Welcome to Happy Hour!

Remember this? Well, welcome to the first installment of Happy Hour: the pursuit of a perfect mix of work & play – for life.

Just to get things off of the ground I'll start with a few online job boards that I've used as a starting place – you've probably heard of Yahoo!hotjobs & Monster so I'll start with some things that were new to me & that I had some luck on.

Media Bistro // especially useful if you're in NYC, but many listings for large urban areas (use menu at left to filter your search).

How Design // always a consistent flow of design jobs of all kinds in many locations. Read their other articles on things like job search tips, resume & portfolio, etc.

AIGA // also a good resource with lots of variety but if you aren't a member you can't view the whole listing. (annoying) If you are a member you can post portfolio images too. AIGA is also a great place to find articles about the job search, interviewing, etc.

Creative Hotlist // by CommArts Magazine. You can browse jobs, post your resume, contact potential employers though the site. You can search jobs by location or category. Anyone can post a resume for free – I posted mine & got an interview with a big-time magazine (that I happened to be in love with) just because they found my info on Creative Hotlist.

*Best of all, if you are a designer without a website you can pay $35 for 6 months to post portfolio images, your resume & cover letter then use the link to it as your website when contacting people.

LinkedIn // I haven't actually utilized this yet but I've seen lots of professionals use it as a networking tool.

design*sponge // I had my information on the d*s job board for a while but it seems that they have discontinued that section. (I'm not totally sure, it disappeared this week.) It cost $15 for 3 months of listing & I did get a freelance inquiry from it.

Idealist // a great spot to find non-profit jobs, in any field, worldwide! I have heard of many people finding (& getting) great jobs from the listings on this site.

And very important. Salaries. Here is AIGA & Aquent's 2008 design salary calculator it's not perfect but it's very helpful for ball park figures.

The Graphic Artists Guild also puts out the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines which I just ordered my copy of on recommendation of a former professor.

Okay, that should be enough to get you started! Good Luck!

Best Pizzeria in Bklyn!

On a whim (& per some friend's recommendation...) J & I ventured 3 stops on the F train Sunday night to Lucali's Pizzeria in Carroll Gardens. We waited in the cold for 30+ minutes, but the wait was very worth it. J was raving about his "food euphoria" for hours after we left.

There are 2 things on the menu: pizza pie or calzone. The atmosphere with the huge, built-by-hand brick pizza oven is simple, rustic & warm.

Thanks J for a lovely night out!

*I didn't take pictures because it was so dark in there but found this one on yelp by I.C. O....that's the owner/mastermind, Mark, behind the counter. You should see him in action!

Happy Friday darling!

Probably the most incredible illustration/animation I have ever seen. (I'm not kidding.)

This is an interview with John Lennon by a 14 year old Toronto boy in 1969. in.cre.di.ble.

illustrations by James Braithwaite.

Amen, sister!

*I don't know who designed these...via A Cup of Jo.

Head First...

Okay, Jonathan told me to do this months ago & I've been toying with the idea since then. In the past week or so I have had a growing sense of conviction...I feel like I have a responsibility to share.

As many of you know, we got married, had the big move from Texas to Brooklyn (the next day)...then I was jobless...and searching...and searching. Then the economy buried itself in a hole. Then I got a job (yay!).

Many people I know are recent graduates & are either yet to land that first "real" job or are in a transition phase – some by choice taking a leap of faith, other's because of company downsizing. Still others have made (or are about to make) a cross-country move to be with their partners, and a few are looking for a supplementary income of some kind. As I write this I can only think of 2 or 3 of my friends that are sitting nicely at their jobs with out fear and with out searching for something else. I know that this has a lot to do with the demographic I'm looking at but these people are living in all areas of the country with completely different professional backgrounds (ie: not all designers or creatives).

What I'm trying to say is – I'm going to do a series of posts sharing my knowledge about the job hunt, how to market yourself & what I've learned along the way. I may even invite a few friends to share their stories of how they got where they are. I'm far from being an expert but I think I've found a few things along the way that some other people could benefit from.

While most of my knowledge is in the design/creative realm, I have some information that will cross platforms. If any of you have something specific that you would like to see, if you have a piece of advice that you would like to share...a story or resources please feel free to e-mail me, I would love to hear about it & share in turn.

This American Life // Chicago Public Radio

Do you listen? The podcasts are free. You should try it sometime. I highly recommend it!

Christmas Stockings // etsy round up!

It's J & my first Christmas together as a family. (all together now..."Awww!") So we need some stockings! I've used the same stocking since I was about 4 years old. I can remember my Mom sewing the sequins onto the classic red & white stocking to spell my name. (My sisters got the shaft, theirs were glued on with Elmer's! They say you change your parenting methods after your first child...this is one of the times I got the good end of that! thanks, Mom)

Since we aren't going home & I have no idea how we will do a tree (itty-bitty living space!) The stockings are pretty important. I want something that will last & be easy to match with in years to come. (aka: nothing too trendy or funky)

Some of my favorites that I've found on etsy.
(above: by a modern.)


love the little animal designs on repurposed fabric by 3rd Life.

eco-felt made from recycled plastic (wow!)
left from rikrak.
right from exlibris handmade.

also eco-felt with cute bird & branch accents by beckaboo.

traditional & hand knit by ahnalee marie. (& these are lined inside so Santa's goodies won't poke through!)

Last but not least (I think these are my favorite, just our style!) A somewhat shabby-chic feminine version made out of a repurposed quilt with pretty buttons. & a more masculine one made of an old army blanket, embellished with a woodsy-branch design. Both by sydg.

*gonna get J's opinion on what to do...will have the big decision soon!

New York Public Library designers series

oh the inspiration!
incase you haven't heard...


via design*sponge

Sushi on Sunday

My dear friend, Beth, gave me a sushi-kit for Christmas...(ahem, last year, cough)...& we busted it out for the first time tonight. With the help of some vegan sushi recipes from the Post Punk Kitchen it eliminated the risk of preparing raw fish at home.

*you can probably tell by rice stuck to my fingers...& J's "angry sushi face" that our efforts were successful & oh so very yummy!

note: we live above a sushi restaurant so the smell of it (mostly the smell of old rice) in the apartment at any given time has proven to be a bit of a turn-off as of late...until tonight!

Rosie Thomas // Holiday Tour!!!

Pre-mature, I know. But I just found out & if you want to get tickets you need to jump on it! Rosie Thomas is following suit of her friend & fellow musician, Sufjan Stevens, by doing a holiday tour.


Growing up we listened to nothing but Amy Grant (what can I say, 3 girls...plus, Casey, our dance-fanatic cousin..."Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree!") & my Mom refused to play anything but Bing Crosby for a month last year (even on the 12hr. round-trip car ride)...not that Bing isn't great but changing it up would have been nice. (sorry, Mom!)

What I'm trying to say is...I really love it when great (contemporary) artists put out a holiday album. I think I streamed Sufjan's [album] at work last year non-stop & drove my art director, Misty a little crazy!

*yes, Rosie's "River" is a Joni Michell song... & I might have an unnatural love for the female songstresses...Joni, Patty Griffin, Jolie Holland, Mara Lee Miller, Feist, Mirah, Joanna Newsom, with a little Lucinda Williams & Janis Joplin just to keep things from getting too sweet!

**edit: when J got home he said "Let's go!" so we got tickets to the Brooklyn show! yippeeee! (I haven't been to a Christmas concert since my sisters played in the junior high band!)

Fashion + Chocolate = Love

So maybe a friend of mine is a stylist, & maybe she got a friend & me in backstage at a fashion show. But not just any old fashion show in NYC, the Chocolate Show. The costumes had to be 40% chocolate. It was amazing to watch the models with a stylist, designer & chocolatier(s) getting ready!

Pretty much 100% of Xena & Lara Croft's costumes (above) were chocolate, including their weapons & parts of their boots. The Xena model said the animal medallions on her belt were made of pure sugar but were as heavy as metal!

Some of you may recognize Jaslene from America's Next Top Model (Wonder Woman). The annual event had a super hero theme this year...

*thanks Brandi! We had too much fun!

street art // C215

Yet another reason why I love living in NYC! Street art! We saw these by street artist C215 a few weeks ago near/on a Mexican restaurant in Dumbo. pretty rad – & gorgeous!

Off to the polls, I am.

A parody on Robert Indiana's LOVE sculpture...VOTE, you should.

Halloween Times

J was a sailor & I was...I guess a man. But really it was all about the mustachio.

We went out to the Halloween parade in the Village & hung out with some of our friends...& their pets! I have to admit, the mustache is a lot of fun! I'm thinking we need to break it out more in the future when we go out or at parties.

Mustachio!

At the end of last week I started the mad search for the perfect quick & homemade Halloween costume & this caught my eye on sfgirlbybay.

and the costume was born! I made my "mustache on a stick" out of cardboard wrapped in some black cloth, hot glue & a dowel rod...photos coming soon!

mustache on a stick by something's hiding in here via sfgirlbybay.