Moxie Design Studios

Care for a beverage? Watermelon Cucumber Tonic

Fa-La-La La-LA!

What a crazy and wonderful year 2005 has been!  I am so grateful for our little firm and for all of my fantastic clients.  And of course, I’ve got the best friend and partner one could hope for.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be completing my projects for the year and will be taking the remainder of 2005 off.  I am currently accepting clients for early 2006.

Going into our 4th year of business together, this year holds infinite promise and exciting endeavors for internet and Moxie.  I look forward to assiting you with your exciting endeavors in the New Year.

Thank you for allowing us to make the internet a brighter place.  Happy holidays. smile


Ho Ho Ho!

Thank you to everyone I have had the pleasure of working with this year. It’s been quite a year. A year of change and growth and a lot of fun, for which I thank my lovely partner in crime, Joelle for (or Auntie Joelle as the case may be, hehe) and all the clients I have had the privilege of working with. I have enjoyed all the great projects we have worked on and appreciate the continued business. I am finishing up my current projects in the next few weeks and then I will be officially on maternity leave until April 2006. I do have a few things lined up for when I return but I will be available for new projects so if you’d like to book with me for that time frame , feel free to drop me an email. I am excited to be a new mother and equally as excited to start some new things next year including getting back to work.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy, healthy holiday season and a wonderfully prosperous and happy New Year!


Holiday Spiked

It’s Thanksgiving! Today we are thankful for all our of wonderful clients and for being able to run this business. Thank you to everyone we’ve worked with over the past years and for making Moxie what it is today.

A friend was asking me about my hot toddies that I serve during the holidays yesterday and it inspired me to share a great spiced cider recipe that I have used in the past. (from a great book by Christopher B. O’Hara) I make this for Thanksgiving and Christmas for friends and family and it’s always a big hit. A steaming glass of cider flavored with holiday spices takes the chill out and brings your festive side in. It can be served with or without alcohol and is just as enjoyable either way. Traditionally, this cider is served in mugs which is convenient for fireside sipping, but I like to serve this in a wine glass. I dip the rim of the glass in some spiced rum or brandy and coat the rim with a mix of cinnamon and sugar for fun. There is an “easy” method which I’ll include as well for anyone who needs a shortcut!

Ingredients:

5 allspice berries

2 cinnamon sticks

4 whole cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1 orange peel

1 lemon peel

2 quarts apple cider

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Ground nutmeg

10 cinnamon sticks for garnish (optional)

Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum (optional)

Good Brandy (optional)

1/4 cup ground cinnamon (for rim garnish)

1/4 cup sugar (for rim garnish)



Directions:


Place the spices, salt, and fruit peels in the center of a 12-inch square of cheesecloth. Gather up corners and tie with butchers twine to make a small packet. In a large pot over medium heat, heat cider until steam begins to rise from the surface. Add brown sugar and stir until melted. Add the spice packet to the pot and steep for at least 10 minutes or until the cider is completely infused. Serve in mugs with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a cinnamon stick or in a sugar and cinnamon rimmed wine glass. For extra fun, spike with spiced rum or brandy.



Easier "Cheat" Directions:

Purchase the mulling spices tin from Williams Sonoma. In a square of cheesecloth or in a spice ball, steep 3-4 tablespoons of spices in a pot of cider for 15-20 minutes or until fully infused into cider. Serve in mugs with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a cinnamon stick or in a sugar and cinnamon rimmed wine glass. For extra fun, spike with spiced rum or brandy.



We wish everyone a happy holiday from both of us here at Moxie! Gobble Gobble!

SXSW Interactive Has Moxie!

Susannah Gardner of Hop Studios and Buzz Marketing for Blogs invited Moxie to participate in a panel on blog design best practices and the like at SXSW Interactive next Spring!

Kathy is going to have her hands full with her new baby girl, so I’m the designated Moxie representative. I’m honored that we were invited and I’m looking forward to meeting the other designers on the panel.  At Susie’s request, I recommended some of my favorites to attend, but there are so many good designers out there and only a handful of seats on the panel. Kathy and I are both eager to see who will show up and what we can all offer each other.

SXSW, here we come!


A Little Moxie For Everyone

For Hasbrown Friday this week we’d like to take the time to properly introduce a few branches of our business that we’ve been sitting on, some since January of this year.  First up is a division we concepted in early June that we affectionately call Moxie Tots,  which specializes in maternity scrapbooks, online baby books, and blogs for kids!  We’ve done a few “baby journals” recently and thought it would be appropriate to offer it as a specialty for all those mommies and daddies out there who want to journal their children’s lives to share with friends and family. 

Next up is Moxie Love, beautiful and memorable websites for your engagement, wedding, or committment ceremony. Consider sharing the planning news with your wedding party, guests and family or those who are unable to attend. We can also develop a virtual keepsake of your big day with a photo gallery or online scrapbook! 

Finally, and probably the idea we’ve been sitting on the longest is Moxxxie (not work safe). Last time Joelle and I we’re in the same state, we got together and over a hilarious brainstorming session, we conjured up Moxxxie!, a division which will specializes in creating upscale erotic and sensual websites for you or your adult-industry business.

Our schedules have been quite busy but we’re very excited to work in these new arenas and do some new fun projects!