Pine Island, Outerbanks. 2007

Since 1997 the Cook family has made it a priority to spend time as a family away from the routines that consume the other 358 days of our lives. The location has always been the Outerbanks of North Carolina but the location within the Outerbanks has changed almost every year.

I was 13 years old the first year all 18 of us traveled from Ohio to North Carolina. We stayed in Nags head and rented an 'oceanview' home. That was the only year we didn't rent ocean front.

Most of the homes are owned by families but rented through a variety of realty companies. All of the homes have names and the home featured in this post is called "Absolute Ambiance" and is located in Pine Island .

This was by far my favorite house we've stayed in (My grandma wouldn't agree). It was very modern and the interior was stunning. (My grandma prefers rentals with a look-and-feel of a beach cottage). This year was also special because it was the first year my wife joined us. We were only dating at the time but we knew that if she could survive a week with the entire cook famliy in one house, she could handle anything :) For More Photos and Rental information, Check out the rental Page: Absolute Ambiance

Here is the tour:

Miles Design Holiday Card(s)

If you haven't already seen the Miles Design collection of Holiday Cards, check out the process here!

(photo via Josh Miles)

Design Dialogue #1 // Allison Lehman

JC // So tell me a little bit about your discoveries as a designer in Columbus, Ohio vs. Upland, Indiana
AL // It's crazy different. I felt like I was unable to think outside the box when I lived in Upland, Indiana. I didn't have my own space to create because I shared a house with 7 other girls and there was no way of networking within the town that I lived in. In Columbus, I've met so many people interested in the same things that I am. Especially through twitter, I've connected with clients that I currently have now. I had a chance to visit Sandbox Columbus and meet the team of Egolabel and collaborate. Plus, I think there's a feeling of legitimacy that you gain as an artist when you're positioning yourself in an urban area around people striving for the same things.

JC // Who makes up your clientele?
AL // My clientele is great. It took about a year to build up quality clients. I work with Emily Elizabeth Jewelry a lot. She's a designer in New York City. I also with a photographer in LA. She has a lot of small start up companies that are fun to work with. I get a lot of grooms/brides looking for invitation designs.

JC // How do you market yourself? What tools have you found most successful?
AL // I used to market myself through Etsy. About 2 years ago I started designing banner designs for small business's shops. Now I market myself through past clients (referrals are huge!). Twitter has also gotten me connected with clients/projects. And lately I've started blogging everyday and decided to buy an ad space on a widely read blog. I get a lot of visitors to my blog/site and randomly will get an email or two asking about my prices/processes.

JC // Who is your most significant artistic influence?
AL // Oh that's tough. I've always had a hard time picking influences. As far as fine art: that would have to be Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. When it comes to design influences, I actually don't have a 'famous' artist influence. I keep track of a lot of blogs of designers who aren't huge. They're so talented but they're making a difference in their community and within their network.

JC // What is your favorite thing to design?
AL // I love designing for print. There's something magical about seeing it printed. There's a choice that goes into what kind of paper you use, or what type of printer you use, should it be letterpress, can I afford letterpress? Ha. When I design for print but it never gets printed, it's just this electronic file on my screen. Someday I want to invest in a really nice printer and print all my projects that never get to come alive.

JC // What is your all-time favorite piece you designed?
AL // Oh my gosh that's so difficult. Well I really like my design for TotsPups and most all the work I create for that client. But honestly, I become incredibly unhappy with my designs the longer time passes after I finish them. Every design I create is my favorite at that moment. Then I get frustrated and want to do something different and new.

JC // Last question: Give me 1 reason why I should hire you.
AL // My personality and who I am at the core is rooting for my clients. I want to see them succeed and gain recognition for what THEY are doing. I work with really creative people and I've made great relationships with those that I've worked with. I work hard and I don't send my clients designs until I'm personally happy with it.

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Allison Lehman graduated last May with a degree in Visual Communication Design from Taylor University located in Upland, Indiana. She is currently a freelance designer in Columbus, Ohio where she resides with her husband, Adam, and new puppy, Desh. If you are interested in working with Allison Lehman, please contact her via email: salutations@allisonlehman.com and make sure to check out her online portfolio.

Wedding photos – sneak peak!

Guest Blogger for Miles Design

So this week I was a guest blogger on the Miles Design blog. The post is titled "What are Your Brand's Affordances? To read the post, click here.

Before & After | Dining Room

Brown. Blue. Black. White.

Our dining room table was a wedding present from Meg's Aunt. She found the drop leaf table and chairs separately at a flea market and repaired, painted, and reupholstered the set. The framed photograph on the black shelf was taken by Meg when studding abroad in Italy. The photograph is of a young girl feeding the pigeons. It was this experience that inspired Megan to write and Illustrate the children's story What Peapa Learns in Florence. See images of children's story here

Home Sweet Home.

It's hard to believe it has already been a month since August 15th! (...which means it's already the middle of September? yikes!)

I took a small break from blogging but am now ready to get back into the full swing of things. There are a few exciting things happening with the blog. I'm pleased to announce that you will not only be viewing posts from jcook -- but also from mcook. We're going mix things up a little bit...It could get interesting.

We're finally starting to feel settled in our new home so we plan on sharing some of our before/after shots of the townhouse. Stay posted....