design=love

I can't believe it's that time already but it's half way through the semester! I have a crazy amount of grading to do and some other things I have to take care of... so my little blog will be put on hold this week. I'll be back on Monday with more design to love! xo

more music to love...

AJ shared this album with me and I really think it's adorably lovely. The video above is one of the songs, "Relator." The Break Up Album brings together singer/songwriter Pete Yorn and actress/singer Scarlett Johansson. You have to read the story behind the album, here!

happy birthday monica love!

Thank you for being my best girlie for the past decade. Even though for most of our friendship we've lived in different cities, we always find a way to stay in each other's lives. You are such an amazing, talented, beautiful woman and every time we are reunited I fall for our friendship all over again. I admire your strength, adventurous spirit, sweet heart, and unique soul. I am inspired by the way you approach life and am excited to be a part of your story. Thanks for all the hilarious memories, silly inside jokes, and always being there for me. I know we both get super busy with our daily lives but I know there is a reason we never lose touch. I hope your birthday is as amazing as you are beautiful. I can't wait to see you soon. I love you! Happy birthday Monica!! 

and it's not even christmas!

What else could be delivered in a box like that besides beautiful and fabulous snowflake riders! Today I was sent one of the 2009/2010 Roxy boards I designed the graphics for. The box arrived on my front door this morning and I couldn't wait to check it out. 

It's the Roxy Envi BTX banana-traction snowboard. The board is a directional twin design that has a raised nose which makes floating through powder like scooping into melted ice cream. All the materials and processes used are green and sustainable. Like Envi's of the past, the topsheet is bamboo. But this year we stepped it up a little by having a painted blue overlay with dicuts of chrysanthemums. Since it's not yet snowboard season on the east coast, I placed my new baby on the wall to display her like the art she is!

frederick fair fun

This weekend the boy and I went to "The Great Frederick Fair." I guess county fairs are a big thing in Merry-land. It's not just a carnival with rides and good food... there are barns and barns full of farm animals. I fell in love with the adorable bunnies, pigs, and alpacas. There were even newborn pigs that were only a week old. I love piglets and kind of wanted to take one home. But once I was reminded of the beasts they turn into, I decided against it. 

We hillbillied out a bit and for dinner we decided to get a giant turkey leg. I felt as if it was something I had to experience in life. It was somewhat tasty and somewhat gross. I enjoyed it, but am glad I never have to eat one again. We also had butterfly fries (that I coated in Old Bay) and of course a funnel cake. The night was topped off when we peaked through the fence to jam to the end of a Billy Ray Cyrus concert... and yes he played Achy Breaky Heart. 

girly goggles

As you may, or may not know, my design roots are based in the snowboarding industry. I started designing the graphics for Roxy Snowboards right after graduating from the University of Delaware in 2004. Being a snowboarder myself, I was all about making graphics that were inspired by the art of riding a board on snowflakes. I looked at those boards as empty canvases rather than advertisements plastered with logos. 

There is always a debate among female snowboarders as to how girly you can be. Some think that boards with butterflies and pink color palettes are for those powder puff girls on the bunny hill. The edgier graphics with abstract shapes and paint splatters are for the hard core girls hitting the half pipe. I admire companies that cater to all styles and tastes — where the tougher and more experienced riders are fine with a graphic that pleases their girly wants. That is why I adore Torah Bright's Signature Goggles for the 09/10 season. The color palette matches her board graphic and is completed with a super cute [in a tough kind of way of course] flower applique. Sweet enough to satisfy your girly desires while you're ripping up the slopestyle course and winning gold medals on the half-pipe.

cuteness of the week! zooey loves cotton

Just when you think she can't get any cuter! Love this cotton commercial with the lovely Zooey Deschanel. Every outfit throughout the commercial is adorable. I love the dresses, especially the little sailor one at the very end. A nice little added touch is Zooey singing the commercial theme song herself. You can check out more photos of Zooey from the commercial and read about her style and color inspiration over at The Fabric of My Life. 

Oh and do you love every outfit she's wearing too? Well the people over at Fans of Emily and Zooey Deschanel have researched every outfit and let you know its label, here.

BAND I'M LOVING RIGHT NOW: the blow

I heard one of The Blow's songs while listening to pandora and i really loved the simple sweet voice and cute beats. I also thought her lyrics were adorable and clever. Now the only sad thing is that there are really no videos to go along with these songs. So I had to make due with what I found on YouTube. The first song "True Affection" is very sweet. However, the videos I found were super weird... so I settled for just one with the lyrics. So I advise you to just close your eyes listen. The second video for "Hey Boy" was made by a fan and it's actually quite cute!

cake = love!

On my adventure out to Tysons Corner, VA I made sure I stopped by the adorably named, CakeLove. CakeLove is a bakery that started in Washington, DC around 2002. So let me just start out by saying that I'm pretty picky when it comes to my bakery bought cupcakes. A lot of times they are very dry and the icing is just sugar in cream form. (which of course isn't ALWAYS a bad thing ;) Not knowing anything about CakeLove, other than that they have the cutest name ever, I thought I'd give them a shot.

I bought two cupcakes. One was chocolate dipped in chocolate and the other was strawberry iced chocolate. They had other fun flavors like coconut lime and banana with peanut butter. I decided to indulge in the chocolate dipped chocolate goodie first. I was pleasantly surprised. The cake was moist and the icing was a perfect chocolately sweet. Despite the reviews I saw online (and speaking of those reviews, woah do people get crazy about cupcakes) I will definitely visit CakeLove again! Now onto that strawberry iced chocolatey sweetheart!

Vans: Stories of my Sole

When I started grad school in 2006, I thought it would be a great idea to paint custom shoes in my spare time to pay for school expenses. Little did I know that grad school would take over my life and spare time was a concept that made no sense to me. However, I did find time to paint a few. One of the pairs I've had around since the beginning. I painted them to sell on my etsy, but they just never seemed to find a home.

A little while ago I was contacted by my #1 favorite shoe company, Vans (the brand of the shoe I painted on) to appear in their new book, Vans: Off the Wall: Stories of Sole from Vans Originals. I was included in the DIY custom section. I was super excited about having my shoes published in such an important book! 

Recently, it was requested (again by Vans) that my little shoes make a permanent home on the Las Vegas Strip. I hope to update you more on that later. But again, another super amazing opportunity that I'm very much excited about! So today I kissed my little pink and yellow shoes goodbye and sent them on their way to Sin City... to make their momma proud! 

cuteness of the week!

How cute! Momma and babe with matching dos! Gwen and Kingston at fashion week.

Anna Sui for Target

Just when I thought I reached my limit of moola spent at Target this month... they break out the Anna Sui. Anna is the newest designer to partner up with Target and her collection is beyond fun! Anna's muse for this collection was the tv show, Gossip Girl. I've never seen the show but the designs are fabulously adorable. There are sweet details like splatters of gold, delicate lace, and intricate patterns. Most of the pieces have a great vintage feel. One of the dresses looks exactly like one my mom has in her closet from the 70s. 

The only minus is the items are a little pricey (by Target standards at least). I saw a good amount of the collection at my local Target this afternoon, but the line isn't set to be released until September 13th. Here is a taste of the collection [pictured below], check out more here. I couldn't find pics of some of my faves! Check out your Target to see which ones you like the best!

electric vintage

Just wanted to share with you, my lovely readers, one of the pieces I worked on this summer. This was a t-shirt graphic I designed for one of my new clients. I was super excited with how it came out. I love the combination of the vintage photo with watercolor textures and bold patterns. This is definitely a style I want to experiment with more in the future. What do you think?

songs i'm loving right now

Michael Franti & Spearhead: "Say Hey" It's a perfect end to the summer song that I'm sure will get me through the frostier months. I love the reggae vibe, super sweet and inspiring lyrics, and all the kisses and hugs throughout the video!

Lily Allen: "22" One of Lily's newest singles of her album "It's Not Me, It's You" The song is somewhat depressing but for some reason I just really love it. Being nearly 30 myself (oh my gosh!!) I'm glad my life isn't already over, what does society know anyway!?! Lily's sweet voice and honest lyrics are always my favorite. *Note you may have to click on the Youtube Link to view this one. 

She & Him: "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" This song (one I really love) has been around for a while now along with its adorably animated video. However, to complement the movie "500 Days of Summer" Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt recorded this video short. I wish I had super twirly skirt like this and that I could dance so sweetly! 

absolutely beautiful blogs, inside and out!

Every once and a while I become enamored with a certain blog. The time and detail that some people put forth is so inspiring to me. They are better than any cheesy reality show. They read like story books and are followed by beautiful photos and imagery. They are a glimpse into a different world. Sometimes I feel weird for knowing little details about someone I don't know. But there is something romantic and comforting about it all.

One of my daily reads is Jen Loves Kev. Jen has definitely inspired some of the new posts and themes here on Design Equals Love. I adore her Style Files, over the weekend photos, and recipe posts. But what I love most is the love between her and her husband Kevin. Jen shares stories about the cute little things they do for each other as well as details on their adventures together. As I said it's like reading an adorable contemporary fairy tale complete with awesome outfits and delicious vegetarian cuisine!

This leads me to another blog that I just discovered yesterday, Stay Forever Sunday. It is the blog of another "Sweet Melissa" who writes about her adventures with her husband and baby to be in San Francisco. Melissa shares photos, stories, and even videos of her life along with sweet and inspiring items she finds on the web. I love and admire how positive her entries are. Each one is filled with such a love for life and love itself! Reading through her posts makes me feel so excited to live each day with people that mean the most to me!

the mushy stuff!

click to enlarge

Last semester I had to teach a class in Typography. When I was preparing over winter break I mentioned to AJ (who I had just started dating at the time) that I was a little nervous about remembering the anatomy of a letterform. To wish me luck in the new semester and to just be a total sweetheart he made the above card and sent it to me in the mail. It's the anatomy of my favorite letter, "M" of course.

In the spirit of sweet things I have to share a link to the blog, A Cup of Jo. It is the blog of writer, Joanna Goddard. She just got married and while she's on her honeymoon she's asked some of her favorite bloggers, writers, and designers to reveal the secrets behind their happy relationships. Love and admire the words of wisdom and cute lovey dovey photos!

cuteness of the week: Curly Girl Design

This weekend while cruising around Rehoboth Beach, DE I stopped in one of my favorite shops, Bella Luna. This adorable boutique is full of unique treasures for your home, gorgeous and funky jewelry, intricately patterned handbags, stationery, candles, dolls, and the cutest greeting cards! I picked up some created by Leigh at Curly Girl Design. I was first drawn to the cheery collages of stamped type, textured paper, and sweet illustrations but then couldn't put them down because of the whimsical and inspiring quotes. Each card is like a beautifully designed mantra. They are great to send to a loved one... or to hang on your office door and keep all to yourself! (as I did *wink*).

Try it you'll like it: Portobello Pesto Goodness

So today I decided that I wanted to feature a new section on the design=love blog... and it's all about food! If you're like me, you have your go-to menu item at your favorite local eatery. At my favorite Shepherdstown, West Virginia food spot, Mellow Moods, it was always the sweet avocado wrap. A delicious mix of avocado, strawberries, pecans, greens, and a sweet balasamic dressing. YUM! Well, when I ordered my 23049830 one last week, I figured this week's visit deserved a change.

When I was little my mom used to make me taste new things and would always say "Tryyyyyy it, you'll liiiiiiike it." So inspired by that mantra, I'll share with you the photos and stories on yummy new treats that I've tried. 

This week, I kind of cheated. I picked something from the menu I knew I'd love. A portobello panini of sorts, with mozzarella and pesto. Of course it was DELIGHTFUL! The portobello itself was amazingly fresh. It was probably the most amazing sandwich I've had in a while. The sandwich is served with a side of vegetable quinoa, which I think I like the texture of more than the actual taste. But anyway, I'm really happy I switched it up... now it's gonna be hard not to order THIS everytime.

One other thing (okay more than one thing) I love about Mellow Moods is that their food is all natural, they serve the food in biodegradable/compostable containers, their utensils are made from potato starch and sugar cane, and they are fueled by 100% wind energy. So not only is the food delicious they are ecologically responsible! Food just tastes better when you eat it with a fork made from potatoes!

Shepherd U Faculty Art Show

One of the things I love most about my job is the amazingly talented people I work with. Every semester there is a faculty show where everyone displays some of their recent masterpieces. The opening was the other night, and even though I had class I snuck away and took some photos. If you see any work that catches your eye, be sure to check out our art faculty web page and gallery to learn more about my fabulous colleagues. These are just some of the pieces in the show. I'll try to get you more when I have time to sneak back over to the gallery!

work above by Kristin Kaineg, Kristy Cherry, and me!

work above by Dow Benedict and Robert Farmer

work above by Rhonda Smith, Stephanie Robbins, and others 

work above by Sonya Evanisko

Pretty [big] Shell

The other day on one of my many trips to Michaels, I found this awesome ceramic shell. The best thing is that it was only $2... way discounted to make room for the fall merchandise. Collecting little treasures from the beach is one of my favorite summer activities. I've been keeping a lot of the shells, beach glass, and driftwood in glass jars — but now I can proudly display them out in the open!

Ooo and isn't that "M" lovely. AJ picked it up for me at one of his job sites. I love it!

Cardon Copy

Amazing, super funny, and inspiring concept... check it out here.  I may need to make this into a project for my students! 

inspiring visuals & words

While checking out one of my favorite stationery lines Papaya, I was excited to see that they've paired up with artist, Sabrina Ward Harrison. I love Sabrina's beautiful hand made collages and especially her typography. Papaya is offering Sabrina's art in the form of canvas giclees, cards, and sketchbooks! View the whole line here.