tinsel on the tree


Gotta wake up the sleeping giants. We have about an hour before we trundle down to the office for another day of celebrating Christmas (visually), revamping/moving the design on the Tiffany Treasures logotype of the Museum, and having a 24 hour blitz on an iphone app icon design which then rolls into a web page, and fun collateral (I am proposing pins from Busy Beaver and temporary tattoos for the roll out of the phone icon). But, first things first, wake the giants.

Giants roused, not up though. One more shout and holler in another 15 minutes.

We had a busy day with work, the Trumansburg Farmers Market and the streams of visitors from teenagers to friends. I think it will be much of the same today but inching along with finalizing a few things as we go. I cooked a nice big dinner which is now parsed into small bags for the working mans lunch at the office (if you work with/for me, I provide coffee/tea and lunch everyday...whether it is leftovers, new stuff (like soup) or Chinese lunch specials). I find that as the season progresses, I am in awe of the things we can grow and eat locally. The glistening raspberries in their little wooden boxes, the glowing mammoth jars of honey from Mr. Waid, the white eggplants--3 for a dollar. So many organic farmers. One even had locally grown artichokes!

Met up with a local Rotarian at the market who was buying corn and salt potatoes from a farmer to add to the chicken barbecues they (the Rotary) put on at Taughannock State Park every Saturday the free music is offered. They use the Cornell Chicken recipe and grill great piles of chicken along with the expected corn and salt potatoes. Then you need brownies (this is the school signature)) if you are doing the Tenth Grade Prom Fundraising chicken barbeque...with all the brownies made from mix, cut randomly and wrapped. All very nice. My Rotarian Friend was happy to keep the produce local and support the local farmers. I love that...as the dollar is staying here--and we are encouraging our neighbors and friends to stay growing this wonderful produce. Plus, little carbon footprint from the field to the State Park. Happy all around.

I pulled a stack of books out for Maddie to look at relative to a project I am having her work on. Some good ones about the Pushpin Studios, Jim Flora and then the divine Mr. Hohlwein. This seemed good for Maddie and got the steam building in this shallow brain. I am fiddling rather heavily with pattern brushes in illustrator and created the logo above as a proposal for a "clean and spare" holiday mark for the Museum. Clean, spare and contemporary its not...Its psycho russian easter egg...but as it was the first "real" thing that came off the pen versus flush left, or flush right? centered? Justified? Sans serif all the way? mixed? letterspaced? positive and negative? I liked it...and so I just sent it. They like it too...with revisions. So, hopefully revisions today and then I can noodle with the applications. I like being a decorative Russian for a moment albeit with type and stuff. Maybe some reference? Could it blend with the growing project? hmm. Time for some reference: Russia, Russian, Folklore, illustration, crafts?