Gathering Inspiration

Only looking ahead, 2012 and how to stand tall in it!

The holidays are upon us.

There will be cheer, spirits, good eats, family and friends.
The memories of this year will keep me full for a while,
but I am ready to make new ones.

Wishing everyone a much-anticpated, positively-charged 2012!
Let's stand tall, with smiles, some tears ok... knowing that we have
learned to embrace life for all it's beauty and tragedy.

Deep gratitute to all who have been my steady, my rock:
as clients, friends and fellow members of what we call humanity!

Happy Holidays!
—Julia

Linea Found: Journaling Digital Memories

I am so happy to be presenting a fellow creative, but more importantly, good friend Jorgen Gulliksen and his newly launched website and business: Linea Found!

Most of us, busy with the on-goings of life, try to be dutiful in documenting our moments (particularly with young children) in hopes of capturing those precious ah-ha segments, so that we can remember them and share them with our loved ones. However, the realization of, "Well, what do we do now with all these great images and videos?" Look no further... Jorgen of Linea Found is your answer.

Of course, I'm a bit biased, in looking at Jorgen's artistry in weaving together our life story. Hopefully you will find the inspiration to have your own digital tapestry to wrap yourself around too! You won't regret it. I promise!

Homage to Life - The Ramsey-Allen Family from Jorgen Gulliksen on Vimeo.

a moment to share the limelight with others...

Waking up this morning had that special somethin' in the air.

Beautiful blue skies, birds chirping, warm weather,
7 hours of sleep (yay!), and receiving that email saying the
2008 St. Helena Hospital Foundation Annual Report I designed,
won a GOLD ASTER AWARD! (The Aster Awards is a medical
marketing awards program allowing healthcare organizations
and advertising agencies to compete against similarly sized
competitors from across the nation and world.)
Talk about instant perk! I was smiling from cheek to cheek!

The link above takes you to the actual link at the hospital's site
where you can preview it as single pages (easier to print out
that way rather than as spreads), but I'll repost here some
sample spreads for a demo. A BIG thank you to my clients
at SHH Foundation for having confidence and faith in me to
take them in a new direction on the 2008 annual report.
It's hard to believe, but I've been designing this report since
2005. The '08 report was a big bold break from the previous
versions. Gratitudes to Kirsten Bickford, an amazing writer
and Megan Reeves for her ability to understand how my heart
& mind works — capturing the vision in gorgeous photography.

And to think, I feel that the 2009 annual report
(currently being coiffed and buffed before
releasing to the printer next week) is even better!

     

Lucky me, to have Robert Swartley as my neighbor

For those of you who appreciate the old craft of engraving and printmaking, you will love Robert Swartley's work! He is a master engraver, a protégé of the late Josef Fugger while working at Griffin & Howe (1962-1964) with over 50 years of experience. Just google him and you'll see his name mentioned as one of our iconic American engravers. And, he's about as humble and sweet as you can get! A few years ago, he (with a little twinkle in his eye), admitted to be working on the engraving for the prince of the United Arab Emirates saber sword! It is the part of the handle called the hilt. I wish I could have seen it, but I am sure it was as spectacular as the sample photos below. Robert has and continues to do beautiful jaw-dropping engravings for wineries, on guns and banknote style engravings. To give you a sense of the delicate hand-work required for such a feat, the tip of his pick (used to engrave) is sharper and pointier than the tip of a needle! Painstakingly slow too!

I'm excited to say that we've teamed up to work on a wine label together for Del Dotto Vineyards. The label is being marketed as a haute premium cab under the name "Villa Del Lago" (must remember to get me a few bottle samples!) The engraving took 9 months (with a pencil rendering first, 2 months in that alone)! When we were nearing the end of the engraving, Robert brought over a sample, and literally said "don't look too closely, because you might see a little mistake." My reaction? I just looked at him and said "Huh? I wouldn't even know where to look!" I had to scan the engraving at 2500% to even see what he was talking about! (And he's in his 70s!)

To top it off, Robert just stopped by to let me know he will be in an upcoming book on American Engravers, coming out in the fall. (I'll post a link later for those interested). I'll be helping him get his artwork together! This is where I want to toss the world of technology out the window and say, "Can I be your apprentice? Please! I've got my little stash of letterpress goodies already...my loupes, book presses, and I love the smell of ink!"

Sometimes, I think I was born in the wrong century!

       

Bodhichitta Botanicals - welcomes you in

At long last! Has it really been a year long journey? Well, time seems to have brought me to the present moment again, and I'm thrilled to know I had a helping hand in the creation of Bodhichitta Botanicals and their new site launch! From logo design, to packaging and now to website design, it is truly a designer's dream project in every way!

Of course, it must be stated, that without the vision of my dear friend Anna Wingfield and her partners, Valerie McKnight and Ernest Gudel, this project couldn't have happened.

To my creative team: Megan Reeves, photographer extraordinaire that can make a patch of grass look like a nymph's effervescent garden for imagery, Deb Dynako and her savvy handle on poetic prose while still keeping in the duty of "marketing 101", and Brendan Murphy of Camaleo Web Intelligence, kick-ass web developer (who knows how to work every angle of code to make my design "work" as it should, and also nudge me as a better website designer in every way!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Bodhichitta Botanicals: a preview

Every once in a while, a special project comes my way where in an instant, I know it to be very special! Bodhichitta Botanicals is no exception! My lovely friend Anna has partnered with some amazing people to launch Bodhichittia Botanicals (the name bod-uh-chee-tah comes from a combination of two Sanskrit words bodhi and citta. Bodhi means "awakening" or "enlightenment". Citta is derived from the Sanskrit root cit, and denotes "that which is conscious" – mind or consciousness. Bodhicitta may be translated as "a noble and awakened heart".)

Anna asked me almost a year ago, to design her concept's new logo and labels (crazy to think how fast time has flown), which has now expanded to a full line of products with marketing collateral and website underway to support the company! It's been an amazing thrill to be part of something so exciting from the ground up and to see something so wonderfully inspiring and connected to the natural world be brought into the market! I partnered with Megan Reeves for photography (and might I add, GORGEOUS photography at that!), my partner in crime, Deb Dynako for copy writing and Camaleo for web development!

Bodhichitta Botanicals infuses wild-crafted flower, environmental & gem essences with essential oils–capturing the most primal elements available in the restorative & nourishing personal care products. The initial unveiling of new products include lotion, massage oil, body balm, shower gel, bubble bath, face elixir and perfume.

Can't wait to fill my bathrooms with the wonderful blends! Sign up at the presite to stay connected to site launch and be kept up-to-date with all things exciting to Bodhichitta Botanicals!

napa nest and all good things in art

i'm happy to have a day like today.
just got back from visiting a local venue called the nest in napa,
a gathering place to experience art, build community,
and inspire future generations.

today, they had an especially fun day as part of the
napa studios event where artists throughout the
valley come out to show and share their work.

shown below are two friends: ann & jenny.
ann trinca, artist, curator and founder of the nest,
has been active in the napa arts scene as an
editor of pearl necklace zine and
a member of the fruit stand collective.
our friend jenny valassopoulos, owner, artist and baker
of sweet baboo was there offering up some
delicious mini cupcakes that liam gobbled up
too quickly (might i say 3?!). her sweet delectables are
to-die-for, so if you are interested, please email me.
jenny also exhibited her fab handmade & recycled crafts.

we met a new friend, napa farm house 1885,
who had the most amazing collection of organic soaps,
salts, recycled knits, mod 50's style aprons made made
from vintage bed sheets, etc. i of course couldn't leave
without picking up some wonderful soaps

last pic shows some goodies liam and i found:
- 4 glass tumblers made in turkey,
- a beautiful silk crochet scarf,
- a vintage magnifying glass (for liam)
- and the soaps.

if you a local or in for a visit ~ stop by the nest,
you won't be disappointed!