jeremy and kathleen

Alt: The People

2012-01-27T09:35:00.000-08:00

I went into Alt with very little networking strategy - so when I got there I was a little overwhelmed with the quick exchange of cards and the hustle that comes with making a good first impression.

What I did know is that I wanted to give my full attention to whoever I was talking to. I wanted to establish intimacy through warm smiles and solid eye contact. I wanted anyone and everyone who attended my round table session to feel included and welcome. Even so, I still felt a little scattered and spread thin.

I was happiest when I was exchanging stories and hearty laughs.
• Like making a stylish new friend on the cab ride from the airport to the hotel.
• Like when I talked to Elisabeth and Miya about being creative entrepreneurs with kids.
• And when Meg and I bonded over wine and embarrassing pasts.
• Or when Melissa and I spent all day in the lobby drinking coffee and eating french fries.
• Or when I would find Danielle in a sea of people and sneak off to dinner just the two of us.
• And when Brandi slipped homemade Nutella in my pocket between sessions.
• And by chance sitting in an open seat next to the very fantastic Bradford at lunch.
• Finally getting to hug Jason's neck immediately followed by poop jokes with Cole.
• Meeting the hilarious (and fabulous)Elizabeth Aubrey (and her mom - I love that she brought her mom) who reminded me not to take myself too seriously.
• Important conversations about self love with Marisa and EZ.
• Finally getting to meet my long time friend (and one of the first J&K commenters), Jennifer - she's just the best.
• And Erin Loechner - who has the ability to make anyone feel special. She's kind of my hero.

Oh gosh - now I'm getting in too deep. I could name drop forever because I met so many fantastic people. In fact, check out the whole list at Mimi + Meg (also a very talented friend who shines her light on anyone she's talking to).

I came away from Alt with genuine friendships, new and old, and lots of beautiful business cards. So maybe I had a strategy after all.

Alt: Round Table

2012-01-26T07:31:00.000-08:00

There were about a dozen and a half banquet tables scattered throughout a very large, empty room. I found my seat at a table labeled “Your Blog As A Marketing Tool”. I sat down with my coffee and started doodling in my note pad. At :10 ‘til I was a little worried I might be like that kid sitting at the cafeteria table by myself.

I approached Alt Summit to facilitate a round table discussion on “Leveraging Your Blog As An Authentic Marketing Tool.” After last year’s conference I came away feeling a little funny about the fact that I don’t have sponsors or the metrics to justify ads. I felt like a failure of a blogger because I didn’t have deals with HGTV or HP. But since then I’ve made a living off my blog - and not because big corporations or indie designers are giving me money - but because my readers, you guys, support me both financially and emotionally. You support me when I’m feeling down and you lift me even higher when I’m feeling up. But you also hire me to develop a brand identity for you and to coach you into making the leap when it comes to your own creative career. (THANK YOU.)

So I made it my goal this year to make other bloggers who might not feel like a big deal to know that they can ask their readers (even if they only have 12 of them) to support them - that they can thrive without huge amounts of traffic, metrics, sponsors or banner ads on their site.

Photo by Just A Girl

So back to my round table. At about :05 ‘til my table started to fill up - so we started introducing ourselves to each other. And before I knew it we were squeezing more people in and at one point I looked up and had rows of people around my table. We chatted about mixing the personal with the professional and finding the balance. We talked about sharing your work in an authentic way. We talked about not using words like "lovelies" and "I adore" on your blog if you don't use them in real life. And at the end of it I had met some long-time readers, made some new friends and got some really great compliments. A SLC architect told me I had really great energy and he had learned a lot. My friend Emily told me it was her favorite session of the whole conference. I felt like I had really made a meaningful difference, just by sharing my own experience and a few tips, for a few people.

I have a recap on my round table tips over at Braid - along with a fun video my sister put together for tips on how to pepper business into your personal blog. Read that and let's continue the discussion on how to find the balance when mixing personal with professional.

Are you a ... Blogger?

2012-01-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

Drinks & Self-Deprecation
I was at Altitude Summit last week with 400+ amazing bloggers. We all looked really super cute and had really smart things to say. The days were filled with panel talks where I quickly shifted from feeling inspired to feeling overwhelmed and back again. And in the evenings we would hang out in the lobby with drinks and self-deprecating humor.

Are You A ... Blogger?
The Outdoor Retailers convention was going on at the same time as Alt Summit. So the lobby bar was also filled with adventurers - naturally beautiful women with no makeup & cute wool hats and guys with beards & boots. I admired them and their puffy vests. One evening a group of tipsy outdoor retailers came up to a group of us Alt Summit gals with our top-knots and stripes and said "Are you ... bloggers?" - as if we were this rare species of over indulgent narcissists. So we reply "Yeah!" and they sarcastically ask "Do you blog about ... fashion?"

I'm done with their rude sarcasm and pipe in with a friendly "Yes. But I've also blogged about hiking to Mount Everest." (Somewhat of a "Let's be friends - we have more in common than you think!" plead mixed with a little "Oh hell, no.")

One of the cute Outdoor girls with blond braids and a wool hat rolls her eyes at me and says "Noted." and walks off. She thought I was making fun of HER.

We Are Hardwired To Share
So at that point I got self-conscious about being a blogger. A concoction of neurosis with self-analysis and a little bit of ego threw me into a tailspin of "What's the point?"

But here's the deal - I love my blog. It's this sacred place where I can shape who I want to be and share it with the world. Victoria said it best during her panel: "We are hardwired to want to share." So on the plane ride home I got to thinking about what it is, exactly, that I want to share. I want my life to be an adventure - from opening a small business to trekking the foothills of Everest (and soon the Carpathian Mountains in Poland) - and everything in between.

Noted.

Anatomy of an Outfit: Limbo

2012-01-18T09:14:00.001-08:00

The week leading up to vacation is always insane. There is so much work to pack in - along with actual packing to pack in - prior to a early (like get-to-the-airport-in-the-middle-of-the-night-early) departure. But I'm not quite going on vacation, per se. I'm in the Denver airport getting some work done while on a long layover to Alt Summit. And I feel like I'm in the eye of the storm. A peaceful sort of limbo between bookends of a full schedule. I ate a generic breakfast in a generic airport pub and bought Tina Fey's Bossypants and a thin magazine about backpacking to thumb through while on the plane. I'm having a pretty good time being all alone in such a crowded place.

I wore this outfit to a couple of really great meetings yesterday. I feel like all that grey hardly did my colorful day justice.

Cardigan & Scarf - Urban Outfitters
Skirt - Shop Good
Leggings & Belt - Target
Boots - c/o Langston's Western Wear

Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup

2012-01-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was an unseasonably warm 70ºF in Oklahoma but my taste buds were telling me otherwise. I was craving winter soup and had some extra squash on hand. I've also been consuming obscene amounts of coconut lately. Coconut water after my workout. Coconut milk in my coffee (surprisingly delicious). And I've been cooking almost exclusively with coconut oil. I wasn't sure if coconut and butternut squash went together so I Googled it and came across this recipe. But I adapted it because I don't eat anything without garlic.

Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup
1 small butternut squash
2 smallish-medium acorn squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 small apples, any variety, diced
2 cups water
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder (I get mine blended from Native Roots)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic
Pinch of ras el hanout
1/2 14-ounce can coconut milk (save the rest for your coffee)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Use your favorite method to roast the squash (I like to cut in half, scoop seeds out, sprinkle with olive oil & salt and roast in a pan with .5" of water for 45 minutes at 400F - until tender)

2. When there is about 10 minutes left on the squash saute the diced onion in coconut oil.

3. Mince the garlic and ginger in a food processor (or by hand - whatever floats your boat)

4. When onions are translucent add the garlic, ginger and diced apples. Saute for about a minute and then add your spices. When the spices become fragrant (after about 30 seconds) add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

5. Scoop the squash out of the skin (this is the most labor-intensive part of the process) and add to the soup. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Add coconut milk - let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

7. Blend the soup with an immersion blender or in your food processor.

8. Salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with coconut flakes.

This recipe is vegan and serves 2-4 people.
Ingredients in green are sourced locally.

Wabi-Sabi

2012-01-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

Liz introduced this phrase to me once as I was describing something so perfectly imperfect that it made my heart hurt. I lacked the vocabulary to articulate my feelings about the subject when she interjected with "Wabi-sabi":

Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete"... Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes. - from Wikipedia

Wabi-sabi is my old home that makes a hobby of collecting dust and cracks. Wabi-sabi is my jacked up toes and pimple on my chin. Wabi-sabi is the gap between here and there. In 2012 I will capture, shape and share the beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.

Wabi-sabi.

The Traveler

2012-01-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

A little over 4 years ago I felt trapped. Stuck. I could feel this little bundle of sticks and wool in the pit of my stomach. It was too painful to just let it sit there untouched. I tried to purge this kindling from my guts - but it just sat there - it quietly told me that it wasn't going anywhere. So I decided to set fire to it. To transform it.

I went on a quest to find a flame - and I took Jeremy with me. We looked for fire on the beaches of Mexico and on the coasts of Canada. But I couldn't quite find what I was looking for. I needed to dig deeper.

So we made a bold move and went to Mt. Everest. And on the top of a very cold mountain I found fire. A spark was ignited and a steady flame has been living in my stomach ever since but it's begging for more coal.

I don't want to be a tourist that collects souvenirs and postcards. I don't just want to look at pretty buildings and eat great food. I need to see the world through my fingertips and quadriceps and I want to find a little piece of home in the places I go. I want to stuff my well-traveled backpack with meaningful experiences and subtle stories.

I found my flame. I need more fuel.

Photo 1 / 2

Alt Summit

2012-01-12T06:44:00.001-08:00

If you're on Twitter you're probably already hearing some Alt Summit buzz. It's like summer camp for design bloggers - except in the winter.

I'm not only attending this year I'm also speaking! Last year I noticed that there was lots of talk about sponsorships and advertising - and while I think that's great I don't think you have to go down that route to make a living off of blogging.

I will be facilitating a round table discussion on Friday, January 20th at 9:00am about leveraging your blog as an authentic marketing tool (peppered with some discussion about personal branding). I want to talk about how to use your blog to help you make a sustainable living as an artistpreneur or microbusiness. It's about content - not advertising.

I'm also really excited about hanging out with some of my very favorite people and making new friends and meaningful connections. The Jealous Curator will be roomies (I'm telling you - it really is like summer camp). Ryan, Cole, Jason and I will probably build a treehouse and start a club. I'm going to make Alyssa become my best friend. And Meg - well, Meg and I have a lot to catch up on. And that's just to name (drop) a few.

Are you going to Alt this year?

Eff DIY

2012-01-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

If someone ever enthusiastically says something along the lines of "You can do it yourself!" I will come back with a hostile "YOU can do it YOURself."

It started in Home Depot (isn't that where it always begins) and a need for new desks. I had this brilliant idea of building two large desks out of hollow wood doors and lead pipes. I had the pipes cut and threaded to size by a disgruntled Home Depot employee. I pushed around a lumber cart full of materials like I owned the place. I was feeling so proud and resourceful. In fact, I had a brief flirtation with quitting my job and becoming a furniture designer because - WOW! it's so easy!

I get home and start drilling, assembling and DIY-ing. And by "I" I mean Jeremy. Flanges into wood. Pipes into flanges. It was a rather quick process but we immediately discovered that these brilliant DIY desks were actually wobbly pieces of shit.

I felt deflated. Disappointed. Annoyed. Wasteful. Sad. Jeremy and I started trouble-shooting and brainstorming ideas on how to salvage the project but I was done.

The next day my sister and I ordered two really sturdy dining room tables to be delivered tomorrow. So not only do I not want to DIY ever again - I don't even want to leave my house.

Until the next project...

A Braid Update

2012-01-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

In my first year of freelancing I really enjoyed sharing monthly updates detailing my freelance goals, successes, fears and failures with you guys. We had some honest conversations and I got some really great feedback from other designers, photographers and artistpreneurs embarking on their own freelance adventure.

Then in August I started up my own business with my sister called Braid Creative & Consulting. Though I've been blogging over at Braid but I haven't shared the underbelly of the experience - and how it differs from freelancing. About how my life has changed and what has stayed the same. I'd love to chat with you all about it today.

• I get dressed more often
I was totally slacking and wearing sweats or workout clothes 90% of the time before I partnered up with my sister. Now we have lots of meetings all the time. So I'd say I get dressed and put on makeup 4 out of 5 days of my work week.

• I don't Tweet as much
I just feel like I don't have as much to say in 140 words anymore. But I miss the abbreviated banter and witty conversations.

• I work more weekends
I thought I was busy before I started Braid - but I had no idea. Deadlines are tight and there are only so many hours in the day. This means working on the weekends from time-to-time. However, I never email on the weekends.

• I don't work evenings
I'm trying to stay diligent about shutting it down by 5:30 or 6:00PM.

• I still workout almost every day
My workouts will always be my most important meeting of the day.

• I'm more accountable
Working with a business partner and for larger organizations (and larger fees) means I'm more accountable to my deadlines and to continuing to push myself as an expert in my field.

• I'm getting smarter
Partnering with Tara has really pushed my level of thinking, strategizing and planning to a whole new level. It's not just about design anymore. A lot of my job involves writing and consulting and lots and lots of thinking.

• I make more money
That's nice (really nice) - but right now my time is more valuable than cash. So that's a balance I'm trying to find.

• I have a business partner
Tara and I have this saying where it's not like 1+1=2. For us it's more like 1+1=6 - we're catalysts for each others growth and sometimes that comes with growing pains. But most of the time it means having someone to say "Can you believe we're really doing this?" to.

• I have an employee
That's right. The ink isn't even dry on the deal but we just hired a part time employee. Tara and I will still be doing all the heavy lifting (designing / writing / etc.) but we need someone to help tackle the insane amount of work we've managed to pick up.

• I have a life coach
He helps me navigate the choppy waters (and emotions) that come with being an entrepreneur and holds me accountable to my goals. He also has a good laugh at me and gives it to me straight when I'm acting a fool.

• My job feels more like a job
Mondays feel like Monday and Saturdays feel like Saturday.

• Capturing, Shaping and Sharing is still my biggest priority
Everything I do - from personal to professional - involves capturing the details, shaping them to tell a story and then sharing it with the world. It's cool to integrate my personal philosophy into my professional process.

Why Mister Scooty Boots Is On My Sh*t List. Again.

2012-01-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

1. Two days ago he ripped a plant out of it's pot and dragged it across our freshly sweeped and mopped kitchen.

2. Yesterday he knocked a full cup of coffee over on Jeremy during breakfast.

3. This morning he tipped a vase full of water over. While trying to eat the flowers.

It's a good thing he's so damn handsome.

Why Mister Scooty Boots Is On My Sh*t List: Part 1

Anatomy of an Outfit: A Mish Mash

2012-01-05T13:39:00.001-08:00

Today is one of those unseasonably warm days that calls for a mish-mash of unrelated articles of clothing. The day itself has also been a mish of lazy coffee and slow starts mashed with interviewing a potential employee (!!!), a thought-provoking conversation over tea and scones with a new friend (but the kind of new friend you feel like you've known forever) followed by a client meeting.

All while wearing a mish-mash of clothing including a really nice puffy vest that I got for Christmas. A really nice puffy vest that my 7-year-old nephew calls a trash bag. Which just makes me love it that much more.

Vest - The Northface
Tee & Shorts - BCBG
Leggings - Who knows
Boots - Fiorentini & Baker

P.S. The old Anatomy of an Outfit chalkboard wall is now covered by my bed (a new one is going up shortly). And my cowhide was taken from me by my brother while he was home for Christmas - he had loaned it to me. For like... 2 years. Shouldn't there be a statute of limitations on loans like that?

Freelance Matters | When To Work For Free

2012-01-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

I've addressed how to estimate and bill freelance projects. I've talked about the importance of getting paid for your work - because if you don't value your work, monetarily, neither will anyone else. But today I want to talk about when you SHOULD work for free. I get asked by other freelancers all the time about how I deal with "pro-bono" projects.

So here it goes.

Point 1. The only time you should work for "free" is when you can see the value of what you have to gain from the experience.

Here are a few instances where this value might be recognized:

• When you need to build your portfolio: If you're new to your creative endeavor and are building experience it might be worthwhile to work for free (or a very small charge). But if you do this - you better make SURE that project becomes portfolio worthy. Make it clear to your client that in exchange for your service you want them to trust your creative vision and guidance so that you end up with a piece you're proud to show off.

• When you work for trade: I love working for trade and never consider it "free". I like to view trade as an exchange of energy - so it's wise to make sure both parties understand the worth of the services or products being traded so it's a fair deal. It should be obvious but needs to be said: I will not work for trade if the other party doesn't have services or products of value to me.

• Working for charity: I've been asked to do pro-bono work for charities work a lot. I only say yes when the charity asking is meaningful to me - I get value from feeling like I was able to contribute to a good cause. If you accept pro-bono work and become resentful about it only creates bad karma for you and them. You do not have to say yes to every charity that comes knocking at your door just because they're a charity.

• You owe someone a favor: I've been blessed with lots of generosity from friends within my industry. Vendors and other experts who have gifted me with knowledge and goods. When they ask for a design favor I happily return it.

• Working for friends & family: This one is probably the trickiest. When it comes to wedding invitations or baby announcements I almost always say yes (or offer before they even ask) if I have the time. It's hard to say "no" to family & friends but the times I do they always seem to understand.

And that brings us to point #2.

Point 2. - Always make sure whoever is receiving your services for free knows what your worth in dollar value.

This might mean sending your charity or friend an invoice with the dollar amount of your services - but with a $0 balance at the bottom. You might even include a note saying "Happy Birthday!" even if it's nowhere near their birthday. This way they know it's kind of a special, rare thing that you're not willing to do all the time. (But don't do this if it really is a birthday / wedding / baby gift - that would be awkward).

I just want to leave you with one final thought when it comes to working for free and saying "no." If someone loves your work and services and wants to hire you but doesn't have the money to pay for your services then they are probably not a good fit for you. Just because they really like you and you really like your job doesn't mean you have to work for them for free.

What's your stance on working for free? Do you have a hard time saying no? When do you say yes?

P.S. I love Jessica Hische's Should I Work For Free flowchart.

Tea and Meditation

2012-01-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

It started the day before New Year's Eve - with a little tickle in my throat. It rapidly expanded into my head and tonsils. And today I'm dealing with the aftermath which involves copious amounts of snot and a raw voice.

I'm sad because I'm ready to get moving with Operation: Badass. But maybe this is my body's way of telling me to slow down for a minute. Slow down. Slow. Down. So opposed to my original plan of P90x2-ing my way into badassery, I'm going to be spending the rest of this week recovering with the company of green tea and quiet meditation.

I've been meditating consistently for a few months now. For someone who isn't traditionally "spiritual" I've found a good amount of peace in sitting silently for 20-30 minutes a day as I fill my body, home, planet and universe with light, love and good vibes. The old cynical me is laughing in my face and making sarcastic remarks about "that hippie bullshit" - but the part of me that wants to be optimistic, kind & wise is more powerful right now.

Girl Crush: Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley

2012-01-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

Just like everyone else I'm thinking about my goals, lists and dreams for 2012. Somehow that includes Googling images of Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley.

Let's go back to 1991. I'm nine years old and watch Aliens for the first time - dubbed on a scratchy old VHS tape. The film moved me - partially because I looked exactly like Newt but also because I wanted to be Ripley. Especially in that moment when she makes her entrance in that power-loader suit. So cool.

And then Terminator 2: Judgement Day comes out. Because I have older siblings and rad parents I get to go see it in the theater. I became mesmerized by Sarah Connor's ability to do pull-ups. I wanted to be her too. At 9-years-old these bad ass heroines made a permanent impression on me.

So, in 2012 I'm planning on getting in my best shape yet. Yogis in standing splits and celebrities with 6-packs in bikinis are great inspiration for some - but I'm going to hold images of Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley in mind as I work towards becoming a badass of my own. I want to be in the kind of shape that gets me up walls and to the tops of mountains, and in the event that the world does end in 2012 maybe I can get through that too (we know I have the wardrobe for it). I guess while I'm at it I might as well learn how to shoot a gun, stock up on little white undies and burn all my bras.

I'll be sharing details on my workout routine and how I plan on getting in my best shape yet in 2012 later this week. For now I want to know: who inspires you to be a badass?

2011: Adventure and Love

2011-12-30T05:33:00.000-08:00

a. Destin, Florida

b. Brooklyn, New York

c. Sault St. Marie, Michigan

d. Durham, North Carolina

I spent the beginning of 2011 imagining what I wanted my life to look like - it took form in a colorful vinn diagram with 3 equal parts: Adventure & Love, Design & Creativity, Food & Health.

Today I'm going to recap the adventures and and places we went in 2011. When I travel, especially with the people I hold closest to my heart, I feel connected and in love with the whole world. Travel has become important to me and something I need to do more of.

Where we went:
• Destin, Florida - A family vacation that included lots of time in the ocean and in the pool. I managed to wear zero sunscreen and never get burnt.

• Brooklyn, New York - Jeremy and I went to Brooklyn for some quality time with my brother. But I also got to hang out with my friends Anna and Sana. Jeremy and I found the cure for hiccups on a subway platform and developed a love for a good bloody mary.

• Sault St. Marie, Michigan - This is our second time to meet Liz and her family out at their cabin on Lake Superior in the upper peninsula of Michigan. This place is magical - the family, the lake, the cabin, the sauna, the lazy mornings.

• Durham, North Carolina - Jeremy surprised me with a visit to Durham, North Carolina to visit Liz (we can never get enough Liz) and her boyfriend Micah. It's not a proper Liz Vacation unless there is lots of food and wine followed up by slow mornings with coffee and quiet conversation.

• Austin, Texas - I wound up in Austin half a dozen times this year. Once while on a branding adventure with Tara and a few more times to meet with Mel and Dave about the cookbook (or you know... just to have dinner). I also got to meet up with my buddies Bryan and Kendi a few times which is always a pleasure.

This year I learned that the kinds of vacations that nourish my soul are the ones that not only connect me with other people but the ones that provide me with meaningful interaction with nature. I missed the himalayas and our 2010 trek to Everest Base Camp (something fierce) all year long - but spending time in water and sand was nice.

I'm looking forward to the adventure and love that 2012 will bring.

Leather / Fur / Wood

2011-12-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

Jeremy is really great at having a place for everything and everything in its place.

Me? I'm really great at taking off my shoes in the most inconvenient place in the house - like the hallway or middle of the living room floor - and just leaving them there.

But yesterday my lack of consideration (and my penchant for really nice boots) made art. It's called Leather / Fur / Wood: a study in black, brown and white.

Master Bedroom Sneak Peek

2011-12-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peek at our cozy little new room. We decided to use the wrought-iron bed from the guest bedroom as our bed and that rad throw was a Christmas gift from my mom and dad. (My mom found it at Blue Seven - I was so proud of her for buying all of my wonderful gifts locally this year.) The cats most definitely approve. I'll share more of this space once it's more complete.

Jeremy pointed out, after reading my switcheroo post, that our former master bedroom isn't really all-caps HUGE huge. It's probably 12' x 20' and our new room is about 12' x 10'. When comparing it to a new build master suite, no - it's not huge. But when you look at it next to someone living in a studio the size of our bedroom - yeah, it's huge. HUGE, even. Our entire house is about 1,500 sq. ft. - it has 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room and a living room. This feels plenty big to me but every year Dwell comes out with a "small homes" issue and what qualifies as small is 1,500 sq. ft. or smaller. But I digress...

Salmon and Green Beans

2011-12-27T08:04:00.000-08:00

Early last year Jeremy and I decided to try out P90X. For those of you who aren't familiar, P90X is a grueling home workout system that builds strength through a technique called muscle confusion. Jeremy and I had a little bit of success but we knew we could do better. We decided that next time we would follow the diet guidelines a little closer in order to achieve the results we were wanting to see.

This year I got P90X2 for Christmas (more on that later)*. I was really excited to see that the food part of the program accommodates vegans and vegetarians - but upon further inspection I was disappointed to see these sources were primarily processed options like protein shakes, seitan, tofu and tempeh. You have to eat a lot of protein (like 225g a day a lot) during phase 1 of the P90X2 - so to be a vegetarian it would mean lots of processed food. In order to achieve the very specific results I'm looking for I'm faced with a dilemma: lots of processed food vs. fish. I know there are lots of vegans out there who can make it work but for now fish won. Over my 15 years of being a vegetarian I've always had fish on occasion - when I was a kid my dad would literally go out to our backyard, on a lake, and catch our dinner. So it's a food that is a part of my culture and history. All of that to say - I'm fairly comfortable eating it.

And I've gotta tell you - this salmon I had for dinner last night is mighty tasty. I used Mel's salmon recipe from Well Fed and her magic green beans recipe found here.

*Here are some past posts about my workouts - I may do an updated one for the new year if you all are interested:
• Anatomy of an Outfit: Sweating it Out
• Working on my fitness

A Switcheroo and Other House To-Dos

2011-12-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

We're about to make some big changes around the J&K household. We've been here for well over 3 years and are looking forward to switching things up. My sister and I have been working out of my home together for a few months now - she's been working in the breakfast nook while I work out of my office - but we'd like to be a little closer to each other. We're also looking to hire a part-time designer or paid intern soon (if you live in Oklahoma and are interested let me know!) so we need more space. So with Jeremy's suggesting we are moving the office into our HUGE master bedroom and our bedroom into the smaller office. Then we're converting our guest bedroom into a studio for photo shoots and making music (something Jeremy and I are going to dive into come the new year).

House to-dos:
• Switch office / master bedroom (furniture / closets / window treatments)
• Store guest bed in garage
• Paint chalkboard wall in the new studio space
• Paint living room black (I'm trying not to chicken out on this one)
• Hang door to basement

Wish me luck!

The Mean Machine

2011-12-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

When I was little my dad was a fishing guide. That means people would pay him money to take them fishing because he knew where the good catches were. (In fact, he can go back to lakes he fished decades ago and remember the best places to find fish.) Maybe that's where I got my live what you love work and life philosophy.

My dad recently got this tiny 2-person boat that he calls The Mean Machine for the new lake house. Watching him drive it around on the little lake him and my mom now live on makes me laugh - every single time. When he's in a boat (no matter how small) on a lake (even if it's more like a pond) he's completely in his element - he's content to fish by himself but I think he's happiest when he's sharing the experience with someone else.

It makes me wonder - do I have a Mean Machine? Where am I most in my element? I think my happy place might be on the other side of the world or at least 12,000 ft. above sea level. What about you? Where is your happy place?

Whiskey

2011-12-21T06:11:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I popped into Shop Good the other day to tackle our Christmas shopping and I stumbled upon a line of Portland General Store products. I opened little sample bottles of various colognes and fell in love with Whiskey. I love the idea of having a signature scent and at the same time I love the way men smell - I'm always attracted to masculine, woodsy colognes.

Here's the Whiskey description:
Bring out that inner Brando with this elegant and charismatic fragrance, updated from a classic 1920s recipe. Power and masculinity are obvious in the deep wood and amber, and an unexpected hint of spice and floral complexity reveals itself over the hours.

Sounds nice, right? The downside - I have to promise Jeremy I haven't been macking on any rustic old men when he goes in for a kiss and smells my new cologne. Instead I tell him I've only been bringing out my inner Brando and making out with him in my mind. All. Day. Long.

Spinach and Mushroom Muffins (+ A Giveaway)

2011-12-20T06:28:00.000-08:00

The best part of designing a cookbook was having access to all the amazing recipes. Like these savory ~~Meat~~ and Spinach Muffins - easily made vegetarian with mushrooms instead of sausage. My photos just don't do them justice (I blame the sun setting at 5:00PM and lack of natural light) but I promise - they're super tasty. Melissa, the author of Well Fed, has not only encouraged me to experiment with veggie-ing up her recipes she's also given me permission to share the recipe with you. The recipe below is modified from Melissa's original.

Mushroom and Spinach Muffins
Prep: 15 min
Cool: 15 min
Bake: 40 min

Ingredients:
2 bags of fresh spinach, washed, dried and chopped (you can use 3 16oz bags of frozen chopped spinach too)
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 large package of mushroom, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons raisins
3 large eggs (note: I used 4 smallish eggs - but next time I'll try with just 3)
* as a commitment to eat as local as possible I highlight locally sourced ingredients in green

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

This is crucial step! (If using frozen spinach): Squeeze the excess water from the defrosted spinach. Here’s my trick for removing excess water: Place all the spinach in a colander or wire sieve and press out the water with the bottom of a bowl that fits inside the colander, then squeeze individual handfuls of spinach to wring out the remaining water. You should have about 4 cups of spinach when you’re finished with the squeezing process.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add coconut oil and allow it to melt. Toss the onion in the pan and sauté, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it’s crisp-tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the chopped mushrooms into the pan. Cook until they release their liquid - you may need to drain the liquid in a strainer and return mushrooms back to the pan. Add the garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, curry powder and raisins and cook until the mushrooms are browned. Stir in the spinach until it’s combined. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

Scramble the eggs in a small bowl with a fork, and when the mushroom/spinach mixture is cool, add them to the mix; blend well. The easiest way to combine everything is to mix with your hands. Dig in!

Place muffin papers in a 12-count muffin pan; they prevent sticking. Pack the batter into a 1/2-cup measurer, then transfer it to the muffin pan, using your hands to pack the spinach tightly into the muffin paper. It should be slightly mounded on top – the muffins puff a bit when they bake, then slightly deflate when cool. Remove the muffins from the pan and store covered, in the refrigerator.

My muffins came out more like miniature quiche but they were still super tasty. And the curry + raisin combination is just one example of "You Know How You Could Do That?" variations that Melissa offers with almost all of her recipes.

Mel is generously offering a Jeremy & Kathleen reader a signed (by both Melissa and myself) copy of Well Fed plus a homemade spice blend by the author herself!

Enter to win by liking Melissa on Facebook or following her on Twitter and commenting below with your email address (so I can get a hold of you if you win). A winner will be picked by random on this Friday, December 23rd at 12PM CST - you have until then to enter.

Confession: I Like My Pimple

2011-12-16T06:26:00.000-08:00

Before you're all "Say what!?" and unsubscribe from my blog hear me out. I've been blessed with really great skin. I know this and fully appreciate it. Don't worry - I've been cursed with a few things to make up for it. Like huge bags (not just dark circles but bags that could double as a small purse) under my eyes until I've been awake for no less than 4 hours. And I've inherited varicose veins (the huge bulging kind) that have been protruding from my calves since I was 12. I could think of a few more things to hate myself about but this post isn't about that.

This post is about embracing and actually liking my beauty flaws and faux pas.

Like the occasional pimple. I regard these painful blemishes as beauty marks - a monthly gift to be embraced and worn with pride - not covered up or Photoshopped away. I kind of like it. And have you ever shown up to work or a dinner party and found that you and your best friend have the exact same pimple in the exact same place? I love it when that happens - it's our hormones' way of saying "matchy-matchy, same-same!"

Do you have any beauty confessions - flaws that society (or infomercials) have deemed unacceptable that you like? (Curly hair might be one of them.)

Vintage Patchwork Wedding Invitations

2011-12-15T11:33:00.001-08:00

Okay, I know I said I was done designing wedding invitations. And I am - but I still have a couple more custom suites to share with you guys. Carly, a super sweet not crazy bride, and long time blog reader asked me to design her wedding invitations when she got engaged to her man, Travis. She wanted something that was quirky and Anthropologie-ish with a little bit of modern elegance. Here's what I came up with:

I love that each piece isn't super matchy-matchy but still cohesive with gold and dove gray running through each design - it reminded me of an old patchwork quilt when I was done with it. These invitations were printed digitally on a silky cream cover weight stock. Carly and Travis used kraft paper envelopes with a custom-made return address banner stamp I designed to match.

The Feed Mill

2011-12-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

I've probably driven past this feed mill on I-35 while making the trip to Texas and back probably a hundred times. And every time I look at it in awe - it looks like something that, with the right lighting and soundtrack, could be part of a Tim Burton movie. It looks like the kind of place where Edward Scissorhands would go to live out his old age. I think about all the bits and pieces of this complex and industrial sculpture. I think about what it would be like to climb around on top of it - to feel the rusty metal in my palms as I swing from one pipe to the next. In my mind I've explored every nook and cranny of this feed mill.

I recently watched a documentary streaming on Netflix called Urban Explorers: Into The Darkness. It wasn't super awesome but it captured my attention - because I can relate to the kind of child-like curiosity the subjects of the film satiate by exploring old forgotten tunnels and abandoned buildings. It reminded me that just because I'm an adult doesn't mean I can't go exploring from time-to-time.

Well Fed

2011-12-13T06:50:00.000-08:00

Dino-Chow is what Mel calls it. A way of eating that emphasizes eating real food - animals and plants. The first time Mel and I hung out she described it as not just eating stuff that isn't bad for you but eating food that will actually make you healthier.

Mel hired me to design a "little" Paleo cookbook for her. It was supposed to be a fun side project for all of us but when I finished the initial designs we all knew it was going to be much bigger than a project on the side. Over the past 6 months Mel has been writing, cooking, editing and styling with her talented husband Dave who just picked up a camera and was instantly amazing at taking photos. Food photos, no less (which is notoriously hard to do). Meanwhile, it was my job to bring it all to life with what Mel endearingly calls "fairy dust".

Together, this is what we made:

I learned so much about food and flavor while working on this book. And while I don't eat meat, I found a lot of these recipes can be made vegetarian (and still Paleo) by substituting with mushrooms or (non-Paleo) tofu. And the veggie section is nothing to sneeze at. And the best part is that Jeremy and I made some really fantastic friends in the process.

You can buy Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat and download a free 30-page sample of the book here.

Roadtrip Views

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I took another little quick trip down to Austin, Texas this weekend to celebrate an approved proof and production of Well Fed - a Paleo cookbook I designed - with my clients & friends Mel and Dave.

After a busy week I was looking forward to 6 hours (each way) in the car with Jeremy. Our ride was peppered with a little conversation and most excitingly, we saw a wolf (!!!) chowing down on roadkill in the median on the highway. But otherwise it was a quiet and cloudy drive. It was the kind of road trip that leaves you fixated on abandoned trailers and old farmhouses on expansive fields - wondering about the lives people live between here and there.

The Reward

2011-12-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

This week started off hard. On Monday I was overwhelmed with uncertainty - the kind of uncertainty and fear that comes with designs that don't yet exist but have a quickly approaching deadlines. I started consoling my fits of panic by saying "The reward is going to come in just a week - with finished designs, kick-ass case studies and a few paychecks."

My sister (/business partner) quickly reminded me that the reward is right here, right now. The reward is that we have a bunch of amazing clients and that we get to work together to help them. The reward is in the journey - not the destination (a little trite, but oh so true).

All of that said, I'm glad it's the weekend.

Should I Paint My Living Room Black?

2011-12-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

exhibit a.

exhibit b.

exhibit c.

Last night Liz was over for dinner (yay!) and we did what we do which is start talking about being a minimalist, rental properties, moving, the thrill & challenges of new spaces, and landscaping.

Jeremy and I have been in our little house for over 3 years now and I'm starting to take it for granted. I mean, I love it but I don't think about it. What I think about is moving from cute little house to little house every year as we grow our rental empire. I'm think about buying land and living in an Airstream for a few years while we build our dream home. I think about renovating an old run down, but fabulous, mansion in a shady but up-and-coming area.

Liz interrupts me before I get to my next idealistic and romanticized money-pit notion and says "Why don't you just paint your living room black?" She knows me so well. She knows that I need to change my environment or I get bored - so why not start with the (really cute!) space I've already got.

Pros, cons and worries about painting my living room black:
• The tall barrel ceiling presents a design challenge. Do I paint just up to the quarter-round (see exhibit a - about 8 ft. high - to the top of the windows on the left)?
• And what about the insides of the shelves flanking the fireplace (see exhibit b) - do I paint those too?
• If the living room is black with a cream ceiling it will match our hallway (which you can see from the living room) - see exhibit c.
• The TV (seen here) would blend right in to the surroundings.
• The wood floor and neutral furniture would really pop against black.

Here are some black rooms that inspire me:
• Victoria's black living room (see! surprisingly airy for being black)
• Anna at Door Sixteen is a fan of black & white interiors. She has a good collection of inspiring black rooms here.

What do you all think? Should I go for it?

Curly Girl

2011-12-06T06:30:00.001-08:00

Just a few years ago I had a jet black shag (a rockin' mullet, really) that I would straighten every. single. day. I was hiding my inner Carrie Bradshaw under that badass facade. Eventually I put down the chi and embraced my inner curly girl.

A couple summers ago I talked about my hair routine (which included not washing it for 8 days in a row). Since then things have changed a little. Here's what I do:

• Wash roots / scalp with a dime-size dollop of shampoo every 8 - 10 days
• In between washes I will rinse with water daily
• Every day I'll alternate between TIGI Curls Rock Leave In Conditioner & Kinky Curly Curling Custard
• For best results I let my hair air dry. This takes a couple hours.
• If I don't have time for air drying I will use a blow dryer with a diffuser on high heat, low air flow.
• Lately I've been parting my bangs down the middle. I straighten them with the Chi but then with a flick of my wrist at the end for that Charlie's Angel winged look.
• Then I use a 1" curling iron and touch up just a few chunks of hair for a more polished look. This makes me feel a little more professional. I use this technique for curling. (But note! I'm curling my already curly hair)
• I've been rocking the ombre / roots look. I love the blonde and Jeremy has a thing for brunettes. So the fact that this is a trend right now allows me to straddle the line between both.
• Because I work out every day my hair usually ends up in a bun.
• My hair does something new and different every day. This is the nature of being a curly girl - I just roll with it. Sometimes I will go through the entire process of washing / drying / curling only to look like the lead singer of an '80s hair band. I either choose to roll with it or put it in a bun.

Are any of my readers curly girls? I want to hear about any tips you've got or products you love.

P.S. Check out this post my sister did on embracing the curly.

2011-12-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

I've been on Pinterest since the get-go but now I'm loving it more than ever before. I now pin solely through my Braid account - so follow me here:
pinterest.com/braidcreative/

More on Pinterest:
• A video I made on How To Pinterest
• Pinterest as an Idea Vault

Are you all active on Pinterest? What are your favorite types of things to pin? Comment with a link to your boards and I'll follow you!

Landscaping. Finally.

2011-12-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

Ever since our big tree was cut down the front of our house our curb appeal has been lacking. And after 3.5 years of living here I've determined that I'm probably never going to find motivation to landscape. It's just too complicated - there are so many variables like sun, water, perennial vs. annual, etc.

So I finally hired my friend Hallie's little brother, who owns Clean Cut Curbs, to overhaul the front of our house. I told him I wanted something mid-century modern but still complimentary to the old historical tudor style of our home. I told him I wanted plants that didn't need to be watered and could deal with ice in the winter and 100+ heat in the summer.

Here's what he came up with:

Amazing, right? On top of all of that we're also getting a new tree that will sit in the middle of our front yard (rather than right next to the house like the old one). I think this overhaul will rekindle my love for our home.

The Christmas Monster

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

As much as I loved Thanksgiving this year, I am not terribly motivated to get in the Christmas spirit. Jeremy pulled our little tinsel trees out of the basement - they sat on our dining room table, with the branches all folded up, for days. It took all the energy I had to simply unfold and spread them out.

But it did cheer me up to see our little Christmas monster. A few years ago as we pulled the trees out of the basement this little guy was attached to the top of the silver tree. I still have no idea how he got there (I had never even seen him before I spotted him on this tree) but that's where he lives now. He comes out once a year with that gnarly smile and says "Fuck yeah, it's Christmastime, bitches!" (Pardon his foul language - as enthusiastic as he is about Christmas he is still a monster afterall.)

Apples and Acorn Squash

2011-11-29T12:27:00.005-08:00

'Tis the season for winter squash! I typically like throwing squash in a curry dish but I was in the mood to take it a sweeter route last night - and we have a bin full of local apples to use up. I had to work late last night so directed Jeremy on how to make this meal from my office:

1) Cut an acorn squash in half, scoop out the seeds
2) Drizzle with olive oil and a dash of salt.
3) Stick cloves around the edge (apparently this was tricky...)
4) Fill the middle with chopped apples and sprinkle with cinnamon
5) Bake at 400F for 40-60 minutes (make sure to bake in a dish filled with about .5" of water and cover with tin foil to keep from drying out).

Voila!

What's your favorite winter squash recipe? I need to load up on ideas - we'll be eating lots of it over the next few months.

P.S. I already mentioned how I love shopping at Native Roots but if you're in OKC you have to check out Urban Agrarian. They used to sell local veggies out of a van on Sundays but now they have a permanent spot in Downtown OKC next to the old farmer's market - they're open Wed-Sun from 10am - 6pm.

A Thanksgiving Baptism

2011-11-28T06:54:00.000-08:00

I spent the days leading up to Thanksgiving thinking about how it's quickly becoming my favorite holiday. I decided in the middle of last week that I was going to spend four whole days quietly thinking about what I was thankful for and that I would report back here with some new found illumination on the meaning of life. It was going to be like a Sophia Coppola movie with a sleepy soundtrack - I had it all planned out.

But just when I started to take myself a little too seriously, I went from a Sophia Coppola film to a John Hughes flick and fell into the lake with my sister and 3-year-old nephew. It was a series of events led to our Thanksgiving baptism of sorts - it started with Tara insisting I get in the kayak with her followed by Jeremy insisting that we all load up in the kayak together on the bank of the lake excited to give us a bold send-off into the lake. And with one good push we rolled into the lake.

I was so present in that moment - I remember thinking how perfect it was that we were being dunked into a cold lake on Thanksgiving day. And in that split second, just before we hit the water, I swear I found the meaning of life.

bloom

2011-11-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I had dinner with my friends Bryan and Kendi. Over wine and food we exchanged sarcastic quips and stories about being creative entrepreneurs, bloggers and life in general. Once I was good and tipsy Kendi revealed to me that she was going to open a store, called Bloom, just north of Dallas - and that she needed a logo, signage and business cards and for said store. In like ... a week. I made her buy me another glass of wine and said YES.

Kendi wanted something understated, clean and industrial - a bold contrast to the really beautiful and feminine clothes she would be carrying in her store. I wanted to do something that was a little bit of a visual nod to her and Bryan's photography business, Photograhers Skeen, too.

After I knocked the logo out we tackled the exterior signage (I love the little hello. decal on the front door - that was Kendi's idea) and a more bold cut-out stainless steel sign for behind the cash wrap. Meanwhile, Kendi is working her magic (read: not sleeping for weeks at a time) and getting the store remodeled and stocked for a quick opening. We worked seamlessly, hundreds of miles apart, on different pieces of the puzzle - having faith that it would all come together to make for a beautiful shop.

On my way back up from Austin last weekend I stopped through McKinney, TX (which is a magical little town where characters played by Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock live) and made Kendi open her store on her day off so I could see the whole shebang - and you guys, the place is amazing. I'm so proud of the hard work Kendi put in to see this dream of hers come to fruition.

Visit bloom online here: www.bloomdowntown.com

Shop Good

2011-11-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

Most of the time I'm a designer. But sometimes I'm a model.

When my friends at Shop Good (aka Jeremy's favorite store ever) asked me to model for their Holiday Gift Guide I had to say yes. What's so cool about Shop Good is that every purchase made impacts local and global communities for good (they not only buy ethically made clothes and jewelry, they also donate a portion of the proceeds from each purchase to a charity). If you want to look rad, and feel good while being a consumer Shop Good is your place.

Also - they don't judge me when I come in on a monthly basis to try on every pair of Warby Parker glasses in the store - even though I have 20/20 vision.

• Click here to see more in the Shop Good Holiday Gift Guide.

• Go here to Shop Good online - get 20% off your purchases 11/24 - 11/27 by entering promo: blackfridayforgood

Disclaimer: I did not receive compensation to blog about this. I genuinely love these people and this shop. F'reals.

Friends. Giving.

2011-11-21T06:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Jeremy and I took a little road trip down to Austin, Texas to spend some time with our new friends (and clients) Melissa & Dave. I'm designing a Paleo cookbook for Mel and she wanted to get a group shot of all the contributors for the back-of-the-book bios. And she promised food & drink.

So, it was this picture perfect scene. An outdoor feast + 75 degree temperature + a canopy of lights + beautiful people + great conversation - it was a recipe for magic. We talked about the creative process and art and food. We shared back stories and exchanged hearty laughs.

I need more of these kinds of scenes in my life - I'm thinking it starts by stringing some lights in my backyard. I'll cook and you bring the booze. How does that sound?

Speaking

2011-11-18T06:06:00.000-08:00

I was invited to speak at AIGA OK on the Culture of Design in Oklahoma. It was Pecha Kucha style which meant each speaker (there were 7 of us) was given 20 slides at 20 seconds each. There was a broad range of designers - from graphic, to furniture, to interior and architecture - all raising conversation about the design culture we're responsible for buying (and consuming) in Oklahoma. It was inspiring and thought-provoking.

I talked about how through my blog I've connected with artistpreneurs from all over the world. That the culture of design is no longer geo-specific - that you can be creative from anywhere. What people crave are authentic and genuine connections and now you can do that from anywhere - now it's easy to have friends from every corner of the world. I closed with the fact that what's really important is the content we creative Oklahomans are capturing, shaping and sharing with the world - from the heart - and from the heartland.

What do you guys think? How does the creative culture where you live contribute to or hinder your ability to be creative?

P.S. I'd like to mention how much I've fallen in love with speaking. Over the past year I've found that I really have something to say - and I always learn so much in the conversations that follow. So I'm going to put myself out there and say that I would love to come speak to your organization, company or club - about anything from personal branding, to being a friendlier (and more efficient) creative, to blogging.

P.P.S. I'll be facilitating a round table discussion at the Altitude Summit in Utah (January 2012) on using your blog as an authentic marketing tool. If you're going to Alt I'd love for you to join me in this conversation.

Baby

2011-11-16T11:44:00.001-08:00

We're made to make babies. I get it. But it still seems so novel every time it happens.

It starts with the "I'm pregnant" conversation. After so many years of false alarms it's hard to believe that your friend is actually pregnant.

Then you get to watch her grow and it's strange how normal it begins to feel. You start to think 9 months is going to last forever - it's easy to forget there's a baby at the end of it all. It's all about the pregnancy, the feelings, the anxiety, and the blunt, yet fascinating, conversations about vaginas.

And then one day you get a text saying "she's here" and it's kind of full circle back to the "I'm pregnant" conversation. Because you just can't quite wrap your head around the fact that just yesterday your dear friend was telling you an everyday story about shopping at the grocery store and today - today, she has a baby.

I'm glad you're here, Molly. The whole world is glad you're here.

Road Trip

2011-11-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I hopped & skipped down to Texas for the weekend. I have a lot to share about what a great time we had with friends, old and new - but first, I have to honor The Road Trip.

There's something about 4 wheels on an open road that makes conversation more honest, colors more vivid and the future so full of potential. Every song that came on the radio was somehow fitting for the soundtrack to an impossibly charmed ride down I-35. The vibration of the road under my seat became rhythmic and I swear, in tune with the hum of the universe.

And damn, if those kolaches at the Czech Stop in West, Texas aren't the best thing in the whole world.

The Story of My Desk

2011-11-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

This time, 4 years ago, I had just moved into a little 1-bedroom duplex just blocks from downtown Oklahoma City after a lifetime in the suburbs. I had very little furniture and decided, on a whim, that I needed a desk. Even more than a sofa, I wanted a real desk. Something vintage and sturdy - with character and history. I decided that I was going to find this dream desk for $75.

And I did. So when I talk about fantasies manifesting themselves this is exactly what I'm talking about. I've left the tag on this desk to remind me of that.

Over the past 4 years this desk has been infused with the energy of a girl navigating her way through love, artistpreneurship, and more recently it's become the place to hide under in the event of an earthquake (we had two big ones in just one week). I plan on hanging on to this desk for a very long time - but I hope whoever gets it next pays exactly $75 for it and finds it worth every penny.

Poland

2011-11-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

It's been over a year since our Everest Base Camp adventure. I didn't think it was so life-changing at the time but now I know - that experience planted a seed, and since then Nepal, trekking, adventure and the need to see the whole world has been growing in my bones. Since then I've been asking myself what's next?

A couple weeks ago Jeremy and I bought a ticket to Poland. Just like I was drawn towards Everest - Jeremy has had a hunch about Eastern Europe. So we followed his intuition and bought a ticket to Poland. While we're there we will trek the High Tatras in the Carpathian Mountains. But we also have some time to explore the area around us. We're thinking Prague, Vienna and/or Berlin - maybe even Budapest. Do you all have any recommendations? Do any of you live in the area? I'd love to meet any friends from J&K that we may have over on that side of the world.

The adventure is over half a year away, still - but it'll be here before we know it. I can't wait.

Top image via: Photo Review (graphic overlay by me)

Fight or Flight or Freeze

2011-11-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I don't even know that I'm scared until I feel the fight-or-flight-or-freeze sensation bubbling up from the pit of my stomach. The idea is that when animals or prehistoric humans were confronted with a threat the stress response was fight-or-flight-or-freeze. So no, I'm not being attacked by a lion or trying to protect my baby from a dingo but I am going through tremendous amounts of growth that push me out of my comfort zone. And with that I'm feeling the need to fight, flight or freeze.

FIGHT: I get aggressive and shitty. I buzz with unkind energy - directed at both myself and others.

FLIGHT: I start fantasizing about living in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Jeremy's out back chopping wood and I'm in an apron cuddling a little baby with ruddy cheeks and a white onesie.

FREEZE: Freeze only lasts for a few seconds at a time before fight-or-flight kicks in. Freeze is that moment where I find myself in a blank stare and wondering to myself "what am I doing?"

Obviously, flight is my favorite stress response method - because it pretends to be productive. And sometimes it is. But lately, when I feel the need to fight-or-flight-or-freeze I recognize that it's a symptom to let me know that I'm growing - that I'm stretching - and that if I can hold the position and stay the course for just a little bit longer I will be a better person for it.

Do you ever feel the need to fight, flight or freeze? How do you handle it? What do you do?

Exactly.

2011-11-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

When Liz and I talk to each other it's with our hands, the creases in the corners of our eyes and our whole hearts. I'll start a sentence and she'll finish it for me. In our conversations we usually end up constructing these art directed fantasies that only take time (sometimes seconds, sometimes years) to manifest. In my mind I like to take on the whole world - I visualize my life, as I want it to be, in transparent layers (upon layers) and big pictures. Meanwhile Liz is taking on the details - she's boiling them down to their essence until they become this kernel of beauty and truth. Some kind of magic happens as we concoct these fantasies together - we trade stories about the grand future and the beauty in the present moment. Our conversations become a back-and-forth dance of adjectives, nouns and verbs. We affirm each other with words like clearly and exactly.

When Liz shared with me a link to her new blog (starting with a post that made me cry) I knew that it would be beautiful and articulate. And it is. I knew the details would take me to the magical places our face-to-face conversations do. And they do. Now you're invited to go there too.

Photos above from Liz's blog: Exactly.

Freelance Matters | Why I Quit Working With Brides

2011-11-03T09:29:00.001-07:00

I quit designing wedding invitations because the wedding industry is whack and brides (no matter how cool) always go a little crazy when planning a wedding.

The end.

...

Okay. That's not entirely true. Let me start from the beginning with how & why I started designing wedding invitations.

THE BEGINNING: INVITATIONS ON THE SIDE
It started when I designed my own wedding invitations. I really wasn't planning on designing them. I told Jeremy we would send out a letter to our nearest and dearest and call it a day. Well, I'm a designer and can't not design anything I'm creating. The invites grabbed the attention of Joanna Goddard (of A Cup of Joe) - she posted them to her blog and the world noticed. I started getting emails from brides-to-be asking if I could design their invitations. Meanwhile, I was working as a full time senior art director at an advertising agency - I was designing campaigns for the NBA Hornets, cable providers and credit unions. Designing wedding invitations on the side seemed like a fun creative release.

What I loved about designing wedding invitations is that I wasn't using my skills to sell something that I didn't really care about and there was a unique & real love story to tell in each design. I kept getting brides from all over the country and even overseas asking me to design their invites. Then it came to the point where designing invitations on the side became a part-time job. I was starting to feel like I was done with advertising and Jeremy encouraged me to try my own thing. I quit my job and within a year of freelancing I made almost as much as I was at my ad job. A large portion of that income was coming from designing wedding invitations.

THEN I GOT BITTER.
As my time became more in demand my prices went up. Now some brides were willing to pay more for their invitations than I paid for my entire wedding. I found the more a client paid for their invitation the crazier they were. Planning a wedding can take it's toll on anyone - no matter how laid back they claim to be.

9 times out of 10 I was sending out custom estimates (which take time to put together) to brides who had NO IDEA that people were spending THOUSANDS of dollars on invitations and wanted me to custom design & letterpress theirs for pennies. I would get these harsh emails about being "way too expensive." I don't blame them but at the same time it hurt my feelings. Around this same time I was finding designs - very similar to my own and not designed by me - all over the internet. Which is a whole other Freelance Matters topic.

It was easy to become resentful and bitter. And as we all know - this is not good for the soul.

A REPUTATION
I also found that even as I was gaining popularity (yay! business!) as a custom invitation designer I hated only being known for designing invitations. People started asking me about wedding etiquette and were asking me to design seating charts and place cards and you guys - I didn't even know such things existed. I had no idea there was a proper order of events... I mean, Jeremy and I were married by a sideshow performer. I was constantly clarifying that I am a designer and art director than happens to be known for designing wedding invitations.

THE ONE CRAZY BRIDE
Okay. I know you guys really want me to dish some dirt on the couple that pushed me over the edge. It's really not so bad but here's how it happened: One evening I got an email from a dysfunctional bride telling me that her rehearsal dinner went to shit and that it was all my fault because of the place cards I had designed for her. The groom asked me what I was going to do to rectify the situation. I double-checked my files and found no fault of my own. But I was still terribly upset that their rehearsal dinner sucked and that they thought it was all my fault. I refunded some of their money and put a note up on my rates page saying that I was no longer accepting wedding invitation clients. Done. But I was ready to move on - this was just the last straw that pushed me into action. So really, I'd like to thank that couple.

I should tell you guys now that 99% of the brides I worked with were amazing - every single one featured on J&K has been nothing short of perfect.

GROOMS ARE CRAZY TOO
Any time I got a request from a groom I knew the job would be a disaster. Grooms are contacting me because A) The bride doesn't really care of about the invitation and has passed this duty off to the groom (and guys seem to like my style) or B) Because the groom actually cares wedding invitations. Either way, they were always a little out of their mind. Not bad. Just a tad crazy. I'm telling you - the wedding industry demands a certain kind of perfection and breeds a certain kind of insanity that just doesn't jive with my work style.

SMALL BUSINESS BRANDING
At the same time, I was really getting into branding for small businesses. I felt like I was making a difference for artistpreneurs and microbusinesses - I was giving "the little guys" confidence to help grow their business and the look & feel to match. Branding seemed to be a lot less disposable but still just as personal as wedding invitations. I became passionate about talking about freelancing and giving other creatives advice for moving forward in their careers too.

BUT WHO'S GOING TO DESIGN MY WEDDING INVITATIONS!?
I have worked for some really amazing brides but not a single day goes by that I regret my decision to stop designing wedding invitations. But I'm also still asked by many couples for estimates. I send them to the following:
• Check out the designer rolodex and sponsors at Oh So Beautiful Paper - they're all amazing. And a huge thanks to Nole who always supported me and shared my work with the world.
• The sponsors at A Practical Wedding (the best site out there for the bride who doesn't want to lose her shit planning a wedding) are really great too.
• My friend Rachel at Pencil Shavings has a really rad style - and she does much more than just wedding invites!

So that's the story of how I began working with - and then quit working with brides. And grooms. I don't regret the work I did and I actually still have a couple more invitations to share with you all soon. Invitation design served me well and taught me lots of lessons - but I'm excited to move on to the next chapter of my career.

Do any of you design wedding invitations - either for a living or on the side? What has your experience been like? Are any of you wanting to break into the invite design business? Let's chat in the comments.

Anatomy of an Outfit: Proof

2011-11-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

I love working with long-time blog readers. There's an instant level of comfort and familiarity. And even though they typically know way more about me than I know about them they always feel like a friend.

J&K reader Taryn (hi, Taryn!) contacted me to discuss a potential job - doing some branding work (through Braid) with a start-up company she's working for. We set up a time to chat over the phone yesterday - it was all very professional. At the end of the conversation she said "I have to tell you - it's so weird to be talking to you over the phone after reading your blog for so long. I can't help but wonder if you're talking to me in your pajamas." It wasn't "what are you wearing" creepy at all - we had a good laugh about it and I swore that I actually got dressed that day. I wasn't really planning on posting this outfit (it's not particularly interesting) but I want to prove to Taryn that I was actually, in fact, dressed.

Top - Blue Bird from wild.flower
Jeans - 575 (these are really starting to fall apart - it really stresses old people out)
Shoes - Aerosoles

Jeremy the Halloween Horse

2011-11-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

While Tara and I spent our Halloween work day painting our faces like sugar skulls, judging costume contests and taking photos of ourselves Jeremy had to actually ... like ... work.

He sent me this photo and while I appreciated his orange and charcoal outfit (complete with green monster socks, not pictured) and his horse head - with details like ear buds in the horse ears - I couldn't help but spend an obscene amount of time staring at the rest of the details in the photo.

How can I explain it... Okay - you know when you're a kid and you aren't entirely sure what your dad does at work but you know it's kind of important? That's what Jeremy's job is like to me. It's all very much a mystery to me. So sometimes when I'm here at home designing something rad like a cookbook in my striped socks (and very little else) I wonder what Jeremy's up to. I try to imagine what he's doing and what the setting is like. I try to picture the details - and this snapshot fills me in on a few: this photo tells me that he has a cozy chair, he eats leftovers for lunch at his desk, he snacks on almonds and protein powder, he is proud of his family, and he might be a little paranoid (see the little green mirror - I suspect that functions like a rear-view mirror.)

But what this photo tells me most of all is that I have the kind of husband who can totally rock a horse head - no matter the setting.

Happy Halloween: Dia de los Muertos

2011-10-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like when it's your job to be creative that you don't have the energy to be creative for ... you know ... fun? I do. So when my sister (and co-owner of Braid) told me that she had this idea for Halloween costumes I let out a big sigh and said "but I'm so ... tired."

But we did it anyways and it was so worth it.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Truck Stop Indian

2011-10-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite kind of food is Indian food. I die for a good plate of Saag Paneer, Pakora and Samosas with Raita sauce on the side. But when Jeremy first suggested (about a year or two ago) that we try out an Indian food buffet in a gas station I scoffed. And then when I met him at the gas station and saw the really sad used-to-be-a-burger-king floors and the kind of atmosphere that looked like a scene from Natural Born Killers I just about lost my appetite.

But we powered through. I grabbed a paper plate, plastic silverware and styrofoam bowl. I loaded up on hot naan, lentil soup and a curry chock-full of paneer & peas. And you guys - it was the best food I had ever tasted. I ate every last bit. We met up there again yesterday for lunch and noticed they had also opened a little grocery section where I was able to find some hard-to-find Indian spices for my own home cooked meals.

I have it on good authority that this is the most authentic Indian in the city. If you live here or are driving through OKC and you like Indian food you must stop here: Tandoor Restaurant (off MLK and Reno at I-40).

Unicycle Secrets

2011-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

I recently did a photo shoot that involved me wearing bright teal tights and balancing myself on a unicycle (found in my parents' attic - it was abandoned by my sideshow brother when he became distracted by juggling a chainsaw instead). I can't share any more of the photos or what this shoot was all about - you know, in case The New York Times wants the exclusive (cross your fingers for me).

But what I can share is this. The secret to riding a unicycle:
• Do not ride too slow. It is actually more difficult to ride slowly since it becomes more difficult to maintain your balance.
• To keep from falling off, you have to pedal continuously so that the unicycle can keep up with your body.
• Your mindset should be something like this: the unicycle is under you rather than you are at the top of the unicycle. This simply means that you should be in control and not the other way around.
• Pedal faster to keep from falling.
• If you fall, get up and ride again. All beginners experienced this when they were just starting.

Now, if that isn't just one big fat metaphor for my life right now.

Anatomy of an Outfit: Meeting Time

2011-10-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

I seem to mostly work with clients on the coasts - so if we're Skyping I can fake getting dressed. I'll just throw on a little bit of make-up and make sure I'm wearing a bra and call it a day. But lately I've had a couple real-life meetings - so in order to look professional I'll put on some pants. Or a skirt. Or at the very least some shiny leggings.

scarf - urban outfitters
tank - american apparel
skirt, belt & leggings - target
boots - frye

Camping

2011-10-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

At some point over the past few months I got it in my head that I needed to go camping. The experience I imagined would include hot dogs, s'mores, a little bit of hiking, and life-changing conversation around camp fires. We would be isolated in the woods (with just a little threat of being attacked by bears to make it exciting) and a dock that we could sit on to watch the sunset and dip our toes in the water from. I insisted that last weekend would be the perfect time to see this fantasy to fruition.

But the reality was a State Park full of youth groups and RVs (~~isolated~~), we're vegetarian (~~hotdogs~~), we forgot to buy marshmallows (~~s'mores~~), and we're not very good at starting camp fires.

That's when our tent neighbors, a small group of professional dancers (not the take-off-your clothes-kind but more like the Dancing With the Stars kind), came over and offered us some kindling and lighter fluid. We became fast friends and wound up playing Farkle and Uno into the evening. We shared popcorn, a bottle of Raw Power shiraz and lots of laughs. We were never afraid of bears but at one point we did become suspicious of our slasher-movie setting.

So, it wasn't the perfectly art directed camping trip that could double as an Urban Outfitters catalog that I was expecting - but it was still unexpectedly picture perfect.

Anatomy of an Outfit: New Jeans

2011-10-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

If you've seen me (in real life) in the past month there is a 75% chance you've seen me wearing this outfit. I kind of live in it these days. The gal who sold me these jeans made a solid promise, rooted in science, as to why these jeans would never stretch out. I should've known better - but it's okay - I love them unconditionally, baggy booty and all.

jeans - fidelity (from Blue7)
fur vest - steve madden
tee - bcbg

This week.

2011-10-21T08:46:00.001-07:00

Something about this week... there's magic in the air. Can you all feel it too? I think there must be some sort of shift in the cosmos.

• This week I learned that curiosity kills fear. I've been kind of scared about starting a new business (again) but just this week I crossed the threshold and replaced anxiety and fear with excitement and curiosity. Try it for yourself! The next time you're freaked out or all in a tizzy get curious instead.

• This week Jeremy considered applying for a job that's description sounds very spy-like. I would be so jealous. (I hope this doesn't blow his cover.) Some of the requirements are perfect vision and being able to hear whispers at a certain decibel within a certain range.

• This week I got some serious work done on the Paleo cookbook I'm designing. I've been doing so much thinking and planning and fantasizing lately that it was nice to get lost in some good old fashion layout design.

• I blogged over at Braid:
- A Case For Brilliant Note Taking (this is a video post!)
- A Review Of Finish This Book (I was excited to hear that Keri Smith read & loved it)
- Tools for Capturing (where I share my favorites)
- And our October newsletter: Draw More In Meetings and Get Others On Your Page

Have a fantastic weekend, you guys!

Anatomy of an Outfit: A New Jacket

2011-10-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Last week I was on a business trip with my sister in Lawrence, KS (my new favorite city) - as we rolled into town we found some coffee on the main drag downtown - we also found a really rad clothing store where I found this really rad Ben Sherman jacket. I looked at the price tag and decided to try and forget it about it. That lasted about 2 seconds because before I knew it I was trying it on and fell in love.

So I bought the a-little-too-expensive jacket and guess what. I've been wearing it almost every day since then. I can pair with a sloppy bun, grey deep v and jeans and instantly feel more professional. More confident. Like I know what I'm doing. So I think it's safe to say the jacket was a worthwhile investment.

jacket - ben sherman
tee - bdg / urban outfitters
scarf - urban outfitters
leggings - american apparel
boots - fiorentini & baker

I'm Not A Maternity Photographer But...

2011-10-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

When one of my closest friends in the whole world asks me to take a few snaps of her, her husband and the bump - well, I quickly become a maternity photographer for a couple hours.

You might remember my friend Hallie - I was a bridesmaid in her wedding just last November. Just a few months after she said "I do" she sent me a text with a photo of a stick she had just peed on - it said PREGNANT. I couldn't believe it. I know this is how the world works - it's simple biology, really - but I couldn't believe it. It seems like just yesterday Hallie, Liz and I were chasing birth control pills with whiskey and celebrating false alarms with champagne. It seems like just yesterday we were making an over-sized slip 'n' slide out of a discarded outdoor billboard vinyl in Edgemere Park. So to be taking photos of my very pregnant friend, and her husband Chase, in that same park just a couple years later - it felt a little unreal.

But in just a few short weeks it's going to be very very real. Hallie and Chase are going to be a mom and dad. I'm going to be Aunt Kathleen to a brand new little baby girl. I can't wait to meet her and one day tell her about all the times her mama and I used to have.

The Time I Taught A College Class (And What I Learned)

2011-10-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of September I was invited to be a guest teacher for a class at the University of Central Oklahoma - it was a Design II class (mostly juniors) working on a project to push the limits of traditional invitation design. It was my job to guide them through this process over four classes. This gig also included a gallery showing - where the school hung 30 boards of my work and I shared my art and experiences with what seemed like a hundred or so students & faculty.

THE GALLERY
Even though it's just boards hanging in an art school it felt surreal to see a years worth of freelance work - from invitations to branding projects - hanging in that hallway. The last time my work was hanging in an art school was in 2004 - when I was an art student. It almost brought tears to my eyes. To think how much I've grown since school. To think of how much I've grown as a designer and thinker in just the last year. I spend a lot of time pushing myself (and sometimes even unproductively beating myself up a little) to be better. A better designer. A better strategist. A better writer. But in that moment when I saw all my work lined up - I just felt proud of what I've accomplished in just a year.

The students and faculty were so kind about my work. It was so much fun to geek out over letterpress and typography with kindred spirits.

THE TEACHING GIG
When I was art directing at an advertising agency, before I went freelance, I hardly had the patience to talk to interns. I learned throughout this teaching gig that there has been a major shift in my mindset. The desire to help these students become amazing designers, writers and thinkers is eye-opening. And the compassion I have for these kids is overwhelming. I remember how hard school was - the need to be amazing but not yet putting in those hours, weeks and years it takes to get there.

Over two weeks and four 3-hour long classes I directed and guided a classroom of 20ish students through an invitation project. Some of them had potential and some of them had natural talent - and almost all of them had this spark - this desire be designers. It was really cool to see that.

P.S. Would you believe that when I busted out my camera to take photos I had no memory card!? D'oh! My iPhone saved the day.

WHAT I LEARNED
I learned that it's not just about being a badass designer anymore. Over the last year I've become just as passionate about talking about freelancing (if not more so) than the actual work I've been doing. I want to share my creative process (from the design direction to the nitty-gritty stuff that makes designers more efficient - like to-do lists and estimating) with anyone who could learn from what I have to share. So I've got ideas. Big ideas. Stay tuned. (Hint: It starts with writing a book ... or 12).

Eating Local: Native Roots

2011-10-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Oklahoma is hungry for good grocery stores. Within the last couple months we got a Sunflower Market and Whole Foods Market - and everyone around here is acting like it's the second coming of Christ. I'm excited about the growth and demand for quality, organic food in Oklahoma, but I have to tell you - my shopping habits won't change much. I will continue to frequent my local farmer's markets (Urban Agrarian is my favorite) for produce and my go-to grocery store will still be Native Roots Market.

Jeremy and I are both huge fans of Native Roots Market in Norman, Oklahoma. When we can't wake up early enough to get to the farmer's market we know that we can get fresh and local eggs, dairy, peanut butter, honey and produce at Native Roots. They also have a small bulk section and amazing spices and blends that I use in almost every single meal. My favorite blends are the West Indian Masala, Garam Masala and Yellow Curry. Native Roots is small - it's about 4 aisles wide but it's got everything we need.

I've mentioned Native Roots here and there on J&K before - and owner, Sara Ann Kaplan noticed the traffic we were sending their way. She checked out my blog and loved my design work. She asked if I could put together a business card for her and I enthusiastically said yes. Sara liked my 2-color, square-format, chipboard card for And Kathleen and said she was inspired by vintage silverware. From there I came up with the design you see above (note: the logo was provided). The best part is that we worked on trade. Sara got a rad business card and I got some delicious groceries. It's just my way of bringing home the ~~bacon~~ veggies.

Sneaking Wine in Parks

2011-10-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of our long weekend in Durham was lounging around for a couple hours in the Duke botanical gardens. We kicked off our shoes and threw down some blankets. We drank wine out of plastic OU cups and thumbed through magazines. I read two Dwells cover-to-cover and the new Design*Sponge book. And when I was done I fell into a sweet day dream about the future - the kind of day dream that can only happen when the present moment is nothing short of perfection.

Magic

2011-10-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

In the six years that Liz has been my friend, I've seen her live in five different places. One even landed on Apartment Therapy. But it doesn't matter where she resides - it always feels like home. She carries with her, from place to place, mid-century modern furniture, a couple cozy throws and white dishes - from a little grey house in Oklahoma City to a little yellow duplex in Durham, North Carolina. But I've said it before - and I'll say it again - what Liz really takes with her is that minimal magic. It's like everything she touches is reduced down to it's most simplistic essence. She finds the kernel of truth in her things and is able to get rid of all the excess. Maybe it's that magic of hers that has cast a spell on me because since I've known Liz I've been completely smitten with her badass-meets-minimalist style.

That same style permeates her being - from her clothes to her food to her attitude towards yearbooks and Facebook (in a recent fit of minimalism Liz threw away her yearbooks and more recently decided Facebook was cluttering up her life too). I admire her. Clearly.

So here's what. Over the next few months I'm going to go through each room of my house with Jeremy, one at a time, and touch every single thing I own. I'm going to ask myself "Self, what would Liz do?" Her voice will go through my mind and say "Is it useful? Is it beautiful?" If the answer to both are no I will toss or donate. Then I'm going to light some candles and breathe deep knowing that my space is clean - it's going to be magical.

Related:
• Liz's Flickr Stream
• The Accidental Minimalist
• Liz's OKC house is still for sale! You should buy it.

Anatomy of an Outfit: Back to School

2011-10-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

This incoming Fall weather has got me a little nostalgic for my teenage years. You guys - I loved Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder. I was too pre-pubescent to want to make out with these grunge idols so instead I wanted to be them. And I was too unsure of rocking my own undeveloped femininity to emulate Courtney Love or Shirley Manson. So I wore flannels and combat boots. I was voted most non-conformist every. single. year.

Well, now I'm perfectly comfortable with my feminine side. My nostalgia combined with combined with Rookie Magazine's (brought to you by Tavi of Style Rookie - whom I adore) 90s aesthetic has me thinking about my combat boots and flannel roots. I know I'm 29 but I can't help but want to impress 13-year-old Kathleen with a Ramones shirt paired with a lacy skirt, knee high socks and badass boots. 13-year-old Kathleen is impressed but 29-year-old me had a hard time wearing this outfit through the day.

Boots - Fiorentini & Baker
Socks - Urban Outfitters
Skirt - Rodarte for Target
Shirt - From a local record store, years ago
Cardigan - Banana Republic
Headband (because someone always asks) - Scuunci (with silicone backing)

OKC to RDU: A Surprise Vacation

2011-10-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I got a strange email notifying me of a change in flight details. The only flight I had booked was to Alt Summit, in Salt Lake City, Utah, in January. I was terribly confused as I tried to figure out why I would have a transfer in Raleigh-Durham on October 7th to get to SLC on January 18. Jeremy's plan was to wake me up at 4:30AM on a Friday morning and tell me I had an hour to pack my bags. You can imagine his disappointment when I got an email from Continental telling me all about my what-was-supposed-to-be-a-surprise vacation to see Liz (and Micah) in Raleigh for a long weekend.

A long and fabulous weekend it was. Liz picked us up from the airport and from there it was wine, coffee, food and dreamings. Liz & Micah's duplex was filled with laughs and music the whole time. I'll be posting more about the weekend this week but for now I need to go get rid of all of my stuff. Liz is inspiring in that way.

How was your weekend? What's new?

Future By Design

2011-10-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago Jeremy and I watched the documentary about Jacques Fresco called Future By Design. I haven't been able to get it out of my head since.

The 95-year-old Futurist, Jacque Fresco, completely captured my imagination and my heart. I wish I was smarter just so I could keep up with half the things he talked about in this documentary - homeboy is a genius on a million different levels. His passion and the way he spoke about his vision for the future - it was enough to bring me to tears. And the whole time I was watching this documentary I kept wavering between wanting to live in a Jacque Fresco dome house (so bad it made my heart hurt) and just straight up wanting Jacques Fresco to be my dad. (Not that my dad isn't great - I mean, in a lot of ways ol' Jacque Fresco kind of reminded me of my own dad. They're both smart and have freakishly long arms.)

This film was enough to make me reconsider my own post-apocalyptic fantasy of the future. It inspired me to think of what we can grow into versus our drab demise. And in that case - I may have to reconsider my entire wardrobe. Yeah... it was that good.

Who have you been inspired by lately?

Driftwood

2011-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

I bought this strand of driftwood at a local shop a few months ago. I'm not sure exactly when I developed a thing for driftwood - but it's there.

Anyway, I haven't really found the time or place to hang it. Or maybe I just have some sort of mental block keeping me from a seemingly easy task. And it was one of those pieces that looked so rad in the shop amongst all things eclectic and cool - and taken out of it's carefully curated habitat it just kind of falls flat.

So now I just leave it in a heap on various surfaces throughout our house. And it's grown on me - I kind of like it that way. Do you have anything like that?

Root Juice

2011-10-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

This is technically a Braid project but I can't help but share this design I did over here. I first met this client Paige on Twitter - when she told me she had a dream we were playing sand volleyball together. Then I learned that she was on a year-long honeymoon with her husband, Ryan, following summer & surf around the world. Surfing is something I've been wanting to try for a while so I was all "Hey! Teach me to surf!" So after a few emails back and forth we were pretty serious about going on a surfing vacation together - but when Paige & Ryan were held at machete point in Central America they decided to pack up and explore Europe for a while.

So while Paige & Ryan were busy becoming world travelers they were also brainstorming what's next. They decided on a juice truck. When I met up with Ryan & Paige in Austin to kick-off this branding project their enthusiasm for this venture was contagious. And their vision is huge - this is going to go way beyond just juice. Watch out, Houston.

Now that we have the identity finalized, next Tara and I get to brainstorm and design the actual truck and help name the juices once the recipes are nailed down. Seriously - dream job.

Related posts:
• Branding Adventures
• Juice
• Good Friends, Good Food

A Little Backstory (and 7 links)

2011-10-04T11:49:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to do a little recap on Jeremy & Kathleen for a while now. So when I was tagged by my new friend, Jennifer, to highlight a series of seven past posts with significance I thought it would be a good way to catch some of my newer readers up. (Hello & welcome!)

So here it goes.

My Most Beautiful Post:

My boot collection post - I think my boots are so beautiful.

My Most Popular Post:

The original post showcasing the wedding invites I designed for me and Jeremy gets a lot of hits according to Blogger stats. And it was when Joanna Goddard shared them with her audience over on A Cup Of Joe that the whole thing snowballed into a business. I no longer design invitations but will always thank Joanna for sparking that little part of my freelance career.

My Most Controversial Post:

I once heard through the grapevine that someone was offended that I wore (and documented) clashing shades of green - ever since I've been even more tempted to challenge outdated fashion rules.

My Most Helpful Post:

I like to think all of my freelance "matters" posts are helpful but To-Do Matters seemed to be a favorite.

A Post I Didn't Think Got the Attention it Deserved:

The wedding announcement. I didn't talk about the wedding planning at all on J&K until after the fact. I think I could've given it just a tiny bit more attention but I was embarrassed that it was my second time to get married.

The Post I'm Most Proud Of:

The Everest Base Camp series of posts for sure. Along with the trek itself - capturing, shaping and sharing the experience with you all changed my life.

A Post Whose Success Surprised Me:

I really had no idea you all just wanted to talk about armpits.

Pea Pesto and Spaghetti

2011-10-03T07:12:00.001-07:00

Do you ever see a fictional character eating food on TV and think "I need that in my face right now." It's always noodles that do it to me - spaghetti specifically. And the thing is... I don't even like spaghetti. I've even gone as far as to say it's my least favorite food. But yesterday when I was at my local Sunday market (Urban Agrarian) they had some homemade whole wheat spaghetti noodles and I thought about the most recent episode of The Big C where Laura Linney has a fork full of noodles and that was enough for me to add my least favorite food ever to my bag.

That evening I had an idea to combine two recipes together (lemon yogurt pasta & pea pesto) to make some tasty noodles. Here's what I did:

Lemon & Garlic Pea Pesto Spaghetti
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of pecans
2 tbs. olive oil
1 cup of peas (I used purple hull peas)
3/4 cup greek yogurt
zest of 1 lemon
salt & pepper
whole wheat noodles
pasta water
ingredients in green are local

Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan and shell your peas - add the peas to the boiling water for two minutes - drain and add to an ice bath to cool. Chop and toast pecans in a cast iron pan. Add garlic, peas and toasted pecans to the bowl of a food processor and blend - add 2 tbs. of olive oil. Then add the yogurt & lemon zest. Blend until smooth.

Meanwhile, boil and cook your pasta. Once pasta is complete add about 1/2 a cup of the pasta water to the pesto and blend to thin it out a little. Drain and shock your pasta. Fold the pesto into the pasta in a large bowl. Salt, pepper and voila.

Jeremy and I ate these noodles paired with a glass of Raw Power shiraz while watching the season premiers of Dexter and Homeland. I was never once jealous of what anyone on TV was eating.

Best Friends

2011-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

These guys are obsessed with each other.

Baby Crazy. Maybe.

2011-09-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

I blame the Patagonia Kids catalog Jeremy dropped in front of my face as I was sipping on coffee between bites of the the oatmeal (with raisins, peanut butter & cinnamon) he just cooked for me. Without warning and any restraint I found myself flipping through the pages and losing my shit over all the cute kids out and about on Wintery adventures. And the little down onesies? Forgetaboutit.

I closed the catalog - looked Jeremy in the eyes and very seriously said "I'm ready to start a family."

"Really?" Jeremy says.

"No. Not really. I just wanted to practice what that sounded like out loud."

The truth is I'm not ready. Not yet. I could be perfectly happy just the two of us forever. But sometimes I can't help but imagine sipping on coffee while Jeremy cooks an oatmeal breakfast for a little family of three. Followed by bundling a little beeb up for a Wintery adventure of our own. And when I let my mind wander like this I become just a little more baby crazy. I become just a little more ready. Maybe.

Branding Matters

2011-09-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

My business, Braid Creative & Consulting, has been officially in business for a month now. I'm going to write more about what September has looked like over on the Braid Blog later this week but for now I wanted to address a couple of frequently asked questions about my new business over here.

1. Lots of you have been asking me "What about And Kathleen?"
2. And a few of you have sheepishly asked "What exactly is a brand?"

Well, first off, I haven't been designing wedding invitations for months now - which made up about 50% of my work flow. I owe you an in-depth post on why I quit working with brides but for now I can tell you a huge part of it was that I wanted to focus on branding small businesses.

Well, then Braid came along - The Braid Method that Tara and I developed is pretty extensive as far as how we work to uncover a brand for big companies - so I kind of figured my smaller And Kathleen projects would just fizzle out. But what I found is that my readers and customers aren't going anywhere - you all upped your game to match my elevated services. And it's not just about your logo anymore - it's about your story - and how you tell it. This is branding.

At this point a lot of you might be wondering exactly what a brand is. You might hear Kim Kardashian's mom and Paris Hilton talking about their brand and not really know what that means. Basically, a brand is what people see but also what they understand. You should be proud to hand out your business card or display your logo on your door or website. Likewise, you should be able to tell someone in just one or two sentences exactly what it is your business does and stands for.

So, The Brand Starter Kit (developed with lots of help from my business partner, Tara) is my answer to integrating what I was passionate about with And Kathleen into what I'm doing now over at Braid. It's my solution to not only designing a logo & identity for microbusinesses and/or artistpreneurs but to also at the same time uncover that authentic brand story too. If The Brand Starter Kit is something you're interested in please feel free to email me at Kathleen@braidcreative.com - I will be happy to send you more information about it.

And if you're a freelancer / designer who is working on branding projects for your own clients feel free to use some ideas posted over at Braid to help uncover your own clients' brand story. If you're not following my posts over at Braid feel free to subscribe now - here's a link.

Related Posts:
• The Freelance Matters series
• Brand Identities (designed by me)

State Fair Zen

2011-09-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

My friends always seem shocked when I tell them I can count on two fingers the amount of times I've been to the Great State Fair of Oklahoma. When I was a kid I would hear rumors about "The Fair" - especially the seedy goings-on on "The Midway". "The Midway" was where the lights would shine bright, teenagers with homemade tattoos would have their hands casually slipped in each others' back pockets and don't you dare look a carnie in the eye.

So, this year when my friend Ashley invited me to go to the fair with her I was up for the adventure. Ashley was the perfect person to go to the fair with. With grace, she moved from the $3 corn dog to jalapeno cheddar poppers to an Indian taco drowned in hot sauce and topped it all off with a 32 oz. jug of root beer. And not once did she threaten to puke. She guided me from the agtropolis building (where we admired goats and butterflies) to the agriculture building (where we said hello to huge horses and baby pigs) to the car building (where I watched men gaze at cars with transparent lust thinly veiled in a I'm-too-cool-for-this-car-anyway demeanor) and finally to The Midway.

Somehow, in the middle of the commotion everything fell silent - just like a scene in a movie. It was just me, flashing lights and the smell of fried food. In the middle of thousands of people I unexpectedly stumbled upon a moment zen. I even made eye contact with a carnie and didn't lose my soul.

The thing about Oklahoma is...

2011-09-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

The thing about Oklahoma is ... sometimes the sun really knows how to say goodnight.

Week / End

2011-09-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

This Week:
• Jeremy was in Boston. I missed my big spoon.
• I slept in every morning until 7.
• I started practicing meditation for 15 minutes every morning.
• I went to the State Fair with friends.
• I took more photos.
• I had a gallery opening - with all my work on 27 boards. I felt so special.
• I started my guest teaching stint at a University here. I have so much compassion for design students - it's not easy.
• I laughed about my two design crushes (Stefan Sagmeister & Nicholas Felton) with the teacher - who's hung out with both of them. She told me they couldn't be more opposite.
• I had dinner with some of my favorite ladies.
• I now have a publicist and a life coach. It's pretty rad - I'm excited about both.
• I worked out - even though I really didn't want to.
• I got a cool ampersand photo in my email from a blog reader - I love how often this happens and I love that you guys think of me when you see ampersands.
• I checked out some office space for Braid.

This Weekend:
• I'm going to an all-day meditation thing. I'm learning to be still. Do any of you meditate?
• I would like to watch at least one documentary. I've made a new friend who practically makes it her job to watch documentaries that stream on Netflix and she always has new suggestions.
• Maybe rock climbing?
• Sleeping, cuddles and not making my own coffee.

How was your week? What are you up to this weekend?

Photo by Debbie Cramer - thanks again, Debbie!

A busy bee.

2011-09-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

A bee is never as busy as it seems; it's just that it can't buzz any slower.
- Kin Hubbard

Most times, I feel empowered by the fact that I can choose the life I want to live. I imagine a fantastic story in my mind and see it through to fruition. Other times, I frustrate myself with my inability to be still - but like a honeybee - I just can't seem to buzz any slower. If my nature is to buzz forward at all times the important question becomes "What am I moving towards?"

Here is what I'm working for. Here is what I want:
• To see and experience the world through travel. It makes me feel connected on a greater level.
• To spend more time outside. It inspires me.
• To fill my house with music, delicious food, the smell of spice and lots of light and love.
• To become a better photographer and storyteller.
• To help lots of authentic companies and genuine individuals through Braid.
• To be open to giving and receiving.
• Strength and health.
• Friendship and family.
• To recognize the beauty in everything. From the big picture to the tiny details.
• To capture, document, shape and share all of it.

What do you guys want? What are you working for? Please do tell - I really want to know.

Peaches and Cream.

2011-09-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have to have a piece of dark chocolate (like... 85% dark) every single night. In fact, my nickname may or may not be "Chocoslut" around this time of the evening. I pair a few squares with a glass of red wine and feel all sophisticated - like I could be hanging with Gwyneth Paltrow. Except for the fact that I'm singing a made up song about being a "chocoslut" while Jeremy and Mister Boots choreograph a little booty dance to match. But whatever.

So the other night we're out of chocolate and I had a sweet tooth to be dealt with. So I took stock of what we had on hand - peaches and coconut milk. My friend Mel showed me a recipe for whipped "cream" using coconut milk that she concocted for her Paleo cookbook (that I happen to be designing) when I was down in Austin. I thought I'd try it out. I fried up some peaches and whipped some coconut milk into a cream. The peaches were a little hot and melted the "cream" - but you guys - it was delicious. However, "peachslut" just doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

Am I the only one that needs a little bite of something sweet every day?

Tiny Tower: A Photo Essay

2011-09-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

First it was Angry Birds. Then it was Words With Friends. Now it's Tiny Tower. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon when Jeremy starting whooping about finally having enough money to upgrade his elevator. I don't really know what that means and I'm still unsure whether that money was real or not.

Week / End

2011-09-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

This week:
• I ate nothing but fruit on Monday
• I worked on a logo / signage for Kendi's new store
• Oh, and Sana's store too
• And in between Braid proposals I worked on Mel's cookbook
• I reassured all of my clients that I'm not going to fire them. I promise.
• I put together 27 boards for a showing of my work at a local university
• I wrote some posts on Pinterest at the Braid blog
• In between all that I fit in some workouts and forced myself to work on push-ups
• I drank lots of tea
• I opened the windows and let some cool air in

This weekend:
• Family time!
• One of my nephews is turning 8!
• We're cooking veggie lasagna for Jeremy's family
• Sleeping in (past 6:45 AM)
• Jeremy's going to work on homework (did I mention he's taking a class for his masters degree in electrical engineering? He is. I'm proud.)
• I'm looking forward to some quality time with my new camera (Mister Scooty Boots has
clearly had enough with modeling)
• Maybe I can convince Jeremy to go rock climbing
• Grocery shopping - I always look forward to stocking my fridge with veggies every week

How has your week been? What are you looking forward to this weekend?

I want to make babies with Pinterest.

2011-09-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a recent Braid Creative project with you all, if you're interested. It's a How To Pinterest video. Now, I know probably 100% of my blog readers are already beyond first base and onto making babies with Pinterest but some of our Braid customers and customers-to-be aren't early-adopters / Pinterest sluts like all of you (and me too). So we thought this video would help them get to know Pinterest a little better.

I wanted to tell you a little bit about the process of creating this How To:
1. I wrote a basic script. And from there edited it down as much as possible so we were only sharing essential information.
2. From there I brainstormed imagery that could accompany the script.
3. We took stills and shot video with the iPhone. We're all about lo-fi tools.
4. I gathered screen shots and designed our imagery.
5. Tara edited these assets together in iMovie. We're thinking about upgrading soon to Adobe Premier or Final Cut - thoughts?
6. We used music written by Jeremy and our friend Colin! It's actually a work-in-progress - but just right as-is for this project.
7. I then did a voice-over - we trimmed the script on the spot and adjusted the length of certain clips as needed. I learned a lot here.

Easy-peasy!

P.S. I'm pinning almost exclusively to my Braid Pinterest boards now. Follow me here.

Freelance Matters | How To Fire A Client

2011-09-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

Firing a client. This is a topic I've been wanting to talk about for a while. As you all know, I love my clients. In fact, I often like to cross boundaries and become BFFs with my clients. But sometimes it's not all puppies and rainbows. Sometimes, as a freelancer, I consider cutting off my pointer finger and faking it as a watermelon accident just so I don't have to work on a certain project. It's usually when a project is in its 20th round of revisions that I feel like I've clearly picked the wrong profession.

My experience with this is somewhat limited but I'm going to share what I know about firing a client.

IT STARTS WITH CHOOSING PROJECTS THAT ARE A GOOD FIT.
The best way to not have to fire a client is to only take on projects that are a good fit.

Here are a few ways I determine a good fit:
• Is the client respectful and enthusiastic about their project?
• Is the client familiar with my work?
• Does the client have a budget?
• Will the end product contribute to my portfolio?
• Overall gut feeling - that's usually my instinct talking

THEN YOU MUST MAKE EXPECTATIONS CLEAR FOR THE CLIENT.
Oftentimes, I am working with clients who have never worked with a designer before so it's important to clearly explain the process. I make expectations clear by providing the following:
• A clear outline of the scope of the project
• A clear timeline of the project - this usually includes action steps the client will need to take in order to keep the project moving (like approval on a design, final content deliver, etc.)
• Final deliverables - what the client will get when the project is complete
• A clear estimate
• A contract (I like to think of it as a prenup) - my contracts state things like I own the source files, any work done after 2 rounds of minor revisions will be billed at an additional hourly rate, cancellation policies, etc.

FIRING A CLIENT.
I never go into a project anticipating it will go south. And 99 times out of 100 it doesn't. And if it starts to go sour I quickly try to remedy the situation - see my post on managing your client for ideas on how to turn things around and make them better.

If I've done everything I can and am seeing no end in sight I will fire a client. This has only happened two (and a half) times since I've been freelancing and while it's never been fun it's always been a huge relief. But I will say this - when I fire a client I always blame myself. It's easy to feel superior and play the blame game when there are sites like Clients From Hell around but I always assume partial responsibility for either A) taking on a client or project that wasn't a good fit or B) failing to properly manage my client. Letting a client go is a decision that takes place in a grey area and is not to be taken lightly.

HOW TO FIRE A CLIENT:
• First, make it clear to your client that you don't think it's working out. I prefer this part of the process to be more casual - like with a phone call. Sometimes you'll discover that the client means well and just didn't know any better. If things don't start looking up from there (and usually they will) you can proceed to the firing.
• You will want to take a clear & objective look at the situation. Clearly state, in a notebook or in text edit, the scope of the project, the fees and deliverables associated and the describe all the steps that got you to the point where you are now. Note where you could have handled things differently and note where it was beyond your control. Be concise. Be objective. Be honest. Pretend like you are a lawyer gathering the facts.
• Then take a look at your emotions. How does this project make you feel? Listen to your instinct and trust it.
• Now the hard part. I prefer divorcing a client via email. I know it's a little impersonal but it's the easiest way for me to stay objective and concise. It also makes for a good paper trail. There is a delicate balance between assuming your part in the project going awry and also having a firm stance on why you can no longer work on this project.
• The money part. This is why it's good to have a solid contract (with a deposit). I always make sure I am monetarily compensated for the amount of work I completed. Make it clear to the client with a final invoice how much they owe you for services rendered.
• Thank the client. Just because a project goes doesn't necessarily mean your client is a bad person.
• Learn from it. The few times I've been in this situation I've learned LOTS about project & client management. Try to never let this situation happen again. Update your contract accordingly.
• Don't Tweet about it. It's tempting to find commiseration via social media but it's not kind or respectful to trash you client on the internet. It only makes you look bad.

Have you all ever had to fire a client? Do you have any more tips on how to go about it?

Other Freelance Matters posts:
• Managing Your Client
• Estimating & Billing
• Project Management

From the Weekend.

2011-09-13T07:58:00.002-07:00

This weekend was everything I wanted it to be. We hung out with my family at the lakehouse and ate trash (my mom makes a homemade Chex mix - but we don't dare call it that - in our family, it's called trash). We had lazy mornings punctuated with sips of coffee. We took afternoon naps on old quilts. I played with my new camera and started looking at some different lenses I may want to invest in. We went rock climbing - I felt a little rusty but was so excited to be back on the wall again. We had pizza and pitchers of Oklahoma beers with friends. And on Sunday we spent all day looking at Eastern European treks - Poland is a front runner right now.

This week I'm going to make goals and create content for Braid, wrap up some branding projects for my And Kathleen clients and start prepping for a class I'm going to be teaching at a local university later this month. I'm busy busy but I'm also going to make a point to take moments to take deep breaths and find inspiration in every moment.

Broccoli.

2011-09-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

a.

b.

I've been a vegetarian for over half my life now but didn't really eat vegetables until a few years ago. What did I eat? A lot of cheese, bread and brownies. When Jeremy and I started dating he was eating tilapia and broccoli for dinner and lunch - every. single. day. He didn't impose this limited diet on me but he did start making me delicious meals - like vegetarian chili - chock full of veggies.

Eventually, I developed a taste for vegetables - even broccoli - one of my least favorites. Especially when said veggies were smothered in cheese and eggs - like the frittata pictured above. Now, I actually like broccoli - even when it's not getting it on with copious amounts of cheese. So here are two meals I've made over the past couple of weeks featuring broccoli.

a. Broccoli and Corn Frittata
I had to Google this one in order to validate my idea to mix eggs, broccoli & corn together (the only ingredients left in my fridge) and came across this recipe. I followed it and it was delicious. Just a little bit of cheese goes a long way these days.

b. Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli and Mushrooms
I eat very few noodles these days but was in the mood for some pasta. Cutting the spaghetti squash in half was the most difficult part of this meal. After roasting the squash halves for 45 minutes at 400F, I sauteed some onions, garlic and mushrooms (in a little olive oil & Italian spices) - I then added the broccoli to the pan at the last minute to steam it a little. I topped it with a little salt & pepper. It was a simple meal but did the trick.

What's your favorite way to eat broccoli? Any recipes I should try?

New Camera.

2011-09-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

The first snapshot from my new camera.

A few months ago I talked about wanting to step it up in the photography department. Capturing life with stills has always been an interest of mine and now video is starting to enter the scene. After almost 3 years of shooting on my little G10 and much deliberation and advice from trusted photographers I have invested in a Canon T3i.

So, now I'll be spending my weekend (and the rest of my life) shooting photos of my favorite cat.

Week. End.

2011-09-09T07:56:00.001-07:00

Every time Friday rolls around I feel like I've really deserved my weekend. I've been feeling productive - like a well-oiled machine - but I'm the engine and I need some more gas. But not the kind that makes me fart - just in case that's what you were thinking.

THIS WEEK:
• Braid.
• Client meetings over coffee.
• Reading, reading, reading.
• Cooking.
• Rachel Zoe, Flipping Out & True Blood.
• Dinner parties.
• Green tea and red wine.
• Email. Design. Write. Email. Design. Phone call. Write. Email. Design.
• Working out.

THIS WEEKEND:
• Family.
• Rock climbing.
• Sleeping in.
• Reading.
• Lazy coffee.
• Researching adventures.

How has your week been? What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Anatomy of an Outfit: Boots, Bangs and Sequins

2011-09-07T06:04:00.001-07:00

This weekend we broke 61 days of 100+ heat. I welcomed the crisp mornings with open arms but was shocked to find the cooler weather left me feeling a little uneasy, a little anxious. Maybe I'm still young enough that with Fall comes the anticipation of a new school year. New curriculum. New friends. New firsts.

Cut-offs - Paper, Denim & Cloth
Tank - Urban Outfitters
Sequin Bolero - F21
Boots - Justin c/o Langston's Western Wear
Belt - Target

Liz's House: For Sale

2011-09-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

Liz is selling her home. For $95,000.*

Remember when her house was on SFGirlbyBay and you all were all "OH! Her house is my DREAM HOME!" Well. Now it really can be. Liz moved to North Carolina last year and has been hanging on to the property justincase. But it's looking like she's settling down in Durham with no plans to move back. This is me shedding a single tear. See the details here.

*For those of you wondering why I live in Oklahoma and how I can afford to buy rental property - this is why. The cost of living here is dirt cheap. And it really is a pretty great place to call home.

Branding Adventures

2011-09-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

Branding A Juice Truck from Braid Creative on Vimeo.

A few of you were curious about the airstream drawing in this post. So it only makes sense that, with your curiousity combined with my big news from yesterday I share a project I've been working on over at Braid. Tara and I recently went down to Austin, TX to meet up with Paige and Ryan to help them brand their new business - a juice truck! We used our iPhones with some lo-fi editing to make a little video to document our experience. Watch it and you'll get to see a little more BABY COW! action.

We're looking forward to making more branding adventure videos soon. Maybe we'll even upgrade our cameras from the iPhone - I'm looking at a Canon 5D or 7D or an even more economical T3i. Any thoughts?

P.S. Thank you all so much for your support yesterday. It was a very good day.

Meet Braid

2011-09-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

Braid Creative & Consulting. This is my new business.

This story starts 7 years ago. I had just graduated college and landed a job working at an alternative weekly newspaper. It was pretty much the best job ever - but what I wanted in my heart of hearts was to work with my sister, Tara. Tara was a creative director at a small (and really rad) advertising agency. I knew it was a matter of when, not if, that we would be working side-by-side. And in 2005 she asked me to be her art director.

At first we were kind of freaked out and insecure about the whole sister / nepotism thing. We kept the family matter hush-hush and laughed it off when people would comment on how identical our voices were. Or how freakish it was that we had the exact same mannerisms and would say the same thing at the same time. Over time we would start telling new hires and established clients that we were sisters. And they always LOVED it. They thought it was special. It was. It is. And you guys - we rocked it. Together we were a creative force to be reckoned with.

And then things got hard and tricky. We were feeling different kinds of growing pains at the same time and while I'm admittedly a jump-ship kind of girl, Tara is more of a hold-down-the-fort kind of gal. So after five years of side-by-side designing, directing, producing, branding, writing and deep-sighing, I decided to leave my dream job as a senior art director to dive into full-time freelance. I was leaving advertising but I was also leaving Tara.

A lot of you have been with me since then. Over the past year my passion for writing and sharing my freelance experience has almost eclipsed my passion for being a designer. Helping small businesses get off the ground with a new brand sets me on fire. And telling you all my story on a daily basis keeps me going (thank you - a million times - thank you). But freelancing didn't come without struggle. I often felt isolated and overwhelmed - and everytime I would share these feelings with Jeremy he would say "You miss your sister."

I did. I missed my sister. But in my heart of hearts I knew it was only a matter of when, not if, that we would be designing, writing, branding, directing, producing, concepting, jet-setting and deep-sighing side-by-side again.

That when is today.

Huevos Veggies

2011-08-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

I've posted before about huevos rancheros aka the best meal I ever ate before. It's still my favorite meal and with my mostly vegan diet a very special ovo-lacto treat that I cook up every once in a while.

I used the same recipe as before but modified this version by sauteeing some diced mushrooms and squash in taco seasoning (in place of the beans) while Jeremy mashed up a couple of avocados with a little bit of onion for guacamole to top it all off with.

I literally* died and went to heaven with each bite.

We've also been eating a lot of the following for dinner lately:
• Broccoli & Tofu fried rice
• Coconut curried lentils
• Megan-Joy's Thumbprints (yes, we had cookies for dinner Sunday night - but only because we had a really late lunch)

(*That's a little nod to Rachel Zoe. I can't wait for the new season to start.)

A Press Check for Jason Hudson

2011-08-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

I found Jason Hudson just a little over a year ago. It was love at first site and since then, between snarky tweets and a handful or two of emails he's become someone I can call a friend. Jason recently quit his nine-to-five job to be a full-time photographer and he asked me to design his business cards. I was thrilled. Together we decided that he needed something super classy and subtle, traditional yet modern. Through much deliberation, sketching and estimating we landed on a blind deboss execution with ultra thin letterpressed contact information on the sexiest paper ever.

This morning I went to see these babies on the press. I carefully examined the ink, placement and impression. I shot the shit with my pressman as he made the necessary adjustments to get the cards just right. And when he gave me the final sheet to sign-off on I was elated. I was over the moon about his cards turning out just how I imagined. But I was even more excited for Jason and his new adventure - and that I get to be a tiny little part of it.

Jason, you're going to be amazing.

Jason's Blog: www.jasonhudson.com
Jason's Twitter: @theserovingeyes

Anatomy of an Outfit: Boots and A Skirt Up to There

2011-08-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

WEEKEND HIGHS:
• Watching the Kings of Leon documentary Talahina Sky.
• Sleeping in followed by a slow morning and french pressed coffee.
• Making out with this guy.
• Rice crispy treats (homemade by my mom)
• Grocery shopping (I really do love stocking my fridge and cabinets for the week)

WEEKEND LOWS:
• The unrelenting heat. The upside: I am really going to appreciate Fall this year.
• Finding out that the big tree in our front yard is going to have to be completely removed. The upside: We won't run the risk of more branches falling on our home. And we're going to get a new tree for our yard to replace it. Maybe this will finally be the push we need to landscape.
• Having a slight melt down about my hair. It's just not curling like it used to. The upside: At least I have hair? The dramatic girl in me is having a hard time finding an upside.

What were your weekend highs? Any lows? If so, what's the upside?

boots: fiorentini & baker
skirt: charlotte russe
shirt: BCBG
bra: american apparel

Sunglasses

2011-08-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

a.

b.

a.
Do any of you remember that show called La Femme Nikita from the late '90s starring Peta Wilson? It was the precursor to Buffy, Alias and Dollhouse and marked the beginning of my desire to be a beautiful secret agent who could kick some ass. And I always had a crush on the nerdy/genius computer boys in these shows.

Anyway, my mom and I would watch La Femme Nikita every week. I was 15 and developed an obsession with La Femme Nikita's sunglasses collection (hers were super special sunglasses that had cameras in them, of course). Since then I've had a collection of my own (minus the spy camera).

b.
So the other day Jeremy decided to put on just the portion of my sunglasses collection that had accumulated on the kitchen counter. It was then that I realized I totally landed my nerdy/genius computer boy. I'm still working on the beautiful ass-kicking secret agent part though.

The Lake

2011-08-25T09:30:00.001-07:00

I've never been much of a lake girl. I mean... even though I was raised with a lake in my backyard I never really took to playing around in questionable water. But recently I've been taking anything I can get when it comes to adventure. So while we were in Michigan we took full advantage of the lake. Lake Superior that is.

We would run from a 250F sauna into the freezing waters.

We kayaked.

Then I put on a very flattering wet suit.

And after many failed wake boarding attempts put on some water skis.

That little dot is me successfully skiing.

It was a blast but I didn't know how to stop! Apparently you're supposed to just let go.

Do you all like playing in the lake? I think I'm hooked.

Vintage Typewriter Wedding Invitations

2011-08-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

I was designing these invitations around the time I decided to stop working with wedding clients. But to be clear the decision had nothing to do with these clients in particular - Neeley and Erik were fantastic. They were the kind of client that had a few requirements (vintage typewriter, a black & red color palette) and let me run with it. I was so pleased with the final prints I almost backed out on my decision to quit designing wedding invites.

I designed these invitations using my actual typewriter. It was a little inspired by my own invitations with the signatures at the bottom. I had the save the dates printed on actual carbon paper to make them feel that much more real. I had a custom rubber stamp made for the return address on the kraft paper envelopes. But I still included some modern design elements, like the tabs at the top of the invitation and map, so the suite didn't feel too themed or hokey.

Here's a huge thanks to Neeley and Erik for letting me be a small part of their big day.

The Blinking Game

2011-08-23T15:12:00.001-07:00

My sister and I invented The Blinking Game over two decades ago. It was born out of our ability to stare at each other for a long, long time on cross-country road trips.

Now, my friend Daniel (I designed his wedding invites!) is a gaming genius. He plays and invents and talks about all sorts of games that are way over my head. When I told him about The Blinking Game he was intrigued. So he asked me if I would make a video to explain it to him. I obliged.

If you're not really into games feel free to watch the video if you want to know what Jeremy and I sound like in person - or if you want to see some genuine toothy smiles.

P.S. Daniel is currently offering $1,000 (of his own money!) to someone who can create a game that can last 1,000 years. If you're into that sort of thing you have until August 31st to enter. Click here for more information.

Vegetarian Empanadas

2011-08-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Guilt is not an emotion I like to partake in but lately I've been feeling guilty for cooking and eating the same things over and over again. So last night I decided I would use up some potatoes I had on hand in a new and interesting way. As I browsed potato recipes on 101 Cookbooks (my go-to site for recipes) I landed on kale & olive oil mashed potatoes - which then led me to empanadas.

I followed this recipe for the crust and spices but changed up the filling with ingredients I had on hand including potato, mushrooms, onion and kale. It was tasty but next time I'll probably try to stick to the original recipe. And there will definitely be a next time.

Langston's Western Wear + Justin Boot WINNER!

2011-08-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

And the winner, selected by random.org, is Kimberly!:

Thanks again to Langston's Western Wear and Justin Boots.

For those of you who are still needing cowboy boots I encourage you to use this code (it expires tomorrow!) at Langston's Western Wear to get a pair. You won't regret it:

Coupon Code: jeremykathleen
Coupon Value: 15% Off any order over $50
Expires: 08/21/2011

Cheers to Friday

2011-08-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like at the end of every week I say "Phew! What a week." I guess the exciting thing about freelancing (and starting a new business!) is that every single day there is something new and different to tackle. I'm consistently pushing boundaries and am constantly learning new things. And at the same time I'm exploring new ways to find balance - I'm learning how to still my mind and give my full attention to one thing at a time. This is keeping me from throwing up on myself because I'm scared of the unknown or from indulging in a good ugly cry session on my bed (you know the kind) because I'm feeling overwhelmed by the big picture.

So cheers to Friday. Because in my world, the weekend is still very much a celebration to end a phew-what-a-week.

P.S. I will be announcing a winner for the cowboy boot giveaway tomorrow! You have until midnight to enter!

Freelance Matters | Managing Your Client

2011-08-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

I often receive emails from blog readers and fellow freelancers who vent about clients from hell and am asked for advice on what boils down to how to manage freelance clients.

I come from an advertising background where I had the luxury of account executives who would act as a buffer between the creatives and the clients - clients who often had a dedicated marketing team. Now as a freelancer I am often working with small businesses (and formerly brides) who have never worked with a designer - so now it is not only my job to execute a kickass design it is my job to educate and guide them through the design and branding process.

So today I want to discuss how I manage my clients.

1. First you have to manage yourself.
I've talked a lot about how I manage myself - from project management and to-do lists and estimating & billing. Being organized allows you to direct you focus to your clients needs without getting all flustered.

2. Communication is key.
Figure out how your client likes to communicate. Is it by email? Face-to-face? By phone? The goal is to create a meaningful connection and trust through these mediums while being respectful and efficient with everyone's time. Maybe an email is appropriate to touch base or send files for proofing. But maybe a phone call or Skype session is more appropriate if you have a lot of brainstorming and direction to hammer out.

3. Manage your meetings.
Meetings can be a time-suck but sometimes they are a necessary evil. I will have very brief meetings with a potential client to see if we're a good fit for each other, but otherwise I wait until a contract has been signed to invest a lengthy amount of time talking about art direction and goals. Our time is valuable!

Some tips I've picked up from productive and unproductive meetings are:
• Have a meeting agenda. Prep your client beforehand with your expectations of the meeting. Think of specific questions you need answers to. Write them down.
• If you start to veer from the agenda gently guide the meeting back to the topics on hand.
• Always end the meeting with next steps. Each meeting should produce action steps for you to take.
• Follow up by email. Consider following up with your client. Thank her (or him) for her time and briefly bullet your conference notes and outline next steps. This way you have in writing what was discussed should it come up for question down the road.

4A. Listen.
9 times out of 10 a client from hell situation is the designers fault (there! I said it!) for not listening to the client in the first place. If you listen to your client you will efficiently be able to uncover the solution easier than if you just want to design something rad with banners and birds.

4B. Then Guide.
I always try to present myself as a friendly authority to my clients. I am not an order taker - I'm an expert. I always communicate with my client what I think they're saying they need and then my recommendation based on what I heard him (or her) say. I also walk the client step-by-step through the process (with a timeline attached) so they know what to expect and when. I may have done this a million times but I have to remember it's my client's first time so it's important to shine some light on the process. Your client will thank you for your confidence and direction - afterall, that's what you were hired for.

5. Be Nice.
Always remind yourself that your client is not the enemy. They chose you because they need your help and oftentimes, that is a vulnerable position to be in - especially for my clients who are usually DIY and do-it-all small business owners. I always treat them and their project with the respect, attention and genuine enthusiasm it deserves.

6. Get Paid What You're Worth
If you don't value your services neither will your client. And if you're not getting paid what you're worth you're going to become resentful. It's a toxic combination, but it's your own fault for agreeing to anything less. If you're not worth a lot yet (because you're a new designer or fresh out of school) remember that you are investing in either a portfolio piece or experience - so be grateful.

Do you all have any tips for managing your clients? Do you have any other freelance questions you would like me to address? I would love to hear some of your ideas or experiences on this matter in the comment section.

Related Posts:
• Estimating & Billing
• Project Management
• To Do Matters