Spring prints

I designed some new prints for our office in hopes that spring may actually show up someday!

Fargo Flood

It's hard to think of anything else other than the residents of Fargo-Moorhead right now. They are now predicting an even higher crest. Friends, coworkers and relatives are frightened. Please keep praying!!

Keep up with the latest.

More on the mess

image Carolyn Kaster/AP

One of Doug Stensguard's dogs, Annie, looks out over what used to be a 5-acre yard and an out building that is now flooded by the rising Red River, March 24, in Fargo, N.D. Stensguard built an earthen and sandbag dike around his home in the hope of holding back the rising floodwater from the Red River.

Story on MSNBC.
image snagged from here.

Rain, snow, blizzards, hail, flooding and more flooding

Residents of North Dakota are dealing with it all this week and it seems to be getting worse. There has been a lot of attention on the Fargo area flooding, but people from all across the state are dealing with terrible conditions.

I feel so helpless. I want to go and help my coworkers, friends and relatives in Bismarck and Fargo, but meanwhile, we are stuck in a blizzard in Minot! Please pray for our neighbors and if you can help with the flooding efforts, please do!

View some photos of the Bismarck area flooding HERE.

They danced...

Congrats NDSU for making it to the Big Dance. They gave Kansas a run for their money but fell short. North Dakota State 74, Kansas 84.

Great Job, Bison! (sorry, Salt)

Good News for Doodlers

image Jon Burgerman

According to a study by psychologist Jackie Andrade of the University of Plymouth in England, doodling may actually help our memory and concentration. This is great news for those of us that need all the help we can get! So, the next time you find yourself on a conference call and filling up your notebook with more scribbles than scripts, consider it a good thing.

Read more about it here.
image snagged from someone who's made a career out of doodling! Check out Jon Burgerman.

Vector Illustration and more

Just came across this great vector artist, Brooke Nuñez Fetissoff from Lifeinvector.com. This is not a photograph, this is strictly vector art done in Illustrator!! It just amazes me. Mesh-tool masters.... She also does some great design work, too. Seems like her talent crosses over the full spectrum of graphic design. Rock on girl!

image snagged from Ms. Fetissoff's site, Lifeinvector.com.

Berrylicious...it's hot hot

My ol' gal pal from the eighties, Little Miss Strawberry Shortcake, got a makeover. It seems as though the cute cuddly version that I loved so much back in the day just isn't connecting to the new generation of SSC fans. I guess even Miss Shortcake has to succumb to the long hair and skinny waste band. B to the E to the R to the...

What do you think of the redesign?

image TCFC

other articles here and here

http://current.com/items/89891774/supernews_twouble_with_twitters.htm

Some things green and cute

Ecotots Project Table at Uncommon Goods

Marimekko Tamara sheet set at Crate and Barrel

Bamboo Ring Shoulder bag at Ann Taylor LOFT

Rhumba pillow by Galbraith & Paul at Room&Board

Peapod Tray and Pea Bowls at Pier1
All That Jazz bath collection at Target

Happy St. Pats!

Featured Friend

Once again, I just have to share some work by another one of my talented friends! This was her first attempt on canvas. Way to go! (6ft by 4ft) I just love this piece. Bold, yet delicate and understated. Comtemporary elegance. Love it.

painting Copyright 2009 Nikkole Bentley

( to whom I will forever affectionately refer to simply as Whitey)

That's Fo Sho!

Remember when driving a Ford Taurus was about as cool as...well, nothing. It seems those days are long gone. Ford announced the new 2010 Ford Taurus SHO and it's a beauty. Having been a Chevy girl most of my life, I have a feeling Ford had to step it up to compete with the zippy little Malibu that Chevy redesigned a few years ago. By looks alone, this gal would love to drive this car. BEAUTY! By pricetag alone, um, no way. (starting at $37,995) Conservative families that still associate the name Taurus with the reliable family sedan, short on looks but good on price, may not go for it. But what do I know? I'm stuck with a mama van.

Read all about it and see more pics here.

Thanks to the Tofslie blog for inspiring this post.

Two Peas if you please

I'm doomed. I've just explored Two Peas in a Bucket. I've seen it before, but as soon as I see the word scrapbook I usually run and hide. It is the one thing I just can't get into. Which is so weird since I take a million photos and I love layout and design. But today I'm discovering a little more about Digital Scrapbooking and I think I'm in love. They have a lot of Digital Challenges that look very interesting. I must explore this more. Watch out Two Peas, I think you'll be seeing a lot more of my IP hanging around.

My favorite things; photography, photo manipulation and digital design....how can I NOT become a digital scrapbooker?

PS. My original intention was to explore this website because it is somewhat similar to a current project I'm working on. It also impressed me. Lots and lots of info and nice use of color and graphics throughout.

images snagged from Two Peas website...digital challenges and an example of one user's digidesign in the member gallery...totally looks like something I would do....

Buddy

Ok, so after my last post, I just had a request to see the scratchboard portrait that I did. This was a piece I did for my brother back in 1998. He had a black lab at the time, named Buddy. I had a great professor, Jack Kline, at BSC that helped me a lot with this first attempt at scratchboard! Did I mention it takes patience?!?!?

Featured Friend

I'm featuring some of the great work by a friend of mine. He is a very talented scratchboard artist and my favorites are the pieces he has done of labs. Having done just one scratchboard lab portrait in my lifetime, I have such an appreciate for the patience and detail that goes into each piece.

images snagged from www.gregoryericksonart.com

News from his site:

A few pieces of my artwork will be appearing in the Dean Johnson
Gallery in Indianapolis, Indiana. They will be there in conjunction with the
Scratching the Surface Show, March 6-26, 2009. Please stop by and see them,
along with the tremendous artwork from international artists.

I heart Target

Have I told you lately how much I love Target? Here are just a few things I noticed last night that inspired me. Love love.

Roots

In honor of the wonderful Potet Klub (potatoe dumplings...super yummy!!) dinner my grandma made me last night, I'm featuring some Norsk design today! Rosemaling is decorative Norwegian painting. Designs vary from floral to scrolling lines to script lettering. I have never tried my hand at Rosemaling. It is on my list of things I want to try sometime in my lifetime. If you've ever seen in done in person, it gives you a true appreciation of the art. (check it out sometime at the Norsk Hostfest in Minot...lots of talented artists!)

images snagged from Illinois Norsk Rosemalers' Association

The latest

The latest web design

Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce

http://www.bismarckmandan.com/

The latest

The latest web design

Bismarck State College: Military Education

http://www.bscmilitaryonline.com/