Good to Know Archives - Page 46 of 200

October 30, 2014

All Hallow’s Eve:: Cozy Edition

There are two very talented women I know that do Halloween like no other, that would be Ms. Stirling and Mrs. Limestone. Me on the other hand, well I have pretty much ignored the great Hallow’s Eve for a couple decades now. I don’t do scary well, except for a certain zombie show that I am inexplicably addicted to. This year we are doing Halloween lite because there is nothing cuter than a baby in a bear costume; my little with her chocolate ringlets and growl (yes, a growl!) has just about given me a toothache from the sweetness. I know there are tons of ideas for a spooky evening, but Michelle and I decided to find some Hallow’s Eve inspiration for those that prefer cozy to scary.

You will need a mask to enjoy our little soiree, we think this Perfecting Mask is a bit indulgent but so is the evening, no? Since we are going there, we might as well bring Gwyneth into the mix, her Goop Pumpkin soup recipe looks divine (note, pumpkin is amazing for you, high in vitamin C, fiber, low cal. For us urban dwellers a fireplace is not the norm, this Hearth candle might make up for the absence of one. It wouldn’t be Halloween without some treats, the Fika NYC chocolate skulls look pretty delish. For those that aren’t indulging in zombie shows (I don’t blame you, I am terrified the entire time I watch it), It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is more my usual speed. What about you? Big plans? Dressing up? I’m not this year but I think next year we’ll make it a family affair. I’m currently trying to stay away from the giant jack-o-lantern filled with bad (but oh, so good) candy that is downstairs calling my name…

October 24, 2014

Hand lettered serif font by Great Lakes Lettering

When it comes to killer hand lettered fonts Molly Jacques foundry Great Lake Lettering never disappoints. This one is apropos for the upcoming Hallow’s Eve, I love the description:

“Helsing is a serif style font inspired by Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula as well as Edward Gorey’s rendition of the story. Characterized by his slighting skewed baseline, subtle texture, thick and thin contrasts, and decorative legs”.

It’s another winner to add to the font collection and it’s so versatile I am sure you will have many, many more uses for it after the Halloween holiday.

Author / Miss Tristan B

Miss Tristan B. is the proprietress of Besotted Brand and one of the writer’s of this delightful blog. She lives in sunny Seattle with her handsome husband, wonderful baby girl and two pups. Her lofty goal here is to make this a creative resource repository and to inspire you to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with your life.

October 23, 2014

Super Easy Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

easy minestrone soup via besottedblog.com

When we feature food centric posts here our goal is to share with you beautiful food that is simple + healthy and most of all easy to make. Seattle has started to get that gorgeous crispness to the air, chilly enough to layer and get cozy but not so cool that your teethe are chattering. During these cooler months I am always on the look out for easy and satisfying soups to make. I followed this recipe but made a few tweaks. I have included my tweaks below. I hope I made it easy enough to follow. The end result is a hearty soup that is even better the next day!Read More

October 16, 2014

Corina Nika lettering artist

I wish I knew how I came across designer/lettering artist Corina Nika’s work, I suppose it doesn’t matter, it’s just one of those happy discoveries that I couldn’t wait to share with you. I didn’t even wait an hour before I was emailing her asking her about her lettering on her site and if it was hers (indeed!). I asked Corina if she would be open to an interview and luckily she obliged! Please enjoy her answers, her process and tools are very different than any other lettering artist we have had on the site, I am hoping she may inspire even more individuals to take the plunge and try their hand at it. As always if you have questions leave them in the comments. Thank you Corina for such a wonderfully honest + authentic interview! I love this quote from the interview,( it is so simple but such great advice)- “I just learned not to give up, and practise daily.” Don’t give up and keep practicing friends!

//CORINA NIKA INTERVIEW QUESTIONS//

Where are you located?

I’m located in Kefalonia Island, Greece.

How did you get started in lettering?

I started on the 1st of January this year. I wanted to create something more personal for a wallpaper on the blog. It came up to be quite a mess (i thought it was perfect at the time).

What are some of your favorite supplies?

I basically design right on my tablet so I gotta say that. Water colouring is not my favourite although I’ve done some good work with it. I guess my very favourite is the pen brush. I love the texture it produces

Can you name some of your inspirations?

Yes! Ok, I’m inspired while walking my dog by the lake in the woods. I just close my eyes, take breaths and let my eye rest in the horizon. The trees always clear my mind, and when that happens, it lets room for some new ideas. Also, although it may sound mainstream, but I tend to listen a lot Lana Del Ray when I work. There’s lots of emotion, and dark sides. The dark sides, always bring out the best in my work, even if that’s connect with the villain, listening to creepy music (John Murphy style) or watching American Horror Story.

Can you go a little into your process of how you work on a project?

There’s not much to it to be honest. I’ll either work on Photoshop right with my tablet, or use my pen brush, scan and trace on Illustrator. The most process is getting with the right kind of style, line weight etc.

Any tips for newbies on how to develop their own style?

You’ll find yourself experimenting, and feeling the need or pressure to produce similar handwriting with other calligraphers. It’s something you can’t help but will happen. Through that process, you’ll slowly feel confident and that will show in your own handwriting, giving the room for your style to shine.

October 14, 2014

REVIEW: A WORKSHOP WITH LUISA BRIMBLE AND ARAN GOYOAGA

Next to my desk, I have a post-it note (it’s actually a cute Kate Spade sticky note if you are wondering) with a short list of photographers whose work I admire, along with a couple of words to articulate just what it is about their work or process that strikes a chord. Luisa Brimble’s name is there with the words: community / joyful. Luisa’s signature table spreads, shot from above with hands interacting with the food or each other make me feel like she’s inviting me to the party, and her portraits with a solitary figure cradling giant bundles of flowers feel (to me anyway) like a beautiful celebration of the individual. After having met her, I can tell you that the words community and joyful, not only describe her work, but the person too!

When I jumped to sign up for this workshop, I had no idea if Luisa was a good teacher (my gut said she was, but I had no evidence to back that up), all I knew was that I was dying to see her in action and to have the chance to pepper her with a few questions about both photography and her magazine Alphabet Family Journal. Well, those things did happen, but the rest of the experience blew any expectations I had out of the water.Read More