creativity beyond colour correcting and resizing/cropping! However, I do have some photos that are pre-flash I would like to share. This Christmas, we got to spend some time with our wonderful niece, and she is quit the little model! (I think everyone thinks that about their little loved ones!). So here are some of my favourite shots, taken with my Canon Rebel - the ORIGINAL (6.3 MP did at one time seem RIDICULOUS!). Hope you like 'em, too!

All dressed up and ready for Christmas!

Little L found The UncleGuy's nose!

Time for a break - this Christmas business is exhausting! Don't we all know it!

So, signing off for now - hope you enjoy!

Daily Design Challenge Entry One

2010-01-02T01:30:00.000-05:00

Well, it isn't much - but on my first day of my design challenge, I thought I'd make a little graffiti art on facebook for my sister who I didn't get to see for New Years. Now, for anyone who isn't familiar with the graffiti concept, it's basically like paint - you have a colour pallete, limited brush sizes and opacity that you can adjust - and that's about all.

So this is my version of a sparkler - very computery, I know, but something fun - got the ball rolling!!

Note to self - invest in a wacom tablet.

Happy New Year everyone! Hope your resolutions are all met!

Design a Day Challenge

2009-12-29T15:15:00.000-05:00

So. Smashing Magazine had an article about a daily design challenge. The idea is that an artist should challenge themselves to design something every day, which will increase their creative flow, as well as strengthen their talents; whether it be illustration or design in general.

I was thinking that this is the kind of challenge I would like to participate in. So for the year 2010, my goal is to design something every day (or at least every work day), and post it on my blog. Depending on the type of design, it may not be uploaded daily (I may need to scan it, etc.), but the goal remains the same. I want to be creative daily, in a way to express myself and build a gallery of work that reflects me.

So, in the spirit of creativity - this Christmas had me working to create some truly unique pieces of art for some of my family members, and I thought I would post them here, to get the ball rolling.

Hope you enjoy!

This was a set of camoes of the kids that I created for my mom and step-father. There are five kids in the family, and they helped me out by sending photos of their profiles (no, not facebook profiles) so I could work with them. Each of us has a unique profile, and I think they're all fairly recognizable! I used textured scrapbooking paper for the cameos, and got the background from another set of scrapbooking papers. That section comes in handy for more than just scrapbookers!

There's a blurry and out of focus shot of my cameo. Fun!

Here is the painting I did for my sister. She is always dreaming about something, and she has managed to reach a lot of the goals she set for herself from childhood! Very motivated, I wanted to give my whimsical sister something that encouraged her to continue reaching for the stars. Acrylic on canvas, this is what I came up with.

Halloweenie

2009-11-16T21:11:00.001-05:00

A reason to do fun make-up? Yes, please!

I'm a Halloweenie.

Really, I am.

I love Hallowe'en! There is something about the spooktacular holiday that brings me back to my childhood and gets me excited (possibly all that candy!). My goal this year was to throw a party with as many photo ops as possible. Through lots of searching online, the Guy and I found a whole bunch of do-it-yourself projects that were begging for our attention. Specimen jars, heads in bottles, witch finger cookies, toe tags, murder mysteries, IV bags, monster eyeballs... there were so many things to do! Even though I started in September, it was still a rush as the countdown to Hallowe'en got shorter. My mind was racing with new ideas of what to do next!

The party turned out awesome; our friends looked amazing; everyone really stepped up to the challenge! The photo above is myself as "Little Dead Riding Hood" being attacked by a Zombie Bob Ross. Could life get any better?

Anyway, thought I'd share with you my very favourite project; the potion jars. I made about 15 potions; from the labels to the contents and couldn't have been happier with how they turned out.

And voila!

Happy November!

Tingling Teeth

2009-10-15T08:39:00.001-04:00

Old news - this package was designed in 2007, and in my last gig as a drugstore sales clerk, I drooled over the gorgeous details of the latest Rembrandt packaging.

The simplicity of this package works - with a flooded market of whitening toothpastes, all claiming the same thing, Rembrandt, an already established brand, had an opportunity to simplify their package in an elegant and clean way - creating visual relief on the shelves. Any merchandising clerk can tell you that the Rembrandt packaging was actually satisfying to stock on the shelves - the clean, streamlined and simple design really commanded attention and had presence on the shelf as a high-end item. It was designed by Little Fury and I think they did a great job.

I posted about this package because finally, after two years of shy appreciation of the package, I picked some up yesterday. Just because it looked so nice and I decided that I would treat myself. I don't know what it means when one of the highlights of your week is that you purchased toothpaste with pretty packaging, packaging that you recycle as soon as you discard the cardboard box (although the stand-alone tube is also an elegant and well-thought out package, the glory is in the cardboard sleeve)... I do lead an interesting life, I swear!

Speaking of interesting life - happy Turkey Day! I was lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year, and let me say - there is something very nurturing about turkey and family!

Now - gearing up for Hallowe'en. Throwing another party this year, I hope it is bigger and better than last year. I feel myself falling into a tizzy of unorganized chaos. Sometimes my ideas are more grand than the time I have on my hands to implement them. Hopefully I will have pictures to share!

If you are throwing a Hallowe'en party - check out Dave Lowe's blog
. He's got a bunch of awesome tutorials and ideas.. I'm doing the Monster Eye this year - hopefully it'll freak out the chillies!!! Oh man, I really have to get going - so many ideas,so little time!

Snot Pockets

2009-10-08T14:54:00.000-04:00

Wacky Packages' Snot Pockets.

Texting with the Guy today went something like this:

P- "Hey! You know how you thought your deodorant wasn't working? It wasn't. I'm wearing your deodorant and I'm sweating. Weird, eh?"

G - "Haha sweaty pits! How's your day going?"

P - "It's going. My nose is like a faucet!"

G - "How bout "snott face sweaty pitts"? :)"

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Juicy Couture?

2009-08-27T12:03:00.000-04:00

Colours, juice, awesome all mixed into one. By caracas, a French Design agency. A la the dieline as usual.

Now I'm thirsty!

Jonesing for Jones

2009-08-26T09:14:00.001-04:00

No soft drink is cooler than Jones Soda. That's just the way they roll. The cult-following that Jones has fostered creates an illusion of scarcity - my memories of Jones Soda is that finding it in a store was like finding a treasure on a never-ending scavenger hunt! "Look guys! They have Jones!" At that point, we would each pick out and discuss our favourite colour - and then, those who could afford it (usually the ones with part time jobs), would purchase theirs, holding it openly, as it had now become an accessory, establishing coolness in the drinker.

Maybe that was just my friends and I, but Jones Soda always had a unique flair that we identified with. The photos on the front were quirky, flipping the lid to see your "fortune", Jones created an experience for their consumers. And they continue to do so with the new Jones Jumble. The "mixoligist" at Jones has mixed different flavours of their exising product together to create the "Jones Jumble" flavour, similar to the swamp juice of fountain pop machines. Users are encouraged to guess what four flavours have been combined to create this jumble! The awesome graphics of the wrap were created by Super Big Creative. I think they're very current; yet fresh and new. I love the colours and the boldness of the label. Great work!

And I haven't posted for a while, well, no one really reads this anyway - so I figured I could go on hiatus. This bottle wrap really just jumped out and smacked me on the face, so I kinda had to be like "look at this" and blogs are soapboxes, so there you go!

Refreshing

Ballistic over Wine Bottles

2009-06-09T14:31:00.000-04:00

Wowza. Student work.
Student work? Really?

Yep - as found via The Dieline, these wine bottles were designed by design student Meeta Panesar. It's well worth taking a look through her site to see the other work she has done. Impressive. She's not afraid of colour, or lack-thereof, she's bold and unique - terrific work!

Oh, student days. There was something amazing about doing work as a student, that I didn't realize at the time. I always thought the glory would be in working on actual product packaging or business cards, for real, legitimate companies. This was so far from the truth! Inventing your own companies, experimenting without client regulations (although my teachers acted as our clients), the "I like blue because it's the colour of my grandson's eye" factor was non-existent.. I wish I'd embraced it more!

Has anyone noticed that summer's kinda, not really here yet? Hello mother nature - it's June now. Bring on the nice weather! Please? I'm recalling the RAIN of last year and hoping for something a little dinner. SUMMER - PLEASE BE GOOD TO US!

Okay, that's all. rant rant rant.
xo

Always Coca-Cola

2009-06-02T09:31:00.001-04:00

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a but of a crush on Coca-Cola. Well, a bit of a crush AND an addiction. Now, I know Coca-Cola isn't always the most moral of all companies, but I prefer to ignore that information and take the ignorance is bliss approach to the world's favourite soft drink!

I have a slight handle on my Coca-Cola addiction now to the point of the willpower to have only one a day. ONLY one a day, you may ask? Some people don't even DRINK soft drinks EVER?! If you knew how much strength it takes me EVERY day to not go back for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or even 7 cans of that sweet, sweet nectar - you would understand that it's a feat of huge proportions! I'm a coke junkie, and like a coke junkie, I'm fully hooked and need my fix!

So, why do I love it? Besides my insane addiction to the product itself? Coca-Cola is one of the most successful examples of branding of ALL time! They manage to maintain their logo, while keeping fresh and current - and always the "Real Thing". They've experimented, made mistakes, and have managed to do all of this without diluting the brand. Success. And they make it fun for collectors, and consumers, by coming out with fancy cans and bottles. The ones above are their latest!

Twitteriffic

2009-05-28T21:46:00.000-04:00

Ahahahahahaha. This appeals to me far too much. I may just have to make this a reality!

Pop on over to Steal Our Ideas for some great thoughts, presented in an interesting way, with some humour intertwined!

She keeps going and going and going..

2009-05-26T11:07:00.000-04:00

Life is busy! Do I ever wish that I was like an energizer bunny! Or at least one of the toys that seem to last forever in a Duracell commercial. I always liked Duracell the best, but now, quite frankly, it's all Energizer for me. Have you ever noticed how quickly wireless mice and keyboards eat batteries? They're like little energy sucking monsters. They eat through my batteries so fast, I think the blinking "battery life low" is part of my OS design. Energizer batteries seem to last a little wee bit longer, which helps me and my levels of frustration. Oh yeah. Anyway. That's quite a tangent about nothing. I basically am just rambling on. The purpose of this is for me to say - wow. Do I ever wish there were more minutes in the day, more hours to utilize, and for me to be battery powered. I'd use Energizer. Then if I got tired, I could just pop open my mid-section (or maybe my battery pack access would be in the bottom of my foot! That'd work), and pop in a fresh set of batteries. Even if they were rechargeable, I'd get more than one - so that they could charge while I ran around wearing out the juice of the other one. That'd be neat. Imagine if you could duplicate yourself, so that you had one of yourselves on a docking station charging up for the next use. Awesome.

And the purpose of all that is to say, well, hmm.. how am I ever going to get people interested in a blog that I rarely and infrequently update? That sucks. If one of my favourite bloggers goes MIA for a DAY I just don't know what to do with myself. Then again, people like Dad Gone Mad are more entertaining than me anyway. And I'm not feeling sorry for myself, they're super talented! When I found Dad Gone Mad, it was like crack! I went years back in the archives, totally addicted! Note to self - next time you get caught up in a blog, go to the start and read forward; imagine trying to read a book backwards.. it doesn't have the same climactic effect!

And so, I apologize, if there is someone out there lurking about looking for a post. Here you go!

Batteries? No! Try SALT & PEPPER SHAKERS!!!!!!!! Cool, eh? Found on the always inspiring Lovely Package, these puppies were designed by Antrepo. Neat idea, eh? They're the same size as a D battery and even indicate how full they are with their "power indicators" on the side. Awesome.

Hope you like!

Beer?

2009-04-27T09:27:00.001-04:00

As found on Lovely Package, this Pomegranate Wheat Beer from Toronto firm,Brand Tonic is a new (lovely) way of thinking when it comes to beer packaging!

Brand Tonic handled the whole identity - from logo to label, in the design of the whole line of beers - the most unique, of which, is this Pomegranate Wheat Beer. It has been treated in a non-traditional way, yet has an old-school vibe about it. At first, I thought, will anyone buy this? Your typical beer drinking hockey lover isn't usually exactly embracing of pretty things like this. But this beer is different, it has fruit flavour - so they're not appealing to that audience anyway, this would be for those who want a flirty drink in a beer. And this package is nothing, if not flirty!

Enjoy!

Holy #@$#!

2009-04-24T00:35:00.000-04:00

Hattomonkey, a firm in Russia, designed this packaging for Hot Sauce. They have a lot of REALLY awesome work (check out their blog!), I just wish I could read Russian!

Luckily for me, Lovely Package somehow got a translation, so here it is (which makes this package even better, in my opinion!)

"Hattomonkey has created a packaging design of hot sauce “Hashi” based on unique “non-censored” view. There is a huge selection of “Hashi” hot sauces: a very hot “Halapenio”, extremely hot “Habanero”, unbearable hot sauce “Cayenne pepper”, as well as wasabi and mustard. That special look #@$#! was created just as soon as we tried this hot sauce at the studio. It’s a comic stylized pack with logo consists of only symbols. So the exclamation balloon is to show an emotional wave. Designers have adopted a comic method. When it’s hard to express feelings through words they supplement text by pictures. Thereby the sauce pack content is reintroduced by shout balloon with jagged edges. Hattomonkey informal packaging design is hot and excited. This is not just a simple sauce on a store shelf, it shouts the same language you do “#@$#!”.”

I also just love the packages that they have chosen for their sauces - pretty great! Although I don't know how functional the peel-tops would be, I guess it depends on how you use it! AWESOME.

Wry Baby

2009-04-23T12:24:00.001-04:00

What is it about anything baby turning completely normal, rational, articulate and successful adults into cooing melty pods of goo - who say "cute" way more often than necessary (reminds me of that episode of Newlyweds where it follows Jessica and her mom shopping and they do that "cute" montage. Now every time I go shopping I am SO aware of how often I say cute! Ah! But I digress!)?

I, myself, hear my voice rise in hysterical tones when around the miniature! Especially clothes! But really, some of the clothes are so cutesy and ruffled, I feel like we're all 6 again, dressing up our dolls as cute as buttons. I want a cool kid. And could anything be cooler than these Mysterio Future-Predicting Tees from Wry Baby? Pretty awesome! And, having had my fortune read by Zoltar himself last weekend, I'm feeling like Mysterio's chances of predicting the future are very high!

Awesome, clever, funny, and teeny tiny. Wicked!

From trees....

2009-04-22T12:10:00.000-04:00

A relief print made from cross sections of actual TREES, Bryan Nash Gill is way awesome, and I want one! Except I would have no where to put it. But I do want one! How cool is this? Simple and neat? And what a story!

From your Monkey

2009-04-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

I didn't get to my blog yesterday, but a very special RyGuy celebrated his 26th birthday yesterday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABE!

I can't take credit for this image, it was drawn by Rosalind Wilson, and it's pretty cute, I think!

Anyway - after a terrific weekend with Ryan in Niagara Falls, hitting Buffalo - now it's back to work! I took some pictures of pretty packaging that I felt was blog worthy, but we'll see how long it takes before I get the photos loaded off the camera!

Anywho - Happy Birthday RyGuy - someone was totally rockin' it when they designed you :) xo

Hanker Chiefs

2009-04-16T10:19:00.000-04:00

I got a chance to work with the wonderful Mike Erb again, and JUMPED at the opportunity! Here is the poster I designed for his Classic Country & Western band, The Hanker Chiefs using old posters for land in the states as inspiration. It was fun! I love working with Mike, it's always good times.

Creative flow = Happy Patti

Besides that, life's been hectic and busy! I've got to post a whack of posts, of all the fun things I've been seeing. As always, hop over to the dieline if you're looking for something to peruse!

Take care, chickens! Get out there and enjoy some sunshine!!!!!!

My Curb

2009-03-23T09:39:00.000-04:00

I got another opportunity to work with the talented Mike Erb again, working with him is always such a pleasure. He gave me, basically, free reign on the creative - which is ALWAYS a terrific chance to get those creative juices going - and so, this is my result.

It's really nice to do work like this, poster art has always been my favourite of all design (with packaging a very close second) especially the posters of the 60's and 70's - how much cooler can art be?
Super fun job, amazing client - one of those magical moments a designer dreams of! :)

Great Sentiments!

2009-03-13T13:39:00.000-04:00

Good to know that someone's putting that thought out there. See that someone's other work:
Mike Monteiro is that someone.

Hand rendered, no less! (gotta love that hand rendered typography!)

Happy Friday the 13th, ladies and gents! Hope your weekend is inspiring!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat

2009-03-12T18:12:00.000-04:00

Today is one of those days. Sometimes it feels like for every step forward that you take, you end up taking 3 steps backwards. In this time of messed up economies and the drizzle of dread that has been surrounding 2009 so far, I suppose I'm not alone in feeling this way!

I love deviantART. It's a great source for inspiration, and to see what people are doing! There is a LOT of talent at deviantART, and most of the people are doing it just for the sheer satisfaction of creation. That's the best kind. So, I stumbled upon the photo above when I searched "anger" at deviantArt, because, I was angry. And then I came across the beautiful gallery of Protogeny, the one that took the above photo. That made me feel better, at least a little.

So here I go, heading off for my afternoon nap. Hopefully this year will start to turn around for everyone! In the meantime, why don't you take a stroll to deviantART and let me know what YOUR favourite galleries are!
P.

That Thom, Thom, Thom, Thom, Thom!

2009-03-11T13:23:00.000-04:00

I was thinking - if there is a weekday that is awesome, even though it's a work day, and not including Friday, because that's the weekend - well, it would be Wednesday. It's kind of like a little pet that is, you know, something to be looked after and everything, but is boundless with positive vibes and wonderful things to experience. Wednesday is totally the best pet of the workdays. Yep.

Thom Yorke. Not the most handsome devil in the world, but talent which exceeds that of a 'normal' being. Radiohead's awesome, and Thom is, too!
For the Grammy's this year TWBA \ Chiat \ Day created this beautiful poster, as well as some others. Beautiful, inspiring, creative.. just like the music of Thom and Radiohead, alike!

Hope you enjoy it - Happy Hump Day!

I'm Back?

2009-03-09T10:01:00.000-04:00

The good people at The Dieline piqued my interest, once again - sharing with me, the world of Aesthetic Apparatus!. They created these tea canisters for Andrews & Dunham's Damn Fine Tea.
Quirky, fun and unique, Aesteic Apparatus' portfolio is a kaleidoscope of colour and fonts - check out this poster for The Talkies.

I know it's been a long while since I posted - and I'm going to work on that. Who wants to read a defunct and never posted on blog? Like no one in the world. I think, also, that since my life is so freaking hilarious - I may begin sharing some of my antics with you - I think you'll laugh!

Have a super day!

I love hand rendered typography

2009-01-13T13:45:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days where the filesizes I've been dealing with are massive - so I took some time while watching that blue progress bar, slowly torture me by creeping to the right at a snail's pace - to doodle. And that's something I love to do, but don't get to do very often.

So there yo go, folks - shot with my new phone - not great lighting, not great colour, not great resolution - thought I'd share what I've been up to!

Do you love hand rendered typography?

The real McCoy!

2009-01-08T12:20:00.001-05:00

I just about flipped my lid when I saw this bourbon packaging by The Creative Method. This blog is turning quickly into a packaging fan site - what can I say - I like packaging tons and tons and tons!
And here is a gorgeous example of packaging that really works - and really creates a character for a product. The typesetting is great - current, but with some nostalgic air - especially in the distressed treatment. The wood box is great, simple, but effective. I really like the added touch of the die for the label, those rough edges really make it look like it's travelled through time. All together, it sums up (to me) a bourbon that is tried, tested and true - and a real treasure.

Love!

On a side note - I've fallen in love with the blog Petunia Faced Girl. You really should pop over and take a look. Maybe I've already tried to send you over, I don't know - but it's worth checking out FO SHO!

Also - my firm has finally gotten around to writing a bio about me for the website. When it's up, I'll have to post it. I know that my boss HAS to write good things about me because, really - we're selling ourselves, right? But it puts a smile on my face either way!

Peace out!

Breath of fresh air

2009-01-07T09:27:00.000-05:00

After a break from posting, due to the absolute MAYHEM that is Christmas, I bring you:

I am loving patterns right now. And I am loving the rich look of these Stussy air fresheners.
I always remember Stussy as being more of a fashion line - but who knows! I like how the packaging is like that of spray paint. I think that's neat. The design itself takes it to a whole new place, it's somehow old fashioned looking - with an urban edge.
Thoughts?

Thanks to High Snobiety for finding this first!

Also - over Christmas, I was so lucky to receive the "Designers are meant to be love not to be understood" poster that I blogged about here. I think I'm going to Plakkit - it's headed for the studio.
Thanks mom & Denis - hope your flight back to France today is quick and painless!

Papercuts

2008-12-16T11:54:00.001-05:00

Yulia Brodskaya, from Russia, has created these beautiful paper illustrations. We did some paper folding and cutting projects in first year (college - design) but it certainly didn't get to this level. I love her work, it's beautiful - and showcases wonderfully how amazing paper can be as a medium. It makes me want to bust out my french curve and assorted exactos, rubber cement and cutting mat and start experimenting again. The delicate way she handles the sculptures is nearly impossible.. and no other effect can come close to mimicking the look of these beautiful pieces.

Also - I realize it's been ten thousand years since I last posted. Christmas crazyness has forced itself upon me. I love Christmas like crazy, but man, am I ever a ball of nerves when it's on its way! I have countless hours of shopping still to do - and all the while doing the Christmas obligatory parties, etc., trying to fit in friends, phone calls and sleep - not to mention Ryan!

I have noticed that there is a LOT of really awesome packaging out there this Christmas.. to the point where you don't even want to wrap some of them (in fact, we're not going to). And recycled material is big in a lot of the packaging - LUSH cosmetics and bath products, for example, use recycled paper and boxes for all their bath supplies. It's pretty cool! Anyway - I'm in the market for a new cellphone - hopefully with a crappy webcam - so then I can take shots of the pretty things I see - which will remind me to post them, or at least remember them for myself!

Anywho - hope your Christmas is awesome and Merry. Take a break for a cuppa tea - it helps me sooth my frazzled nerves! Like a hug from the inside!

Good morning Vietnam.

2008-12-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Umm. How effing cool are these radio hosts' business cards? I think I just peed a little.

There is something to be said about a die-line. That's for sure. And he was able to use less than four colours, (it appears, anyway) for this print run - which means that this was likely less than a standard 4 colour run. Likely is the key word here. I don't really know the details. Either way - this is the stuff that makes me go WOOHOOO!