A Man Named Pearl

 

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1227613352?bctid=74439102001

Talk about inspiration. This is a reminder that we all have obstacles, but if we find that one thing we are passionate about, we can accomplish miraculous things.

We've Been Busy ....

First, there was the Jordan Caterers elegant event Wednesday night at the New Haven Country Club, where Jordan is now the exclusive caterer:

Next, was the all-day photo shoot on Thursday for the Wüsthof packaging which Elements is in the midst of redesigning:

Last, but in no way last, was the party at Hull's Art Supply + Framing on Thursday night. Catherine Kiernan was on hand to capture some images of their fans posing in their famous store window:

What a week!

Free! Ice Cream! Need we say more?

Map of Ben & Jerry's headquarters in Burlington, VT

Today from 5 - 8 pm is Free Cone Day at participating Ben & Jerry's locations throughout the country.

We love Ben & Jerry's for a few reasons:

1.) Their iconic packaging and identity;

2.) Their natural ingredients and creative flavors;

3.) The fact that they are based in New England (Burlington, VT to be exact);

4.) This cool marketing tactic to reward fans with a fun taste of any flavor they choose.

Check their store locator for a scoop shop near you!

Follow Friday: Elements' Alter-Ego

Ever wonder how a complete stranger might turn out to be just like you? How does that happen? Well, Elements may have found its (friendly) alter-ego in Majabra, a design firm based in Philadelphia (Maura, is that right?)

We love to design, source and prepare branded mailers for our clients and for ourselves. In the days of email and instant messaging, the value of good ol'fashioned snail mail is often lost. We delight in receiving beautifully designed and thoughtful mail, or even just a clever follow up from a vendor with a handwritten note attached. We think it's even better when these marketing initiatives are based on an off-holiday, like Earth Day or New Year's.

Elements is not alone in this pursuit - Majabra sends branded gifts, too. In fact, they did us one better and found really cool brightly colored boxes (Uline.com) to send their moleskin notebooks and branded pen out to their clients for a holiday gift. (We actually thought of this same idea – scary!) In any case, kudos to Maura at Majabra – our new friend. (We knew that when they mentioned the dismayed faces of postal workers when they walk into the post office with stacks and stacks of boxes that they "get it"!)

You can follow the good folks at Majabra on Twitter: @majabra

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day from my family to yours (pictured are my stunningly beautiful + handsome cousin's brood showing their Irish pride)!

Cookies that won't go to your thighs.

The Girl Scouts of Connecticut have gone virtual, and are also doing their part to help out our troops. At Cookie Vote, you can vote for your favorite type of cookie, send a note to our troops, and even better - support both the Girl Scouts and our troops by purchasing cookies that will then be sent to soldiers instead of you! Zero calories never felt so good! Check out the page of responses from the recipients - very touching.

Nationwide Spring Anti-Hunger Challenge

For the seventh year in a row, Christian Community Action (CCA) is participating in the nationwide Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation $1 Million Anti-Hunger Challenge. As part of this campaign, every food item or cash donation made to CCA during March and April will earn the social services agency a financial match from the Rhode Island-based foundation.

The actual amount CCA earns of the total $1 million being offered depends on how its results compare to those of the thousands of other nonprofit agencies across the country participating in this Challenge. The more CCA collects, however, the bigger the match it receives from the Feinstein Foundation. To help out, Elements has once again volunteered to be a drop-off point for donations. We will be accepting both monetary donations as well as non-perishable food items, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, until the pickup-date of April 30th. Our office is located at 20 Grand Avenue in New Haven.

For further information on this campaign or to schedule a pick-up of five bags of food or more, call CCA at (203) 777-7848.

Giveaway Thursday ... Err, We Mean Friday!

We changed the day of the week of our occasional giveaway for two reasons. First, to make sure you were paying attention, we like to mix things up a bit. Second, our favorite art supply and framing store, Hulls, is having their own fabulous giveaway today so we thought we'd fill you so you can win!

First, jump over to Hull's Facebook page and join as a fan. Then you can answer their trivia question, and you will be entered to win a FREE portrait session with the fabulous Catherine Kiernan (in her studio in Guilford, Connecticut), a FREE 8x10 print suitable for framing and as if that wasn't enough, a $25 gift card from Hull's for anything in their very stocked store! A winner will be picked this coming Tuesday. If you don't win this week, check their page again each Friday in March for another trivia question and chance to win.

Also, Hull's is having a huge ready-made frame sale this month, too, with 50% off frames! Woot!

Okay, trivia fans, see if you can answer Hull's trivia question here. Good luck!

Eclipse is Coming to a Theater Near You

Eclipse, the next book in the worldwide popular Twilight series, is coming to a theater near you on June 30th.

Amy's Tips for Design Students

Our faithful readers may recall that Amy spoke at the Hartford Art School at University of Hartford last month about how best to prepare for entering the marketplace and what to expect as a young designer transitioning into the working world.

One of the students, the talented Ethan Bodnar, drafted a nice little write up of the evening on the school's Synthesis blog. Thanks, Ethan!

Barbie + Mad Men Unite

Picture via NYTimes.com

I am so excited to say that Mattel has just announced the launch of four Barbie Collector Mad Men dolls to hit the shelves in July 2010 based on characters from one of Elements' favorite shows. This will be the first licensed collection for Barbie's Fashion Model Collection. The collection was designed by Roger Best and will feature key players from Sterling Cooper, including Don Draper; his wife Betty Draper, Roger Sterling and office manager Joan Holloway.

Barbie and Mad Men are complementary brands - the collection will embody the Mad Men series’ couture fashions and accessories, and its iconic 1960s style and aesthetic.Don Draper wears his classic, polished red-lined suit and comes accessorized with a hat, overcoat and brief case; Betty Draper’s classic look is captured with unparalleled detail, from her faux pearl necklace to her pumps; Joan Holloway looks chic in a purple skirt suit and perfectly styled coif with her staple accessory – a pen necklace; and Roger Sterling is looking dapper in his monogrammed shirt.Fans can get exclusive collectible sketch drawings of the Mad Men Barbie Collector dolls when the Season Three DVD hits stores on March 23, 2010 as each DVD set will include one of the four character sketches.

Intervale Pancake House

Look closely and you can see sap buckets on the maple tree
Photograph at The Brass Heart Inn, Chocoura, NH

Those of us from northern New England know that right now, we're in the height of maple sugaring time. Mid-February through April, you'll see maple trees with buckets attached, collecting the sap that freezing nights and sunny days release from trees. This past weekend, I visited the Intervale Farms Pancake House in Henniker, NH and had the opportunity to peek into the sugar house to watch gallons of sap being boiled down into maple syrup, ready to be bottled and sold. Being from New Hampshire, I love the real stuff, not the sicky-sweet thick corn syrup.

Some quick maple syrup facts:

• Native Americans were the first to tap trees for their sweet sap
  
• 40 gallons of sap makes ONE gallon of maple syrup
• Maple syrup "grades" and colors are determined by what time of the season they're produced in. Grade A is the kind you probably pour over your pancakes.

Syrup bottles waiting to be filled

That big silver tank is full of sap being boiled down into maple syrup

Oscar's night / International Women's Day

It was a big night last night for director Kathryn Bigelow, as she became the first female to ever win Best Director for her film 'The Hurt Locker'. In 82 years, the Academy Awards has only nominated four women as Best Director, and it seems this year that the fourth time was the charm.

It is very appropriate then that today is International Women's Day. International Women's Day (IWD) has been celebrated since the early 1900's, when American women marched in support of better pay, shorter hours and voting rights for women, and the movement began to gain international attention shortly thereafter. In 1911 IWD was observed in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, with the movement growing stronger in other countries as well.

Over the years, IWD has moved towards being a celebration of all that women have accomplished over the years, with the reminder that we still have a long way to go.

Kathryn Bigelow is now an inspiration for all aspiring young female filmmakers. What woman has inspired, encouraged or motivated you? We'd love to hear your story.

Alzheimer's Assocation + Social Media

Last weekend, Amy spoke to the Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts/New Hampshire on how they can leverage social media to help in fundraising/event efforts. Elements was pleased that Amy was extended the invitation and we look forward to participating in Connecticut's Memory Walk in October. Here are some pictures from her travels:

Awesome entryway

Love this feature wall!

The crowd filters in

We love cool signage

Arsenal Street Building

Amy and Jim Wessler, President/CEO

Giveaway Thursday!

Yes, we're a little late this Thursday getting our giveaway posted. But hey, we have to make a living first, right? And wait until you see our prize, hey, hey, hey! That's right, s-n-a-c-k-s!

This week, we're giving away THREE different variety bags of delicious, highly addicting (don't say we didn't warn you!), healthy YUMNUTS Naturals.

(And YUMNUTS happen to be one of Elements newest clients. Did I mention we work for food?!).

So in a nutshell, be our first person to correctly name ALL of the tasty flavors of YUMNUTS Naturals to win!

Oh, and please tell us which flavor is your favorite - and if you don't have a favorite yet, which flavor would you like to try?

Good luck and happy snacking!

Coasters in a New Home

Last Thursday, we ran a contest to give away two sets of our Elements coasters to two lucky fans. Our good Twitter friend Gary Holmes (@gariphic) won one set, and was kind enough to snap a portrait of the coasters in their new home (and nicely protecting furniture from condensation from Gary's icy cold beverage.)

Next time, maybe we'll send along something to imbibe with the coasters and the ever-healthful and DELICIOUS Yumnuts (not pictured). Stay tuned for this week's Giveaway Thursday!

Hey Look! It's Hello, Elements!

Hello, Elements is famous! (Well, we're getting there.)

Our good friend Dave Cushman of Form:Substance has featured our lovely blog on conncreatives, the source for all things creative in Connecticut, alongside blogs by Fathom and Plaid. Check it out!

Cool iPhone App from Histamatic

Hipstamatic User Interface Demo from Synthetic on Vimeo.

As a photojournalist in my previous life, I still love all things photography. This is the coolest iPhone photography app I've seen. Check it out!