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Currency at the National Stationery Show...the business card. If you are going or showing, you will definitely need to have one.
Keep reading for more lovely images of cards I picked up from the show and my suggestions of what to consider when designing your business cards.
Continue reading "NSS 2010 :: Business Cards Images and Tips" »
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Plain and simple, I saw the show from a designer's point of view. I love stationery, but in my heart, I am a branding and package designer. From my design eye, I noticed the whole picture, not just the stationery. I noticed booths that had barely visible logos on the walls and I noticed booths that were creating a branded believable experience for the buyer. These companies made their logos work and interact for them and therefore became memorable entities with a distinct user experience. If you own a company, ask yourself, is your logo just a mark or is it re-inforcing your brand and product?
Keep reading to see my FAVORITE FIVE BRANDS from the show {in no particular order}:
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Old Tom Foolery {*MY FAVORITE BOOTH*}
Red Cap Cards featuring many great illustrators including Blanca Gomez {I want her entire series!}
{I could have sat in this booth all day! Felt like when you were a kid in the children's section of the library. Remember, you used to grab a book and sit on the floor and read it right there! Amazing eye candy and illustrations!}
Maginating and ETSY SHOP {just so cute and happy!}
Enormous Champion and ETSY SHOP
STAY TUNED WED - FRI FOR NSS 2010 THROUGH MY DESIGN EYE! TIPS AND ADVICE!
*PS* Make sure to check out Kristen's NSS finds on Paper Crave!
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Urubbu {one of my favorites. LOVE the birds! Cards and bird statues for sale}
Egg Press and SHOP ONLINE
Old School Stationers {one of my favorites} and ETSY SHOP
STAY TUNED TOMORROW FOR ANOTHER ROUND-UP OF NSS 2010 BOOTHS!
*PS* Make sure to check out Kristen's NSS finds on Paper Crave!
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Kristen at Paper Crave is getting us organized for our trip to the 2010 National Stationery Show! Check out the BOOTH LIST she has compiled for us! {Russell + Hazel here I come!} We are both getting ready, emailing each other with last minute details and charging our camera batteries. If you would like to see pictures from a certain booth, please let us know and we will do our best! Also, we will be attending a couple of "blogger soirees". I am very excited to meet the minds behind some of my favorite sites! See you all back here Thursday May 20th!
Follow our NSS adventures on TWITTER.
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I love bright colors. I love catchy quotes. I love nostalgia. I love my latest Etsy Find shop, Please Be Still. Illustrator Jen Renninger combines "sophisticated painting and line-work with nostalgic collage materials." I am going to have a hard time choosing what I would like to purchase from her shop. {of course I am really leaning toward this sweet little bird picture.}
/ ETSY / blog / facebook / portfolio / Etsy Featured Seller /
{image credits Please Be Still}
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INGREDIENTS
1 pound whole wheat or multi grain penne
3 garlic cloves
2 oz goat cheese
1 oz reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 oz fresh baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.
Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over and serve.
**I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day! We went to visit my family in Michigan. The weekend was filled with family, food and flowers {we have a tradition where we travelled to a specific greenhouse and buy way too many gorgeous annuals and stock up on perennials!} This recipe is on my list for this week's dinners. Original recipe found here.
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Introducing our new pattern at finch&hawk™...LUXE. This pattern is elegant and versatile and has been applied to our signature printable DIY gable box and seed packet templates. Perfect for setting the right tone at your wedding reception, rehearsal dinner or swanky soiree! Luxe is available in all of the finch&hawk colors.
Find the finch&hawk Gable Box - Luxe printable right here.
Find the finch&hawk Seed Packet - Luxe printable right here.
Save yourself some ink! Let us print your chosen printable for you with our WE PRINTS option!
© Vale Design. COPYING WILL RESULT IN COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.
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Have you ever held a beautifully printed piece and wondered "How did they print this? Who designed it?" Then the website FPO, For Print Only, is for you. This is definitely a graphic design bookmark. FPO showcases sample work and then provides very detailed information about each piece such as printing method, production time, paper, fonts used, spot colors used, design firm, etc. This is a great way to become more familiar with printing methods, paper providers and print terminology.
FPO is a division of Under Consideration LLC, a "growing network and enterprise dedicated to the progress of the graphic design profession and its practitioners, students and enthusiasts. At times intangible, its purpose is to question, push, analyze and agitate graphic design and those involved in the profession."
If you are a brand junkie, then this is your site. Brand New is also a division of Under Consideration LLC. Brand New focuses on "opinions on corporate and brand identity work." It is literally a before and after of sample logos and opinions on the change.
I love to see a logo revision and read why my peers think it is working or not working. These opinions can be invaluable when you are working on a logo re-design. Re-design logos have their own challenges with existing brand equities and it is nice to see how other designers have handled those challenges.
{image credits Under Consideration LLC}
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It is that time again...time for new Vale Design business cards! Usually, I would be procrastinating this small design task. Most designer will tell you that designing cards and logos for themselves can be a daunting task. However, I have been doing some visual research and have been quite inspired by some of the amazing designs out there. I need to get started because I have a deadline...I will need to bring them with me to the 2010 National Stationery Show in NYC.
Yes, I will be going to the show this year with Kristen of Paper Crave, Domestifluff, Craftig and Nonpareil fame. We are so excited to walk around, be inspired and to meet all the talented designers we admire. {if you are showing, please provide Kristen your booth number so we can stop by to meet you!}
Business eye candy links below:
/ Daily Poetics / My FAVORITE by far! Unbelievable visual collection. Goes on forever!
/ here / here / here / here / here / here / here / here / here /
{image credit dailypoetics}
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INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup buttered, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon brandy
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375° F {190° C}. Grease cookie sheets. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and brandy. Combine the flour and baking soda and stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. For best results, take them out while they are still doughy. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
**I love the color and flavor combination of this recipe. I usually make them around the holidays, but this weekend I just had to have some! ps I use vanilla extract instead of the brandy. I have also been known to make a combination of this cookie and an oatmeal cookie. Also, one of my husband's favorites! Original recipe found here.
{image credit flamingobear}
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INGREDIENTS
1 cup panko {Japanese bread crumbs}
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
6 boneless pork loin chops, pounded to 1/3 inch-thick
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
6 lemon wedges
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 200° F. Coarsely crush the panko into a large shallow bowl. Stir the cheese into the panko. Lightly beat the eggs in another large shallow bowl. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and pepper. Dip the pork, 1 piece at a time, in the egg, allowing the excess to drop off, then dredge the pork in the crumb mixture, patting to coat completely. Place the pork on a small baking sheet.
Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork to the hot oil and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then transfer them to a clean baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and fry the remaining pork. Transfer the pork to plates and serve with lemon wedges.
**This recipe is one of my husband's favorites! It is very easy and quick to make. He uses regular bread crumb instead of panko. He loves to top it with Giada's simple marinara sauce. I made a batch this weekend and always have some in the freezer! Original pork recipe found here.
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