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Archive for office antics

maker’s dozen . Valentine’s Day Love

Kisses, flowers, hearts, glittery promises, and more! Happy Valentine’s Day from the Pond! I decided V-Day would be a good time to launch a new idea I’ve been noodling on for the Frog Kisser blog. I love surrounding myself with a weird collection of studio vernacular. It’s not so much clutter as an ever-changing hoard of inspiration gleaned from colorful objects, found items, and a trove a vintage papers, magazines and ephemera I tend to collect. I just love the quirky items I happen upon as I look through filing cabinets and cardboard drawers and storage bottles. I think about the stories behind these items, the times they represent, and what kind of new creation I might be able to make with them.

As I set about or store away all these slips of paper and artifacts, in my mind, I’m usually trying to categorize them in some way. I guess there’s an amateur archivist lurking around inside me. That’s where today’s post comes in. I’ve been toying with a new series or “column” called Maker’s Dozen, where I could curate a “baker’s dozen” of studio paraphernalia into a themed collection. Just an image of curiosities and random objects, pulled together for a closer look. Perhaps, in giving these items center stage, I’ll find some new inspiration for artwork or handmade pieces to share and sell in the shop. And, maybe you’ll be inspired too!

Today seemed like a good day to begin, so I’ve shared my Maker’s Dozen inspired by LOVE. I hope you enjoy a glimpse at the objects. It includes an artisan-made princess finger puppet, a Game of Life promissory note, lips band-aids, and a few other oddities. You might like this one in particular… the Everlasting Kiss Card, produced by the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago in 1942 — as best I can tell. This one is the height of do-it-yourself Valentines with a place to put an imprint of your lips (no doubt in ruby-red lipstick) and check the boxes to match the fervor of your love!

If you’re looking for love notes of the more traditional kind, I spent my sketch journaling time this morning lettering one of  my favorite verses from 1 Corinthians 13. You can see the process in my Facebook Live video below!

princely projects . A Birthday Party

It’s been a while since I’ve posted some of the design projects I’ve been working on in the Pond, so I thought I would share one today along with something I learned about myself last week. I recently had the opportunity to do some graphics and printed items for Starkville, Mississippi’s 175th Birthday Party. It was a fun and festive project with an old fashioned flair. My client is a stellar event planner and really wanted to create a kid-friendly, nostalgic atmosphere. I created the theme graphics with a primary color palette and produced a postcard invitation that we also translated into an e-vite and other online media graphics. In addition, Jenn wanted to give a hand-made quality to the Party with some custom printables that would mimic our “look.” She asked me to create cupcake toppers, tabletop signs and pennant banners to be used in the decorations. The Party was last Friday and it was just as festive and nostalgic as Jenn envisioned. Plus, my kids gave a resounding thumbs-up to the cupcakes!

Oh yeah, and I also learned something about myself. Or at least remembered something about myself. For the party, I did some chalk lettering on a vintage chalkboard to be included in a wacky photo booth vignette. On Thursday, I rolled up my sleeves and started chalking — armed with a wet cloth, a dry cloth and some colored chalk my kids loaned me. The result wasn’t a spectacular feat — only about 600 inches of hand-drawn serifs and chalk dust. But, it reminded me of something. I spend so much of my creative life behind a screen or a lens, pushing and pulling anchor points in drawing software or highlighting and kerning text or zooming in or out of a digital camera lens. It was refreshing to actually get my hands dirty — to have my fingers not separated from my medium by a piece of glass or a rectangular focus box. It was a fun and much-needed change of pace to spend an hour creating lines and shapes without any digital help. I think I’ll try it again sometime.

2012 Calendar Obsession No. 3

I found this sweet printable calendar over at Cool Mom Picks, and I couldn’t resist making it my 3rd time-marking purchase of the year. It’s created by French-based Tiny Us and is available for a donation of any size to their Presence charity — a school for handicapped children. Given my love of all things paper-related, the paper dolls really struck my fancy. I love their unabashed girlie-ness and the encouragement for play each page provides. I can’t wait to print them!

2012 Calendar Obsession No. 2

Well, I’ve just cracked open my next 2012 calendar purchase! I’m already using the first calendar option because Miss Little Things Studio was kind enough to include December 2011 in her offering. Yay! Now, I can’t wait until January to hang this option from Heather Lins studio. It’s a monthly celebration of typography printed in thin wood veneer. Half the fun for me is the packaging and the process of opening my little gift to me. Enjoy the journey with me!

A Peek at 2012

I love calendars. Specifically, I love monthly calendars that give me some form of inspiration. I just enjoy the process of flipping the page to see what new image or color or font or message is in store on the first of each month. So, I tend to gather several calendar versions around my office, displaying them where I can see and enjoy. Sometimes they are hanging calendars. Sometimes they are other variations I prop or clip at will. For me, it’s like a little collection of rotating art. Just as I’m becoming blind to the familiarity of each piece, it’s time to change.

A couple of weeks ago, I made my first calendar purchase for 2012, and I thought I’d share a peek. A peek is all I took, myself, because the packaging was so lovely. I couldn’t bear to untie it until January 1. So I hung it up under one of the 2011 versions to enjoy the anticipation This illustrated hanging calendar was created by Little Things Studio right here in my home state of Mississippi. I love her whimsical patterns and vibrant colors. Mine came wrapped in orange cord with a bonus bookmark!

Marking time is one of our great privileges in life. To imagine a life with no opportunity to remember the past or dream about the future would be one without inspiration. To attempt a life without numbering our days would be one risking too much regret. Today is a great day to sow the seeds for 2012–in life and work. Let’s get started!

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