Name my business.

Hello fellow readers. I need a business name.

I am a freelance web and graphic designer. I work mostly with small business and start-ups doing logos, branding, web design, blog help, ads etc. I also do SEO.

I have been using my name for the past 2 years but I want to register my LLC in the next week or so and completely re-do my branding and website.

The problem is, I cannot for the life of me think of a name. This has led me to procrastinate. A lot. I don't usually need help procrastinating.

I am offering a package of AWESOME SURPRISES to the creator of the name I pick.

Initially I was thinking of including the word "society" in the name and using "creative" instead of design.

Anyone? Any ideas? Help!

Email me ideas.

Also, I want that desk set up complete with side by side rolling eames management chairs.

One for the boy and one for me. That way when I work into the wee hours of the night he would be rolling alongside.

As of now I am looking at the back of his head and I am sure if there was feng shui for relationships that would not be it.

Cuddle Class

Yes Please!

Coming Home

I have often thought about the home I grew up in in New York.

My bedroom had blue flower wallpaper and forest green carpet.

There was a magnolia tree out front we climbed, a small blackberry bush that we picked from in the summer, and a huge rock nestled next to a short juniper bush.

There was a rock that I would pretend was a baby hidden in the Juniper bush. I would find it every spring and play with it outside until the snow fell. Then find it again in the spring.

I would be crushed to go back and see bare floors, white walls and a misplaced rock baby.

Coming Home shows mages of residences from people's childhoods.

It is an interesting photojournalistic story.

Dear Mr. Salinger,

"Let's just try to have a marvelous time this weekend. I mean not try to analyze everything to death for once, if possible. Especially me. I love you."

- J.D. Salinger , Franny and Zooey
____________

This book got me through 1996.

Thank You.

For everything.

xo

Jess

Ulla Johnson

I would like this outfit to define my 2010 warm weather wardrobe.

Ulla Johnson

Active Child

Bad band name. Enjoyable music.

It appeals to my desire for all things new wave. Really, I'm just a sucker for new wave. Have been since I was 3 and my dad gave me a depeche mode album. They might be my favorite band ever.

This caught my attention while writing CSS for a site last week.

Now I keep listening to the album.

Smith & Bybee

Went kayaking on Saturday at Smith & Bybee lakes.

It was sunny and warm.

The air was so still the lakes were like glass. The reflections were amazing. At some points it seemed as if we were floating and rowing through the clouds.

It is a protected wildlife area in so there are beaver dams and huge herons allover the place. There is a heron flying away in the last picture.

Thinking about going back this friday.

A Serious Man

Saw this last night.

Laughed out loud.

Lots.

It was so good.

The trailer had me hooked. Kudos Coen brothers. A job well done.

Shoesday-Tuesday

Boots on end of season sale are my weakness. I can't fathom spending $200-300 on a pair. Instead I try to convince myself that it is okay because they'll look cute with dresses in the summer.

Like these. In black. Will look really cute with a flirty, circle skirt and jean jacket in the summer.

See:



skirt vest tank bag necklace

7-miles of mist

The boy and I went on a 7-mile, misty walk to Sauvie Island's lighthouse.

It was pretty amazing. There were moments that you couldn't see the water around you. The fog matched the sky and there was a surrounding wall of white.

I want to go back. Right now.

Shoes-day Tuesday

My favorite purchase of 2009 was my lace-up rain boots.

Can't live without 'em.

I have been using them for all of our rainy/muddy portland hikes. Invaluable.

No Reservations.

What do a guy who only wants to travel and a girl who only wants to cook & eat watch to unwind?

No Reservations!

It is the perfect marriage of food and travel with splashes of culture and snarky comments.

The boy and I are on an island kick. We watched the Sardinia episode two nights ago.

Three things of note:
•Anthony Bourdain has the most amazing wife ever. Witty, tough and perfectly feminine. Major girl crush. I would like all of her dresses please.

•Bottarga. Where on earth can I get my hands on this stuff in Portland? Is it really going to cost $80. I want that pasta for dinner tonight. And an olive grove to make fresh olive oil to pour on top.

• Sardinian National Flag.

Ode to my friends...

New Years Eve this year is in my top 3.

It is usually disappointing so I made a commitment to enter it without expectations. (no expectations, no disillusionment, no disappointment...)

As I was driving home last night The Promise by When In Rome came on via iPod shuffle. Immediately I was back there dancing with some of the best friends a lady can have. I think Aaron just brought out his dance-party-wig-collection and everyone was dancing and singing at the top of their lungs.

All the couples were cute and couple-y. (In our group, a rarity.) There was champagne, happiness and excitement. I'm sure we all looked like lunatics.

Happy lunatics.

I will revel in this moment each time I hear this song:



image via: leah verwey

Shoesday-Tuesday

I have a hard time with sneakers because my foot is so dang narrow. I am envious of those that can wear converse all-stars.

Maybe this light version is what I needed.

Spring can't come soon enough.

Steal That Look

This cover was two years ago but I still can't stop thinking about Kelly Wearstler's outfit from the cover of domino circa October 'o8.

I have a hard time letting go of things. Grudges, clothing crushes etc.

I feel like a two year lag is enough for clothing companies to start reproducing trends for us budget minded individuals. Does that mean it is mainstream? I don't suppose that I am going to see a cluster of ladies walking around the pearl in gold brogues anytime soon. I could be wrong though.

Here is a budget version a little more atune to my style perspective:



Sweater Anthropologie
Jeans Urban
Necklace Made Her Think*
Shoes F21

*not budget.

Keller

Not sure if I'm quite ready for spring/summer '10 collections.

It is January!

Love the styling from Keller's new collection though. The ethereal shots remind me of the cloudy skies currently hovering over this dreary city.

Olive Oil Poaching

I bought an entire Tuna from a Newport fish monger in November. We filleted it and have been enjoying all 13 lbs of it.

In interest of experimenting I decided to try an olive oil poach.

This recipe with lima beans and escarole was perfect for a lovely dinner with friends.

It is a poach over medium-low heat so the fish is cooked slowly and not deep fried. The result is tender, flavorful and amazing. The lemon in the poaching oil infuses the fish with the perfect amount of flavor.

I am trying this next. I might have to wait until my fresh mint is ready in the spring.

Image via: Andrew Scrivani for NYT

Blame Booze & Melville

I have a confession.

Right before leaving for Mexico I decided I needed a new series for background as I worked. After hearing so much about Gilmore Girls I embarked on a catastrophic journey. After three episodes I was hooked.

The witty banter!
The pop culture references!
The honest depiction of high school girls!

There are 7 seasons. 22 episodes each. I (ashamedly) made it through all by yesterday morning.

Then the sorrow set in.
I am going through a major withdrawals. I want Rory, Luke, Lorelei, even Paris. I miss them.

Last night I fell asleep listening to writer Amy Sherman-Palladino's Fresh Air interview circa 2005 in a last-ditch effort to cling onto all things Gilmore.

To bid ado I leave you with this mash-up of Gilmorisms and am not* re-watching them from the beginning as I work today.



(*opposites day)

Best Coast

Limited time b-side download from Best Coast via: nikewomen.com

Oh Nike and your marketing strategies. How did you know I'm a sucker for best coast?

I'll take it!

Shoes-day Tuesday.

Over the holidays Jess told me that she "imagines I just look at shoes online all day long."

This is 1.) made the boyfriend laugh because 2.) it is completely accurate.

I take breaks to eat and work though.

So without further ado, a new series. We'll see how long this lasts. It basically will give me an excuse to post about shoes as much as I want to without feeling completely shallow.

Now, I have to look at more shoes but i'll leave you with these dainty-ish, western boots to wear with black tights and a shirtwaist dress.



1. Basic



2. Detailed



3. Suede

Welcome to 26!

Happy Birthday pretty lady!

It is going to be a great year.

Bar for the Boyfriend

Inspired by a few late nights at Beaker & Flask I got the boyfriend bar fixings for Christmas.

The drinks they make are so calculated. The ingredients list including traditional tinctures like Cynar, Nocino and Becherovka.

It has been really fun researching old time-y cocktails and making gin martini's after a long day at work.

Next up: Homemade bitters.

I struggled with where to set up since I am opposed to most of the bar furniture that is readily available. I settled on an abandoned bookshelf in the basement for the time being.

After seeing this in the I think I am now on the hunt for an antique carpenters bench or something of the like.