Happy Friday!

*Thanks to Mom for providing the text. :)
**And Dad, do you recognize the Chevron font?? :)

Oh my goodness

Click here. This made my afternoon.

Dear Chicago

Dear Chicago,
Just so you know, lambs are quiet gentle loving creatures. Therefore when, March goes out like one, it's supposed to be GENTLE. Just so we have things clear.
Love,
Ashley

Bedtime

I've decided it's back to business on this whole bedtime thing. In the fall, I had been pretty good at going to bed early enough to avoid dragging myself out of bed in the morning. Somehow, between the holidays and now, I've let that slide. After two more mornings of bleary eyed, please-don't-make-me-get-out-of-bed!'s this week, it's time to buckle down. For real this time.

One of my favorite parts about commuting...

Half of my commute involves an express bus packed with passengers. I am usually one of the last few people to get on the bus and therefore am left standing, clinging to the little loops that are intended for the stability of much taller people than me. One of my favorite things about my commute, though, is when we arrive downtown and at each stop people stream off the bus. I love watching the bus empty itself. I love (finally) getting a seat. I love the extra breathing room. I just love the change in atmosphere.

And that is my thought for today. For Monday. It's another beautiful day. (And when I say "another" I'm referring back to last week and definitely not this weekend when it snowed. Thanks a lot, spring.)

Happy Friday!

The weather in Chicago might not reflect that it's officially SPRING tomorrow, but let's celebrate the change in season anyway, ok? I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Mine will (hopefully) be full of lots of productive designing. I've got lots of projects building up in my to-do list. Happy Friday!

Me & You

Ok, maybe I'm a hopeless romantic. I love this sign/photo. Happy Friday!

[via elise blaha]

Pictures I like...

Happy Thursday! I've been collecting pictures I like on my desktop and thought I'd share some of them with you...
I love these colors. (I'm not sure where this one came from...)
Look! It's our book! (via ddd by rebound designs)
Birdhouses. I love the colors.
(via ddd by neat nests)
Chicago River on St. Patty's Day. Festive but also kind of nasty, don't you think? (via ddd by flipped out)

Speaking of alphabet posters...

Today's "Happy Friday" was inspired by Ashley Elizabeth's enthusiasm for an alphabet poster she spotted at Ikea. I've started my second letterpress class this week and we are free to work on whatever projects we choose. Talk about a wide field. So, as I was working on the Friday piece I got to thinking that I could letterpress an alphabet poster as my first class project. So I started playing around with designs. I like the idea of using a rust color palate.

Happy Friday!

Oooo book sculptures!

These are amazing!
via daily design discoveries // works by robert

The Afternoon Lull

This is how I picture "the afternoon lull" in my mind. You know, the time right after lunch when you go from being really awake to so, so sleepy and... lull-y. Think of this as kind of a graph of my afternoon.

Also, it was rainy and cold(ish) this morning, but the clouds have lifted and it's 60 degrees and blue sky outside! What a blessing!

Too good to be true!

OMIGOSH COULD IT BE TRUE?? I promise you, this is the Chicago weather right now.

Missed Connections Illustrations...

Sophie Blackall takes the "Missed Connections" posted on NYC's Craigslist and makes beautiful illustrations out of them. This is one of my favorites. See more on her blog.

[via the donut project)

The Dog Stache

Pretty please can I get a dog, Mr. and Ms. Landlord, so I can give him one of these??
(via swissmiss)

New Type York

"A daily archive of images of typographic artifacts all around New York City. Signs, directions and building inscriptions are all fair game. The goal: Amass a typographic personality of New York, by cataloging all of its memorable and beautiful pieces of typography."

It's wonderful and nerdy and so much fun to look at. Check it out here.

Night Flight

I really like this set of prints by Seattle Show Posters. It glows in the dark!

Happy Friday!

Books Alphabet

These are few of my favorite things...
Designed by Bygg Studio. [via swiss-miss]

Sugar & Swice

I'm working on designing the identity of a friend's new etsy shop and I got really excited about my first round of ideas. So I'm sharing them here. I'm just not good at keeping things surprises!

Just so you know...

IT'S 42 AND SUNNY HERE!!!!!!

Could I get more excited about this?

P.S. Happy Thursday!

Oliver Jeffers Prints

I ran across these today and fell in love. They're each prints from illustrated books by artist Oliver Jeffers. Aren't they adorable?

Dear Typography

Thank you Paige for sending this my way! Giclee print by The Birds and the Beasts.

Sick days + Dork-dom

Yesterday I crossed a threshold of adulthood. I used my very first sick day. I was, indeed truly sick with a cold. (A cold that is still plaguing my head with PRESSURE.) In the middle of the day I decided I needed to go to the store in order to get sick-person sustenance (i.e. Vitamin C). And you know what? I'm a little bit of a dork. I felt like if I stepped outside someone would nab me for truancy! "Excuse me, Miss? Why aren't you at work today? Does your employer know that you're out walking around?" "No sir, I swear, I'm sick! Want to hear me cough?"

Another reason I'm a dork? Fake scenarios like this play out in my head. Oh well, I can always blame it on the Dayquil right?