I just went over to Geenius to catch up on this weeks design blogs and I am met with a rather swish looking holding page! I love the sleek glassy colour logo.

“It’s Coming” Indicates more than just weekend maintenance and if my curiosity wasn’t already unbearable enough there is a timer too! How could I not sit here and refresh my browser counting down I ask you?!

I suggest you do the same :D

I love Wagamamas. I think I may have mentioned my need to Flickr food that I’m craving, well I spent most of my Saturday night Flickring noodles. I know, I am SO cool. Wagamamas has become such an obsession that I am no longer allowed to talk to my boyfriend about it because “I am ruining it”… so I thought I’d blog it, share with you my favourite things and then (try to) never mention it again!

I had my first visit to Wagamamas back in July and I have to admit I was pretty sceptical about it. I had seen a far few of the restaurants open, but had never ventured inside until I arrived an hour early to see The Dark Knight at the Vue in Islington and needed to kill some time so opted for a few drinks with the Mr and something to eat.

The restaurant layout itself was pretty original and rather clever cafeteria styled with big long benches, which obviously means optimum seating and a somewhat social feel to the place. There are conversation starters (like the weather, how hungry you are and what you are going to order) written on the wall so that if you are eating by yourself you can perhaps natter on to your neighbour and make some new friends.

The food… It’s just so good. I’m obviously not a connoseur of Japanese food so I can’t compare the chain food Wagamamas serves to authentic Japanese cuisine but for what it is, it’s freaking tasty!

My second visit I had the chicken ramen:

(noodles in a pork and chicken soup topped with a marinated and grilled chicken breast, seasonal greens, menma and spring onions - yummy!)

It came with what can only be described as a rather daunting wooden ladel to eat the soup with plus chopsticks for the noodles/chicken. (see thumbnail 1) To set the mood they give you an individually packaged facewipe… just so you know that eating it is going to make a real mess!

So far my ultimate favourite is the ginger chicken udon! So soooo good!

(teppan-fried udon noodles with chicken marinated in ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Served with mangetout, red onions, beansprouts, chilli, egg and spring onions. Garnished with pickled ginger and fresh coriander - super yums!)

Something that you will notice when you eventualy cave and visit Wagamamas is that the portions are giant. I am a small girl and I eat like a pony, but there is no way I could’ve eaten all the chicken ramen. I do wish I was brave enough to ask to get my leftovers to take away… but I fear rejection, and It’s not a very “English” thing to do.

Needless to say, I am going to be heading back there soon, and I have my eye on the chicken kare lomen or the chicken itame… It’s a bit sad that I plan my meals! He he!

I thought I would give some kind of work update because I haven’t written about it in a while.

I’m feeling pretty productive recently, I’m currently freelancing for 3 different companies at once, so it’s quite a workload I am bearing! I’m working on a few self promotional things, including the new website which should go live in the next month or so.

The ever illusive promotional package that I just have not had time for recently is finally taking shape, and may I say, it is magical! <3

And not to mention some exciting new things upcoming, guest posting over at Geenius including collaborative projects and some brand new portfolio work which will be launched with the new website so keep checking back.

So quite alot is coming up, I have it all undercontrol of course! (Oh and yes, that image is of Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants.)

Peared, a beautiful concept designed by recent Syracuse grad Conor Hagan. Uniquely shaped sourced packages, reminiscent of its titled fruit’s shape, posed interesting problems for simple presentation of information.

The four pack is bound by a single piece of heavy paper material, suspended by gravity alone using no glues or plastics. The wrap around labeling for the larger bottles double as handles for easy pouring.

I love the stumpy multipack items, especially the peach!

Hooray!! This is perfect!
If you have been reading my blog recently you will remember that I mentioned I had to send my brand new Macbook back and that I didn’t mind because I had heard the rumours about the notebooks getting a (much needed) update.

This was rumoured to get announced at the Apple event on the September 9th “Let’s Rock” but alass this was kept strictly to iPod updates and there was not even a mention of notebooks.

But now!! The new rumour is that it on October 14th there is a new Apple event taking place which is notebook focussed, and this is further backed up by everything on this page!

Get excited people, GET EXCITED!
Because the next part of the rumour includes a *Macbook Touch* yes, that’s right!

You may have already heard the rumours about the multi-touch trackpads that will allegedly feature on the new Macbook Pro models, but now there is word that these multi-touch dynamics are going to be applied to what can only be described as a keyboardless laptop.

Here is a little look at the complete rebrand that is coming up hopefully soon(ish) of www.likeyougiveadamn.com It’s going to be shiny and new, and I can’t wait to get it online. This is just the version that I’ve been working on recently, by the time it goes live it might have been tweaked.

I’ve been persuaded to become a little bit more web 2.0, and I think it was a necessary step for LYGD’s 1 year facelift.

Also, you might be more interested to know that what you are looking at is a mock up of what the new MacBook Pro’s are rumoured to look like. Featuring the same shaped machine as the Macbook Air but the glossy patent look that everyone is talking about, superdrive slot in the front and also the highlight of the new models… the multi-touch glass touchpad!!

It’s supposed to be like having an iPod Touch/iPhone for a track pad… which is going to be amazing if they implement this into the new MacBooks too!!

…and as rumoured here are the brand new iPod Nanos!

Ohhh! So the first thing I’m thinking is beautiful colours!! I have the previous version of the Nano (the little stubby square ones) and personally I prefer the old shape. These are a little too simillar to the iPod minis of yonder year.

I do love the functionality. Enabling the screen switching between landscape and portrait was a good move, but it’s not really enough to sway me from my stubulent iPod.

I posted earlier this month when I submitted my room to CollectiveHaus and mentioned how I have “adorned” my bedroom walls with ornament. I used varnish fixative and painted big swooping interlinking shapes around focal points in my room.

I’m just not really a fan of flat paint, and I haven’t got anything I particularly want to hang on my wall at the moment, so as you can imagine there is alot of free wall space, why not fill it?

I had recently repainted my bedroom so what I’d done before I have to redo, but I do plan on adding some more on this wall and something a bit special on my desk area… but as yet I’m undecided as to what this will be.

This will have to wait until later as the fumes aren’t too great when I’m trying to work!

Dave Christenson is amazing. These vids are just so moody and beautiful, this guy is a genius, making something that is so simple so visually enchanting. This is especially the case with the colours used.

Shot this stuff with my friend adam(still photographer) and anna estella(model) yesterday…we just went up onto the roof of my apartment building which i didn’t know i could do until yesterday…had some really great light at sunset!

These videos were shot in HD which unfortunately won’t embed. If you want to get the full effect click through to Vimeo and watch them.

I found this yum calendar over at Monster Munch and I love love love it! I think its cuteness is amplified by the use of the “today is” peg.

You may have already noticed but the numbers/dates are backwards because as well as being letterpressed, the calendar is perforated too, and you tear the days off as you go!

How ingenious!!

Only recently discovered MonsterMunch but it’s already bookmarked! Sweet site and I’m loving the informal banter, there isn’t too much of that in blogs these days.

You can buy one of these lovelies over at Harrington & Squires for the fine sum of £16.50, shame the year is nearly over, but if you are interested it makes a nice typographical piece?

I stumbled across this absolutely amazing cross-stitch design, and to be honest I dont think the words “cross-stitch” quite accurately describe this, It should be called a tapestry because of how incredibly ornate it is!

The creator of this masterpiece has, in anticipation of its greatness, documented every single step of this in detail. Head over to her Flickr account to see SO much more!

“45 groups; 99 individual people and one happy little tree. It’s one 15 x 18 piece of Aida canvas, I think 22 count, all DMC floss.

Inspired by and adapted from from Craig Robinson’s Minipop drawings on flipflopflyin.com.”

As it says in the quote she was inspired by Craig Robinson over at flipflopflyin, more specifically, these tiny works of art “minipops” which are now also a book.

Also incase you can’t quite figure out who all the people are in the image, you can get the names from here (the photo is tagged!)