TBT: My First Color Chart

When I was a senior in high school I received a large set of Berol Prismacolor art markers. This was my first set of "real" markers, some of which still work today, over 25 years later! Around the same time, my grandma had just retired from decades as a secretary, so she handed down her electric typewriter to us. I think I was more excited about making this color chart than actually using the markers. I'm thinking of investing in Copic markers now that I'm "all grown up", and you can bet a color chart will be the first thing I use them for!

Pattern Inspiration: The Ceramic Geometric

Get lost in a few of the beautiful ceramic tile compositions designed by Lubna Chowdhary.

Pysanky: Traditional Ukrainian Patterned Eggs

Pysanky (pronounced "PIH-sahn-kih"; singular is pysanka, pronounced "PIH-sahn-kah") are Easter eggs intricately decorated using wax resist and bold colors. The Ukrainian tradition of decorating eggs has been around for many generations, and their design motifs date back to pre-Christian times. The amazing sample of colored plates below are from a book illustrated by Erast Binyashevsky in 1968. You can view even more of the plates on the Traditional Pysanky website.

22 DIYed Easter Eggs

Just in case you're like me and haven't decided yet which method or methods you'll be trying this year for making Easter eggs, here are some ideas!
Dyeing Eggs the Natural Way from Two Men and a Little Farm (what a color palette!)

Ombre Easter Eggs from Sugar & Charm

Gradated Tints from El Hada de Papel (reminds me of paint sample chips!)

Neon Dip-Dyed Eggs from Oh Joy!

"Airbrushed" Eggs from Ashbee Design

Silk Tie-Dyed Eggs from Our Best Bites

Chalkboard Eggs from Oleander + Palm (A more permanent version could be done using black dye and white crayons.)


Off-Register Graphic & Type Eggs from Martha Stewart

Huevos de Pascua from La Receta de la Felicidad (Instructions are in Spanish, but photos are pretty self-explanatory.)

Gilded Eggs from Pencil Shavings Studio

Pantone Chip Easter Eggs from How About Orange

If you want to skip the dye and do something different:

Decoupage Easter Eggs from By Wilma

CMYK Dot Easter Eggs from Martha Stewart

Origami Flowered Eggs from Family Circle

Embroidered Eggs from Design Sponge

Photo Print Eggs from A Subtle Revelry

Washi Tape Easter Eggs from Lovely Indeed

Fabric-Covered Eggs from Better Homes and Gardens

Three different Sharpie ideas:

Doodle Eggs from Alisa Burke

Black and White Eggs from Obviously Sweet

Journaled Eggs from Alisa Burke

And if you don't want to use real eggs at all:

Pappersägg (Paper Eggs) from Craft and Creativity

Find any you might try?

Never Judge a Book by Its Dust Jacket

Swedish Flickr user Book Cover Lover has compiled images of beautiful, hardbound book covers that were at one time hidden by dust jackets. There's just no room for me to show all these amazing works of art to you here, so I present her beautiful rainbow ombre thumbnails. Click here to see them all up close and personal.

Thank Geek It's Friday: Calculator Color Palettes

Color inspiration can come from anywhere, right? That's why I thought these calculator palettes were so cool. I never really thought of how colors might be used on calculators to make them seem more appealing or superior to other calculators. But when the colors are taken off the surface and put together, they really are very modern, techy, and for the most part, masculine. Here are some images from the collection I found on tumblr (where you can find even more). However, the last image (the Texas Instruments TI-30 SLR) is my own calculator from 1987. I was so excited my senior year in high school to finally be in math classes that required such a "sophisticated" instrument. Do they still use calculators in schools?

It's Thank Your Mailman Day: A Preview of 2013 US Postage Stamps

It really is "Thank Your Mailman Day" today, so I thought we could celebrate by taking a peek at the new stamps that will be issued this year by the United States Postal Service. These are just a few that stood out for me, but you can view them all at the USA Philatelic "Beyond the Perf" website. Some designs won't be released until later in the year; buy those available now here, or keep an eye on the ones you like by following USPS Stamps on Facebook. Which one is your favorite?


Emancipation Proclamation, designed by Gail Anderson


Sealed with Love, designed by renowned letterer Louise Fili


Just Move!, designed by Eli Noyes


Kaleidoscope Flowers, designed by Petra and Nicole Kapitza [LOVE!!!]


Johnny Cash, designed by Greg Breeding, and made to look like a 45rpm record picture sleeve

Monday Meditation: Pens, Pencils, and More Pens... Oh, My!

If you like pens and pencils as much as I do, you'll find this photo from the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living to be mesmerizing. I could stare at it all day. Just think of all the things you could make with these!

12 DIYs of Christmas: Paint Chip Geometric Christmas Tree

For Day 2, here's a fun, modern Christmas décor idea (and a space-saver!) from The Red Thread's Lisa Tilse: a geometric Christmas tree made from paint chips (free!) that you display on your wall. Very cool! And the paper ornaments hung with Washi tape are a nice touch!

Christmas Decorations & Ornaments from Vintage Catalogs

While down-and-out last week with the heebie jeebies, I had a little bit of time to scroll through some of the pins I've made on my Pinterest boards. I have lots of Christmas catalog pins on my Showcase board, so I thought I would do a holiday-themed post of vintage Christmas décor from old catalogs. I just can't believe the intricate details in the illustrations done for the very early trade catalogs. The decorations from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s are more my style, but I am so drawn to the earlier items, too. So beautiful! Here are some of my finds... Enjoy!


1934 French catalog


1936 German trade catalog; beautiful package illustrations! (see more here)


1936 German trade catalog; organized so neatly! (see more here)


1936 German trade catalog; look at the composition--it's mesmerizing! (see more here)


1940 Sears Christmas Book


1947 Sears Christmas Book


1947 Sears Christmas Book; love the illustration of the Bubble Lite!


1952 Sears Christmas Book; neato little graphic in the center


1956 Sears Christmas Book; the smoky shiny effect is so pretty...and look at that garland of glass beads!


1956 Sears Christmas Book


1958 Sears Christmas Book cover


1958 Sears Christmas Book; look at that Candy Tree, and the Candy Church looks like it's covered in Meltaway mints...mmmmm...


1958 Sears Christmas Book; cool bottle brush tree (only $3.97!), but things are starting to get plastic...


1958 Sears Christmas Book


1958 Sears Christmas Book; note the fluffy, pink, flocked trees


1958 Sears Christmas Book


1966 Penneys Christmas Catalog


1968 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog; at first I thought $2.88 was kind of expensive for those plastic snow globes, but looking closer I see that's the price for a set of six!


1968 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog; those "Italian Petal" lights were popular into the '80s


1969 Sears Christmas Book; not very fond of the faux stained glass decal, but hurray for the blow molds!

For more Christmas catalog images, check out Wishbook on Flickr.