Mixed Plate

Some quick link love: If you want to buy a present for a friend (or yourself), Mixed Plate (via Mighty Goods has some great ideas. She has great taste and supports handmade goods. Pretty pretty.

Post-it Love

It's no Jim and Pam, but this office romance is fairly adorable:



via i like nice things

Alphabet Blocks

I told you that I owned alphabet blocks. But I didn't tell you how detailed they were.




They're great.



The manufacturer, Melissa & Doug, produces some great toys that aren't plastic, aren't neon, and don't make loud noises. So, my favorite kind.

Headstones

I love old graveyards. Mallory and I once spent an afternoon wandering a cemetery, looking at the headstones. Marci and I visited several churchyards while we were in Europe. They're so peaceful and the headstones are interesting and varied. While in rural Utah, we stopped at a cemetery in a small town. I took a few photos. The flower on the first headstone below is my favorite.

Phrenology

I mentioned I'd be telling you more about that phrenology head from the Corner Station. Here's the update: my parents gave me the head as a graduation gift. My parents? They. Are. Awesome. The idea behind phrenology is that you can understand someone's personality based on the shape of their head. I never knew before that my temples could tell you if I had a desire for liquids. Awesome. You'd use this porcelain head as a sort of roadmap. I'll just let the creator explain it:



The back of the bust says: For thirty years I have studied Crania and living heads from all parts of the world, and have found in every instance that there is a perfect correspondence between the conformation of the healthy skull of an individual and his known characteristics. To make my observations available I have prepared a Bust of superior form and marked the divisions of the Organs in accordance with my researches and varied experience.

I think the sides of the bust are just about perfect. Pretty great, right?

Corner Station

This is the best store in Sanpete. No, the best store... in a lot of places. The Corner Station is located in Fairview, UT and is full of some great stuff. I've purchased some old fashioned wooden alphabet blocks (pictures to come) and a tin wind-up astronaut (I think Kaeleigh liked it). They have loads of home decor items, well-made children's toys, jewelry, oilcloth (swoon!) and vintage items. I'm in love. I want their doors to stay open for many, many years, so please: if you can, visit the Corner Station. I promise you'll find something you love.







Obviously I liked this phrenology head. More on that tomorrow.


I like their business card too. I'm glad they're in Sanpete and that they've collected so many excellent items. Let's go shopping.

Small Town Type

Sunday was Mother's Day, so I thought I'd celebrate the place where she's made a beautiful home. Several years ago, my parents bought an amazing, but run-down house in Spring City, Utah. After all of their hard work, the house is just plain amazing, and it's a joy to visit. During my most recent visit, we drove around Sanpete County. I'll be featuring some details this week. Thanks Mom and Dad, for letting me visit. Thanks, Mom, for being a great example, a great parent, and a great friend.

One of my favorite signs in Sanpete: the Dairy Freez in Mount Pleasant.

For Print Only

Angie told me about this new website: For Print Only.

From their "About Us": FPO is a division of UnderConsideration LLC, celebrating the reality that print is not dead by showcasing the most compelling printed projects.

The projects that they feature are gorgeous. Each entry includes production details, beautiful photos of the project, and some of the production costs. It's interesting from a design perspective, and gives you some rough ideas on how much a project might cost if you're considering having something made. Thanks, Angie! I love it.

Wallpaper Projects

As a frequent reader of design*sponge, I was excited to hear about the talented Lauren and Derek's new book, Wallpaper Projects. This book looks like fun, but even more importantly, where can I buy rolls of delicious wallpaper? I'm nearly positive I need it to survive.

Little Paper Dog

Lisa told me about Little Paper Dog. She's a graphic designer from Utah (+1 for being local), has the cutest childhood photo I've seen in a while in her banner (+2), and she sells printables and pretty paper things (+3). To get a taste, you can click the "Freebies" button on her blog. Thanks to Lisa for the link and Little Paper Dog for making the world a little sweeter.

Sublime Stitching

I heard about Average Jane Crafter's giveaway through Twitter. This was the first I'd heard about this Sublime Stitching kit: Stitchable Stationery, but I'm so glad I did. I like cross stitching, I like stationery, I like stitched cards. Fun!

If you're interested in Stitchable Stationery (or any other Chronicle Books items... oh, how I covet them), you can use the promo code MOMSDAY at checkout for 25% off and free shipping through May 10th. I can't resist a good sale...

Everything Old is New Again

I've been sorting through my collection of woodcuts and found a few that I hadn't used in a while. I whipped up a few items for my shop. I hope you like them.



I originally made this linocut back in September for personal calling cards. I might like these little cards even better.



Part of a folded letterpress project, this linocut was originally paired with the "Drowning" poem from this entry over at Two Loose Teeth. I ended up with a lot of variation on my first run of these cards, but I think it works with the linocut. The imperfection is part of the charm, you know?

Paper Market

Sadly, I have no recollection how I found this stationery round-up. I found the link in my email archives, and I'm glad I did. There are some great finds here. This mysterious link made me take a closer look at what How magazine is all about. They describe themselves like this:

HOW magazine’s goal is to help designers, whether they work for a design firm, for an in-house design department or for themselves, run successful, creative, profitable studios.

HOW strives to serve the business, technological and creative needs of graphic-design professionals. The magazine provides a practical mix of essential business information, up-to-date technological tips, the creative whys and hows behind noteworthy projects, and profiles of professionals who are influencing design.

But you know where I'm wishing I could be right now? In the middle of the Designer's Marketplace at their design conference in Austin, Texas. Want to join me?

Letters Round Your Neck

What do you think?



I don't think it'd warm you up very much, but would you wear this scarf?

What's in Store

The Regional Assembly of Text is exactly the kind of store I'd dream about running some day. They're quirky, they have stacks of lovely cards, visitors are welcome to use their button-making station, and they've made a wall out of filing cabinets and card catalogs.


(photo from design*sponge)

How could I forget to mention the row of typewriters in front?
I love this place.

Printing by Hand

Another book that you should own:



Lisa gave me Lena Corwin's book Printing by Hand. Aren't my sisters the greatest? This book covers projects from stamps and block printing, to stencils, to screen printing. There are some excellent ideas and patterns to use if you, like me, love Lena's designs. The projects range from very easy (stamps on paper) to more complex (silkscreens to frame as wall art), but the results are all fun and beautiful. What this book made me realize is that there is no reason to have a boring, blandly colored home. Enjoy pattern and color, and creating something with your hands.

Design*sponge interviewed Ms. Corwin when she released the book. I loved that she said this about the handmade movement:
Now that we have the ability to make things perfect and precise on the computer, I think the pendulum is swinging the opposite direction- and there is an appreciation for imperfection, for things made by hand. It reminds me of the Slow Food movement. With all the perfect, genetically modified fruits and vegetables sold in grocery stores, many people (like myself) have realized that they prefer more natural, imperfect foods from local farmers. Or they are growing their own vegetables. Maybe printing your own textiles is part of a kind of Slow Design movement.

How to Make Books

A while ago, Mallory gave me this book as a gift:



How to Make Books, by Esther K. Smith. Besides being about a subject I love, the book itself is gorgeous. The cover is board that's been deeply letterpressed by Yee-Haw Industries. There's too many good things to say about these guys. I'll save that for a later post.
The book is full of clear instructions and is well-designed, cover to cover. Someday soon I'll share a project from the book. Thanks, Mallory!