The Hair Bow

Well Ladies, if you are looking for an amazing new up-do to make everyone swoon, 

let me introduce you to The Hair Bow. If you are wondering 'how in the heck does 

she does that?' Head on over to Ducks in a Row; she has set up a wonderful step by

step DIY showing you how to create this adorable look for yourself. 

Ill be busy growing my hair long, if you need me for anything. 

Important notes for Monday

Just because its Monday.

photo credit: Lucy Snowe

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Another March Birthday to Celebrate {x o x} My Dad, one of my favorite

 people in the whole wide world celebrates his birthday today. There are a

 lot of reasons my dad tops my list of favorite people, to list just a few:

• He reads books like, War and Peace and Frankenstein for FUN.

• He was a total hunter and outdoorsmen than, he had three girls. He totally

embraced it. Sympathetically leaving the deer bodies in his past, he took us on 

tons of hikes, put snakes in his pockets for us to discover and taught us how 

to fish and crab the Chesapeake Bay. Thanks Dad.

• He claims his blood pressure lowers as he crosses the bridge and nears the 

bay. I believe him. 

• I don't think he LOVEs his job. But I never hear him complain about 

work. Thats a big deal.  

• He is awesome and everyone wants to be his friend. True Story :)

Happy Birthday Dad. I LOVE you!

Buzzwords to make your heart swell

I stopped by Etsy this morning and stumbled across I Mudrov, an oil painter 

from San Francisco. And fell in love with his umbrellas. And than I looked further 

and realized that a recurring theme in his artwork was, bicycles, dogs and umbrellas. 

And if there are any buzzwords right now that would make your heart swell, tell me 

those three would be top on your list. I really enjoy the story that the combination of 

the three create in each composition. For example, look at the bottom painting, aren't 

you totally routing for these to strangers to get tangled up together by their dog's leashes. 

He will get one whiff of her perfume, she will get taken back by his musclely arms (haha)

 and Boom they are in love. {That's what I see ;) }

Stop in and check I Mudrov out. He has many more talents to present beyond what 

I have showcased.

Being Elmo. Marvelous

I am a huge fan of Documentaries. Especially documentaries featuring dreamy 

success stories of someone pursuing their dream like its no bodies business and 

knocking it out of the park. This inspiring  movie about Kevin Clash, Elmo's 

puppeteer, sheds light on the creation of Elmo as a character. And offers a peek 

into the creative world of Jim Henson and Sesame Street and what its like to see 

your dreams come true. And Kevin Clash is a  Baltimore native. Go Baltimore! 

P.S. You can see it on Netflix Instant View. 

Illustration Inspiration Featuring: Nicholas Gannon

Well folks, I have decided to add a new feature to the Meant for a Moment Blog. 

In dire need for some inspiration, I thought you too could benefit from my finds. So, 

from here forth, every Wednesday I will feature a new illustrator on my new 

weekly post entitled, Illustration Inspiration, to keep all of our creative juices flowing. 

This week, take a gander at Nicholas Gannon. I adore his color use and the sparse 

composition that he so beautifully lays out. You can feel the isolation of that little boy 

before you even know the story line. 

And the added shadows of the buildings are a great touch... a very subtle way to 

imply the building's presence without actually putting it in the picture. Bravo.

Pastels, I could wear you all day long.

I love the colors this spring! I want to paint my walls with them and fill my closets. 

Here are some great Pastel Finds from Zara

Another Noteworthy Day!

March really kicks off a slew of Birthdays... First Dr Seuss, and now my sister, Paige.

(And coming next week my dad {xoxo!}) I totally love her. I am actually sorry you all 

don't know her. She is so much fun and a really wonderful sister. 

Although she bears many skills here are just a few to celebrate today:

• She leaves the most amazing voicemail messages. Sometimes 

its a song, sometimes its an entire story, and sometimes I actually

 think I am decoding a riddle, its fun. 

• she makes ridiculous faces... as seen in above photo

• she knows great recipes... I mean great. Fish tacos, I drool.

• she always has something to talk about and is never upset if you 

need to do all the talking

and

• she laughs (really loud)

Happy Birthday Paige, I LOVE YOU!

A Very Special Day

Oh my Goodness, I could say a million words about how Dr Seuss has changed 

my soul. Without a doubt he has help point me in the direction I have headed. 

He was a pioneer and I would eat green eggs and ham with him in a house with a 

mouse any day! Happy Birthday to him!

The Everywhere Project

Have you seen the everywhere project pop up yet? It has just begun but it is very 

interesting. The Everywhere Project is a collaborative design project that pays tribute 

to the classic folk song “I’ve Been Everywhere”. It is curated by Adrian Walsh, 

a designer and illustrator based out of Southern California.

It looks as though they plan on featuring cities from just about... everywhere.

Corium Screen Printed Leather Bags - You have my Heart

These screen printed, leather bags have me emptying my bank account way before my 

proper bills are paid. Look at how pretty they are. I love the colors. But I am specifically

 drawn to that first one. It looks so natural, and comfortable. Corium offers bags of 

all sizes, check out more here.

What brands your Company?

I have been doing some really fun Branding and Identity work with my new 

favorite folks over at Red Gym Shoes, a philanthropic creative marketing company. 

Just wanted to post some of the highlights. 

Video Birth Announcement = Winner

And Everything Nice from John Jensen on Vimeo.

This amazing video is Guaranteed to make you cry the happiest of tears. 

This is a video birth announcement. {I know right, babies, I had to do it!} 

My sister is about to have her very first baby and we are gaga over babies right now. 

I hope this very creative, sweet and tender video puts a little warmth into your 

otherwise chilly February morning. 

Thanks Design Mom for the Inspiration

1 Dog and 236 Illustrators = Much Fun

A picture book for adults. 

This book features one adorable little pup, Morran, and 236 very talented illustrators. 

Each illustrator takes a very unique and personal direction as they create a portrait of 

Morran and are featured in a full page of this book. Flipping through the pages 

provides endless inspiration and much entertainment. 

Follow this link: HERE to see a full preview of the book. Grab a Cup of Joe and sit 

back and enjoy. 

Destination DREAMLAND

Well its Monday and the perfect time to get all your dreams mixed up and scattered 

into the air. Aren't these photos amazing. Doesn't the air just look so sweet here? 

Its Salar De Yuyni, Bolivia, the worlds largest salt flat. All of that crust fluffy looking 

whiteness is salt, and it spans 10, 582 km across Bolivia. Absolutely amazing. Lets go!

Decode your next Conversation

Heres more good body language indicators.

Learn the Body Language Rules from the FBI

photo credit the satorialist

More Details on Joe Navarro's 10 Commandments

Maddie the Agile Coon Hound...

This is Maddie the Coon Hound. I stumbled upon this awesome site this morning 

entitled, "Maddie on Things" and it made my day. How adorable is this hound and 

her adventuresome little spirit. You should check out the site, because Maddie gets 

on some pretty crazy things... Jungle Gyms, Fence Posts, Mail boxes, all with the 

stunning grace of a coon hound. Just had to share... hope it makes you smile. 

Drown. A Poem.

I found this on Pinterest this morning and I loved it. I just had to share it. 

It paints such a beautiful/tragic picture of the sea... 

I just started reading my first Hemingway. I wanted something with a little romance 

so my dad recommended 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' I am at the very beginning 

and am excited to get into the meat of it, because I know he to is a painter of words. 

DO you have a favorite Author?

Salted Caramel Lava Cake

Oh can you just Imagine making this HOME MADE and presenting this at your table. 

The biggest reward would be diving in and eating it up once its ready. Heres what you would need:

For really useful tips on how to complete this recipe without messing it up

head on over to vegetarian nirvana {xox} 

Happy Friday

What are you doing this weekend? I am so excited that it is Friday, we have a 

busy weekend but it is filled up with fun things like lunch with friends and parties

 for sailors so I am looking forward to it!Tonight we have dinner reservations for a 

belated Valentine's Day Date {xox} Alright!

Have a fun Weekend and Don't forget to play!

Back to the Future

Is this cracking you up!? Its Irina Werning's Back to the Future series. 

My absolute favorite is this one:

Look at those hat and those glasses. Can we agree that this would be the must fun 

you can have at a photo shoot? There is more here, check it out. After all it is Friday!

High Street Market, I adore you.

I don't know if you pop over to Cup of Joe's lifestyle blog ever. {If you have never 

been I highly recommend the meander} Yesterday she was giving away a gift certificate 

towards High Street Market... Oh I Melt! They have the most amazing vintage inspired

 home decor items, both fabulous and affordable. That blue enameled serving tray is $28. 

And that unbelievable embroidered table cloth is only $95. 

And P.S. That is a framed Vintage print of Baltimore, wouldn't that make a great

wedding present for someone getting married in the city... And check it out, they have 

a ton of vintage city maps.

Oh Good Symbolic Design...

Oh man, I love these Symbolic Designs by Eric Hanson. You could lose hours 

milling through his creative designs {as I did this morning, yikes} I pulled out some 

of my favorites for you. Clearly I had trouble deciding which to choose, so there are a  

lot to read through today, but I hope they make you laugh, because they are quite clever. 

Wishing you a Real Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to you! <3

quote via my favorite: The Velveteen Rabbit

Adorable Valentine's Day Prints

Love these Valentine's Day Prints from the Big Harumph. Especially that long one,

I like the idea of an 'odd' shaped print, you don't often see prints that size do you?

I really dig it.  

{xox}

Celebrate!

Well Folks... After about 24 days of working Dave and I are taking 2 days OFF 

and heading to our Oasis on the Eastern Shore to celebrate Valentine's Day! Our 

Spirits need the reviving and I am so looking forward to this. Is anyone else planning 

on celebrating valentines day this weekend?

What are your plans?

What makes you feel Sexy?

In Honor of Valentine's Day. I am turning up the heat here at Meant for a Moment 

and I am asking... What makes you feel sexy? I feel like it is important for a woman 

to feel sexy for herself, not jus for her man. So if you were thinking on what made 

you feel sexy and confident (because the words are synonymous) what would it be? 

Would it be red pumps and glossy lips or tousled hair and a flirty smile? Are you the 

most confident in jeans climbing a mountain beaded in sweat or longing in a teeshirt 

reading your favorite book. Sexy should be a happy place. So where do you find 

your sexy place? 

Anthropologie Set, Steve Madden Pumps, Mac Red, J-Crew Night Shirt, Mac Polish

Did you have an Imaginary Friend

"Ill eat you up, I love you so."

Did you have an imaginary friend when you were little? I imagined that all of 

my stuffed animals came to life when I left the room so I had to strategically 

place them next to their "best friend" (yup, each were paired with a best) so that 

when they 'came to' they would wake up next to their best friend and they could 

begin their adventure for the day, kind of like Toy Story I guess, but I remember 

always being very burdened by the meticulous attention it required. I had one 

very special stuffed animal named "Kitty" whom I carried everywhere for a 

while. But remembering back, she never 'spoke' to me, or carried me off on 

adventures, she just hung out and kept me company.

I also thought everything had feelings... like my carpet... {?} Hated the idea of 

getting new carpet because I didn't want to hurt my blue carpets feelings. I am 

pretty sure this made things difficult for my parents; "But Tara a new carpet is

going to be clean and pretty."

What about you? Do you have memories like this? Or children that have 

imaginary friends? I would love to hear. xox

image via

Austin Kleon, 'Steals like an Artist'

It turns out, Austin Kleon, the writer and artist behind these creative black out prints is 

pretty awesome. Reading these prints that are made from blacking out newspapers 

makes me laugh a bit. And it also really makes me want to grab a newspaper and a 

sharpi, but I will save that for the weekend. 

As I did my research into Austin Kleon I learned that he is a speaker, and a darn good

one. He speaks about 'Stealing like an Artist' and makes some encouraging points, he 

even brings Ben Franklin into it. So I encourage you to visit his site and check out some 

of his videos for a little inspiration. 

Roller Skates for Valentines Day

After seeing the Christmas episode of The New Girl, I decided that Roller Skates are 

in fact the prefect gift for any occasion. And luckily we have just the occasion coming 

up, Valentines Day! Welcome back to the 80's xox. Wouldn't it be so fun to get a pair 

for each of you and skate around everywhere {everywhere} Im talking kitchen, 

bathroom (imagine the stories, haha), restaurant, movies... Oh the ridiculous fun. 

It promises for an unforgettable day.

You can purchase his and her skates here. {!}

Rehearsal Dinner Dress... Oh Joy

I don't usually indulge myself in dresses... but I have had my eye out for the perfect 

rehearsal dinner dress. Oh what fun! P.S I highly recommend you follow the link to #4, 

its got a low lacy back and is amazing. 1. Ruche 2. Ruche 3. Zara 4. Urban Outfitters 

5. Catbird

Shout, Illustrations

I wondered over to Illustration Friday this morning looking for some inspiration and 

found some within the illustrations of 'Shout' I love the unique layouts, color and 

simplicity of his art. 

And I love this little tidbit on how he got the name Shout:

Well, of course I have to start from this question, although you must have said it many times in past and sick of it… Can you tell the readers about how you came about using name Shout?

Yes of course.

Between 2002 and 2005 I was represented by a Canadian illustration agent.  They were nice but they didn’t allow me to try different ways of expression.  I wanted to change my visual language but they didn’t let me do that. I signed an exclusive contract with them so I had no choice.

They started representing me in 2002, and I think they were scared of loosing some clients by showing different styles from me, although I didn’t work so often with them at that time. Maybe only about 2 assignments a month, almost always with clients you have never heard of who didn’t have good budgets…

Anyway, during that time, I never stopped creating work for myself, looking for my own voice. I worked very hard, trying and trying again. It finally ‘clicked’ in October 2005. That month, I found a way. My way.

It was an assignment that gave me a spark; I tried to think more on the concept and put less attention on the “make up”. I was enthusiastic of the outcome but the client rejected my sketches. At that point I decided I have to do this all by myself.

For one of my first illustrations, I made a new brand name: Shout, a man shouting from a bottom of a hole in the ground.  I chose the name to hide myself from the agent. I started looking for clients on my own. In 6 months I collected more than 2000 art director’s email addresses. That worked immediately. This was how Shout was born and I left the agency.

Now I have some problem going back with my real name, but I eventually will.

Love that. 

Pop over to Illustration Friday for the entire interview

Valentine's Day, How do you Celebrate?

Well, its February (already), and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Believe it or not, 

I am actually a hopeless romantic. Completely Hopeless, but I bet you could have 

guessed that. I devour Valentine's Day and any occasion to enjoy Dave. Each year I ask  

only for a love note. I look forward to it every holiday and have tucked each one away in a 

special box that we will uncover one day and "remember when." 

How do you feel about Valentine's Day? Are you a hopeless Romantic or do you 

prefer to ignore the holiday all together? 

I have posted some of my favorite Meant for a Moment Prints to inspire cupids 

arrow this month. 

{xox}

Honeymoon Planning, Any tips?

Dave and I have been searching for the perfect honeymoon spot and my mind is 

reeling with beautiful destinations, I wish we could visit them all. Some of the places 

that we have considered are; Turks and Caicos, Norway, Cinque Terra, Big Sur CA, 

Key West, and Greece. We are working on a budget so some of those places were 

knocked off our list simply for cost reasons {Norway, I love you.} sigh. I have been 

to Cinque Terra and it was Heaven on Earth. I highly recommend anyone visit that 

is able. But last night we came up with this brilliant plan that sounds perfect for both 

Dave and I {!}  Here is what we are thinking;

Get Hitched, Head down to the Keys, Rent a Villa, a Car and a BOAT. Spend the 

entire week exploring the waters of the Keys and Fish our hearts out. I imagine 

for an ideal vacation, it couldn't be much sweeter than to have a boat and a bunch 

of islands at our disposal. {xox}

Where did you honeymoon? Do you have any tips?

Non Dairy Ice Cream, Success

Oh Hello Delicious, Non-Dairy Ice Cream. 

I suffer from migraines often and I have found if I drink a whole glass of milk 

or large latte, a migraine would start brewing {humpf}. I also have to stay away

 from 90% of the worlds delicious cheeses. So I have considered the fact that I may 

have an intolerance to Dairy. I have recently switched to a non-dairy diet to see if it 

helped with energy levels and my migraine issues. Its been wonderful so far, 

however I am just drooling over the idea of ice cream.  

So last night I took some time to get to know a pint of Mocha Almond Fudge 

Purely Decadent 'Ice Cream' made with coconut milk. It was amazing. An 

absolutely wonderful Dairy Free substitute to ice-cream. 

Cuppow, Turn your Canning Jar into a Travel mug. {Love}

Must Have. Enough Said. 

Go to their site and watch their video, its adorable. 

The Wheatfield, typographic design to drool over

There are more wonderful things happening at The Wheatfield. I adore Katie Daisy's 

typographic designs and color use so much, I can't wait for the wall space to hang a 

bunch of her work on my wall. Wouldn't these prints be cute in a little girls room?

Or a nice white Studio?