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http://www.akulakreative.com/blog

merry christmas!

Travel safely and enjoy your time with family and friends!

With love,
Your friends at Akula Kreative

gingerbread arts & crafts

The ante has officially been upped in gingerbread house making. Exhibit A: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.

Every time I see or read about Fallingwater, I'm reminded of how much I love it. At first glance, you may think "Ok, yeah, it's a cool house," but if you dig a little deeper there is meaning behind every element. Whether it's a piece of wood or stone with which it has been built, the way it's perfectly nestled into its spot, or the shape it takes with each move outward and upward, every detail is both beautiful and deliberate. (Ok, ok, so I wrote a paper about this in college, and yes, I'm still talking about it. I just love Arts & Crafts. And Frank Lloyd Wright.)

On that note, doesn't the gingerbread house above bring new meaning to the term organic architecture? Haa.

custom logo design | propel

We were beyond excited when Caroline Tran asked us to design a logo for her new photography workshops. She told us she wanted something text-based that felt refreshing, uplifting, clean, modern, and a little feminine. So, we went to work, and voila! A light and airy, fun and free design. We hope we get to do more with her in the future...it's so inspiring working with other creative people.

To learn more about Caroline and her workshops for aspiring photographers (and perhaps eventually amateurs), click HERE. Right now her March workshop is full, but we believe she has started a waiting list.

Caroline Tran is a professional photographer based in Pasadena, CA doing work mainly in Southern California, but also worldwide. The light in her images is breathtaking and her eye for detail is impeccable. See for yourself!

Photos by Caroline Tran | Florals by Square Root

(Yes, these are our wedding photos, but that doesn't change the fact that she has amazing photography skills!)

our top 10 christmas list for those who love animals & design

Here it is :: { Our Top 10 List } for those who love ANIMALS & DESIGN

1. Build Your Own Toy Dog / fab.com / $18.95
2. Plumen Light Bulb Set of 4 / fab.com / $98.00
3. Nuri the French Bulldog Wool Pillow / etsy.com / $45.00
4. Paintchip Table Runner / etsy.com / $22.00
5. The Clementine Eco Orb Kit / Pigment (San Diego) / $40.00
6. The Fish Hotel / Crate and Barrel / $29.95
7. Circus Finger Puppets / Restoration Hardware / $12.49
8. German Goggles (aka, dog motorcycle goggles) / Restoration Hardware / $16.49
9. Santa's Reindeer Pit Bull Christmas Cards / etsy.com / $12.00
10. Neville House Miniature / Crate and Barrel / $59.95

* MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! * 
We wish you a holly, jolly holiday filled with family, friends, food, and furballs.

imali | egg hats

Perfect for serving up soft boiled eggs on a chilly winter morning.

This pair of hand-knit egg hats by imali (a shop in Latvia) is on sale today. Click HERE for details!

10% OFF your first design project!

Our listing on Google Places is up! To receive 10% OFF your first design project, click HERE and find the offer code!

mini feeling sculptures | Artmind

I found something wonderfully CREATIVE to share with you today: a mini sculpture series called "99 Feelings" by artist Mitsy of ARTMIND in Belgium. What began as a simple shape—a stout, friendly babushka-like figure—was transformed into "a feeling, seen." About one of them, she explains:

This ceramic art object is part of my ‘99 feelings’-project.
It derives from a project I did many years ago reflecting my self-portrait.
I called it ‘how the outside can tell how you feel inside’.
I started out with 9 feelings and then I suddenly thought of making 99 of them...

Now, I am not a super sensitive person, but these "feelings" are just so CLEVER.

I think any designer's goal is to provide as much information as possible in as simple and concise a way as possible, and these little guys really pack a punch. It must be why I love them.

Anyway, a few of my favorites are below. (As I was making the labels for the sculptures, I was thinking about how fonts can be just as descriptive...just not nearly as cute.)

If you want to check out the entire series, click HERE. If you want to purchase a replica, click HERE.

P.S. Isn't it also amazing that Pinocchio's nose has become a universal symbol of deceit? See 3rd row, 8th column. A simple image can be so powerful!

why no recent work?

If you're wondering why we haven't posted any RECENT WORK in the past month, it's because all of it has yet to launch (or be published)...including our work in Ceremony Magazine 2012! We can't wait to show you the new websites, logos, and ads we've created, but you'll have to wait just a few more weeks...

In the meantime, you can check out our new holiday card on Etsy. It's Nani with antlers. :) To visit the shop, click HERE.

tiny confessions | christopher rozzi

Sooo...we have to share another gem from fab.com today. These 8 x 10 prints by Christopher Rozzi are amazing. (This is just a small sampling, too. There are over 50 of them featured on the site.) Each piece highlights something for which that breed is known: i.e., a gassy French Bulldog, a lazy cat, and a short-snouted American (or English?) Bulldog.

We love animals with a dry sense of humor.