Global Moms Relay

Brilliant! Join in by sharing this video and other stories on the United Nations Foundation’s Global Moms Challenge website here.

Enjoy, Mari

Free Find: World of Wall Street

On a recent trip to our local recycling center Paul found the vintage game, World of Wall Street. Our recycling center has an area with free items for the taking that people drop off. It’s a great resource but I wish it was mission-based like the Free Store in Braddock, PA (check it out here).

Paul spoke with the woman dropping off her old board games. She said that she was cleaning out her attic and had a bunch of games that she had barely played before. This one had never been played – the cards and money were new in the package. Aside from a slight mildew smell and a bit of spotting on the board, the game is in perfect condition.

World of Wall Street was made in 1969 by NBC (yes, like the TV Network) and is a primer for understanding buying and selling stocks. We’ve played a few times and much of the game is luck-based but it does reinforce the concept of buying low and selling high.

My favorite part of the game, though, is the incredible graphic design. These days, designers work hard to achieve this mid-century aesthetic. This game is an actual example of what mainstream designers were doing in 1969 – complete with a slide rule!

See for yourself how simple and beautiful the game pieces are.

Enjoy, Mari

Brooklyn’s First Birthday Party!

I took myself on as a client and worked on Brooklyn’s party from the invitations (the New York Times image) and signage, to the baked goods, labels, buttons, and table design. Not shown are the flags made from subway maps, the theatre area where we showed her video montage, the play area, and the activity tables.

Some highlights:

• Individual mini-cheesecakes with tiny spoons (I love tiny spoons!)
• The smash cake with the skyline around it
• Subway-inspired signs
• 5th Avenue Bar favors
• NYC-themed coloring pages
• Brooklyn Lager for the grown-ups
• Classic NYC coffee cups
• Black & White Cookies (which I didn’t bake)
• Subway-themed and pixelated temporary tattoos
• A crown made from a subway map

Enjoy, Mari

Montage of Montages

Part of the reason I’ve been too busy to post is because I’ve been making a lot of video montages like the one above. I make these tribute videos for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, nonprofits, and lately a lot of Bar Mitzvahs.

In addition, I work on branding events including logo design, place cards, t-shirts, stickers, giveaways, and personalized gifts. Recently, I designed place cards meant to look like NFL tickets, a vintage logo for a 40th birthday, a surprise tribute video, and everything you can imagine for Brooklyn’s first birthday (lots of images coming soon).

In the video you’ll see a taste of the kinds of animations and transitions I use in my videos with some clips from families (including my own!) who let me share their images.

Enjoy, Mari

Finding Balance…

How appropriate to get back into the swing of things on the blog than with a video webinar I participated in on the topic of Work/Life Balance. In particular, this conversation centered around the particular challenges for social entrepreneurs but I think our discussion applies to anyone who is looking to find equilibrium with their career and personal life.

The International Youth Foundation and YouthActionNet hosts these webinars – check out their YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/YouthActionNet.

More on this soon…but it’s been an absolute crazy time for me both working freelance and taking care of our now 14-month old (!) daughter. Often, it feels like having more than 2 full-time jobs. Hence, the break from posting on this blog.

But, now I’m back. Some of my freelance projects are coming to their conclusions and I’ve decided to scale back on saying yes to more clients. It’s a nice position to be in – being able to choose your work – and right now with everything going on it’s the best way for me to stay balanced.

Enjoy, Mari

Get Ready!

The Day the Earth Stood Still

This time last year, almost to the minute, I was looking into the face of our daughter for the first time. Although I had been in labor for almost two days, I was surprised by how quickly it all happened in the end. They lay her on my chest and she was so soft and warm and clean and new. I think I cried. I think I smiled. More than anything, I remember how right it all felt. How I already knew this little person. She had been a part of me and was now a part of me out in the world.

I guess that’s how other mothers feel about their children and why it must be so painful when they grow up and leave. It’s like a part of you is missing – walking around out there in the world.

Until then, I’ll enjoy the time we have together. I feel so grateful to have this kind, curious, intelligent, funny, and strong little lady in my life.

Happy First Birthday, Brooklyn!

I love you.

Mama

Dave Isay’s TED Wish

The Girl Who Stood Up

A photo posted by Huffington Post (@huffingtonpost) via Instagram on Mar 8, 2015

 

Brooklyn is 11 Months!