stellargirl returns

Russ Unger visits UX Book Club Philly!

Last night, UX Book Club Philly had a very special guest -- Russ Unger (aka @russu), co-author of our most recent book selection A Project Guide to UX Design, visited us all the way from Chicago.  Russ regaled us with stories about the making of the book, how he came to the field of user experience design and how he handles all the design problems that come his way. 

In typical UX Book Club fashion, an eclectic group of designers, web geeks and other curious folks had lots of questions and perspectives to share.  Some may have even called it 'UX Therapy'.  Everyone had a great time, and we're thrilled that Russ shared his time with us. Thanks Russ!  We'd also like to thank our friend Kevin Hoffman of Happy Cog Studios for hosting our fourth UX Book Club Philly event!

If you're interested in joining our next UX Book Club Philly meeting, please plug into the follow sources:

UX Book Club Philly Facebook Group

UX Book Club Philly Google Group

@uxbookclubphl on Twitter

We're hoping to get a website together for you soon, so please stay tuned!

Refresh Philly starts tonight!

Refresh Philly, part of the Refreshing Cities phenomenon, has come to our fine city, starting tonight!

The Refresh Manifesto is as follows:

• Let's Gather Great Minds
• Let's Share All Of Our Knowledge
• Let's All Grow And Learn
• Let's Promote Local Talent
• Let's Be More Than We Think Can Be
• Let's Make Our Cities Better

Our premiere event includes two great presentations. Tom Boutell of P'unk Ave will be leading a talk on Symfony and Phil Charron & Russ Starke of Think Brownstone will be inspiring us with Experience Design!

I am really excited to be a part of kicking off what will surely be an exciting series of speakers. Mark your calendars for future dates, Refresh Philly will take place on the first Monday of each month at the Comcast Center. January is the exception, but we'll be back again on February 2nd!

If you'd like to attend tonight, please RSVP on Facebook.  Stay tuned to @refreshphilly on Twitter for up to the minute updates and information, including a link to watch a live stream tonight!

REFRESH PHILLY
Tonight!
6:00 to 8:30pm
The Comcast Center

1701 John F Kennedy Blvd
RSVP REQUIRED

my first etsy order

I placed my very first Etsy order last week: 2 colorful screenprints sold by Standard Design of Northampton, MA. I've been looking for new and interesting wall art for my naked (yet colorful) walls. My awesome friend Sara inspired me to check out Etsy. I was in the mood for screenprints, so I drilled down to art :: print :: screenprint.

The Built to Spill and Neko Case prints jumped out to me right away because they were so bold and graphic, and because the colors complemented each other so well. I've been a fan of both artists for a long time. Built to Spill was played extensively during my college years, and Neko Case is an incredible chanteuse with some serious pipes.

If you haven't checked out Etsy already, you should... it's a great way to support artists and creators, and find yourself some original and fun niceties for your home, your friends, yourself...

Be sure to check out the Standard Design Etsy shop!

take a spin down rhodia drive

The Rhodia love continues... It turns out there is a blog dedicated to Rhodia notebooks and those who love them - Rhodia Drive! I am so very flattered to see that I am featured on their site today! It looks like a great site, especially if you are a Rhodia notebook nut like me!

Special thanks to baby Lulu, who is the reason why cameras were invented.

why i love my rhodia notebooks

I was in a cute little paper store on Pine Street the other day, looking longingly over the display of Rhodia notebooks, when I exclaimed, "I just LOVE these notebooks!" Another shopper in the store, overhearing my glee, walked over and asked "Why do you love them so much?"

I like getting asked questions like that and having a full arsenal of reasons why. I know some of my fellow bloggers are old fans of the Moleskine and Field Notes... I, too, love a Moleskine for it's small size, rounded corners and elastic band to keep the treasures within safe and protected. But for me, the Rhodia catches my eye and wins me over, time and time again.

So I turned to the woman in the shop and pointed out the beautiful bright orange cover, the heavy and smooth vellum paper inside, the graph paper and the way the cover is scored so you can fold it over the top. Aside from that, Rhodia notebooks come in many different sizes which helps me dream up different reasons for using them: idea book, quick thoughts, shopping list, etc.

What's your notebook of choice?

wallpaper wednesday!

Looking for something new to dress up your desktop?  Keep your eyes peeled for Wallpaper Wednesdays brought to you by my friend Johnny Web Designer.  Every week, he'll offer up some digital deliciousness for your desktop. Awesome.

This week's special is all about the peeps, yo: