The Craft Begins

I kind of knew this but I never really thought about it until today.  Most bikes that are sold in the US aren’t made here, they’re made in China.  This fantastic bike is made in the US by Bowery Lane Bicycles and is just amazing.  I like the steel body (finished but no paint job), the cork handles, and the custom box to haul your groceries around in.  And it’s really not that expensive, especially when you consider what what you get.  This beauty is only $595 (think about how much money you’ll save on gas!) and that gets you free shipping anywhere in the US.  I’m putting it on my Christmas list.  Find this bike and their other models on their website.

They’re back after a bit of a hiatus!

1.  I’ve started to be really enamored with calligraphy (more so than usual, perhaps) so I really loved these air mail labels from K is for Calligraphy.  I actually bought them right off.  She has a lovely hand – it’s very elegant but it is still playful and fun.

2.  I envy all those who have a laser cutter.  If you don’t have one, make sure to check out Roberto Sand‘s shop.  He will custom engrave and cut just about anything – what a great idea for little ID tags for your shop.

3.  Basket weaving always impresses me.  The patience, the light touch, the vision required to turn something everyday into something fantastic.  I’m also a big fan of all the natural materials.  Head over to Creekside Baskets to see more lovely baskets and really remarkable product photography.

4.  There is something so adorable and fun about this crochet chain necklace from A Cat’s Nest.  I like the boldness of the blue and the fact that she combines crochet with actual metal chains.

Thanks to this week’s sellers!

What could be better than the combination of Kodachrome and Ansel Adams?  Nothing.  He rarely published his color photographs as he thought that the technology wasn’t sufficiently advanced for him to be able to control the colors produced during development, but I think that they are still fantastic.  You really get a depth and life out of the photographs that is typically associated with his work but with more impact.  There’s a great book you have to check out if you want to see more of his color photos that you can purchase here.

There is something about her photographs that is supremely eerie.  They’re like little windows into memories of a childhood that never existed, like if your imagination was allowed to sit and gather cobwebs over the years of disuse.  I feel like if I walked into one of these rooms in a haunted house I would be more creeped out than if something tried to jump out and grab me. What’s amazing is that she builds these intricate sets in her studio and then photographs them, rather than stumbling upon these strange places.   I like the combination of the permanence and weight of sculpture with the ephemeral nature of photography.  If you’re interested, you can find more of her work here.

There’s a beautiful old cemetery in Savannah that’s covered in gravestones crawling with moss and old age.  It’s down by the river, so the ground is mostly sand and I swear a few times I thought I was going to put my foot in the wrong place and go plunging into a grave.  It really is beautiful, with all of the moss draping around the grand old trees.  I had a good time on a little photo expedition today before the mosquitoes got to me.

I typically think of hand-colored photographs as being something that you see in saccharine children’s photography, or cheesy Hallmark cards.  Youssef Nabil, however, manages to create a dreamy atmosphere with his hand colored silver gelatin prints.  Even if you know that they are completely modern, it’s pretty hard to believe when you see them.

See more of his work at his website here.

via Escape Into Life.

I have a favorite bar that I like to go to in Boulder.  They’ve got great food and a laid-back attitude, which is great, but they also brew all of their own beer, which is even better.  Be sure to stop by one of their locations if you’re ever in the Denver area.   They don’t bottle any of their goods, except for growlers for locals, but we always tried to think up what amazing beer labels we would design should they ever choose to bottle them commercially.  Nothing over came of it, but it was a fun creative exercise.  I have to cop to buying things just because of their packaging, which in the drinks category usually applies to wine.  However, there is some great beer label design out there as well.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Let me first say this: these labels are great, but for the most part, so is the beer that comes with them.  So if you’re looking for something new, these are all good breweries to try.

Something about Breckenridge Brewery‘s designs are so modern and retro at the same time.  I like the bold colors and the fairly graphic elements.  Odell Brewing Co. goes a slightly different route with a hippy-dippy hand drawn collection.  It may not have been the choice I would have made, but when you see one on the store shelves you know where it came from.  Grand Teton Brewing Co. packs a double-whammy with clever names (Bitch Creek is my favorite, both name and taste-wise) and a simple natural design.  And there’s something about Brooklyn Brewery that reminds me of baseball.  Maybe it’s the logo?  I personally love the stripes.

I’ll have to do one of these soon about wine labels.  I think I would have a hard time choosing there.  What’s your favorite microbrew and/or label?  I’d love to hear from you!

It’s the best description I’ve got for the Jeffers Design Group’s work.  I love how sophisticated yet playful their work is, and it has a retro sensibility without being campy or themed.

If you’re looking for inspiring ways to incorporate vintage pieces into your design, I highly recommend perusing their portfolio.  Or, if you have my dream life, you can just hire them to design your house for you!  Find out more at their website.

As I wander around Savannah, I’m struck by several things.  First of all, the Spanish moss is inescapable.  It drapes itself over every tree and bush in sight.  I’m sure that it is considered a nuisance to some people but it adds such a softness and charm.  I also love how this whole area has such a style.  Gorgeous neoclassical architecture combines with European streets and a distinct laid-back southern style.  I got to thinking about how to translate what I was seeing into a room, and here’s what I came up with.

1.  This wallpaper is modern without being too edgy.  I love the pattern and the color – it’s a nice representation of all of the tropical-looking plants growing around here.

2.  The color and lightness of these curtains are a reference to the Spanish moss draped everywhere.  They let in lots of light without letting in the glances of passers-by.

3.  I love the look of historical paintings paired with modern design.  This painting by Marc Dennis is actually a modern piece but it has all of the color and texture and depth of something much older.

4.  Though many of the houses here are from the Victorian era, you still see lots of design that has survived from the early 20th century.  I love the look of Tiffany Lamps and this one seems right at home in these historic parlours.

5.  As an aspiring gardener, I’m amazed by how much stuff grows down here.  It doesn’t ever get too cold so the growing season is practically year-round.  I imagine that you would have to work hard to have a black thumb in Savannah.  One of my favorite flowers is the hydrangea.  I also like the way that many antiques are placed almost at random here – it’s like stumbling into a forgotten secret garden.

6.  I’ve been lusting after this couch for months now.  I think that it would work in a number of design scenarios, and this is one of them.  It’s historic-looking, it’s masculine, and it reminds me of tobacco, which practically ruled the south for decades.  I also think it would balance out the botanical wallpaper and the soft curtains nicely.

That’s all for this mini design challenge.  Real estate is amazingly cheap down here (at least compared to CO) so I’m fighting temptation to create a lovely Southern parlor of my own.

Every year I design a holiday postcard to send to friends and family.  Sometimes it’s just a pretty design, and sometimes it’s more relevant to what’s going on at the moment.  I like to send postcards because they’re a lot more fun to design and you save lots of money on postage.  If you’re not into designing your own stuff, I found a great solution for you.

e. m. papers has a great selection of not just holiday cards but invites and calendars and labels too,  all that you can download and print out at home.  Imagine always having the right card there at your disposal for any last-minute purposes, or having a stylish but affordable wedding invitation suite.  You can check her out either online or on etsy.  I especially like the Woodcuts Calendar for next year – simple and chic.

I’ll be in Savannah for the next couple of weeks, so I’ll be posting sporadically.  However, I should be posting some interesting GA related stuff so stay tuned!

photo by Felix.