Felt & Fitted - promoting a designer's lifestyle

The Killing II

Wednesday April 4, 2012

I fell a little behind and didn’t finish Season 1 until last night. Now I swear I didn’t peek and spoil what happened…so I have to say that I loved the finale. Looked like it was going to end up all nice nice with some closure and then all hell broke loose. I did suspect it (I mean c’mon…how could there be a season 2 if we got all the answers in season 1?)…but I didn’t see it all coming. IF I didn’t have the luxury of serial watching Season 1 right before Season 2 started I might have been pissed at the cliffhanger. So I caught that break. On to Season 2.

So DVR is my friend and enabled to me to catch the premiere tonight. Who was taking pictures of Linden when she was spying on Gil? Get the answer to that and I think we’ll know who the killer is. That’s gotta be who they’re covering up for no?

By the way, I’m really happy Holder isn’t dirty.

The Killing

Thursday March 29, 2012

Late to the party again…but better late than never. 4 episodes into Season 1 of The Killing and I’m pretty much hooked at this point. Season 2 starts Sunday and I like my chances of being done with the first by then. If not then magic of DVR and/or Time Warner On Demand.

Side Note – Just switched from satellite to cable (I know right?!), Time Warner’s On Demand set up is working for me.

Anyway, yeah it’s dark, but AMC is delivering another hip, edgy series. I still feel like I’m too early in the game to have it all (or anything really) figured out, but I’m intrigued. Each character is interesting, I like the contrast of Holder and Linden. Richmond has to be a scumbag, right?? Not to mention the story itself seems to be going in a direction I like. Looks like it’ll weave and all connect at some point.

No spoilers please! Give me thru the weekend anyway

The Black Keys – El Camino

Sunday January 22, 2012

Even though it was released in December 2011, I’m going to go ahead and call El Camino by The Black Keys the album of early 2012. For me, it’s gleeful stomp through the of land of garage/blues rock that keeps me moving every time I hear it. Lonely Boy and Gold on the Ceiling…if you don’t fall in love with these 2 tunes you probably should look for a new band to get into. I’m a sucker for great opener; Lonely Boy is about as good as it gets. Dan Auerbach’s voice is pretty easy to listen to and the lyrics boast an undeniable cool. Patrick Carney keeps the beat with relative simplicity, but damn if it doesn’t groove. Before you dismiss them as a White Stripes knockoff because they’re a two piece, dive into this and give it a real shot. The Black Keys have come a long way from the days of Thickfreakness, but they’ve remained true to their roots. El Camino has the cool factor the boys have cultivated for years, and I can still visualize these tunes on a Sons of Anarchy episode. Check it out on Amazon or iTunes.

Make sure to give it 3 listens!

Diesel Watch 1 more left!

Wednesday March 24, 2010

After trying on about 15 watches between Macy’s and The Bonton I have finally found the perfect watch. I purchased the DIESEL 100 METERS MENS WATCH from Amazon.com and absolutely love it! It is hard to buy a watch online because you cannot try it on and feel how comfortable it is but I had a Diesel watch before and was satisfied for the 5 years I wore it.

I searched the internet for a better deal on this watch but could not find any other online store with this watch. Amazon only has 1 more left and if you are looking for a watch you will be extremely satisfied with this one. It comes in a cool white case and arrived in only 2 days from the purchase date.

Air Jordan 6 Retro Red-Black

Wednesday March 24, 2010

Michael Jordan was the best basketball player to have played the game and his Nike Air Jordan’s are a classic collection. These Air Jordan 6 came out in 1991 there were five color way models retailing for $125.00. In 2000 three models were re-released of the Air Jordan 6, selling for $120.00, and in 2002 three low top versions came out which sold for $105.00.

For all you sporty designers you can pick them up when they re-released June 12th, 2010.

Source: Hypebeast, Sneaker Files

Moleskin Folio Collection

Wednesday March 24, 2010

I use a Moleskine Plain Notebook for all my little doodles and notes. It is great to have one of these pads handy when sitting at Barnes & Nobles and you have an “idea spark” from a magazine you are reading. They now have a new collection that is aimed at not only writing pads but storage and organization.

Source: Hypebeast

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Tuesday March 2, 2010

One of the best films this past year, The Fantastic Mr. Fox brings its clever jokes, artist flare and amazing picture to dvd. It’s one of the most unique works of art ever released, an instant classic for kids, adults, hipsters, and the rest of us at large. The music is amazing, and clearly influenced by bluegrass, folk, and Eastern music cultures. It is amazing how the animation and voices bring to life each character.

The film features some of the best stars like Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Wallace Woldarsky, and Michael Gamdon, as well as two important lead performances by George Clooney as Mr. Fox and Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox. I love the casting Wes Anderson chose for each character. I don’t think it could have gone any better.

Check out the trailer and buy the dvd.

Great Artist & Designer from Denmark

Tuesday February 23, 2010

Line Juhl Hansen is an artist and a designer. Her paintings have been showcased in many leading galleries and her design work is outstanding. To view more of her work visit her site here. Also, check out decor8 for more information about her design studio and her business partner Sidsel Gaustadnes.

line-artwork-painting

line-artwork-1

Ladies Nau Hoodie & Jacket

Saturday February 20, 2010

Nau (pronounced “now”) is a clothing company based in Portland, Oregon. They make sustainable urban+outdoor apparel – integrated designs for the modern mobile life. Check out the Randy Goat Hoody or the Scape Jacket. The Randy Goat Hoody is Bi-ply knit merino wool (Warm and Soft), offers insulation and breathability in a plush fabric that’s soft next-to-skin. The Scape Jacket is waterproof and made of 100% recycled polyester face fabric. It features a removable hood with a bunji adjustment and high neck with stand up collar.

With every purchase made to Nau they donate 2% to a partner of your choice that provides a environmental, social or humanitarian impact. Learn more about the partners for change program at Nau.

Mens Nau Lightbeam Jacket

Saturday February 20, 2010

Nau (pronounced “now”) is a clothing company based in Portland, Oregon. They make sustainable urban+outdoor apparel – integrated designs for the modern mobile life. Check out the Lightbeam Jacket Green Stripe or the Lightbeam Jacket Black. Very stylish and made of recycled polyester fabric this light jacket is great for any designer. Especially those living in those rainy cities like Seattle.

With every purchase made to Nau they donate 2% to a partner of your choice that provides a environmental, social or humanitarian impact. Learn more about the partners for change program at Nau.

Puma Phone with Solar Charging

Saturday February 20, 2010

It almost looks like a branded Palm Pre or iPhone but it is the new Puma Phone. This phone is not yet available but should be on your favorite carrier soon. If you are a huge Puma fan this phone is for you. The thing that makes this phone unique is the solar cell charging unit attached to the backside of the phone. This is revolutionary and is great for the days at the beach, golf course or anywhere the sun shines.

Great Laptop Messenger Bag by Speck

Sunday February 14, 2010

Currently, I use a laptop bag I purchased from Banana Republic almost 4 years ago, and it needs to be replaced. After reviewing many articles and searching sites, I think I found one I might just want to purchase, the Speck CorePack Fly Notebook Messenger Bag. This bag looks great, has a bunch of custom storage for all my gadgets and is built by Speck Products, known for superior quality. Grab them fast because Amazon is running a special on these bags. Usually they sell anywhere from $90 -$110 but you can get them at almost 40% off for only $56.00.

3 Must Read Books on Usability

Tuesday February 9, 2010

If you are a web designer, graphic designer or user experience designer these are 3 books you must read. The first book I read out of the 3 is Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug. Before I was introduced to this book I was mainly a graphic designer focused in print design. After reading this book it transformed my philosophy of why and how I designed.

The main philosophy Krug shares is to make your designs simple. He has a focus on eliminating all unnecessary clutter in helping the user navigate to the overall content or theme of your design. I look at the difference between Myspace and Facebook as the perfect example. Myspace the king of clutter has quickly gone from the social network phenomenon, to the site of the past and has been replaced by the highly popular yet simple Facebook. Why? Web users want to get to the content that is easy, simple to use and free from distraction.

The other two books Site-Seeing: A Visual Approach to Web Usability by Luke Wroblewski and Usability for the Web: Designing Web Sites that Work by Tom Brinck, Darren Gergle, and Scott D. Wood dig deep into the how and research behind why we must design for the user. Usability for the Web gives more insight into advanced usability practices but gives easy to understand methods in how to test and measure results. Luke focuses more on the visual approach and how to solve simple and complex problems with many examples including layout, visual heirarchy, color schemes, and how they work together.

If you have read any of these books or want to recommend any books on web design or usability please leave a comment. Overall if you are going to purchase one of these books I would definitely recommend Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug.

6 Design T-shirts / Script Type

Thursday February 4, 2010

Girls Wild Things

shirt by To Write Love On Her Arms

What’s So Bad?

shirt by Chalk Brighton

Script Type T-shirt

Higher than the sun

shirt by origin68

Hope for Haiti

shirt by SKREENED

script_type_tshirt_3

Word

shirt by Veer

Chest Hair

shirt by Veer / Photo Swiss-Miss

Nikon vs. Canon – Best SLR

Sunday January 31, 2010

I enjoy photography very much. While in college, I took a couple photography courses where I learned all the basics. I spent most of my semesters locked away in the dark room developing my black and white film. Then my school got some digital cameras. Eureka! No need to spend countless hours getting my photos just right with the least amount of graininess. Digital SLR’s made photography so much easier and accessible.

My room-mate in college Collin Erickson, took photography with me and he made his first big camera purchase, the Nikon D60. He just loved taking photos and the quality was fantastic. The more photos he took the better they looked. So many of my friends that have bought these digital SLRs have gone on to become great photographers. Two friends from California have even started their own photography company, Kristin Rogers Photography. Kristin and her husband do amazing work and will probably get famous doing photography for famous fashion magazines.

The two best digital SLR manufactures are Nikon and Canon and they have many different models. So as an amateur photographer or just someone that loves taking really good photos which camera is right for you? Lets take a look at how the Nikon D90 DX matches up to the Canon Digital Rebel XSi.

Nikon D90 DX

12.3-megapixel image quality
New 720p HD cinematic quality
4.5 fps continuous shooting
Low noise ISO sensitivity from 200 to 3200
3-inch super-density color LCD monitor
Built-in image sensor cleaning
One-button Live View
HDMI Compatible
GPS geo-tagging
In-camera image editing

Lens – 5.8x AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

Canon Digital Rebel XSi

12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor
DIGIC III image processor
3.5 fps continuous shooting
Low noise ISO sensitivity from 100 to 1600
Auto Optimization
Speedy, Precise Operation
Live View Function
Compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards
EOS Integrated Cleaning System
Dedicated ISO button

Lens – EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer lens

Some of the things I really like about the Nikon over the Canon is the HDMI compatiblity, GPS geo-tagging and in-camera image editing. I do know that Canon has been talking about adding these features to the Canon model but you still get much more out of the Nikon. The Canon would be a good choice because of its versatility with the lens. That means you can use a Nikon lens with your Canon body. I have heard from my photographer friends that a lot of the quality in their photos is due to the quality of the lens.

So overall, I do not think you can go wrong with either of these 2 choices. Both have some amazing features and will give you the quality of what the pros shoot. I would really like to hear from other photographers out there. What camera manufacturer do you prefer and what experiences have you had with either of these models?

New Apple iPad worth the hype

Wednesday January 27, 2010

If you have been on the internet today you have probably seen every website talking about the new Apple iPad. Is this new product announced today by Steve Jobs really worth the $499 – $829 price tag? It is like an over sized iPhone or iTouch and is almost the size of a piece of paper.

I own an iPhone and love everything about it, so naturally I look at this amazing new product and “need it.” But it is not until you look at everything involved till you should make your decision whether to buy it or not.

The name “iPad” is a little cheesy but it looks amazing, but I would never expect less from the design team at Apple. It is 9.56 inches x 7,47 and weighs a little less then 2 pounds. It has the capacity of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB, it has wi-fi, built in microphone and bluetooth technology.

5 Reasons to buy it

Best e-reader on the market
Large screen for all your favorite apps
Get magazine and newspaper subscriptions
Best way to show your portfolio
Supports email, photos, videos

5 Reasons not to buy it

It does not support multitasking
There is no webcam
It does not support Flash websites
Low capacity if you download movies
No usb ports

Some of the reasons why I might not purchase the new iPad when it comes out are as follows: I have an iPhone that does pretty much everything and more, plus it is much smaller – the price is probably going to drop next year – I do not read many books and do not purchase them – not enough capacity for the price – everywhere I would use the iPad I already have a computer or phone. I would much rather buy a Macbook.

Some of the reasons why I should purchase it: it is very cool – you can draw or paint on it – browsing the internet looks fun – it would be great to browse magazines – great for watching movies – games – it would be great for my meetings with clients. To get excited about all the great features you have to check out the unveiling of the Apple iPad.