Blog | Page 15 of 17 | Alexandra Adams

October 1, 2015 — No Comments

Top 5 Tips for Working from Home

I started this blog in June, and had all these grandiose plans of jumping in and having tons of fun DIYs, recipes, and thoughts on current design to post. I clearly did not know very much about blogging. I'm not usually even a big DIY-er or baker, so I'm not sure why I thought that because I started a blog, I would magically become this creative stay-at-home mom stereotype.

In addition, I don't have a ton of time or resources to devote to full-time blogging right now. Having graduated in May, I've been working toward truly beginning my graphic design career. Job hunting and blogging both take a ton of time and effort, and I feel guilty for not doing both constantly. I need to stop putting such pressure on myself and just do it! I've been keeping in mind the classic "start before you're ready" thought process and am really starting to just go for it.

I registered X•Height•Ment at the beginning of September, and have been working hard on that side hustle, designing stationery items and working on different projects. Adding that to my plate has been exciting, and really getting into the vibe of making things again has been incredible for getting my creative flow moving.

Something I've had to fight the whole time I've been writing is perfectionism. It's so easy for me to get caught up in trying to make everything I post the best thing I've ever written or the coolest thing I've ever done. Shorter posts are okay! People just like updates! And let's be honest, not everyone on the internet really has that long of an attention span anyway. I can't tell you how many drafts I've saved without posting because it didn't feel like 'enough' for a full post. So I've been trying to remember: An imperfect, published post is better than a perfect, unpublished draft.

All of that being said, here are my top five tips for working at home!

Get dressed. This is key for me. I love to lounge around at home, but I always get dressed when I leave the house. When working from home, getting dressed really helps put me in that productive mindset. Plus, if I have to answer the door or run out to get something, I'm already ready to go.
Set a schedule. I like to plan out my days, even by the hour. It really helps me set a pseudo-workday and plan my time effectively so that I don't feel like I have to be working on something 24/7.
Make lists (so many lists). I'm a list junkie. I make them for literally everything in my life. I have this perfect notebook that's long and skinny, and I make lists in it every. day. Listing helps me stay organized and helps give me that sense of accomplishment of checking off the box when I complete a task.
Take breaks (especially to eat)! I always make sure to include lunch on my daily to do lists, because otherwise I'll get wrapped up in my work and won't make time for it until like 4 pm. Short breaks help me come back to a project with fresh eyes and keeps me from getting too frustrated with a project after working on it for several hours–or even just help my body stretch and move around a little bit after sitting still or staying in one position too long.
Don't work in bed. Go to the library or a coffeeshop if you have to. When working from home, it's super tempting to just cozy up in bed with my dog and browse the internet all day. Moving to my desk or going somewhere else is beneficial for lessening that temptation and putting me in work mode.

If you have any more tips for being productive while blogging or working from home, share them with me in the comments or on Instagram/Twitter!

Published by Alexandra Adams in Lifestyle

September 28, 2015 — No Comments

Failed DIY Posts

It's been nearly two months since I posted a DIY on this blog–whoops. I've been trying to plan out some really cool posts, and I keep coming up short on both the ideas end and definitely the execution. So today, here's a look at some of my most recent DIY posts that definitely fall on the "failure" end of the spectrum.

First up, trinket/ring dishes! I have seen so many people making these, and they've all turned out so cute–so naturally, I wanted to make a few for my friends. Unfortunately, the ramekins I used to help form the shape of the dishes weren't porous enough, and so the dishes never fully dried all the way through (although they did crack quite a bit!). Definitely not usable.

Next, I've been on a gold kick recently and thought spray painting some letter magnets would add some class to our refrigerator. They turned out fine, but they felt pretty anticlimactic. I'm not sure what I was expecting from them, but it just felt like I couldn't validate an entire post for them.

And lastly, bath bombs. Okay, so I love these things. Lush makes some incredible ones, and when I found out you could make them yourself, I obviously had to try it. First of all, just buying the supplies added up quite quickly, and these were some pretty expensive luxury items. That being said, the mixture never really held together as well as I think it should have, and they pretty much remained dust/powder. And the few we could get to hold a shape definitely weren't pretty enough for a full blog post. (Sidenote: I haven't used them in an actual bath yet, so their usefulness despite their appearance is yet to be tested.)

This post is just an example of how even the best intentions can go sideways. I am by no means an "experienced" blogger, so I'm definitely still learning and trying to figure things out as I go along. Thanks for reading and following this journey with me!

Published by Alexandra Adams in DIY

September 24, 2015 — No Comments

Pink Pins

I have completely jumped on the pin bandwagon recently. So just like everyone else, I've been having a hard time choosing which pins to go for (instead of just going for all of them...my wallet can't handle that).

I've curated a small list of pink, totally girl-powered pins to begin my collection and thought I'd share it with all of you! Check out all of the links below.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15

Bonus: The photo below is a set of pins coming soon from Big Bud Press!

Published by Alexandra Adams in Art, Fashion, Products, Round Up

September 23, 2015 — No Comments

Ready For Fall!

This year, I am more ready and excited for fall than ever! I've started wearing sweaters more often (even though it's definitely not cold enough for that quite yet...), I gave myself a pretty autumnal manicure, and I've perfected a caramel apple cider cocktail that I can't wait to drink for the next few months.

To get this nail look, I used Sally Hansen's Cinna-Snap as a base over my entire nails and let them dry completely. Then I used scotch tape to block half my nail on the diagonal and painted Essie's Leading Lady on the top half. These two colors look gorgeous together and have really gotten me in the fall spirit–not that I needed any help with that!

And now for the best part–my Caramel Apple Cider Cocktail! It's incredibly easy, super delicious, and works well both cold and warmed up!

Ingredients:

1 cup apple cider
1 oz caramel vodka
1 oz rumchata

Rim your glass with cinnamon sugar (I used an apple slice to wet the rim). Add the cider, vodka, and rumchata to a shaker filled with ice and shake. Strain into your glass and serve. Garnish with an apple slice if you want to add that something extra!

Let me know what your favorite ways to celebrate fall are in the comments, or on instagram/twitter!

Published by Alexandra Adams in Drinks, Happy Hour, Nails, Recipe, Style

August 3, 2015 — No Comments

Olympic Identity–Tokyo 2020, Host City 2024

The logomark for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games was released at the end of July, marking exactly five years prior to the Opening Ceremonies. Designed by Kenjiro Sano (founder of Tokyo studio MR_DESIGN), the mark is geometric in form and stands representative as part of a larger system (as demonstrated in the video below). The T formed by the mark stands for “Tokyo,” “Tomorrow,” and “Team,” the apparent themes of these Games.

The logo has met mixed reviews across the internet, as any prominent piece of graphic design does—some say it is uninspired and confusing, while others praise its simplicity and cleanliness. I don’t mind the new logo—I actually like it. I think it’s clean and refreshing and a hell of a lot better than the logos we’ve seen for the past few Olympic Games by far.

However, one point of contention lies with the idea brought forth by Olivier Debie that Sano plagiarized his work for Belgium’s Théâtre de Liège. The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee defended Sano’s work, explaining that prior to choosing the design, the group “conducted long, extensive, and international verifications through a transparent process.” While the two do share a striking resemblance, Debie’s mark is not registered or copyrighted, giving his claims to take legal action much less impact. With the rise of social media, everyone’s opinion is heard–whether they know anything about graphic design or not. This can be both helpful and harmful, as it’s become nearly impossible for any awaited design to meet a majority of positive reviews. However, this isn’t the first time an Olympic logo has run into trouble, and it probably won't be the last.

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I love the Olympics and I also love branding systems, so the task of forming the identity of the Olympic Games is one that has always interested me. My final semester in school, I completed an independent study project where I created an identity system that was adaptable to whichever city was chosen to host the Olympics in 2024. The system for Host City 2024 is loosely based on the interactions between the Olympic rings, inspired by an old poster for the 1932 LA Olympics. The identity changes and shifts as it is applied over various imagery for the Games, in a way very similar to the Tokyo 2020 system.

I’m eager to see how the system is implemented across various mediums as we get closer to the Games and more materials are released.

Published by Alexandra Adams in Branding, Design, Design Talk