A whole new look for The Cordova Times

Today I am so pleased to share my latest project — a complete re-design of The Cordova Times. When the editor of The Cordova Times bought her own newspaper in August I shot her an email wishing good luck. But I never expected three months later I would be staying up all night putting the finishing touches on the re-launch of the newspaper complete with a new look.

In the process leading up to the redesign we talked a lot about the tight-knit community of Cordova and what it wanted out of it's newspaper. Even though it's a small weekly tab, we decided to create faux section fronts for Schools, Fisheries and Lifestyles. As well as a weekly standing doubletruck called Around Town. The whole paper is big on local content and big on advertising too, for a publication of it's scale. The community really stepped up and told the editor, "we want our paper to survive, how can we help." It re-invigorated my faith in the future of journalism. Local, local, local.

We did something unusual. There were companies in who care about Cordova's access to local news, but didn't necessarily have a huge stake in advertising their name in Cordova. And some who simply wanted to support the newspaper above and beyond their regular advertising commitment. So we offered "sponsorships" of sort. Yearlong advertising commitments that included logos directly tied to content like tide tables in the Fisheries section and Kid Corner in the Schools section. We tried to keep it strictly to somewhat neutral content.

We completely re-mixed the Classified with big headers, a splashy Photo of the Week and free listings under a certain word count — on a space available basis — for newspaper subscribers. The old Cordova Times commonly had no Classifieds at all on any given week, and often had only two or three listings.

I'm completely proud of this project and think it looks even better in print that on screen. What do you think?

Open for business

Well, it's official. I am a full time freelance graphic designer and photographer. In a series of amazing events, my dream of taking Kern This Studio from a side project to a career became a reality — months, perhaps years sooner that I ever dreamed possible.

Some of the great folks I worked with at Alaska Newspaper and Camai Printing have kept in touch and connected me with some great opportunities. I have taken on the design of the weekly Cordova Times and First Alaskans magazine on a contractor basis.

I have an especially courageous woman to thank for offering me what seems like the best visual journalism gig in the country — at least for me. When Calista Corporation announced it was closing Alaska Newspapers she couldn't bear the thought of Cordova, Alaska losing it's hometown paper. So she bought it. And then called me and asked me to help. So I agreed and here I am typing away at my new Mac sitting in my HOME. I love it.

The last couple weeks have been a blur of setting up my home office, learning about taxes as a sole proprietor, bookkeeping, private heath insurance and all kinds of other fun stuff.

I'm thrilled to begin this new step in my life and have found a personal silver lining a difficult series of events that included the closure of the company I worked for in August.

I have been incredibly inspired by several woman business owners, entrepreneurial spirits and freelancers out there and would like to publicly thank them for their guts and creativity. So thank you:

• Jennifer Gibbins of The Cordova Times
• Victoria Barber, writer, editor, photographer journalist extrodinaire
• Beth Skabar of Beth Skabar Photography
• Margie Bauman, the quintessential Alaska journalist
• Meghan McCausland of Entrepreneur Alaska
• Allison Doty of Allison Doty Graphic Design
• Sara Gray of Sara Gray Photography
• Jonalynn McFadden of Turn Up the Rad Creative

I will also be forever grateful to my parents for their support, encouragement and go-for-it attitude about my decision. As well as their lifetime of being great examples of entrepreneurs, hard workers and all-around fantastic people.

I also owe everything to my husband and son enough for: (1) Putting up with me when I madly thought I could run a business AND work a full time job, and (2) equally supporting me when I decided to quit my job and focus on my business.

Well, I think I hear the speech "wrap up" music now.

It's here: Entrepreneur Alaska

My lovely friend Meghan called me back in August and told me she needed more journalism in her life. So we decided to start an online magazine: Entrepreneur Alaska. It's an online publication dedicated to celebrating the success of business owners in our great state.

Today, our first feature is up. A story about the inspiring triathlon trainer and athletic event planer, Lisa Keller. Read her story here. Meghan wrote it and I made the pictures. I'm having so much fun with this and hope you take a moment to check it out, leave a comment and come back for future stories.

Our goal is a new feature every Monday, plus supplemental content throughout the week. Stop by and let us know how we're doing!

Thanks and have a wonderful Monday.

New on Kern This Studio: Never Sets certificates

 The folks at the Never Sets Film Festival asked me to design certificates for the winning films last weekend. The logo and other marketing materials we so sharp, I couldn't say no. Friday night we wend to the screening and awards. There's some true film-making talent in Alaska and some really great people involved in this event.

See more about these and other Kern This Studio projects over at my design and photography studio website.

Insert metaphor about doors and opportunities here

Thursday was my last day at Alaska Newspapers. They will shut their doors for the last time on Aug. 31. With the exception of the Seward Phoenix Log, which publishes one more time this week, I was there for the final run. After production that day several colleagues collected at a bar downtown to share pitchers and memories.

Above I'm holding my last set of newspaper proofs for an indefinite period of time. Hopefully not forever. I love journalism and will always be a journalist. But I'm going to try something new for a while.

This Thursday I start as the marketing coordinator for a construction management and consulting company. The company has overseen some pretty recognizable projects in Alaska including renovation of the Anchorage Museum, Dena'ina Center, and remodels of the Anchorage and Fairbanks airports. The exciting part is I still get to design and edit ... the kind of work I love, only applying them to a whole new field.

I am sad for my company closing down, hopeful for the new owners of a couple of the publications and those staying on with the new versions of those publication, and wishing the best for those job hunting. Insert appropriate metaphor here.

Fun fact: My first ever photo byline is on the front page of the final Tundra Drums.

Fresh pressed: Homemade fruit juice

We've been on a homemade juice kick at my house. We picked up a juicer at Costco in early July and have been making cranking out homemade fruity (and sometimes vegetable) concoctions ever since. We've been working on injecting more fresh fruits and vegetables to our diets. Orange-mango juice is my current favorite. Pineappe-orange-strawberry is amazing. Pear-apple is pretty delish too. Carrots are surprisingly sweet and drinkable, and produce way more juice than you would imagine. Don't overthink it, try apple-carrot juice. A leaf of kale in fruit juice can turn the whole thing green, but the taste is still sweet and yummy. 

Why make juice?

1. Homemade juice is packed with nutrients. Plus, there are no chemicals, preservatives or added sugars. Just the natural stuff you drop in the juicer. 
2. You can make a mean martini with the juice of your favorite fruit. Try a grapefuit-tini.
3. If you're the kind of person who takes a light breakfast, a tall glass of iced juice can really add a punch to your morning.
4. Make lemonade out of lemons: It's easy to find out one bad apple literally did spoil the whole bunch in Alaska where our store-bought fruit isn't always the freshest. But you can salvage bruised, or less-than-crisp fruit and vegetables by making them into juice.
5. It's SO much more delicious than the store-bought stuff. And think of how impressed your next out-of-town guests will be when you serve them fresh orange juice at breakfast.

The drawbacks?

1. It's kind of a pain in the patootie to clean, but do it right away before any sticky pulp dries to make the job easier.
2. All the pulp can be a menace to your sink, I recommend using one of those little drain screens you can pick up for about $2.
3. Fresh fruit can be expensive, especially up here in the 49th state. Keep it on the cheap by adding just a small portion of exotic fruit favorites to bargain granny smith apples or ordinary oranges sold in bulk.
4. It doesn't keep. The shelf life of fresh juice is only about three days, but you can avoid waste by only making what you'll drink right away.
5. High calories and sugar. Remember, just because you drink it doesn't mean it doesn't count. If you're watching your calories, make sure you look up how many calories and natural sugars are packed into fresh fruit.

Random notes: 
 In case you take a stab at making juice yourself, there's a few weird things you might want to know.

1. Homemade juice is thick, almost like a smoothy. Don't be afraid to water it down with a little mineral water and ice.
2. It's frothy. Yep, you might see a weird foam on top. There's nothing wrong, but you can skim it off or use a straw if it bugs you.
3. No pits. Don't ever put stems or pits in a juicer unless you like broken appliances. Then it's OK.
4. No skins you wouldn't eat. Take a peeler to your oranges, grapefruits, mangoes, pineapples, etc. The white white of the orange is OK, but the actual orange-colored rind is bitter. Skins on apples, strawberries, plums, peaches, nectarines, etc. are fine. Don't waste your time peeling those.
5. Grape stems are OK. Yep, there's an exception to every rule, and in juicing you can throw a whole bunch of grapes in -- still on the stem. There are nutrients in that stem. (Check instructions on your individual appliance to make sure it's grape-stem approved.)

Enjoy!

Bear hug for Baby B

In an act of domestication, I busted out the sewing machine to take on a tradition of my mother's: the bear hug blanket. It seems like many of my friends are having babies like it's going out of style and I am so incredibly happy for them. Parenthood is pretty much the best thing ever.

My mother has been making this adorable, quirky baby gift for years for cousins, friends, co-workers and more. I remember visiting my cousin in D.C. years back and her two-year old took her bear hug in the stroller pretty much everywhere.

I learned how to sew by helping my mother make these, graduation quilts and costumes for school plays growing up. Even as a busy career woman, she made time to teach me AND my brother how to mend, cook, garden and do other domestic work. I can't thank her enough for teaching me those skills. (Another day I'll tell you about how my father taught me to paint vehicles, change fuses and solder pretty much anything.)

You can get an idea of the actual size thanks to interested Boy Kitty in the top left pic. While it's tempting to buy people cute baby socks and minuture outfits at Babies R Us, I think a homemade gift is so much sweeter. So spoiler future-parent friends of mine: you can probably expect a bear hug if you're expecting. Now I wish I could go back in time and make blankets for everyone I know that's had new family members arrive in the past year or so.

I made my first attempt at crocheting a blanket in the spring for a new mommy friend of mine. But midway through I kind of felt like Audrey Hepburn's character in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" when she says she's worried she mixed her pattern up with blueprints for a home, "There's a good chance I'm knitting a ranch house."

Congratulations to the parents of Baby B, who are are expecting their first little one and are the new owners of the blankets feature here today.

Sneak peak at one of my projects

Isn't it cool too see one of your projects come freshly shrink-wrapped from the printers? These are wedding invitations and RSVP cards I designed for my friends Meghan and Joel. Of course they'll look way more awesome in the chic silver pochette evelopes she ordered for them. I'll definitely post a picture of THAT when I have one in my hands.

New on Kern This Studio: Engagement photos of Meghan and Joel

You might have seen before that I'm designing wedding invitations and save-the-dates for my friends Meghan and Joel. Well, they've also asked me to be their wedding photographer and I'm super excited because it's my first wedding as a photographer!

So this weekend we braved the 15-degree breezy day for an engagement shoot in Westchester Park. It was short and sweet due to the weather, but they were super-fun to photograph. There are a more/larger pictures from the shoot on my professional website KernThisStudio.com. Please take a moment to check it out and let me know what you think!


[Self-promo alert.] Need family, baby, special event photography or design? Talk to me. I would love to help!

The finished project: Pottery studio follow-up

I picked up the bowl I glazed from Color Me Mine last night. Here's the final result. I'm very happy with how the speckled glaze turned out. Now I just have to decide where to keep it.

We had another great girls night out with apps, wine and a second trip to the pottery studio tonight. We might have to make girls night a weekly event. Although we'll need some other projects, classes and places to try out. Any suggestions?

Ladies Night at the pottery studio

Monday nights are Ladies Night at Color Me Mine for the month of February with half-price studio fees for ladies. So a couple girlfriends and I went last night to glaze our own pottery at the studio by the ice rink in Dimond Center Mall. 

In case you've never tried it, you select a pre-made piece of unfinished pottery and glaze it yourself. Then the studio fires it in a kiln and calls 8-10 days later when it's ready to pick up. Semi-handmade ceramics.

There is a small session fee, $8 for adults here before the ladies night discount, and for the piece of pottery itself. The larger the piece, the more expensive. The session fee helps cover the cost of glaze and the staff members who help you with technique, pouring glaze and generally running around cleaning up after everyone. The girl on duty Monday night was working her booty off to assist and guide a packed studio. She said it was unusually busy.

There are tutorial books, stencils, stamps and sponges to help achieve desired results. The whole experience reminded me a lot of ceramics class in high school, minus the clay mess and worry that your pot would blow up in the kiln and ruin everyone's teenage masterpieces.

I had only been to a potter glazing studio like this once before on a day-of-fun planned by my best friend when I turned 19.

My shell-shaped bowl, glazed and ready to be fired. The colors should be a dark plum and midnight blue. The inside is a speckled plum glaze.

A cupcake cookie jar my friend Tristan is making for her nearly year-old daughter's room to store.

This girl was amazing running the show Monday night. She could multitask like nobody's business.

Glaze selection.

A glimpse at the pottery selection.

Tiled sign on the wall showcasing a few of the glaze techniques.

It was a fun night and I'm excited to see how our projects turn out. I didn't get any pictures of it, but my friend Kim is working on a tile series. Last night she worked on a "Z" tile for their last name initial and she plans to come back to make hand print tiles of her four kids. Amazing idea.

It was a fun wintertime diversion and great creative release.

Pottery could make great home decor, custom gifts and, gentlemen, my friends and I decided you could definately wow a girl by taking her to a pottery session date. Check Color Me Mine's website for theme nights and events. Also, ask about their military discount.

Have you ever done a pottery studio session?

First taste of food photography

So I've done quite a few wine pictures for the wine blog I co-author with my husband, but this week I did my first professional food photo session. I took photos at Tempura Kitchen in the Spenard neighborhood for their advertising and promotional materials. 

It was so much fun. I think I love food photography, because the food don't mind holding the same pose while I adjust my camera ... The folks who own the place were delightful, and the food was delicious as we found out when we grabbed a quick bite after the session.

I've posted a longer cut of the shoot at my professional site, KernThisStudio.com.

What do you think? 

 

Newest issue of First Alaskans out this week

The February-March issue of First Alaskans, the magazine I design at Alaska Newspapers comes out this week. We had some really awesome stories and alternative storytelling pieces that were super fun to design. Maps, timelines, food step-by-step and artist bios from our fabulous writers and photographers. Pick up a copy or read it online.

Latest Kern This Studio photo session

Sunday I photographed Grace's second birthday party at a bounce playground in Eagle River. Grace my friend Brandi's daughter. I've posted a sampling of pics for the day at KernThisStudio.com.

New business cards!

My design and photography biz officially has business cards! What do you think? Let me know if you need business cards or promotional materials for your company or freelance endeavors. Find out more about Kern This Studio here.

How to make a Barbie dream house

I've been bursting to show off some of my DIY Christmas gifts, but had to wait until after the big day so I wouldn't spoil any surprises. I did quite a few homemade, or custom created gifts this year. This one is a collaboration with my friend, Kim.

She wanted to give her 5-year-old twins a Barbie dream-house for Christmas, but didn't want to break the bank on something that might break easily. With four kids, she knows delicate a plastic dollhouse wouldn't last long. So we embarked on a shopping adventure to find the right tools to build our own, sturdier version.

Originally, I was thinking we would make over a bookshelf, but then we found this storage cube shelf and it was already pink! Normally, $50-$60 for one of these bad boys, we walked on a $20 sale at Fred Meyer. Plus we had an extra 15 percent off coupon for housewares. [They had blue too, and I'm still kicking myself for not buying a couple when they were so cheap.]

The whole thing was pink, so we lined the shelves with wood-grain contact paper to give the house wood floors before assembling the shelf.

We bought a variety pack of scrapbook paper at the craft store and covered the back panels with the "wall paper" using clear contact paper to adhere it and give them a protective coating.

 I found a few unfinished wood jewelry/notions boxes at JoAnn's fabrics that made excellent furniture with a little acrylic paint.

For area rugs we cut circles and rectangles out of a bathroom rug from the Fred Meyer home section.

We painted balsa wood strips mint green and glued them to the corners to create molding to give the rooms a finished look.

Santa somehow knew the girls were getting a Barbie dream house and brought the girls furniture sets like this bathroom set complete with a flat-screen TV mounted to the towel rack. Barbie is apparently one classy gal.

 For a roof, we used a flag case from Michael's craft store.

They seemed to like it.

A DIY Christmas

I don't know if it's the holidays or the 18 hours of darkness a day and single-digit temps, but I get the crafty bug this time of year. My Christmas decorating started on Thanksgiving Day when I hit a 5-9 p.m. sale with a couple friends and picked up this red and gold potpourri for my interchangeable centerpiece

1. With the leftover potpourri, I filled these martini glasses on my wine rack. It was the only other place I could think of displaying the stuff where my kitties wouldn't get into it ... which could be very bad for them. I also really wanted a poinsettia this year, but skipped it for the same reason.

2. I love this centerpiece because I can change it's look every season. This year, the potpourri with the gold candle to top it off.

This year I did a couple simple sewing projects.

3. New Christmas stockings for the boys so we would have a suedo-matching set. My mom made mine (center) and has lasted the years. I used red felt, green fleece and the silly reindeer trim for Joshua and Davin's stockings. I should have known that fleece is impossible to embroider names on, but wasn't thinking about that when I purchased it. Still searching for a way to add names.

4. A new Christmas tree skirt. I've never had one and have always improvised with a holiday tablecloth. This year I bought two yards of red felt and the snowball trim to finish the zig-zag edge. It cost less than $20 and was finished in one evening.

5. This is not my project, but one of Davin's classmates made him this tabletop tree and glued candy and fruit-rollups to it. Very creative and generous.

6. One of my favorite ornaments made by my mother has gotten several compliments from visitors this year. I was so inspired by the beaded ornaments that I was thrilled to find a beaded wreath kit at the craft store this year.

7. I knocked out about 12 of these beaded wreath ornaments with my feet kicked up watching Dexter one evening. They are shockingly similar to the ones my mom made for our tree when I was too young to remember.

I hope you're having a fun and creative holiday season regardless of how you decorate and celebrate.