THE WEEK

Hello from a very snowy Portland! It’s slippery out there!

I’m so glad to be back home after a whirlwind trip to New York last week. Here’s what’s happening…

1. Hiya Tootsie! Feature: My friend and client Heather just interviewed me for her blog and she did such a good job with the post. Click through and show her some love! I admire Heather so much — she inspires women to chase their dreams and her personal story about how she transitioned from a missionary to full-time writer is so inspiring.

2. Gala Darling Website: I first met Gala 15 years ago on Live Journal, when she lived in new Zealand and we finally met in-person during a visit to New York in 2008. I started designing her websites, courses and product logos shortly after that and her evolution has been nothing short of amazing. To celebrate her 10 year blogging anniversary (!!!), we pushed her brand new site live yesterday — it’s so her!

3. Year-end Reflection: As December winds down, I always like to wrap up as many loose ends as possible. There are a lot of open projects over at Branch I need to finish, processes I need to rewrite, photos I need to take and design packages I need to rework. The last week before the new year is always quiet on the work front and even though I have a lot to get done, I also want to give myself plenty of time to just be and not stress about what’s next (see my previous post).

4. Time At Home: With all the bad weather we’ve been having, I’ve been going out a lot less which means more time around the house with Joey, Rocky and of course, Chubs, the real king of our household! He’s gotten so big (did you know he’s already 2 1/2 years old?!) and definitely ready for the cold Winter months! FYI: He rolls over like a dog and likes his big white belly scratched. Now you know!

5. Decor Obsessing: I always view the new year as a fresh start and as an opportunity to fix everything that hasn’t been working. Updating my surroundings always gets me into the zone. I like to rearrange my spaces, clean out closets and add a few fresh touches, especially those that help with organization. Things I’m really into right now: Le sac en paper (great for gathering up random rolls of wrapping paper and odds and ends) and CB2 (they’ve been killing it on the furniture and home accessories fronts lately).

6. Red Oaks: I don’t normally watch a lot of TV but with my recent Amazon Prime membership, I decided to dig into some of the original series they produced and am really into Red Oaks which is set in the mid-80s and follows a college student who gets a job at a country club in New Jersey. It’s what I imagine being a teenager during that time was like — and all the 80s decor I remember is spot-on. The ratings are ridiculously high for a reason — check it out and let me know what you think!

Stay warm, friends. xo

THE LINKS

• Promise shows us how to wrap gifts like a designer!

• It’s so hard to say goodbye to such an awesome First Lady. Four thank you notes to Michelle Obama.

• Instead of another gift guide, here’s a cause guide. Give the people you love gifts that actually make a difference at the same time.

• 5 steps to upselling your graphic design business — charge what you’re worth!

• This year, the leading U.S. fashion magazines had much more diversity on their covers. It’s about time!

• This is such a cool project! Do you have an undeveloped roll of film floating around? Now you can send it in to be developed for free thanks to Lost Rolls America!

• What do you think about traveling alone? I don’t really enjoy it…and it sounds like I’m not alone in the feeling.

• If there’s someone on your Christmas list that’s impossible to shop for, here are some ideas.

• Use these tips to get more responses to your emails.

• Why are people in Denmark the happiest in the world?

• The Great American Word Mapper tracks the popularity of commonly used words across geographic areas in the US. Do you say dinner or supper? Soda or pop? A lot of your choices come down to where you’re located.

• National Geographic rounds up the best photos of 2016.