Parties I have known and loved by Kim Screen

Summer’s almost over, but it’s never too late to throw a great party. Here are a few of my all-time favorites, to help put on your creative party hat.

haiku party
This one’s a blast! Of course you must first send your invitation in haiku form.

what you need:
1. typewriter
2. typing paper
3. haiku how-to’s for guests
4. corkboard for posting haiku




taco truck party
This summer we threw our very first, but probably not our last, Taco Truck Party. In the spirit of conducting thorough research, I felt obliged to try tacos all over the city (what a gal) before finally securing Armando and his tasty tacos for our party. (To find taco trucks in your town, just ask the Google.)

what you need:
1. a taco truck!


My talented friend Sheila designed this cute little taco truck illustration we used for our party invitations.



outdoor movie party
We started this last year, and it’s so fun. Find a spot in your yard to set up an outdoor movie screen, and then host your own summer concert series.

what you need:
1. to make the screen: a canvas drop cloth from home depot + staple gun
2. to play the movie: a laptop, lcd projector + stereo
3. for seating: plenty of chairs, blankets, sleeping bags, etc
4. for snacks: popcorn + movie treats!

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Parties I have known and loved by Kim Screen

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1 2 3 4

Feist shows there is another way to sing it, 1 2 3 4 and I've heard it quite a few times more, but I still like it. I love how the background singers are wearing flashy armbands, reminiscent of the original video which I posted here.

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1 2 3 4

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Wedding Planning: Pick words then colors by Kim Screen

Since I've just been through the wedding planning thing I must share this one overall thought. I had several people ask, in our wedding planning days, what our "wedding colors" were - for the invitation, tables, etc. And even though I’m big on color, I really cringed at this question. It felt like such a surface place to start planning something so special. Steven and I had a realization early on. I’m big on color, yes. But above all, we're both big on words. And so instead of colors we picked words we hoped would represent our wedding. It’s like any design project: pick a concept first, then make it look good. For us, this approach just felt right.

So, our words?
creative
meaningful
intimate

And here’s a peek at what that meant for us:





from top to bottom: walking to our handmade driftwood tent structure on the beach in Tofino, BC – my favorite place!; for our centerpieces we used the Japanese glass balls my family beach combed in the 1960’s and I made all our menus and printed pieces; handmade driftwood signs - a favorite beach craft project; our tent structure sparkling at night; army blankets for when it got cold; polaroids on our driftwood poles; a view of our head table we made from a 250-year old reclaimed cedar tree.

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Wedding Planning: Pick words then colors by Kim Screen

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Tilt-Shift

My brother-in-law Philip, sent me a link about Tilt-Shift Photography and I was blown away, because I've never seen anything like it. Quite surreal, at first I thought it was somebody recreating little miniatures, but it is actual real photographs. Aren't they amazing? Find out more about the technique here and see photographer Vincent LaForet's explanation here.

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Tilt-Shift

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My type of comfort food

Last night I had some scrumptious take-out Thai food. Masaman curry and Pad Thai are my favorite dishes. If you want to cook some up for your very own, check out the book Quick and Easy Thai food by Nancie McDermott, it has some great photographs. Anyone tried a recipe from it?



photos above from here - wish take-out looked this pretty!

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My type of comfort food

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My Creative Drives: A visual top 10 list by Kim Screen

At some point during my 6 years on LA roadways I realized my mind goes crazy with design ideas while driving! (admittedly, LA was a handy place to make this discovery) So, in the spirit of these great creative drives, here is a visual top 10 list of things that have inspired me lately. (click to enlarge)



1. old family photographs / 2. solid fabrics with bits of white thread peaking through / 3. sewing machines and vintage tools / 4. beautiful, make-me-drool calligraphy from betsy dunlap / 5. happy mailbox family / 6. my trusty lemon tree that blooms even in seattle / 7. vintage maps / 8. color-coded book shelves / 9. creamy delicious coffee brewing in a chemex / 10. our newly installed clothesline (one small step for the environment!)

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My Creative Drives: A visual top 10 list by Kim Screen

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Seattle Signs

I haven't cleaned off all of my cards yet, but there are sampling of a few signs in the Seattle area here. I am excited to go back in a few weeks for some more fun. I talked about my love for typography and signography a little bit here, yet I hope I have not become too obsessed with signs, my collection has become quite massive.

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Seattle Signs

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Linked up

Mac and I between the both of us have a lot of gadgets, and I guess I will admit it here, we are kind of tech geeks. There are the cellphones, the ipods, the cameras, the headphones, the gps etc. etc. Unfortunately, along with the "i love technology" sentiments comes the wire-phobe tendencies I have of wanting to hide all of those nasty, nasty wires. So, imagine my delight when I saw the Pottery Barn cover with this image on the front. Ahhh, relief.



Another way to link up is to use this chargepod that I saw on swissmiss.



What solutions do you use to charge up all of your gear?

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Linked up

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I love the post office by Kim Screen

Call me crazy, but I really love the post office! Let me count the ways...

First, the stamps. I love picking out stamps. I get very sad when supplies are low and I'm stuck with flags (no offense, America). But sometimes there are real gems to be had: botanicals, people, graphics, teapots, star wars, you just never know.

For our wedding invitations we featured our polio inventor friend Jonas Salk. I know... it's not very "wedding" (which could have been the theme of our wedding) but the traditional pastel love stamps were simply not us; we thought Jonas was great!



Then there's the history factor. The post office is vintage! Some of their buildings even look vintage!




And look at this bit of post office history I found this week in my grandmother’s book collection. Some of these stamps are downright beautiful.




But here's the real reason. Mostly I love going to the post office because it means I am sending something that somebody will LOVE receiving. Friends, family, customers, whoever. I am making them happy. Simple as that.

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I love the post office by Kim Screen

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The Market

Whenever I go to Pike's Place I see the yummiest produce around. There are so many different types of flavors and flowers and it is a great setting to take photos. Ever been there to see the infamous throwing of the fish? A great place to pick up some super fresh seafood.

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The Market

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Beware, Inspiration overload! by Kim Screen

Too much inspiration can be a bad thing. I know this may sound crazy but please stick with me. Here is what happens to me. I'm reading my favorite blogs, design magazines, wedding magazines, or shopping at my favorite stores. Whatever it is, I am INSPIRED. I see cool things, I feel creative, I love it I love it. And so I continue. And then it happens: inspiration turns to intimidation. Let me explain, with a very real example.

When I was trying to decide what sort of business to start I would go shopping in LA all the time. I went to my favorite boutiques, I saw what was out there, I knew all the product lines - I even traveled to trade shows, design conferences, the gift mart, anything remotely / somewhat / slightly related to design. And as much as it inspired me (and it did!) it also depressed me. EVERY idea has been taken…or so it seemed. Furthermore, I started trying to copy - with a twist of my own, of course - the things I already saw "out there." My favorite was Hable Construction; I love those girls! So maybe I needed to make prints of my own and fashion them into fun objects too?



The problem, of course, is that it wasn't me. I had crammed myself with so much creative inspiration I (quite ironically) couldn't find own my own creative direction. I love that, in the end, the most grounding thing I know – my family – gave me all the inspiration I needed.



(this is my grandfather, the one who always told us we came from good stock!)

So go be inspired, but beware of overload. Know when to stop and to just be yourself.

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Beware, Inspiration overload! by Kim Screen

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Welcome Kim!

I am very happy to introduce recently married, Kim Screen. After seeing the beautiful memory boutique books that she creates, at Good Stock I was inspired and wanted to know more about her and her work. From what I know about her, she is very friendly, energetic, creative, and resides in one of my favorite places in the Pacific Northwest. Welcome Kim!

BIO:
A Seattle native, Kim O’Neill attended the University of Washington where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 1994. She began her career at the Sports and Events Council of Seattle/King County, a program of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, working primarily as Program & Events Manager. In 2000 she moved to Los Angeles to serve as Director of Product & Brand Marketing for Ticketmaster, where she led the research and marketing of new technologies.

In 2003 she embarked on a career change to pursue her creative interests. Having studied art and design throughout the Los Angeles area, she enrolled at Art Center College of Design to further hone her skills. For two years she consulted in design management on behalf of Barry Diller of IAC/InterActiveCorp, finally launching Good Stock in late 2005.

Good Stock was inspired by Kim’s grandfather, Donald W. Close, who loved reminding his family they came from good stock. The tale was originally written with the help of her mother, a talented kindergarten teacher, for the littlest members of her family. She now makes the book for others and loves being in the business of preserving family memories.

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Welcome Kim!

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Stewart Wedding

Crystal + Todd's wedding was absolutely beautiful, as were the bride and groom. A few alterations were made because of the pouring down rain, but I think those changes made the wedding procession even more lovely and romantic. Since I was in the wedding party, I didn't get as many photos as I would have liked, but here are a few and there are more at my Flickr.

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Stewart Wedding

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New Feature!

I am super excited to introduce a new feature of my blog! I decided that I would like to include various guests that have inspired me in the world of design + the arts. Next week, Kim from Good-Stock will be my first guest blogger. Tune in, she has some great things to share, and in the meantime, check out Good-Stock Press & Bindery.

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New Feature!

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Calendar girl

With the abundance of school supplies in stores and the stocking of calendars for the new year, I saw these different calendars by Massimo Vignelli and was reminded how much I enjoy his calendar design style. Clean, classy and timeless, I am contemplating getting one for 2008.

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Calendar girl

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Perusing

When I picked up the book Postmark Paris I enjoyed it throughly. It is very well done, and I hope to see more like it in the future. It is a story about a family who moves to Paris and a father introduces his daughter to the world of stamp collecting. Various stamps are shown on each page along with a clever narrative by the young girl. Definitely on my "Cool books for Vienna wish list." Check out more here.



Besides the amazing Binth baby book, (which I got to see in person this week) this 'Sweet Dreams Baby Book" is another great one I've seen on the market. Vintage Children's illustrations are used throughout, and there is great design sensibilities and a sense of nostalgia. A very budget sensitive item, you don't have to spend a lot, to have a little lovely. See more here.

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Perusing

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Design Within Reach

There is nothing quite like the feeling a designer gets when they go into a DWR store. More of a kinesthetic experience than the catalog, my eyes were overflowing with eye candy crystals. This store features spectacular cutting-edge design originators.

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Design Within Reach

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Slow it down.

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Slow it down.

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Kate Endle

These collages by Kate Endle are even more stunning in person. Collage art is something that has been a long time favorite of mine, so when I saw these I just ooohed and ahhed. Unfortunately, the awesome textural quality of these may not be visible in this online realm, but nonetheless, they are quite fabulous. You can find Kate's work at the lovely Petaline.

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Kate Endle

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Natalie's Eden

While I am talking about Seattle based paperie, I came across the charming collection of Natalie's Eden. Here are a few of my favorites. I like the illustrations juxtaposed with the background patterns and details, and she uses glitter tastefully!! Check out more here and also find them at Luxe.

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Natalie's Eden

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Pinkerton Design

I came across Seattle based Pinkerton Design in a little shop and enjoy what they have to offer. They use a lot of lovely colors and graphic patterns and designs in their cards and from what I have seen, they use mostly offset printing for their gorgeous work. Check out their website for more love. They also sell at Luxe Paperie online.

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Pinkerton Design

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