A New Year, A New Battle

When I sat down to make my 2016 holiday cards, I wanted an image that rallied strength and hope for things to come, but also reflected on the year that's passed. And let's be honest, a little bit of a lot of us was hoping that someone would swoop down and save the day before inauguration. 

So you combine that tiny bit of optimism, with my recent Halloween costume, and my sincere love for the US Postal Service, and the card just sort of happened. Yes, that's right, my holiday card was inspired by a postage stamp. 

The hand-painted image of a very buff, wonder(ful) woman punching out 2016 recognizes the challenges 2017 offers, and vows to fight on. 

Stay strong. Game on 2017. 

Political Mystery Solved

Election 2016 is less than two months away, and there's some important questions that have yet to be answered.

But FastCo has answered a really important one for use today...
What Pantone color is Donald Trump?

Donald's skin tone is just as questionable as his political policies, but at least the experts are here to help with that first quandary. 

The Pantone gurus say Donald has an orange to brown gradient range including Burnt Orange, Desert Sun, Golden Orange, Autumn Blaze, Orange Rust, and Burnt Ochre.If you blend together all his hues, we're looking at Pantone 16-1449: Gold Flame.

The color Gold Flame suggests "sturdiness, strength, and endurance, in addition to vibrancy and gregariousness." Color theorists may argue that Donald is orange because it matches his personality... it's a brash color that's extroverted and fickle. Paired with his flamboyant golden hair, we're looking at fiery, animated, temperament.

Interested in seeing what The Donald would look like with a more natural skin tone? Buzzfeed's on it, and... it still doesn't quite look human....

Read more about the process of identifying the gold flame on FastCo.
(and don't forget to Vote November 8th).

Election 2016: Candy Coated Candidates

I fall for it. Whenever I'm in the checkout aisle and there's a new M&Ms flavor, I must try it.*

So when I'm given the chance to vote in the M&M election for a new favorite nut flavor...

... yup, I bought them all. Meet our 2016 candidates.

All flavors succeed at pairing well with chocolate and nuts. I don't love spicy chocolate so I lean towards the coffee and honey camps. I ultimately loved the extra dose of sweetness in the honey nut and they got my vote. But I do have to applaud the smoothness of the coffee, it was more like a creamy latte than a bitter coffee.

 

It's brilliant marketing, which gets them selling three packs of candy rather than one. And yes, I ate them all in one sitting. And since this election is way more pleasant than our current political system, I recommend you all take part, and exercise your right to vote. 

I mean, let's be honest, add a talking M&M to our current presidential ballot... he'd probably win. 

*Peanut butter still reigns.

Portland Votes for Birdie

I love the chain of events that led to this poster being created.

The poster was created by twitter user @kapour after a small bird visited Bernie Sanders during his Portland rally last week.

The incident led to and eruption of applause from the audience, and the spread of the hashtag #birdiesanders. It has also led to great memes such as this one.

If you haven't seen it, it really is quite adorable, and can be watched on YouTube here. Or you can read the full story on npr.org.