looking forward to...

since the weather has been headed towards the chilly side of things, i have been enthused (just ask my coworkers) about the holiday season. i am usually not this excited, but my goal is to make everyone's gifts this year. so far i am mostly in brainstorm mode, and i am cheating a little by most likely using a couple letterpressed calendars (by me- in my etsy store soon!!) as a gift. but it's still made by me! so i have been busy knitting a special someone's present already, which i'm very excited about!
anyways, other than that goal, i have been enjoying cooking up a storm- many soups have been had here at our house, along with baking. i think it's essential to bake and eat good food. plus it nicely warms our house. things i have been loving lately: warm beverages, sweaters, scarves, and a handmade hat, random public art, our cat being more cuddly, blankets, a clean and warm house, and a little time to read. everything has been lovely, and i'm really enjoying seeing the details and everyday things as art and inspiration. i just wish i had that digital camera i've been lusting after... since ours is ancient (by technologies' standard). maybe santa will put it under the tree for me....

stay tuned: we are planning on having a tacky christmas party, which i think will be a blast- so i will definately post pictures of that!

ON THE TOP OF MY WISH LIST- moop bags

i happened upon moop bags this weekend when i was entering the trunkt.org giveaway ($500 gift certificate). trunkt itself deserves a post, but i will save that for later. basically, they are an online portfolio site that links to the sellers online stores. anyways back to moop bags- they look super sturdy and great- and not to mention handmade! check out their blog too- and their great picture of their workspace (pictured below). i can't wait to get my hands on one of their bags! (above: the market bag in brown corduroy for autumn and in sage for anytime)

arugula press update

my etsy shop has been quite silent to date, because i am working on a project which i am very excited about- a special edition (numbered to 60 and signed) letterpressed calendar designed and printed by me! i am really looking forward to the outcome, i've been gathering the illustrations from my past year or so of sketches, and am almost done with the typesetting. then it's time for printing! my plan is to have them in my shop by november 17th. the price will be $25 + shipping. stay tuned for pictures!


p.s. for the holidays there will also be letterpressed gift tag sets, and some single cards.

of paper + thread

thanks to flickr's groups, i found 'of paper + thread' who is Danielle from Australia. She creates lovely coin purses, cards and tea towels by hand and screenprints them by hand. Check out her blog and her esty shop. (above: succulent screen-printed coin purse)

reform school rules!

i had stumbled upon Reform School's website this morning and i loved how their school theme really carried through the whole site. d and i have a sort of schoolhouse theme in our house, and i have an slight affinity for notebooks and chalk. my two favorite items are above, Zaishu's 'cloth' stool (great woodblock looking print) and Maxine Sutton's organic pillows (both organic in shapes and in materials).

noun- a person's place for things

the downfall of my bank account has been foreshadowed- the terribly tempting Noun on Belmont street has stolen my taste and placed everything i would put in my house in their shop. this includes my favorite letterpressed cards, amazing jewelry from kiersten crowley, found objects, white pottery, vintage houseware finds, and what else? a cupcake shop in the back. (saint cupcake) what else could i need? i think actually i may ask if i can just move in. and their name is the best- noun: a person's place for things. stay tuned for future visits! (p.s. the above picture does not do justice for the shop)

port2port press packaging

one of my favorite printers, maria of port2port press in maine, has been showing some lovely snipits of her daily life and packaging of her work. the thing i love about maria is that she sees details in every day that inspire, and she takes great pictures them! check out her texture inspiration here. (above, paper bags from port2port, from todays post.)

port 2 port press + camilla engman

with these two ladies, you can never go wrong. camilla and maria have collaborated on a set of prints every season, this being their fourth and final one. (maria will be collaborating with a new artist in the next season) these are seriously so beautiful and simple. i love maria's use of color, and camilla's illustrations are among my favorites. the pair are for sale on maria's site for $16. check them out.

stina persson- fashion illustrator

i have been on this illustration kick lately- probably because i've been trying to work on my own. thanks to joy, i found stina persson, a fashion illustrator who uses watercolor, cut paper and acrylic (my kind of illustrator- mixed media!) to create beautiful work!
(the above work is untitled on the website, but is # 1/16 in the cut paper section)

the 'new' d*s

fyi- design*sponge has changed to a new format and site- check it at designspongeonline.com.
grace starts it out with a sneak peek of her apartment- which she has been working on much over the past year and has been showing snippets, but we get to see it all!