Download Eleanor Grosch desktop wallpaper

I'm a huge fan of Eleanor Grosch so I'm delighted to see she's got more free wallpaper to download: some fall and Christmas themes are available here. I've got Quail (pictured above) on my desktop now.

The most awesome video I have ever seen

If you're a graphic designer and you've worked with clients for awhile, you will die laughing when you watch the commercial for Make My Logo Bigger Cream, a special new product available to your clients.

I'm afraid the video won't be as funny to non-designers, but it could prove helpful nonetheless. If you're a client, it will arm you with plenty of suggestions you could present to your designer to make her throw up or pull her hair out. That could be fun. (Link via Graphic Design Bar.)

Kodak photo cards

I hate to say it, but I think those websites where you upload your own photos to print on cards usually have some pretty ugly designs. But I just saw these at Kodak. I think the accordion fold design is cool because they didn't muck it all up with decorative doodads. And I see they're offering Martha Stewart designs, too. I dare say they're actually cute.

Fall craft projects

If you feel a hankering to make some decorations before Thanksgiving rolls around, here are some ideas:

Twig coasters at Martha Stewart
Ultrasuede leaf placemats, also from Martha
Those fall leaf garlands everybody was making last year. Martha's leaf template seems to have disappeared when her new site launched, so you can use this one instead.
Roses made from maple leaves at haha.nu
Felted acorns made by Betz White

Coffee pot recommendation

We've had this Bialetti stovetop espresso maker for almost a year, and I love it. As Alex regularly reminds me: "You love that thing." So does he. We have the 6-cup stainless steel model. I'm not convinced it actually makes 6 espresso-sized cups, but it makes enough espresso for a latte for each of us. We put some milk in two cups and microwave it for a minute; then dump in the brewed espresso (we grind Metropolis beans). SO GOOD. Not to mention the pot design is very attractive and simple to clean.

(Image from Bialetti)

30 Days of Gifts to Sew

The folks over at Sew, Mama, Sew! have compiled "100 of the best sewing tutorials on the web" and will feature a couple each day during the month of November. And November starts today! So go have a look and see if you get inspired to make your own gifts this year. To view the schedule for the month, click here.

Have some orange for your desktop

I made some desktop wallpaper available in two sizes to download from my website. And then I got a new monitor with a wide screen that has a different aspect ratio, so I can't even use them on my own computer! So if anybody else wants a 1680x1050 version of this image, download it here. The other sizes are available here.

(Computer image from Apple. Wallpaper image from me.)