Creative Victuals

Metalics + Neutrals

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:02:25 -0700

Lovely. From Robindira Unsworth.

Remedy Quarterly

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:06:02 -0700

Like food? Like stories about food? Need remedies for hangovers, headaches or allergies?

I present you with Remedy Quarterly: “Stories of food, recipes for feeling good.”

RQ is a magazine, blog and web authority on food and storytelling. Looking forward to digging in…as it were.

You can also follow Remedy Quarterly on Twitter.

Hello, Lovely

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:37:00 -0700

It’s a good thing Soia and Kyo’s Chevron Print Betina coat is sold out. I’m not sure how I’d stop myself from buying it.

[via]

The Animal Print Shop

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:31:41 -0700

I love these baby animal prints and would love to put them in a nursery. (Yeah, I said it.) I wish I could post them all; they’re unbelievably sweet.

All from Sharon Montrose’s Etsy shop. And yes, they’re all real animals!

[via @joannagoddard]

Big Bird!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:21:35 -0700

I was a Sesame Street kid growing up, so I loved seeing this on Google’s homepage today. I hope this show is still on when I have kids.

Web Site Envy

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:46:01 -0700

I just found Meghan and Patrick’s wedding web site via Clover and Bee, and I LOVE it, particularly for all the little fun facts flashing at the bottom. (However, I now feel slightly less genius for my peppering our web pages with fun facts about, Dan, me and the state of Iowa.)

And oh, man, did they mention Lake Milles Lacs on their Minnesota activities page? I had one of the best summer vacations EVER there as a kid!

Le sigh. Le swoon. I wonder if Meghan (her middle name is Meehan—-you make the connection) and Patrick will be my friends.

Charming Tree Idea

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:39:00 -0700

I’ve been sort of ignoring the upcoming holiday season, but this cute wall decal from Mae made me realize that if I start the mental overhaul now, I won’t be so scrooge-like come Christmas.

How could anyone be cranky with this adorable tree on their wall?

As an added bonus, it wouldn’t shed nettles or take up room in our modestly-sized living room.

[via]

Hot, Hot Copy Machine

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:41:40 -0600

Oh, hello.

In need of an obnoxious guilty pleasure to jam to this Friday afternoon? Here you go. It’s Michael Gray, The Weekend.

It’s a ridiculous song with a ridiculous video that’s borderline NSFW.*

*But no worse than that awful banner ad advertising the American Apparel lace cat suit that was front and center while I was working on Facebook this afternoon. Atrocious.

Itty Bitty Wedding Update

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:12:50 -0600

As we’ve gotten some of the larger wedding details out of the way (date, church, photographer, hotels, reception venue), I’m able to spend more time thinking about the details (though we’re still quite a few months away from acting on them).

Without giving too much away…here are couple (vague) items of inspiration as of late.

Images: (1) With This Ring, (2) Sunday Suppers, (3) Snippet & Ink, (4) Bonnie Tsang Photography, (5) 100 Layer Cake, (6) A friend’s work in progress.

Star Explosion

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:01:56 -0600

Ever wonder what it looks like when a star explodes?

Now you know.

[Via NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day]

Office Coffee

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:58:00 -0600

Loved this. Also? Our office coffee is awful. Just this morning I found myself thinking of this tiny bit of dialogue from David Sedaris’ Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim:

He took a sip of my father’s weak coffee and spit it back into the mug. “This shit’s like making love in a canoe.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s fucking near water.”

Hilarious.

Anyway, Ugly Mug Coffee caught my eye. Between the name, the packaging and the witty ad copy, I’m sold. Think our office will go for it?

[via]

Morning Song

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:34:10 -0600

For about as long as I can remember, I’ve woken up in the morning with a song in my head. It’s usually pretty random and sometimes ties in with a particular theme or artist. (The Whitney Houston phase comes to mind.)

Over the summer, I decided to start blogging about it.

As you can see, my posting frequency slipped big time last month during a time of peak stress. But now that you all know it exists, I’ll feel more pressure to get a song up per day.

Anyway, meet Morning Song. Hope you guys subscribe or stop by via Creative Victuals for a morning dose of jams…for better or worse.

How to Make an Entrance

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:35:59 -0600

From the bride: “The music played was Michael Nyman’s “String Quartet No.2: 3.III”, which is more unusual but beautiful; when it started, the bridesmaids and I started the long walk from behind the hill top to the top of the aisle.”

“The girls were instructed to keep their parasols down over their faces, and to walk tightly in pairs of 2 (except for my sister in the lead). Guests had no idea I was in the back of this long, colorful train.”

[via]

Push My Buttons

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:28:01 -0600

I’ve been meaning to post Smashing Magazine’s article on effective call to action buttons. Examples galore. Do check it.

Missing: Kenzie Boots

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:15:20 -0600

I’m in a boot crisis. I’ve worn my Kenzie Tulip boots into the ground and can’t find anything close to replacing them, which boggles the mind. It’s fall! Ankle wedge boots should be be everywhere!

Does Kenzie even make shoes anymore? I’m getting nothing from the Goog. Sigh. So sad. So frustrated. RIP, favorite boots.

Move Over, Proofreaders' Marks

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:56:12 -0600

Digging this Grammar Nerd Corrective Label Pack, which I spotted on Hot Piece O’ Class. A nice alternative to proofreaders’ marks.

"It’s decorative gourd season, motherfuckers."

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:37:18 -0600

“It’s decorative gourd season, motherfuckers.”

-
Colin Nissan’s brilliant piece for McSweeny’s. I mean, really. You’re either ready to reap this freaky-ass harvest or you’re not.

On Being Responsive

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:11:12 -0600

Megan says: Don’t leave clients hanging. A little heavy lifting goes a long way.

It’s probably fair to say that brides are a different type of customer. We’re picky, obsess about details and do a lot of homework before we decide on anything from dresses to vendors.

I’m currently having trouble with the latter. After much research and deliberation, D and I picked a vendor—-an independent business person—-to help us with a very important component of the wedding.

I did all the right things. I answered the vendor’s emails in a timely fashion, included my contact info in every email, asked for a contract, sent follow-up emails to see how things were coming along and encouraged the vendor to call me.

Nada.

The problem with radio silence is that it prevents you from forming any kind of trust on which successful business relationships are built. It also leaves your client waiting, wondering whether they should fire your ass (even though you were their first choice) so they can shore up their second or third choices.

Whether you work for yourself or own a business, you owe it to prospects and clients to be responsive. A simple email response telling your client that, “Hi! We’re still on track; it’s just been a zoo here. Can we talk next Monday at 7P?” can go a long way to calm anxieties.

If you’re worried your workload will prevent you from committing to the client, just say so. It will allow both parties to walk away without hard feelings and with your reputation in tact.

Which is a pretty big deal when you’re talking about your business.

A Pair of Winners

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:01:36 -0600

Always been a fan of making lists. Thankfully, I’ve never had to use one to weigh the pros and cons of my love interests. Where did we learn to “weigh the pros and cons,” by the way?

via Found Magazine

Bono Does Rush-Hour Traffic

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:51:38 -0600

I love Bono, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a good laugh at Alyssa Lang’s Short Imagined Monologue, “Bono Does the Rush-Hour Traffic Report” for McSweeny’s.

Here’s a excerpt:

People. Waiting for the government to fix the problems of the people. People. Waiting for a sign. For a sign that says “END CONSTRUCTION ZONE”!

Waiting.

To see the flashing lights. In the distance. Under a blood-red sky. The flashing lights that say, “I’ve passed the three-car pileup on the westbound turnpike.” I see people. Sitting in their cars. Burning their fossil fuels. Their transmissions. I-DL-ING! On the Expressway. Sitting. On I-95.

It’s sort of perfect.

[via @malziecakes]