The Designer’s Desk: Picking colors for our new patterns

As I said in yesterday’s post, Alissa is working with us to design packaging for a new line of Chivas goat milk soaps.  Today we got to sit down and look at color swatches from the Pantone book (a huge deal in the world of nerdy designers).  Here’s a picture of the colors we narrowed down to.  Notice the white plate and white rug (and yes, there was natural lighting).

And because, again I can’t help but share, you have to look at Alissa’s desk.  One desktop with keyboard and mouse.  One decorative mannequin. And one vase of lollipops.  That’s it!  No paperwork.  No cell phone.  Nothing extra.  And I can vouch that it is ALWAYS that neat.  Talk about “getting things done”.

Inspirations for our new pattern design

Maybe I’m not supposed to leach all the inner workings of our company, but I’m not very good at keeping secrets.  So, I can’t help but share the fact that we are developing a new line of goat milk soaps geared towards high-end gift boutiques.  We’ll keep our same great basic recipes (fresh goat milk, high-quality oils and butters, and all-natural essential oils) and our same great shape (ergonomically designed to fit the shape of your hand), but it will be fully wrapped in a really nice paper with a custom pattern.  And since we’ve had such fun working on the design and pattern, I want to share some of the inspirations we found from others on-line.  Once we’ve finalized our own pattern, I’ll be sure to post.

I’m so thrilled to have Alissa Pittenger on board as our designer and would highly recommend her to any in need of graphic design, brand development, web design, etc.

I also want to thank Amy Boe for helping us to pull these original pattern swatches, as she helped us to set the tone.

Also, please excuse the fact that I dont’ have proper photo credit above.  We had pulled them so long ago and hadn’t documented all the links.  I want to give credit where credit is due, so if you know the artists/links please tell me so that I can update this post.

Attention gardeners: Herb Garden soap & organic gardening workshop

Each of our limited edition goat milk soaps has a story behind it. For example, our Orange Spice soap is based on a friend’s recipe for raw pumpkie pie, our Santa Rosa Valley (SRV) soap (summer 2009, sold out) was inspired by the fruits and herbs that our hometown is known for, and our Herb Garden goat milk soap was designed for Donna’s green thumbs. Like the SRV soap, the Herb Garden soap quickly sold out this summer. In fact, we have received so many requests for it that we have decided to start carrying it year round.  It will be available again on-line and in-stores late November 2009.

For all of you gardeners out there who love our Herb Garden goat milk soap, I wanted to share an article I wrote for www.yourdailythread.com about organic gardening.

“Creative Green” workshops: organic gardening, sustainable kitchens and more!

Originally posted November 3, 2009 on www.yourdailythread.com by Lauren Johanson

As a kid, I liked school, I liked studying & yes, I even I liked homework. Now as a young adult missing her school days, I’ve transferred my nerd energy towards weekend workshops. Luckily for me – and for any of you Angelenos – LA is full of incredible sustainability workshops on anything from kombucha to composting.

I want to share my five favorite things about the “Creative Green” Organic Gardening workshop that I recently attended. If the class sounds up your alley, check out their full list of workshops below on topics including sustainable kitchens, green Holidays, meditation, composting and more!

1. A Good Teacher: The sustainability coach behind Creative Green, Deborah Tull, has a rich story to tell. She grew up in Los Angeles, but as a young adult studied sustainable lifestyles and architecture in communities around the world, spending seven years as a monk at the Zen Monastery Peace Center in Northern California. But about 3 years ago, when visiting Los Angeles, Deborah found that there was so much positive momentum around going green in her home town, that her energy would be best used helping to further the movement through her consulting and workshops. Deborah has a soft, insightful & disciplined tone about her that I really enjoyed.

2. Attitude Toward Gardening: I liked Deborah’s idea that we each approach a garden the way we approach life. Some people like to study the books first, others just wing it, others simply find it as a meditative activity (see photo above). Deborah suggested, no matter your personal approach, that you focus your attitude on growing soil versus growing plants. From that foundation, we got into the nitty-gritty of crop rotation, by which you have a schedule for rotating “heavy feeders” (like tomatoes, basil, strawberries), “heavy givers” (like legumes, clover, alfalfa) and “light feeders” (like root vegetables). We also learned that some plants can actually be either friendly or antagonist towards one another. For example, whole beans don’t like beats or onions, but they love carrots and cucumber. It’s like a little high school clique.

3. Integrative Pest Management: A big part of being a beginner organic gardener is figuring out how to keep the bugs from eating all your goodies. Deborah’s advice? Be an expert observer; the earlier you catch an issue, the more creatively you can come up with a sustainable solution. For example, if you notice earwigs, place a pot upside down on a stake with newspaper dipped in soy sauce. Bizarre, yes! But better than chemical sprays, no? Here we re-used a “Red Vines” container to house any unwanted bugs or rocks we found while digging. Also, notice the simple fence they put up to keep out any larger critters.

4. Hands-On Approach: The class was about 3 hours. The first-half or so was spent in a more lecture/note taking style. In the second-half we got our hands dirty and learned how to double dig (versus single dig) the soil to prep it for a new planting. Here I am adding gypson and compost to the 12” wide row we dug up.

5. Beginner’s Tools with Advanced Options: I found that I was given many simple tools to get started, while also being inspired by more complex concepts that I could delve into down the road. In fact, I drove straight over to Sunset Nursery (link) to buy an adjustable sprayer, compost, mulch and starter veggies to finish up some loose ends on my two new raised garden beds, shown above. I am already enjoying fresh mint teas, fried sage soup toppings, jicama dill salad and can’t wait for my winter veggies to sprout.

Contact Information:
For questions or to RSVP for any of Creative Green’s variety of workshops, contact Deborah Tull. Phone: 323-935-1214. Email: creativegreen@hotmail.com. Website: http://www.creativegreen.net. In addition to their workshops, Creative Green also offers home & business consultations and green school programs.

Upcoming Workshop Schedule:

• Saturday, November 21, 1:30-4:30pm = Organic Backyard Gardening, at a Private home in Glassell Park/Eagle Rock, Price: $35

• Saturday, November 14, 12:00 -2:00 pm = The Green Kitchen: Cooking for Personal and Planetary Health at The Strawberry House in Encino Hills, Price: $40 (and part of the proceeds go to greening a preschool)

• Sunday , November 15, 1:30-3:30pm = The Sustainable Kitchen: Cooking for Personal and Planetary Health, at Liberation Yoga in Hollywood, Price: $25

• Saturday, December 12, 12-2:00 pm = How to Have a Green Holiday Season at The Strawberry House in Encino Hills, Price: $20

• Saturday, December 19, 1:30-4:30pm = Organic Backyard Gardening, at a Private Home in Glassell Park/Eagle Rock, Price $35

Since I’ve not yet taken any of Creative Green’s other classes, I would love to hear from other students! Please feel free to share your thoughts in our comments below. Happy Gardening!

Feeling inspired

It’s grey in L.A. today, which makes it the perfect time for a pick-me-up with a few inspired finds, ideas, and reads.

The GOOD 100: GOOD magazine has compiled a list of people, places, and things that are changing the way we live.  Positive news always brightens the day.

TED talk from Captain Charles Moore: As I researched material for a green living class I’m co-teaching, I found this short but powerful talk from Captain Charles Moore on TED.  He offers powerful visuals and stats to great tragedy of waste accumulating in our ocean.  (Above infographic courtesy of GOOD Magazine)

Recycled wine bottle torch: From the always-inspiring Design*Sponge, this DIY idea looks so cool and actually seems easy.  If I had some outdoor space, I’d run to the hardware store and make these immediately. Instead, I’ve tucked this one away for ‘someday.’

Beautiful handmade bed covers: I am coveting one of these gorgeous Mexican coverlets, known as tenagos.

Deadlines are a good thing: I can relate to this article from illustrator Christoph Niemann on the power of short deadlines.

Writing Down the Bones: I just began reading this writing classic at the advice of a friend.  Auther Natalie Goldberg offers no-nonsense writing advice, with the primary message being that if you want to write, you must develop a religious writing practice.

Yes, we’re into our goat milk soaps!  But the Chivas team is a multi-faceted bunch, finding inspiration in everything from gardening to design to green living.  We’re taking turns each week sharing a few finds that have inspired us of late.  This latest post was written by Angie Bradshaw, who works with us on marketing and sales.