Midwest Morris Ale

Over the weekend I came across a lively group of Midwest Morris Ale dancers. Morris dancing is folk dancing and has roots in the Cotswold region of England. I learned dancers from across the United States get together over Memorial Day weekend every year. This year Minneapolis was the lucky host state. Friendships are renewed and fun is had by all. I even got to pet Ursula, the magical unicorn.

A side note: If you look closely in the second picture, you will see a bride and groom. They were not as excited about the Morris dancers as I was and even refused the kind offer of a wedding  dance for good luck. Something to do with it possibly being a pagan ritual… Oh well, I see a divorce  or boring life in their future anyways.

Too pretty to drink

These baristas are true artists, coffee that is way too pretty to drink. More examples here.

Drown Your Kids

I so wish I had found this masterpiece in time for Mother’s Day but, alas, it can still be enjoyed any day of the year. What a lovely bath time scene filled with such love, care and…drowning!? Check out Mitch O’Connell’s blog for more hilarious vintage cards.

Indeed Brewery

Minneapolis has hopped (pun intended!) on the craft beer train, and  much to my delight, breweries have been popping up all over the city. Over the weekend I stopped in at Indeed Brewery, a brewery in Northeast Minneapolis. Indeed has a great selection of tasty  beer you can sample in the taproom. I tried the Day Tripper pale ale, Midnight Ryder american black ale and the LSD honey ale. My favorite was the LSD honey ale which is brewed with lavender, sunflower honey and dates and swoops in at a nice 7.2% ABV.

If you imbibe a bit too much, or just get a hankerin’ for some food, stop out in the parking lot where you will find a local food truck waiting to serve you something mouth-watering. Last weekend,Heavy Metal Grill was the food truck pumping out sweet metal tunes from the 80s and yummy food. I devoured the Hot Chick sandwich (slow cooked chicken breast smothered with hot sauce, mozzarella and provolone).

Next time you are in the area, I encourage you to stop by Indeed. You will not be disappointed.

I wish there was...

I have to admit I stopped watching The Office after Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left, but I did watch the series finale last week. I really appreciated this quote by Andy and was happy to find it all prettied up. This is by  Michael Crawford (Follow him on A Certain Type!).

What is this?!

Okay, ummm does anyone have any idea what this is? Anyone? I’m not so sure but I think I may need one of these mouth thingys.

Bar Mitzvah Design

Here is a peek at a recent Bar Mitzvah invitation suite I designed. The invite and rsvp were printed on a shiny copper paper, and I created a custom monogram for the young man. He picked out the font, Calson Open Face. He is, after all, of age now.

I have always been fascinated with Detroit, a decaying city fighting for survival in the midwest. I came across this website wherein a photographer from Detroit began photographing all the abandoned houses. There recently has been renewal and a bit of regrowth, but the number of abandoned homes is still around a staggering 12, 000.  Check out the site, it is amazing, beautiful and depressing.

1960s Robbery Squad

This photo is of robbery squad officers back in October 1960. According to LA Observed:

“Robbery squad officers dressed as women ‘as part of an operation to catch a purse snatcher who murdered an elderly woman while she was on her way to church.’”

F*CK

If you have to say it, at least make it pretty.

1960s Sexist Ad of the Day

Women and their drinking! Geez, they shouldn’t even be let out of the chest you keep them chained up in.

Break Up First Aid Kit

EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE A BROKEN HEART, NOW HELP IS ON THE WAY. SEE BELOW:

GRAPHIC DESIGNER MELANIE CHERNOCK HAS CREATED BEAUTY FROM MISERY WITH THIS GORGEOUS BRANDING, PLAYING ON THE NOTION OF A FIRST-AID KIT FOR RELATIONSHIP BREAKDOWN.

Everyone has experienced a painful break-up at some point in their lives. Which is why New York-based graphic designer Melanie Chernock developed this first-aid kit for a broken heart, including such heartbreak essentials as tissues, dark chocolate, vodka and a mix CD.

Faced with the assignment of creating an activity book, Chernock decided an activity kit would be more interesting. Not wanting to be all doom and gloom, Chernock adopted a light-hearted approach with this tongue-in-cheek design.

“Initially, I knew that I didn’t want to make a kit of sadness and wanted to approach the product with a sense of humour,” says Chernock. We love the simple but effective colour scheme and cute icon designs, which are cleverly evocative of a traditional medical kit while retaining a fun feel.

Source: creativeblog.com

• Want to get that job promotion? Read here: http://www.creativebloq.com/career/10-career-boosting-ways-get-job-promotion-11111
• Check out these great examples of doodle art: http://www.creativebloq.com/illustration/doodle-art-912775
• This dad draws something new every day on his kids’ sandwich bags: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ggggenji/dad-illustrates-his-kids-sandwich-bags-makes-your-9mo9
• What does a graphic designer work for-love or money? http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/design-for-money-or-love/
• Check out Pantone swatches re-imagined by David Schwen: http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/perfect-food-soulmates-illustrated-by-pantone-color-chips

• Want to get that job promotion? Read here: http://www.creativebloq.com/career/10-career-boosting-ways-get-job-promotion-11111
• Check out these great examples of doodle art: http://www.creativebloq.com/illustration/doodle-art-912775
• This dad draws something new every day on his kids’ sandwich bags: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ggggenji/dad-illustrates-his-kids-sandwich-bags-makes-your-9mo9
• What does a graphic designer work for-love or money? http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/design-for-money-or-love/
• Check out Pantone swatches re-imagined by David Schwen: http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/perfect-food-soulmates-illustrated-by-pantone-color-chips

Chicago-Anime Convention (Part Two)

We finally found a room after searching what seemed like every hotel near the O’Hare airport  in Schiller Park. Little did we know that an ANIME convention was going on right in the neighborhood we stayed in. The people watching was priceless. Hope you enjoy the photos below.

Chicago (Part One)

Brian and I left Minnesota for Chicago bright and early on Friday.

The trip took about 7 hours. We kept ourselves amused with podcasts and photos.

We managed to book the last room at a Motel 6 due to an ANIME convention in town (more to come on that!).

Took the Blue Line train to downtown.

Stopped and had dinner and drinks at a South Loop joint called Reggie’s. Above is a French toast fried chicken sandwich with maple syrup on the side. Yum!

After searching for what seemed like hours for the Arie Crown Theatre and hopping into a limo with our new Chicago friends, we found Rodriguez.

The show was AWESOME. I was so happy to finally get the chance to see Rodriguez in person. He was soft-spoken and gentle, it was a beautiful show. We even got to sneak down to the front for the last few songs.

1969 Bike Safety Manual

This comes from a bicycle safety manual from 1969. By the end of the manual you are faced with 5 dead boys, one dead baby and two injured girls. Remember kids, biking is dangerous and can result in fractured skulls, and–oh yeah, death.

Now Ed is dead all because of Al and his demand for Ed to bring a baseball bat. What a jerk.

Ruth hits the car and she isn’t dead? The other boy who hit the bus head on is dead. This is bullshit!

Wall Mural

Above is the wall mural I designed for my employer. We have a long hallway and at the end is our showroom/design studio. The idea was  to lead the viewer in the right direction with fun graphics and interesting wedding facts.