Welcome to the Neighborhood: Public Works

I love exploring my new neighborhood. Wicker Park is an incredibly diverse neighborhood that mixes hipsters, young families and a lot of artists both young and old. The abundance of boutiques and restaurants is a refreshing change from downtown Chicago. For the past two weeks, I have noticed the Public Works 3 poster in almost every window of the places I have stopped. At first, I wasn't sure about the type, but the more I see it the more I have grown to adore it. It's creative, geometric and plays little mind games with you due to the highly saturated cyan and red. What do you think?

I can't wait for the opening of the exhibit which showcases graphic designers who delve into contemporary culture and fine art. And, it is just a short walk from my new home!

Probably the Best Birth Announcement Ever!

I am always completely enthralled by information graphics. I think they are stunningly beautiful and quite difficult to do well. Needless to say, when I found this birth announcement I was instantly hooked. As I began to research the poster, I continued to fall in love. Turns out it was created by a fellow Auburn design graduate, Aaron Gresham. Can I get a War Eagle? 

All of Aaron's work is stunning, but the birth announcement for his son is the cherry on top. He documented his sons schedule over 6 months before creating the information graphic. It is witty, creative and unique. The beautiful color palette, streamlined data, chaotic but organized hierarchy and controlled typography are such an inspiration. I'm kinda drooling over here. I wish all design work was this awesome!

Happy weekend everyone!

New Design: Ten Year Anniversary Monogram

Eric emailed me about a month ago wanting a completely custom monogram for a ten year anniversary gift for his wife. I was so impressed by his obvious love for his wife, his thoughtful and creative gift giving and his planning ahead.

This monogram was a lot of fun to create partially because of it's ornate characteristics and detailing. Eric wanted a monogram that wasn't too feminine (obviously) but that had plenty of natural flourishes, a tiny bird, the year he married is beautiful wife (2001), and could eventually be etched into glass or engraved onto silver (he couldn't decide which one). In order to fit in everything desired, we went through a couple of rounds of pencil sketches before we finished the perfect monogram. I am pleased with the outcome, but more importantly...

I got an email last night from Eric while they are on a romantic anniversary get-a-way. He presented his wife with the monogram at lunch and she LOVED it. Supposedly she wants to put in on a silver platter and a pendant. I cannot wait to see pictures.

Honestly, it made my week to get such a special email from a client especially while he was on vacation. I feel so honored to be a tiny part in making their day a little more special. My clients are fantastic and are truly the reason I love my job!



*All monograms are the property of Lindsay Chenault Bolton and can not be reproduced without proper recognition.

I'm Alive...

via

It has been WAY to long since my last post. But the last five days have been a whirlwind of excitement and exhaustion. We moved into our first house on Friday morning and got our Internet installed today. Thank heavens! The break from technology wasn't that bad except for the fact that I had to run down the street to a local cafe to send emails 2 to 3 times a day. I guess that is what you get when you work from home.

All in all, I love our new, old house. It is over 120 years old and has a ton of character and quirks hidden inside of it. We are in the "getting-to-know-you" phase of our new relationship with our home, and everything appears to be going well so far.

I am also stoked about our new neighborhood. We walked down the street last night and ate at a quaint Italian joint with a beautiful patio.

Things are coming together here, and I should be back to regular blogging tomorrow. The above picture made me laugh. It defines the way I have felt over the last week. If only I had on such fashionable shoes when I was moving all my stuff. Come to think of it – I am not even sure where all my shoes are right now... Oh well :)

Inspiration Overload: Virtual Chaos

My life is a little crazy right now...

I keep trying to remind myself that my current hectic lifestyle is a good thing. I mean, we are moving into a new house tomorrow, we went on a fantastic get-a-way last weekend, and I have a lot of great, new work coming in. But, right about now, I am ready to tear my hair out. Ok, ok, it's not that bad - but I am so tired of packing boxes it is ridiculous.

On to beautiful visual images:
I am so inspired by these abstract vector illustrations by Diego Bellorin. They create a stunning chaos out of simple shapes and bold color. They instantly draw me in because, in my opinion, they accurately portray the way my brain works (especially during extremely busy and stressful times). The simple linear structure is constantly broken up by bright bits of creativity. I am in love. Beauty really can come out of chaos. And I will continue to tell myself that through our move this weekend.

Hope you enjoy!

We are Officially Homeowners!

 OMG - I can barely hold all of my excitement in right now...

We just finished the closing on our new house, which we have lovingly called "The Coach House" for the past few months. Now we can officially call it "Our Coach House". I am thrilled beyond belief, and kinda want to dance around the apartment.

Now we just have to finish packing before the big move on Friday - eeekkkk.

*I have been waiting for about 6 months to share the above image by Debbie Smyth. Isn't it glorious? I just love the colorful letterforms made out of an organized chaos. The new house will probably resemble this level of organized chaos for a little bit :)

Montreal je' taime

We are back from our absolutely fabulous weekend adventure in Montreal. On Thursday late afternoon, we flew out to meet Reid's family and came home late last night. It was very hard to get back into the swing of things after such an amazing trip. This week is going to be busy, busy, busy since we are moving on Friday (aghhhh!!!).

Here is my three word description of our trip and the city: Montreal is Spectacular! The city is beautiful, the food is delicious and the people are genuine and friendly. I would go back tomorrow if I could. All in all, tre magnifique!

A brief recap through pictures of our trip:

1. Montreal's Notre Dame (above) - the colors inside the cathedral were breathtaking.

2. We did a French cooking class that started in the large Montreal farmers market. The produce was to die-for, I mean look at those mushrooms.

3. We learned how to cook authentic ratatouille with lamb using all the products we had just bought at the market. Above is our balsamic reduction plate decoration for our appetizer. The class was taught in french, so we didn't always know what was going on, but in the end we had a successful and delicious lunch.

4. On our last night, Reid and I went to see Craig Ferguson (our favorite late night talk show host) at the original Just for Laughs festival. Above is a French sign – I loved how everything was in French and English. It felt so European.

5. On Sunday before our flight, we all went to the Montreal Museum of Fine Art for the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit. Oh my word – it was breathtaking. So much so that it probably deserves its own post to come later this week. Above are the entrance to the show and my favorite outfits.

Happy travelers before our flight home :)