Alyssa Rimmer’s blog, Queen of Quinoa, is a healthy collection of recipes and culinary inspirations for the gluten-free, vegan and:or  localvore diner with an emphasis on creative and unexpected uses for quinoa. Alyssa wanted a logo that would speak to her personality and passion for food. Feminine, fun, health-conscious and refined, the logo’s character also mimics this sprouty, springy grain.

What happened when a young smitten boy proposed to a fantastic young gal? They married in Guerneville, California on December 3rd of this past month and had one of the coolest weddings I think I will ever see in my lifetime. Because of their shared affection, er obsession, with comics, their wedding consisted of a mashup of comic book inspired themes involving Poison Ivy themed flowers, comic cards for placecards, and a Fortress of Solitude cake to name a few. I was lucky enough to get to brand their wedding. See the result below! Last two photos courtesy of Choco Studio.

Also, check out the illustrated comic book style save-the-date announcing their engagement.

Each year Art Hop happens to Burlington. Artists, designers and crafters come together to exhibit their work and make the city a little more fun for a few days. One of my new favorite parts of the Art Hop is the home made miniature golf course made from recycled materials from ReBuild. This year I was invited to paint one of the life-sized cutouts for the seventh and most challenging hole: Jacque Coust-hole. I was inspired by the two aliens from the Simpsons, Kodos and Kang. Below is a pic of the mock-up of my giant squid before I started as well as my sinister friend fully realized and on location. Squidy was made from plywood, acrylic paint and yellow duct tape.

I recently designed a wedding invitation for a close friend who’s last name when combined with her fiance’s is CannonBall. Since they are getting married at the camp Sara went to as a kid, it made sense to create a logo to brand the wedding around a “Camp CannonBall” theme. The end result is an invite that is playful yet still very elegant.

The idea for the visual came from a wine called Cannonball Sara picked up in California. She sent me a link to the logo and said, “Can you make something like this?” It became the base for the design of their CannonBalling.

Check it out in all its glory:

The Farm to Plate Executive Summary debuted this past week to legislators, farmers, food producers, and other stakeholders at a Statehouse press conference and legislative briefing in Montpelier, Vermont.  I had the pleasure of designing the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan for the wonderful people at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Governor Peter Shumlin addressed the crowd, saying that the publishing of this 10-year strategic plan is an important step in making Vermont a leader in the advancement of sustainable agriculture. The 52-page executive summary analyzes Vermont?s food system and provides recommendations for boosting local food production and consumption.

Read more about the “elegant” report in Seven Days here and the Burlington Free Press here, or listen to an interview on VPR here. Download the F2P Executive Summary here. I am currently working on the full report, due to be finished in the next two months.

i spent this past Saturday making letterpress valentines with Kelly from May Day Studios. Her workshop was so incredibly fun and informative. We spent the day mixing and matching metal and wood type with vintage cuts. She even baked cookies, made tomato soup, and had a sandwich bar for our lunch! Couldn’t have asked for more on a snowy winter day.

Kelly has a bunch of neat retro designs and old-timey wood type. Her variety made it really hard to settle on one design to start. I used an ampersand as the starting place for my valentine. After composing the design, I had to fill the open space around it with metal spacers. Once the design was set, it was time to print. I used the Vandercook press which seemed to produce a cleaner, deeper print than the Pilot, a smaller proofing press. My cards came out so nicely! Some pictures of the process follow.

oh the romance.

The Chandler press

Printing on the Vandercook

Finished valentine printed in a rust red. Love!