happy birthday, libra...

Fall is finally upon us and it's officially the time of the Libra! To celebrate, we've marked down our custom Libra prints from $18 to $14 until October 23rd!!

We've also culled together our favorite Etsy items from the past month to create this awesome Libra-inspired treasury! Take a peek and get to shopping for those level-headed birthday babies!

Where to buy:

Misty Blue Chunky Unique Australian Boulder Opal
8x10 Libra ZODIAC Print
Hand Painted Pastel Galaxy Tee
Gold Dagger Earrings
Felted Soap with Libra Constellation
Vintage Metal Weighing Scales
Smell Peach Paper Bowl
LIBRA: Zodiac Poster
Angela Coral Rhinestone Large Round Half Studded Glasses
Boiled Wool Tote Bag
ON SALE // 60% OFF 8x8 ILY Letterpress Print
Mini Final Frontier Constellation Embroidery Hoop Ornament
Geometric Necklace
Tea Light - Beach House Decoration
Ceramic Cable Knit Sweater Bowl
Himmeli No. 6 / Hanging Mobile

simple sundays...

Nothing more rejuvinating than a simple Sunday around the apartment, venturing only as far as the dog park.

This little potted succulent was loving life today in the sunshine on our bedroom windowsil as well :)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

today martha is inspired by...

Alexis Bittar's new homepage! Truth be told, there isn't much that the jewelry designer DOESN'T get right (um... have you SEEN his panther earrings?) but holy moly, is his new homepage cool. What I admire most about Bittar is his complete willingness to take risks when it comes to his brand image. Let's be honest, not many high end jewelry designers would be itching to associate themselves with something as seedy as a stripclub! Best of all, he was able to achieve his delightfully flashy homepage with just a few animated GIFS. Genius.

XO,
Martha

the boston globe: 25 most stylish of 2012...

Such a huge thanks to the Boston Globe for listing me as one of Boston's 25 Most Stylish of 2012 – what an honor!

Click here to see the interview online :)

And for those that care about the details:
Hair by Jeffrey Lyle
Blouse by Line and Dot, from Flock
Jeans by Rag & Bone
Shoes from JCrew

poetic cosmos of the breath...

There's not much I can say to express the pure beauty of this installation by Tomas Saraceno, entitled 'Poetic Cosmos of the Beath"... Wow colors. Wow concept.

From the original post on iGNANT:

// At dawn, crowds formed around a giant and colorful, circular foil, pinned to the ground at the edges with sand bags. Throughout the morning, the artist and his team gradually filled the foil with air and visitors could walk through this stunning colored wonderland, which is just magical, unique and full of positive energy. A witness to the event said, ‘Slowly we helped the giant fill with air and grow as the sun came up…the material spectacularly colourful as the sun reflected off it.’ //

Ps – iGNANT's blog and iPhone app are so addicting – filled with daily inspiration!

book cover design for the big enough company...

This time last year, we were planning a trip to NYC for the launch party for Adelaide Lancaster and Amy Abrams' book, The Big Enough Company! We were already honored to be featured in the book but even MORE honored when they asked us to redesign the cover for their upcoming paperback version!!

It just arrived in the mail (available 9/25/12) and we couldn't help but snap some quick photos to share!

CLICK HERE to read more and see more photos!

today's daydream...

With the summer wrapping up, I'm so excited for the crisp Fall air (my favorite season) but can't help wishing I could get just a little more tropical time in... would love to get caught in this sun shower... preferably with a monkey or two hanging around :)

// via //

etcetera...

Loving these necklaces by Meghann Sommer.

Clockwise from top left: Middle Age ($90), Setting Moon ($75), Mud Trap ($105), Spirit Dial ($105)

// site // blog //

better your brand part 6...

This month's Better Your Brand blast went out today and it's all about Planning Ahead! Here's the recap, in text form:

Whether you’re planning for the zombie apocalypse or readying your online store for the Holiday season, your mantra should be the same: BE PREPARED!

While it is impossible to anticipate everything your business will need in a year, that shouldn’t stop you from thinking ahead. Q1 isn’t far off, so bust out the calendar, grab a cold one, and start mapping out the rest of the year!

LET'S STRATEGIZE:

1. Identify your busiest season. When do you anticipate the most traffic and/or activity on your site?

2. Map out a plan of attack. Draw up a list of project details with specific action items.

3. Consult with your team. (ie designers, marketers, PR people) Decide on reasonable timelines for all deliverables. 

4. Set reminders. Make sure that items don’t slip through the cracks. 

5. Take notes and review. When the dust settles, take a look at how effective your plan was & how you can do better next year.

Fact: The holidays don’t start in December...they start in October. Or at least they do for those who work in ecommerce. Take it from us... you don’t want to put off planning for the busiest time of the year until the last minute.

Meaning: Don’t wait until Thanksgiving to start thinking about your Christmas email campaign! Not only will you stress yourself out, but chances are, you’ll make your designer look like this:

What does OUR calendar look like? JSGD is now booking for late Fall...so plan accordingly! 617.939.9039

ALSO NOTE: Our Letterpress prints are 60% OFF!!

Want to receive these in your inbox? Easy! Click here to sign up :)

Missed our previous Better You Brand Editions? View the archive.

no distractions...

I have a hard time staying focused. So I distracted myself by making reminders not to get distracted... makes sense.

Martha and I liked these so much that we decided to make them FREE to download! Yay!

TO DOWNLOAD:
1) Right-click on the design you like and select "Save Link As"
2) A 3x5" pdf will download to your specified downloads folder
3) Locate your file, open and click to print!
4) Hang prominently in your workspace as a reminder
5) Shoot us a pic via instagram of where you put it (@jesssicaa) --- you know, cuz that won't be distracting one bit ;)