Perlabra!

It's Handmade Nation Time!

Very cool stop-motion sequence for the upcoming indie craft documentary, Handmade Nation, that I keep hyping up. Tonight was the premiere in Milwaukee and on February 12th at 6:30, it premieres in NYC at the Museum of Arts and Design.

Vintage sewing advertisements

I got a new sewing machine for Christmas (yay!) and have been having a blast with it. I've also been scouring the sewing/craft blogosphere of late when I stumbled upon a link from Craft that lead me to this awesome blog devoted entirely to 1940-60's vintage magazine ads, photos, books, etc. Lots of fun stuff here and in the spirit of all of the upcoming inauguration excitement, I posted this snazzy "Hurrah for Red, White & Blue!" ad for you.

The Little Friends of Printmaking: "Tough Luck"

 

Ah, how I love their work. Are you in Chicago? Do you love Milwaukee's husband and wife duo The Little Friends of  Printmaking? Well, since Threadless is now very, very far from me, do me a huge favor and head over there tomorrow night for a little show called Tough Luck and lots of screenprinted shirts! (I'll send you some cash if you go and are willing to pick me up something FUN!)

Also, just an early heads up — the Little Friends will be just one of many artists showcased in Faythe Levine's highly anticipated documentary, Handmade Nation.

Somehow, robots are taking over my day

Cubeecraft 2009 robot papercraft calendar. Download the free pdfs! [via Craft]

A robot head toilet paper holder! [via Swiss Miss]

Holiday gift guide part 7: Loyola AIGA Student Chapter/Obama Paper

The Loyola University AIGA Chapter is celebrating the holidays, along with the beginning of a new era, with this handscreened wrapping paper of the new President Elect, Barrack Obama. $1 of proceeds will go to MoveOn.org. Each roll is $15 (+$5 shipping) 7'x15". Get it here!

Holiday gift guide part 6: Country Club Chicago

This fun selection caters to both those in the Chicago area and those who are not. My friends over at Country Club Chicago have put together a fun collection of silk-screened wrapping paper and prints which make for perfect holiday gift giving! More info on the show below.

 
Squirrel Love
Limited edition screenprinted poster by Myra Mazzei.
$20

Holiday Show: Deck Your Walls!
Friday, December 12th, 6-10 pm through Saturday, December 13th, 12-6 pm

Country Club wants to celebrate the holidays with you Friday, December 12th from 6-10 pm and Saturday, December 13th from 12-6 pm. There will be nog and gingerbread cookies as well as a new batch of fresh silkscreened prints.

You can wrap your presents with hand printed wrapping paper. Deck your halls with beautifully designed wallpaper and brighten your spirits with whimsical art prints for your home.

To spread the Holiday Spirit, half of the proceeds will benefit the Howard Brown Health Center. Howard Brown is the Midwest’s premier lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health care organization. Howard Brown provides an expansive network of programs and services, accomplished with a diverse and qualified staff of licensed doctors, nurses, health care practitioners, renowned research professionals, and prominent community leaders.

If the weather is frightful and you prefer shopping from the warmth of your Eames lounge chair, visit our online shop.

Holiday gift guide part 2: Cheeta Fight

Cheeta Fight is the visual/culture blog curated by Anthony Muñoz. Anthony recently invited fellow artist-friends to join him in using the limited shape and size of a skateboard to create some art. The boards are real and perfect for hanging on the wall if not cruising down the sidewalk. Below are a few of my faves from my fave friends in Chicago and all boards can be purchased for $59.95 here (now, I'll stop saying fave).

Let's Do This! by Anthony Muñoz
Rock, paper & scissors get ready to rumble. Bring it!




Cats Already Have Sweaters by Justine Harlan




Raining Monsters by Ami Sugar




Brooklyn Bridge by SuperKonductor

Holiday gift guide part 1: SuperKonductor

Support artists this holiday season! It's that time of the year to avoid malls and big box stores and buy unique wares created by my very talented friends. For the next few days, I'll be sharing my personal favorite gift selections with you. Let's go shopping!

SuperKonductor is the design shop of illustrator / designer David Head and writer Jen Hazen who create silkscreen posters for bands, mostly. They've whipped up Lotsa Dots for the holiday season — a really nice 2009 19x25 silkscreen print calendar. Price is $25, US shipping cost of $5 incl. Email jen[at]superkonductor.com to order.

Superkonductor @ Flatstock @ Pitchfork/Featherproof @ WLUW @ Pitchfork

Hey! I know you're going to Pitchfork this weekend, so make sure you go to Flatstock  and walk straight on over to Superkonductor's booth and check out some awesome poster art. While there, say "hi" to David & Jen for me! And then walk on over to the WLUW tent and say "hi" to the guys at Featherproof. Then, of course, go listen to music!

Yummy!

I had a Foundations professor once in college that would use "yummy" as an adjective to describe our work. It was disturbing. The above video, however, is total yum factor for you! (via the Handmade Nation website)