I’m on my second round of Girl Develop It classes with the Seattle chapter. I’m learning that HTML5 and CSS3 are pretty powerful and can be dare I say – fun? From a design perspective I think its always a plus to learn some coding skills. It makes it easier to talk with your developers and empowers you to work independently on side projects.
While in class we’ve been inundated with wonderful code resource after resource. Everything from the helpful HTML5 Doctor to learning the possibilities of CSS3 buttons. My favorite so far has been Give’n’go, a CodePen collaboration with Dribbble. Basically developers peruse Dribbble, find something interesting and develop the code snippet. This little squirrel up top is my favorite, Dribbble snapshot on the left, interactive CodePen on the right (go here to see it blinking). You can even inspect the code to see how it was created. I think this would be a great exercise if you’re new to coding like me.
If you’re interested in learning to code whether it be html, css, javascript or something more advanced check out Girl Develop It. It’s likely they have a chapter near you!
I’ve been wanting to learn calligraphy for a lonnng time. I’ve even bought various supplies here and there. And I’ve tried using them with little success, blaming it on being left-handed or such and quietly putting my pen and nibs back in a drawer. When Molly Jacques announced her calligraphy class on Skillshare I knew this was my chance! Already having taken a hand-lettering workshop with Molly, I was confident she could teach me something. Turns out, it just takes lots and lots of practice! I’m still learning as I go, like how to not ink up a letter too much, add pretty fleurishes and draw consistent line strokes and angles, but it’s finally enjoyable!
If you’re on the edge of learning calligraphy I definitely recommend this class! It’s been really fun and has helped me make more goals to practice. I’ll try to keep sharing what I create and maybe just maybe I’ll be skilled enough to letter some of my wedding escort cards next Fall :) Happy lettering!
Graphic designer, Jonathan Lawrence photographs and curates found typography through his project, Type Hunting. There’s something very special about vintage typography, with all it’s hand-setting hand-lettering magic. Do yourself a favor and take a peek.
I am swooning over Sarah Sherman Samuel‘s new line A Sunny Afternoon. As an occasional sewer I know from experience that beautiful fabrics are pretty hard to come by. The textiles Sarah designed are refreshingly beautiful, made up of simple geometric patterns with the occasional pop of color. I can’t help but fall in love with all the pretty black and white napkins and am definitely going to have to splurge for this triangles table runner. Her textile designs are certainly inspiring and leave me wondering about designing a couple fabrics myself (for personal projects of course). -Holly
I had the honor of playing host to the talented Molly Jacques on behalf of Jackson Fish Market a couple weekends back. For those of you who don’t know, Jackson Fish Market (JFM) is the awesome software design agency /startup where I spend my 9-5 time. The ladies of JFM, being Jenny and I have been wanting to host an all ladies workshop in our studio for some time and were so excited when Molly agreed to come from Michigan to share her talents. The day was spent with a lovely group of women from various creative backgrounds. Molly taught us to find our own cursive alphabet style and how to apply that to something like a quote. We spent the better half of the day perfecting our quotes, drinking a little wine and getting to know each other. It was great to meet so many new ladies, and I was certainly impressed with everyone’s lettering skills! Again, a huge thanks to Molly for coming all the way from Michigan. She was immensely helpful and attentive to all our questions and wow she makes lettering look effortless. Also a thank you to all the wonderful ladies who joined us and to JFM for making it possible!
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve taken a hike (unless you count the urban hikes in Discovery Park). I wanted to post the hike I did back on the most beautiful sunny Seattle day in March. So my hiking friend Lacey and I hiked and hiked straight up this mountain asking every passer by about the view. They all joked like what view? We honestly thought they were joking and that the view would be amazing like all hikes that are that steep. Sadly, when we got to the top it was a picnic table in the middle of the woods – thus my simple type on wood grain photo. I guess that day we learned that A) not all hikes were designed for a pretty view at the top and B) we would do better trail research next time. Overall though, we had good time. We hiked back down the mountain feeling content that we had gotten out into nature on such a beautiful day. -Holly
Type hand-drawn by Holly. Photo taken with my iPhone5 Check out the past hikes here.
UPDATE: The Explore Column has become its own site! Please continue to follow along at it’s new location Hike the PNW
The sun made a special appearance in Seattle today for Earth day (and rumor has it it will be here all week)! Hope you enjoyed the day doing something outside! -Holly
Watercolor typography by Holly. See more typography related posts here.
Ariele Alasko. I have a total crush on her work. I recently started following her on Instagram, of course at the exact time she started making these beauties. Their forms, so pretty and seemingly delicate though I’m sure quite sturdy. I was instantly drawn to them and especially fascinated by the process (bottom two photos) of carving and sawing out the spoons.
Be sure to check out the rest of Ariele’s work at her studio brooklyn to west. Her art focuses on salvaged wood, making pieces for the home. I’d quite like to own one of her pieces … someday :) In the meantime it’s back to my father’s woodshop I go! Inspired I am.
All photos by Ariele Alasko on Instagram (@arielealasko)
Over the weekend I stayed in the Ft. Warden barracks with a group of ladies from my church. It’s a retreat of sorts filled with lots of laughing, roaming of the beaches and wine. Always a good time to be had. This year we were tasked with creative boldness and spent the weekend painting and in my case taking photographs. I’m embarrassed to say I had to wipe the dust off my DSLR. It’s so easy these days to rely on your mobile device for picture taking, have you found that true too? I was reminded over the weekend how fun it is to use my “real” camera and hopefully you’ll be seeing more of it on here!
So I’ve been trying to design the trail logos to display over pictures from the hikes but couldn’t help designing this one below as well. I haven’t made my mind up yet if I want to stick to a style with images or mix it up. Which do you like better? -Holly
Typeface used: Mensch Photos by Holly with her Nikon D3000 Check out the past hikes here.
UPDATE: The Explore Column has moved! Please continue to follow along at it’s new location Hike the PNW
We ventured to Commonwealth Basin Snowshoe about a month ago to do some snowshoeing. Hiking through the snow is really pretty (and a lot more work!). At the top we discovered an abandoned igloo made by some boys who had camped the night before. It was possibly the coolest thing I’ve stumbled into while hiking.
With today’s trail logo I am using a couple typefaces from Lost Type. Have you used their fonts? They’re all really beautiful and unique and most impressively: free! Of course if you use the fonts and like them, it would be nice to support the artists with a donation! -Holly
I’m on my second round of Girl Develop It classes with the Seattle chapter. I’m learning that HTML5 and CSS3 are pretty powerful and can be dare I say – fun? From a design perspective I think its always a plus to learn some coding skills. It makes it easier to talk with your developers and empowers you to work independently on side projects.
I’ve been wanting to learn calligraphy for a lonnng time. I’ve even bought various supplies here and there. And I’ve tried using them with little success, blaming it on being left-handed or such and quietly putting my pen and nibs back in a drawer. When 
If you’re on the edge of learning calligraphy I definitely recommend
Graphic designer,
I am swooning over 
I had the honor of playing host to the talented 
A handful of 
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve taken a hike (unless you count the urban hikes in 
The sun made a special appearance in Seattle today for Earth day (and rumor has it it will be here all week)! Hope you enjoyed the day doing something outside! -Holly
Over the weekend I stayed in the 
So I’ve been trying to design the trail logos to display over pictures from the hikes but couldn’t help designing this one below as well. I haven’t made my mind up yet if I want to stick to a style with images or mix it up. Which do you like better? -Holly
We ventured to 