2 Nice Layouts

On of my current school projects is to design a magazine cover, our topic is gaming which I am less than thrilled about mainly because I am not very familiar with that topic. I did a little bit of searching for layouts I like to gain some inspiration and these two struck my fancy. Not exactly the right topic but they sure are providing me with some inspiration and that's what it is all about.

image source: 1/2

Time Out

Last week I decided to unplug a bit. Sometimes you need to do that for your own sanity- especially when you sit in front a computer most hours of the day.

I was feeling a bit uninspired and overwhelmed trying to spin multiple plates at the same time so I refocused, reorganized and gave myself some time to renergize. Lots of "re's" going on there.

I no longer feel like this - and that is a good thing!!

                             Source: flickr.com via Angela on Pinterest

Head First

I am so glad that this week is finally over, I don't know about you all but it seemed to drag on and on and on. I am planning on tackling a couple items on my to do list, but they are all fun projects so it shouldn't be too bad. 

Isn't the above image fun, I came across it while procrastinating on Pinterest the other day and I think it summed up my feelings for this week pretty well. Have a wonderful weekend and see you back here next week!!

image source

Facing A Fear

I am fairly certain that I am suffering from Blank Page Syndrome. I like, no scratch that, LOVE to buy sketchbooks. I think that having a place to keep track of your ideas is brilliant and Z is always telling me that I need to get my design ideas down on paper and I agree. So I go out and pick up a book that I think will be perfect. A big one so I can fill it with all those tear sheets I take from magazines, a small one cause if I could keep it in my bag that would be better, and well you get the idea. And then I FREEZE.

I can't get past that first page. I want it to be perfect and pretty and something that I can flip past and feel a bit inspired. So I stare at it for a few weeks - unsure of what I should fill the page with and then I put it away with the other empty sketchbooks that sit in a drawer - my secret shame. I do have quite a collection don't I?!?

Well I need to get over this quick because for one of my classes this semester we need to keep a graphic journal - 100 pages filled by the end of the semester with whatever we want. So I have spent the past few weeks watching everyone in class as they slowly fill up their books with perfect doodles, rough drawings that look amazing to this non-drawer, and handwritten notes about what they like about a logo. It all looks intimidating to me and I feel a small sense of dread mixed with panic as I look down in my bag and there sits my empty book waiting - begging for attention. 

Well this week I am going to put something down and I am going to try and be OK with the idea that it won't be perfect. Wish me luck friends.

Do any of you all have strange hurdles like this - please let me know that I am not the only one!!!

Who's In Your Circle

I think this Circles of Influence print illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton is pretty nifty!! It has everyone from Sylvia Plath, to Woody Allen, to Gandhi - take a close look and I bet you will find a few names that you would probably include in your own circle. It also makes you think about who are the people that have influenced you whether it be creatively, spiritually, or intellectually. 

You can pick up your own copy of it here.

Bought, Read, & Watched.

I am happy to say after a heavy duty round of antibiotics I am finally back to feeling almost human again. Being sick, having a heatwave and the power outage that San Diego experienced had left me feeling  - well BLAH!! But this weekend I woke up with some energy, our perfect weather was back and I was pretty tired of laying on the couch being a grumpy mess.

I had to get out and well I found a couple of fun purchases...

Is there anything better than office supplies?!?! I have been enamored with them since I was a little girl and I always find an excuse to buy them even now. My new glitter composition book, gigantic eraser, and Micron pens will all be getting put to good use - I just know it!

I also started reading...

I was first grabbed by the cover design to be honest, I am only in the first chapter, but so far I love it. The idea of trying to define my personal style seems like a project I would like to accomplish. I have been feeling in a bit of a rut lately to be honest - do you ever get in those moods where you hate your hair, your clothes all start looking the same, and your closet is a sad mess - well that's where I am at. Hopefully this book will shake things up a bit, I will have to keep you posted.

I also decided to start a Hitchcock movie fest. One classic film a weekend (I love horror/thriller movies) until I get through them all. First up...

The Birds. It was a perfect blend of creepy and suspenseful, plus Tippi Hedren had an amazing wardrobe.

That was my weekend in a nutshell - what where you all up to?

Movie still source, all other photos by me.

Pink Trees

Apparently my tradition of getting sick at the end of summer has decided to continue, ugh. I have been battling a nasty chest cold the past week or so and it seems to have hit the entire Q household, doesn't get more fun than that right? The funny thing is we are in the midst of trying to revamp our eating habits and incorporating more whole foods and less packaged foods, silly me thought this would boost my immune system, or maybe I have sent my system into such a state of shock this is its way of rebelling.

I am trying to step away from the computer a bit and find sources of inspiration elsewhere these days, like those trees. They are my favorite things in the world and they are in full bloom at every turn. That shade of pink combined with the green, how could you not smile and feel inspired?