I still haven’t, and I live here now. But at the very least I took it in tonight online thanks to their live stream of the event!

If you’ve ever watched a Livestream event, you know the stress that comes with really not wanting to miss something that’s going to be broadcast. Especially if it’s like 8:05 and you’re not seeing the screen change to a live event. Your heartbeat starts to race a little, you get nervous… Is everyone else out there seeing the fashion show starting, and are you just outta luck?

I kind of thought I was going to miss the SCAD Fashion Show this year, too, because that’s exactly what was happening on my screen. Nothin.

But then, finally, I heard them announce the school’s president Paula Wallace – she came on stage to say a few words, and then she turned things over to none other than Andre Leon Talley.

Guess what he was wearing.

Did you guess cape?

You win!

Andre went on to present the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement award to fashion designer Francisco Costa, who said a few words. It was neat to hear how many major brands Francisco’s worked with in his career! And I don’t mean to rush on to some screengrabs, but SCAD Fashion wasted no time in getting down to brass tacks. Everyone was there to see the runway, and they delivered.

I loved how impeccably all of the models were styled, from hair to makeup to shoes, the whole 9 yards. This runway show was so fun to watch from my home office, and I really hope I get the chance to go in person next year!

I was having such a blasty enjoying the fashions and live tweeting that I didn’t realize until a few minutes in that oh snap you guys would want to see what was going on too!

I managed to grab a handful of screencaps of the 2013 SCAD Fashion Show for you to check out – enjoy!

The thing I like about watching runway shows is the stream of ideas that can be incorporated into design projects. This outfit obviously makes me wanna work with big bold patterns and electric blue. Any bright jewel town, really. The mix of neutrals with pop color is awesome.

I’ve been on a big Macklemore kick lately, and I’m sorry but this is a fancy version of the coat he’s rocking in the Thrift Shop video. I mean that in the very best of ways, seriously.

I thought the shapes on this tan bubble cloud dress were interesting, and her stance in this photo kind of feels like a monks robes. I’m just into the shapes; I wanna know how the designer created them.

The highlight of the show for me, no surprise, were the kids. Super cute, all of em, and I totally dig that bear hoodie. Adorbs!

Some great examples of repeat patterns and colorblocking – The pink dress in the middle was part of a series of bright pop color dresses, and every one of them was pretty cool looking.

I totally loved the royal blue and black hand painted repeat pattern created for that middle dress. In love with it. The wiggle dress silhouette? Also a win.

Loved the quirky folk art inspired feel of this dress – I wanted to just make her stop on the runway so I could see everything going on with it!

Dear Jenn. This gal reminded me of Fanny. Just a really cool vintage inspired retro style dress with a classy clutch.

The details coming off the shoulders of this evening gown were great!

I loved the mix of fabric textures and colors in these pieces, color blocking that isn’t necessarily just straight lines going horizontal or vertical. Adds so much visual interest when other angles are added!

Before watching this livestream of the SCAD Fashion Show, I wondered.

Would I see a Carrie Bradshaw Sex and the City moment, where someone came on stage in underwear?

Turns out I wasn’t far off. This gal rocked it, though.

This gal, she knew she was getting photographed. Her presence on the runway, the pause, the deliberate sinking into a couture pose, the pause in that pose…

And then that dress.

Totally gorgeous.

I thought about Where the Wild Things Are when these gals came out. They’re high fashion Maxes here to start up the wild rumpus, y’all.

Then, much too soon, the 2013 SCAD Fashion Show ended with a dramatic and dark finale.

No, I’m serious. It was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything on my screen. I still heard music playing, so I figured it was still going on…

And then the black lights kicked in.

And a series of black light friendly, neon evening wear was on the stage, strutting it in the dark.

The lights came on, I realized it had been 50 minutes or so and only felt like 10, and dangit guys… Why couldn’t this thing have been like 2 hours long?

Hope you enjoyed our recap of the 2013 SCAD Fashion Show!

Which was your favorite look? And are you still on the Project Runway party train, or did you derail like I did this last season with the teams thing?

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

Ready to learn my trick to get more likes? With a bonus side effect of new followers here and there?

Tuesday night, I was working late on some illustration projects. As the night drew to a close (just a little art humor there folks), I got an idea for a really cute funny picture that I wanted to put on Instagram the next day. I stayed up for another half hour sketching, and then another 20 minutes inking this “Have a Grate Day” cheese pun.

It might be my new favorite thing.

But as you can see in my Instagram screenshot, everyone else loved it, too!

Here’s what I do to make sure the maximum number of people see my Instagram photos, and ensure they got lots of likes and comments:

1) Post the best one, not the first one.

Always start with a good photo. Whether you’re snapping a pic of a person or an object, take a few shots, maybe from a few different angles. Use that depth of field tool in Instagram to focus on the thing that’s the important part of your image, and pick a filter that helps show the details. If your pic is too dark for people to see what’s going on, their brains won’t quickly comprehend and “like” that photo. If your pic looks rad without a filter? Don’t add one.

The thing to remember is if you’re using social media to promote yourself, you need to take the time to make sure that self promotion makes you look good.

2) Keep your caption short.

I like to auto post my Instagram photos to Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter. Because of Twitter’s text limitations, I try to keep my caption short and funny or engaging. When my Instagram post shows up in that Twitter feed, the reader can get a better idea of how cool my pic is, making them want to click over.

3) Hashtag? #MakeoutParty.

This is the best part of my Instagram plan of attack, the part that makes me wanna have a makeout party with myself for figuring it out. You know on Facebook, when someone posts from Twitter or Instagram or Tumblr… and it’s just a HUGE CLOUD OF HASHTAGS? That is super annoying… and kind of spammy looking. But hashtags are really great for getting your images found on Instagram! I mean, they’re really effective!

So where’s the middle ground? In the comments, my friends.

Not the comments of this blog post, mind you – the key to more likes on Instagram is using the comments for your photo.

When I post a picture to Instagram, I give it a short cool caption and hashtag it with 3-4 of the most relevant hashtags. When I publish it, I auto post to Twitter, Flickr and Facebook.

Then, the second that posts, I leave a comment on my photo in Instagram with 8-10 more hashtags. Do it fast, because there’s a constant stream of photos happening on Instagram. And if you click on a hashtag, you’re seeing the most recent pics posted with that tag. If you come back and add your comment with hashtags later, your photo is going to be buried in the stream for that hashtag.

More hashtags? More likes. It’s that simple.

The nice thing about doing it this way is it balances your need for hashtags on Facebook (which are coming eventually!) with not coming across as overly spammy, along with really taking advantage of being found on Instagram. You can see this in action at my Have a Grate Day cheese illustration on Instagram. Check out the very first comment on that photo and you’ll see what I mean.

Hope this helps you get more likes on Instagram!

Who else has a social media tip? Share it in the comments below!

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

Let’s Ask the Experts:

Hey there-Do you use a graphics tablet and pen for editing/creating on your computer? I have found myself wanting to get one and would love a recommendation if you use one. I’m looking at the Wacom Bamboo, but am not sure what the best option is. I’m sure I’ll use mine slightly differently since it will be for all digital photo editing, but would still love to know what you use. :-)

Thanks!
Nat

Our Professional Opinion on Graphics Tablets

I’ve been using computers since I was 6, so the mouse is super hard wired into my brain. (I just did the math… we’re going on 30 years of being a total computer nerd, people.)

For clicking around, and most of my work processes, I use the mouse. But anything creative and drawing oriented, I definitely switch to my Wacom graphics tablet. That includes photo editing, which I do handle from time to time!

I like the softer feel of the Photoshop brushes when used with my drawing tablet, because the stylus and graphics tablet are pressure sensitive; the ends of your brush strokes can taper off instead of being one uniform width all the way across. It makes for a much more natural looking stroke, especially when partnered with turning on the pressure sensitive opacity feature.

I haven’t used the Bamboo drawing tablet, but going with a less expensive option if you’ve never used one is a great way to go to get your feet wet. I’m currently working with a medium sized Intuos5 touch.

Personal Graphics Tablet Recommendations

Skip the wireless kit. It’s a cruel joke and doesn’t really work. I tried like mad to use my wireless kit for about a month before I ditched it. Also skip the “artist tips” you can buy separately. Totally not needed. (Says the gal who bought them a year ago and still hasn’t used them.)

I did spend the extra 70 bucks on the Wacom mouse, though, which I find really handy. If you use both mouse and stylus a lot, it’ll save you some desktop space because you won’t need a separate mouse/mousepad setup that you’ll have to move when you want to get your graphics tablet going.

Important to note: If you’re buying an older used model of Wacom tablet, it may include the wireless mouse! They started offering them separately in newer releases of the graphics tablets. So check to see if you’re getting a mouse with your tablet before you buy one separately.

Wacom makes a solid product and they hold up well over time, so don’t be afraid to look for graphics tablets on eBay!

What did Natalie Buy?

Later, I got an email back from Nat:

Photo credit: Ebay listing

I’m so glad you suggested eBay!  I just found a Wacom Intuos3 Graphics Tablet, opened box but unused, for $90.  That I can do!  Yay!

Nat

Do you have a graphics tablet?

What kind do you use? Share in the comments!

If you’ve got a question for a future ask the experts feature, contact us.

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

A few months ago, Phil learned how to do thumbs up. EVERYONE got the thumbs up for about a week. Constantly and consistently. If Phil saw you, he gave you a big ol’ happy thumbs up where his usual high five used to be.

Last weekend, I had a moment of inspiration while we were talking, and I told him “Did you know there was a thumbs DOWN?”

Mind. Blown.

I explained how thumbs up meant yes, you like something.

Thumbs down meant no, you don’t like it.

And we started giving thumbs ups and thumbs downs all over the place.

He’s 2 and a half, and he’s really developing that sense of… how do I put it delicately… potty humor. So of course our conversation ended up at poop.

Does it get a thumbs up? Or a thumbs down?

DEBATE TEAM!

There’s a few things I really love about this video. Number 1? That “are you kidding me” was totally unscripted, which is why I busted out laughing after it. I have no clue where that came from.

(Ok I do know where that came from. That came from me trying to do something on the computer, it not cooperating, and me yelling “are you kidding me?!” But how did Phil think to add it into this conversation?!)

The other thing I love, that I noticed after I had seen this video on YouTube a few times… is that I’m totally mouthing what Phil’s saying as he says it.

Why am I doing that!!

What a dork.

I do want to give myself a big ol’ Mother of the Year pat on the back for my restraint. As this was going back and forth between my son and I, it was all I could do to not go all vintage SNL Point/Counterpoint Dan Akroyd on him and yell “Jane, you ignorant slut!” at my 2 year old on a video I knew was going to be funny enough to put on the internet.

Join the Debate Team!

Where do you stand on the poop in the pants issue? Thumbs up, or thumbs down? Join our debate team in the comments!

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

I don’t have a problem with that at all. The only thing is… I’m still seeing the same basic zig zag repeat pattern all over the place and it’s been at least a year if not more since the Missoni craze.

And designers, it doesn’t take that much work to take a trend that’s been around for a while and put a little spin on it. Let’s step up our collective game!

I found myself exploring chevron patterns on pinterest this week – I even created a Pinterest board devoted to the trend. Check out all of the great examples of basic and less than basic uses of the chevron pattern that I found, along with handy dandy shopping links below.

Sorry, Phil’s been watching lots of Blue’s Clues lately. Everything is handy dandy thanks to that dang notebook.

1)Turquoise and White indoor/outdoor fabric - This turquoise and white stripe is nice and fat, but also super basic. It’s a pretty good representation of what is runnin’ rampant these days.

2)Zoom Zoom Twill Harmony Fabric - Add a little color, and it’s already looking like a fresh new take! I love the secondary repeat pattern created by the grey chevrons between each of the pop colors.

3) Black and White Chevron Pattern Dress - Up the drama factor with stark black and white, and give it a colorblocking element so your zig zag doesn’t overwhelm.

4) A. Byer Chiffon Chevron Print Blouson Dress – Limon, lemon lime, chartreuse, acid green – whatever you call it, this colorblock paired with a thin chevron packs a visual punch! The other thing I really liked about this chevron is the thin line weight mixed with the fat white space around it.

5)Aqua, Navy and White Zig-zag Print Dress - Your chevron patterns don’t all have to be at 90 degree angles! Experiment with shallow and deep angles, like the dramatic highs and lows created on this print.

6)Aqua Chevron Pattern, Chiffon Shift Dress - Skip the white space and go tonal! This zig zag could’ve gotten even more subtle by darkening up the aqua a little and lightening up the royal blue.

7)Dwell Studio Chevron Crib Sheet - Chevrons aren’t just for adults, and I love the airy quality of this particular repeat pattern. Think about separating out your chevron into segments and then exploding them outward to create white space.

8)50 Ripple Stitches Crochet Book - The one thing I thought of when I saw this book cover is how every zig zag you see these days is super crisp and clean. Why not think about adding a little texture? Creating a crochet textured zig zag would be crafty-cool for sure, but cement, wood, or any kind of distress definitely adds a little edge.

9)Triwa Lomin Chevron Pattern Watch – What stood out to me in the blue repeat pattern on this watch face is that, like the crib sheet, someone had the good sense to break the chevron up into up and down pieces, and then recolored the pieces so there was a little visual interest. I really love this repeat.

10)Sockaholic Navy, Pink & Yellow Chevron Knee-High Socks – What stood out to me here was that the repeat pattern designer offset the pieces of the zig zag, so the chevron doesn’t just go straight across. It totally takes things up a notch! I tip my hat, this took a little more thought than just hitting the zig zag button in Illustrator.

11)Chevron Pattern Studded Skinny Belt - Who says you have to beat people over the head with the trend you’re rocking? This belt is such a great understated representation of the chevron stripe. It’s a great example of how to take a trend and interpret it, rather than just parrot it in a bold blocky zig zag.

12)Missoni Zigzag Sleeveless Sweater Dress - You can’t really talk chevrons without talking Missoni, and they do their own trend up right. I mean literally UPRIGHT. Don’t be afraid to give a new direction to something everyone else has been doing another way for ages.

13)Colorful Bold Retro Inspired Chevron Pattern Binder - I like the idea of making a zig zag pattern that is so tall, it takes a while for any of the colors to repeat themselves. This 3 ring binder’s on the right track!

14)Arrow Head 3/4 Sleeve Shift Mini Dress - Pattern added inside of one of the stripes of this repeat pattern gives it whole new playful feel, and curving the zig zag lines ever so slightly loosens things up a bit. This chevron feels a little more laid back and a lot more fun.

15)Missoni Zig Zag Chevron Blue Sweater Mini Skirt - What can I say, Missoni knows chevron patterns. This one they threw into a 45 degree angle for a more fun vibe.

16)Turquoise and Brown Scoop Neck Bell Sleeve Shift Dress – One thing that really freshens up a chevron repeat pattern is changing up the line weights. There’s something so… expected about the same ol zig zag line over and over and over. Thick lines, thin lines, let em all play together. Throw more than 2 colors in the mix and you’ve got yourself something that’s way more visually interesting to look at!

17)Missoni Sleeveless Sweater Dress - This is by far my favorite of the chevron patterns I saw in my searches this week. There’s no rule saying your chevron has to cover the entire surface. Try containing it in a smaller section, try mixing other patterns or stripes in with it. Just play with it!

Have you seen any good chevron patterns lately?

Share links in the comments!

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

Saturday, April 20
2pm-6pm
St. John’s Lutheran Church
301 N. Columbia Ave, Rincon, GA

The Authors and Arists Reception will be held Saturday from 2-6pm at St. John’s Lutheran Church at 301 N. Columbia Ave in Rincon. Know where Highway 21 is? Look for the church in between 9th street and the elementary school. Not Rincon First Baptist – the other side of the street. You’ve got it! That’s the one!

Admission to the Authors and Artists Reception is absolutely free!

I’ll be unveiling a brand new coloring sheet for the kiddos – the first 25 kids gets one! Here’s a sneak peek of one of the new sheets in progress:

Later this week, you’ll be able to pick up additional coloring book designs for FREE exclusively at Rincon’s Teach Right store on Highway 21 (in the Sonic shopping center near Wal-Mart.)

And now for a big Spring Giveaway!

I’ve teamed up with a slew of other bloggers to bring ya a pretty dang awesome giveaway. You could win a $500 gift card to online camera shop B&H Photo or a $250 gift card to Kelly Moore Bags – both are pretty sweet prizes!

What are you waiting for? Get entered in the giveaway already!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

I told myself I was NOT doing that song and dance every day! We had built a huge coop. Even at full size, they’d have enough room inside if they never came out. But then where’s the fun in that?

Thankfully the ladies have gotten a handle on themselves since then. Here’s how hard it is to get em in the coop in the evening nowadays:

It’s enough to make me feel like farmer of the year.

Now if I could just keep the goats outta the chicken coop…

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

I stumbled upon microwave coffee mug recipes last night on Pinterest.

It kind of blew my whole world apart. There’s literally whole vistas of super fast single serving meals that you can make in the microwave out there.

All it takes? A coffee mug and some simple ingredients.

There’s a super practical reason I’m so intrigued by quickie meals zapped into existence in a microwavable cup. As a work at home mom, I am on the go pretty constantly from the time business starts at 7am til I go offline around 4 or 5pm. Between making sure my graphic design and illustration projects are on track, helping Phil stay occupied while I work, talking to clients on the phone, and keeping up with e-mails, there’s a good portion of the week where I skip lunch.

If you’ve experienced hungry Steph… I mean hangry Steph… (That’s when you’re so hungry you get angry) you know that by the end of the work day I’m usually starving and sort of kind of surly.

The idea of microwave coffee mug recipes is exciting because it means I can make actual healthy lunches in just a couple of minutes without the help of Lean Cuisine. The first thing I tried for lunch today? Scrambled eggs!

Microwave Coffee Mug Recipes: Scrambled Eggs

You’ll need:

• A microwave-safe 12 oz coffee mug
• non-stick cooking spray
• 2 eggs
• a handful of shredded cheese (I used Mexican Style cheddar cheese)
• a splash of milk (if you like to measure it out, go for about 2 tablespoons)
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook it up:

1. Give the inside of your coffee mug a spritz of the nonstick spray. It doesn’t have to be a lot – you can use a little, and then spread it around with a paper towel.
2. Crack your eggs into the mug, add the cheese, and splash in some milk.
3. Stir it all up. Add a little salt and pepper.
4. Put it in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir. Put it in the microwave for 45 more seconds. Stir again to make sure it’s cooked thoroughly.
5. Eat it up!
6. Bonus round: make some for your 2 year old son knowing he won’t it. Now you get to have seconds!

Adapted from IncredibleEgg.org.

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

The bonus to getting out of the house and shopping in person? You’re saving money on toys and books that are both fun and educational.

This local educational supply store is offering some great deals to make room for new inventory. High on my don’t miss list? 50% off of Melissa and Doug toys. They’ve also got 30% off on children’s books, and I’m sure we’re going to be picking up a couple of new titles. Phil is reading like a fiend these days, gotta keep encouraging that.

Click here to check out the full run-down of sales and discounts at Teach Right this weekend.

The fun things for children don’t stop at toys and games, though. Marian from Teach Right mentioned recently that they’ve usually got fun things for children to do so their parents can shop more easily. We’ve lived in Effingham County for 7 months now, and have not made it into this local shop yet. I can’t wait to change that this weekend!

Shopping local and supporting small business owners is so important. We all know that. So I hope you’ll take the time to get on over to Highway 21 in Rincon this weekend to pick up a couple of fun educational things for your kids!

Teach Right can be found at 585 S. Columbia Ave. Unit #11, Rincon, GA.

Not in the Rincon, Georgia area? You can support Marian’s great indie business by shopping  online!

Who else has fun things for children going on this weekend?

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!

This is a summary of some of the great SEO tips I follow for writing blog posts that are search engine friendly. Theses tips also help people find you and share your great posts on social media sites!

Click here for hi res letter sized pdf for printing, and post it next to your monitor as a friendly reminder!

For my swag bag piece, I wanted to create something people would really hang on to. Maybe someone would get these tips and already know all this stuff! What about them? Better make the other side super awesome, too, so they can hang it up in their studio as a fun inspirational piece!

I actually did the basic illustration of the martini glass, scissors and thread a few years ago. Delilah and I were chatting about a completely different crafty event idea – we both got a little too busy to get that other idea off the ground, but it was cool to be able to dust off this drawing and put it to use!

If you’re really into my crafty tattoo, I uploaded the high resolution art to my Society6 shop so you could get a really nice print of it.

Personally, I kind of think I need this crafty tattoo t shirt. I’m just sayin.

Have you seen any great free printables out there lately?

Share em in the comments!

Thanks for reading Hearts and Laserbeams, don't forget to check out all our great art and design work at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com!