Wordcake Cards


When friend and food blogger Jen Stevenson of Under the Table wanted to start her own writing business, she came to me asking advice about collateral. She had chosen Wordcake Communications as her business name and needed a logo, business cards and a simple website to get the business going. “I was thinking I could have a big cake, with the word Wordcake on it!” she said, giving me creative rein with a theme. I replied with a somewhat muffled “Let’s see what we can do with that…”, and got to work.

Riffing on the idea of frosting, I found this typography sample in an ornaments and borders book and transformed it into Wordcake.

Essence of Sirloin type sample
Before
Wordcake logotype
After

The idea of a sophisticated take on a “cake on a platter” appealed to me since Jen is the epitome of a hostess with the mostess, even when she is stuffing your gullet with stinky cheeses and sweet confections. However, Jen wasn’t rolling in dough from creative writing (yet), so an economic solution was needed that would still help her stand out. I scoured the internet for an oval punch that could take the place of a diecut. Turns out, crafters have thought of almost everything, so after a bit of sleuthing I found several oval punches, perfect for the miniature platter shape that her business cards would become.

The cards were printed digitally and then hand punched by Jen in about an hour, after which she claimed she’d sprained her thumb. I told her she would have to toughen up, because once The Onion started calling and she had to churn out snarky story upon snarky story in record time, her thumb would have no reprieve.

Clever Lever punch and Wordcake business cards.
Punch, punch.
3-part punch process
Punch, punch, punch.
Many punches later.
Little paper hors d'oeuvres.
Wordcake Communications : Jen Stevenson : Pen for Hire
Wordcake Communications : Jen Stevenson : Pen for Hire

Ziba: A Not-So-Sordid Exposé


For the past six weeks I’ve been contracting on-site at Ziba, a multi-disciplinary firm here in Portland. Six weeks is as good as marriage in the freelance world, so I took full advantage of their awesome new HQ building and learning from the plethora of interesting people who work there.

Crossing the threshold; me in my red shoes entering the Ziba lobby.
We're not in Kansas anymore, Lucy.

The project I was put on was very interesting, but unfortunately mum is the word. In fact, here is a recreation of the confidentiality agreement I signed. Continue reading “Ziba: A Not-So-Sordid Exposé”

The Early Years: A Retrospective Told in Buttons and Pins


Like most kids I collected various things throughout my childhood, including stuffed animals, horse figurines, knives with antler handles, stamps, and a button collection. Most of my collections were given away or sold at garage sales over the years as they lost meaning or garnered scorn for their age inappropriateness (although I still keep my prize horses boxed up in the basement). Somehow, my button collection escaped the purging episodes of my mother, myself, and the multiple moves I went through.

So when my buttons resurfaced recently, I wondered…would they reveal anything about my childhood that I had forgotten? Would they say anything about my current state, 20 years later? Given the current button craze, how would my buttons stack up? Was it time to finally purge my button collection, two decades too late?

Kermit the Frog, I Partied at Pietro's, Oh Happy Day, I Got My Shot, Bee Happy, a bear with balloons, a monkey with a green bowtie, a blue ice cream cone, a pink T-Rex, a pinker brontosaurus, a unicorn with a "G" on it, Boss Snoopy
I believe I gathered these buttons of my own volition.

I compiled my favorite buttons (namely, the ones I actually remember) into a mini-autobiography. Come on, nobody else was going to write it, so I took matters into my own hands. Turns out, most people like it when you hand them an autobiography instead of a business card.
Continue reading “The Early Years: A Retrospective Told in Buttons and Pins”

Noilly Prat and Isabel Branco


You might have seen the vintage liqueur bottles my neighbors brought me a while back; here are a few more that didn’t seem to fit in with the first batch.

Noilly Prat and Isabel Branco, vintage liquor bottles that might best you in a showdown.
Noilly Prat and Isabel Branco: two mean mofos in the miniature alcohol bottle world.

Noilly Prat and Isabel Branco seem like the alcohol version of Bonnie and Clyde in comparison to the Crema Liqueur series. If they met in dark alley, I have no doubt Noilly would off the Sabor de Platano without a second thought. Upon further scrutiny it turns out Noilly Prat is a French company that uses floofy flourishes all over their website. I’m guessing that means the “t” in Prat is silent, which negates most of the badass connotations. That ALSO means that Noilly PraT (emphasis on the “T) is up for grabs (just like the URL www.discountbordello.com).

Therefore, let it be known that I claim Noilly Prat as a pen name for times when I need go undercover to tell tales like Turkey: 1, Mormon Boyfriend: 0. Like all legendary duos, Noilly needs a comrade, so I am hereby seeking an Isabel Blanco to be my partner in crime. The position is currently undefined (I’m imagining we can have cheese eating contests, watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the Musical, and see what a turtle on roller skates can accomplish if they set their mind to it) and will stay open until filled.

Noilly Prat, quickdraw.
Noilly Prat, quick draw, seeks partner in crime.

Isabel Branco, sharp shooter.
Be my Isabel Branco.