A Lake Creek Lodge Reception

What a lovely weekend. My in-laws flew into town and we drove the 2.5 hours to Lake Creek Lodge, where our friends Alex and Marcy were holding their wedding reception. Lake Creek Lodge is completely charming, surrounded by its various unique rental cabins. Best of all, they allow dogs, so Barkley, Mia, Suki and Booker all had a marvelous time playing together.

There were many things that made this a wonderful weekend, even beyond the fact that we were here to celebrate the marriage of two such dear friends. Everything just seemed to come together… the friends and family, the elegant and woodsy decor, the music, the games, the food and drink, the cakes… and all this despite the inevitable bumps that come along with every reception.

A few things that I found particularly memorable – the beauty of the Metolius River and Lake Creek, the multiple meals taken together with incredible friends, the bounding happiness of all the dogs, the newlyweds looking gorgeous and dashing in their elegant attire, the heartfelt speeches, the 5 individual cakes, the impromptu after-dinner salsa lesson, and the bride & groom “shoe question” game (read about it here).

Photos from the weekend:

The bridge connecting our cabins to the main lodge

The dogs during a moment of obedience with Jerry

A rare view of sunlight through the trees

An evening shot of Kevin & Jerry’s Cabin, #5, where we all congregated and
enjoyed the delicious food so generously provided.

The remarkably clear water of the Metolius River

Photos from the Reception:

A table awaiting the guests. The reception colors were burnt orange
and brown as depicted by the runner, the matching roses and pine cones.

The happy couple…

Flower seed favors in reusable magnetic tins

One of the 5 cakes, each with a different flavor and white-on-white design

The Cutest Little Buttons & Tutorials

I’ve come across the cutest custom button crafts lately. I had no idea they could be so charming and versatile, especially the fabric covered variety. Here are a few of my favorites, plus I’ve included two good tutorial links below:

Paper clips (top) and magnets and pushpins from Shim + Sons

The photos above are from Shim+Sons. The button crafts are available in their “shoppe” along with some nicely designed paper goods. I also really enjoy their blog and was pleasantly surprised that they were also Portland-based.

“Sienna Sunrise” ponytail holders (top) and headband from Gazzu

“Magical Forest” hair pins (top) and “Trip to the zoo” bookmarks by Meeting Streets Designs

Here are links to two really good tutorials, one for fabric covered thumbtacks at How About Orange and a fabric covered button tutorial at Little Thing by Magda K. Both of these ladies are really talented and do amazing work.

I am so enjoying these cookies right now

Yummy Chocolate Fudge Cookies (or should I say Fondants au Chocolat Biscuits?) by Dare. The dense and creamy fudge center is sandwiched between layers of chocolate cookies that are crunchy and not too sweet. Although, at a whopping 100 calories a piece, I’m trying to restrain myself. Oops, too late, there’s nothing but crumbs left now. Nice to know that they’re natural, at least.

The Unique Beauty of Passion Flowers

Our friends Marcy and Alex have the most amazing passion flower vine growing on a beautiful handmade trellis off their deck. I’ve taken multiple photos, particularly this summer, and just recently thought to look up a little about them.

I remember the first time I ever saw one of these blooms in person was at a visit to the Oregon Garden (a worthy trip, especially to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House). I was stunned at this flower’s unusual structure and unique striped color combination. Pretty unforgettable.

Turns out the word “passion” doesn’t refer to the romantic kind at all like I’d thought. Instead, according to wikipedia:

“Passion” does not refer to love, but to the Passion of Christ on the cross. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries discovered this flower and adopted its unique physical structures as symbols of Crucifixion. For example: the 72 radial filaments (or corona) represent the Crown of Thorns. The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles. The top 3 stigmata represent the 3 nails and the lower 5 anthers represent the 5 wounds. The flower has been given names related to this symbolism throughout Europe since that time.

My New Favorite Mug and Other Dinnerware Confessions

David and I were getting groceries at New Seasons where I saw the cutest mug. I was this close to putting it in our shopping basket, but I knew that the last thing we needed was more dinnerware. You see, back when I was in college I worked at Pottery Barn in the “Table Top” section. I barely had two pennies to rub together back then, but for some reason I couldn’t pass up certain sale items, especially since I got a 20% discount on top of the sale price (the regular employee discount was 40%).

So now we have all kinds of dinnerware and accessories for entertaining – multiple full sets of “Suppertime” and “Bianca” dinnerware, specialty dessert and cocktail plates (with different themes like vintage hula girls, french posters, and celebrate the century), 3 different colors of sets-of-three nested serving bowls, fondue and sushi plates (from Williams Sonoma, where employees also got a discount), and multiple patterns of complete pasta bowl sets (5 that I can think of off-hand). It’s insane how much we have, and that we still have items we’ve never even used. I haven’t even begun to describe our specialty glass collection, including old fashioned fountain sundae glasses and a gorgeous amber iridescent decanter for some liquor that I can’t remember and don’t drink because of an allergy. Seriously. It’s that scary.

The thing is, I am not that person anymore. I never shop at Pottery Barn or even like that kind of style anymore. Now I like things that are more modern, or fun and ‘artsy’, or even clever. I like things to have a little more personality, or maybe a handmade element. Living in Portland, there is no lack of small, independent boutiques, although I would just as soon shop at Crate & Barrel, where at least I can find nice things I might be able to afford.

My husband has asked me so many times to get rid of some of that stuff, but I just can’t bring myself to do. I’ve tried. Truly. But I just can’t do it. What if I need that adorable Thanksgiving ceramic butter dish with the little turkey handle on the lid (that has never been used and is still in its original box)? Or maybe that set of green unbreakable plates for the next time we decide to go on a picnic or have kids over (which has never happened, because our young nephew lives in Austin and none of our friends have kids… yet.) See? There is just no reasoning with myself. Until I can make a little space in our pantry cupboard, I will not buy that cute mug. Or that adorable matching bowl with the little flowers on the inside rim. Or any other piece of dinnerware.

(Sigh) Serves myself right, I suppose.

Moon Festival & Mooncakes

A mung bean mooncake made by a local bakery, purchased at Uwajimaya

Today Asians around the world celebrate the Moon Festival (or Mid-Autumn Festival), a celebration of togetherness and the abundance of the summer’s harvest. The exact date changes from year to year, and in 2007 it falls on September 25.

To celebrate, I picked up three of the traditional pastries, called mooncakes, made specifically for this holiday. Each round cake is about the size of my palm and a little over an inch thick, with an imprint on the top. The imprints vary, but common ones include the chinese character for longevity or harmony, flowers, a rabbit, the moon, or a woman on the moon.

Held within the cake’s almost paper-thin crust are several traditional, sweet and dense fillings. I decided to go with a lotus paste, a red bean paste and a sweet mung bean. The later is my favorite, probably because my mother, who is Asian, has made another kind of pastry with this filling since I was a child. The most curious part of a mooncake, though, is that they usually contain at least one whole salted duck egg yolk in the center. The yolk symbolizes the full moon, but as much as I like the idea, I personally don’t like to eat that part.

A mung bean mooncake (foreground) and a red bean mooncake (background)

The traditional custom is to cut the cake into quarters to share with friends and family, and to serve it with tea. More information about the customs and stories associated with the Moon Festival can be found here.

Mums and Kale for Fall Color

David and I went to Home Depot recently to find some new flowers for the little patch of garden next to the front steps. In the background is an old garden rose, but we’ve designated the front area for annual “color spots,” that we could have fun with and not spend a fortune. Usually we try only to buy perennials, except with our vegetable garden.

For Fall we’ve decided to go with gorgeous and cheery ‘Rhapsody’ garden mums paired with ‘Kamome Red’ ornamental kale. Instead of red, the heart of the kale actually looks more purple/magenta which is similar to the color of the mums. I love the balance of flowers to foliage and the contrasting textures. I feel very grown up for choosing this combination. I think a lot of people dismiss ornamental cabbages and kales as ugly or boring, but this pairing really brings out the beauty and uniqueness in both.

Drawing on other people’s creativity

“Treehouses” limited edition cards (photo and design from Kirin & Co)

I was thinking today that I should feature other people’s designs more often, especially the ones that really strike me as particularly beautiful, creative, cool or otherwise inspiring. Since I can’t afford to buy anything right now (see this post if you’re wondering why), I thought it would be like “window shopping” using my monitor… or maybe it would be more like curating my own imagined shop? Plus, I’m really hoping to motivate myself to begin at least one of the projects that have been sitting in the back of my mind.

One of my very recent favorite finds is the letterpressed card shown above, a collaboration between Lara Cameron, an Australian designer, and Lynn Russel of Satsuma Press, based right here in Portland. There are a set of three designs: treehouses (above), japanese tree, and birch. According to Lara’s Etsy shop, each card is letterpress printed with a vandercook sp-15 on crane’s 100% cotton lettra paper with hand mixed inks. However, if you live in the US you’d save on postage by purchasing from Lynn’s shop. I love the single use of color, the mixture of thin lines and solid shapes, and especially the little details.

“Japanese Tree” limited edition letterpressed cards (photo and design from Kirin & Co)

“Birch” limited edition letterpressed cards (photo and design from Kirin & Co)

“Be Green” Promotional Materials

We recently received a promotional package in the mail from a local printer. It contained a custom folder which held a brochure on sustainability, a shopping list-sized note pad, a page of 10 “Be Green” stickers and a unique bamboo pen. It was quite a good-looking presentation. Obviously, they wanted to both promote that they are an FSC certified printer and to educate their clients about sustainability, including tree-free paper alternatives, recycled content, Green Seal certification, clean wind power, and the impacts of air polution, de-forestation and waste.

But here’s the question: Did they do a good job? I’m not just talking about the graphic design itself, but the whole package. I mean, does the piece put into practice what is being preached about sustainability?

I’ll agree that the design and presentation scored points with me, besides, who doesn’t like the occasional freebie in the mail? I certainly do. However, I’ll probably use the pen and the pad, but likely not the stickers, and the brochure, folder and mailing envelope have already found their way into the recycling bin. I wonder though, how many other people will simply throw everything away? What a waste of money and resources that would be.

When we, as designers, are asked to work on a piece touting sustainability, how far is too far and how little is not enough? Gone are the days when a “sustainable” look included a muddy duotone of green and brown on grey unbleached paper. That just isn’t (or rarely) cool. Now companies want to look “environmentally friendly,” but often that is all it is, a “look” using leafy textures and nature photographs. In practice, they want no less than full color, full bleeds (regardless of the waste from trim), and fancy varnishes, even if it would be more environmentally friendly to go without. So I ask myself, was it necessary to varnish the stickers? Were all the bleeds and die-cuts necessary, considering the wasted paper that would produce? How about the mailing envelope? Did it have to be a bubble mailer? These are just a few questions that I think responsible designers and companies can ask themselves, to see if they are walking the walk and not just talking the talk. Maybe the best we can ask for right now is a balance – FSC Certified/100% clean wind power credits balanced with full color, bleeds, and varnishes.

Lastly, I think part of the responsibility also falls on the consumer to make the effort as well. It takes only minutes to cancel old catalog subscriptions and opt out of “junk” mailing lists (not saying this was junk mail) whenever possible. Case in point, we received two of the promotional packages, one addressed to our company and the other specifically to my husband, so it would be our responsibility to contact the printer and let them know to drop one, so duplicates will not happen again.

Why I bought an imac

This past weekend I finally broke down and bought a new imac. Somehow I missed puremotif’s Mac Dreams post – we could have been commiserating together – apparently she was also struggling with the decision to buy, although she eventually chose a laptop. I can only hope my old ibook will hold out a little bit longer.

Working on my old G4 was just getting too painful… waiting for items to load or save, not being able to work properly on large files, and seeing the “wheel of death” way too often … it was just too much. I think I was beginning to loose my sanity. Plus, while working at my old design firm I got really used to scrolling with a mighty mouse and not just an optical. It’s kind of embarrassing how we get used to new technology and feel like we can’t live without it.

So, why did I go with an imac? Price, really. Since I’ve been working at home more than ever (which is still not as much as I’d like) I realized that it only made sense to have the proper equipment. Although, in some ways, I wish I could have waited, and maybe purchased a G5 tower. Besides being stronger and faster, it would have lasted much longer due to its many user customizable and upgradeable features. With the imac, I learned, the only upgrade I can do myself, without an apple certified specialist, is adding memory.

On the other hand, lucky David already has a G5. You’d think we might have been able to split time on it a little bit better, but when two graphic designers get simultaneous jobs, it is hard to sit and wait around (me) knowing that clients expect a reasonable turnaround. Also, we both do other computer-related activities like Age of Empires/surfing the web/emailing (David) and blogging/photo archiving/surfing the web/emailing (Me). Actually, it is downright scary how long we sit in front of our computers – our chairs maybe 2 feet away, yet world’s away in our heads.

And lastly, I had a monitor problem. Can you imagine concentrating on a project, only to have the screen go blank for several seconds at random every once in a while? Just the memory of that makes me GRRR!!! I will admit that patience is not one of my better virtues. It just isn’t. Thus, my brand new imac. I only wish they still came in white.

“Stranger than Fiction” Movie + Infographics

It is very unusual for David and I to find a movie that we both enjoy, but we recently netflixed Stranger than Fiction, which falls into that rare category. It is a comedy/drama about a lonely IRS agent (Will Ferrell) who starts to hear a voice narrating in his head. Turns out the voice belongs to eccentric novelist Karen Eiffel (played by Emma Thompson) who is on the verge of killing him off, not realizing her main character is real. Other supporting roles are played by the ever charming Maggie Gyllenhaal (the love interest), Dustin Hoffman (a professor who Harold goes to for advice), and Queen Latifah (who plays Karen’s writing assistant). The film’s unique storyline is artistic, dramatic, funny, poignant, revealing and classic.

Picture clipping of two frames out of the animated opening credits sequence (see video, below)

Picture clippings during the introduction of the main character (see video, below)

Beyond the story, however, is a very well done method of info graphics that was pretty intriguing. I don’t know why, but there is no hint of it in the trailer, so it came as a surprise while we were watching. David did a little online research and found the info graphics were done by MK12. Their site is definitely worth checking out because they’ve done some wildly cool design and animation. David also came across the blog infosthetics.com, who also posts about this subject.

I suggest watching the trailer before watching the opening sequence below, just so there is a better understanding of the film.

Day 6-9, San Josef Bay Part 2, Victoria, and Return

So, I’ve been totally procrastinating on posting about the last few days of our recent trip to Vancouver Island. I don’t know why. So I’ve decided that I’m just going to do it, no matter how it turns out.

The glorious rays of early morning sunlight over San Josef Bay

On day 6 we hiked from Fisherman’s River to Eric’s Lake where we stopped for lunch. Then we continued on back down to San Josef Bay where we camped for our last night. The clouds had finally broke and blue sky replaced the grey. It was almost unreal that we basically had the whole huge beach to ourselves. This was the first night we had a fire and it felt so delicious to let the cold and wet seep away.

Gorgeous seastacks, with some morning sun

The whole beach, virtually untouched…

…but with surprising details anywhere you looked. How cool are those barnacles?

Another interesting and tiny find

Here he is… scampering away

The never-ending enjoyment of finding unique (and unoccupied) shells

Day 7 we hiked out. Our backpacking adventure was over and we all treated ourselves to a fresh and hot meal at the Scarlet Ibis. Afterwards we headed back to our cabin at the Cluxewe Resort. Let me tell you, after four days in the woods where water was at a premium, a warm shower was like liquid bliss.

The Cluxewe Resort’s resident cat, sunning itself on the steps

The view of the ocean from our cabin

Thick rolling fog, departing over the water

An unusual catch of what David simply calls the “ugly” fish

Caught! A wild salmon that was soon released

On the morning of day 8 the boys spent the morning fishing and then we packed up to head south to the capital of Victoria. Despite there being a sign that said “Full” we were lucky to find a site at Goldstream Provincial Park. That night we strolled around the heart of Victoria, listening to street music, perusing some of the souvenir shops and eventually dining at a tapas bar restaurant that had outdoor seating. It was located on a narrow but immensely charming pedestrian side street. It was funny to notice all of the good looking people, dressed up in their saturday night best, while we sat in our slightly less-than-fresh camping clothes.

The Parliament Building at night, downtown Victoria

Our late night dinner at the Tapa Bar Restaurant

Day 9 signaled the end of our trip. We drove back into Victoria for coffee and to see about getting a ferry off the island. The way I see it, the ferry system is slightly complicated and the maps we had weren’t particularly clear. Eventually we found the right place, taking a smaller Washington state ferry through the San Juan Islands to Anacortes, Washington, which was just lovely. The ferries are expensive (at least for us because our rooftop carrier exceeded the limit for normal vehicle passage), but break up the driving time in a very desirable way. It also provided a fitting closing to our trip on the Island, that I will surely never forget. And I hope someday, very soon, to return.

The majestic triple doors of St Andrew’s Church, Victoria

A view of some islands from the ferry

At the rear of the ferry, for a final look back