Friday, June 11, 2010

Coffee and Penguins and a Really Cool Blog Badge

Memory Box's penguins are just the cutest little critters. There are dozens of them with all sorts of accessories. My favorites are, of course, the aviator, the chef, the artist, and the coffee-drinker. If you could see me now, sitting in my breakfast room at my desk with a cup of coffee by my side, you'd know why this coffee-drinking penguin stamp is so extremely appealing to me.


Simplicity Tip: To matte or not to matte? That is the question. Here it is necessary, but I ALWAYS try to do without mattes whenever possible. In this case, the gingham ribbon and sentiment put too much black on the left side of the card, resulting in an unbalanced feel. By adding the black matte, the penguin gained a little visual weight and evened the card back out. My Simplicity philosophy is to always ask, "What is the LEAST I need to get my point across visually?"

Which leads me to the extremely cool badge my very creative reader Tejal designed. I don't know if Tejal had read all the way back to the first post of Simplicity, but I used this quotation from Leonardo Da Vinci to jump-start this whole crazy blog. So I've added Tejal's pretty creation to the sidebar of Simplicity. If you would like to do the same, she gives easy-to-follow instructions on her blog. Just click the link in her name above.

Thank you, Tejal, for sharing your talent and enthusiasm with all the rest of us! You ROCK!

Long live simplicity!

PS I can't believe how easy Blogger's new design feature is. It took all of five minutes to completely freshen and update the look of Simplicity. I hope you like the new look because I sure do!!!!!! And I never would have tried it if Tejal hadn't mentioned how much she loved it. Thanks again, Tejal!

22 comments:

  1. CUTE card....so fun too. Simplicity....I want more of that in my life. Guess I have to just get my brain to stop overloading; breathe and relax....
    Can we bottle that!??

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  2. Cute little penguin! I'm right with you on the coffee, too. I like your new blog layout/header, too -- still simple, but a little more personalized. Cool!

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  3. What a cutie patootie that little penguin is! Adorable card!

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  4. Thanks, Angela! I've been craving a change but all of Blogger's old templates were not really simple. This one is fresh and SIMPLE! It was soooo easy to do, too. Blogger rocks!

    Karen, I wish we could bottle it! I'd take a swig every morning, 'cause keeping things simple is HARD WORK!

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  5. Love your cutie pie card and your new blog look--so fresh!

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  6. Your new blog look is so fresh and clean, I almost think I smell Ivory soap. Great new look!

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  7. If what I did brought a smile to your face, then everything was worth it! Isn't that the reason for everything..to make someone's life a little bit better in some way?

    Tejal

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  8. Yes, Tejal, a day is a success if we've brightened someone else's, and you certainly brightened mine!

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  9. Love your new layout! Simple "eye candy" lol!

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  10. Many thanks to Tejal - through you - for the heads up on redesigning blogs. I just re-did mine, too!

    BTW - great card, as always, Susan!

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  11. So CUTE! And I love the new look! I know I was wondering what was going on today when I went to check my blog...I was like OH NO not change...I get used to stuff like it is...not sure yet if I will take the plunge...but I LOVE the look of yours...Hugs...Cookie :D

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  12. love your new look!
    love your card.
    and i must say, i am thoroughly enjoying all the masking cards. some of them are amazingly impressive!!
    thanks for the daily inspiration.
    you are just the best!!
    marty

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  13. LOVE your new look! And that card is toooooo cute, Susan!!

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  14. Cutie pie of a penguin!!! You certainly spurred my curiosity with all the talk about the badge and the new look! I'm right into it! THanks!

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  15. Love the penguins - that little aviator is too cute with the puffy cuffs!

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  16. Love the MB penguins and love your new look!
    Simplicity at its best!

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  17. Love the new look of the blog! It kind of follows the "Simplicity" theme, don't you think?

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  18. The new blog look is in perfect keeping with your style, Susan. It looks great!
    Love the card, too. I had never heard of Memory Box till your aviator post. I checked their website and was excited to discover a dealer near a city I'll be in next week. But... no aviator penguin in stock. Now that I know about their OTHER cute penguins, though!!! (I do like penguins, and I only have TWO penguin stamps...)

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  19. Adorable card. Thanks for the tip on making a simple card with or without the mat.

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  20. Love this penguin card. Awesome job! The aviator penguin on the other post is way too cute too!

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  21. I love your new layout! It even looks "layered"...even if it is white on white! (which I love, by the way!)
    You inspired me to go look at the new designs and I changed mine too. Only thing is I need some adjustments in my header picture, but I love the new look too!
    Plus...I added your motto to my blog. I'll go thank Tejal right now!

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  22. Wonderful card! I just love these guys too! Just discovered your blog today, and I love it. Thanks for sharing all of your ideas and tips.

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!