My old co-worker and friend Zara Gonzalez has just released a gem of an iOS app called Monster Coloring Book. It is one of the most stylish apps out there for creative kids. The best part about it is that all of the monsters that are featured in the app are the drawings that she's known for. I've sat in countless meetings where entire pages, post-it notes and whatever else ended up covered in these cute little guys.



Get it here →

I have this feeling of being really overwhelmed by new music or completely stuck listening to same 3 albums that I've been listening to forever. To help broaden my musical horizons, I started a music mix sharing club with 11 other friends. It's a labor of love for everyone to make their own mixes, make some artwork for it, burn all of the discs and mail them off. Finally my mix was due, after much internal debate here it is.

Download ACMC #9 Here | More mixes here

Melanie's been working with Anna for a long time, I was excited to be included this time around as part of rebranding Ruby3. We wanted to rethink her site so that we could take the simplicity of a blog format and make it work for all of the events and fashion happenings that she's involved in. The initial homepage of the site aggregates the latest collection with press and event info so there is always a good glimpse into what she's doing.

Visit site: ruby3.com

I'm excited to announce the Yearbook Yourself site has been nominated for a webby. We need help to get the people's voice vote. Thanks for your help.

Info on voting here

This a great little bit of creativity. This person cut up skateboard magazines and reassembled them as stop motion. Many times the simplest ideas are the most powerful and the ones that I wish I had thought of first.

Watch on Vimeo | via JoyEngine

I've always looked at the work of Evan Hecox and thought it was great. Now that I see how he works, I am even more enamored with it. Arkitip and Incase are making laptop and iPhone covers with his images of New York, London and Tokyo and to promote it, they've released this video to show the way in which he makes these images.

See more at Arkitip

Colle+McVoy does lots of work for the Minnesota State Lottery. I always find it really amusing, but there's something super special about the latest campaign for scratch tickets. These gems were created by Dustin Black and Brian Ritchie. Apparently hamsters are untrainable little critters, so the results of these were a bit of a gamble.

Watch on YouTube

It's a work in progress. Next... a giant cloud painted in the corner. I'm stalling. Faux painting techniques scare me.

Paper Lanters: Luna Bazaar / Bedding: Land Of Nod Natural Born Organics / Prints: Blanca Gómez / Pillow: Honey Pie Design / Curtains: Ikea

As a part of the rebranding for Ruby 3by Anna Lee, I worked with a talented group of ladies to shoot the Summer Collection. We shot this last summer and I never had a chance to post about it. Now that we are incorporating all of these elements into the site for Ruby 3, I ran across them and wanted to share a few of these beauties. The whole collection will be posted on the almost completed site coming soon!

Art Directon: Melanie Haroldson, Photography: Stephanie Colgan, Stylist: Susannah Berman, Hair & Makeup: Kate Erickson, Model: Rachel Keller

Happy and healthy. Keeping us good and busy and much too distracted to keep this blog updated properly. Photo by the lovely and talented Vickey Weiss.

Amazingly, I've been working with Ms. Anna Lee for over a decade. From her very first fashion show in Fargo, to the creation of Voltage Fashion Amplified here in Minneapolis, she always brings great projects and allows for unlimited creativity. The perfect client. Here's an update to her personal brand, Ruby 3. Currently, I'm partnering with my favorite in-house developer / website extraordinaire to create a new site for Anna. You'll be the first to know when it goes up.

You've gotta love that tagline! I've had the pleasure of working with Treat & Company over the last few months, helping to contribute to their new print and pattern collection now available for your viewing pleasure online. They are also currently presenting their collections at Printsource New York, The Premier Market for Surface and Textile Design in the USA. Stop by booth G15 if you are at the show, and if not, enjoy the collections from the comfort of your own computer.

In a sometimes futile attempt to get our family eating less meat, I'm always searching for great vegetarian recipes that my 3yr old won't object to. My buddy, Kat Townsend, tipped me off to Green Kitchen Stories. This blog is simple and beautiful in structure, a nice break from the standard post-list layout of most blogs... ahem... (not that there's anything wrong with those kind of blogs). Inspiring, delicious!

We have been meaning to do a family portrait for some time now, so with our recent move and a conveniently leftover Mad Men dress from last year's Christmas party, it seemed like the perfect time. We convinced our long-time friend Tom Kemmer come out to the suburban tranquility for the shoot. Take some time to enjoy Tom's work and we hope you all have a swell new year.