A couple
weeks ago during a crazy busy weekend, which is the only kind of weekend I know
right now, Eric and I went to a friend’s birthday party. We showed up with a
bottle of some crazy Irish moonshine Eric picked out for the birthday boy. But
I got gifts, too! My friend, Kara, who was hosting the birthday party for her fiancé,
gave me some belated birthday gifts. They are so wonderful I have to share them
here!
blurry iPhone photo ;-)
That paper sale was serious. A box of 100 arturo flat cards: $5. Unbelievable! After the happy paper moment, it was too early to hop on the metro to head to the studio so i stopped for some frozen yogurt and ate it in the park. I got to the studio just in time to sit down for afternoon tea with other volunteers and some of the Pyramid staff and I spent the afternoon sorting type, which turned out to be incredibly relaxing. Then I came home and popped in the yoga DVD for a little stretching session with eoin finn. A tasty dinner of leftover homemade pizza and a chocolate truffle (also homemade by Mr. Moggie) and I'm actually sleepy at an appropriate time with a whole stack of library books staring from the nightstand. *Contented sigh*
I leave you with a screen grab of this awesome Etsy treasury. Good night!
Remember these?
I finally got a chance to put them to work. As excited as I was to have this beautiful wood type I was even more excited to see what the wood type could do when joined with ink and paper. The Moggies have new stationery!
I absolutely love the results!
So I post every day for a month, and then for a few more days. And then nothing, NOTHING, for a whole week. I've been studying. And drinking coffee. And outlining my study notes. And drinking Mountain Dew. Seriously, being a law student is very exciting.
I'm popping my head back into the blogosphere to share this cute print. Very Small Array has compiled the most common place for Craigslist Missed Connections for each state (like Metro in DC, Subway in New York, and Hooters in Texas - huh?) and put it on this map. How cool?
image from Very Small Array (via District, Schmistrict)
And now back to my regularly scheduled caffeination project. Catch you on the other side of exams, but I'm hoping for sooner!
What a day at the studio yesterday! It was a monster marathon session, and now I've got a pile of letterpressed goodies! Here's a little sneak peek. Find these cards in my etsy shop.
I saw this Aisle One "rome was not built in a suit" wallpaper on Design for Mankind, and when I went over to check it out, I fell in love with this "i love typography" graphic instead instead. Get your own!
I was supposed to participate in the ArtHouse scavenger hunt a few weeks ago, but i got the list very late, leaving me with only an already full week in which to snap and print lots of photos for the project. Sadly, i didn't get very far. I did, however, get a great idea for a photo from the prompt Alphabet Soup.
In the bowl are pieces of wood type my mom is giving me as a Christmas gift. The letters you see are from one of two full alphabet sets with which I'll soon be able to create beautiful paper goods. Both sets are here at my apartment, but I've promised not to use the gorgeous wood type until after the holidays. It's not a problem, since I won't get to the studio much between now and the new year. I hope mom doesn't mind that I snapped a photo of the type. It's too gorgeous not to show it off!
Thanks to mom, and also to the lovely lady behind pogotown, the etsy shop where i picked out the type.
It snowed today. I think. I looked out the window while I was making lunch and saw a pile of white stuff falling down. A minute later, I looked out again: nothing, save for some clouds and naked tree branches. Maybe that glimpse of falling snow was just the universe playing a trick on my eyes. Regardless of whether there was, in fact, snowfall in northern Virginia today, it's icicle- igloo-wool sweater-ice skate cold out there.
So here's what's keeping me warm today:
all photos from the charliemotel etsy shop.
I mentioned this shop earlier this week, but I couldn't resist posting about it again. Here are three items that say: "warm me up coffee cup." The shop contains cards, pins, and a writing set. Absoultely darling!
images from french paper, wordle, and uppercase
I wish I could remember where I came across French Paper this week, but I'm glad that I did. If you're looking for a large selection of pretty paper on the web, it's the place for you. But, if you're looking for something that can turn the words from your website into a pretty graphic, go to Wordle.net. It can be a big time trap for those of us who like type, but I imagine it can captivate lots of other folks as well. And then, if you're looking for a fun package of type-related goodies, Uppercase has got you covered. I saw these delightful little packages featured on Coveiter earlier today.
images from S.Stein, geekologie, and Made By Hank
For now, most days I carry my books around in a backpack. At the top of my list of anticipated life changes post graduation in May is no longer having to be a person who carries a backpack. I have seen cute handbags everywhere lately. For example, the olive and parsley project tote from S. Stein Designs would be perfect for carrying ink and paper to and from the letterpress studio. My iPod, cell phone, magazines, and non-heavy fun books could go anywhere with me in that cute ruffly bag from Made By Hank. Unfortunately handbags have gotten so pricey. Perhaps I could try what one guy did and pay my bills with a drawing of a spider. It didn't work for him; maybe banks would prefer letterpress? Seriously, check out the story here.
images from folding trees, pajiba, and nestprettythings
Folding trees had a 2-part tutorial on creating these sweet paper flowers this week. I tried my hand at it while watching Top Chef on Wednesday night, and they're not super difficult, though somewhat time consuming. If you're not a knitter (and I'm not, though I'd like to be) and you're looking for a relaxing craft to do while watching tv or a movie, these folded flowers might be the way to go. The Time Traveler's Wife might be a good movie to watch while folding, given the role of paper arts in the book. However, it might be a while before it hits the big screen. I remember seeing the release date as December 2008 some time ago, but I have yet to see a trailer and now there is no official release date listed. Pajiba has a review of the wonderful book here. And if you're not so crafty but want some pretty handmade items, pick up goodies made by Tamar Schechner at NestPrettyThings.
images from Design for Mankind, Small Magazine, and Mew Paper Arts
Finally, check out this cool image from Andre Jordan I saw on Design for Mankind this week. If that's not enough, the new issue of Small Magazine is available online. Emily Martin from The Black Apple is a contributor. Then, tell your friends all about it on this sweet farm girl stationery from Mew Paper Arts.
One more thing: The winner of the Grey Moggie EtsyGreetings Carnival package, as chosen by the Random Number Generator is: Go Amie, who had the 24th comment. Amie, I'll be in touch to get your mailing address so I can send your Grey Moggie package to you!!
If you didn't win, fear not. I'm donating a few items to another giveaway taking place in early December. I'll keep you posted. Or check out the Grey Moggie shop!!
Just when I thought it couldn't get any better than a font made of food, I saw this Serious Eats post on Lou Dorfsman's artwork that was formerly displayed in the CBS cafeteria. How cool is that?
What's sad is that after some time, it was taken from the walls of the cafeteria. In a happy end to the story, it has been restored. See more photos from the team in charge of the restoration here.
Thanks to the Serious Eats folks for posting about this. What a treasure! Be sure to head on over to their post and read the neat comments left about it.
