1. I usually work on two art series simultaneously, otherwise I get really bored.

2. I have been wearing lederhosen since I was four.

3. Least favorite colors: Brown and yellow.

4. I can’t do a cartwheel or whistle.

5. The only sports I’ve ever tried were swimming lessons and Taekwondo and both of those were 10+ years ago. (I don’t really exercise. Much prefer stillness).

6. I have a major disdain for most condiments including mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, mustard and all types of dressing.

7. I’ve met both Marilyn Manson and Vanilla Ice.

8. I rarely stand in front of the mirror when brushing my teeth. Instead, I wander all over the house. (Gala totally noticed this when we ran the Virgo Boarding House!)

9. Lee & I are not from the same species. I wear a size 6.5 or 7 shoe and he wears a 14. I am 5 foot 3 inches tall and he is 6 foot 3!

10. I do everything left-handed except for using a mouse.

Now, tell me something about you.
Who are you?
What do you do?
What makes you unique?

Sweater dress, Twelve by Twelve
Tights, Forever 21
Boots, Harley (with custom treads)
Watch, Nixon
Purse, Miu Miu

I think this sweater dress has a medieval knight’s armor vibe mixed with 60s futuristic fashion (like Rudi Gernreich). Since the weather has been cold and rainy, I’ve been leaving my nice shoes at home and wearing these customized Harley boots with pretty much everything.

A few months ago, I was invited to participate in a group show at Sequential Art Gallery. The pitch was to recreate a classic pulp fiction book cover as a poster-sized piece of art. After doing some digging, I found a 60s era book with the intriguing title The Wayward Wife and this is my interpretation!

For the gallery show, I made a single edition with blue accents. The above version with pink accents is now available for $25.00 in a limited, signed & numbered edition of 20 in my online store! Posters will be mailed rolled in a tube and shipping in the U.S. is included in the price. More detailed instructions are here.

Since the posters are supposed to be oversized versions of book covers, I was curious to see how they’d look as a multidimensional item:

P.S. The group art show at Sequential Art is called TEN CENT TALES of TRUE TERROR and TWO-FISTED TITILLATION! There will be a First Thursday reception from 6-10pm and I will be there for a bit.

As always, if you have any questions, please email me at: nubby@nubbytwiglet.com!

The month of December from my calendar can be downloaded here.

What I wore:

Sweater, Old Navy
Dress, H&M
Tights, DKNY
Beret, Isaac for Target
Shoes, Dries Van Noten
Watch, Nixon
Purse, Miu Miu

This is what I wore for the first half of Thanksgiving while hanging out in Portland. I decided to go up to the mountains later on and changed into the much more practical combo of black jeans and Harley boots.

What I wore:

Wool jacket, Love & Glamour
Cardigan, DKNY
Dress, H&M
Scarf, Canal Street, NYC
Tights, H&M
Boots, John Fluevog
Purse, Miu Miu

2. The Helvetica edition of Moleskine is pretty much the best thing ever.

3. From now on, I am paying for everything with Chanel coins.

4. Click for your fortune of the day. It’s a good one! Promise!

5. An excerpt from Karl Lagerfeld’s run-in with pervs:

As of late there have been some pervs writing into the blog. They say things like:
“Oh, Karl, I want to suck on your little leather gloves and lick your tough high starched collar, and unstich your Tom Ford suit thread-by-thread.” So I asked for a picture and it turned out this perv was Marc Jacobs.

6. Google now has a feature that allows you to search through millions of historic LIFE photos! The archive, stretching from the 1750s to today is high resolution and most of the images have never been published.

7. Behold the first ever digital polaroids!

8. 7 essential things you should be doing while your blog is still young.

9. This is from ages ago, but I love this artist’s sketches of imaginary shoes. Double heels and hooves, oh my!

Everyone has used sticky notes, but they are rarely as stylish (or as practical) as the Graph Cube Post-It. The stack features 1,000 sheets that are printed with a 13 x 13 grid square. Perfect for doodling, writing in a straight line or just making your desk surface more stylish! I bought mine this weekend and have been admiring its beauty ever since…

♥ Soft pink with dabbles of ink!
+ The Fashion Notebook set on Flickr.

What I wore:

Circle Scarf , American Apparel (I did a take on the capelet)
City Print shirt, American Apparel
Tunic, Mossimo
Jeans, Wet Seal
Watch, Nixon
Wedges, Corso Como
Purse, Miu Miu

Your turn:
1. What kind of bag do you carry?
2. What’s your dream bag?
3. What’s your most prized posession inside that you cannot live without?

This is what I wore out to the suburbs last night where I was subsequently whisked away to a martini bar where a very large drunk woman fell over and smeared a piece of her birthday cake across the table. Two other ladies were trying to hold her up but without much luck…because they were very drunk also. I was a little worried as I looked over my shoulder and saw the same lady nearly stumble down a flight of stairs on her way out. Who says that there’s nothing going on these days out in the suburbs?! Haha!

What I wore:

Jacket , Wilson’s
cardigan, DKNY
Shirt, LA Made
Pants, Target
Boots, Harley Davidson (with custom treads)
Purse, Miu Miu

2. Gala Darling answers the age old question, What should I wear?

3. These are possibly the best designed book spines that I have ever seen:

4. TypeNEU is chock-full of typographic inspiration and it’s set up as a blog so you can subscribe to it here.

5. On that note, Typography Served has even more inspiration! Total type overload.

6. French graffiti artist Fafi has a blog.

7. McDonalds takes the No-Brand Concept to Japan! Amazingly, the shops look sleek and upscale and only feature TWO menu options!

8. These acrylic alphabet necklaces would make such a great gift!

9. Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of Laying People Off.

10. Are RSS subscribers worthwhile if they don’t visit your blog?

11. Wall Street’s crash is good news for social software.

12. MagCulture is a blog ALL about editorial design!

Find a way to humanize your brand, use your personality, and take your brand
from good to great. -Guy Kawasaki

Do you envision your blog as a brand? If you do, try embracing the concept of brand personality. To understand what brand personality is, envision your brand as if it were a person. It would have values, beliefs and interests. These attributes are what would make it unique.

Groundbreaking package designer Walter Landor felt that everything you project into the world goes toward creating your brand. Each little piece is of equal importance, equal weight, and has to be appropriate to the audience it is reaching or the message that it is trying to promote.

The energy that you put out on your blog will be directly related to what you receive in return. Since your blog is a brand and you are the central driving force behind developing its personality, it is further defined by every action you take and every post that you create.

THE KEYS TO TURNING YOUR BLOG INTO A SUCCESSFUL BRAND

1. Determine what your goals are. These goals will pull you through the tough times, give you a focus and ultimately, a way to measure your success. I prefer defined goals that I can actually measure such as reaching a specific rank on Technorati every six months, gaining a certain level of traffic every year, posting a set number of articles to my blog each week, and so on. Without any gray area, it’s much easier to see if you’re hitting the mark.

2. Find out what your readers want and need. How does your brand fit into their life? The best way to determine your reader’s needs is to ask them. Develop a direct connection between your blog and its readers. Do some old fashioned research, whether it’s through polling, emails or a survey post. As an incentive, run a contest.

3. Clearly communicate your blog’s personality. This can be facilitated through being trustworthy, relaible, developing a unique slogan and having a memorable blogging voice.

WHY THE PERSONALITY BEHIND YOUR BLOG IS SO IMPORTANT

Marketing has become a mass-produced commodity that lacks authenticity. Our saturation point has been reached and the old rules no longer work. Though used mostly for products and services, branding can also be applied to people. The key to developing an authentic brand is to be true to who you are and to follow your own, unique path. This individuality is the one thing that you can claim as yours. Though others may try to impersonate it along the way, it’s usually fairly easy to spot the original voice among them. Give some thought to the one thing that makes your brand unique, the one attribute that no one can take away from you. This is where you should focus your energy.

The characteristic that many of the most successful blogs share is that people are following the BLOGGER, not the BLOG. A blog’s theme can be replicated, but the personality behind it cannot. There may been hundreds, if not thousands of blogs in a saturated niche. So ask yourself, why do you repeatedly go back to the same blogs when you can probably get the same information from another site?

Gala Darling, a pink-haired force of positivity

Gala Darling’s consistent voice and unwavering positivity, Heather Armstrong’s sarcastic tone and over-the-top stories and Jane’s jaw-droppingly original styling are all examples of unique, immediately recognizable characteristics. Notice that I didn’t refer to their respective project names of iCiNG, dooce, or Sea of Shoes. What these bloggers do can stand on its own, period.

As Tom Dorresteijn notes, “The concept of brand personality combines inside-out and outside-in; identity and image. A personality has its roots in the identity but is strongly externally focused. It is not ‘be who your are’. Personality is: Become who you should be.”

DEVELOP A SOLID BRAND IDENTITY

If your blog was a living, breathing person, what adjectives would you use to describe it?

The world belongs to those who stand out, stand up and stand for or against a cause which they can strongly defend, those who can talk crowd and keep their virtues or walk with kings and not lose the common touch – their identity. An independent mind is a frontier of change in the world. -Tayo Korede

Make your brand come alive. Give it a personality that jumps off the page. Strive to make your readers’ experiences memorable. Once you establish a level of quality on your blog, never look back.

Readers:
What is your blog about?
What characteristics make it unique?
How do you plan on taking it to the next level?

Sunday = another trip to the graveyard. Only 20 blocks from my house, how convenient! I’ve been wearing my trusty Harley boots lately because I haven’t been able to get my paws on a pair of Chloé harness boots. Every time I spot a pair, someone else snaps them up!

What I wore:

Dress , Forever 21
Shirt, LA Made
Belt, borrowed from another dress
Watch, Nixon
Leggings, Forever 21
Zipper boots, Harley Davidson (with custom treads)
Purse, Miu Miu

Shown: Double-sided business card, cover sheet, mailing label, form letter, invoice. (I don’t have an immediate need for a CD, so I’ve left it out for now).

Saturday was spent doing a photo shoot for my brother’s new season of shirts for Blacktooth and then hanging out in the mountains. This time I used common sense and packed another pair of shoes.

This scarf has been residing on the deer in my living room and I felt slightly guilty for borrowing it from him…

What I wore:

Cardigan, Old Navy
Silk scarf, vintage
Linen tunic, Forever 21
Jeans, Levi’s
Boots, Dries Van Noten
Purse, Miu Miu

Last Friday, Lee’s sculptor friend Roxanne Jackson was in Portland for a solo show. As you can see, her work is absolutely amazing. I’d kill to have these three heads mounted on my living room wall! You can see her work at Gallery Homeland.

Saturday night was spent hanging out in the mountains at my Grandma & Grandpa’s cabin. They live on 10 acres of land in the forest on the way to Mt. Hood. Literally, you drive a half mile up a gravel road to reach their house. I was woefully unprepared for this journey and trampled through the dark & damp forest in my burgundy four inch Dries wedges. Perhaps the forest creatures were impressed? Thank god I didn’t break an ankle.

I just rediscovered my Minnie Mouse-style belt (closet cleaning does wonders!) and can’t get enough of it. It reminds me very much of the bow crazy Marc by Marc accessories that I am seeing everywhere!

I’m still really happy with my Nixon Chalet. Thanks so much for sharing your favorite watches earlier in the week! This picture was taken at my desk, where I’ve spent the last few days illustrating geese, fuzzy dice, a hip hop chick, a deer head and helicopters for the side of a trade show booth. I love the variety of work at my job. There’s never a dull moment!

Somebody forgot to do the dishes! I’m a big fan of everything, even boring everyday items representing an overall aesthetic. Design is lurking everywhere if you’re willing to embrace it.

I’ve started digging through old scans and collages, figuring out what I want to do for new poster prints and shirts. I’m hoping to have some new things for sale by the end of this year!

How was your week? What made your heart go pitter-patter?

2. The folks over at Smashing Magazine have outdone themselves once again with 50 Must-Have Photoshop Brushes!

3. My graphic design teacher sent me a link to these amazing pillows. Very Dada / Surrealist with a great mix of red, black and white accents!

4. Technorati’s 2008 State of the Blogosphere is a fascinating five part compilation that is jam-packed with facts, figures and insights on blogging.

5. Kirke, a 12 year old from Estonia has totally won me over. She has a style that’s evolved way beyond her years her mom helps her make many of her outfits!

6. Vintage Playboy magazine covers from the 50s and 60s are so chic and classic!

7.ShareSomeCandy is an image sharing site similar to FFFOUND! but an unlimited number of people can submit images. Also, the contributors remain anonymous so you can submit your own work without anyone knowing.

8. The evolution of this outfit by Jane of Sea of Shoes is so intriguing. I love it all!

Who are the best promotional goods company/website out there? I’m building my press kit for graduation this fall and I want to have a little goody to hand out. Unfortunately, a lot of the promo companies that I find do not take an order of less than $200. I’m a student, so money is tough when they tell me they can’t just make 50 or 100 of one item. I don’t need a 1000 pens!

…

First of all, the extra (takeaway) item you include in your press kit does not need to be fancy or expensive. When dreaming up an item to add to your press kit, consider usability. You didn’t mention your major, but an item that can be worn, stuck to a surface or pinned up for display will probably be more appealing to the recipient than a knick-knack that collects dust. Though, to keep things headache-free, try to avoid items that require sizing, such as t-shirts (unless you’re very familiar with the recipients).

The coffee mugs, baseball caps, paper weights, keychains and ballpoint pens on the big sites that are produced for behemoth corporations usually lack personality. They simply slap their logo on the front of a standard-issue product, print up a few thousand and hand them out at company meetings and conventions.

Certainly, you can make more of an impact on a smaller budget while still reaching your target market.

The top promotional items that I can think of for a small budget are:

1. Pinback button: The appeal is universal and if the person chooses to wear it, your promotional appeal majorly increases. There are tons of sites out there, but I highly recommend Busy Beaver Button Co., who I’ve used many times. There are many shapes and sizes of pins to choose from (the squares are super cute!) and the quality, price and service are all fantastic.

2. Sticker: Everyone loves stickers! And, even if your sitcker gets affixed to a car bumper or street sign, it’s still working to promote you! Just remember to include your website URL or email so people who love your work can find you. Sticker Robot did an awesome job on my Mouth With Pill stickers:

3. Postcard: Postcards are a perfect way to showcase your work. Think of a fun, catchy and imaginative design that makes people want to tack it up on their bulletin boards, refrigerators and office cubicles! If possible, get your name or website on the front. Chances are that viewers won’t take the time to flip it over. Overnight Prints produces postcards for reasonable rates and the quality is great. Out of all of the online printers I’ve tried, they have been the best by far.

4. Tote bag: A little bit more expensive, but highly functional. Do you have an amazing logo, phrase or image that should be splashed across the canvas panel? A tote is nice because you can bundle your your press kit inside of it to hand off! Most of the sites that I could find had a 50 tote minimum and went up from there. My boyfriend runs a screen printing business and did mine, so I didn’t have to worry about the amount. If you do plan on getting totes made, I’d suggest contacting a local printer who can work with you in person to pick out the tote, inks and discuss other printing details.

5. Calendar: If you’re going into a design-related field, showcasing your skills on
the promotional item is a great way to impress the recipient. One of my favorite projects in school was this calendar, which conveniently fits into a CD case.

It’s the perfect size for displaying on a desk and if done in InDesign, updating it every year is super easy.

Readers: Do you have any more promotional suggestions for a press kit? What do you use?

DOA, 2008
Collage and resin on wood
13.5 x 9.5 inches

I originally intended to show this piece last month at my solo show, but ran behind schedule. Better late than never! This series is offically closed; I’m in the planning stages for a new body of very colorful work that will ramp up early next year!

I was on my way to my usual spot to take outfit photos on Sunday, but it started raining too hard. As we drove around the city running errands, Lee had the brilliant idea to take my photos in a tree-filled cemetery (trees = dry!) on the side of a busy intersection.

What I wore:

Cotton pleated wrap blouse, Forever 21
Misc. modified black shirts
Necklace, Helpless Romantic
Pants, Wet Seal (haha)
Watch, Nixon Chalet
Wedges, Dries Van Noten

I also got my hair trimmed and perfectly styled with some beehive action, but after falling asleep on it, the volume disappeared! My hair is naturally straight and doesn’t hold any style at all…

P.S. I am happy to be back to wearing L’oreal British Red lipstick. It’s not too pink, not too heavy and not too bright. Perfect for day wear!

I’ve desperately needed a new watch for the last year or so. The two I wear regularly have been dying a slow, slow death. The red cross model that I paid $12.99 for at Target three years ago has a splitting band and my trusty Swatch Typically Square from 2002 also needs a new band.

I’d been casually searching for a replacement, but I had some specific needs. The watch needed to be squared off, not at all sporty, to have a non-rubbery band and to be adjustable.

After sifting through the watch selections of Chanel, Philippe Starck for Fossil, Nooka and coming up empty handed while trying to find information on the much heralded launch by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, I went back to my original plan.

The Nixon Chalet had been on my mind since I saw this bamboo model last year, but I decided black was a lot more practical and versatile.

In the reviews I read, many people relayed that the watch is chunky for a woman’s style, which is what I really like most about it. At the same time, the sleek, streamlined stylings of the watch face and band balance the weightiness out. The band has an enamel inlay and links can be added or removed.

I’m very happy with the sturdiness of the Chalet. I am probably not Nixon’s target customer, but this watch has totally won me over!

Do you wear a watch?
What’s your favorite brand or style of watch?

Today, I’m all about staying warm and comfortable. I’m off to get a haircut…after putting it off for months. Nothing drastic, just a trim and some slight back combing. I’m done with short hair forever!

What I wore:

Wool jacket, Urban Outfitters
Striped sweater, Forever 21
Shirt, Nordstrom
Pants, Target
Belt, Wild & Lethal Trash
Wool beret, Isaac for Target
Wedges, Dries Van Noten

I hope you’re having a great weekend so far!

Next Week Sneak Peak: Tune in for photographs of my corporate identity, a watch review, press kit advice and much, much more!

How was your week??

2. Get your sledgehammer ready! This is what nemo does with crappy cameras that don’t meet its exacting standards.

3. My favorite website for fashionable finds, Yoox is having a fall sale with up to an extra 20% off already discounted prices.

4. This site is unexplainable but mesmerizing. Simply click on a color swatch and a set of Flickr photos appear in that scheme. Add a rainbow of swatches and see what happens!

5. Here’s a great Flickr set chronicling Vogue magazine covers from throughout the years (via designthatkills).

6. The original drawings of the iconic Rolling Stones logo just sold for $92,500.

7. Twitip is a brand new blog dedicated to providing you with Twitter tips!

8. If you need a quick tutorial on product photography, this is amazing.

9. Are any of you on LOOKBOOK.nu? I just got my invite last night and am totally obsessed with the site. It’s a fashion / style site that you post your outfits to, but the best looks get voted to the front blog-style page that you can scroll through to see the best of the best. The site is clean, easy to navigate and full of inspiring eye candy!

♥ Good day, sunshine!
+ The Fashion Notebook set on Flickr.

P.S. And, speaking of voting…I did so last week! (In Oregon, we’re proud of our vote-by-mail system). So, now it’s up to you!

Now that the Fall weather has hit, this sweater is one of my favorite things. I thrifted it last week and my aunt who works at Eileen Fisher sent me some special sweater pins to complete the look.

This is what I wore:

Wrap sweater, thrifted
Tunic, American Apparel
Leggings, American Apparel
Watch, Swatch
Wedges, Marni

If you run a blog, do you consider yourself a blogger? Or, do you feel like the term is too limiting when describing what you do?

Last week, Dave Allen and I got into a discussion about the term ‘blogger’ (a contraction of the words web and log). I wondered, is it still considered cool and relevant? Or, has it lost some of its appeal now that everyone’s doing it?

Even though there are over 110 million blogs in existence, Dave mentioned that since many people still don’t know the difference between a blog and a website, the label ‘blogger’ can be confusing. Many times, if you ask someone if they read blogs, they’ll reply no. But, after some quizzing, they’ll admit that they do read blogs…they just didn’t realize what these sites were called.

During the time my site has been live, I’ve used the term blogger to describe what I do without much thought. My main career is in graphic design and I simply use my blog as a way share my work and thoughts with others. My frequent postings about design, style and marketing could get tricky and convoluted in another format, but a blog with categories and tags makes finding related subject matter a cinch. Blogging is simply my chosen medium of communication.

TRENDING AWAY FROM THE BLOGGER LABEL

Some people like Problogger’s Darren Rowse are inching away using the term blogger because they claim that it can be too limiting.

Sometimes, writers are especially sensitive to being categorized as just bloggers and it’s easy to see why. Since bloggers are a dime a dozen, the term can be viewed as downplaying a writer’s talent and craft.

Though, as Mark Glaser points out, some formerly separate worlds have started merging over the last few years:

The time-worn debate of Bloggers vs. Journalists has finally run its course. For years, traditional journalists scoffed at bloggers as pajama-wearing screamers, while bloggers have pointed to MSM (mainstream media) as secretly biased and obsolete. While the extremists in this argument have had the stage shouting at each other loudly, what has happened quietly in the background has received less attention: Mainstream media reporters have started blogging in droves, while larger blog operations have hired seasoned reporters and focused on doing traditional journalism.

DOES YOUR TITLE MATTER?

On the other side of the argument, categorizing oneself squarely in the blogger camp can make the discussion of what you do for a living less taxing. Entrepreneur Kevin Muldoon relays a common experience:

One of the things I have found about working through the web is my inability to correctly give myself a title, ie. a name which explains what I do for a living. Lots of people online seem to be using the term ‘Entrepreneur’ but I really hate it, it’s kinda pompous in my opinion. With blogging taking up most of my time now I am more than happy to use the title ‘Blogger.’

FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

The blogger label is hip and cool now, but where will it be in five years? Will it still have any merit? Will using a different term really make a difference in how you’re perceived by your audience?

Blogging will probably always exist in one form or another. It’s not surprising that there are over 175,000 new blogs popping up every day. Blogging is an easy way to connect with a much larger audience while investing very little upfront. And, because of this, the number of blogs will continue to grow, whether a niche is already saturated or not. The appeal of sharing your views with the world and receiving instantaneous feedback is highly seductive.

In reality, the people reading your blog probably don’t care what your title is. They are visiting your site regularly because it offers a perceived value. Whether you’re a writer, an information architect, a web publisher, a content developer or just a plain old blogger, what really matters is that your readers love what you’re doing.

Do you consider yourself a blogger?

This year, I went as Minnie Mouse for Halloween, partly because I already had everything (besides the headband, false eyelashes and black lipstick) in my possession! My outfit was a bit more schoolgirl Minnie / vintage Mouseketeer than the standard.

What I wore:

Dress with belt, vintage
Red bowtie, Loulou Loves You
Minnie Mouse headband, vintage
Wool jacket, Love & Glamour
Cotton crinoline, vintage
Knee highs, unknown
Bow wedges, Corsocomo
Patent Purse, Miu Miu

The party was insanely packed and the costumes were amazing! My favorite part every year is the ‘photo booth.’ There’s a real photographer that snaps your pictures against a backdrop and they print out for you to keep.

I hope you had a fantastic Halloween! I was warm, comfortable and people could actually tell who I was (unlike last year when I was Steve Perry) so all in all, it was a great night!

A few days ago, I had a really late night at work but when I came home, I was surprised with this! Lee’s family was in town all week and his mom made a MASSIVE apple pie. (I secretly love having so many heart-shaped dishes and baking pans. Heart-shaped food makes everything better!!!)

Heehee, I made some new friends this week…and their names are Marni!

I’d been lusting after some wedges from the Spring 2008 collection for awhile and when a pair came up in my size on Ebay for a total steal, I jumped in! They’re literally like sculptures. In case you were wondering, they’re not easy to walk in, but they sure are beautiful to look at!

This is totally random, but if you’ve never been to Portland, one of the first things that you see when entering downtown is this massive purple monstrosity! It never seems to die. You think it would get popped, but it’s probably immortal.

One of the packages I received this week was from my Virgo soulmate, Gala Darling and it contained not only a cute letter of all the reasons why we’re a perfect match, but a GLITTER GLOVE! She’s one of the only people who understands my undying love for Michael Jackson.

I had the best latte today while dining on waffles with my friend Erin. We’ve known each other the longest out of all of all of my friends (BFF’s since 1996, baby!) so we share a very special bond.

Isn’t she adorable?!

I guess I should mention what else I’ve been up to. Nemo is having an insane Halloween party tonight (I say INSANE and mean it because over 1,500 people have RSPVed!) and we’ve been decorating for the last two days. It looks amazing!

And, with that, I am off to change into my costume!

Happy Halloween, everyone!
What’s your costume going to be this year?

The month of November from my calendar can be downloaded here.

1. Sea of Shoes offers a guide to buying vintage on Ebay. This post is worth checking out just to see some of their amazing finds!

2. Before you use that typeface on your project, find out its secret meaning here. My favorites are Didot: I am a French hooker and Helvetica Neue: I am a conformist!

3. Thanks to a link via Gala a few weeks ago, I am totally hooked on the music blog Pretty Much Amazing. It’s about quality over quantity and they get ahold of all the best of the moment dance-y tracks and remixes.

4. If you’re going out of business, it’s best to take the high road and write an explanation like this guy did. (Sidenote: I loved Rocket! Photographic evidence here.)

5. Would smoking still seem as cool if all of the cigarette packaging was plain white and unbranded?

6. Why would Steve Pavlina say goodbye to $100,000 in easy income every year? Find out his reasoning here.

7. If you’re in need of some inspiration, Smashing Magazine’s 50 Beautiful Blog Designs has what you’re looking for!

8. It’s finally been confirmed, red on women drives men wild!

Over the last few months, many brief questions have rolled in so I’ve decided to answer these all at once. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to tackling your more lengthy inquiries next week!

1. Does the giant “A” decor in your home and on your business cards have any meaning or is it just decoration?

I’m a big typography nerd, but the the recurring A doesn’t have any significant meaning. I just like the way it looks! The uppercase Helvetica A is my all-time favorite, followed by the lowercase Bodoni a.

2. I’m wondering, what’s the background story on your lips & pill logo?

The mouth with pill got its start years ago when I was really into medical imagery. A friend in New York sent me a shoe box stuffed with goodies and inside, there were a few oversized colored metal pills. I thought it would be cool to chomp down on one and take some photos. They caught on and became instantly associated with my brand so I turned one of the photos into a logo. Eventually, the photos became the basis for my first art piece in 2005.

3. I’m just curious as to where I can acquire a tuxedo jacket similar to the one you wore to your birthday shindig.

Though tuxedo jackets have been big in fashion for awhile now, mine is of the vintage variety. It’s a boy’s size and originated from a used tux reseller on Ebay for less than $20.00. The label is Lord West.

4. I was wondering how you and Gala Darling met?

Gala’s birthday is September 13th and mine is September 14th. Back in 2006, we were both in New York celebrating our birthdays, unbeknownst to one another. Our mutual friend Star hung out with us a day apart and she mentioned that I should meet Gala. Though we never crossed paths on that trip, we later struck up conversations online and hit it off.

Photo by Bianca Alexis

When we were both back in New York during June 2008, we finally met in person. The bond was immediate; it’s like we’d known each other all along! Since we’re both Virgos that love to blog, shop, eat and constantly take photos, we’re a pretty ideal match. Since then, we’ve spent 10 solid days together and in the process, ran the Virgo Boarding House (our tattooed host was amazingly gracious!), celebrated our birthdays in Central Park, discussed Michael Jackson’s pajama choices and attended a blogging convention in Vegas! Who knows where our next adventure will take us…

5. How do you separate work from your personal design?

This is way easier than it seems! My life at work and outside of work cross over pretty heavily. I blog and design all day at Nemo and if I was at home, I’d be doing the same exact thing (except, I’d have the T.V. tuned into Dr. Phil and Oprah)!

Even though I love designing for myself, it’s impossible to be ‘on’ and full of creativity all the time. Stepping outside of my personal space and working on projects for clients at work has made me a better designer because of the huge variety of work. Oh, and it never really feels like work because my coworkers are awesome.

6. You have such fantastic clothes, do you display them like art?

I don’t display any of my clothing. I prefer it to be hung up by color! I do display my favorite shoes, though.

Thanks for tuning in! As always, if you have a question that you’d like answered, please direct it here.

♥ Rock & Roll Fantasy
+ the Decor Notebook set on Flickr.

I found this vintage skirt at the Red Light this weekend. Judging from the belled cut, it seems to be 50s era. I’m on a total Bavarian style kick at the moment!

This is what I wore:

Skirt, vintage (no label)
Shirt, H&M
Cuckoo clock necklace, M8N4
Leggings, Forever21
Watch, Target
Heels, Zinda
Purse, Miu Miu

Our sartorial choices say a lot about who we are, where we came from and where we’re going. Color choices, patterns and textures all contribute to an overall vision of how we want to be perceived. I make no distinction between my art, my personal style of dress or my surroundings. They’re one big vision. Each week, I share a few of my favorite outfits and best of all, the label or origins of each piece!

Do you have a burning question? This is your chance to get answers on a variety of topics including art, design, fashion, business, style and anything else you can dream up! The question can be as simple as asking where I got a piece of clothing or what typeface I used for a project to something more in-depth about freelancing or running a business. This column is featured most Wednesdays and questions can be directed here.

The Decor Notebook is a collection of collages spanning five years. Images have been gathered from interior and decor magazines with the goal of injecting inspiration into your surroundings. The full set of collages can be viewed here.

Every Thursday, I whip up a list of links to the best design resources, inspiration and helpful articles from around the net. Do you have a tip or would you like to be featured? Email me!

Every Friday, I do my best to capture my surroundings and what it’s like being a designer and artist living and working in Portland, Oregon. New purchases, family gatherings and extensive travels all make their way into these posts.

Thanks for reading!

Blazer, M+Z Michelle Zachs
Shirt, H&M
Belt, Wild & Lethal Trash
Knit pom-pom beret, H&M
2 necklace, Alex + Chloe
Pants, cheesy mall chain store
Boots, Dries Van Noten