Product Superior

Product Superior in Uppercase Magazine Issue 8

2011-03-22T21:59:00.007-04:00

Those of you lucky folks who subscribe to Uppercase Magazine should be receiving issue 8 in your mailbox along with your daily quotient of credit card applications and discount coupons.

Inside will be one printed piece of letterpress ephemera from a variety of wildly talented and gifted folks. We're happy to say that we some how managed to sneak in with a few of our own pieces.

So those of you really lucky folks who sit in traffic without honking, carry groceries for old folks, don't squish spiders in the house, and do numerous unrequited good deeds daily, run to your mailbox! Quick! Today may be the day it all pays off with you being the proud owner of a snazzy new Product Superior card or print.

A special thanks to Uppercase for our inclusion and a great issue!

Jessica Define Custom Wedding invitations

2011-03-22T20:53:00.009-04:00

We here at Product Superior like custom stuff. Shoes made to size, bike frames in any color we want, cheeseburgers with two pickles instead of one and mustard but not ketchup. In keeping with this, custom wedding invitations pretty much blow our mind.

Enter Jessica Define. Houston based designer, blogger, and most importantly in this case bride to be. She wanted a retro inspired wedding set that would be fun, classy, and appeal to both her and her fiance Steven. We were tasked with finding a solution that would meld their interests such as classic american muscle cars, mid-century design, high fashion, and rap music together in a way as compelling and interesting as they are as a couple.

We threw everything we had into the mix. Based on a few photos and the wonderful content written by the bride we whipped up some custom illustrations for use throughout the offset printed "informational poster" and rehearsal card. Fancy invitations call for some fancy printing and this is no exception. We went with letter pressed metallic gold ink on Crane's cotton paper. To top it all off we sourced out some custom gold foil stamped black ribbon.

We were thrilled with the results. More importantly we got the opportunity to make Jessica and Steven's big day just a wee bit bigger. Thanks again!

Aaron and Rachel - Custom Holiday Card

2011-01-12T23:05:00.006-05:00

The Holidays. We all have a brother, sister, or cousin far more successful than we are. You pull up in your 2006 Honda Accord, your mom's brother's son Jeremy arrives in a five series BMW so new it still has those little rubber hairs on the tires. Uggh.

Well guess what- no one in Aaron and Rachel Tharpe's family cared about Jeremy's new BMW this year. The talk around the turkey was this festive number that we custom designed to send so much holiday cheer that it hurt.

We took inspiration from classic holiday stories, vintage wrapping paper and gave it a personal twist. The Tharpes chose letterpress printing and Workhorse Printmakers came through with a beautifully printed two color metallic card on Crane's Lettra with matching envelope.

They loved the results, we loved the results. Jeremy was bummed that no one cared about his satellite radio.

Paint it Black

2010-05-26T17:00:00.001-04:00

For those of you riveted to your seats awaiting continued coverage our printing equipment prepare yourselves. Second, but by no means second best comes our old style Chandler and Price 8x12.

The serial number of this press places it somewhere around late 1896 as the date of manufacture. We obtained the press through sheer chance. We happened to find a gentleman in St Louis selling the press condition unknown but willing to deliver to Houston. After exchanging some pictures and emails the press arrived, intact, and in far better shape then expected Thanksgiving weekend of last year. Mechanically all seemed well with little play in the linkages , little rust, and freely spinning operation. The catch, and there always is one, is that the press was coated solid with a quarter inch of what appeared to be waxy, congealed grease (photos below courtesy of seller, prior to delivery).

We cleaned. We scrubbed. The waxy grease came off. So did the paint. And cast iron oxidizes fast when exposed to the atmosphere. Real fast.

History is paved with otherwise level headed individuals who achieve acts of greatness through moments of blinding obliviousness and sheer idiocy. Sure, why can't we sail around the world? A flying jump kick through a flaming hoop- no problem! Our moment would be where I uttered the phrase "We're going to have to disassemble and repaint the press". Idiocy indeed. The wrenches and wire wheels came out, fingers were smooshed and blackened, and I spent a month looking like a coal miner in some kind of new age Dickens play. The work was akin to a vacation stay in the seventh ring of hell. Wire wheel all the gunk off a part. Take a break. Return to find that you hadn't wire wheeled all the gunk off the part. Repeat.

Eventually success was achieved. Black and red paint were applied as befitting any badass machine. I cut and finished new feed and delivery tables. But we had no power. The original motor was toast so we needed a new motor and a way to mount it. After some deliberation we decided to purchase a cheap and readily available 1725 rpm 1/2 HP 110 AC motor and reduce the speed through a belt drive system so that it was appropriately safe for hand feeding. The final speed is about twenty impressions per minute which gives plenty of time to put paper in and get hands out safely. We fabricated the motor mount using bearings and angle iron sourced from Mc Master Carr industrial.

Another issue with the press was the rails that the ink rollers ride on. Older presses tend to generate waves and dips in their rails through normal wear and tear which can lead to uneven plate inking. This was the case for our press. Luckily old style Chandler and Prices have roller rails that are under type high. In short, we had room to face the rails with material and still ink our plate correctly. I chose to fabricate some adjustable rails using aluminum angle bracket. It repaired the waves in the rails and allowed us to make minute adjustments to roller height if needed. You can see the results in the below photo- the strips with the three visible screws are the roller rails.

The end result of all the toil is a press that runs almost silently and vibration free and looks stunning to boot. A special thanks to our good friends Chris and Zach for some welding and CNC machining of some crucial replacement parts.

And now- a video!

12x18 Chandler and Price Craftsman AKA The Beast.

2010-05-25T15:33:00.007-04:00

Howdy, hi there, hello! For those of you keeping score we've been pretty busy with a new office space, the Renegade Craft Fair in Austin and most importantly some new to us printing equipment.

Weighing in a few pounds shy of a Chevrolet Camaro and able to frighten the most steadfast of men, let me introduce our 12x18 Chandler and Price Craftsman press. Serial numbers date the press to late 1928 and although it was running pretty good upon purchase it was beginning to show its age. We've taken an as-thorough-as-practical approach to cleaning and refurbishing focusing mainly on preventative maintenance and repairs.

The most pressing issue we had was the degradation of the main shaft bushings on the driven side of the press. When running the shaft had approximately one quarter of an inch of freeplay to wobble around which had led to some fairly gnarly damage to the press's gear drive. Additionally it made the ground vibrate with a pounding bang so loud that it caused most individuals to flee from the room in alarm. After some careful measurements and a delivery from Mc Master Carr industrial we're back in action with a newly pressed in self lubricating bronze bushing.

We've spent countless more hours cleaning grease and goo, replacing hoses and fasteners, and locating replacement parts. There's still much more work to be done, but for now a preview of the payoff- a quick video of the press in action.

Renegade Craft Fair Austin!

2010-05-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to come check out the Renegade Craft Fair in Austin, Texas this weekend, May 15 & 16! We're so thrilled to be a part of the first one here and even more so to be amongst all the other great designers and crafters.

Here are a few I'm especially looking forward to:

The Decoder Ring (I hope to find some kicking posters for my studio walls)

Folded Pigs repurposed restaurant ware

Campfire T-shirts

Moxie Doll stitchings

Power and Light

Loyalty & Blood Along with missing our friends Dave & Maggie, I've also been waiting on this cave shirt, and am really loving the handyman tool earrings!

It's bound to be a great weekend in Austin and hope you can make it!

Product Superior included in "Impressive" book by Gestalten

2010-04-26T12:54:00.012-04:00

Available for purchase today, Impressive is a book we're very pleased to be included in by Gestalten - the awesome publisher of all things relating to visual culture.

In brief, the book covers: "Today’s fascination with old-fashioned printing presses and techniques started with individual designers and smaller collectives that created one-of-a-kind printed material by hand for special occasions, such as weddings or birthdays. Impressive features these artists and their personal work as well as a broad range of business cards, invitations, stationery, and publications that are designed and produced in a way that is both nostalgic and contemporary." Read more from their site and take a peek at some of the interior spreads - or just cut to the chase and buy the book here!

Correction: you can buy in the US from here.

photo courtesy Gestalten

The Beast, and other News

2010-04-09T12:22:00.000-04:00

Whew! Our blog is in serious need of some updating for 2010 and what better way to begin than with the latest news: in the last few months we've acquired 2 Chandler & Price presses and have found our first official workspace.

The first of was an old series - pat. 1885 - of which we've spent (eh hem, mostly John) the last few months or so taking apart, cleaning, painting, reassembling, and oiling. And then another few weeks to retrofit it with a new motor.

The second is a newer series - early 1900's - which we've aptly nicknamed The Beast for its freight train sound when running, and sheer mechanical size. We're in the process of replacing a few old parts and then we'll give it a good dust off and be raring to go.

Some may be interested to know that we will be 100% Wind powered, and we'll take a shot at using soy based inks with a biodegradable solvent on our presses.

We're very excited at getting our hands dirty with print and working with these amazing old machines and hope that you will be too. We are still in the process of getting ourselves organized in the space, but will be sure to add an update when we are more officially settled in.

Enjoy a few sneak peak photos!

Product Superior in 1000 More Graphic Elements

2010-04-06T14:08:00.006-04:00

We were lucky enough to be included in Rockport Publisher's new Book, 1000 More Graphic Elements: Unique Elements For Distinctive Designs. Our mailing label and product label are featured as plates 0991 and 0993.

As always, we include a mailing label and product label for no additional charge with every Product Superior purchase. And what the heck, we'll even customize the mailing label with your name and address for free! That's just the kind of people we are.

Inspiration

2010-03-31T13:29:00.005-04:00

I just picked up one of my favorite issues of Martha Stewart's Living magazine (there has always been a special place in my heart for the Easter and Halloween issues) and was happy to see this hotness inside! I was so excited and thought snapping a photo or two to share would be a welcome surprise. The feature intro page designs had become a little dull in the last few years, so it was especially pleasing to me that a new burst of energy seems to be present. There are some great pages on decorating eggs, but I'll let you look for yourself. Hopefully it inspires you to make something special, as it did me.

Progress

2010-02-03T19:23:00.003-05:00

More details to come!

Custom Holiday card design

2009-12-15T16:38:00.004-05:00

Here's a holiday card we recently created for a good friend who does custom art framing out of Houston. This year, he was looking for something a little more special and custom to mail his friends, family, and co-workers. The only stipulation was that there be a tree or wreath in the design. Knowing that he has a lovely collection of intricately engraved art prints (from architectural to floral) adorning his home walls, delicate flourishes and other details in a golden hue seemed the appropriate design for his greetings.

Holiday photocards on Clark Lara Photography

2009-12-11T13:35:00.001-05:00

Check out our designs for holiday photo cards, now available on photographer Clark Lara's website. We're very pleased to compliment your family portraits and holiday messages with our designs!

Thanks Clark & Rica!

Holiday cards on Cranky Pressman

2009-11-16T15:08:00.007-05:00

He's right, it is the magical time of year again! Check out the Cranky Pressman's site for a series of posts on holiday cards and more that they've printed—past and future. Imagine our delight when discovering the vintage embroidery inspired holiday sleigh cards we designed are the first in the series. Check out more on Cranky's site here.

To purchase your set of our lovingly designed and letterpress printed holiday cards, click here.

Le Clique Foto on Etsy!

2009-10-13T14:01:00.004-04:00

Bare walls? We have a solution for you.

In our continuing association with Le Clique Foto we're proud to announce the new Le Clique Foto Etsy storefront!

Now you can purchase prints of many, if not all of the amazing photos posted on Le Clique Foto. The storefront is literally brand new so check back frequently for new additions.

Le Clique Foto October contest

2009-10-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

We've just announced a creepy photo contest for the Le Cliquers! Stay tuned to Le Clique for new posts. See more info here. If you're interested in joining Le Clique, contact us .

PS in Stationery Trends Fall 2009 magazine

2009-10-02T14:22:00.005-04:00

Take a peek at the Fall 2009 print of Stationery Trends, The Occasions Issue. You'll find amongst all of the other amazing paper designs, our very own "Thanks A Shipload" postcards included under Show Me More. The postcard is so new, that we've not yet added it to our store.

For more info on the postcard or our other products, contact us.

Thanks Sarah!

What's On My Desk- Super High Score Edition

2009-09-30T12:48:00.003-04:00

Sweaty palms, chocolate milk, lazy Saturdays, offers by mail and a Polaroid camera. Today's What's on My Desk again takes a fast train to geektown and presents some badges of honor so rare that most people are unaware of their existence- Activision Atari 2600 high score patches.

Gamers have always tried to achieve the near impossible. The high score on the Frogger arcade game at the pizza shop, beating Super Mario Brothers straight through without warping, or unlocking the full 1000 gamerpoints for Halo 3 on the Xbox have led to countless sleepless nights, numerous skipped classes, and a pile of undone homework that would reach sky high. There was nothing better as a kid than being able to boast of indeed beating Contra, and doing it without the infamous cheat code that all of your loser friends had to use to make it through. Your usual reward for the monumental, the herculean, the sheer impossible of gaming milestones? Usually just bragging rights. However, back in the day so to speak, Activision rewarded Atari players for their achievements with something much more tangible.

In a move which doubtlessly inspired Microsoft's current digital Xbox achievements, Activision offered a mail order reward program for its most hardcore, high scoring players. Each game had an established high score or objective and players meeting the qualifications could take a photo of their TV showing the score, mail it to Activision and receive a truly spectacular corresponding patch for the game (list of games and corresponding hi scores for patches here). Additionally, as below Starmaster patch illustrates, some games had multiple tiers of achievements, each being rewarded suitably.

As you can probably surmise these patches are rare. Most Gamers were unaware of the program and those in the know not only had to actually earn the patch (which for some games was incredibly difficult), but also go through the hassle of photographing and mailing a photo in the days before digital photography. Couple that with the fact that some of the games were fairly obscure even by 1980s standards (You may have heard of Pitfall and River Raiders but how about Dolphin or Plaque Attack?) and it becomes near impossible, and pricey to assemble a complete set.

I can't think of a more suitable or charming reward for a million points in Laser Blast or twenty thousand points in Pitfall. Each patch is a mini artwork standing in testament to a hard fought digital victory that will last through the ages. Or at least until the patch fades.

So with sore thumbs, red eyes, and a heavy dose of nostalgia I sign off from today's What's on My Desk. With a quick salute to Activision and all those high scorers of gaming's golden age I wish our readers as many track records, win streaks, 1ups, and flawless performances as they can muster.

U,U,D,D,L,R,L,R,B,A,START

What's On My Desk: May the nerd be with you.

2009-09-24T12:10:00.008-04:00

What's On My Desk today takes a turn into the wild, the wooly, the nerdy.

While recently going through some old boxes at my parent's house I made a startling and welcome discovery, the likes of which I would place on par to finding Jimmy Hoffa's body in the pantry next to the Oreos. In an innocent, and on first inspection quite mundane, cardboard tube I found the gathered paper ephemera which comprised my ....wait for it.....STAR WARS FANCLUB membership!

That's correct. Let me say it again: Star Wars Fanclub. The most holy brand of nerdom which states "I am not just a Star Wars fan. I feel so strongly about the trilogy that I must, dare I say need, to mail away a self addressed stamped envelope to profess my love."

So what benefits dare you ask does membership entail? An awesome ID card, exclusive offers to fanclub goddies like jackets, tees, etc, and most importantly the bimonthly "Bantha Tracks" newsletter. Additionally it would appear upon initial sign up you recieve a sweeet Empire Strikes Back pencil (which I still have somewhere), an amazing art decoish ESB Darth Vader decal, and a spectacular selection of posters and glossy mini posters.

The mini posters included the usual oft seen variety of "Millenium Falcon fleeing Star Destroyer" and "Yoda staring pensively into the sunset" ilk but additionally had some different, almost thrown together varieties seemingly culled from stills and unused promo shots which were, inevitably, my favorites.

This only scratches the surface of the find. There were numerous other pamphlets, mini posters, and forms all of which I will hopefully photograph and share with our loyal fans post haste. In the meantime enjoy the pics, use the force, and DON'T try to pass my membership ID number off as your own.

The case of the lost magazine

2009-07-31T10:28:00.000-04:00

This is apparently where one of our favorite magazines, Wired, has been getting delivered for the last few months. It makes my heart sad to think it was sitting there in front, wrapped gently in it's sneak peak plastic cover, getting warm in the sun.

Alphabet Drawers

2009-07-09T12:40:00.004-04:00

Holy Moly! I was surfing on the Poppytalk blog and found the sweetest piece of furniture ever. Behold, the Alphabet Drawer chest! It's apparently produced in the UK by Kent and London, and is made from solid oak with exactly 26 drawers. This thing goes for £2700.00, which really isn't that bad, but it's currently out of my need and budget range. Bummer, I'll just have to drool over it for now.

Images from the Kent and London website.

What's On My Desk: Halo 3

2009-07-03T09:30:00.001-04:00

Being a man I have been societally conditioned to have an aversion to certain things: romantic comedies, form fitting male underwear, Rosie O'Donnell and most of all couple's date night. Oh yes, couple's date night. The phrase that strikes terror into the hearts of men followed by sweating, a burst of cold adrenaline and a fabrication of the most outlandish of excuses. Yes, I was this man but my friends- no more.

Our double dates have been revolutionized by the white monolith of internet fueled fury, oh thee of the all seeing glowing green eye which peers into the deepest corners of a man's soul and speaks softly and suggestively "I can give you what you want". I speak of course, of the siren song of the Xbox 360. No more couples walks on the beach or trips to the shopping mall for us. We have traded flowers for a crushing blow from the gravity hammer, Lionel Richie for the staccato pops of small arms fire, and dressing up for a dressing down of those unlucky enough to oppose us all delivered via Xbox live. We have walked the plains of post apocalypse DC, stormed the beaches of Normandy together and tasted the saccharine sweet victories as well as the most heart rending of defeats. Most recently we have tested our mettle against a never ending horde of prepubescent warriors in the most vaunted of online arenas- Halo 3.

For those not familiar with the game one of the coolest features is the ability to take in game screenshots of your exploits and then upload them to your computer. The resultant images are both haunting and beautiful with jarring colors and the occasional capture of a sweeping panorama.

So reload and aim high while their shields are down, I present to you What's On My Desk:Halo 3 Screenshots featuring the exploits of us here at Product Superior in conjunction with our good friends Moo and Matt.

What's On My Desk: Great Oudoors

2009-07-01T11:47:00.007-04:00

Summertime is here and for most folks that means mosquitos, aloe vera, and sand stuck in unmentionable places. For us it means loading up the truck and fleeing civilization for some solitude in the great outdoors in the form of biking, camping, and hiking. As a salute to the dog days What's On My Desk! will be throwing some mud, spraying some deet, and hoping for the best with some outdoor related features.

Now I like trail mix, fear of bear attacks, and filthy clothes as much as the next dude, but what really sets off camping for me are the gadgets. Size matters and in camping you want small. Waaay small. You also want to eat. Combining the two is today's piece de la resistance- the MSR Pocket Rocket camp stove.

Weighing in at 7 oz (including fuel cell!), and priced less than $40, it will boil a liter of water in about three minutes and has a wind clip to prevent blow outs. All that is great but the real reason I love this stove is the fact that it handily folds up ala the Transformers to be stored in it's own tiny, form fitting red carton.

Oddly enough it is packaged with nine, yes nine, individual instruction booklets for every conceivable language. Informative- yes, over the top- maybe.

So get out there and get cooking! Oh, and are you going to finish eating that freeze dried icecream?

The Diver in the Dark Cave

2009-06-19T09:46:00.005-04:00

We've got more exciting new products in the works than you can shake a stick at. Case in point: a new aquatic print currently being illustrated featuring a diver exploring the depths of a dark, submerged cavern. Enjoy the photos and don't forget to hold your breath. It's a long way down.

"Police that moo-stache"

2009-06-10T09:21:00.007-04:00

I dare say, excellent use of the infamous silhouette!

T-shirt found on Gizmodo

Pencils found on HOW's blog

Renegade Craft Fair coverage on Sub-Studio design blog

2009-06-09T16:49:00.003-04:00

We were lucky enough to get a little coverage on the Sub-Studio design blog round up from the Renegade Craft Fair last weekend. While you're there please do take a few moments to peruse their site. They have some nice design work and some beautiful products as well. the lure catalog and specimen catalog prints are some of my favorites!

Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn- This weekend!

2009-06-04T10:29:00.003-04:00

We'll be at the Renegade Craft Fair at Mc Carren park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this weekend June 6-7. Should be great weather and loads of fun. Stop by and say hi!

NSS coverage on Oh So Beautiful Paper

2009-05-30T13:37:00.003-04:00

Nole over at Oh So Beautiful Paper was kind enough to include us in her extensive coverage of the 2009 National Stationery Show. Stop on by and make sure to peruse her tremendous blog- it's a veritable encyclopedia of paper goods so vast that it's almost overwhelming. Some really beautiful objects from a lovely lady who has a tremendous passion for paper. Thanks Nole!

Product Superior business cards on FPO blog

2009-05-30T12:58:00.005-04:00

We've been lucky enough to have our fancy new die cut business card featured on Under Consideration's new blog FPO: For Print Only. For those unfamiliar with the blog, FPO is dedicated to interesting and solid graphic design with a focus only on objects destined for print. We here at Product Superior definitely believe that print is still very much alive and doing just fine. We'd like to extend or thanks to Bryony and Armin at Under Consideration/ FPO for including us and doubly so for their inspirational blogs.

Lego Architecture

2009-05-26T08:51:00.003-04:00

Holy moly! Why hasn't Lego already done this??? See more on Gizmodo!

Image courtesy Gizmodo

"New to Me" on BirdDog Press

2009-05-23T15:19:00.007-04:00

We were recently graced with a brief mention and picture of our tradeshow weary mugs on the BirdDog Press blog. When you stop by make sure to check out the storefront and homepage. Some great work and eco-friendly to boot! Product Superior would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Allison at BirdDog press for the kind words.

New Products!

2009-05-21T19:56:00.005-04:00

We here at Product Superior are the not the kind of folks that let Summer come roaring in while we sit back and sip beverages with fruit slices and tiny umbrellas. We are the kind of folks that welcome the dog days with fresh, red hot new products. Some are available now, some will be available very shortly. We're very excited and hope you will be too!

New! All Around Town NYC: Rooftops & Watertowers
8x10" Letterpress Print, available now

Coming Soon! Let's Party & BBQ Letterpress folded card

Coming Soon! Let's Celebrate & BBQ Letterpress folded card

Product Superior Ltd on Felt & Wire

2009-05-20T15:27:00.005-04:00

Jennifer and I are just back from all the glamor, glitter, glue, and ink of the 2009 National Stationery Show. As we recover from $150,000 Jacob K. Javits center coffees, long hours nearly asleep on our feet, and daredevil indoor pigeons which swoop dangerously close to your head we hope you'll enjoy some wonderful words on a few exciting upcoming products courtesy of the amazing Felt & Wire blog at Mohawk Paper.

To Mohawk Paper, Felt & Wire and Alyson Kuhn Product Superior is happy to say: Thanks Mofo!

"Paper People" by Sycamore Street Press

2009-05-12T10:05:00.008-04:00

Just after my delight of finding the Sycamore Street Press blog with helpful posts, I was contacted by Eva Jorgensen to participate in a series of Q&A's she is running on her blog titled "Paper People." Check out our Q&A here as well as many others!

I've seen a little of their work before and loved their alphabet poster print (below).

Thanks a bunch for inviting us, Eva! We can't wait to meet and see the new things in store for Sycamore Street Press.

National Stationery Show and press kits

2009-05-12T09:03:00.014-04:00

For the last few weeks, we've been working hard to prepare for our debut at the National Stationery Show at the Javitz Center in New York City, May 17-20, booth #2067. A part of this is finally getting together press kits and other paper collateral outside of our products. I was googling around as usual trying to find how others handle press kits and stumbled on the Sycamore Street Press blog (they are also debuting at the show this year, booth #1553), which I found has been a small dilemma for them as well. The post was super helpful and also comforting to know that we aren't alone!

Le Clique Foto

2009-04-25T19:04:00.002-04:00

Thought I'd take a second and make mention of our sister site Le Clique Foto. The premise of the site is to bring together all the folks we know who have a love of photography and give them a place to share and discuss their work. You'll find a slew of great photographs there courtesy of our talented and dedicated contributors. We hope you'll take a look.

Math Pencils!

2009-04-14T09:26:00.005-04:00

Omg, I saw these math pencils on Pencil Talk's blog and want them BAAAAD.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T10:17:00.009-04:00

Amongst all of the colorful ephemera surrounding Easter, the candy filled baskets, the decorating of eggs, and the ensuing egg hunts—another thing I really love is the Sunday attire. After seeing a clip on the tube about Mr. Song, the maker of Aretha's hat at the inauguration for Obama, I was instantly reminded about some of the special Easter outfits I had as a child. The ensembles my grandmother had myself and my aunt get suited up in always involved some bright pastel colored dress with white lace trimming, thick stockings or lacy socks, and those begrudgingly stiff patent leather mary janes. I do believe there was a hat involved on occasion, but unfortunately not in the caliber of Mr. Song's lovely creations. I've posted some of them taken from their website below.

Happy Easter!

Junk Mail

2009-04-06T12:31:00.012-04:00

As I've gotten older, I have come to recognize an additional responsibility of adulthood: what on earth to do with the ever-growing pile of junk mail. Though I work hard at keeping the various card applications, banking ephemera, and shopping catalogs under wraps—it is more often than not a losing battle. I've since taken to coming up with some way to make use of these things, besides putting it out to recycle with the trash Mondays. Being inspired by various collectors of those junk mail envelope liners (see Joseph King's awesome flickr page), I've started keeping a small swatch for each that arrives. I've also taken to tearing pages from clothing catalogs with nice color palettes. This isn't to say that I necessarily NEED more scraps of paper. I just feel guilty bringing the mail in, to simply be taken straight back out.

Generally each item is pretty unattractive to look at, so imagine my surprise when a typically dull USAA catalog arrived and this time with a cover designed by Daniel Pelavin. See more of his work here.

New Site Is Live!!!

2009-04-04T15:56:00.005-04:00

After many months of hard work our new home on the web is finally ready to go. We hope you love it as much as we do! See it here.

A quick look...

2009-03-28T23:13:00.002-04:00

... at a new series of city themed prints we're working on. Enjoy!

Hello!

2009-03-18T13:28:00.003-04:00

You may have noticed as of late, that we've been slacking a little in the realm of the blog-o-sphere.

Worry no further! We have a lot of exciting things going into the works here at Product Superior: From working hard to complete our newly designed website and storefront, to grinding our gears for new items we hope to offer very soon—we just can't wait to show you what's in store!

For now, we wanted to say Hello! and let you know we're thinking of you.

Penmanship

2009-03-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

As you know, topics on the future of penmanship have been popping up in the news again lately—a quick Google of "penmanship" pulls articles from various magazines, newspapers, tv news segments, books have been published, blogs—all ranging from this year to a few from the 90s. To read each writing, one gets the impression that some kind of cyclical death of penmanship is happening every other year, once a year. But could this year really mark the start? Hopefully not. I can't imagine what the cards and letters I've received from my mom and grandmother, among others, would have been like were it not for their individual handwriting.

Whatever the case, it reminded me to flip through several books I have on my shelf and even old cards I've collected. In some of the books, I found really interesting samples of handwriting from different states and countries; male and female. Check out some of the things I found.

P.S. In times like this, why not tell someone they're on your mind by handwriting them at note?

Boxed water

2009-03-05T11:44:00.020-05:00

Okay, so while I was prepping for a post about Penmanship, I got the Daily Heller in my inbox. Today's topic (see title link) is about a new brand of "eco-friendly" paper boxed water, AQUAPAX. Reading about it reminded me immediately of a project I did in my favorite and only packaging design class during my last year at the School of Visual Arts: design a brand of bottled water.

Roughly, the point of the project was to choose an audience and develop a brand of water targeting them. Remembering all of the crazy amounts of research I did at the time, I was mostly inspired by Military Ready to Eat packaging and other military items, as well as survival kits. While other classmates chose audiences of kids, modern design types, bar regulars, etc., I chose one interested in no frills, just pure necessity and functionality. I named it Ration. I developed basic graphics to reference the hydrologic a.k.a. water cycle (remember that in science class?) and other utilitarian style design.

Image by USGS, from Wikipedia

The type had to be very basic—I wanted to achieve the feeling I got from much of the industrial made military items—as if the person that made it wasn't a designer per se, but maybe military personnel that was forced to read "Handicraft Guide No. 10: LETTERING for use of U.S. Armed Forces Personnel Only." Four aluminum cans of water would be packed perfectly into a small cardboard box. In the research I did at the time, metal cans for the water seemed like a viable solution in the sense that contrary to popular belief, it supposedly wouldn't affect the taste of the water, it was easier to recycle than plastic (so I read), and it has a much longer shelf life than clear plastic or paper. Of course, I can't seem to find any of this information now.

And there you have a bit of personal history. Here's the photo of the final project, as it was in my portfolio from 2005.

Cursive

2009-02-20T12:52:00.011-05:00

Photo by Andrew Buck, Courtesy Wikipedia

Remember the endless lessons on cursive handwriting in grade school? Not to mention the special ruled paper and that sample cursive alphabet in lower case and upper case, prominently displayed on the wall of the classroom? I certainly do. One of today's small headlines on Yahoo was about cursive writing, but not on the benefits of it in education—rather, the near death of an era. Here's a screen shot from the Fox clip (see title link for full video).

So here's your reminder! Please write more.

Getting Hitched?

2009-02-15T16:54:00.019-05:00

Spring is just around the corner and that means wedding season. We here at Product Superior can help to make your day as special and individual as you are with custom designed invitations and correspondence. If you can dream it, then we can make it - from custom monograms and illustrations, to hand lettering and purely typographic solutions - letterpressed of course! Modern or traditional - we have something for you. Contact us for more information on what we can do for you: info@productsuperior.com

P-38 (a.k.a. John Wayne)

2009-02-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever seen one of these? If you haven't, it is called a P-38 can opener. Since I am a huge fan of army rations, supplies, or simple survival kits and tools, I was given one of these as a small gift over the holiday. Prior to that, I think I'd only vaguely remembered seeing one—probably through my grandfather—some time ago. Other than "can opener" I didn't know it had an official name, so when I was told it was called a P-38, I thought my leg was being pulled (as so often seems to happen).

I'd forgotten that I received it, and so when I re-found it a week ago I decided to do a little Googling about it. According to Wikipedia, the P-38 was provided with the K-ration (daily combat food ration introduced by the United States army during World War II and issued until the 1980s). Developed in 1942, it is keychain size (1.5 inches, 38 mm long); the longer blade edge usable as a screwdriver, and the hinged portion to pierce can lids.

My curiosity was mostly in regard to the name. Wiki notes that while it isn't certain where "P-38" comes from, the military designation is "US ARMY POCKET CAN OPENER" and coincidentally, there is a fighter plane also by the same name, P-38. However, the name may relate more to the actual measurement being 38mm and P for Pocket (side note: there is also a larger opener by the name P-51, which is 51mm).

On another site (Georgia-Outfitters.com), they note that the opener originally came in a brown wrapper printed with a diagram for proper use and that it was meant to keep the P-38 clean before using. Since many prepackaged openers were provided in the rations, each could be tossed after a meal. However, they write that many of the GIs were keeping the openers to prevent being without one at chow time.

While doing a little more quick research, I found an interesting advertisement from a 1924 issue of Popular Mechanics. And as I also observed, Wiki writes that it was featured there without mention of military background.

I hope you find this as interesting as I did.

Middle image above from www.georgia-outfitters.com

Advertisement shown above from www.blog.modernmechanix.com

What's On My Desk!

2009-01-28T20:21:00.009-05:00

In what is sure to be the most talked about edition of What's On My Desk! ever, I present to you a selection of objects so charming, so amazing, so wonderous that I actually have no idea what they are. Let me explain:

About a month ago, Jennifer spied a set of these at an unnamed resale shop in Houston, Texas and immediately purchased them. They're about six inches long and appear to be slides of some kind for an antique Viewmaster style device. Each slide is sandwiched between two pieces of glass taped together with red paper tape. They seem to depict various battles and incidents (with the exception of the 4th slide down) from the Russo-Japanese war in the early 1900s and the Opium wars of the mid 1800s and have notes about the contents of the slide in German. Unfortunately, they are not a complete set and a few are heavily damaged. Nonetheless they definitely are like nothing I'd ever seen before. The illustrations are amazing and the colors are still shockingly vibrant when viewed with backlight despite their age.

What's On My Desk - Tea cards

2009-01-20T21:00:00.006-05:00

Two words. The British. They may seem stuffy with tea time, the assorted royalty, and their proclivity to spell tire t-y-r-e but don't let that fool you. Beneath their 18th century Wainscoted veneer they know how to get down like no one else. I cite before you as examples the ear piercing whine of a four cylinder turbocharged Lotus Esprit, the throaty roar of an RAF Spitfire hurtling through the clouds, or the face numbing sweat-streaked howling badassedness of these Brooke Bond Tea cards.

So here's the skinny: Brooke Bond & Company was engaged in the practice of selling tea. In the 1950s and 60s they offered various series of small, illustrated collector's cards as a promotion to appeal to the children of their customers . Each set of cards ran about fifty in number all conforming to a specific theme such as "Famous Britons" or "Butterflies Of The World" and could be placed in their own miniature album which contained additional illustrations and further details about the subject of the series. Needless to say all are amazingly illustrated and not all that easy to get a hold of. This is especially true if you're looking for a complete set, the collector's album and you want them in decent shape. I've been fortunate enough to obtain three such sets-
The Race Into Space: Man's first 50 Steps Into The Universe, The Saga Of Ships, and The Sea- Our Other World (my personal favorite!).

So sit down, get comfy, and enjoy a couple of photos. Brooke Bond Tea Cards- on my desk!

My daily inspiration...

2009-01-15T09:14:00.005-05:00

...which is NOT smoking.

Here is a shot of one of the neat things I found while in an antique shop: a tiny old box that used to contain cigarettes. I would have never wanted to toss this box out after finishing the smokes!

The Octopus and The Submarine print

2009-01-14T09:23:00.004-05:00

We've added a new item to our store: The Octopus and The Submarine 8" x 10" mini poster! You recall a previous entry by John showing the progress of making the illustration (if not, see 12/8 entry).

Unfortunately, it does not come framed as shown above. However, you can get a nice, inexpensive frame from Ikea —we chose the 8" x 10" size— or you can float the art in a much larger frame.

You can see it in our Etsy store through the title link or through our mini Etsy at the left margin of our blog.

Enjoy!

Early Office Museum

2009-01-13T09:37:00.006-05:00

Take a look at this amazing collection of photos from offices that were here in the States and elsewhere dating from the 1700s to early 1900s. I stumbled on this site will searching for old desks. I've selected a few to show here, including one from the Sears, Roebuck, and Co. order entry office (second photo). I love this site.

Photos from the Early Office Museum. Click title to view site.

The American Museum of Natural History, NYC

2009-01-07T08:35:00.015-05:00

Upon my return from a holiday in Texas, we decided to visit the Natural History Museum here in New York. For one, it's been many years since we last visited and for two, the Horse exhibit was going to be ending. We were a little shocked at the "special" exhibit price though—a whopping $48 for two tickets. Now, don't mistake us for not appreciating the cost of having access to these museums and their amazing collections, because we really do. Consider this though: For a family of four (two adults and two children), tickets to view the Horse exhibit would total $76 (24 per adult and 14 per child). How many families can afford this? Perhaps their intended audience is from a higher income bracket or maybe it's just a tourist trap. Maybe I'm just thinking too much on it. In the end, we paid and checked out the show.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite what I had hoped (I was anticipating wall-size photographic depictions of all horse species from miniatures to heavies and drafts, as well as a temporarily installed grooming booth with information on proper care, and even a room full of saddles from ancient to modern, ranging from all around the world)—I swear my expectations weren't completely colored by that sticker price. The best part of the show were the video clips from horse races and events from around the world (again, nothing on dressage and the saddlebred competions I once participated in, jumpers are usually mentioned instead). Photography was not allowed, therefore I have no images to share.

After the Horse exhibit, we spent some time with the Bird, Culture (various Peoples), Fossil, and Mammal Halls. Here are some photos that I did take.

PS. I love love love dioramas.

Brooklyn Lyceum 08

2008-12-28T16:09:00.003-05:00

Who doesn't like the squeel and bloodcurdling scratch of chalk on a chalkboard? Not us. We love it.

We were thrilled to participate in the first annual Holiday Craft Market last weekend at the Brooklyn Lyceum. The weather was freezing , the roads were ice but there were plenty of folks who turned out to see what all the excitement was about. As an added bonus our space had a chalkboard mounted behind it. Chalk broke, dust flew, and our pants were covered with multicolored silt.

You can view photos below- right after you go out in the hall and clap those erasers.

Core77 Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

2008-12-21T21:13:00.007-05:00

Some exciting and unexpected news for us here at PS: We've been featured in the 3rd annual Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide over at Core77!

Giveaway on Oh How Lovely!

2008-12-19T20:18:00.002-05:00

Currently among many other really great folks, we're participating in an amazing giveaway at Oh! How Lovely!

For information on how to participate and win our goodies, go to:
www.ohhowlovely.net/shops or click the title of this post.

Thank you Jamie for including us!

Bust Craftacular 2008

2008-12-19T08:16:00.004-05:00

Gosh it's been a hectic week! I wanted to say thanks to those that came to the Bust show last Sunday, we enjoyed being a part of it and meeting some really nice people!

We hope to see and meet more this weekend at the Brooklyn Lyceum, in spite of the weather! We'll have gift tags, ribbon, and holiday cards for any of your last minute needs!

Visit www.bkcraftcentral.com for details.

Somewhere, beyond the sea...

2008-12-08T18:39:00.005-05:00

In an attempt to make all of our dedicated readers here at the Product Superior blog tense up and sweat with barely restrained anticipation we have decided to post up some sneak peaks of the in progress artwork for a forthcoming line of nautical themed mini-posters. All will be 8" x 10" print size and will no doubt appeal to sea lovers, sea haters, or those who like the smell of the fisherman's wharf after dark.

Sleeve Notes

2008-12-04T08:53:00.008-05:00

As we get deeper into the holiday season, the ever-growing To-Do list and Other Tasks, get difficult to organize. Among all of the things I'd love to be doing for Product Superior, there are gifts that must be purchased and wrapped for friends and family, greetings that must be mailed, trees that must be decorated, ornaments to be hand painted, and sweets that must be baked—all of which I also love doing. I know I'm leaving something out here, but you get the point. Which is precisely why, after reviewing more of my photos from DC, I found the perfect solution. Check out this shot I took of the SR-71 pilot suit, from the National Air and Space Museum (Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center). While I would imagine that remembering to "Enter the Raft" and "Secure Gear" are significantly more important than remembering to mail my holiday cards ON TIME, I do nonetheless think the placement of the reminder makes for a great solution to all of my various scraps of paper.

Now, if only I could have all of the High Priority tasks sewn on my sleeves and look equally as cool and graphic—as opposed to just crazy.

American History Museum

2008-12-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we took a drive down to Washington DC. The main mission was to finally see the American History Museum—which after having been closed due to renovations for 2 years, finally reopened. I'm being a bit ambitious, but I hope to have a full review posted here soon (we weren't too pleased), as well as photos from our visits to the National Air and Space Museum (Steven F. Udvar Hazy center hangar and from the National Mall space), Arlington Cemetery, and the U.S. Botanic Garden. HOPE. Please be patient—I alone have about 700 photos to go through!

For now, here's some photos John took.

Top to bottom: from the American History Museum, from the Air and Space center, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery, and from the U.S. Botanic garden.

Pencil Inspiration

2008-12-01T15:41:00.004-05:00

Whoa! Check out these super neat pencils I found on this blog called Pencil Talk. As usual, I'm not sure how I wound up on this site, but am certainly glad to have made the discovery. You'll notice it's been added to my "Curiosities" links list.

Photo is from the Pencil Talk site, click title for the original page.

Giftware News

2008-11-25T08:41:00.003-05:00

We received our first bit of press in the Greeting Card Gazette of this month's Giftware News!

Thanks to Ashley Trent for the opportunity and all of the great words.

Because nothing says "Bicycle" like twenty degree temperatures....

2008-11-22T19:15:00.005-05:00

I don't quite how to break it to you so I'm just going to come out and say it- we have a bicycle problem. Some would classify us as "bike nuts" for lack of a better phrase. Between my co-conspirator and I here at product superior we are the somewhat ashamed owners of approximately six pieces of pedal powered metallic fury.

"Whoa! Ha ha. Maybe you should get another bike losers!" Don't suggest it even in jest because we will. Seriously. And then we'll come to your house and ride wheelies all over your lawn, sucka.

Being the doting parent of a happy house of bikes you would expect some investment into their well being, no? If you said "yes" then you are correct! Just today one of our bikes received just such an investment in the form of some flashy new handlebar grips. I dare say- the cat's meow of handlebar grips. The bad news is I'm out seven fifty. The good news is you get some pictures.

**Note: These grips are a signature grip for Odyssey pro BMX rider Aaron Ross. The flange of the grip (the second pic) has a record of the text messages between Odyssey and Aaron regarding the creation of the grip. Very cool.

What's On My Desk!

2008-11-17T09:10:00.000-05:00

Look - I'm a guy. As a guy, I'm likely to sniff things which I know are predisposed to smell wretched and I'm willing to pretty much eat most things which don't have a coat of green fur—in patent disregard to the posted expiration date. I, like most men, have a magnetic attraction to things which are: made of metal, loud, dangerous, explode, fly, or float.

In reverence to all things macho, today I'm featuring some photos from my collection of illustrated military related books. Some are old, some are new. Duck and cover, soldier!

2008 Holiday Cards

2008-11-10T12:08:00.001-05:00

They're finally here! Send lovely warm greetings this holiday to your friends, family, or coworkers with our wintry designs of horses dashing in the snow or an ice skating swan. Both cards are letterpressed on 100% Crane's cotton paper stock (that means tree free).

We're so excited at how they look, we hope you will be too!

For more details and to purchase, please click the title.

What's on my desk!

2008-11-09T20:39:00.007-05:00

Ahoy and welcome aboard for the highly anticipated, sophomore edition of "What's on my desk!"- a fascinating, drama charged voyage through the stacks of sometimes interesting, wildly nerdy, and frequently disorganized possessions which litter my worktable. Today's entry is so scintillating, so sensational, so OMG (for you texters out there) that I feel the subject announcement should be accompanied by the crack of a whip or the roar of a wild beast. I present to you...... POSTAGE STAMPS!

Alright, alright I *may* have implied a bit more excitement than philately usually arouses in folks but I, for one, have always loved stamps. I have decided to quantify the things I love about stamps into an informative, concise list designed to persuade you, my occasional reader, into loving them too. The aforementioned list is as follows:

1. Stamps are an excellent way to attract finer specimens of the opposite sex. Who doesn't want to hang out with someone who rummages around old, dusty, faintly cheese smelling books in search of something someone may have licked years and years ago? This is the number one reason, although frequently unspoken, that people get into stamps- sex appeal. Ask any stamp collector. They'll tell you

2. They're amazing pieces of period graphic design and illustration shrunk into a highly portable, easily stored format. Most countries try to be current and cutting edge with their stamps (much more so than currency) and as a result they act as a really great retrospective of the current aesthetic at the time of their manufacture.

3. *Most* stamps are cheap. You can get a handful of art deco stamps- many MNH (which means Mint Never Hinged) for a few dollars. A book featuring full color plates of art deco design would cost considerably more, take up lots of space on that overcrowded book shelf, and likely not have designs as interesting or well executed as the postage stamps.

4. You get to act like you know what you're doing. You get to move everything with tweezers, look through a magnifying glass, and catalog everything in those awesome little plastic holders. It's like being an anthropologist without that pesky degree or all that damn dirt. Plus no airplane food! Additionally, unlike your closet, you can organize and maintain your stamp collection.

Today, my occasional reader, I'd like to share a few photos of my unsorted stamps in my stockbook. These are a collection of stamps from all countries, in all conditions that I've collected because I like them on an individual basis as opposed to the usual desire to obtain a complete set of a certain kind of stamp in a specific condition(for instance non cancelled Swedish special delivery stamps or all US stamps with geese on them). I do have a large collection of US airmail stamps but that will have to wait for another entry! I hope you can restrain your anticipation.

"Enough talk! Let's see those photos already!" you say. I agree.

It's getting to be that time...

2008-11-09T20:10:00.005-05:00

...for giving thanks, gorging, and of course napping. What better way to celebrate than picking up one of our season-specific notebooks to capture the moment, and all of your wild turkey scribbles!

Sneak Peek: Holiday cards

2008-11-04T08:59:00.002-05:00

We've been working on getting our first set of holiday cards out and can't wait to see the final printed pieces! Here's a peek of what to expect to see added to our shop in the next week...

It's Dia de Los Muertos!

2008-10-31T21:07:00.009-04:00

While we were recently visiting Houston spending quality time with family, we did a little shopping on the stretch of antique and boutique shops in the Heights (historical neighborhood near downtown). I always enjoy when we can make a quick pit stop there, as for one, my all-time favorite vietnamese food restaurant is now located here. The other reason is because like any of the old little towns (though Houston is large) I pass through, I love seeing the mix mash of storefronts. There was a shop dedicated to mexican culture with items like coconut masks, prayer dolls, candles, and more. I stumbled on a table that had a pile of various colored glazed tiles. On their faces, there were many different depictions of skeleton scenes—portraits, dancing, and horseback fighting. Being the horse lover, I opted for the latter. Here's a photo of the tile.

Gosh, I wish I had some fresh pan dulce.

Stamp of the Day

2008-10-21T09:02:00.006-04:00

Last night, we were organizing our ever-growing pile of stamps into archival books. I'm always so taken with these miniature masterpieces of design. Ranging in style from simple color forms to millions of tiny engraved lines, each small square area is created to convey one simple concept at one quick glance. The other great aspect I observed in the stamps we've collected is how the creator of each has also taken on another big task: designing each stamp to not only function alone, but also in a series that expands to multiple ideas (in color and form), all the while maintaining the same overall feel.

Here's a pair of two really lovely illustrated ones I found last night.

More Muscle

2008-10-15T09:32:00.004-04:00

This morning when I opened my email box, I found a few more notes from a happy customer. If only they also owned a de Tomaso Pantera.

Anyone, anyone?

Photo: Moolee Bunnag and Matt Kabel

What's on my desk!

2008-10-12T16:57:00.007-04:00

Today I'm going to start a new series on the Product Superior blog titled "What's on my desk". As the smarter amongst you will gather I will feature a single item, or related group of items that currently reside on- you guessed it- my desk. Hopefully this will prove much more interesting than my previous ideas, some of which included the novel but ultimately speculative "Who's sock is in my laundry" or the scintillating but rather crass "What's in my pants". Both of these ideas luckily fell prey to editorial revue.

So what is on my desk? Today it's a Frederick Post Tru-Point pencil pointer circa 1960, variable taper, Model D-3046 complete with original packaging. For those of you thinking "Nice orange thing dufus, what's it do?" the Tru-Point is a lead pointer, used for putting a point on a now relatively obsolete form of mechanical drafting pencil known as a leadholder. Leadholders, such as the two (one vintage, one new) in the foreground of my photo, acted as ratcheting holders for a stick of 2mm graphite and just like a wooden pencil, they required constant sharpening to stay pointed. The Tru-Point sharpened by scraping the graphite along the inside of an abrasive drum rather than with razor blades like the small sharpeners we all used to sharpen our No. 2 pencils as schoolkids. And wow does it sharpen. Despite the fact that the design is some forty odd years old it points better, breaks my lead less, and spills far fewer shavings than all of the newer designs I've tried.

Embroidery Book

2008-10-08T08:50:00.003-04:00

We've been working on something for the upcoming season, which will utilize one of my favorite things: this amazing little embroidery pattern book I found some time ago. It is such an inspiration for me, therefore I am always looking for a perfect way to use it. Hopefully an upcoming item we'll have will prove just that...

In the meantime, here's some art I put together just for this post.

Notes from a Happy Customer

2008-09-29T23:06:00.004-04:00

Ours and Theirs

Photo: Moolee Bunnag and Matt Kabel

Pentagram for Sappi paper

2008-09-29T17:34:00.007-04:00

Where on earth have I been that I just now discovered this?

Here's a lovely quote from the article:

"It's part of our Texas heritage and our collective sense of humor," explains Stout. "My apologies to the smaller, less interesting states on the map."

Click the title of this post to view the complete article.

Happy Re-Find

2008-09-29T17:18:00.006-04:00

While rummaging in the closet for some filed papers, I rediscovered this amazing print John and I found at an antique fair over the summer. This is one of two that we bought and together, they were only $12.00!

Unfortunately, due to all of the other artwork adorning our walls, we can't display them quite yet. In due time, in due time!

Our Pencils

2008-09-27T13:27:00.002-04:00

I really love this tin I found in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma. Although it's a cheap replica, it makes a perfect holder and good compliment to the PS pencils.

We love wrapping things

2008-09-25T09:19:00.004-04:00

We were so excited about packaging a set of our Busted Muscle cards with a notebook for a friend, so we decided a photo was necessary!

Design Sponge

2008-09-25T08:16:00.004-04:00

Yesterday to our very happy surprise, Grace at Design Sponge featured our letterpressed postcards (We're Moving & Bon Voyage).

Thanks again Grace!

After Heller

2008-09-24T08:26:00.003-04:00

After seeing this post by the Daily Heller about Notgeld in my email box, it reminded me that a few years ago, I was very happy to find a few for purchase. I didn't know what they really were, but that they had amazing graphic elements. I did some googling and learned about how they were printed (on various materials, including felt) for emergency funds. Here's a scan of one I own.

Loot from Renegade Chicago

2008-09-22T13:01:00.001-04:00

In spite of the nonstop rain, we had a really good time meeting some of the friendly and very crafty fellow vendors at the fair. Here's a few things I had to own: book purse from Paper Theory, as well as some good trades with Paper Parasol and Sheriff Peanut (in order of appearance).

Renegade Craft Fair Chicago

2008-09-22T12:40:00.001-04:00

Here are some shots of the cards and notebooks from our booth.