SAYING GRACE

It's official now. We've entered the Holiday Season. Maybe, like us, you're reading the blogs in the early hours of Thanksgiving between clandestine spoonfuls of mashed yams and spiked Snog. (Studies conclude it improves writing quality.) Before the season spirals into the US's most dependable economic stimulus, we thought, perhaps like you, it's time to reflect on the myriad graces we've been dealt. For us, those are our projects. We get so many projects.

Who else gets to design both annual reports and toilet paper? Soft granola bags, glittering temp. tattoos and kids' bandage tins? Branding for pediatricians and green energy-obsessed Texans? Who else gets to photograph weddings, hip hop shows, fundraiser galas, dog collars, a sleep lab, and a statewide brewers' festival in the same stretch? We couldn't say. But we sure are grateful for the opportunity.

So this Thanksgiving, we want to thank each of you for each of your graces. We don't treat those lightly. Every project is an honor – we don't let just any mechanic throw a wrench at our cars, nor just any baker toss just any flour into a wedding cake. We get it, and thank you.

Today we point the spotlight at the projects themselves. Below's a selection of some(!) of our favorite projects of the year. We hope you enjoy the tour half as much as we've enjoyed the work. Each is linked to its particular entry. So have at it. And happy eating!

GREEN [ BOOT CAMP ]

The Greening Movement. If you're not itching to install a new sludge-feed direct in your local reservoir (or preternaturally obsessed with Blinky), it's not hard to get behind. Every business worth their salt is doing their part, from memo-heavy offices moving entirely to email to those who can't offering substantial recycling options, and it's a miracle. And those at the leading edge are building operators. Buildings both commercial and residential can draw a shocking amount of power and produce an extraordinary amount of waste for the trouble if their designers and managers aren't careful. We've made our stance known before, and we're always pleased when we get to shove our hat further into the ring.

This weekend in Richmond, TX, our beloved Mark Robinson, who, admittedly, we have to share with Green Power 4 Texas, will be teaching a FREE Greening workshop for Brazos Bend Villa Apartment residents. Learn about about new energy-conserving attic fans and generators on the grounds, how to Greenify your job, lifestyle, and budget. Then eat free local, organic food, help plant a tree which, in concert with several other, should provide more than $100,000 in fruit for residents of the next 20 years, and possibly get on TV. Sounds great, right? Our only complaint NYC and ABQ make this a painfully unGreen drive (let's not talk REG).

TC designed the promo for the event, which we hope will be the huge success Mark, GP4T, and the residents of Brazos Bend deserve.

Likewise, we have to offer huge thanks to the Texas Dept. of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). It's their investment in these new fans, generators, trees, food, and Mark's time that's making this event possible. Any Saturday morning movement in support of the larger Movement is a big deal, and this is a big-big one. Even if you're not a Brazos Bend resident, the information is no less relevant, and you can take it back to the buildings in your own daily life.

Details:

When: Saturday, November 19, 10-11:30 CST
Where: Brazos Bend Villa Apartments, 2020 Rocky Falls Road, Richmond, TX.

Full details on the back of the flyer here:




Team: Britt Martinez, Lynn Platow
Client: Mark Robinson/Green Power 4 Texas

MASQUERADE

Ha! Thought just because you can't see through the gravy haze of Thanksgiving and early Holiday Advertising you were through the Halloween thicket, huh? Well, this week in TC news, we're going on a field trip back in time, to a more innocent, less alarming world. The year? 2011 (gasp). The date? October 29 (heavens!). The hour? 6:30. (Dinner & drinks time!)


Into this other world, we touch down at the Hotel ABQ. The scene: Masquerade, a gorgeous, high-end costume ball fundraiser decorated by Conventions Services of the Southwest. The funds raised were in the service of at-risk youth in the ABQ public school system, to curb bullying and provide "a more positive learning environment." Graciously, they opted for the Costume Ball theme over High School, and put a glamorous face on a good cause. We sent in Daniel to demonstrate for those not in attendance the creative expertise you get when you hire CSS.



Some of our own did make the guest list, including the likes of Max and Mandy Thrasher. Others, well… If you're familiar with the ABQ who's-who, you'd recognize a few faces. If you could see them.






CSS's attention to detail was outstanding. From the exceptional, floating masks to the half-past-twilight lighting, the streamers to the beads, the whole room took on an impossible, otherworldly quality. It may not have been quite the Witching Hour, but magic sure did seem possible.


And what fundraiser is complete without runway modeling?



Client: Conventions Services of the Southwest
Team: Daniel Hulsbos, Lynn Platow, Brittany Martinez

MELINDA'S NEXT SHOW

It's the season for art openings. All the Summer- and Fall-inspired artists pulling the veils from warm works, set to remind us of everything but the cooling world outside. True, in Summer a comfy crowd spills from the gallery – but as winter arrives, snacks and treats seem more precious, and the warm, welcoming gallery even moreso. So what's happening this week that's got us ready for framed, wall-hung delights? It's the Colored Pencil Society of America local District Chapter's annual show! Yeah, Friday night from 5:00 to 8:00 at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery, north of Cedar Crest, NM. But it gets better: Melinda's in it!

Melinda's no stranger to colored pencil works, taking a Second Place at NM Masterworks for one this Spring. And if you missed one of her more celebrated pieces from that show, you'll be glad to know you can stop kicking yourself. "Catch a Flying Star," along with original work she did for TC on Hey Diddle-Diddle, and new pieces will be on show Friday night. Proud as the Old Schoolhouse is to host this prestigious show, we're even prouder of Melinda's much-deserved place in it.


The show is free, and runs till the 27th, if you can't make it Friday. But we certainly hope you will.