Merry Christmas!

Christmas—that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance—a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. [Augusta E. Rundel]

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends and everything you love!

Maryanne Cole – Marigold Design

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I love the holidays and I usually have everything completed by now but I'm a little late with my holiday decorating this year. This past week, I accompanied my daughter, driving two whole days, over 1,300 miles to Florida for her new job in West Palm. It was one of the hardest trips I ever made and not because of the length of the trip but because I knew that I would be flying home alone. This is the first Christmas that she won't be here with us and it won't be the same without her! I'm trying my best to get into the holiday spirit but it hasn't been easy. I finally finished decorating our home and my studio and I have to admit that decorating while a blizzard was taking place really did help! As you can see, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here! Andrea, these photos are for you!

Enjoy!

the last two photos were taken in my studio

inspiration throughout the years

Two of my favorite classes in college were The History of Graphic Design and Art History. I found both fascinating and would pore over the books for hours, captivated by the design, typography and color in the artwork by famous graphic designers and artists. That's probably why I managed to get an "A" in both classes!

There are so many graphic designers and artists whose work have inspired me throughout the years. It's impossible to list them all but here are a few of my favorites.

Milton Glaser

Herb Lubalin

Paul Rand

Saul Bass

Jan Tschichold

Henri Matisse

Who are your favorite designers or artists that have inspired you?

I love my job!

I have to admit that I love my job! I have wonderful clients and it is a privilege working with them. The last few months have been extremely busy with hardly any spare time left for anything else [This explains why I haven't been blogging]. Last month, I gave you a sneak peek at a few of my projects. And now, I can share them with you—finally!

Jessica, my intern, was a big help with this project—illustrating graphics for a carpet cleaning truck. I'm working on the web site and collateral pieces now.

Brochure and web site for a courier company. The web site is being programmed.

Logo, business cards and direct mail for a traveling trunk show.

Annual report for Beech Brook.

savoring summer

Even though I love autumn, I don't want summer to end. I don't know about you but I felt it went by too quickly. I'm trying hard to savor the last few days of summer as long as I can. And if I close my eyes, I can almost feel the warm lake breezes, the cool water on my toes, the wonderful smell of flowers and see the beautiful summer hues...once again.

a sneak peek

I'm back after a very busy two months! I have been working on a variety of projects—redesigning product packaging, developing graphics for a carpet cleaning truck, branding for a courier company and designing an annual report. I promise to share everything with you soon after everything launches. Until then, here's a tiny, tiny sneak peek. Sorry to tease you but I really can't share them yet. Enjoy!

the comfort of flowers

Flowers comfort me and make me happy. I love their shapes, textures, colors and wonderful fragrance—I can't imagine my life without them. My back patio is surrounded by flower beds and it's where I go when I need to escape from the demands of work or life in general.

Today was one of those days when I needed the comfort of my flowers. One of my very dear friends passed away this week after battling cancer for the past year and today was her funeral. If anyone has ever lost a friend or loved one, you know how difficult it is to say "goodbye". I can not even begin to imagine what the next few months will be like without my dear friend. My only relief is knowing that she is no longer in pain and is finally at peace but that still doesn't make it any easier.

So today, I escaped to my patio sanctuary for a little while where I sat among my flowers—to be comforted and just to think and remember...

it's easier to design a web site than to renovate a kitchen

I am happy to say that I survived our kitchen renovation. It was not as easy as I thought it would be. And honestly, I think it's easier to design a web site than to renovate a kitchen—and we only did minor upgrading. I can't imagine gutting the whole room and starting from scratch!

This should have been easier for me—for I am a designer and I make design and color decisions everyday for my clients. But not for myself—that's the difference. After spending weeks and weeks looking at hundreds (yes, hundreds) of various countertop samples, I decided that I had to treat myself as a client if I was ever going to accomplish anything in this renovation project. I began by making a list of things I absolutely wanted in the new kitchen and then put together a mood board of the style and look I was after. After all, I do this for every client project so why not for my kitchen.

Even though I love modern, I knew that look would not go well with our salt box country home. So after spending an afternoon going through decorating magazines, tearing out pages of what I liked, I finally came to the conclusion that the look I was trying to achieve was "modern country"—farm style copper sink, vintage faucet, quartz countertops, subway tile backsplash, farm legs on the island with all the updated, modern stainless steel appliances and a little bit of eco-friendly products thrown in.

The renovation went smoothly but it is not completed yet. We kept the original cabinets which are solid oak and the plan was to only paint the center island to break up all the wood in the room. But now the oak cabinets look very dated compared to the beautiful new island and countertops so they will be painted in the next few months. As I said before, it's easier to design a web site—at least for me!

Here's the mood board I created and a peek at the before and after shots of this transition period before we complete all the painting.

Enjoy!

the thrill of the hunt

I spent this past weekend in Springfield, Ohio attending their annual antique extravaganza. With more than 2,500 dealers, it's easy to find something unique for your home or studio. Even though our home is bursting at the seams with "stuff," I still had my eyes open for a few special items that I wanted to buy. And of course, it's the perfect place to find color and design inspiration.

Here's a glimpse of some unique and colorful things I saw this weekend.