Fantastic sign posted on utility poles along my walk to work this morning.
Then upon closer examination I noticed the call to action:
(Click for bigger)
This is one of those things that can turn a normal day into a great day. Know what I mean?
shrinky dink valentines
When you’ve got that creative, um, inclination and you’ve got Elementary School aged kids, Valentines day can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Oh the possibilities! But oh, the work to get them all made for every kid in each of your kids’ classes.
This year we went Shrinky Dinks. 54 of them. Zoe and Lucy decided we would make hearts for the girls and stars for the boys.
We punched holes in them all. Then added some beaded chain.
Lucy and Zoe love hanging things on their book bags, and they had that in mind as we created these. So we made paper hang tags with “hang” messages on them: “Wanna hang out?” and “I like hanging around with you!” and “Hang in there!”
A little goofy, but perfect for 7 yr olds. And they looked great all together on our coffee table!
fun with logos
I was browsing the groovy tshirts at Desteenation this morning and I found this one from Fuel Coffee in Seattle:
And check it out — we’ve got our own pride and joy Fuel here in Charlotte: Fuel Pizza.
Vintage design is fun, eh?
mad men on the brain
Its February and you know what that means – Mom 2.0 Summit is coming!
There are so many things at Mom 2.010 to be excited about that I can’t process it all, so I’ll take it step by step. Right now I’m spending time thinking about the Thursday night welcome party: Martinis, Music and Mad Men. What to wear?
If you know me personally, you’ll know that clothes aren’t really my “thing.” I mean, I care what I wear, but I’d just as soon wear the t-shirt + jeans variation uniform every day if life would allow it (and mostly it does). But a Mad Men party is a Mad Men party. You just don’t skimp on that one, right?
So I went to the Mad Men site to do a little research and 2 hours later I emerged with a sense of direction. It’s the gateway between the 50s and the 60s. This means prints, pencil skirts, cupcake dresses, pillbox hats, matte lipstick, and so on and so on.
And to make it easy peasy, I had this brilliant idea: Our awesome neighbor Hong Kong Vintage has, without a doubt, the perfect costume outfit waiting for me. I’ll report back after I go. (And hey – they have an online shop too!)
What are you wearing? Need some suggestions? More tips on how to dress like a Mad Woman here.
etsy + coolmompicks valentines
So CoolMomPicks and Etsy had a baby! Actually, it was a Valentine design contest. Did you participate? I hope you won!
The winners are now available for purchase — in plenty of time for VDay (or Friendship Day as we call it at my kids’ Montessori school). 12 black-and-white line art designs in PDF form that you can download, print and color with your kids.
They’re adorable. And I love the different styles that arise from crowdsourced art. Go get them here.
Meanwhile, we’re cooking up a project of our own in UpsideUp land. I’ll share with you soon.
What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
eames house tour
So not only is House Industries releasing a fantastic new font collection (the Eames Century Modern), but they will also be drawing three names to accompany them on an exclusive look into the inner sanctum of one of 20th century’s greatest design teams. The Eames House was built in 1949 as number 8 in the series of Case Study Houses and is still recognized as a revolutionary use of space and materials.
To toss your hat into the ring, fill out this form and enter EAMES HOUSE in the comments box.
And if you forget the first time (like I did) hopefully they’ll be understanding when you fill out the form twice (like I did).
helvetica and the new york city subway system
New, limited edition book, about Helvetica’s infiltration of the New York City subway system. Written by Paul Shaw. Including hundreds of photos, along with reproductions of pages from various MTA and NYCTA signage manuals. Oh, I’m sorry — was that me drooling? Goodness, how embarrassing.
I lived in New York for 6 years, and I return every year at least twice, and to count the number of photos I have taken down in the subway would be impossible. I am obsessed with its haphazard permanence, its raw, often accidental beauty, and its consistent inconsistency.
I can’t wait to hold this book in my hand.
what type are you?
This quiz from the mighty Pentagram has been cruising speedily around the interwebs, so if you’ve already done it, please share your type with us in the comments.
If you haven’t, turn your speakers on and go find out what type you are. Then come back and tell us. (Edited to add: password is Character)
I’m Van Doesburg. A creatively structural typeface designed by Theo Van Doesburg, an architect from the De Stijl era.
(Thanks Debbie!)
logorama
Logorama by H5 is an short animated film about a world made entirely of logos and trademarks. The Pringles man drives a truck, the green and red dots in the Stop & Shop logo are actually stop lights, and Microsoft butterflies flutter across the screen. The plot sounds like an LA shoot-em-up (between the Michelin man and Ronald MacDonald), and from a visual standpoint, I can’t wait to see it.
Check out the trailer here.
Information about the film here.
(Thanks Design Observer)
diy lens cap saver
Got an empty shampoo bottle and some free time? Why not make yourself this fantastic lens cap holder for your camera! New-to-me inventor Benvelo has provided templates and step-by-step instructions for you to DIY. It’s a little on the complicated side, but with super cool results.
Heck. You can even make it cute.
Find the complete project here.
(Thanks Wired Gadgets, via DIYPhotography.net)