I think there is something so intriguing about being able to express moments and stories through visual forms—exercises like creating moodboards can open you up to new connections and thought processes while training your eye for creative detail and inspiration. With the feedback that I’ve been getting from the inspiration versus imitation post, I thought it would be a great exercise to start to visualize particular moments or moods in a new way and see where this practice might lead. I’ve asked five of my blogger friends to participate in this adventure this week, and I hope you’re as excited as I am to start to see a little snippet into the creative mindset and process of some very talented folks. Starting off this week of guest posts will be the lovely and incredibly talented Jo from Hey Jo! I’m always inspired by her aesthetic and eye for design detials, and you can clearly see what I mean with her moodboard picks.

FROM JO—As I write this I feel terribly jet lagged.  I’ve been in Mexico and while only there for a very short time I managed to get quite ill (understatement) and spent a day or so in bed.  Aside from feeling sorry for myself I did manage to lie on the sand and feel my hair blow in the salty breeze while the warm sunshine formed a freckle bridge over my nose and onto my cheeks.  Oh and I read.  A lot.  I believe I could do that for a living.  I also believe I am the boss of shade-bathing (like sun bathing but minus the burn which is all that ever happens to my pale English skin).  Anyway, it was beyond therapeutic and I now find myself longing for Spring & Summer to hurry up and stay a while.  Seriously, where is it?  (Snow, I’m looking at you).  This all got me to thinking about how much the seasons affect my style, both personally and professionally.  All I want to see now I am officially done with Winter are images flooded with sunlight, drenched with floral blooms and filled with open-toed sandals & brightly coloured nails: perfect for dipping into the sparkling azure waters of somewhere offensively hot.  Yes, I am a glutton for such things and I’m not in the least bit sorry.  Sunshine and salt water revive me which is the perfect solution for getting ‘it’ done.  And by ‘it’ I mean work.  And by work I mean the thing I do for a living which I happen to be in love with.  And for that I am very lucky and even more grateful.  And, well, that’s that.  These images represent all that I am looking forward to in the coming months and make me feel happy just by looking at them.  I suppose that in the end, that’s why I chose them; because they make me smile and excited for a summer season which I hope will be the best yet.  I am nothing if not completely and totally optimistic.  (I do live in England, after all).

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Thank you thank you Jo! Be sure to stop by her blog for more of this lovely on the reg.

This week I’m sharing a recent favorite of mine—the sweet and spicy rendition of the sweet potato fry. I made these a couple weeks ago for a dinner party here in my building, and I think I can say that they were a hit. Head on over to the Verily blog to get the recipe and make some of these for yourself!

For this week’s TYPO GRAPHIC over at Design for Mankind, I hand-lettered a printable halloween card for you all! Head on over there to download the card and print away!

If you didn’t catch it on Friday, this week’s TYPO GRAPHIC is all about typographic packaging. Head on over to Design for Mankind to take a look! Yeah, vintage inspired, yet again. Can you tell I have a tiny problem?

Past posts:

1 // TYPE AS IMAGE

2 // FOR THE LOVE OF THE TERMINAL

3 // VINTAGE, AND VINTAGE INSPIRED, TYPOGRAPHIC BOOK COVERS

4 // HAND DRAWN LOVE

5 // TYPOGRAPHIC WEDDING INVITATIONS

6 // TYPE THAT’S LOVED FOR…

7 // FIVE FAVORITE FREE FONTS

8 // MY GO-TO TYPEFACES

9 // UNIQUE ARRANGEMENT

10 // VINTAGE TYPOGRAPHIC PACKAGING

This week’s TYPO GRAPHIC is all about unique arrangement. Head on over to Design for Mankind to take a looksie!

Past posts:

1 // TYPE AS IMAGE

2 // FOR THE LOVE OF THE TERMINAL

3 // VINTAGE, AND VINTAGE INSPIRED, TYPOGRAPHIC BOOK COVERS

4 // HAND DRAWN LOVE

5 // TYPOGRAPHIC WEDDING INVITATIONS

6 // TYPE THAT’S LOVED FOR…

7 // FIVE FAVORITE FREE FONTS

8 // MY GO-TO TYPEFACES

9 // UNIQUE ARRANGEMENT

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be asked by blogger friend Ciera to do a little guest post dedicated to father’s day while she is out of town galavanting in Maine… that lucky girl. Check out my picks here, and also for a little side story about my pops.

Whoo! Following last time’s Typo Graphic, I have a post dedicated to the typefaces I tend to always turn to when in need. Head on over to Design for Mankind for a roundup of my go-to typefaces. There you’ll be able to get the links to the typefaces, and see exactly why they made my top five.

Past posts:

1 // TYPE AS IMAGE

2 // FOR THE LOVE OF THE TERMINAL

3 // VINTAGE, AND VINTAGE INSPIRED, TYPOGRAPHIC BOOK COVERS

4 // HAND DRAWN LOVE

5 // TYPOGRAPHIC WEDDING INVITATIONS

6 // TYPE THAT’S LOVED FOR…

7 // FIVE FAVORITE FREE FONTS

8 // MY GO-TO TYPEFACES

Fun news, I have been featured on Pennyweight‘s wanted this week series! Elise’s blog has been a favorite of mine for quite a while now, and it was a dream come true to work on this for her.

Head over to the post to get the links, and check out the beautiful inspiration that Elise has to share, you won’t want to miss out!

Head on over to Note to Self today for my guest post on the basics of calligraphy! As finals week officially starts, fellow SCAD grad student Sarah asked me to help out over at her blog as she finishes up her last ‘real’ quarter here. If you haven’t had a chance to look at the gloriousness that is Note to Self, take some time and visit…it’s truly a feast for your eyes–one of my favorites being sip/snack. Enjoy!