Health, Wealth & Happiness

For about 12 years now J and I have given a bottle of wine and a 14-bean soup mix as a holiday gift to family and friends. Supposedly eating beans and grapes (the wine) on New Year's Day will bring health, wealth and happiness in the year ahead...and we can't think of a better wish.

After a few years of doing this, we began to wonder if the recipients actually made and ate the soup; did they even like bean soup? I imagined some folks with years of beans stacked up in the cupboard.

One year we decided to change it up a bit, and instead gave an Italian-themed gift, with wine, pasta and spaghetti sauce. To our surprise, it didn't go over well. Turns out they missed the tradition. They liked it. They actually liked it. So, now, it's a given...and it makes me happy to see the gifts lined up, ready to go.

Every year I design a new recipe card to tuck in with the soup mix. Just for fun, here's a look at some of those cards.

Christmas 2000 - a simple start

2001

Christmas 2004

 

Hope your holiday prep is going well. Looking to make 2012 a great year? Here's the recipe:

The Things I'll Keep: Goodbye Braxton

So sad that Braxton Seafood Grill in Oakbrook is closing today.

So many good times there. Graham and Claudia introduced us to Braxton at least 10 years ago, and it's been our favored place to meet them for birthdays, special celebrations and impromptu Friday night dinners ever since. It's been an integral part of our friendship, the backdrop for so many of our shared memories. It's our place. 

It's also been the default meeting place for the book club Claudia and I started many books ago. At first we met at different restaurants every month — Maggianos, Pappadeaux, Egg Harbor, Cheesecake Factory — until one day we met at Braxton. Not too noisy, good food, good location, classic decor, solid. It just felt right and we knew we'd found a home. Our group met there so many times after that we teased about putting a name plate on one of the Godfather-like, curtained alcoves where we were often seated. "Braxton Book Club, est. 2002."

When Claudia heard rumors a month or so ago that it was closing, we met her and Graham for one last dinner at Braxton. Good time as always, if not a little sweeter because we knew this was it. We asked our waiter to wrap up a couple of coffee mugs as mementos.

Thinking about it all now on the day they close, drinking coffee from that mug. Smiling, tearing up.

I'd really never noticed before, but this is a classy, cool mug! It's super strong, solid and spirited; feels different. I want to keep it and the memories it holds forever.

They say they will reopen in a new, yet-to-be-discovered location.... We'll see. I hope so. In any case, wishing all the best to the owners and staff at Braxton in Oakbrook. You created something wonderful and extraordinary. Thank you.

It Came From the Basement: Knowing What Counts

My mother believed in saving every penny she got. Literally. She spent money, of course. Other coins and bills, sure. But never a penny. If she caught me spending one she would reprimand me, "Don't you ever spend a penny! That's a sacrilege!" To this day I can hear her when I've got a penny in my hand and I'm deciding whether to hand it to a clerk or hold on to it.

She saved her pennies in two-pound coffee cans. It was always a bit of a joke, a cute little quirk. No one cares about pennies. But when money was tight and one of us kids needed something, Mom and the pennies came through. She paid for my wedding dress with pennies.

Cleaning the basement I came across the last of the coffee cans she left with me when she moved to Florida. Too heavy to move, she said. She instructed me that after she died I was to give each grandchild a coffee can of pennies so they, too, would know, "Pennies count."

I remember putting them in the basement. Surprisingly heavy, awkward, we carried them downstairs, one can at a time. Hauling them upstairs now that we're cleaning the basement, I had forgotten how heavy they were. The scale says 18 pounds but I don't believe it.

My mom died 12 years ago and most of the grandkids received their "inheritance" (about $36 per can give or take a few cents) shortly after that. For whatever reason I never finished giving out the pennies but the time has come.

Some things from the basement are harder to let go of than others. I struggle with the thought of the pennies just out there, their power dissipated. I want the grandchildren and great-grandchildren she never met to know what Mom knew about patience and persistence; about knowing what counts.

And she thought no one cared about pennies.

Cleaning the Basement

For several years now J and I have talked about it, but could not carve out the time and commitment to tackle our basement. You know how it goes. We've rehabbed, redecorated, redone every room in this old house, but not the basement. This spring we decided, it's time.

I don't need to go into detail about what's been evolving done there for the past 23 years. Just stuff. The stuff of raising kids, making a home, hobbies, interests, dreams x 4. Empty nesting, holding on, losing parents, letting go.

It's not easy, cleaning the basement. It's dark and dirty, musty and murky. So heavy with  things "done and left undone." It wipes me out and it is taking everything I have to stay on this. But I want to be free of all this stuff. It's gotten too heavy. So on this long holiday weekend there will be no rest in the Ryan home. We're cleaning the basement.

As bad as it is, this experience has inspired me with new ideas for Juice Break.

Coming soon...

"It Came From The Basement" and "The Things I'll Keep"

Heading downstairs. If you don't hear from me in the next few days, send help.

Countdown to Torn

Six weeks from today Erica’s book will be released. As in… six weeks from today Torn, by Erica O’Rourke, will be in the bookstores, will ship from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, will appear like magic on Kindles, and after much anticipation you will finally get to read “The Book”. THE BOOK—the topic of much excitement, celebration, and curiosity among friends and family over the past year. Hang on, folks. Just six weeks to go.

What a year!  First the tearful celebration in March 2010 when Erica got the news at the start of our family vacation that she was a finalist for the RWA Golden Heart Award. Non-stop jumping, crying, toasting in San Diego that week. That was followed by a fairytale whirlwind:  initial interest—then serious interest—in the manuscript from a publisher. Then there was signing with the agent of her dreams; selling the book (and two more) to Kensington as their debut author for the new KTeen imprint…and oh yeah, going to Orlando in July and actually winning the Golden Heart for young adult fiction! Whew!

Of course, after the celebrations and fanfare and absolute incredible high at the start of the process, came the work. Who knew that once you write a book, the real work begins? Erica has held steady and true through the highs and lows of the entire year and J and I are so very proud of her perseverance, courage and grace.

But hey…we’re her parents! We knew she could do it. For us the countdown to Torn started about 35 years ago, when our baby daughter thrilled us with her first word. “Book” she said, stretching as hard and far as her little 8-month-old arms could reach. “BOOK!”

Hang on, Sweetie. In just six weeks you’ll hold it in your hands.

 

Congratulations, Erica. We couldn’t be prouder or happier.  

Commercial Break: Ads that tug at the heartstrings

Maybe it's this rainy morning. Or maybe it's because my three little granddaughters are coming to stay for the weekend. But this ad was on my mind all morning. And it still makes me tear up. 

Sniff, sniff, snurfle, snurfle. Sniff, sniff, snurfle, snurfle. 

What ads tug at your heartstrings? 

Lessons from the Laughing Cow

J and I have been doing The South Beach Diet. It's going well. It's a healthy diet with three meals and two snacks a day. We're eating things like smoked salmon frittata, cracked pepper steak, turkey roll-ups with cilantro mayo -- and we're losing weight. However this diet has me cooking constantly. It's a ton of work to keep up with all these tasty meals and snacks. Washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, cleaning up from chopping vegetables. Making sauces and spreads and marinades. Ugh.

In the course of doing all this cooking, I've come to know the Laughing Cow. She makes my life easier and I will be a loyal fan from this day forward. Plus she's taught me a valuable design lesson.

After making one of our first fancy breakfasts, I was preparing lunches and snacks for the day, one of which was celery sticks stuffed with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. The Laughting Cow packaging is novel; a light cardboard circular shell that holds eight wedges of foil-wrapped cream cheese. Cute. Different. But I'm not looking for cute when I've got serious food prep taking over my life. I want fast and easy. I approached the cow with dread, certain I would be fighting my way through this packaging. Wet hands, thin paper sealing the package = more mess.

Not so! There's a fine, red string encircling the package. Pull the string, it cuts through the paper seal, and the package opens right up. The top then fits back on and houses the remaining wedges.

Nice. Right back in the fridge without an additional plastic bag or container. Trust me, when you are doing as much food prep as I've been doing, this matters.

The next challenge was the wedge itself. I'm thinking okay, this is going to be a gooey mess. I could already see half the product sticking to the foil and me trying to eke out my full day's portion. When you're dieting you want every last morsel of your allotted rations!

But the smart people at Laughing Cow anticipated this and put this little tab on the wedge. Lift the tab straight up and foil peels back cleanly. No mess. No waste. The cheese stands alone!

Small things but as they say, the devil is in the details.

What design lessons did I take away from the Laughing Cow?

Customer experience is king. As I approach my design projects I want to remember to think about the customer interacting with this thing I'm making. Imagine them in the environment where they will have it in their hands--holding it, opening it,  navigating, reading, using it.

One of the projects currently on my screen is a promotional wrap for a seminar handout. I've been focused on what elements to include to showcase the speaker’s other offerings and reinforce his credibility. The Laughing Cow has made me pause and think beyond my marketing message. As I envision the seminar attendees holding the handout I wonder, what will make their interaction with this piece a better experience? Will the message get lost in a room with less than ideal lighting? Will they be seated at tables, or will this piece need to be sturdy enough to provide a writing surface? Don't know. But I'm glad the Laughing Cow folks thought beyond the grocery store shelf. And I will too.

I'm adding "Envision customer interacting with product after purchase. Describe." to my design brief template. Thank you Laughing Cow.

The Hunger Games Names

 

I just finished reading The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Ooooooo...I was hooked from the start and could not stop until I finished all three books.

Besides being totally engaged and at times horrified by the story, I was intrigued by the names of the characters. Over the course of three books, a lot of characters are introduced and the names just fit and flow so well. Almost Ikea-like.

Let's see, there's Katniss, the main character. She's smart and self-sufficient, courageous and so very clear on her priorities. I predict there will be lots of little girls named Katniss starting kindergarten in about 5 years.

Other character names that linger for me: Prim, Rue, Finnick, Gale, Cashmere, Haymitch, Peeta, Coin, Snow, Tigris, Cressida, Beetee, Delly, Cato, Clove, Boggs, Lyme, Cinna, Greasy Sae, Plutarch....

I find myself wanting to sort out the names, to discover a pattern in the author's lexicon. Many are organic: animal, vegetable, mineral. Some hard, cold, steely. Some light and clear. Some mysterious. Are there clues to who the good guys are? I imagine the names as fonts: some are round and clean. Some are sharp, pointy; definitely serifs.

I wonder if one day we'll use fonts named Cinna, Rue, and Finnick. I can already see them. What about one named Greasy Sae?

If your name were a font, what font would it be?

Commercial Break: Ads I stop and watch

This ad makes me smile. It's not very nice and it's not going to make me switch from my 6" turkey-on wheat-no cheese-all the veggies-no condiments...but it still cracks me up.

Power of the Pen

Maureen and I stopped at the W Hotel bar to have a drink before the February Chicago Women in Publishing program. Neither of us had been to the W before and we were a little curious. I liked the simplicity of the name and that was enough for me to give it a try. We agreed we'd leave if we didn't like it.

Well, we liked it. We sat in a quiet corner of the Living Room on cream colored leather couches that curve around, creating a nice ebb and flow to the space. A backdrop of light and motion create a bit of an other worldly ambiance. We had to touch the cocktail table to see if the surface was real or projected. We ordered wine and cheese and spent a lovely hour in our own little world.

All in all, an enjoyable experience, that did not end when the bill came.

As we signed our tabs, we both commented, "I really like this pen."  and "This is a really cool pen."

So what is it about the pen?

• It's square. It feels secure. It doesn't roll off the tray when the bill is delivered. It's a small thing, but makes the experience smoother, less distracting. Isn't that what design should do?

• It's a solid piece of some kind of matte rubber material. Smooth with an edge. Not shiny or slippery or cold. No clicking or twisting required.

• It has clean, uncomplicated lines. Simple brushed metal clip. Spare text, in silver, matches the clip.

With this pen, the smart people at the W continued the sensual experience of the W brand. Rather than being brought back to the reality of the bill in our hands, the pen served to charm us and cement the love. Never underestimate the power of the pen.

Smart Packaging

For a few years now my daughters have been singing the praises of Smartwool products. Smartwool sweaters. Smartwool socks. Smartwool hats and scarves. When daughter Kris gave me a Smartwool sweater for Christmas a couple of years ago I experienced the goodness firsthand. Warm, soft, carefree. I tell Kris that when I wear this sweater it’s like getting a hug from her.

Smartwool, a type of merino wool, is the creation of two New England ski instructors. They wanted to make socks that would keep their feet warm and dry on the slopes. Once other skiers tried the socks, they were hooked and the brand quickly took on cult status on and off the slopes. You can read about it here: https://www.smartwool.com/default.cfm#/About/History/

This year Kris gave me several pairs of Smartwool socks. They're wonderful of course, but what I really want to tell you about is the packaging. Each type of sock has a unique, interesting package. Yet all share a common spirit of comfort, fun, being active and alive, and respect for nature. The packaging just adds to the good feelings that radiate from the products. 

Here’s what I love about Smartwool packaging:

The Structure: Each recycled paper package is a study in origami. They fold and tuck and come together to secure and display the products with NO PINS, NO CLIPS, NO PLASTIC TETHERS. It's such a refreshing change from the typical sealed, stapled, oh-so-secure and wasteful packaging that's become the norm.

The Copy: In addition to fitting in all the required copy that goes with packaging, the Smartwool creative team found a way to actually communicate and sell, entertain and inform! The copy is  simple and smart, clever, a bit whimsical. A few examples:

• For the hiking socks: "Nothing better to soothe your soles."
• For the athletic socks: "For fitness walks, social walks and all other walks of life."
• For their everyday, ultra-comfy socks: "Stand up and make yourself comfortable."

The Integrity: Each package states "We always give you 110% effort, 100% smarts. And 0% bull." I think that's what I love the most! It's obvious Smartwool is clear on their values and is willing to make the investment of time, resources and thinking to create packaging that is true to the brand. They care! And I love that.

Nicely done, Smartwool creative department. You warm me from head to heart to toes! 

Justified

So excited. The second season of Justified starts tonight. Love everything about the show...even the font used in the titles. What is this font? I want it.

Juice break. No waiting.

When I was part of an in-house marketing department I wanted to schedule regular meetings for the team of writers and designers to get away from the work at hand and do something fun to spark new ideas and freshen our perspectives. I wanted to combat the notion that in-house creatives never get to do anything creative. Yes, we do, but you have to take time to refill the well, replenish the creative juice.

I envisioned calling the sessions "juice breaks," with juice and cookies and show and tell. A sharing of everyday observations. The work- and non-work related things we see and do and care about. Ads, books, shows, packaging; copy, colors, typography; the things that grab our attention and make us think, question, feel.

For one reason or another, juice breaks never got started. Too much "real" work to do. Never enough time to think about much beyond the next project. It was heads down and work. Someday we'll do something fun. Once we get through this project. Once we get past this deadline. So it goes.

Juice breaks, like so many ideas, stayed inside my head, always waiting for the right time, more time, or free time. Until now.

Welcome to Juice Break. Here I'll post some of the everyday things I see that pique my interest and set new ideas in motion, and I hope you'll join me. Stop by when you need a quick diversion or you're feeling stuck. No cookies but hopefully plenty of juicy ideas and creative sparks. No waiting.