Kristin Currier

Timbukt2's Build Your Own Bag

I love cool new ways to show product online. I can play with this thing for hours, but I gotta work! Timbuk2 clearly has one of the most user-friendly and fun ways to design your own Timbukt2 bag. Go to their website and try it out!

We spent this past weekend at our designated future wedding spot, The Coral Bay Resort in Islamorada, Florida Keys. You can read all about it and see photos here. I did get a chance to do a quick watercolor and pen sketch of some of the succulent plants sprouting about.

Watercolor at the Coral Bay Resort

The Coral Bay Resort, Islamorada, Florida Keys

For Matt’s birthday weekend we decided to give our future wedding destination a visit. We scooped up the girls in Miami and our overnight bags and drove 3 hours south to The Coral Bay Resort in Islamorada, FL. It was a beautiful –if not slightly overcast- day, perfect for no sleeves or socks.

Julie and I in room 9

Upon arriving at 2:30 p.m. and checking in with Bryon at the front office, we inspected our adjoined bungalow at #’s 9 – 10. Basically, it’s a small house split in two. One half has two full beds and a bath. The other has the same with a full kitchen. Both have front porches with tables and chairs. The bungalow was immaculate, and not in just a clean-floor and clean-bathroom kind of way. The tops of the door jams were dust free. The insets on the doors were wiped down. The plastic white light switches were spic-and-span. The towels were snow white and thick. With just a few shabby parts indicative of an older building, the bungalow was pretty with yellow walls, tropical bed covers and glowing sunshine through the windows.

Tiki bar on the pier

We took the girls down to the water and pier. The pier is about 15-18’ wide, 25’ long, and is connected with two spits of land on either side, has the bay to the north of it, and the tidal pool and beach to the south. The tidal pool is filled with fish and crab, and although it’s not really the sort of place you could swim in, you can still wade in a bit. The beach has soft, white sand, lounge chairs and a thatched shade. The west spit of land adjoining the tidal pool has a boat ramp, the east, a long tiki bar with sturdy wooden stools.

North East sides of the pier

We found out that our Maine Lobster Direct order was not arriving due to big storms up north. They canceled the order, and reinstated the gift certificate for us for future use. Byron told us about Mr. Lobster about a mile west on US1, so we took a trip down to the little dock studded with large round vats, surrounded by fishing boats and lobster traps. A few hundred lobsters huddled together in the vats, long spiny legs and antennae poking and waving, clawless and brindle colored unlike the big red ones I was used to. Matt grabbed a net on a pole and shoved it in and pulled out an angry lobster, curling and flapping its tail in frenzy. Julie and I inspected a load of giant shrimp on ice while Alicia held back screams as Matt tried to show her the lobsters. The fisherman removed the heads of our lobsters with a skinny knife, cleared the entrails by needling half its antennae up the rear end, and then placed them in the bag with our shrimp.

Lobster tails, shrimp and steak tips

Alicia, leery of anything with more than 4 appendages, will not eat lobsters, so we drove to the nearest Winn-Dixie for steak tips, beer, garlic, butter, corn, red potatoes, apple sausage, lemons, limes and half of a German Chocolate Cake in a plastic container. This was no short trip, and we highly advise members of the wedding party to make their stops there on the way down to the resort if anything is needed.

The boat ramp on West side of pier

We popped a few Corona caps once we arrived back at the resort. Julie poured a Cape Codder. We walked by the quiet, colorful bungalows to the pier, where we discussed wedding plans, watched the sunset, and swatted biting gnats. These bugs bit through the layer of Skin-So-Soft as if it were marinade. Thank goodness I brought the can of napalm-strength Off! We found out later that the county sprays regularly, so we will be sure to ask about that before the wedding.

Ms. Tizzy, resident kitty of The Coral Bay Resort

As the sky grew darker blue and the air became cooler, the bugs seemed to lessen. Walking back, we met the resident resort kitty, Ms. Tizzy, a large gray tabby with a tail that sprang backwards onto her back when you petted her. I minced garlic and the rosemary I brought from my garden, Julie prepared the lobster tail, Alicia shucked corn and Matt waved gutted shrimps in her face. The corn, potato and apple sausage went into the big pot full of Beck’s, and the poached shrimp and lobster after. We ate on the front porch and it felt like a New England summer’s night. Ms. Tizzy circled our ankles, feasting on random bits of seafood falling from above.

Sailboat at The Coral Bay Resort

We had German Chocolate Cake and espresso vodka–some of Matt’s favorites- by the heated pool in the dark, our legs hanging down into the warm water. Soon, the girls went to bed, the few people staying in other bungalows had already gone to bed, and Matt and I went for a quiet walk around the grounds. All you could hear were the masts of sailboats, a lazy wave or two, and the occasional car driving up US1. We were in bed by 3 a.m.

Resort grounds at night

Between the 4 of us, we hashed out more plans for the wedding, like how to decorate, where to put the wedding altar, speakers, the tables, chairs, food tent, beverages and lighting. We talked about getting a volley-ball net and a boat, and what to prepare for food. Coral Bay is so pretty with its palm trees and lush foliage, colorful houses, soft sand beach and tiki bar, that we’re sure everyone is going to have an unforgettable time, and we are more confident than ever that indeed we have made the correct choice of venue for our wedding.

It’s been a abysmal weekend. Matt and I had to put down our critically ill kitty, Clive. He had something within him that just would not quit, a horrid gnawing illness we could not detect nor cure in time. He was just barely over a year old. And the sweetest thing imaginable. And he’s gone, just like that. Got sick Thursday night, and was in kitty heaven Friday afternoon. My darlin’ little Alarm Kitty -named for his habit of waking me up at 4 a.m. for his early morning love session, before I got up at 5 to work out. We buried him in our jungle backyard next to Howie and Captain Morgan, my loving Halloween black kitty of 14 years, and the loving dog companion of our home’s previous owner. Our yard is a pet cemetery, and believe me, there is no better place to be.

After laying him to rest Friday, and with a depressing Saturday moping about, we decided we had to get the hell out of the house. So we decided on a little rockabilly honky-tonk right next to the Gold Coast Derby Girl roller rink, where we could catch some hillbilly punk rock. I love all kinds of music. I was reared on punk and new wave, and recently have been loving old time jazz, blues and country, so this was a real treat.

So I put on my Frye’s and thrift store cowboy top, and Matt one of his many Hawaiian shirts, and we tried to put our best social face on. We caught dinner at Shenanigans West (Nice to see ya again, Matt the bartender, don’t worry, the jock-tard extolling the virtues of roofies only embarrassed himself, not you, sweetie), watched LeBron sink more impossible 3-pointers, and off to the hot rods, hot babes and hot cycles of The Monterey Club.

A little snapshot: A tattoo shop right next door called Kreepy Tiki with a straightedge gal with Marilyn hair listening to The Smiths. Johnny Cash and Tiger Army on the house stereo near the bar. Combat boots and blond dreadlocks smiling and sipping beers, chatting with robust Louise Brooks red-head girl with daisies in her hair. Illustrated boys playing pool -badly- and asking us if we wanted some new ink at the shop next door. We do, but we see Pooch and Scott up north. Maybe later?

The Monterey Club is like your cousin Ronnie’s basement. Cousin Ronnie works on old cars and motorcycles, has sideburns, tattoos, a pool table, comfy couches, a wide screen TV, listens to lots of Motorhead and Social D, and drinks plenty of Pabst Blue Ribbon. At the Monterey, you’ll see hot rods and walkin’, talkin’ pin-up girls. You’ll see girls in cowboy hats and mini skirts playing washboards with spoons. A crazy hippie on an old guitar playing gonzo punked-up blues from hell. Engines roaring outside from souped-up choppers. Big manly men with tattooed knuckles and big, black boots. The glittery SoFlo metro-sexual douches with faux-hawks, manicures and tight glittery shirts heading for the party at Las Olas would get pretty damned nervous in here.

Playing this night was Smokestack and the Foothill Fury, that dirty hippie stoner bastard (who kicks so much ass), and Boise Bob and his Backyard Band. Hillbilly punks from hell, all of them.

Visiting The Monterey is like inhabiting a Cramps song for a honey-slicked moment of time. And it was just where we needed to be. And bloody hell, it’s literally just a couple of miles down the street. A little slice of heaven in Fort Lauderdale. A comfier, cozier version of Miami’s church of the Churchill’s Pub. A place where R. Crumb could pick and choose his buxom models to ink into eternity. Which is what I pretty much did. Finally, some new art to put up on this blog ‘o’ mine. I hope you enjoy.

(Note: As of 1/16/2010 the bungalow map has been updated to reflect changes. Please see below)

With the wedding plans for 12.10.2010 coming along nicely, Matt and I have decided to place the bungalow map for the Coral Bay Resort as well as the *pricing online for everyone’s viewing. Invitations will be mailed out by this spring, and I will include a hard copy of these along with them. But, if you want to get the jump on now to plan your spectacular wedding/vacation here next December in (usually) warm and toasty Florida, you can do so now. You can call them at (305) 664-5568 and ask for Angela or Byron Cagle to reserve your bungalow now if you desire. Just be sure to contact Matt and I to let us know which one you’ve chosen, so we can update our online map, or even easier, just leave a comment to this post right here on this blog.

(* Please note that the pricing may be subject to change, we received our list just a few months ago, and I wouldn’t be privy to immediate changes made by the Resort.)

A little ’splaining, first. The map shows squares which are the bungalows. You can see an example of what the inside of the bungalows looks like by clicking here to my other post about the Coral Bay. They are adorable, artsy, and spic ‘n span clean! As the bungalows get reserved, I will post an updated photo of the floor plan, showing the bungalow as a colored box and the names of its happy future residents. As of now, the red one facing the water will be for the new Mr. and Mrs. Matt Ludlow (holy moly!). It can be safely assumed that the entire row of cottages might be deemed “party row”, so if peace and quiet is what you will be seeking after the wedding, you might want to reserve bungalow’s 13-15-16, which are good for parents and larger families, or 14-17 which are good for hermits The bungalows can be separated into smaller units or joined into cottages (which is what Matt and I are doing.) If you have any questions, Angela and Byron can help you reserve the best bungalow configuration for your needs.

Here’s the floor plan:

Here’s the pricing for the floor plan (note – the wedding is in the off-peak season, so that is great! Our prices in dark red!):

• Large Efficiencies: Units 1-3-5-7-9-11 (2 double beds, full kitchen) 2-4 people
  Peak: $179 Off-Peak: $139
• Bedroom and Bath: Units 2-6-10-13 (2 double beds, small refrigerator and coffee maker) 2-3 people.
  Peak: $149 Off-Peak: $119
• Efficiency: Units 4-8-12-14 (King or Queen bed, full kitchen) 1-2 people
  Peak: $149 Off-Peak: $119-129
• 1 Bedroom Apt: Units 15-16 (King or Double bed, full kitchen, living & dining room, includes sofa sleeper) 2-3 people
  Peak: $179-$199 Off-Peak: $139-149
• Full Cottage: Units adjoined 1 & 2 – 5 & 6 – 9 & 10 – 13 & 15 (Bedroom & Bath adjoined to Efficiency, see descriptions above) 4-6 people
  Peak: $305 Off-Peak: $210
• 2 Bedroom Apt: Unit 17 (4 Double beds OR King bed, and 1 Full bed, full kitchen, living and dining room, includes roll-away bed) 4-6 people
  Peak: $265-$305 Off-Peak: $189-210

Peak Season – December 20th – August 15th. Off-peak Season – August 15th – December 19th. All units include a covered front porch or patio area. All central A/C excluding 13, 15, 16 (A/C’s in windows for those), All linens, dishes and utensils supplied. Daily housekeeping service. Free dockage and boat launching. 24 hr laundry service.

Matt and I will probably be here the night before and after the wedding. You all are welcome to reserve as much time as you want. We want everyone to think of this as a lovely Escape-New-England-Winter vacation where two people you love and care about just happen to be getting married. We’re really looking forward to having you all down, it’s going to be a very special time. Palm trees, parrots, tropical drinks and sunsets. What could be better?

There is still so much to learn about Wordpress.org, but this was a decent follow-up to a beginner’s knowledge. Self-Hosting a WordPress Site by Maria Langer will get you to a basic level of understanding of how Wordpress.org can be installed into your existing site, and how to then use and tweak it.

Here’s my lovely certificate of completion:

A screenshot of a portion of the Gucci.com handbag page.

Web designers are always supposed to be mindful of viewers’ monitors widths. A lot of us have very large monitors to work on, and it can be too easy to make a website that goes off the screen of another smaller monitor. Nobody wants to scroll horizontally!

The site developers and designers of Gucci.com have decided to go wide anyway with a very usable and sleek design that is like strolling down a 20′ foot line of high-end shelving in a real store, but it works well for any size monitor. Read the rest of this entry →

ModCloth logo

I’m a designer by trade, not a marketer, but I come from a sales and merchandising past which requires knowledge about how customers think and react to certain stimuli. This helps me to integrate with the marketing team I work with and helps me design with the customer in mind.

And I am the customer. I absolutely hate (HATE!!!) malls and will only shop places that are clean, spacious, not crammed with crazy people and don’t have a scowling face manning the one open cash register with a line out the door. So I shop thrifts, Marshall’s on their slow time, or I go —more than ever— online.

This mirrors the current trend. Read the rest of this entry →

So yep, I took it. And you should too!

Sweet! Another series of online tutorials finished at Lynda.com. This time, I brushed up on my CSS skills. I don’t get to use CSS every day since I use Photoshop almost exclusively for web banner design and retail product photography retouching for web. So, keeping current is a priority, and a convenient way to do it is video tutorials. Lynda.com has the best bunch out there. This recent one was CSS Positioning Best Practices by Bill Weinman. It was a good tut series, but not a whole lot of in-depth theory on positioning at all, which I expected. But I did pick up a few things I hadn’t known before. I recommend it for those who have some semantic HTML coding experience and a beginning understanding of CSS fundamentals.

So, what’s next? In this line of work, really, what’s NOT next? Time to learn all about Wordpress so I can start tweaking this here blog o’ mine and designing my own themes.