Spoonflower Mix Tape

To accompany my Mix Tapes entry in the "Outdated Technology" Spoonflower Fabric-of-the-Week contest a few weeks ago, I asked other Spoonflower designers what their ultimate mix tape song would be. I present to you the Spoonflower (virtual) mix tape, which you can listen to using the player below.

The Playlist (which includes links to each designer's Spoonflower shop):

1. The Candy Man by Sammy Davis, Jr., suggested by dianne_annelli
   
2. Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield, suggested by gsonge
   
3. Never Going Back Again by Fleetwood Mac, suggested by happysewlucky
   
4. Broken Wings by Mr. Mister, suggested by feebeedee
   
5. Here Comes Your Man by The Pixies, suggested by francine
   
6. Wouldn't It Be Good by Nik Kershaw, suggested by a_most-peculiar
   
7. Black Star by Radiohead, suggested by ravenous
   
8. Message To My Girl by Split Enz, suggested by pennycandy
   
9. Groove Is In The Heart by Deee-Lite, suggested by kezia
   
10. The Sun Always Shines On TV by a-ha, suggested by zoebrench
    

Cool Constructivist Typeface

Lost Type Company has added another font to their collection. Sullivan, designed by Jason Mark Jones, is a modern industrial typeface that can be layered to create some fun vintage effects. To download Sullivan, you can make a donation, or type "0" in the box to grab yourself a freebie.

Mix Tapes: Mixing in Action!

Check out these two cool projects made with my Mix Tapes fabric! A cute kid's tee made by Katie in Germany (top), and lining sewn into a martial arts gi (uniform), by Michael. I'm always so flattered when people buy something I designed or made, but then to see it being used and enjoyed is just icing on the cake!

Hot Trend: Mustaches

...or at least the fake ones! Seems like they're popping up all over! Check out this printable set of crafty mustaches cut-outs designed by Tommy Perez. (Found via French Paper.)

Retro Arcade Graphics

Last night we went out for dinner at our local, hole-in-the-wall pizza joint. Not only do they have great pizza, and an appetizer of rolls made out of mounds of pizza dough slathered with butter and garlic, but they have an awesome little arcade filled with totally retro games. We're talking pre-video, circa 1970. They have four upright machines and three pinball machines, all with amazing old graphics. So I took some photos!

Pictured below are two images from Pro-Football pinball (made by Gottlieb in 1973), one from the marquee of Speed King (made by Chicago Coin in 1970), and two pics from the Stunt Pilot marquee (made by Midway in 1971).

They do have one game from my old school playing days, and it was my son's favorite. He thought Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Sue were funny, but I think he has a crush on Ms. Pac-Man!

All Aboard! Old Railroad Car Type

My son is obsessed with trains. Toy trains, real trains, cartoon trains, pictures of trains, steam engines, diesels, commuter trains, trolleys, the Seattle Monorail...trains made out of metal, wood, plastic, blocks, or even the food on his plate. Obsessed. So this past weekend we took an afternoon trip to the railroad museum. During the spring and summer you can ride the vintage steam train to another town and back, but in the winter only the museum's small indoor exhibit and gift shop are open. Plus, you can walk around and look at old train cars. The engines and freight and passenger cars on site are very nice. But along the main road, about five blocks from the museum, is a kind of railroad graveyard, with lots of old, rusty cars. I took these pictures of the very cool numerals...painted on them by hand. Beautiful, whether clean or distressed! The number '5' reminded me of Charles Demuth's painting, I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold.

Color Collages, Part Two

Here is yet another amazing set of color collages, from Kontor Kontur, a design group in Gothenburg, Sweden. You can buy prints and postcards of these still life photos in their shop!