etsy fave

Just came across these fun letterpress cards – perfect for a type geek like me:

Find more in their Etsy shop here (via Poppytalk).

2010 calendar roundup

I should be working but instead I find myself staring at my brand new 2010 calendar from SusyJack* that I picked up last week at Ecru.

For the last two years, I've designed my own desk calendar for Cecily Ink but since I've closed it down, I was able to shop around for a new favorite calendar. The choice was tough – just take a look at this small sampling of favorites:

INK + WIT:
I love the whimsical illustration and sparing use of color. Also a vertical format, which I seem to be drawn to this year. The calendar should be making its debut in their shop today – click here to find out more.


MERRY BLUES ART:
I love the upcycled use of an old wooden clothes hanger, not to mention the awesome illustration style! So loose and expressive... You can find out more here.


MISSING Q PRESS:
I sure do love letterpress... and this calendar from Missing Q Press is right up my alley, with gorgeous colors, exquisite letterpress and fun illustrations. Check out the shop here.


SEESAW LETTERPRESS:
Another wonderful letterpress option, this one much larger and a gorgeous option for a wall calendar. Love the modern color palette mixed with retro design flair. Check it out here.


VAN HOOSE DESIGN:
This one I could stare at all day for color inspiration: a huge, poster-sized calendar with fun color dots for each day of the year. Reminds me of color charts at digital print shops. Melissa has several designs to choose from and you can see them all here.


SUSYJACK*:
Last but not least, here is the online shop for SusyJack*. She also has a great desktop version of this calendar. Can't wait to start using mine!

the big book of green design is here!

Yesterday I received my Big Book of Green Design and I couldn't wait to thumb through it.

Naturally, first stop was to see my own work that was included (last year's client gift, a set of three notebooks printed on FSC-certified paper by Brown Printing, an FSC-certified printer):

After going through the book cover to cover, I was truly inspired to see so much great – and green! – design out there. Here are a few of the projects that caught my eye:

What an unusual shape for a calendar – love it! Plus it's a great self-promotion piece, and eco-friendly to boot (by D4 Creative Group out of Philadelphia, PA)

Always a sucker for good packaging, these tea towels and wooden trays totally caught my eye. Clean design, clever packaging, and screen-printing on kraft paper is always gorgeous! (by Aloof Design, East Sussex, UK for Twentytwentyone)

We all know sex sells, and I thought this was a clever play on words. (by University of Illinois and Renourish, Champaign, IL for AIGA)

Paper art at its best! This 3D paper cutout illustration style is amazing! (by Sally Vitsky, Richmond, VA for the American Forest & Paper Association)

Talk about upcycling! This amazing chandelier is made out of 50,000 paper clips! (by JAM, London, UK for Sothebys).

art in the pearl – heather hargesheimer

I really enjoyed meeting Heather Hargesheimer at Art in the Pearl. She's an architect by trade and has recently started working with encaustic. I love her use of repetitive patterns and almost mono-chromatic color palette.

One of her pieces completely stopped me in my tracks – red overlapping circles on a creamy background. When I came back the next day to take a second look and possibly buy it, I discovered that someone else had already snatched it up, darn it!

Here are examples of some of her other pieces, all from her website:

Since Heather is local to Portland, I know our paths will cross again – next time I'll be sure to go with my gut and not hesitate to buy one of her pieces!

art in the pearl – two tone studios

I'm normally not a huge fan of blown glass work so I was surprised that I actually really liked the work of several glass artists at Art in the Pearl. I was especially impressed by Two Tone Studios, a collaboration between Boyd Sugiki and Lisa Zerkowitz from Seattle, WA.

Their work is intricate without being fussy, simple and modern while still highly functional.

All these images are from Two Tone Studio's website – click here to view more and read more about them.

art in the pearl – jacqueline hurlbert

As a long-time exhibitor at Art in the Pearl, Lake Oswego artist Jacqueline Hurlbert's booth was always jam-packed when we passed by.

Her modern pods are always huge crowd pleasers. I'd love to hang a series of 5 or 7 different sized pods in a staggered, random arrangement.

She had some larger pieces as well, similar to these I found on Jacqeline's website:

Although not represented on her website, our favorite at the show was her series of women's torsos. Most were frontal nudes, although she's started doing some gorgeous and sensuous back views as well. We picked up a blue torso that has found a perfect spot in our newly remodeled bathroom - every morning when I look up at it, I'm inspired!

All these images are from Jacqueline Hurlbert's website – click here to view more and read her bio.

art in the pearl – cheryl gail toh

I'm so glad we braved the rain and muddy grounds during Labor Day to visit Art in the Pearl, my favorite Portland art show. We had high hopes of seeing some inspiring art and were not disappointed!

One of my faves was Cheryl Gail Toh, an artist from Kansas City, MO, who works primarily with encoustic.


I love her color choices and patterns! It's a little hard to see on these images, but in real life you really notice the dreamy quality and depth that the many layers of wax create.



All these images are from Cheryl Gail Toh's website – click here to view more and read her bio.

art in the pearl – jim brown

I'm very excited for this year's Art in the Pearl, coming up in just a little over a week. It's my favorite art show in the area and I'm already scoping out the artists who'll be showing this year.

Jim Brown is among the over 100 artists who got accepted into this juried show and I can't wait to see what's new. We've purchased several of his pieces over the years, and I still enjoy them as much today as the day we bought them.

His flower series is what first caught our eye. Instead of one large piece, we brought home 5 smaller pieces similar to these and hung them as a grouping.

Then we added a larger piece of his "washers" series, similar to the ones shown here. For several years, it hung in my Defteling Design office until just a few weeks ago, when it moved upstairs. It's now the star of our newly remodeled bathroom (we even installed a special spotlight!)

I remember seeing his tree series last year and being mesmerized by them. Maybe we'll have to add one to our collection this year...

And here's a fun bonus: photos of Jim Brown's pieces hung inside actual living spaces:

All these images came from Jim Brown's website and I assume they're quite representative of what he'll bring next weekend. Getting excited!!!

ART IN THE PEARL
Saturday 9/5 through Monday 9/7 • www.artinthepearl.com
NW Park blocks in Portland, between W Burnside and NW Glisan at NW 8th Avenue