Of Rabbits and Requests…

Maybe it’s the Year of the Rabbit, maybe it’s just because we’re just that awesome (heh), but we are hoppin’ busy with some wonderful projects. We’re still wrapping up some more elaborate projects from 2010, starting new projects for 2011, and have a few proposals in negotiation, so as of now, we’re booked solid until April.

Since Kathy is raising two beautiful boys, she’s only able to take on design work part time, so that limits the amount of projects we can take each season. My schedule fills up quickly, as well, and I’m working on a big non-client-related project that I’m not allowed to talk about until its launch is imminent. It’s a book! It’s a website! It’s a TV show! It’s… it’s… it’s… maybe it’s something else entirely. I legally not allowed to tell you, so… you’ll just have to wait. :) It’s exciting, though!

An aside, Kathy’s been having some weirdness with her outgoing email not reaching people. If you’ve put in a request for a proposal and never heard back, drop us a line via our contact form. It’s likely that we did reply within a day or two, but it may have drifted off into the Internet ether. We don’t see any obvious problems with our email set-up and her email is working fine for most folks, but it’s worth mentioning, so please let us know.

We appreciate your patience with our schedules. We’d love to work with you and hear more about your project! So if you’re interested in working with us this year, please get your Requests for Proposal in, let us know which designer you’d like to work with and we’ll set up a time to chat. I’m quite talented at chatting. Ask my freshman English teacher who used to bust me for talking in class.

(Photo is of my bunny, Lulu. She thinks she’s famous.)

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things!

Christmas is only a couple weeks away, so we thought we’d share some of our favorite things to consider for your own gift giving!  Some are rated G, some are PG, but all are fun!

BluntCard
We love sarcasm and vintage imagery, so what better than a gift card to Bluntcard’s Zazzle shop?  Whether it’s mousepads, mugs or magnets, Bluntcard has something hilarious to suit a sassy adult that you know.

LUSH Cosmetics Goodies
I have a serious problem—I cannot stop buying bath goodies from Lush.  Their products use unusual combos of fragrance, oils, flowers and other goodies in a kind of natural way that is both hippie and chic.  My favorite thing they make is the Karma Bubble Bar. Oh, how I love thee, Karma Bubble Bar! It’s about $8 for one bar, but you can break it among 4 baths. Break a piece off, run under the water and watch as bubbles go nuts in your tub. It smells warm and spicy—just like me! It’s seriously one of the best things I’ve ever smelled.  I also like their Butterball bath bomb, which fizzes and releases cocoabutter into the bath so you could out like an oil slick on a beach… in that good way. If you don’t have a Lush near you (and many don’t), you can order online or through Amazon. Go forth and smell yummy.

Oval Casserole with Lid from Crate and Barrel
I received this as a birthday gift this year and *love it*.  I never thought I could love an inanimate piece of cookery, but it’s the best.  If you have a cook in your life, you might consider getting them this beautiful crock. It’s all white with a clean design that is so pretty, I’ve considered leaving it on my countertop just to admire it.  It’s deep enough to hold all your favorites, like lasagna or green been casserole, but personally, I think it’s ideal for homemade mac n’ cheese.  The lid makes it really handy when you don’t feel like schlepping out the plastic storage. Plop on the lid, stick in the fridge and enjoy your leftovers the next day. Love, now I want more beautiful cookware like that!

BevMo!
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention BevMo.  We realize not everyone cocktails, but if you have a wine lover in your life, we highly recommend a BevMo gift card.  We sort of think gift cards can be impersonal, but if you select a nice bottle of their favorite wine (or yours if you want to turn them on to it) and attach a gift card to BevMo and maybe tie on a little wine opener or something, it makes a gift card seem much less “Here, have some cash.” It puts some thought behind it.  BevMo often has great 5-cent wine sales so the wine zealot you know could have a veritable spree in there on your dime. (Best part? You might get to drink some of that wine with them!)  Our favorite? Just about anything by Rex Goliath—especially their Pinot Noir.  It’s cheap, cheerful and downright delicious.

iTunes App Store
Let’s face it, we’re app crazy.  If you’ve got an iPad or iPhones (like we do—no iPad yet, though!), then you know the fever of which we speak. And likely, the iPhone lover in your life would be more than happy to receive credits toward some new apps! iTunes giftcards make great stocking stuffers.  May we recommend our client’s new app? For all of you with kids (moms, dads, grandparents, babysitters, nannies, what have you), The Story Home has just launched a new app for iPhone and iPad that allows you to download and listen to their stories on the go.  It gives you access to 75 of their most beloved stories, endorsed by the American Library Association and read by storyteller, Alan Scofield.  If you need to keep your little one occupied, hope to get them to relax or just want to spend time together sharing the joys of storytelling, consider downloading this app by The Story Home, available in the iTunes store.

We’ve also got some freebies for you!  Here are some of the holiday wallpaper we did a couple years ago and also some Twitter backgrounds, too!  In the new year, we’re going to have a bunch of new freebies available to coincide with the launch of our new site, so stay tuned for that. So excited!

Holiday Wallpapers

Holiday Twitter Backgrounds

Kathy and I both wish a very, very happy holiday to you and yours. Don’t nog n’ drive!

Fine Print: Illustrations in our freebie wallpapers are done by our fabulous illustrator, the incomparable Derek Yaniger. They were commissioned and created for us and/or by us and may not be reused or redistributed for profit or personal gain. Like his stuff? Get his book! Some illustrations in the freebie Twitter backgrounds are also courtesy of Derek Yaniger, this time from his Snappy Hour Invitation Kit.  It’s awesome, you should totally get it!

Cran-Apple Cobbler

• 1 1/2 oz Smirnoff cranberry twist
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 4 oz apple cider
• 1 oz cranberry juice
• Garnish: apple slice
• Rim: crushed graham cracker

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with crushed graham cracker. Garnish with apple slice.

Recipe and photo courtesy of CocktailTimes.com

Vampire Kiss

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz.Vodka, chilled
• 1.5 oz Champagne
• .75 oz Black Raspberry Liqueur (like Chambord)

Directions:
Pour vodka and half of the raspberry liqueur in a martini glass, top with Champagne and pour the remaining raspberry liqueur over the back of a spoon to make it float.

Photo courtesy of Simple Stated. For more info on how to create the “blood drip” rim, check out this post on Hostess with the Mostess.

Moxie on the Move!

What happens in Vegas… is Moxie, baby. Who’s the big winner? I’m the big winner! That’s right, yours truly is moving to Las Vegas in the next few weeks. I’m so money.

Ok, I’m done with my Swingers references.

So this is just a brief update of my schedule:

I’ll be in n’ out the first week of November (11/1 through 11/7) making the mad scramble to pack and get my ducks in a row before the movers get here. I’ll be around and will check in on email and do whatever work I possibly can, but please bear with me.

I’m going to be out of the office the 2nd week of November (11/8 through 11/14) actually

, complete with moving truck, boxes and bunny. As soon as my internet is turned on, I’ll be online checking email and will get back to you as soon as humanly possible.

Looking forward to wrapping up the year and launching the new one with some awesome projects on deck… if you’re interested in working with me in 2011, please get your requests in ASAP. I’m accepting inquiries right now, booking for January 2011, so please put your requests in soon so we can get started on your estimates.

Thank you and I’ll catch you in Sin City!