Design

Type designer Steve Matteson

If you've ever used a computer or digital device, you've probably seen the work of type designer Steve Matteson. There's a great interview with him over at MyFonts. One of his most recent projects is the family of fonts for Droid devices. I admire typography artists greatly. I remember one of our most grueling projects in college was to design an entire font. Back in the day you had to do it all by hand. A illustration board, french curves, t-square and pen and ink.

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Upcycled laminate earrings

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I know I posted months ago that I was finally going to open a Charming Ink Etsy shop to sell my handmade, upcycled laminate earrings. Well, I finally did! Each pair is hand cut with a jeweler's saw and then carefully sanded and assembled with anodized aluminum and stainless steel findings so they're hypoallergenic.The laminate (what countertops are made of—well the old ones before the marble and granite countertop craze) is very lightweight so you barely notice you're wearing the earrings.

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Beautiful Budapest Bridge

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Bridges are crucial structures and the engineering minds that create these spans to carry us safely across the abysses leave me in awe. I'm particularly moved when I see a structure that's not only functional, but beautiful. The Liberty Bridge in the photos is located in Budapest, Hungary. Completed in 1896 for the Millennium World Exhibition, it's original name was the Francis Joseph Bridge named after the Emperor. The designer was János Feketeházy, chief engineer of the Hungarian Railroads.

During World War II, this Bridge as well as every bridge in Budapest was blown up by the retreating German troops. It was the first bridge to be rebuilt and reopened in 1946.

The images were captured on our last vacation almost 2 years ago. We found the city to be full of beautiful architecture, warm people and incredible food.