travel kindness

So I just designed this business card for Stefano TK Andriani. He is traveling across Canada is his little blue car doing simple acts of kindness.
You can check out what he is doing by clicking on this or this!

And here is my card design:

montreal

So last week I was in Montreal to see Sufjan Stevens.

Let me just say, HE WAS AWESOME!!!! The best show I have ever been to, by far. Before his show I wasn't so sure on his new album, but after seeing it played live, I am in love. It is a lot different from his old sound, but it is still just as good.

I went with Chelsea, and we were lucky enough to get great weather. Everyday was your perfect sunny fall day. We biked, climbed a really big hill, ate trail mix by a pond and fed some oversized gray squirrels.

We decided not to do much shopping. So the only store I really wanted to go to was Urban Outfitters. Here is what I picked up:

I love this dress!

On my way to Montreal my lame ipod earbuds broke, I have wanted headphones for a while, so I couldn't resist the great turquoise colour

So comfy

The worst part was missing my flight home. Worst feeling. Oh and then having to pay full price for a new plane ticket home..... Will not do this again.

uh oh

So Facebook is having DNS problems. At first I had no clue what that meant so I googled it. And A live feed popped up of people twittering about it. Kinda entertaining to watch, and wonder where all these people live.

It is weird to think that Facebook being down for an hour now has effected so many.

My favorite "tweet" I saw was something along the lines of, Facebook is down, I guess I will have to call my friends to see what they are doing.

Food for thought right there.

school

I want to be going to school sooooo bad!

film...

So I was so excited to take some awesome pictures this weekend. I bought three roles for my camera. I was all set. I took some really good pictures that summed up my weekend. Unfortunately this happened:

I took pictures of Ryan and James jumping off the waterfall, Stephanie and Ryan 4-wheeling, Ryan and Lee getting in each others faces, and what I hoped to be pretty pictures of people when the sun was setting. Shitty things happen though.

cottage

This weekend I traveled with a ton of friends to Tatamogouche for a lovely night at Ryan's cottage. We 4-wheeled ( which was my first time being on such a beast of a machine thing) and was awesome! Went boating, we made yummy chicken spaghetti, gazed at the stars (found the big dipper and the milky way). But the most memorable moment was that at The Falls.

the falls

Ryan has been jumping off this waterfall since he was 11 I think. He was first to jump, followed shortly (with a lot of encouragement) James and Andy. I was up there trying to get over be totally scared to jump, but I really wanted to. However after watching another women slip and fall of the rock, and hitting her body on the way down, I didn't jump.

The moment she fell and the 5 min following were the most scariest moments ever. We are thought she was seriously injured, if not dead. She was knocked out and for a few minutes her body looked lifeless in the water. As Samantha and I ran back down to the bottom, some guys went out to get her from the water.

She was ok in the end!

This weekend proved itself to be quite the time. I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again, minus the almost dead woman.

sufjan

Wooopeeee! I found out yesterday that Sufjan Stevens is touring in October. His first stop: Montreal. I am ready to buy my ticket tomorrow. I know last year they went super quick, so hopefully on Tuesday October 12 2010, at 7pm i will be waiting in anticipation for Sufjan to come onstage!


photo: last.fm

new dress

Wow it has been a few months since my last post.

I guess I haven't really had anything to talk about. I do now though.

Last week i bought this dress. I had been eyeing it for months, but it had been way too expensive. It came down almost $100 dollars and I had to get it.

I love the little black bow and the pleats. It looks a lot better on a person then it does on the hanger. The cool thing about it is that I can easily dress it down (with leggings and a cardigan) or dress it up (with heals and my pearl earrings).

I still need a place to wear it, lately I have't done anything that wearing this dress would be suitable.

last few weeks

Soo it has been a while. I have been a bit busy with: work, tv watching, trying to find a job an working on my portfolio.

Well when I was hierd at Starbucks I thought I was going to be full time. but unfortunatly we are overstaffed. So I need another job. I would like to get something you know, in design. I graduated last Tuesday. So I am ready!

So the first season of Glee ended almost two weeks ago. In that time I have re-watched the whole season. I may have obtained a slight obsession... From that, I now have a tv crush on two of the cast members Finn (Corey Monteith) and Jesse (Jonathan Groff). I downloaded all the Glee soundtracks and have been listening to them non stop. However, from my Glee obsession, I also found Spring Awakening. Which was a musical in with both Jonathan Groff and Lea Michelle (Rachel Berry in Glee) star in. I found a shitty video of the whole musical online. I spent last night watching it, and loved it. It made me laugh and cry. I also downloaded the soundtrack. I wish so much I could go back a few years and go to NY to see it. SOO much.

I know I sound like a big geek right now.

slim twig

On Friday night I went to The Khyber to see Slim Twig.

So a few years ago he was in the movie The Tracy Fragments, also starring Ellen Page. I went through a little phase of that move. Had my first ever poster on my wall (the official movie poster, which I somehow got from Empire Theatre). I liked it. My parents did not. I was in Art 12 at the time. There was some assignment we had to do, I can't even rember what exactly it intailed. I drew Slim Twig. This is it:

Funny fact. If you walk down the hall of my old high school, you will see this hanging on the wall. So SLIM TWIG, if you ever read this (which you most likely never will) there is a bad portrait of you in the hall by my old drama class.

It is weird, because at the time I thought this was sooo good. I had done a good job. However after three years, and seeing him in person. It really doesn't look a thing like him. The nose is all wrong.

I like this song:

night

Ever have one of those nights where you had a few good options? Like gone to a show, your best friends house party, gone partying with with your sister, or just stayed in and drank with your parents and a friend.

You pick staying in because you are tired from work, and sleeping in your own bed seems way better then on a couch. You have a great time. However, later on that night you realize, that maybe, maybe you regret your choice, and wish you had gone out anyways. Even though your night was still great.

Tonight was one of those nights...

last two weeks

It has been a long time since my last post. I have been up to a few things in the past two weeks.

I have been mostly at my work term. Still waiting on content and photos. Adam and I have already redesigned out magazine layout. It may have been because one of two things: We had been looking at it for two weeks, or it was just bad and we could do better. I think it was most likely a combo of both to be honest.

Each morning at my work term I check my emails, sign onto msn, check facebook, look at Kitsune Noir, and then at 100 Layer Cake. Both blogs give me so much inspiration. Especially 100 Layer Cake.

I am having a garden party at the end of June. I cannot stop thinking about decorations, food and invites. All of which I will seek inspiration from my favorite blog. I love garden parties, and since my mom has such a lovely one, it is the best place for an early summer party! I am thinking about sending invites in the mail. The old fashioned way. I will not make a facebook event group. I want to this garden party to be simple, a tad elegant/ but whimsical at the same time. I hope I will have time to do what I want with it. I will keep my blog updated on this.

This post was a little all over the place. I feel kinda like that. I have a lot on my mind lately. I am looking forward for my summer to start and I can do things I really want to be doing.

I am tired of waiting for things.

work term

So today is friday. Day four of my 25 day work term. My friend Adam and I are designing the convocation magazine called "Student Success" for NSCC. Honestly at first I was a bit disappointed my work term was at NSCC. However as I learned more about the project and learned I was gonna be working with Adam, I got more excited.

In the last four days, I really like what we have come up with. Our design is simple, put together and light. It is a lot different then the magazines from the last three years. We wanted the reader to want to read what was inside. Make it look enjoyable.

Here are two examples of the spreads:

Keep in mind these are not the real pictures or the real text (it is unreadable because it is fill text)

One Adam design the other I did. Of course we did collaborate on both as well.

last day

Today, I cannot believe it is my last day of class. I graduate this year. Who knew it could go by so fast. I have my exit interview today with my teachers. We show them our portfolios and talk. Nothing too formal. I also have an interview for a worker term. Which starts next Monday. So last minute.

The last two weeks have been kinda stressful. Starting a new job, worrying about work terms, and finishing the last few projects.

One of my last projects was to design a vinyl sleeve for the Recording Arts program. Each year they create a mix cd. This year they decided to go with a vinyl. Which is really cool. I really liked working on this project. And it showed in my design. It made the short list. Keith's design finally won. Be he so deserved it. His was amazing. Here is mine:

Long Day

Today I had my first training shift at Starbucks. Wow, it consisted a lot of sitting, reading, drinking coffee, and computer interactive quizzes. For eight hours.

I really want to get to making things. I am a learning from doing kind of person. So all this reading kinda sucks.

So I came home, watched Ugly Betty, I think it was the last episode this season. I think. Then a slept for 30 minutes, which was much needed. Then i started my emulation project. We had to make a poster for Maritime Conservatory, but in the style of a graphic designer we studied in class. I chose to do mine of Herb Lubalin. Some of his work is :

This is what I did:

I think it kinda looks like Lubalin. He was a type designer, and I didn't want to buy his type for $43. I just don't have the money right now. So I chose the font that looked the closest.

It has been a long day. I am ready for sleep.

Two days

I just spent the last two days inside (mostly) painting and re reading the 3rd and 4th Twilight books... bit embarrassed by that. But they are just so addictive. Its hard to stop. Really...

The paintings are for a project for school, here are just three of the five I did. Its a mix of water colour, acrylic and paper. I am not 100% sure about all of them, these three I like the best.

Today is my two best friend's birthdays. Both born April 12 1990. Both no longer teens, now being 20 and all. Alexa re-worded one of her songs to be about their birthday being on the same day. It is amazing. Funny in some parts, sentimental in others. Very beautiful

Three

Well, I was quite disappointed when I got my roll of film back today. THREEEE pictures. Those are the only ones that came out. I must have put the film in worng.. or something. Two are of Mallory:

I like the first one, but the second one has weird colour and is less in focus. They are taken in a 50's diner in Montreal last August. Yes it took me this long to get them developed. Then there was this:

It looks to me like the rest of my pictures got layered on top of each other. The film must not have moved...uggghhh. You can kinda see two bikes, Mallory again, some trees and a building. I really cannot remember what the pictures were of. Well I have a black and white role of film in my camera now. I really hope they come out better.

Easter

SOOOO full. Just had my Easter lunch. So far my Monday hasn't been too interesting. We celebrated Easter today because my sister had to work yesterday. So this morning I woke up and had the egg hunt. It was the last year it is going to happen. I guess Julia and I are a bit old (19 and 18) to be searching for eggs. But it turns into a completion. Usually I and the victor. this year I found one more egg then her. Only because my dad snuck one before we could get to it.

So then my Nana came over and we had a nice late lunch, and yummy fresh berry napoleon for desert. Yumm

Cina

So today I had planed on doing some homework. A lot of homework in fact. FAIL. One big fail. I keep trying to get ideas for this golf logo I have to do. CANNOT think of one thing for it. So uninspired right now.

However when I was on my favorite blog, Kitsune Noir, I came across a painting by Michael Cina. It is quite beautiful. I looked on further and went on Cina's website and found tones more of his original artworks. It really made me think about how I could do something similar for another school project, but add some illustrations to it. I may fool around with the idea over the next two days.

The picture I fell in love with. (Now also my desktop background)

Check Michael Cina out!

Friday

So I did have to make a few changes to my layout. The type was too blocking and looks too gray. I also needed a pull quote to add visual interest.

I still may try to add some colour somewhere. But exactly sure how to yet. Im working on it. I definitely think it looks a lot better then the first draft.

Last night Melissa and I hosted a Shit Swap. A few girls got together and traded clothes. Ones that we didn't wear anymore, but maybe someone else would like. I think it went over rather well. i got a few things, and it feels good to have gotten rid of a lot of old clothes. We made a cake, with neon pick icing it was ok. Not completely cooked, but we managed to have a few laughs about it. Overall a great time. I would do it again.

so much to do, only a month left to do it

Wow my teachers are really starting to pile on the homework. Plus all that I have to worry about my worker term at the end of the month, which i still don't have. I also am redesigning the Row Nova Scotia logo. I need three ideas/roughs in three weeks. I am starting a new job in two weeks. The list goes on...

Last night I worked on my layout assignment. It was hard to start, but once I found some inspiration, and got going it was fine.

My inspiration came from another layout with this grid format, I just changed a few things around. This is still a rough, so next time you see it, it may look different.

Good

Well today was a great day. Started off with a good morning at school, some presentation, new project. Thennnn I got a new job! Two actually. One at Starbucks, and the second is designing a logo for the Nova Scotia Rowing Association. Good day, great day!

In class today my friend did a presentation about Paula Scher. Paula is awesome. What impressed me the most are these:

If you look closely, there a tones of words. Paula has made a bunch of these maps. They are quite beautiful. She is definitely worth checking into.

Perfect Day

So today was my first day back to school from my break. I didn't g to first class, I slept in instead. OOPS. Design class was good though. My teacher (Rob) got us to write about our "perfect day". It will later have to do with some project he is giving us next week.

My Perfect Day:

It is a sunny Summer day, about 24 degree C. I am somewhere in the valley on a dirt road. Forest to my left, large field to my right. The tree form a canopy across the road. There is a short fence separating the field from the road. You can tell from the peeling paint, that the fence was once painted white.

I am riding an old cruiser style bike. It is mint green and white. I am wearing a white sun dress. AND NO HELMET. That is very important. It would ruin the look. My bike has a basket. Inside are wild flowers, with no bugs on them.

I am with a friend. She too is riding a bike of the same style. Hers in peach in colour. Inside her basket is an orange kitten.

We are biking to meet up with a few friends for a picnic. White wine, cheese, triangle sandwiches, grape, cupcakes and all those yummy food things. the picnic goes into the night. We all sit under an old tree, much like the one you see on your way to Truro. You know that awesome tree in the middle of the field. This one is that tree, except I am nowhere near Truro.

Under the tree we sip on wine and remanence about when we were young and the times spent together. We can see every star because we are far from the lights of the city. None of us want to leave, so we don't.

So yeah that is what I wrote. I am looking forward to see what this mystery project is.

worst

This week was boring as hell. Who knew a school break could suck soo much.

is it ever nice outside

This week has been great weather wise. Today, I think it is 12 degrees! I took a long bike ride in the park. It was awesome, besides how tired I was after.

And because it is so nice out, I took my hedgehog Oliver outside in the front yard!

I could tell he wanted to go back inside after only a few minutes. There was a loud truck across the street and I don't think he liked that because he just stayed in his house. As it gets warmer and warmer I will have him outside more often.

work...

So it is the first day of my break. And I have to work 11:30 till 8. With half of it being by myself in the Juice Bar. UHHHHHHHHGGG! I haven't works a shift longer then 6 hours in three months. I feel a long day coming.

It is sooo nice outside too! I could be spending my day lazing around, taking a bike ride, enjoying my break. But no, I have to work.

...

Tonight I watched "The Cove". It is about the dolphin slaughter that happens in Japan each year. I can easily say it was one of the saddest documentaries I have ever seen. If you have never seen it, I suggest you should!

http://www.takepart.com/thecove

menu project

So we had project to design a menu for a restaurant/ cafe. My teacher gave us three choices, a 50's themed family restaurant, a mexican restaurant, or an organic cafe. I chose to do one for an organic cafe.

first ride of the year

Wow, I am sooo out of shape. I just biked up to Cascade to rent a movie and I can hardly breathe. Baby steps, baby steps. That is what I will have to do.

mother mother

Its a new week, and a busy week at that. I have about three projects due this week. And a portfolio to finish. Ill post my work once I am done it!

For the past week I have really been into Mother Mother.

Here is a video for you to see and listen. Enjoy

royal crescent

I really want to go here.

It is the Royal Crescent in Bath England. I first saw it when watching Persuasion, another Jane Austen book made into a movie. I have no clue why all of a sudden i want to go there, it just kinda happened one day. It just looks so lovely. I really liked Bath when I was there three years ago, and have always wanted to travel back.

I have no clue how to do my homework. None what so ever.

procrastination

This has been me all week.

lovely

I was looking at Kitsune Noir and he had poster this video. I think it is lovely.

It is actually a video for Vanessa Bruno's spring/summer 2010 collection. She is a french fashion designer.

pretty things

So last night Carmen and I had a craft night. She wanted to make origami cranes, and I fabric flowers. We both plan to hang them from the ceilings on our rooms. We went to the fabric and craft store got our supplies. Stopped at the Bulk Barn and grabbed some candy and headed back to Carmen's.

So I found instructions on a wedding blog I look at from time to time. And I thought, of these are pretty I'll try making them. Well two hours later I had only finished one flower.

I do think they are very pretty, but I don't know if I will ever get the time to make as many as I thought I could. At two hours per flower, I'll be making them for weeks.

SHORTS

Hello, it has been a week since my last post. opps. So this week has pretty much been a spring break for me. At NSCC we don't get our break till March, but because my two teachers went away, I don't have class till Friday. It has been great, I get to hang out with all my friends who are on their breaks. We went to a movie, went shopping, drank a lot of tea, had breakfast at Coara's. Today I bought shorts. I know it is a bit early for shorts, but they were just soo good. I couldn't resists. However i felt bad because I had to get the guys of H&M to take the shorts of one of the mannequins, due to their lack of my size. It took them a long time. Apparently clothes are really hard to get off and on mannequins there. Anyways I am happy about my purchase, I also got two pairs of tights, all my other ones have holes!

changes

So I changed the look of my blog a bit. I am trying to make it look like my business card (below).

And who doesn't like change once in a while?

p.s. I also changed my twitter settings to look like this as well. Which I hardly tweet anything... http://twitter.com/kmillss

lift

So last week, in one of the classes I did not attend....oops we were given an assignment in which we were to design the master title for a magazine. Now it wasn't a fashion mag, which I would have loved to do, but an aviation mag. I only found out about it this week. So in a few hours here and there today looking at other aviation magazines, some fashion and some car. I had an idea to use an arrow, to represent motion. You know, one pointing up, since the magazine title is "Lift Magazine: An Aviation Institute Publication". Get it life, up...yeah. Anyways here is what I came up with.

Of course colour would be added when it was put on the actual cover. But since I did not have an image to work with, there is no colour...boo.

Mad Men Me

Yesterday during the very long presentation that I mentioned, I was reminded of the website in which you can Mad Men yourself. So since I love that show, I decided to do once myself.

If you have never heard of the show Mad Men, I highly suggest you go start watching it from the first season. It is a great show set in the 60's focused around the happenings of an ad agency. The characters are great, the costumes are just up my ally.

sleepy

I woke up this morning terribly sleepy. I have no clue why, I got 8 hours of sleep. It was like my eye lips were made of cement and I could not stop yawning. To make matters worse, we had a really long presentation in first class. I am not saying it was boring, but it seemed to go on forever....

The day picked up after my medium sized tea kicked in, and once I got some food in my belly. But that still didn't prevent me from taking an hour lang nap once I got home this afternoon. Much needed I think. Now I am all dressed and ready for Proceed and Be Bold. A documentary/meet and greet event I am going to at my school tonight!

I am so sure of my decision!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. I am not really that excited. I did have to make a Flash movie for my teacher, that was valentines day related. Here it is...

mansfield park

Why is it so much I love Jane Austen? I guess because her stories are what I hope for in a romantic ending. How I wish I could have a happy ending like the women in her stories aha.

Today I watched Mansfield Park. My third favorite of Jane Austen's books. though I have only actually read one book of hers, that being Northanger Abby, I have seen all the movies. Last year I based my like of each story according to how pretty the actress for the leading character was. Very wrong of me, but I did.

In order of which I like:

Pride and Prejudice

Northanger Abby

Mansfield Park

Emma

Persuasion

Sense and Sensibility

class

I really need to start going to more classes. Its usually only my early morning one, like today. Pre Press, see it doesn't even sound good. Most of the time I can manage around not going, and still complete my homework, I just need some help. And it may not always be exactly what he is looking for.

Next week, I will change and go to class.

life is hard sometimes.

swiss

For the last week I have been working on and off on this project:

We had to make a book cover in the style of swiss design. Which is very simplistic, lots of shapes, and Helvetica type. Grids are often used to line things up. I took inspiration from a poster I found online. I am pretty happy with the way this turned out, but I am ready to stick it in my back pocket and be done with it.

FUCK...

emy.

So Carmen is having her play shown at Kings this Friday. I designed a poster for her. Take a look!

I am excited to see it on Friday. I also painted canvases for her. One of the Characters is a painter. So I spent a day last weekend lending my painting skillss.

feeling yellow?

So in about a minute my day picked up, when I read Mallory's post, and I remembered Skins season 4 starts tonight!!!!!! I cannot watch t tonight, cause it airs in the UK, but I'll be on it tomorrow for sure!

If you have never watched Skins before, watch it.

feeling blue

Bad day...

bad, bad

So last night Mallory came over. Our plan was to design some posters for a fundraiser she is part of for Haiti. Well our dreams of greatly designed posters were crushed when we saw the lame ass logo we had to feature in our design. So we backed out. Believe me, it was bad. Looks asian, with weird shooshes and bars. ICK

clients from hell

Client: “The logo looks great, but can we change the address font to Arabic? I need it for my Middle Eastern viewers.”

Me: “Actually, Arabic is a name of that font you sent me, it doesn’t actually change the words into another language. I can purchase a actual Arabic font, and figure out how to turn it into Arabic….”

Client: “So New Times Roman doesn’t change the words into Italian?”

Me: “No, Times New Roman is just a standard…”

Client: “Are you sure? Let me call you back after I check Word 2009. I have the newest version, so maybe it only does it in the newer version. I’ll give you a call back later today. Thanks.”

This site is hilarious.

Alice again..

So I have finsihed my Alice in Wonderland poster. This is what I am passing in tomorrow:

On another note, yesterday the art director( Crystal Oicle) from Trampoline came to show us her portfolio. She was great, her designs were awesome! Crystal was a graduate from NSCC. Trampoline sounds like a great place to do a work term at. Unfortunately now everyone in my class want to go there. We will see I guess.

Here is her website. Check it out!

ode to shannon

Julia and I were looking at old photo albums. There were so many of Shannon. She was and still is my BFF! <3