Merriest Christmas wishes!

Wishing family and friends everywhere a very joyous Christmas celebration. May your stocking always be filled with little delights!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter and happy Spring!


With a glorious Easter day in beautiful suburban Maryland and Washington, DC, it was a day to relax and celebrate...starting with Easter bunny surprises at home. We awoke to find an adorable rabbit sitting on the back patio (I know they eat my flowers, but they're so cute).

Dying Easter eggs

Ready for Easter 

Easter breakfast table

Rockin' at the Royal Wedding

I saw this T-Mobile take on the upcoming Royal Wedding today and it just made me laugh out loud.  Hope the actual wedding is this much fun! And congrats to T-Mobile for producing relevant content that people want to watch.

And L’eggs calls this “contemporizing” their brand?

The familiar pantyhose brand L’eggs, once known for its plastic, egg-shaped containers, announced it’s launching a new television ad campaign this spring, its first television in more than 14 years. The company is targeting women 18-34 (has their research really indicated that women in this age bracket wear pantyhose?) with the new slogan: You’re in luck. You’re in L’eggs.

The product’s old tagline was: Nothing beats a great pair of L’eggs.

This will all be part of what the company is calling a “dynamic new campaign” with captivating animation highlighting a young woman imagining all the situations she will encounter as she goes about her day. The campaign will incorporate an updated website and social media. The new L’eggs campaign was created by agency Erwin-Penland in Greenville, SC.

You’re in luck. You’re in L’eggs. doesn’t seem to be a very bold or energetic statement for a long-standing grocery store brand that is seeking to update its image and bring in new, younger customers who, as the company believes, are “fashion-savvy “and “value the self-assurance that comes from a completely put-together look.”  It seems like L’eggs is playing catch-up and “me, too” with Spanx, the brand known for its body shaping apparel and pantyhose that has been successful in reaching women young and old in department stores over the past ten years.

So much for HanesBrands making a “bold statement about L’eggs by launching this new campaign.” Yikes, it feels like a return to yesteryear.

One Day Without Shoes | www.onedaywithoutshoes.com

You may remember that Toms Shoes sponsored One Day Without Shoes last year as a way to raise awareness that many children in developing countries around the world are unable to afford shoes. They grow up barefoot and are at risk of disease, infection and being unable to attend school.

• A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.
• Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.
• Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. 

Toms Shoes is again sponsoring this event and will also donate one pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair of Toms shoes purchased.



One Day Without Shoes | www.onedaywithoutshoes.com

Make a difference on April Food Day 2011

Happy April Food Day was established three years ago by Baltimore area bloggers Easy and Elegant Life and Pigtown Design to help raise awareness for the growing number of people in the U.S. who are unable to afford food for their families and depend on local food banks. 

Hard to believe that so many people in this country need emergency food assistance and the number has been increasing.

• In the Washington area, 600,000 people are at risk of going hungry; 200,000 of those are children.
• Calls to the Capital Area Food Bank's Hunger Lifeline increased 71% in 2009 over 2008. 
• Nationally, in 2009, 50.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 33 million adults and 17.2 million children.

Feeding America provides emergency food assistance to approximately 5.7 million people weekly by working through local food banks to provide food to people in need in their local communities. In Montgomery County and 10 other counties in the Washington metropolitan area, the Capital Area Food Bank provides food and services, including nutrition guidance, backpacks for kids, and food distribution through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and more, to more than 383,000 local residents. 

You can donate to Feeding America by clicking here. Or directly to the Capital Area Food Bank.

William + Kate = Love and Great English Design

With only a month to go until the big event, I thought it time to feature some of the fun, creative, whimsical, elegant, and kitschy things I’ve found in celebration of the upcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. I follow many design and creative blogs and on Twitter, so it’s been entertaining to see what new and interesting things are being launched and are making people around the world pull out their wallets to spend that hard-earned cash.

I’m sure many buyers are thinking that today’s collectibles will become tomorrow’s keepsakes (or money in the bank). Hello, have you watched Antiques Roadshow, British version? There are occasionally collectible items that pop up from Queen Victoria times and they are worth quite a few pounds even today. It’s history. It’s fun. It’s a reminder of another period in time.

 

What I really like this time, though, are the more contemporary, often irreverent tea towels and plates. I like a sense of humor (or humour). Have you ever seen so many tea towels? It’s hard to imagine Americans creating special tea towels for any major event (I think we’re more likely to have goofy baseball caps). From Royal Worcester to Cath Kidston to contemporary poster designers like James Brown, designs range from very beautiful, traditional china to humorous plates with sayings like, "It should have been me." 

I suspect that all of the Royal Wedding memorabilia will start a huge trend of British-inspired designs for the next couple of years since 2012 will be the summer Olympic Games in London. Lots of interest in London, along with people traveling to England, televised events, magazine articles, and many of us wishing we were there will create a huge market for all things English.

 What will you order as your personal keepsake of this year’s royal wedding (because just as we all watched Prince Charles and Diana Spencer marry so many years ago, you know you’re going to watch)? What girl doesn’t dream of a happy ending.

Is it Spring yet?

There is nothing like a vase filled with fresh daffodils on a cold March day. Today is a beautiful sunny day, and the blue sky and chirping birds are hinting at Spring to come in less than three weeks, but the daffodils always remind me that we're almost there.

It's much too early for daffodils in my Maryland neighborhood, but Trader Joe's has of course come to my rescue. This week I found bunches of daffodils, imported from England, for $1.49 per bunch. Now, how can you beat that. Certainly cheaper than my Starbucks latte and the blooms, not to mention the good feeling they give me, last much longer.

The house I grew up in had a long sidewalk from the front steps that was lined with  hundreds of daffodils on both sides, along with a circular planting of daffodils where the sidewalk wrapped around to the side of the house. Every year we hoped that the daffodils would bloom to coincide with Easter. Of course, our parents loved taking pictures of my sister and me, sporting very proper, matching Easter dresses and bonnets (and often matching dusters) among the daffodils.  Always a favorite flower!

What Do You Say When You Answer the Phone?

I came across this wonderful NPR blog from last Friday, titled A (Shockingly) Short History of 'Hello'.

I was mulling over how much we take certain phrases like "hello" as a matter of cultural acceptance. The first published use of the word "hello" was in 1827 in The Oxford English Dictionary and the word was most commonly used to get attention (I imagine much as people now use "hey" or "hey you"). It was Thomas Edison who urged people to use the word "hello" when answering the telephone. According to the NPR article, we could just as easily be saying "Ahoy" (I kind of like this one) since that's what Alexander Graham Bell advocated.

I have often found it interesting to listen to the way people answer the telephone in workplaces, too. I have typically answered my phone at work by saying either, "Hello. This is Carla." or just saying my name "Carla Tevault" if it's a call from within the company. That then confirms that the caller has, I hope, reached who he or she intended to call.

But I have been intrigued by overhearing other people answer their telephones, too. For instance (the names have been changed to protect the innocent):

"Kate here"

"Yes?"

"Martin speaking"

"Hi"

"Hey"

Younger people are using the telephone less and less as they rely on text messaging for communication, so often they must learn telephone skills when they enter the workplace. Or maybe the phone will eventually become obsolete as we all rely on email, texting, Twitter, and Facebook?

How do you answer the phone?

It's All About the Bottom Line

...and in this case, that's absolutely accurate.

I happened to catch this television spot recently for Luv's diapers. Granted I am not in the target audience for this product (my diaper-buying days are long past), and I don't consider myself a prude, but I found this spot offensive, disgusting and not funny. It was memorable only because it was so irritating and I couldn't believe it made the cut as a tv spot.

As a parody of American Idol, Luv's "Heavy Dooty Championship," rates the babies filling their diapers. It ends with the tagline, "What happens in diapers should stay in diapers."

The spot is from Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. Bet the creative team had a hoot with this one. Sure doesn't look like a portfolio piece.

According to Procter & Gamble, though, sales are up on the Luv's brand. And, in the end, it's all about delivering the goods.

Chrysler and Detroit: Beautiful

I loved this spot from last night's Super Bowl. Talk about a way to re-position a product and make it beautiful. The spot tells a story about Detroit, pride, and a come-back of a traditional automobile town through its poetic copy and a great soundtrack. Eminem and a gospel choir...who would have thought?

I love the tagline at the end, "Imported from Detroit." It's a spot that has stayed with me, just like a great movie.

Great work Wieden & Kennedy!

Happy Data Privacy Day!

Who knew? I was greeted this morning with a Tweet about Data Privacy Day and since it's a topic that is on a lot of minds as we do more and more personal business online, I had to investigate further.

According to The Privacy Projects:

Businesses develop software, build hardware and provide services designed to enhance individual productivity, communications and safety.  We have come to depend on mobile communications, instant access to information, and intelligent services.  We are empowered by these technologies in ways that those who have lived before us could never have imagined.

Despite all of the benefits of these technologies, doubts and worries persist about just how much personal information is collected, stored, used, and shared to provide these convenient and pervasive tools and services.

Data Privacy Day is an international celebration of the dignity of the individual expressed through personal information.  In this networked world, in which we are thoroughly digitized, with our identities, locations, actions, purchases, associations, movements, and histories stored as so many bits and bytes, we have to ask – who is collecting all of this – what are they doing with it  – with whom are they sharing it?  Most of all, individuals are asking ‘How can I protect my information from being misused?’  These are reasonable questions to ask – we should all want to know the answers.

Their website provides lots of information and links to issues that business and consumers face as well as tips on what one can do to protect one's privacy.

I have heard many job seekers who are concerned about the kind of information that potential employers are requesting online just during the job application process...long before a job seeker is narrowed down as an actual candidate for a position. This includes the agreements that one agrees to online just during the application stage, such as a credit check, drug screening, providing one's social security number, and more.  A job seeker wants to provide sufficient information to be winnowed down into the candidate pool and invited to interview, but may feel distrustful of an employer that requires so much information at this early stage.

I don't have the answers to this as it must be considered on a case by case basis, depending on the job that one is interested in and the potential employer. In other words, how much do you want this job and how badly do you want to work for this employer?

"We dare to dream"

Word cloud of President Obama's prepared State of the Union speech this evening, courtesy of NPR's Andy Carvin. Brilliant, inspirational speech...now let's all work together in a cooperative spirit and move the country forward.

And of course, there was one concept that all job seekers are focused on: reinvention.

Goodnight Moon. Hello Audi.

I love this new television ad for the new Audi A8. It's a visually stunning ad that tells a story, keeping you engaged through all of the mansion vignettes, along with the copy that's a knockoff from the children's story, Goodnight Moon. The message here is that luxury car buyers no longer have to confine their selections to the likes of the stuffy Mercedes Benz (or BMW or Cadillac).



The car itself is beautiful (and I'm not a huge car aficionado), but the ad drew me in as did the exquisite photography and design of the car. Love the headlights.


The ad was created by Venables Bell & Partners, a San Francisco based ad agency.

A Friday Smile

License plate spotted today in Maryland:


YESMYLV


Is that romantic, or what? The car was being driven by an elderly gentlemen, and I couldn't help but smile as I drove past him. 

A day of numerological significance?

It’s 1/11/11 (okay I removed the 20 in the year, but you know what I mean). I like the symmetry and beauty of seeing all the same number when I write the date. It feels special, equal, a beginning, as though it should have some karmic significance.

If I were a dedicated numerologist, as my friend George is, I would surely know the significance of this date. He may even have discussed this at his seminar last weekend, which I unfortunately was unable to attend. 

According to Numerology News, the number 11 relates to our intuition, instinct and faith in ourselves, and the repeating 1 may signify that we are missing something and need to dig deeper to find the information.  Apparently, we need to tap into our intuition to help us uncover and learn the information we need to make well-informed decisions. In other words, we should heighten our sense of awareness. Easier said than done!

Also, Numerology News advises, “the key to harnessing the power of 1/11/11 is to know that that this is your time; your time to find the missing piece of your puzzle, to interlock it into your life and to start moving forward with the complete puzzle intact.”

Brilliant words of wisdom for a Job Acquisition Specialist. I’m ready, how about you? Time to meditate.

Nothing quite as refreshing...

...as a lovely cup of tea.

And what is the perfect thing to do on a cold winter day, traces of snow outside, cozy warm inside? Brew a perfect pot of tea.

"The perfect temperature for tea is two degrees hotter 

than just right."

- Terri Guillemets

After enjoying a brisk afternoon out and about, or taking care of chores in the house,  it’s so comforting to relax and rejuvenate with a cup of tea.

I love this adorable teapot set that Erin brought me from England. It’s perfect for a 2 cup afternoon tea break, and the brewing tea warms up the cup nicely. The saying on the pot is, “ Nothing quite as refreshing as a lovely cup of Rosie Lea.” The Rosie Lea is actually Cockney rhyming slang for tea.

Today’s tea: Assam. It’s grown in the Brahmaputra Valley in northeast India and has an almost malty, strong taste.

Perfect.

"One sip of this will bathe the drooping spirits in delight beyond the bliss of dreams.”

- Milton

Art to Delight and Amuse

Tongue in Cheek (or apple or flint or a piece of chicken in cheek)

The art of Arcimboldo, a current exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, is a show that will make you look long and hard at each painting to discern all of the elements that make up these amazing portraits. Arcimboldo depicts the four seasons in fanciful portraits composed of all manner of flora and fauna.  The realism of each of the flowers, twigs, birds, fish, and vegetables is extraordinary. And he so perfectly melds each piece together to create these beautiful, and fun to explore, paintings.

Some portraits intricately incorporate professional tools to represent a particular occupation, such as The Librarian or the rather grotesque The Jurist.

From the Four Seasons to the Four Elements, each one made me smile. Study each painting and one discovers such amazing detail and often a wicked sense of humor.

Hurry: this must see exhibit is at the National Gallery of Art until January 9, 2011, or after that catch the show in  Milan, Italy.