Call for Letterers

If you haven't heard, Ad2 Phoenix is partnering with FilmBar to screen the documentary, Sign Painters. We are so excited to also be skyping in Faythe, the director of the documentary, afterwards to do a Q&A session. This is going to be really fun. The screening is on October 3 at 7:30PM.

We are also going to be featuring local hand letterers and typographers for the entire month of October! This is such an amazing opportunity for people to display their work for First Friday and the entire month of October. 

This is where we are calling you! We need you to donate a piece for the art show. After October, your piece will be sold to raise money for Ad2PHX's Public Service Campaign. 

The piece you donate doesn't have to be a new project, it can be something you have around the house. The only thing we ask is that it has to do with lettering. 

Please contact me if you have any questions! 

TED Talks: Uldus Bakhtiozina: Wry photos that turn stereotypes upside down

It took me a minute to understand her accent, though looking at her work and listening to her explanations was awesome. This video is less than five minutes and touches on the stereotypes of people in Russia.

As you know, I am fascinated by stereotypes and how they influence people. As I work on The Tomboy Project, I am discovering people who share my interest. I love it. 

Doggie Date: September 2014 Barkbox

This week Leroy's BarkBox got here! I swear this dog can smell the box in the mailbox from our house. So here's what we got!

PetProjekt Football Tretbal - $9.00
This is a football that has holes so Leroy can smell and taste the treats, but not get them so easy. Let me tell you, he's going incredibly nuts right now. I put the treats (see below) we got in the BarkBox inside the football and he's running back and forth through the house trying to get those treats out. It's pretty funny.

Nootie Jerky Burger BBQ Duck - $7.00
These are the treats I put in the football toy. These are made with real duck and are grain free which is always a plus. They have a decently strong smell of bbq sauce and Leroy seems to like them.

Etta Says Duck Chew - $4.00
These have been in many of our BarkBoxes. Leroy loves them and they take a few days to go through. Make sure to watch your pup when they are chewing these, sometimes it breaks into smaller pieces.

Muddy Buddy Dog Mop - $12.00
This is a doggie mama's dream. This baby sucks up 7x it's weight in water and/or mud. So when Leroy decides to dig in the back yard after some lovely Arizona monsoons, I am now prepared.

Safemade Pet Barkeley Pennant - $7.00
This pennant is fun and really tops off the college football theme! It has the crackle paper and a squeaker in it. Leroy hasn't really got interested in this toy yet, but again, this toy doesn't have treats in it. There's no link out because this was specially made for this BarkBox.

Do you get a bark box for your pup? Share your photos with us!!

Tomboy Tuesdays: 1953 Comic Strip Tomboy

Umm did you know there was a comic called Tomboy in the 1950's? How cool is that?

Basically, a girl with no super powers that was saving the world. Apparently women don't need superpowers to save the world. We just do what comes natural.

Check out one of the comic I found:

How did I come across this amazing graphic? Twitter! of course! check out the tweet that set me lose on a Google mission. 

TOMBOY (1953) is amazing: Basically a 12-year-old girl with no powers improbably beating the shit out of grown men. pic.twitter.com/NaUI3bOroD

— Saladin Ahmed (@saladinahmed) September 19, 2014

Alice Cooper's Solid Rock: Christmas Pudding Auditions

This past Friday I had the privilege of spending some time behind the scenes at Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Center. This weekend at the center was a little different than a normal day at the Rock.

It was the Grand Opening of their new thrift store. There are a bunch of great items for sale to help benefit the center. Alice was there to sign autographs and take photos with people. He truly is an amazing person. He was only supposed to sign autographs for an hour but because the turn out was so large, he stayed to meet everyone. The diversity of people there to meet him was equally inspiring. 

After the opening of this great new store, everyone moved into the Rock where one of the mentors, Marissa, and her sister opened up with a couple songs. She is amazing. I wanted to be like here take all my money and write more music. Check her out on her Facebook Page, she is seriously talented.

Next was Daniel Bernard Roumain. If you don't know him, he's a sick violinist. He's playing at Gammage Auditorium September 27 and you should check it out. 

Finally, Alice took the stage with Co-Op which features his son, Dash, as the lead singer. They performed Eighteen, No More Mister Nice Guy and School's Out. It was awesome to see parents and their kids rocking out to the same music.

After they finished performing, Alice took questions from some of the teens. They were so engaged and inspired by him. It was pretty inspiring to watch. 

To wrap up the night, the leader of the Rock got up on stage and went over all the rules for the bands auditioning for Christmas Pudding. 

As we continue to learn more about Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Center, the more inspired we get to help them spread the word of the center. 

TED Talk: How Giant Websites Design For You

I love this. It's one of the most simple ways of explaining how important and the goal of design is. It's not about the designer, the account people or even the client. The point of design is for the consumer. The person who is going to actually interact with the element and then use that experience to decide whether or not they are going to give you all their money. 

Doggie Date: Home Depot

For this week's doggie date we went to Home Depot. Leroy and I were on a mission. We had to find a leaf blower/vacuum.

Why, you ask?

Well, while my neighbors are very nice people, their landscaping people are assholes. On both sides, they use the leaf blower to blow the shit from both sides of the lawn into my yard. This is maddening. As much as I would like to blow the shit back in their yard or do juvenile shit to get back at them, I am now a grown up and must understand the consequences of actions like that.

So as boring as it is, I am going to take my newly purchased $100 leaf vacuum and vacuum all the shit and throw it in the garbage.

Anyway, back to the doggie date. Leroy's never been to Home Depot before, so he was sitting up straight trying to figure out where we were going. Even when we got there, he was like, what's happening?

No joke, we walk in the door and there is this amazing looking man, tall, dark hair and bright blue eyes. First thing out of his mouth, "Hi, beautiful . . . dog." Yea he gets all the hotties. There were some ladies in the store that definitely didn't approve of him there, but all the men were for it.

Leroy was amazingly well behaved and just sat by my side as I tried to figure out the difference between a Mega Blower and Ultra Blower (I know that's what he said). Apparently it's the power and only 5MPH more. I gave in and bought the Ultra.

Do you and your dog go on dates? Share some photos with Leroy and I on twitter @geooorge_

Tomboy Tuesdays: Mausi's Daisy Finetto

Noisey, a site by Vice, recently posted a story on Masui's Daisy Finetto. Check it out, this lady travels around with a bunch of dudes and is making some great music. She puts her own spin on what she loves to wear and take on the road! 

Don't forget to follow The Tomboy Project on twitter and facebook. 

TED Talk: Lunch Lady Heroes

I watched this TED Talk this weekend and wanted to share it with all of you. It's a short bit on the importance of Lunch Ladies.

Looking at it holistically, it's about the importance of everyone in your life and how the little things matter. Take 12 minutes and watch the video and then remember to notice the little things and be grateful for them.

 

Leroy's Life: A Trip to PetSmart

Leroy's Life takes a simpler look at life through the eyes of my dog. He is my rock, he's always there for me, keeps me entertained and cheers me up when I need it. These next few weeks the goal is to not only have fun with Leroy, but also slow down a bit and remember that life shouldn't be all work.

To start us off, I figured we would go to his favorite store. He got a PetSmart gift card from his Aunt Danita for his birthday and I haven't taken him to cash it in yet. Well tonight was his night!

It's pretty equivalent to taking a child to a toy store, though Leroy doesn't want every toy in the store. He simply want's to be pet by everyone in the store. But me being his mama, made his try on halloween costumes first!

Tomboy Tuesday: Women Street Artists

The Huffington Post recently posted about ten female street artists that are better than Bansky. For me it's not so much about these women being better than Bansky, as much as it being about look at these fucking bad ass female street artists.

Street art, graffiti, or large muralistic paintings in general aren't a place you think of many women being, though there are a lot of them. I love the thought of introducing them to the world.

Check out the article for more, though these are my favorites of the bunch.

1. KASHINK

2. Maya Hayuk

3. Faith47

The Tomboy Project: Flannel Shirts

I found an article this weekend called 13 Ways to Wear a Flannel Shirt. I love it. The flannel shirt, or just a plaid shirt is a simple piece that can be dressed or completely dressed down. Here are a couple of my favorite ways to wear the flannel.

1. Around the Waist

Oufit of the day: Knit dress and a plaid shirt make for a gorgeous grunge look. #ootd #style pic.twitter.com/HxID3uX9wp
— WeLoveWool (@WeLoveWool) August 27, 2014

2. Flannel with Beanie

Plaid Shirt days. With a beanie #ShesTheOne #TaylorSwift @radiodisney pic.twitter.com/PHE9EgWN0n
— T.S. 1989 (@EllovaticSwift) March 31, 2014

3. Casual and Unbuttoned

Love @katebosworth's look here. Buffalo plaid is on trend. My faves: @Forever21 & @madewell1937 #Style #fashion pic.twitter.com/kjFxHt49HV
— Suzi Grgurich (@SuziGStyles) December 26, 2013

Happy 59th Dad!

Sunday was my pop's birthday and this is the last year of his fifties. I am really proud to have him as my dad. He was really hard on me as a kid . . . who am I kidding, he's still really hard on me. Though that comes from his desire for me to be happy, healthy and successful. 

Some of my favorite memories of my dad include a third grade project where he helped me build the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car out of a cereal box. This cereal box had custom cut wheels out of wood and dimensional wings. It was so cool to be out in the garage with my dad using power tools. 

One Christmas my dad took me to Toys'R'Us and said, "You can have any one thing in the store." This was a big deal to me. One thing only, I had to be strategic and get the most bang for my buck. My father instilled this into me early. I don't think my dad understood how serious I was going to take this. We walked through that store from one side to the other, down every aisle, looking at every toy. Finally on the fourth pass, I decided to get this 4ft. tall teddy bear that cost $60. I think my dad was relieved I finally had chosen something, though he asked me three times if this is what I wanted.

Another memory I have of my dad is driving to pick up a our first Mastiff. I'm sitting shotgun and trying to navigate, keep in mind I was 14. I definitely got us lost and we ended up at the Salton Sea. This was about an hour out of the way. Whoops! When we got to the breeder's home, there was this giant dog that came to greet us. When I say giant I mean his head was about 4.5 feet high and he weighed about 300 pounds. My dad looked at me and said, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Of course, if you know me I got a big grin on my face and just shook my head yes. We took home one of the best dogs we've ever had that day. 

Happy birthday Dad! I love you and appreciate everything you've done for me in my 30 years. 

Reading Nook

Sometimes I need to rearrange things three or four times before it feels "right." Just like in design when I am trying to figure something out, it just helps to see it laid out in front of you.

For me that is happening in the master bedroom right now. Leroy doesn't sleep in the fancy memory foam bed I bought him . . . he sleeps in the bed I bought for myself. I don't mind though, it's like an extra furry pillow.

This got the gears in my head a spinning, if I move the chair from the living room to the bedroom, I could make a little nook. Thus, the reading nook was born. I have so many books I've gotten from traveling for The Tomboy Project and no where to read them.

Now that the chair is in place, there are a few other things that will be needed. The chair looks naked. We need a pillow and maybe a blanket for the winter . . .

Next week, I will show you how it's been spruced up. Until then, here are some images of inspiration.

1. VIA 2. VIA 3. VIA 4. VIA 5. VIA 6. VIA 7. VIA 8. VIA

Leroy's Fourth Birthday!

I can't believe my little man is freaking four years old!! Ahh! Well we followed tradition and threw him a party. This year's theme was jungle. His name does mean "King." Get it? King of the Jungle? Alright alright.

Check out some of the pictures below.

I chose a color palette a little different than the rest. I stuck to three animal prints (leopard, zebra and giraffe) along with metallic gold and turquoise. It sounds a little unconventional though I really liked it.

As for snacks, I combed Pinterest and found some I really liked. Tiger Tails (Cheetos), Twigs (Pretzel Sticks), Snakes (Sour Worms), Wild Animals (Animal Crackers), Mud Hole (Pudding Cups) and Waterfall Shots (Blueberry flavored shooters).

I then made some blue velvet cake with chocolate frosting! YUM. That made sure the cake was only for the hoomans.

For the guests there were goodie bags filled with things that also went with the theme. Mud masks, travel journals and dog toys. The dog toys included a toy called Silly Bums, wild animal bums that fit ridiculously perfect with the theme!

So all in all the party went fantastic! Thank you to Auntie D and MoMo for the generous cards and gift cards!

The Rooster's First Birthday!

I was able to break away from the ball and chain (work) this past weekend to head to Austin to visit my amazing friends and celebrate the newest addition to the family's very first birthday. I couldn't miss this.

The little Rooster only turns one once and as I watch my friends get married and build families, I am seeing how important life events are. I'm even seeing how important shutting work off every day to work on yourself.

Anyway, Talley and I helped Frank and Smitty set up the party. They had a delicious cake that I swear weighed 20 pounds and Talley and I almost ate because we thought we were waiting for Frank and Smitty to lead and realized they left us. We have to do some serious catching up. When in doubt eat the cake.

After the awesome party, we headed over to The Black Sheep to watch the World Cup finals. We all were pretty evenly split 50/50. The Black Sheep was packed, we had this corner area next to the video games. We slowly infiltrated a table full of hipster bearded men. They were drunk and let us sit down for the second half of the game.

Doug was the guy I sat next to. He was super weird but kind of awesome. He gave us his German flag so we could support our team in fashion.

So much fun with some great people. When you have friends that are so amazing they are more like family, you can't go wrong.

Take Your Dog to Work Day!

Friday was take your dog to work day! I can't wait until the day where dogs are just a normal part of companies. There are so many benefits to taking your dog to work with you. Check out this video that clearly lays why dogs should be allowed at work all the time!

Check out why dogs will always be allowed in my office » 

Another Ad2sday in the Bag!

I can't express the incredible amount of love and pride I have for my current Ad2 board. We are doing a lot to continue the club's improvement and growth. This past Ad2sday is no exception.

We invited and were privileged to have Brandwyn Coleman from Gannett come and speak to a healthy crew of 30 peeps. She spoke on stereotyping your audience and how it is necessary to get the results you need!

There are a lot of things coming this year including Ad2sday and a special screening of Sign Painters. You are going to want to become a member to join in on all the fun!!

@Ad2PHX @ohso #ad2sday pic.twitter.com/bj5mrAWXr7

— Ashley J George (@geooorge_) June 18, 2014

Accomplishing A Goal

I was introduced to graphic design when I was little. My great grandpa and grandfather were sign painters. When I began formal design training at 15, I knew the work that it would take to get to what I wanted and how long it would take me to get there.

I set a goal when I was 18, that by the time I was 30 I would be in a Creative Director role.

Fast forward to 12 years later, I have just accepted a job as a Creative Director with an advertising agency. It's kind of a surreal feeling, something that I've worked my entire life or at least half of my life for and it's really happening.

Because I've always had this goal, I've diligently watched the leadership I've worked for over the years, and kept a journal of the things I liked and the things I want to implement. Though I've also kept notes on the things I want to not do, why and how that made me feel when I was in different agencies and positions within those agencies.

Nothing's ever perfect. That's a lesson I learned very quickly, though with hard work, team work and a positive attitude, you'd be amazed at what can be accomplished.

Here's to the next chapter.

Home Away From Home

via Etsy

I spent last week in Santa Monica for work. I love that place. I loved living there are seeing the ocean every day. There's something so calming about the ocean to me. Though there is a spirit about Phoenix that bleeds possibility. It's full of people who have an idea and then go for it.

The last few few years have intensified my love to travel and see new things. Meet new people. Learn new things. From this there are a few places that feel like home to me, Phoenix, Santa Monica, Austin. . . maybe it's because at one time or another they were my home so there is this level of familiarity?

Where are some of your favorite places to go, see and explore? Where is your home away from home?