D.C. Shout Out to Shepherdstown

We love to see our favorite spots featured in the wide world. Yesterday, Daily Candy DC wrote a piece about autumn adventures in the countryside around DC and in this case our own Shepherdstown, West (By God) Virginia was highlighted. (not sure how that 'by god' part got started but it always seems appropriate somehow).

Daily Candy DC highlighted Mellow Moods -- our favorite place for delicious, healthy, homemade juices and snacks served up by a fun and friendly crew. They also make mention of our favorite new hot yoga class in the upstairs rooms of Mellow Moods lead by the bendy and beautiful Christa Mastrangelo Joyce on Wednesday nights. Shaharazade's Tea Room is also mentioned -- we can't get enough of those scones slathered in lemon curd and cream. Good thing we go to yoga.

—Molly & Jen

Lost in Translation . . .

Every business gets embedded in its own terminologies and anachronisms. Every generation adds new words to the lexicon and can sometimes be hard to translate to others. An image can speak for itself and by creating a folder of inspirational images or bookmarking websites that you like, your vision can be more easily translated to your designer.

It is fun to create a folder or scrap book of fonts, images, colors and words that inspire you. This will help spark the vision for your project and start the discussion with a designer -- whether it is for an event invitation, a business website, a logo, etc.

Here are some fun sites that feature "inspiration boards" for your viewing pleasure:

Inspiration Boards : http://inspirationboards.blogspot.com/

Flickr Group "Inspiration Boards": http://www.flickr.com/groups/inspirationboards/

Wedding Stylist Joy Thigpen's Galleries (click on galleries and then inspiration boards): http://www.joythigpen.com/index2.php

—Molly

Client Highlight

I almost forgot to post today! Whew! Luckily, I remembered thus sticking to my plan of maintaining a current blog of the goings-on of Eden Design HQ. On Tuesdays we will highlight a client or project and today we are highlighting MayeMusk.com. We just finished this website for Maye, a nutritionist and model in NYC. Check it out . . .

Back on Track

Well, it has been way too long since my last entry and I'm vowing to not let so much time go by in between posts. We've had a lot going on here at Eden Design HQ over the past couple of months . . . Jess began working for American Public University Systems creating graphics for their online classes—we miss her but she's doing well. I've been busy keeping everything flowing and forever trying to maintain the balance between work and home. To help out, Molly Bloom joined Eden Design in September and is in charge of office management as well as assisting with online media updates.

Molly had the great idea to have each day of the week be a different topic for our blog. So, today is our inspirational day . . . yesterday, we both took our families to the Solar Decathlon in DC. Do you know what kids LOVE to do? Standing in long lines in the sun where their point of view is a bunch of butts in front of them only to get into one of the solar houses where they are told they can't touch anything! Molly made it into zero houses although she was able to see all of them as she walked by. We made it into the Cornell University Silo House which was amazing. It was designed to mimic the agricultural landscape of Ithaca, NY and looks just like its name suggests: a silo. They also had some fabulously designed brochures and their website is quite good as well.

The second house we visited was BeauSoleil from the University of Louisiana. I loved the everything about their house: the use of indoor and outdoor space, the built-in storage areas, the murphy bed, the kitchen, etc. I didn't like their graphic design as well as Cornell, though. The best thing about this event is that it is something my husband and I can both enjoy which is sometimes a rarity. He is very much into the building arts, especially those focused on responsible building. And, I, of course, like checking out all the mod designs. Inspiration for both of us . . .

And, I almost forgot . . . on the way to the Decathlon, we got sidetracked and decided to check out the Red Bull Art of Can exhibit at Union Station. There were so many great entries but my favorite was Jade Gorman's ode to the movie 'A Christmas Story.' When I came around the corner and saw this one I couldn't stop smiling. Remember when the Mom accidentally breaks the lamp? Classic!