splash!

by Chelsea Fisher via Paperwork

I recognize an Anthropologie cup I've wanted for a while in this beautiful photograph! I love the polka-dot cups below, too.

pretty things

A few pretty things that remind me of summer.

paper cut out
mixing spoons
sparrow clips
colorful tape

friday flowers

Beautiful colors at the Monument farmer's market

"life is weird"

by Meredith Winn via Design Mom

This picture made me smile. :)

Yesterday was one of those days when anything I touched broke and anything I needed to remember I forgot. It felt like I left a wake of destruction behind me and, at the end of the day, when I thought I was safe from myself, I propped my design portfolio case up against my xterra's tire and backed out over it (I think everything is fine!). At that point I just had to laugh!

I was also thankful for the words of this hymn that played right as I got my tire-marked portfolio case back into my car. :)

Come home, come home;
ye who are weary come home;
earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home!
—Will L. Thompson

currently working on ...

... designs that make me want to get away to a tropical island!

recipes you'll follow

What a perfect intersection between two things that I love:
food and drawing!

Illustrations from They Draw & Cook!

back to school

school supplies photographed by Johnny Miller

I have officially changed my ring-tone to "We're Going to be Friends" by Jack Johnson which means it's back to school for me. One more class and 118 days until graduation!

Fall is here, hear the yell
Back to school, ring the bell
Brand new shoes, walking blues
Climb the fence, books and pens
I can tell that we are going to be friends
—Jack Johnson

friday flowers

wild flowers back-dropped by the rocky Oregon coast and a gray Pacific ocean

fiesta!

Getting ready to make this Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie reminds me of this summer fiesta!

amazing use of tissue paper!

a few things ...

first

I received my first non-family-member-or-friend blog comment from Kate at La Petite Choue! Very fun!

little guy from my sketchbook

second
via La Petite Choue, I discovered these Out of Print t-shirts. My editor sister, Anna, will love them!

third
I'll join everyone else is saying how much I love this wedding video!

Max & Margaux Stop Motion by Shark Pig

custom wedding invitations by Rifle Paper Co.

photography by Our Labor of Love

last
I love these flag necklaces and would love to learn how to make one myself!

hand made by Scout-holiday

meeting "mrs design*spong" (i.e. grace bonney)

A few weeks ago I mentioned the design*sponge (d*s) meet & greet I planned to attend while I was in Portland. I was a tad nervous as to what it would entail and what I was dragging my sweet friend, Bethany, along to. It turns out that my nerves were unneeded because it was a fun, relaxing, and inspiring event that felt a lot like stepping right into a blog. Fun! After dodging the paparazzi and waiting in line, I had the privilege of meeting and chatting with Grace Bonney—creator of d*s! (or "Mrs. Design Sponge"—as she is called at home) In Bethany's words, "She was so down-to-earth!" Having a casual designer-to-editor chat reminded me that she is just another gal inspired by communicating through beautiful and interesting things. (Later on we were reminded by another attendee that, "She is pretty much a BIG DEAL." That made us feel like celebrity stalkers again.) The event took place at Alder & Co. which is basically a blog with a storefront. The owner was kind enough to let me snap some shots and here is a little taste of the evening.

All in all, I was re-inspired to design what I love and try new ideas because that is exactly what Grace did when her husband suggested she start a design blog. Six years later, d*s is considered the number one blog for up-and-coming design. I guess that's why it's "...pretty much a BIG DEAL."

:)

Thanks for the encouragement, Grace!

Thank you for hanging in there with your designer friend, Bethany!

clouds

Mindy Gledhill CD cover design

I think I can safely say that clouds are one of my favorite things. And the illustration above may be one of my favorite designs of all time. It inspired my last portfolio website design and I'm sure it will influence my final identity design (stay tuned for that this fall :).

Of course, clouds often make it into my notebook doodles.© Sarah Fritzler

summer still

It feels like this week will bring the day when, suddenly, we'll know it's fall. I love walking outside on that morning each year and feeling the difference in the air—crisp and cool.

Still ... since it hasn't happened yet, I'm sharing this little guy from my sketchbook. I'm not sure what happened to his water, lemons, and cups ... maybe he drank it all? I enjoy sketching while listening to someone speak and, while it helps me concentrate on their message, it distracts me from such details as actual lemonade at the lemonade stand!

Also ...

© Sarah Fritzler

design + food

I seem to be on a food kick ... so to continue this trend, I thought I would share this great intersection of design (more specifically typography) and food. Two of my most favorite things!

me in the back seat eating Scrabble CHEEZ-ITs on our road trip to Mount St. Helens

Rule: You must spell something before you eat them.
Well, that only lasted so long ...

friday flowers ... er, fruit

Sauvie Island Farm carts, marionberries, bing & rainier cherries, cherry scale

One of my favorite parts of Oregon is giant fresh fruit everywhere you turn! On the way to the ocean, we stopped by a fruit stand and bought the largest cherries I've ever seen ... and for only $1! See the scale of the cherry next to a quarter?

After a wonderful morning of berry picking, we went home and made my absolute favorite—marionberry jam. Thanks Bethany and Janae!

jam-making supplies, waiting for the marionberry jam to seal

More marrionberry jam making to come this weekend!

speaking of bunnies ...

Look at these tiny bunny cookies! Can you imagine making so many?

by Bunny Cakes
via Sweet Designs

a big hug

Bella & Boo is one of my favorite illustration blogs. Mandy is a British illustrator who has created a beautiful little world of children and forest animals. A Big Hug mug features none other than Bella and her bunny, Boo, sharing a hug. Since my sister's two favorite things are tight hugs and bunnies, it was a perfect birthday gift! I might add that it was extra fun to get a tiny package from Scotland (I love the customs sticker) and relieving to see that the delicate fine bone china cup made it all the way to my home! To top it off, I got a little note from Mandy—hoping my sister loved the gift. Go see her blog and Etsy shop!

top images by belleandboo

happy national s’mores day!

images & goodies by Martha Stewart and Glorious Treats among others
via the amazing Amy Atlas at Sweet Designs

My sister-in-law and I have been wanting to try s'mores with Reeses ... looks like someone beat us to the punch and went straight for the peanut butter! (top left image) Yum!

going on a picnic

images via design*sponge and 100 Layer Cake

We are going on a picnic tonight so I thought I would share a few of my favorite picnic and picnic-like pictures!

Our menu includes:
Flat-bread
Hummus
Turkey wrap fixings
Red onion
3 Cheeses
Avocado
Cherry tomatoes
Grapes
Pickled lavender carrots
Strawberries & whip-cream

What would you eat on your dream picnic?