finally ... another option

Evites drive me crazy. Their templates are ugly and difficult to work with. And with all of that stuff it is hard to get to the info that you really need: date, place and time. So I was super excited when I read about pingg on DesignMom. Pingg offers nice, clean web-vites. They use simple photography with date, location and address.

I still prefer an invite that you can hold in your hand and put up on the fridge for temporary art. But when you're in a pinch you now have a better option.

vaca

Going to a place with no wires. Back in a week.

{photo by Jamie Kripke, the incredible photographer who did our Gatorade Endurance Formula stuff}

this guy is awesome

I stumbled onto David Fullarton recently and have been frequenting his Flickr journal ever since. He is a Scottish illustrator/advertising copywriter turned fine artist. His journal is titled "more regrettable incidents in a life filled with bitter remorse" ... which in itself gives you a window into this guy's sense of humor. I have found myself laughing out loud at his bizarro thoughts and scenarios. I love his drawings and collages. His comments below each picture are awesome. You can see more of his work and actually buy stuff at Hang Art.

paul lloyd type

I am such a sucker for old school type. There is something in knowing that each letter had to be so carefully placed and that someone designed the font with their hands, not with their mouse. A beautiful art. Paul Lloyd has a gorgeous group of fonts. You've got to love the type artist that quotes Keats!

the color palette

COLOURlovers is an amazing website whose primary purpose is compiling color palettes for reference and inspiration. Members submit their own palettes and patterns. I love some of the names people give to their creations. There is also a section that focuses on trends with the latest magazine cover colors and website colors.

craft + design

It goes without saying that craft and design go hand in hand. And since I missed posting yesterday I thought I would combine the two with paper+cup designs. They are a design and product company created by minhee and truman cho. Their designs are so simple and beautiful. Some of my favorites are their custom mailing labels (see the cool wrap around one) and the "choices" line of cards and invitations. They also have original personalized wooden utensils, perfect for an outdoor wedding. Check out the paper+cup blog for all of their new products.

more mini pics

I saw these pictures yesterday on OhDeeDoh and couldn't help but think of our Minimiam post: "gastronome stories". What is it about macro-photography that is so cool? It seems to tell a story so well. It also reminds me of one of my favorite childhood books, The Borrowers.

Erin Tyner is a self-taught photographer out of my home town of Atlanta, GA. It is great to see artists in the ATL ... and talented ones at that.

i am so white

This is a very funny blog:

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

Thanks, Crissy.

today's favorite free fonts

seymour = "legal tender" from Urban Fonts
cornelius = "bv rondes" from fonts101.com

a little bee

I have not always loved quilts. Growing up I associated quilts with old women. They just didn't seem like much fun. Fortunately, I grew up and discovered some old quilts and some new designers that turned my head around.

Many of you probably already know The Quilts of Gees Bend. They have been everywhere ... from Martha Stewart to Anthropologie. Gees Bend is a rural community outside Selma, AL. The women there have been quilting for over a century. Their vision is unlike any other. The quilts are bold in design and color - more like a modern painting than the old school quilts of your grandmother.


And then there's Denyse Schmidt. She is a modern quilt designer whose mass produced works have been at Crate & Barrel and Anthropologie. She also does couture quilts - made by hand, one at a time. All of her stuff is colorful and fun. Traditional with a modern twist. She actually has done some similar to those of Gees Bend (see the "square-in-a-square log cabin pattern").

end communications

While working at an agency I had the pleasure of meeting Kyle and Brett from End Communications. We were talking about using them for our agency website and then the agency went and created their own interactive department. So I never got to actually work with them. They were at least 10 years my junior with a portfolio of work that was the same caliber as the master design shops (Pentagram in London and Cahan and Assoc in San Fran). Their style is simple and classic, with some humor thrown in (see the MagneCote website). I was happy to see lots of new work on their own site, so they must be doing well. Way to go guys!

ingenuity

A friend of ours had one of these little guys and D fell in love with it. Made of wire and ribbon, this biker pedals as the wheels move. An awesome silent push-toy for your toddler. African children call them "galimotos" and make them out of whatever they can find.

You can buy your own Galimoto from Ten Thousand Villages for only $6. Any money you spend at TTV goes directly to the people that need it. They are a fair trade, non-profit retailer. Pretty darn cool.

depression press

Depression Press has a plethora of awesome vintage illustrations. Their Flickr sets range from letterpress materials to old songbook covers.


The "Typecase" set is full of beautiful detail.

keming

And in type news, this is very smart:

{from type for you via pica + pixel. If you need a definition on kerning, go here}

yikes!

File this post under totally random.

John Gorka sings a song titled "I'm from New Jersey":

I'm from New Jersey, it's not like Texas
There is no mystery, I can't pretend
I'm from New Jersey, it's like Ohio,
But even more so, imagine that

T told me about these pictures yesterday and I cannot get the song out of my head. Why does so much weird stuff come out of NJ? And if your wondering where all of the self-tanner and tweezers go ... well, now you know. More pics here.

wall posters

T just got a new office and proceeded to tear all of the old stuff off the walls. And we all know that today's offices are meant to be temporary (what does this say to the everyday worker?). So the walls are pretty mauled. I did a quick search for wall posters and came across some pretty cool stuff.

Identity 5 has some colorful graphics that can be printed in three different sizes. They all remind me of a James Bond film. The "LOVE" and and "I love you ..." are fabulous. All are great ways to add color to a room.

And then of course, Urban Outfitters. They have a great big wall map similar to the one that T's dad had on the ceiling of his library in their old house. I'd love to get this map and see all of the stuff that changes in the next 40 years.

us

I discovered some really great links recently via pica + pixel. One of which is a London based design studio called us. Their name is awesome. I love that they can say "about us" and "contact us" and really mean it. I also love their work. It is highly conceptual ... the kind of stuff that you dream of doing in ad school and then get to the real world where you have to do ads for sausages.

Some work by "us":


{Rain Positive. T-shirts that only reveal their message when rained on to help change people's attitudes towards the weather}


{posters in celebration of the smoking ban}


{"a response to office working conditions and battery farmed hens"}

monday - CRAFT

I'm a new aunt as of last Saturday. A little girl. I cannot tell you how much fun I am having thinking about all of the cute things I can buy for her. I have been scouring Etsy for the latest greatest baby stuff.

Here are some of my favorites:

{The first three (onesie, quilt and quilt on chair) are all from QuiltBaby. Felt bunny softies from JumpCrafties. Bib from BeanPickleSprout. Crochet monkey from AYMK. Pillow from Jamtart Baby. And adorable letterpressed card from SweetBeets.}