Easy and yum.

Have you tried these? Larabar... they are delicious and all natural. The one pictured above, "Cherry Pie," has 3 ingredients: dates, almonds, unsweetened cherries. I first tried these little beauties at the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville (which I FINISHED! Yay me!) last year - they handed out mini-bars. They are a GREAT energy booster without the crapola found in other Powerbar-type things (preservatives, artificial sweeteners & other "non-food" junk). They do have kind of a lot of calories -200 or so and some unsaturated fat (from the nuts), but I tell you, they are great about an hour before a hard workout or run, because really, you want a 200 or so calorie snack at that time anyway. We take them on hikes too... convenient.

Other fave flavors: Apple Pie, Lemon, Key Lime, Chocolate Coconut Chew

Try, you'll like. They are not available at every grocery store, I've found, so you may have to check a few.
Website: www.larabar.com

More on my whole-food diet a la Jillian Michaels in a later post.

Happy Tuesday.

I don't feel quite as bad now...

Taylor Lautner is 18 today. So, now it's not like creepy or illegal for me to think he's super cute (and I mean he's hot! not... I want to pinch his cheeks).

Or... is it still creepy? Ugh. I hate getting old.

It's "Make the Logo Bigger" Day. Can you make the logo bigger? Nope, BIGGER. It's not big enough. I'd like to see it bigger, please. DO IT!

Oh, how I love "Make the Logo Bigger" Days.

... or not.

Um, I CAN make it bigger (as in, I am able), but it will take over the ENTIRE thing. Oh, that's what you want? Well OK then. Awesome.

Design Ethics: Inspiration vs Plagiarism

I'm been wrestling with this question a lot lately: when does inspiration become stealing?

Here is my creative process in a nutshell:
1. Outline the parameters of the project
2. Research
3. Design concepts
4. Client feedback
5. Revisions (repeat as needed)
6. Finalize

Somewhere between #2 and #3, there is a line. On one side is "originality" and on the other is "been done." I've heard many times that design is really the art of taking ideas, using them and passing them off as your own. Are there really any new ideas? New to the context in question or the combination in which they are used, definitely. But really NEW?

As a designer, I am constantly aware of my visual environment. Part of that includes what is happening right now in the brains of other designers and what is getting published - i.e. trends. And what is a design trend but using the same idea and executing it differently or to convey a different message?

I try to be as original as possible, pulling things from my brain which has collected so much visual information that what comes out is an expression of many, many combined ideas. Even if it is inspired by things that are specific, what I create is new... I hope. Or as new as possible.

There are certainly lines I have been asked to cross and will not, such as slapping a logo on something without permission, using copyrighted images without paying for them or without permission, searching Google Images for a design I like and blatantly copying it.

But I feel as though the line is fuzzy... and for some designers I know, non-existent.

Thoughts?

For more "inspiration" on this topic, check out this blog.

Only in the south.

Holy wow. That's all I have to say.

http://www.timvote.com/index.php/2010/02/machine-gun-social/

Thanks, Steve.

First real post... Something far from controversial.

Seriously, how cute is my dog?

I'm sure you all probably know - Tucker he is my four-legged child. He weighs as much as a small human (92ish lbs), so he's easy to cuddle. Love him.

Here he is on his snuggie. Yes, I said HIS snuggie.
He also owns the bed and lets us use it at night. Nice of him, eh?

Crazy dog! Running in the aftermath of the snowstorm we got last week.

He loves me too. CUTE. Can't argue with that.

Blog... the launch.

Hi friends. Welcome to Ten Pennies.

I've decided I have stuff to say... more than comments or status updates. And, I want to be a real part of the blogger community that I've been following for the last couple of years.

I expect to cover a multitude of topics along the way, and as I am quite opinionated, I'll give you 10 cents, not 2. That's how I roll.

Thanks for reading. Hope to see you back soon!