GUITARMAGEDDON!

Proofreader Jim (the one in the beret) had a dream after he found out that Rebecca and Meg, two of our print production artists, were taking guitar lessons: everyone who has a guitar would bring one to work, and much rocking-out would ensue. Due to the photographic evidence above, we could say that was quite accurate. We hung out in the parking lot like a bunch of teenage delinquents, "Wonderwall" was attempted a few times, and much fun was had. Plans are to make GUITARMAGEDDON a weekly event, unless Rob (inexplicably wearing a "Forever Plaid" T-shirt) forgets his guitar, which he is wont to do.

All I Font

Holy bananas, the Dutch have done it again! This new font, "Ecofont," was created by Dutch communications company Spranq. This downloadable typeface contains multiple small circular holes, meaning that each letter requires less ink to be printed. It's actually a pretty unique typeface with sans serif because the little flourishes use up more ink when being printed. Spranq claims that this new "holey" font will reduce ink use about 20 percent. This font may not save the universe, but it’s going to help one letter at a time.

-- Megan @ L.V.

Hoop Dreams

Despite the recent spectacular disintegration of our beloved Cavaliers, a surprising addiction has beset many members of the Luscious Verde family: b-ball fever. The legend has it that our head designer Jason had an old hoop he wasn't using anymore, so why not bring it to work and share the bounty (and bring back bad memories of those of us who pretended to be sick on gym days)?

Such trepidation has given over to such a full-court press that even I, possibly the most sedentary person here, have been known to take part in a game or two during lunch breaks. Calories are lost, smack is talked, and we waste our time in the best way possible (that is, until we get our oft-fantasied nap room).

-- Rob @ L.V.

Friends Don't Let Friends Craft Drunk

After a night of heavy drinking and rocking out with his band Highland, I had Rob save me his beer-can pull-tabs for this next project. I am not the best at crocheting, but maybe Wendy can lend a crochet hand if I ask nicely and or bring in treats...

Materials:

- 6 tabs (good collection project to keep your friends occupied)
- Strong synthetic crochet thread (1 or 2 colors)
- No. 3 crochet needles
- Wire cutters
- Cigarette lighter (another Rob contribution)

Check out this link for detailed instructions!

-- Megan @ L.V.

Weighty Matters

Summer is almost here: Liz has received her yearly shipment of bathing suits in the mail, and just as I am about to put a morsel of freshly baked chocolate croissant into my little mouth, Wendy walks in with a sack load of food. Generally, there's a small company-wide stampede to the kitchen once word gets out that free food is available.

The masses halted as Wendy unloaded her brown paper bags with NutriSystem astronaut food. We were all startled and thought she was trying to tell the company to lose a few pounds. She was merely given the food as a kind gesture and thought that we would enjoy it.

Assistant Operations Manager Lindsay stated, "I love to talk and love food, but don’t want to give the diet brand a bad name. Let’s just say that I had to follow up my dehydrated pizza and pasta with a fruit floe popsicle as a chaser."

Thankfully, Rob has taken the notion to eat the majority of the boxed food, like the good little processed-food boy that he is.

-- Megan @ L.V.

Color Codes

Say you need a gift for a friend who likes color and you work in a crazy color-bound industry...like custom stationery? Check this out. They have super-cool Pantone place settings and whole bunch of other goodies! It’s much prettier and easier then eating off of a swatch book.

-- Megan @ L.V.

Cleveland Tourism Update

Cleveland's a Plum!

So, some may say that Cleveland isn’t the prettiest city in the country, but we’ve got personality coming out of our snow boots. Foreclosure what? We wanted to share some unique tidbits from our city. Yes, we do have a skyline, a professional basketball team, and street vendors (you probably don’t want to eat at). Maybe you would like to watch a tourism video to catch a glimpse of our fine city.

Arts and Crafts With Megan

Holy bananas, I love paper!

I was recently cruising the Martha Stewart Web site (or maybe I was just reading my e-mail inbox, because Martha and I have that close of a relationship that she sends me daily updates) and I came across this super-cute idea for hanging pom poms.

I had actually done this craft before for a few gatherings of mine, so I thought I would share. It's also really fun to use up not-so-happenin’ white tissue paper then assault the finished project with a can of your favorite spray paint.

A unique twist that I came up with is using cardstock instead of tissue paper to make a slightly more structured hanging. First, the tools you will need:

Fishing wire -- whatever length would look the best in your room

Beads -- large wooden ones or large pearl beads work the best to separate the layers

Paper -- any paper color you would like (about 20-25 sheets work best. You will need to cut the paper sheets into one geometric pattern of your choice. I like working with circles, so I cut mine into several different sized circular patterns.)
 
Knot the fishing wire and slide a bead down, securing it with a little Super Glue. You can use a smaller bead for this portion. Next, add a circle, then bead, then circle, until you achieve a pattern that you love. Finally, invite your crafty challenged friends over for a cocktail to share in your glory of handcrafted art. Yay you!

-- Megan @ L.V.

This edition of Arts & Crafts with Megan has been sponsored by Chick-Fil-A (not really).

This Is Not, I Repeat Not, What We Do All Day