merry christmas + thank you!

I want to take a few moments to wish everyone a very merry (marigold) christmas and thank you for following me! Your support means a lot to me. I'm looking forward to 2010 and sharing more of my inspirational finds with all of you.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you!

Unique holiday gifts!

I love the holiday season but it can be a stressful time, trying to pick out that "perfect" gift for a friend or relative. I'm always looking for unique things to give and keep a stash of extra little gifts for those "unexpected" people that might drop by during the holiday season. I also love to take a small hostess gift with me when I visit friends during the holidays. This can be as simple as an ornament tied to a bottle of wine. 

Here are some unique gifts—perfect for those "special" people in your life.

Gold Jeweled Ornaments from Gaiam. I love adding an ornament to a package or bottle of wine.

You can't go wrong with a candle. This monogram one is from Anthropology and masculine enough for your male  friends.

Beautiful Murano Glass wine stoppers. Need I say more!

Simple handmade journals found on Etsy.

A beautiful planner  from Yellowthreads.

I found this on Esty also—perfect for the "artist".

Books are always nice for your "book lover" friends. These two are on my wish list so I hope my husband reads my blog!  You can find them at Anthropologie.

Helping to keep NE Ohio warm.

The homeless shelters are in need of your help and with Thanksgiving only days away, this is the perfect time to ask everyone for their support in helping the local shelters with donations of food, clothing and blankets.

Marigold is taking part in organizing a blanket drive—collecting gently used and new blankets for NEOCH, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. If you would like to donate blankets, please email me at mcole@marigolddesign.com to make arrangements for dropping them off. Or you can deliver them directly to 2100 Lakeside Shelter in Cleveland on your way to work, at lunch or on your way home.

Thank you for your support in helping to keep NE Ohio warm! 

Hues of Autumn

I love the fall—especially the brilliant colors you find in the landscapes this time of year. So it was my honor and pleasure to design the October cover for AAF-Cleveland Portfolio. Since I'm also a color marketer, my inspiration for the cover came from the current colors found in the home and fashion industries. The foliage definitely takes on a different look with those colors!

View the entire publication at aafcleveland.com

2009 color trends at Pantone and Color Marketing Group (CMG)

Perfect fall hues in these pillows by Crate and Barrel.

Beautiful colors, beautiful bedding by Exclusively Home.

I love the muted grey and brown tones of these products —classic colors for an economically challenged time.

Country inspirations

Almost every day is an adventure when you live in the country—you never know what you might encounter. While driving to a meeting one morning, I decided to take the back roads. Out of nowhere, a flock of geese started crossing the road, taking their time while I came to a halt and waited patiently for them to get across the street. They were in no hurry and didn't realize they were making me late for my meeting—try to explain that to a client!

Country living is not for everyone. We do not have a grocery store or even a Starbucks and we have to travel a bit for shopping, restaurants and entertainment. But we have farms where you can purchase fresh produce, eggs, honey and maple syrup; the sounds of nature—birds, crickets, frogs and other creatures; clear night skies where you can view millions of stars and occasionally spot a shooting one; and wonderful color palettes found in the most unusual places. I can't imagine living in the city, even though city life is tempting at times with it's lack of  yard work and having everything close by! But I know I would miss the quiet serenity of the country because in this rushed world of ours, I think we all need a bit of country living from time to time. 

Below are bits and pieces of country inspirations for both city and country folks to enjoy. 

Red apples in an orchard—a complementary color combination.

I spotted this family of ducks in the apple orchard. I love their markings.

An old barn with its rustic appeal. 

Honey bees in a hollow tree—I was afraid to get too close!

Cornstalks add a dash of color to a country road. 

Typography inspirations.

I love typography almost as much as I love working with color. Good typography excites me and it's one of the reasons I fell in love with graphic design. I can't really pick one designer who has influenced me, but a few of my favorites are Paul Rand, Herb Lubalin, Herman Zapf, Piet Zwart and Jan Tschichold. I still have my portfolio from my college days and it's fun to look back on my first layouts and type projects. I definitely think I have come a long way from those early days and of course, the computer has made it easier. My old t-square now holds a place of honor on the wall by my seldom used drafting table—reminders of those bygone days!

It's inspirational to see typography used in artwork, household and everyday items. Who can resist monogram towels or a set of rustic letters for their home or office. I know I can't! I couldn't resist purchasing this rustic letter "M" from Anthropologie for my studio. It looks wonderful sitting on my filing table next to the vases.

Here are a few other items I found with typography. If I had more wall space I would purchase some of these stretched wall art from 2 modern.

I love these hooks from Antropologie. They are perfect for a mudroom, bedroom, kitchen or bathroom to hang anything from coats to towels.

I want some of these mugs from Anthropologie–perhaps spelling out marigold! 

Who can resist these beautiful sticky notes?

New book on color.

I'm constantly adding to my library of design and color books. I recently purchased "all about colour" by Janice Lindsay. I just started reading it but so far the book is delightful, with Janice describing her color journey throughout her life along with the history of different hues.

Two of my favorite color books in my library are shown below. I like to refer to them if I'm having difficulty developing a color palette for a project because they contain numerous examples of different color combinations—so inspirational.

What color personality are you?

I always have loved working with color, since I was a child with a box of crayons. I literally would spend hours drawing and coloring—the possibilities were endless. Back then, there were only 64 colors in a box of crayons and today there are 120. Today's kids are so lucky!

Since I love color, you probably think my home would be very colorful. Actually, it's the complete opposite—a very neutral color palette with splashes of color tucked into each room. Because I do work with color daily—from selecting colors for an identity project to developing a color palette for a client's new line of products or for their markets—I prefer my personal spaces to be calming, stripped of color where my mind and body can rest and recharge. I also tend to gravitate toward the warmer, natural hues such as ginger, caramel, gold and terra cotta. In fact, I just bought the new issue of House Beautiful (which by the way is a fabulous color issue) and took the personality test based on your name. I am definitely a "Gold" which radiates love, joy, compassion and understanding. And as for home styles, "No. 3 Relaxed," fits me the best.

If you love color, I definitely recommend the September issue of House Beautiful. And take the color personality quiz to find out which color you are!

Welcome to my first post!

I am so excited that my blog is finally up! I hope I keep my readers happy with my posts and all of you gain inspiration for your own personal projects, either in work or play. As a designer, I find inspiration in so many things—from the simple things in nature to an antique hand-carved apron on a desk—all of these things at one time or another have shown up in my work. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when you will be inspired. That's why I always travel with a small sketchbook or camera. Of course, that doesn't mean you have carry one with you while on a power walk but throw a notebook or something to write on in your car next time you go to the park. Sometimes I'm most inspired while taking a walk and the ideas literally flow out so quickly that I can't wait to jot them down. Many of my best concepts have come to me while walking!

Saturday morning was my inspiration day of this past week. I started the day with a morning walk, ran the necessary errands and then spent some time in Barnes & Noble, just browsing in their art and design section. Then I finished the morning at Anthropologie, one of my favorite stores, for inspiration. I love their unique displays and all their beautiful products, especially the paper ones—journals and stationary. I actually had my camera with me but couldn't take any pictures inside the store. But I was able to sneak a few of their front window display to share with everyone. Enjoy!