Back in December I had the privilege of creating a custom suite announcing the birth of Griffin James Cumming Hines. Griffin’s parents Heather and Topher wanted a fun, informal, retro-inspired announcement that incorporated the font Rosewood. They also wanted a flat thank you note that incorporated an image of their cutie pie.
Topher and Heather loved French Paper’s Blu Raspberry cover stock and this fresh, fun color and provided the starting point for the design. I love printing white ink on strong colors and Heather and Topher’s suggestion of a sunny yellow really makes the design pop.
Heather and Topher were great to work with and I’m so pleased with the way these cards turned out!
Toward the end of 2010 Mr. Mate got rid a bunch of his Audible.com credits and made his audio book choices available for my enjoyment. Since then I’ve listened to “The Big Short” by Michael Lewis, “Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World” by Jack Weatherford, “Zodiac” by Robert Graysmith, and am currently 8 hours into the 40+ hour “Washington A Life” by Ron Chernow.
When do I listen you ask? While printing of course!
It turns out that printing is a great time for listening to audio books. After I set up my printing area and make sure everything is good to go, part of my brain can absorb information through my ears while another part of my brain concentrates on printing. I hear from friends that they like to listen while commuting, while running, and while trying to fall asleep.
What’s really great is how much I’ve learned. I can now speak eloquently about the recession, mongols, serial killers, and the powerful thighs of our first president!
So go forth and listen to books! It can even be free–just check with your local library. Seattlites browse SPL’s selections here.
A stack of books from my bedside shelf |
I love the recording of this song by Allison Kraus and Robert Plant on Raising Sand but now I see that the Everly Brothers were definitely rocking it. And those ladies are wild!
This afternoon I made a smoothie. I started with orange juice and a nice soft pear. And then I thought, what would make this more interesting? I poked my nose in the fridge and tossed a couple steamed golden beets into the blender.
That was a mistake. Especially since I dislike beets.
After that misstep there was little to do but try to mask the unmistakable beet flavor. I mined the freezer for chunks of prehistoric cherries and mangoes, drizzled in a little honey, and went tropical with some flaked coconut.
The end result was palatable and healthy, but sadly, not delicious.
Yesterday I had breakfast with two friends who are, to varying degree, in business for themselves. One is a chef and the other is an artist. I spend a lot of time alone in my studio and this meal was a great way to reconnect with the outside world — beyond my frequent trips to the post office, library and grocery store.
After this social stimulation and 2 or 3 cups of coffee, I was focused and energized enough to work for 7 straight hours only breaking to heat up my very late lunch and get back in the studio.
Maybe I should eat out every morning!