Attention font geeks

Only you can prevent the inappropriate use of Comic Sans and Comic Sans Criminal is here to help. The super sleek Web site aims to increase awareness of when and where you should use the borderline eyesore font. 

Hilarity aside, fonts have a time and a place. And one made for comic books and adopted for use in elementary school and childcare settings probably doesn't belong on a sex offender notice (as shown on Comic Sans Criminal). 

The moral of this font story is be cognizant of the visual message and tone of your information. There's a whole wide world of fonts outside of Comic Sans waiting to be discovered.

[I took the Comic Sans Pledge]

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Tagging along

Gift tags aren't just for identifying a present's giver and receiver. They can provide an opportunity to add some visual goodness to a package. I made my own tags, and I think they came out decent considering it's my first attempt at designing them. 

Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?

 

Love letters

Letters and words make me happy, and these hand printed and pulled linocut beauties by PerlaAnne put quite the smile on my face. Each letter is $10, so you can buy one or a few to make words as shown below.

And if you wanted to DIY, imagine the combination of fonts, sizes and frame styles. Yeah for typography.

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Greetings of the graphic variety

I decided to make our Christmas card this year, something I've wanted to do for a while now. It would've been a lot easier to take the Shutterfly or Tiny Prints route, but the personalization and sense of accomplishment that comes from creating your own is satisfying. And I'm pretty pleased with the final products.

Along the way, I experienced some miscues that come with being new to the graphic design realm, but as the fiance says, "If you learned from it, it wasn't a mistake." I'm already gathering inspiration for next year's card.

Hope your holidays have been fun-filled and fabulous.

 [The official Christmas card]

[The runner-up]

Merry Christmas

I woke up at my mom's house this morning; my first Christmas home in six years. It's a feeling no amount of presents, turkey or tinsel can elicit. Even though it's fun to give and receive physical tokens of appreciation, I am simply thankful for the opportunity to spend the holidays with the ones I love. Until now, it's a luxury I hadn't been afforded since graduating from college (the price one pays for working at a newspaper.)

I feel incredibly blessed to spend my favorite time of the year surrounded by family and friends in Washington celebrating my nephew's first Christmas. So amid the unwrapping of the presents, partaking of the yummy dinner and watching of the football and basketball games, take time to remember the true reason for the season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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Pretty procrastination: Gift wrap

Last-minute gift wrapping doesn't have to involve throwing the item in a bag and calling it good. And I should know because in typical fashion, I've procrastinated on buying and wrapping presents. In my defense, I didn't want to pack 88 fully-wrapped gifts on the flight up to Washington.

So today my mom and I are finishing my shopping and wrapping. And even though I only have less than a day, there will be no bags involved. Only simple, yet pretty wrap. Feast your eyes on this lovely inspiration. I can't believe Christmas is almost here!

Brightly striped gift wrap:

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Stamped shopping bag gift wrap:

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Paper lunch bag gift wrap:

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Potato-chip bag gift wrap:

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Drugstore supplies gift wrap:

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Comfy at 30,000 feet

Spending Christmas and New Years in Washington with the ones I love is going to be truly splendid. Navigating congested airports during the busiest time of the year to get there is the opposite of fun. 

To make the experience bearable, I always pack a few essentials in my carry-on. The fiance and I take the late flight up today, and I'll be relying on some hot jams, shelter mags, hydration and a soft bedding combo to get me through the three-hour and 10-minute trip.

What are your must-haves while you fly the friendly skies? Whether you're going 2,000 or two miles for the holidays, may all your travels be safe and happy.

1. Apple iPod Classic (160 GB) / 2. Beats by Dr. Dre Monster noise-canceling headphones / 3. Dwell Studio Fuschia Dots Boudoir Pillow / 4. Dasani bottled water / 5. Elle Decor and House Beautiful magazines / 6. Washington State Cougars Classic Fleece Blanket

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365 days of color

Keeping that resolution to get organized in 2011 just got a lot prettier thanks to Michelle Armas.

The Atlanta painter, graphic designer and branding expert's Antonia Calendar is the perfect addition to art-starved walls or desks. And after the year is finished, cut off the calendar portion and frame the print.

If you're looking to spend a little more cash, Armas creates colorful masterpieces that look like they could just burst off the wall. 

Check out her blog and an interview she did with Little Paper Planes. 

Wise Math

Zena

Capri

Marbles

Madeline

  

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A DIY Christmas

Your halls are probably already decked out to the nines for Christmas, but these DIY projects were too pretty not to share. And the rad thing is these projects can be tailored to any holiday or special occasion by changing the colors and some materials. 

Everything LEB's mantle garland:

Materials:
glue / rubber cement | paper punch | gold paper | white ribbon

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Deliciously Organized's sparkle polka dot ornament:

Materials:
glass ornament | glue | glitter | Q-tips | ribbon

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Stylizimo blog's candle

 Materials:
candle | spoon | napkin | flame

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High Street Market's boxwood wreath

Materials:
25 feet of boxwood garland | square wreath form | floral wire | wire cutters | floral clippers | ribbon | twill tape

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Pretty Light's Christmas lights

Materials:
lights | paper doilies | scissors

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Impressionen's advent calendar

Materials:
clothespins | paper | scissors | paint | glue

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The White Company's advent calendar

Materials:

corkboard / wood | fabric | scissors | tacks / nails | paper | number stamps | ribbon | favorite + festive objects

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Full House's paper table runner

 Materials:

paper | hole punch

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Aesthetic Outburst's hand-drawn ornament

Materials:

porcelain ornament | paint marker | ribbon

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[Click on blog / store names for complete tutorials. All images via respective blogs / stores.]

Five (and a few more) for Friday: Dear, Santa

I would be a happy girl if any of these fabulous items were waiting for me under (or by) the tree on Christmas morning. One of my wishes already came true as I will be spending the holidays with my family and friends in Washington for the first time in six years.

What is on your list? Happy Weekend before Christmas.

1. Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 2. HP Photosmart C310a printer / 3. Glee: The Complete First Season / 4. The Mirror by Kate Long Stevenson / 5. Love Is The New Black print by Therese Sennerholt / 6. Spend Christmas with family and friends in Washington / 7. Vibe Techno Black Rug by Milliken / 8. Campaign dresser / 9. American Fashion Designers at Home by Rima Suqi /
10. Charcoal Spot Ikat cushion

Christmas inspiration: Kate Spade

As if I needed anymore reason to heart Kate Spade. Check out the store's fun and festive window displays at Fashion Square. Proof holiday decor doesn't have to be confined to red and green. Yeah for modern interpretations, unexpected color schemes and Christmas lights as accessories.

 

Fun find: Instagram

I have a love/hate relationship with the iPhone as of late. My 3G is ready to go to the big AT&T store in the sky. The instability and sluggishness make me want to chuck the piece of ish off the townhouse balcony daily. 

That was until I discovered Instagram, an app that marries photo editing and social networking. Think Flickr, Photoshop and Facebook all rolled into one easy-to-use gem. And the even better part: It's FREE! I pretty much spent the better part of Monday becoming addicted getting acquainted with my new favorite app. These are the results: