Dear Fellow Pointers,

Listed below are a few of my favorite creative resources that I have found very helpful with design, freelance and business.

Books on Freelancing:

 Anti 9 to 5 Guide
by Michelle Goodman 

Great title, huh? Right to the point. This book was so helpful when I was still in my full time job. It helped me start to think about what I could do to kickstart my freelance career while I was still working 9-5. I love the writing style, it is witty, down-to-earth and very informative.

Find it here
Michelle Goodman’s Site

 Creative, INC.
by Meg Mateo Ilasco & Joy Cho

This is the modern day bible for freelancers. It is written by two very respectful designers/bloggers that make learning about business fun! The book is beautifully designed for one– and, it is very informative on all the crucial topics you need to know when you jump into the freelance pool. It also provides case studies on other real designers, and how they have overcome struggles and hurdles in their businesses.

Find it here

Creative Talent Agencies

This was a whole world that I didn’t know existed until this past year. These creative talent recruiters are great for anyone who is looking for part time, freelance or full time work.

• The Creative Group
• Creative Circle
• Artisan

This past weekend we were lucky enough to be invited by some friends to a lake house in Harbor Country, Michigan. The weather was perfect. When we arrived on Saturday the waves on Lake Michigan were similar to waves I’ve seen in San Diego. We had a major boogie-board session, it was awesome.

After a day on the beach we were ready for our evening festivities, starting with a tour of Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks.

Journeyman Distillery is a small-batch spirits organic distillery that recently opened last fall. The space is located in an old feather bone factory and is restored beautifully. We were able to sample their white and aged rye whiskey, rum and gin. My favorite was the aged rye whiskey… {More on this later, a post on details of tour to follow}

After the tour, we enjoyed a relaxing evening of grilling, campfire and sunset at the beach.

Morning time meant business. We headed straight to P & E Mullins: Local, a sustainable food and cured meats shop to get their famous Sunday Morning Bacon Jam. While we were there we also thought it would be a great idea to get a pound of bacon to accompany our breakfast pancakes. It was probably the best idea we made all day. Hey, we were on vacation right? When in Harbor Country... 30 hours may seem short, but I love these little 30 hour weekend trips, just enough time to relax and get away.

Our Stops:

Journeyman Distillery
109 Generation Drive  Three Oaks, MI 49128
(269) 820-2050
P & E Mullins: Local
424 East Buffalo Street  New Buffalo, MI 49117
(269) 231-5138

That’s Right. Three BBQ’s. Three Cities. Here we go…

The first BBQ stop was at Smoque BBQ in Chicago. On a Saturday night in brisk April, there was a line out the door. That’s when I knew that we were in the right place. The wait wasn’t too bad, after playing a few games of yahtzee on my phone, we were closer and closer to the delicious smells of smoked barbeque. Joe and I split a full slab of ribs, St. Louis Style with sides of cornbread, mac and cheese, baked beans, and coleslaw. Smoque uses a Memphis-style dry rub to form a savory crust. They smoke the slabs over apple and oak, and finish them with a semi-sweet BBQ sauce to complement the spicy rub and smoky meat. {excerpt found here}  It was heavenly.

Visit Smoque
3800 N Pulaski Chicago, IL
773-545-7427

On our recent road trip down south, one of the stops was Colombia, Missouri to visit some old friends. The only request that we was to find some good old fashioned Missouri Barbeque. And… wow, did they show us.

Located in a small, country town outside of Columbia, Missouri lies Lonnie Rays BBQ. Sitting down in a booth of the one room BBQ shack, I knew that we were going to have an amazing authentic experience. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich- Kansas City Style -in which the coleslaw is put right on top of the pork. It came with a side of sweet potato fries that were covered in butter and loaded with brown sugar. I have tried to make this myself, but I still can’t seem to perfect that experience. I still dream about this meal.  

Drop everything this instant, and head to Harrisburg, Missouri.  You’ll be in for a treat. Just make sure you get there before everything is sold out, that’s when they close for the day!

Visit Lonnie Rays
81 E Sexton St, Harrisburg, MO.
1 (573) 874-0020

Recently I visited my family who lives outside of Detroit. I was very adamant that we make sure to stop by Slows BBQ in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. I had heard of Slows from various magazines and blogs and was very intrigued about the hype of this place. And, it did live up to it!  When we sat down at our table we were presented with five different bottles of house made barbeque sauce. Always a good sign…

I ordered my standby, the pulled pork sandwich. Although, everything else on the menu was extremely tempting. It was delicious. Served “Kansas city Style” like Lonnie Rays with coleslaw on top, it was especially fun to try all of the different sauces. We also ordered a side of waffle fries with cheddar. Now how can that possibly be bad? My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The location is also something to note. Detroit is a city of flux. Many changes have happened over the years, many of them incredibly unfortunate, but there are great things happening in this upcoming neighborhood of Corktown. More on that later…

Visit Slows BAR BQ
2138 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI
313 962 9828

Photos & Design © Orange Marigold

I remember the first time I went to Andersonville… I was in awe of all of the amazing boutiques and restaurants and I was especially smitten by Brimfield. Brimfield is one of those shops that is basically a rotating art installation. It has this prep-cape cod-nostalgic-ivy league-cabin feel that is very playful, inviting and chic.

I love all the bright, warm hues, the stripes, the argyles and the “prepster going on a picnic” look.

Visit Brimfield

5219 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60640
Offers three floors of antique, vintage & repurposed furniture and other home decor items.

Photos & Design © Orange Marigold

When I was in Nashville about a month ago, I stopped in my tracks while walking down the street in the 12th St. neighborhood. These amazing wire-woven trash cans lined the sidewalks. I was blown away by their beauty and the intricacy and detail of the weaving. What an amazing functional art piece!

After doing a bit of research and I have found this information via Mary Lucking about this community art project:

As part of Nashville, Tennessee’s 12South streetscape redevelopment project in Spring 1999, youth and seniors at Sevier Park Community Center created colorful patterns for four new litter receptacles. Based on African and Native American beading and weaving designs, the patterns are created by weaving colored telephone wire into the perforated metal surfaces of the new red trash cans that were ordered to be installed in the Phase I area (the blocks closest to Sevier Park) of 12South project. The patterns on the cans highlight the interaction between rules and free-form creativity in art. Each pattern has a set of rules, within which the weavers will be encouraged to follow their own visions of color, pattern, and texture. As a thank-you for their work, a celebration day was held for the kids involved in the project.

So awesome! It’s so great to see collaborative projects like this happening–especially ones that help beautify  a community in a number of ways.

Photos & Design © Orange Marigold

I love this State by Food poster from Melangerie Inc. {paperie, gifts + event details}. It celebrates the local food specialty in each state. I think my kitchen needs this…

Photos from Melangerie Inc. {paperie, gifts + event details}