Happy Halloween!

Work in Progress...

When I was growing up in the 1970s and '80s, game shows dominated morning and early evening TV. I loved almost all of them, but one of my favorites was "Liar's Club". It was actually first shown in 1969 with Rod Serling as the host, but in the late '70s Allen Ludden hosted the show, and those are the ones I remember. The show featured a panel of celebrity guests (Ludden's wife, Betty White, was a regular), who would be presented with an unusual object; each would give a ridiculous explanation of what the object was used for. Contestants would try to guess which star was telling the true story and place wagers to try to win money. When the show wasn't on, my sister and I would find strange objects around the house and make up alternative uses for them, as though we were on the panel.

So when I finished working on the "tester" card above, I looked at it and thought of "Liar's Club". Do you know what it is? I have been testing some fabric glues with different fabrics and think I have found one that suits my needs for some items to add to my Etsy shop this fall. Just waiting on the fabric to arrive and then I'll start gluing!

One of the great things about selling on eBay for 10 years was meeting some awesome people who shared the same collecting obsession(s) I do. My main focus during those years was re-collecting all the stickers I had when I was a kid. Many of these fellow diehard collectors have remained as contacts, a handful are online friends, a few I've actually been lucky enough to meet, and one actually happens to live in my neighborhood in Seattle...just a few blocks away. You never know what goes on behind closed doors! Not only does she love the same 1980s stickers, but she also happens to be an artist-entrepreneur, and a very successful one at that!

Angela Driscoll, along with her husband, Charlie, own Driscoll Design, an award-winning card and paper goods studio based in Seattle. Angela has an incredible knack for combining vintage images (most from the 1920s to 1960s) and typography into a nostalgic yet fresh, modern, and playful style. And she hand-embellishes each card so perfectly with just the tiniest accents of glitter. She also creates calendars, journals, and even matchboxes...with color-coordinated matches!

Driscoll Design cards can be found in paper and gift stores around the country...and globe!...and even at Anthropologie, no less! (My dream stockist!) Angela's cards and paper goods have also been featured in books and magazines, including Martha Stewart Living, Instyle, and Harper's Bazaar.

Lately Angela has been experimenting with watercolors and has come up with a new line of cards using the watercolor illustrations to add a new dimension to her collages. Here's a peak at some cards from the new line!




I follow Angela's work daily, as her success continues to be an inspiration for me on my adventure into the indie craft world. Check out all of Driscoll Design's product line, visit their shop, and read the latest on their blog here.

Christmas Is Coming!

Check out these beeee-U-ti-ful Christmas wreaths made from vintage ornaments and decorations, created by Suzy, aka GeorgiaPeachez! I'd love to make one of these myself, but I would have a hard time using the ornaments for anything other than hanging on a vintage tree. All but two of the wreaths Suzy made in September have sold, but keep an eye on her blog for any news that she has crafted more for this season. There are still 70 days left to decorate!

"Kill Comic Sans"

While I don't condone gun violence, I really dislike the typeface--no, let's call it a font--Comic Sans, introduced in 1994 by Microsoft. This little "Kill Comic Sans" game, created by Utah-based web design firm Agency Fusion, is a great way to relieve stress, waste a little time, and feel like perhaps you can rid the world of bad, overused fonts. At least no one is using Tekton anymore!

Hand-Painted Produce Signs...

More and more I am being drawn back to handwritten typography and calligraphy. After a few decades of slick, photostat- or computer-generated type, and just about slick-everything, the green/organic/crafty movements have brought handwriting back in style!

In the produce section at my local Whole Foods Market, mixed in with all the white chalk marker prices and descriptions, I spied some incredible signs painted by children. I asked the store's Team Leader, Mindy, how the kids came to paint them, and she told me the store had recently held an event to raise money for their Whole Kids Foundation, which puts gardens in local schools and increases nutrition education for young people. Mindy asked kids in the store that day to help make the signs, an idea she got from Alice Waters's book Edible Schoolyard. I would be willing to bet that when each child was given a piece of wood and a paint brush, they didn't ask Mindy, "What color should I use?" And instead painted whatever they thought was appropriate for the type of produce they were "assigned". These signs are so beautifully primitive and were created with such innocence, and most importantly, by hand (like the way you'd pick vegetables from a garden). They are, I think, examples of a perfect graphic design solution.

Here's a color palette inspired by the kids' signs! ;-)