Ho, ho, hello there Holidays!

I realize my blogging has been pretty lackluster over the last month, but I finally feel like I'm back in the creative swing of things so hopefully will be posting more regularly. And what a better kick in the pants of inspiration than when I opened up the Snapfish holiday catalog over the weekend and one of my card designs was in there! Check out more designs at Snapfish.com.

I may throw up

WORLD O' DOG™

Yesterday may have been the best fourth of July ever. Mike and I decided to pay tribute to the melting pot that is America and have a little fun with the nation's favorite food. He's with me tonight to guest-blog our creations (and to remind everyone that these creations are copyrighted. Please see us for usage rights and franchise opportunities)...

Fresh pico de gallo with chopped up grilled hot dog served in a toasted bun, with a spoon for messy eaters.

Grilled hot dog topped with melted mozzarella cheese, parmesan and gravy atop a toasted garlic-bread bun.

Raw and uninhibited, this dog is served with pickles and a wasabi ginger sauce.

A hoisin-infused dog grilled to a crisp and topped with sesame seeds a special sweet and sour sauce with a kick.

A hot-meets-cold delight: a hollowed-out cucumber meets panko, wasabi and grilled hot dog.

So what if Real Simple gets the credit, at least we're in the same idea ballpark

I'd love to think that Real Simple stumbled upon P as in Peter and got inspired for their gorgeous mason jar shoot. I'd love to think that 100 Layer Cake did too (courtesy of Brides magazine). But while I can only dream for that to be the case, I am happy to think that the creative bubble of southern thinking that these two powerhouses are a part of is large enough to include me too.

Kismet, fate, serendipity: whatever you want to call it, Jane Austen would find the symbolism.

Not three hours after I posted about the amazing cameo shoes I saw online, I was shopping in the (truly great) vintage jewelry store Preen in Greensboro--who just happens to have an entire case dedicated to cameos. Do I need to reconsider having them in my wedding now?

(Note to self: Karen, walk away from the cameos...suggest to a future bride-to-be)

Pimp My Office

Having completed the main things with my office makeover (other than solving the 'there's a hole in my floor that leads to the tenant below me' issue) I decided to work on the fun details. And by fun details I mean 'making my office into my very own man lady cave.

Who says a wedding only lasts a day? These mason jars are with me for the long haul.

Saturday Craft Day

I am so lucky to not only have a friend in Raleigh who loves crafting as much as me--but a wedding planner as well. Staci and I decided to take full advantage of a beautiful Saturday afternoon and a newfound stash of mason jars --and some good rosé--to work on a southern take on centerpiece vases for my upcoming wedding.We loved the combination of the various pink shades and the addition of silver accents for a new twist on these cool, old-fashioned jars.

Donut eaters, rejoice

Loving non-corporate America, reason 1001

Did my Coca-Cola client ever react this enthusiastically to an idea that I presented to them? I think not. 

Christmas wrap-up. Literally and figuratively.

This year I had a new hand-made project in the works that I would have photographed step-by-step except that it would have ruined the surprise. So now that the holidays are over, I am posting the after (and before) of the 2010 version of my custom dog pillows.

Miniature photo gallery, part two

Now just to wait until some New Yorkers come through here and see if they recognize where each photo was from! Mmmm I'd love a Montaco right about now.

Now all I need to find is milk-flavored toothpaste...

Beached whale alert!

For the love of Onesies, An Update

It seems as though all the creative pre-baby-fashion-planning has paid off, as Call makes his first editorial photo debut in one of our signature looks.

More onesie love (and t-shirts too!)

Since a lot of my friends have moved into the mother category (with children too small to buy proper Mother's Day gifts) I thought it would be fun to contribute to the holiday. Thanks to my wonderful male models Sigge + Max, Jack, and Finn.

Onesies read:
This drool's for you. Happy Mother's Day.
Whatever happened to happy baby's day? Happy Mother's Day.

T-shirt reads:
Without me involved, there'd be no holiday. Happy Mother's Day.

For the Love of Onesies

My best friend in Texas and former advertising partner (she wrote, I art directed) and I decided to ring in her newest creative project with with one of our own.

Aren't they cute?

Don't you want one for yourself?

(or well, not yourself because that might be creepy looking... but maybe for your own baby?)

The Krispy Kreme Challenge: the celebration

I don't know what came over me (perhaps my love of donuts my boyfriend?) but in the days leading up to the KK Challenge, I decided to make trophies to celebrate the guys' efforts.

Who knew that rendering a donut into an incombustible mass would be such hard work?

Who also thought about the fact that the LAST thing that two people who just ate a dozen donuts would want to see is... another donut?

Christmas goes Custom

My sister and her boyfriend think of their dogs as their kids. So what better way to say Merry Christmas than to iron their faces and make them into pillows? On second thought, perhaps I'm not ready for children yet.