Design Friday: The Elements and Principles of Design

Continuing with the idea of making design relevant in our own lives, I thought I'd take a break from the regular approach, and try to highlight the basic foundation of design, aka: the Elements and Principles of Design. (My main resource will be "Interiors: An Introduction" by Karla J. Nielson and David A. Taylor).
You might think you must have an innate ability to have good design sense, and if you weren't born with it you have no hope. I don't think that's necessarily true. An innate sense certainly helps, but I think with enough studying and practice, anybody can develop good design sense. Design shows are fun to watch, but not always helpful in educating (at least the ones I've seen). If you know and understand the elements and principles, hopefully it can give you a way to verbalize what you like, don't like, or what's missing.

Principles

• Scale
• Proportion
• Balance
• Rhythm
• Emphasis
• Harmony

Elements

• Space
• Shape
• Form
• Mass
• Line
• Texture
• Pattern
• Light
• Color
  

For the next 15 weeks, I'm going to take time each week to highlight each individual element or principle to help give a better understanding of what makes successful design. It'll be a good review for me anyway.

I hope I haven't bit off more than I can chew!

Legacy

I have an ancestor whose wife died in childbirth. Years later, in discussing the subject in a letter to his estranged daughter (who survived the delivery but was later adopted) he expressed, "The anguish of soul that I felt at this time you may try to imagine. I was bereft of a tender companion, a feeling mother, a good housekeeper and one that I love and yet love the memory of her."

I've always thought she must have kept an immaculate house, for her housekeeping to be missed so dearly by her husband. Personally, I've always found this sentiment a tad bit unromantic. I mean.... in my passing, I wouldn't really want my housekeeping to be a major source of my husband's grief.

Luckily, I have the power to keep that from happening.
Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaaaaaa....

(I'm just kidding, mom)

Climb Every Mountain?

Two weeks ago we watched this 60 Minutes segment on "Birdmen". My son was fascinated by it and showed sincere excitement in pretending to be a Birdman (ready to take a leap from my mom's couch)- which led to a 10 minute lecture about gravity, not jumping head first from things, special flying suits, and the use of the phrase "We don't try that at home," about 10 times.

A few days later we saw an IMAX film about the Alps. What I thought would be a scenic film of Alpine beauty mingled with yodeling, was actually a fascinating documentary about a man who climbed to the summit of Mt. Eiger (of the Bernese Alps) 40 years after his father died attempting the same feat. It is 3 days of pure ice climbing- including sleeping on the edges of sheer drop offs and hanging from crumbly ledges with an ice pick. The film reenacts the father's fall to death, and also includes footage of the troubles and near falls that the present climbers encounter. It was pretty intense for my son to watch. So intense, in fact, that towards the end of the movie he leaned over and whispered to me, "I'm never going to be a mountain climber." I assured him that everything would be okay... and then I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

What movie shall we watch next...?

Design Friday: The Kitchen Faucet

This week I really wanted to discuss something that exemplified design's relevance in our daily lives. It's inspiring to study chairs and architecture, but I wanted to highlight something more practical. My attention was brought to my kitchen faucet.


Perhaps one of the most important places in our homes that good design is a requirement is the kitchen. The kitchen is such a busy place, it makes sense to put thought into the items you will be working with all day long. Really think about your needs and try to find something that will meet them. It is rewarding to have something that works just the way you need it to. Remember the mantra, "Form follows function".
I love my kitchen faucet. I never thought I could love a kitchen faucet, but I do, because it meets my needs. Here are some considerations for a kitchen faucet based on my experience (but everyone's needs are different). Let me count the ways...
1.) Handle: Those retro dual handle faucets are cute, but it doesn't make sense to me to have separate hot/cold handles at the kitchen sink. Turning on the water and adjusting the temperature with my wrist is so convenient when my hands have salmonella on them and I need to wash them.
2.) Pull-out Spray vs. Side Spray: Having the spray function pull out is so much more convenient than pulling it across the sink. Also, the sprayer is easily maneuverable (some are like little shower heads!)
3.) Faucet Height: The high goose neck makes handwashing large pans or pots or filling up a pitcher so simple.
4.) With those needs met, I love its clean lines (aka: form).

Good design can should be a part of even the most practical aspects of our lives. We are all worthy of good design in our lives, and since you have to buy something anyway- make sure you love it. You'll be grateful every time you use it

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

For dinner last night, I made our all time favorite recipe for cold weather- Cincinnati Chili. My mom first introduced us to Cincinnati Chili when she came into town to help when my son was born. She picked up some seasoning packets during a layover in Cincinnati, and we were instant fans. It's rare we have a layover in Cincinnati, so luckily my mom found a recipe given to her from a former employee. Now we can make it whenever we get the hankering!

Words can not describe how delicious this recipe is. It is true comfort food. There are a lot of ingredients but most of them are spices, so there's little prep work. Just throw it all in the pot. Since it simmers for a couple of hours, your whole home fills up with the aroma- a fun way to surprise a husband home from a long day at work. So, for all of you out there suffering from the cold (and I'm pretty sure most everyone is) I share with you my recipe. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it as much as we do.

Cincinnati Chili
1 lb. ground beef
1 qt. water
6 oz. tomato paste
3 garlic cloves
5 bay leaves
1 onion chopped
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. vinegar

Crumble meat directly into water. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 2 hours or until thick, stirring occasionally. Serve on spaghetti and top with cheddar cheese.

Happiness in Motherhood

Here are four questions and answers from a talk titled "Daughters of God" by Elder Ballard on simple ways young mothers can feel successful and happy in their demanding work. (I've simplified the answers into bullet points).

What can you do, as a young mother, to reduce the pressure and enjoy your family more?

• Recognize the joy of motherhood comes in moments. Live in the moment.


• Don't overschedule yourselves or your children.


• Find time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests.


• Pray, study, and teach the gospel.

What more can a husband do to support his wife, the mother of their children?

• Show extra appreciation and give more validation for what your wife does each day.


• Have a regular time to talk with your wife about each child’s needs and what you can do to help.


• Give your wife a “day away” now and then.


• Come home from work and take an active role with your family.

What can children, even young children, do?

• Pick up toys and help with chores- without being asked.


• Say "thank you" more often.


• Put your arms around your mother and tell her you love her.

What can the church do?

• Be especially watchful and considerate of the time and resource demands on young mothers and their families. Know them and be wise in what you ask them to do at this time in their lives

Reinventing the Juicer

Last night I was looking through Better Homes and Gardens, when I came upon this gem of advice:
Really? Helllooo, haven't we evolved beyond the stage of using rocks as tools? How about THIS as an efficient way to juice something!

Or if we're going for the natural, "one with the lemon", electricity is lazy approach, at least give me something that won't cripple both of my hands and get me and my surroundings all sticky. Something like... say... this:

Life doesn't have to be difficult, and it doesn't make the juice taste any better if it is. Don't waste my time. Seriously.

Back to Reality

I was in a discount retail store the other day looking at all the leftover Holiday merchandise that was not chosen, and I thought to myself, "Isn't it funny how this stuff all had the glow of gift-potential before Christmas, and now it just looks sad?"

We had a great Christmas, welcomed in the New Year, and are now in the state of what I have come to think of as a "holiday hangover". The end of late nights, far too many sweets, routine thrown to the wind, fun to the point of exhaustion, and packing up Christmas decorations all have me feeling a little melancholy. Are there any home remedies for this? Does vacation really have to end?

I Wasn't There

I wasn’t there to see the star
That brightly led the way,
But I can have the Savior’s light
To guide me every day.

I didn’t feel the gentle peace
That fell on earth that night,
But I can feel His Spirit
When I’m doing what is right.

I didn’t watch while Mary held
Her precious little one,
But I don’t have to see to know
He is God’s Chosen Son.

I wasn’t with the shepherds
When they learned of Jesus’ birth,
But I can learn and share His word
With others here on earth.

I didn’t know the Wise Men,
With their treasures rare to give,
But I can give a priceless gift
Just in the way I live.

I didn’t hear the angels sing
Hosannas sweet and clear,
But I can praise and honor Him
Each day throughout the year.

-By Wendy Ellison

Jest 'Fore Christmas

Father calls me William, sister calls me Will,
Mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill!
Mighty glad I ain't a girl- ruther be a boy,
Without them sashes, curls, an' things that's worn by
Fauntleroy!
Love to chawnk green apples an' go swimmin' in the lake-
Hate to take the castor-ile they give for belly-ache!
'Most all the time, the whole year round, there ain't no
flies on me.
But jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!

Got a yeller dog named Sport, sick him on the cat;
First thing she knows she doesn't know where she is at!
Got a clipper sled, an' when us kids goes out to slide,
'Long comes the grocery cart, an' we all hook a ride!
But sometimes when the grocery man is worrited an' cross,
He reaches at us with his whip, an' larrups up his hoss,
An' then I laff an' holler, "Oh, ye never teched me!"
But just 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!

Gran'ma says she hopes that when I git to be a man,
I'll be a missionary like her oldest brother, Dan,
As was et up by the cannibals that live in Ceylon's Isle,
Where every prospeck pleases, an' only man is vile!
But gran'ma she has never been to see a Wild West show,
Nor read the life of Daniel Boone, or else I guess she'd know
That Buff'lo Bill an' cowboys is good enough for me!
Excep' jest 'fore Christmas, when I'm as good as I kin be!

And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemn-like an' still,
His eyes they seem a-sayin': "What's the matter, little Bill?"
The old cat sneaks down off her perch an' wonders what's
become
Of them two enemies of hern that used to make things hum!
But I am so perlite an' tend so earnestly to biz,
That mother says to father: "How improved our Willie is!"
But father, havin' been a boy hisself, suspicions me
When, jest 'fore Christmas, I'm as good as I kin be!

For Christmas, with its lots an' lots of candies, cakes an'
toys,
Was made, they say, for proper kids an' not for naughty
boys;
So wash yer face an' bresh yer hair, an' mind yer p's and q's,
And don't bust out yer pantaloons, and don't wear out yer
shoes;
Say "Yessum" to the ladies, and "Yessur" to the men,
An' when they's company, don't pass yer plate for pie again;
But, thinkin' of the things yer'd like to see upon that tree,
Jest 'fore Christmas be as good as yer kin be!

- Eugene Field

Fast as Fast Can Be...

The other day I was making gingerbread man, and realized I only had 2/3 of the molasses I needed. After perusing the internet for substitution ideas, I landed on Martha Stewart's site. Seeing as how the recipe I was using came from her book, I decided to take her advice. She had some other cookie tips that I found interesting too, so I thought I'd share my find.

Speaking of gingerbread men, aren't these cookie cutters awesome?!

ABC (Already Been Chewed)! If you took a plate of these to a party, I wonder if anybody would eat them?

Design Friday: The Night Before Christmas

I wanted to highlight something seasonal today, so I bring to you "The Night Before Christmas", illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa.


Last year I was perusing through a bookstore's Christmas sale rack for books to add to our Christmas library, when I came across this book. The poem is a classic (and a must have for any library), and I was immediately drawn to the illustrations. The book was published in 2007 but the illustrations all have a very vintage and whimsical charm to them, reminiscent of Christmas cards from the 1940' and 1950's (I especially love the forest scene inside the front and back covers- her reindeer and trees are so delicate and graceful). The quality of illustrations mean a lot to me, and these have such an integrity to them, that it instantly feels like a family classic. (I was excited to learn that Gyo Fujikawa is actually a pretty well known illustrator, with many works to explore).

So, give it a look.... of course, you don't have to take my word for it!

All Business

A few days after Thanksgiving, my son was insistent that we write a letter to Santa. Because he was hopeful for the letter to arrive quickly, I told him we could send the list via email. My son dictated his list, and after he approved what I read back to him, we sent the message.
About a week later, our church held a Christmas party where Santa himself made a grand appearance at the end. My son excitedly ran to stand in line to speak with him. This would be their first face to face meeting since last year, so when his turn came, I was surprised by how brief his conversation and interest was with Santa. As he walked back to me, digging through the treat bag that Mrs. Claus gave him (Which included a rotten apple. Who says Santa doesn't have a sense of humor?), I asked him what he told Santa when asked what he wanted for Christmas. Not one to waste time with unnecessary meetings, the only thing my son told him was, "The list is in your email."