The Craft Begins

She has some of the most gorgeous calligraphy I’ve seen in quite some time.

To see more samples or to hire her, check out her site here.

1.  When Miki gets creatively blocked, she creates movie posters.  This one is so simple, it’s amazing.  That’s just the beginning of all of her creative energies.  You can find more at her blog, { miki } says.

2.  I’ve been really into gorgeous calligraphy lately, and I love Patricia Mumau’s style.  A little bit quirky but still modern.  She blogs about her calligraphy projects as well as lots of mid-century illustration (another thing I happen to love).

3.  There are some amazing illustrations to be found at An Open [sketch]book, as well as tons of other visual inspiration.  When I see illustrators like this, it makes me realize just how bad of a drawer I really am.

4.  Another person who’s handwriting I’m jealous of is Marta over at Marta Writes.  She seems to be able to bring a lot of personality and joy into everything she creates.  Something to aspire to in the new year.

5.  All of the lovely things over at Quaint Handmade just make me smile.

1.  I know that it’s pretty retro, but I’ve developed an obsession with salt and pepper shakers.  My favorite pair that I have is a set of bejeweled chrome skulls (they look even better than they sound) but this ceramic avocado duo might just overtake them.  Find them at Daina Ceramics.

2.  Yet another instance of me plotting what use I can make of awesome calligraphy skills without wedding invites to address.  Frankly, if I ever make good on my dream of writing/illustrating a children’s book, I would want Primele to write the captions.

3.  I adore the delicacy and feminine quality of Elephantine‘s jewelry.  They are the kind of pieces that you would never have to or want to take off, and just about everyone (no matter how picky) would like.

4.  Now that Polaroid is even a more part of the internet consciousness, good photographers are popping up everywhere.  Jeffrey With 2 F’s is a great Polaroid photographer, and now you can purchase prints!

5.  I want to hang one of these bubble chandeliers from Jean Pelle all over my house.  Once I do that, I’ll start to wear them (jewelry is also available).  You’ll have to see how cool her pieces are for yourself.

Thanks to this week’s sellers!

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!

I’ve always been attracted to other people’s handwriting.  Neat, messy, decorative, or just outright terrible, there’s something really appealing about it.  It’s said that you can tell a lot about someone’s personality by their penmanship, and I really think that’s true.  Fun fact: your handwriting is wired into your brain.  If you learned how to effectively write with your toes, your handwriting would be the same as it is now.  Mine looks sort of like my dad’s – I think it comes from all of those years of forging permission slips (not that they wouldn’t let me go on class trips, but I just was forgetful).  I think that beautifully calligraphy and script is just taking that notion to another level.

1.  Keith Morris manages to make his penmanship look like that of a machine.  It’s so precise and well thought out.  You can tell that he’s put years into perfecting his craft.

2.  I’ve always admired Jenna’s work.  You see it in all sorts of high-end magazines, catalogs and other publications, and for good reason.  I like it because I think it’s a bit more of an organic style; it looks like handwriting, but really, really amazing handwriting.

3.  John Stevens does very traditional work, but so beautiful.  The ornamentation is outstanding.  He does do invites and weddings, if you’re looking for something special for your big day.

4.  Ale Paul seems to have this lettering thing DOWN.  All sorts of lovely examples can be found at his flickr.

5.  A special shout-out for Stephanie DeArmond.  She did her masters at the University of Colorado at Boulder when I was there – I remember seeing her work at the MFA exhibition.  This is particularly important because a) it proves to me that it’s possible that artists can make it, I’ve seen it personally and b) something good can come out of their crap art program.  That aside, I like the way she’s taken the notion of calligraphy and turned it into something totally different.

I don’t know if it’s your favorite time of the week but it’s definitely mine.  Haven’t had too much time to cruise Etsy this week so we’ll be relying on some of my all-time favorites.

1.  This beautiful hair clip from Neva Plume is a twist on an old favorite.  I’ve always been a fan of peacock feathers for their vibrancy, but this clip takes the old standard and bleaches them out.  It’s a recognizable form in a new, hip color combo that I just can’t look away from.  It also looks spectacular in the model’s red hair.  I think this would be a nice piece for a vintage or alternative wedding.

2.  I love this carousel picture from Bucks County Frames. I love old carnivals and games and all of the hoopla that goes with it – it makes me nostalgic for something I’ve never really seen!  There’s these little bits of human experience that I think are shared throughout the ages, and this reminds me of one of them.  As an added bonus, this great shop has other good photography but most importantly, frames!  Otherwise your prints just languish in a pile somewhere (like mine) hoping dearly to one day see the light of day.

3.  Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been in love with handwriting.  I’ve changed mine more times than I care to mention, and have noticed that as time goes on, it grows to look more and more like my dad’s.  They say that handwriting is imprinted in your brain – if you learned how to write with your feet, apparently, your handwriting would look the same, eventually.  Not all of us have wonderful handwriting (either with our hands or our feet) but that’s where D Paulette comes in.  For a small fee, she’ll act as your scribe with her beautiful calligraphy!  The obvious use is for a wedding, but I’m still plotting ways to get my hands on some of that beautiful written work.

4.  I’ve been reading a lot lately about how much trouble Obama is getting into for not coming up with the perfect gift for visiting dignitaries.  And I’ve realized how hard it is to get a perfect gift for someone, especially someone you don’t even know!  When I’m pressed into coming up with a great gift, Urban Heirlooms always comes to mind.  This awesome shop stocks great leather accessories (wallets, keychains, etc) perfectly accented with an antique key.  Great for brothers, sisters, in-laws, or even strangers!

Thanks to this week’s artists – we all appreciate the great work that you do!