3+1=4

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a few years, you know I have this tradition of making cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday with her face on it. Wednesday was Ella Joy’s 4th Birthday and so we did it again: printing, cutting, glueing. This time she even helped with the production. I love this little birthday tradition we’ve started but I am wondering what age she’ll come up to me and say: “Mom, I appreciate your efforts, but it’s ok now, no more faces on cupcakes, alright?”

Here are the prior versions for when she turned three, two and one!

I would like to be…

At today’s CreativeMornings, with Oliver Jeffers as the speaker, I asked the following question: If had to live my life as a cartoon/children’s book character, I would be…. See more answers over on flickr.

What’s your answer?

2×4 Ring

If G and I would get married right now, I have a feeling he would go for this 2×4 ring as his wedding band. Designed by Brooklyn based Aaron Ruff, the ring is available in oxidized sterling, vermeil.

We have a strategic plan…

Kyle Van Horn got inspired to print the below poster after he saw the quote on my blog. I love creative chain reactions like this! Yay Hooray!


CreativeMornings Video: Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan

Our speaker at the March 2010 CreativeMornings was Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy hosted at the fabulous Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. Enjoy Maxwell’s wonderfully personal talk in the video below. A big giant thank you to Sy Abudu who has been generously offering her video and editing skills.

2010/03 Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

The Invisible Dog Store



The Invisible Dog Art Space in Brooklyn is having a grand Store opening on friday April 23rd, 2010 and will be curated by Steven and William Ladd.

If you’re not familiar with the Invisible Dog, read up. It’s a vibrant new Art Space in Cobble Hill Brooklyn and I am thrilled that Lucien, the director, decided to add a store into the mix.

Also, this saturday, April 24th, twenty-seven artists will be opening their artist studio doors to visitors.

So, you need a typeface…

Flowchart for choosing a typeface. Funny and useful:

By Danish Julian Hansen.

(via @markboulton)

How do you pronounce “Moleskine”?

(thank you emily)

Whatever it takes…



(via howdyheidi)

Pick One

Pick one.

Rainbow Birthday

Our studio neighbor Jessi Arrington decided to have a Rainbow Birthday last friday. Everyone at our studio and theirs was asked to come in wearing their favorite color. But what’s a birthday girl like Jessi to do that simply can not decide on a favorite color? (Yes, she loves rainbows) Well, she decided to change outfits/color every hour. Yes, Jessi is fabulous.

♥ / Pictaculous

Pictaculous is a handy color-palette generator. Say you have an image you love, but you’re not sure what colors to use with it. Just upload the image from your computer―or if you’re on the go, snap one from your mobile device and send it along―and Pictaculous will analyze your picture and turn around a matching color palette, hex codes and all. You can even download an Adobe swatch file. It’s that simple.

Swedish Cinema

The Film Society of Lincoln Center is currently celebrating Social Change and Sexuality in Swedish Cinema, 1913-2010.

The list of movies is impressive. I think I would enjoy watching Fanny and Alexander with by Ingmar Bergman from 1982.

CreativeMornings with Oliver Jeffers

Hooray for another CreativeMorning, on April 23, 2010, with brilliantly talented Illustrator Oliver Jeffers.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
My readers know how much I love Oliver Jeffers. There’s not an evening that goes by at casa swissmiss where we don’t read Ella one of his books. Originally from Ireland, Oliver now lives and works in Brooklyn, just a few blocks from casa swissmiss. His talent is humbling. From figurative painting and installation, to illustration and picture-book making, Oliver Jeffers’ work has been exhibited around the globe. www.oliverjeffers.com

HOST
This month’s CreativeMornings will be generously hosted by Harper Collins.

R.S.V.P
Interested in attending? R.S.V.P will open up on today at noon EST. Make sure to be ready to sign up as we tend to fill up within minutes: creativemornings.eventbrite.com

CreativeMornings start at 8.30am, end at 10am and are FREE of charge. Also, if you did r.s.v.p’d but can no longer make it, please do send us a note as we usually have a waiting list.

BREAKFAST SPONSORS

Breakfast will be generously sponsored by MailChimp and Family Documentary Photos:


MailChimp is a fantastic service that makes it easy to send email newsletters to your customers, manage your subscriber lists, and track campaign performance. A big yay-hooray to the team over at MailChimp!

Rather than simply photograph what your family looks like at a specific minute in a photo studio, the Dumbo-based Dads of Family Documentary Photos will spend a day photographing what this moment of time actually feels like and is like.

Be the first to know when r.s.v.p’s open up, follow CreativeMornings on twitter!

Check out pictures of previous CreativeMornings over at Flickr.

View all the taped CreativeMorning talks we’ve put up on the web so far over at Vimeo.

CreativeMornings? ‘CreativeMornings’ is a monthly morning gathering of creative types. Each event includes a 10 minute lecture, followed by a 20 minute group discussion. The gathering begins at 8:30am with the topic presentation starting at 9:00am. The whole thing closes down at 10am. The events are hosted at studios/gallery spaces in NYC. (We are always looking for potential hosts that are willing to accomodate 50+ people. Please email us if you’re interested in hosting or sponsoring one of our events!)

A collection a day

A collection a day is lovely project that already has made me smile numerous times. Day #107 is one of them: Bread Bag Ties.

AirBnB

In case you have friends that are stuck somewhere due to the closed airspace over Europe, have them check out AirBnB! Fantastic resource with affordable and cool paces to stay!

Alain Tanner


The Anthology Film Archives in NYC are currently celebrating the works of swiss born filmmaker Alain Tanner. Geneva born Tanner remains one of Europe’s greatest living filmmakers.

(thank you Richie)

vitra house



Lovely photograph of the inside of the Vitra House by Switzerland based gaëtan rossier.

Secret Banksy Badge

Dennis Crowley, a huge Banksy fan, launched a secret Banksy badge on Foursquare that fans are only now discovering. When you check in this weekend at any of the movie theaters where the film is playing (ie San Fran, New York, LA, Palo Alto, Berkeley, and Palo Alto) and mention the word “Banksy” in a shout, it unlocks the Banksy Fan badge. (Pictured above)

I am not a Foursquare user or fan but this made me smile. I am all for Easter Eggs in Apps.

(thanks M)

Strategy

We have a strategic plan, it’s called doing things.

– Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines

The Most Awesomest Thing Ever



Made me smile: www.mostawesomestthingever.com

Layer Tennis Gone Global



I am thrilled and honored to be part of tomorrow’s Global Layer Tennis Match. Tomorrow’s photoshop file will circle the globe in 15minute increments while Jeffrey Zeldman will be in the booth, providing layer-by-layer commentary.

Here are the artists taking part:
Layer 1: Kate Bingaman-Burt, Portland, USA
Layer 2: Mig Reyes, Chicago, USA
Layer 3: Davin Risk, Toronto, Canada
Layer 4: Tina Roth Eisenberg, New York City, USA
Layer 5: Cameron Moll, Sarasota, USA
Layer 6: Juan Pablo Cambariere, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Layer 7: Radim Malinic, London, UK
Layer 8: Fabien Barral, Paris, France
Layer 9: Simon Roche, Copehagen, Denmark
Layer 10: Oliver Reichenstein, Tokyo, Japan

I had the chuckle, looking at the list, as it entails two swiss living abroad, Oliver and me PLUS part-Swiss Cameron. Ha!

Now, I need to flex my photoshop muscles for tomorrow’s match. Wheee!

A dot.

“A line is a dot that went for a walk. ”

– Paul Klee

Ernst Beyeler

Ernst Beyeler (1921 – 2010) was a Swiss arts dealer, gallery owner and museum founder. His feeling for good art and business made him one of the best known personalities in the international art business of the second half of the 20th century. Watch the clip on YouTube.