"Generation"

"Generation" and "Flawz" by Caitlin Crosby via YouTube.

I found this song...a couple months ago or so. It is one of my absolute favorites and I've been wanting to do a post involving this song since I started my blog. I love the message Crosby gives. And she explains it better than I can so you'll just have to have a listen.

And then I read this, this morning before work:

"You are not your bra-size, nor are you the width of your waist, nor are you the slenderness of your calves. You are not your hair color, your skin color, nor are you a shade of lipstick. Your shoe-size is of no consequence. You are not defined by the amount of attention you get from males, females, or any combination thereof. You are not the number of sit-ups you can do, nor are you the number of calories in a day. You are not your mustache. You are not the hair on your legs. You are not a little red dress. You are no amalgam of these things. 

You are the content of your character. You are the ambitions that drive you. You are the goals that you set. You are the things that you laugh at and the words that you say. You are the thoughts you think and the things you wonder. You are beautiful and desirable not for the clique you attend, but for the spark of life within you that compels you to make your life a full and meaningful one. You are beautiful not for the shape of the vessel, but for the volume of the soul it carries."

I discovered it on Little Chief Honeybee. The original link can be found on there.

Isn't it crazy how much the media influences our lives? From what we wear, to the things we say, to how we think about ourselves. Every day we are surrounded and consumed by movies, TV shows, music videos, magazines, commercials, newspapers, the internet...

I feel like our generation is hit hard by the media. We have to dress a certain way, look a certain way to be attractive and wanted by the people around us. We have to look skinny and good in that dress or swimsuit in order to be noticed and "the pretty one." I think it's sad that every time I look in the mirror I wonder if people are going to think I look okay the way I am. Because I see the gorgeous skinny women on the TV, in advertisements, even at work, and wonder how I can even compete with people like that. Compete in getting the attention from guys, or just hoping that my outfit and hair look better than that girl who sits 5 rows over from me. Because "pretty" is defined by what is in fashion magazines, or how attractive that actress in that movie is.

Girls wish they looked like the supermodel in the magazine ads and the guys want to be the superhero in the movies. People stuff themselves full of plastic so their faces and bodies can look "better" or more attractive, starve themselves because it will make their waists slim down, wear less clothes because that is supposedly more appealing to the world. I don't understand these things. 

The media is a never ending and it will always be there, influencing us, pushing us, and driving our lives. I just wish, it didn't fill people with doubts about who they are, how they look, how they feel when they are walking down the street or looking in a mirror. We are influenced people and how we think can be manipulated and the business takes advantage of that. Because that's how they sell their products and ideas.

...And isn't it ironic that the girl writing this, is in a media driven profession that provides these influential companies with their commercials, advertisements, photography, and graphics.

:)

So those are my thoughts for the day. I could probably go on and on about this topic because it can stretch in so many directions. But, for some reason I am having a hard time writing about this topic because it seems it is a lot easier to discuss in a face-to-face conversation. In writing, things get wordy and lengthy. Oh well. Life should just be about being happy, healthy, and feeling alive. 

Crocheting on Christmas

Happy Monday! Hope it wasn't too horrible.

I have three crochet projects I would like to share with you. Two were done during Christmas and one a bit more recently.

Green iPod case. 

Orange neckwarmer/cowl with 2 cream flowers. 

And the more recent, green hat with owl. This is one of my favorite hats I've created so far. 

I really want to get a mini sewing machine. Mini, mostly because I don't have a whole bunch of space and I just want something that I can do simple crafts with. I have some ideas that I really want to put into action, but doing hand stitches would just take forever. There are just so many things on the "I Want" list...

Okay, well that's all I have for you right now. Short and sweet. 

:) 

Graphic Design -- The Daylights

Here is the graphic design work I posted about yesterday. This is the type of stuff that would be my dream job. Well owning a business that had the opportunity to work with the entertainment industry, music and movies. My current musical obsession is The Daylights, a band from L.A. I wanted to design some album artwork for their 2010 release of their self-titled album.

The look I was going for was something soft with a vintage feel. Their website is all black, red, and white and I wanted to do something that completely contrasted with that.  I get when I listen to them. The song "Little Girl" really inspired the photographs and look of this package. I also wanted this to have a handwritten touch, like those of old love notes which is brought in by the script font and the paper texture. I like to tell stories through photography that are open to interpretation and whatever it is you feel while you look at them.

Being the formally trained graphic designer that I am, I had to put together a "professional presentation" of my work. And talk about my work in the manner that I do, just an FYI. On top is what the whole package would look like on the shelf and then the individual spreads of the booklet. 

For better viewing of the booklet and also the back of the case I've added larger images. The two fonts I used are both from http://dafont.com. The script is Jellyka Gare de Chambord, and don't worry, it's not supposed to be legible. The sans serif is Geosans Light. All of the images are from aimeelikestotakepics @ Deviant Art. 

If you haven't ever heard anything by The Daylights and you like Kings of Leon, Switchfoot, Jimmy Eat World, and things of that sort, check them out at either their official website or their MySpace (I know, I know...MySpace, but you can listen to pretty much the whole album there.) 

Well that's some of what I was up to this weekend. Hopefully the rest tomorrow. It's back to work tomorrow...and I really don't want to go. But got to make an income somehow. 

:)

New Looks & Two Peas in a Pod

Hope everybody had a good New Year's Eve :) I was lazy, snowed in, and did nothing except watch some TV shows and crafty things. It was pretty nice.

For the new year, as you can see, the blog has a new look. I was in graphic design mode yesterday and today. Yesterday it was the blog and today I was working on something else (which I will post tomorrow, I think.) It was nice because I haven't been feeling it for quite some time. It felt good to work on my layout, typography, and color skills again. I like to think typography and color palettes are somewhat of a forte for me.

The other new look is my apartment. I got my new bookshelf for Christmas which meant I got get rid of my big bulky TV stand that works better in a large space.
I read somewhere in the past that using your bedroom/bed for things other than sleeping and napping makes it hard to sleep at night. Since my apartment is so small its pretty much one big bedroom, I needed to give myself a space only for sleeping. Its been helping, I've been able to sleep better at night now that I'm not using my bed for a craft station. Plus, I have a mini office, to help with the creativity. I really like my box now. I wish it would have been like this from the beginning...

I also was on a crochet kick yesterday. I've had an idea for the past few days and hadn't really had the time to put it in action until yesterday. Thank goodness for long weekends. (Man, is it going to be difficult to go back to 5 day work weeks when the past two have been short and sweet.) I'm so excited about this one, I just had to post it tonight! 

Aren't they just the cutest! 

The pod gave me a bit of trouble trying to figure out the size and I didn't have any green embroidery thread. But for a prototype, I think it was a success. 

I smile every time I look at them. 

Well that is all for now. I still have a bunch of goodies to post in the upcoming week that I didn't get to last week. Please keep a lookout for them! 

:)

A Year Past -- A Year Forward

Wow, I cannot believe another year and come and gone. And man, did a hell of a lot happen this year. I guess its that time to remember and look forward! 

THE BEST OF TWENTY-TEN: 

ONE My Senior Portfolio Presentation. Seven months ago, SEVEN months ago, I presented my portfolio. It seems so long ago...but yet, I remember it like yesterday. That's what every Design Technology student works towards in order to graduate. I spent all week before my presentation not sleeping, rehearsing, prepping, not eating, stressing, and living in Bridgeman Hall. But it was all worth it, my presentation was everything I had hoped for, everything I had ever wanted when I watched my first presenter go through it way back my freshman year. All of my hardwork paid off and my presentation went off without a glitch!

TWO One job...Two jobs...Three jobs. I have had three jobs this year and each one was/is an adventure. 

One) My ARHD job. It was one of the best years of my college career. 

Two) Resident Advisor for Upward Bound. I miss those kids! 

Three) My current job as a Media Production Designer with Digi-Key. I am now a grown-up. 

THREE Madison Trip. I went on a week long trip with Upward Bound to Madison and it was fantastic! House on the Rock, Cave of the Mounds, The Henry Vilas Zoo, WI Dells, State Street. I cannot wait to go back! 

FOUR FRIENDS! Spending time with my friends, new and old, I miss them SOOO much. Green Mill dates, BBQs, movie nights ("Carpe the Diem. Seize the Carp!" "Did we just become best friends?!" Yep! "Wanna go to karate in the garage?! Yep!"), skateboarding, snowboarding, shopping, Keg, etc. The list could go on, and on, and on.  

It has been a year of making new friends with all of the jobs I've gone through. I love meeting new people. That's one of the things I love about the Human Resources type jobs and it's one of the things I miss most about college and my Residential Life jobs. 

FIVE Spending time with my friends, I miss them SOOO much. Green Mill dates, BBQs, movie nights ("Carpe the Diem. Seize the Carp!" "Did we just become best friends?!" Yep! "Wanna go to karate in the garage?! Yep!"), skateboarding, snowboarding, shopping, Keg, etc. The list could go on, and on, and on.  

SIX  Getting to do the things I never had time for in college. Mostly, all the crafty things I've been up to, the crocheting, kind of sewing, and my blog. I'm glad I have time for things like this now! 

SEVEN Becoming a grown-up...Or at least, getting a good start. In this category I'm going to put, getting closer to my parents. I think that's a huge part of growing-up and realizing that they aren't as bad as they seem. I started paying my own rent and paying off my student loans. I like being independent...I kind of thrive off of it. 

I LOVE this poster and the sayings are so true. I think this is something I'm going to live my this next year. I live my life looking forward to the things I get to do. It keeps be going day to day. 

Image found here.

THE RESOLUTIONS  OF 2011: 

ONE Be more healthy. I know, it's on everybody's lists and it's something I've been trying to do every year. College was a difficult time, being busy, running here, running there, and just eating whatever was around. I definitely didn't make time to work out...because I could never really find a good time. So for 2011 I'm going to: 

One) Do my yoga 4 times a week until it gets nice out again and I can integrate running (hopefully in the mornings before work). I must get in shape for the wedding I'll be in later this summer. 

Two) Eat better. Since I've started my job this is something I've been better at. I only eat out twice a month, and those are dinner dates with a friend and when I go home. I've been doing a lot of cooking and making my own food. I like it. 

Three) Stop biting my nails. I was doing so well at this, then got frustrated/bored with something at work and gave in. (I figured habits could be health related...)

TWO Start an Etsy Shop. Hopefully I can do this late January/early February. I need to get my butt in gear making things. I have been making Christmas and birthday presents and haven't really been making things that I could sell...I got to get going! 

THREE Seattle. I think there's only a couple people who know the true meaning of this. 

FOUR Design more. Since graduation I really haven't been doing too much design work. I feel like I'm kind of losing it. So I'm hoping that I can do something design related once a week...or biweekly. More than just a rinky-dink banner for Handmade on Sunday, but a typography poster, or logo, or something else. If any of my designing friends want to join in with me so we can keep each other on track, give critiques, etc., let me know! 

FIVE Save Money! I haven't been doing do well at this so far. I'm pretty disappointed in myself. But being broke while starting a job, my student loans kicking in way to soon after starting my job, Christmas...Yikes! So yes, save money. Making my savings account look good for the first time....well ever. 

Well there's my thoughts on the year past...on the year to come. I really like this time of year, getting to look back and getting to look forward. Like I stated under the poster, the future drives me. There are so many things I want to accomplish and knowing that makes every day worth living. 

Alright, well back to watching Chuck and starting a new project. 

:)

A Couple of Recipes

Tonight I had the ambition to cook. Mostly, I had a craving for homemade potato salad. So this recipe is actually kind of a thrown together one of whatever I had in the fridge that could be used to make it...But it turned out pretty good. It is kind of a combination of things my mom taught me when making potato salad and a recipe I made this past spring.

FYI: When experimenting, I'm not one for measuring...Hence, the "dollops" and "pinches." That's just how I roll.

Whilst cooking said potato salad, I decided to make myself a grilled cheese...But a crazy version of one. Once again, I kind of just looked in my fridge and whatever I saw looked good, I threw on. Tonight was kind of a haphazard cooking night. 

Since I've got two recipes going on here, I decided just to put on the fancy recipe cards. To see the recipe card bigger, click on it. If you are still having a hard time with it, let me know. I'll get ya a plain text version. 

Happy Eating! 

:)

Winter Bliss

So here are some of the photos I took over Christmas...I have a lot of them and for some reason today I'm impatient and way too antsy to sit here, which is very strange because my second favorite part of photography is the editing. Oh well, its just one of those days, I guess.

On the drive home. I've passed these twice now and finally got to stop this time. Some old guy passed me and looked at me like I was crazy or something...

Perfect.

One of my favorite places to be. I found some awesome thrifty things at one of the stores, here to find out, they only take cash. And when I take my camera around, all I carry is my ID and cash card. I had to say good-bye to a vintage camera ($4!!!), an awesome old champagne bottle ($1!!!), and some sheet music I was going to use for...something (also a $1). It was sad. But hopefully next time I go home, which looks like this weekend, I'm going back to reclaim those wonderful prizes.

On the farm. It's all in the details, I swear. 

At first...I wanted to make this picture look creepy...Then I decided not because that sky is just too beautiful.

I <3 snow. 

My pupppp-eh. We were having tons of fun playing in the snow. She moves so fast, its difficult to get a good photograph. She's not too big, but she's strong. Almost knocked me flat on my back a few times after running straight into my knees. 

Christmas decorations. 

And last, but not least, my faaaaaavorite photo. Gorgeous. 

At some point in the near future, I'll post some more. I have no idea what my problem is right now, at work I wanted to fall asleep and now I feel like I could run around like a little kid. Time to get some of this energy out. 

:)