Having recently begun training in Tae Kwon Do (and loving it) there is an amazing amount of gear that needs to be purchased to be able to fully participate in class or practice at home. These hand targets were purchased at the class I study at, but I found similar brands/ targets at Amazon for about $20.00.  The purpose of the double target is pretty self explanatory- you hit it! With an e...

I'm not one for collectibles. I actually warn friends and family prior to any gift giving holiday that my home is a nick-knack free zone. Jack however was a welcome surprise and has become a truly honored guest.The Nightmare Before Christmas Collectible DVD box set comes tastefully wrapped in a big coffin shaped box! Most of that bulk is filled with the styrofoam that hold Jack in place, bu...

Jack's Camp is one of those amazing places that you never knew existed, but then day dream about forever. I had the amazingly fortunate experience to spend some time in Botswana, Africa recently and Jack's Camp was on of our stops.You can only get in by small private aircraft as the planes have only two options to land- a dirt strip about a half mile from the camp or the Makgadikgadi Sa...

Overnight Prints is my new favorite for printing, and I wanted to share the good find. As a designer, I have clients that want their printed materials asap, but they don't want to pay the bloated prices offered at the local print shop. These online printing services are popping up all over with streamlined ordering processes and super quick turnaround, the trick is finding a good one. ...

As a designer, Vista Print makes me absolutely nuts. I don't usually write negative reviews, but this has to be said as they are getting more and more mainstream. Friends don't let friends use Vista Print.First the positives: They offer relatively fast turn around and the cheapest prices I've found online for printing. They also offer a wide range of products and a variety of templa...

I have always had a "thing" for Oakleys.. they have a slick design sense on all their products that is a great combination of techno/punk and industrial no-nonsense. Even at a steep $150 for sunglasses, I am still a devoted Oakley consumer and this recent purchase further confirmed my belief in the brand.While I love the "A Wire" style, they just got a bit too masculine in t...

I am in the process of doing my wedding invitations and realized no matter how much time and energy I put into the papers, envelopes & fonts, the whole selection of USPS postage is just going to be a downer.  The USPS offers so few styles these days and those awful Liberty Bell design simply won't cut it.I went all through the post office's web site looking for a match up to my...

I'm very slowly planning my Halloween wedding.  I've got ideas for the cake, the flowers, I picked out a great site, and have a general idea on potential wardrobe items and accessories... what was missing? The music.I certainly don't want the usual chains, screams and howling that you typically find on a "Halloween Sounds" CD, nor do I want a bunch of silly tunes like...

Knowing I would be stuck on a plane for 8 hours I decided to pick some random tv shows from iTunes to keep me occupied. I selected about 6 shows from iTunes, and by far Dr. Who's "Rose" from season 1 was the winner! I remember Dr. Who from when I was really little, K-9, the police box, wild hair and trench coat, and I couldn't imagine how they could bring it back... watching &...

I spend a lot of time working with small business owners, strategizing their retail and marketing endeavors and working out the best way to get them out of the production shops and into the public's homes.  Some of the best ideas/designs/concepts never make it to the public because our retail channels are run by big business conglomerates that take such a cut off the top, the business ...

I promised myself I wouldn't be that dork that bought all the Star Wars novels. I actually consciously made that decision. That's why when I saw that my favorite graphic novel had been made into a NOVEL (-sans- GRAPHIC)  I was quite the sceptic... That is like providing the cookies but no milk..  it's just not right and I wanted no part of it. However, for $11 and being pa...