i can't believe it's taken the arrival of this magazine (stumbled upon in our local dairy of all places) to shake me out of my blogging slump. i'm not sure what is it with me and magazines but there's magic in those pages.
and up on my wall (photos from our wedding plus a beautiful quote from a beautiful friend) and on the right, more magazine happiness :)
sand, sea, surf and a delicious pizza at one of new zealand's most iconic beaches, piha. a great way to spend a sunday.
being a designer is part intuition, part skill, part practice. it's easy to become stuck in a rut or unwittlingly limit your creativity with gaps in your knowledge base. this is where skillshare comes in...
skillshare offers a variety of reasonably priced, online courses in design, illustration, crafting, business, the list goes on! it's invigorating to be back learning in a structured fashion and i love how when you take a chance to extend your skills, there's always something unexpected to be gained. i'm starting with 'Beyond the Logo. Crafting a Brand Identity' taught by courtney eliseo, founder of Design Work Life + Seamless Creative.
class starts monday and i hope to share my project as it evolves on my blog over the next few weeks.
toolbox is a weekly post offering a selection of websites or links that i've found inspirational or helpful as a designer in my 9 to 5 design day. to see the rest of the series please click here.
the blog may have been quiet over the past week but out in the real world it's been non-stop. we've packed up all our belongings and headed 6 hours up the country to new zealand's biggest city, auckland. we have a cute apartment, an appreciation for the motorway, good coffee and an entire lifetime of furniture to purchase! unfortunately our internet hasn't been connected yet so posting may be a little sporatic until we're back on the grid.
the days are definitely getting shorter around here so to celebrate the amazing summer we have had (or if you live in the hawke's bay, still having) i thought i'd share some diana photos of a lunch we had at craggy range. it was new years eve and blisteringly hot, the boys had just got back from golf and we'd been shopping in havelock north. we sat and drank pinot gris and savoured the moment with good friends.
after minneapolis it was time to pack our bags (and big red, holding our most prized possesion - the maemae album - it even got my coat when it rained!) and head for the big apple.
highlights from nyc included eating the BEST pizza ever in brooklyn (we ate there three nights in a row at the same table which had us feeling like locals), navigating the subway system, meeting new friends at nss, manicures, shopping and sharing the craziest times with a sweet friend.
if you have any questions or comments about any techniques or products used in these minibooks let me know in the comments :)
here are the two minibooks i created - and decorated the inside pages with a mix of thickers, patterned paper (mostly from studio calico), machine stitching and photos (from megan's instagram, my digital camera and my diana f+ camera).
check back later in the week to see pages from our trip to the big apple!
photo above taken with my diane f+ camera and cross-processed as part of my january intentions
a new month; new goals
make fresh pasta > we were lucky enough to receive a pasta maker for christmas and i can't wait to try it out. does anyone have a fail-safe recipe? i think i'm going to start with jamie oliver's - and will share the results!
read 'the 7 habits of highly effective people' > i've got a slight head-start with this goal as i've joined an online bookclub organised by jess lively, and i'm really looking forward to using my time with more intention (less pinterest!!)
comment more > i use google reader to keep up with my regular blogs but it's easy to read through posts and scroll to the next. this february i'm encouraging myself to join the conversation.
instead of a list of lengthy resolutions this year i've decided to set some monthly goals.
walk > easy, just head out for fresh air every day
blog > with a bit of planning and inspiration i'm excited to make blogging more of a focus in 2013
capture > my diana f+ camera loves the sunshine and there's plenty around at the moment!
finally, if you need any more inspiration to set a few new resolutions this post by sarah of note to self could be just what you're looking for! the whitney english day designer is going straight to my wish list.
Recent Comments