Labels.

From the ones Anthropologie fancies.

In the Stars

You know what company rocks my world? It won't be shocking, but I just have to put it out there because they just sent me the greatest little birthday card:



Can you guess the sender?



Anthropologie. They think of the bestest things. Even their tape makes me happy.



And makes me want to hop the counter and snatch the dispenser away from the ringer-upper. But we shouldn't snatch. Or steal. It's not nice. Even when you are obsessed with masking tape. That's printed. But I did tell the her how lucky she was to get to dispense all that tape. And she was all, yea, whatever.

Itching to know what's in there?



Matching turtle dishes. That I don't have a place for yet. But even if I did, I wouldn't be able to set them out without fearing their certain fatal fall down onto the hardwood floors. It's just the way things roll around here right now. But I loved them, and I've always heard that you should buy what you love even if you don't have a place for it right that second. So I did. And I will.

Alright, I'm out. Happy Friday to you!

The Perfect Match

Every now and again I like to chat a little bit about my design process. [I posted about two of my holiday 2010 designs here]. Today, let's talk about the design The Perfect Match available for sale at Minted. The challenge was for Save-the-dates, and I knew I wanted to do something with a matchbook. One because I love matchbooks, and if I spot a basket full of matchbooks at, say, a restaurant, they need to restock by the time I've left.



And two because I love a good play on words. So, I started sketching.



I'm also a little bit obsessed with Adios Script, and thought it would be the perfect complement to a matchbook illustration. For the colors, I wanted something feminine juxtaposed with something bold, hence the pale pink and deep red.



It's also available with backer options. You gotta love a backer, right?



So there's your design insight for the day!

[Collage Images clockwise from top left: Posh Chicago pink matches via Oh Joy; Aubrey Beardsley matchboxes via Collection A Day; Vintage china Sedona Bride; Mermaid matches by Louise Fili; Magpie and Rye Matches; Matchbooks via Mint Design Blog. Perfect Match images from Minted and sketchbook image from yours truly]

Commemorate

Commemorate that jar of jam or glass of water with these plates by illustrator Owen Davey that were a response to all the fuss over the royal wedding. And that also made me laugh. There are more designs and info right here about the project and his process.

If you could design a plate to commemorate something ordinary and everyday, what would it be? I would commemorate getting the mail. Or cutting up waffles.

Villas, Teepees, Treehouses + A Geodesic Dome

Those are just some of the places you can stay using Airbnb. Have you heard of it? Used it? I'd only heard about in passing a while ago, but it really caught my attention when I saw the collection identities by Kelli Anderson. The combination of her charming illustrations and stellar typography make for some truly great design.







I'm so curious to hear some first hand Airbnb info -- either from listing a place or staying in one. And aside from Airbnb, are there any other sites that you like to use for travel to find quirky or off the beaten path places?

Nice to meet you, too.

It's all about the packaging, I tell you. I just received an order from Poppin, and was so happy to see their creative packaging.

Full of doubt and staples.



Short, pushy and a little sharp.



Nerd is the new black.



My favorite part? The air pack that says "See you in the Supply Closet." I'm so there.



So, thank you Poppin. For not only offering sleek office supplies that in themselves bring a smile to my face, but for giving them quirky personalities. I can't wait to try them out!

Comfort in a Box

I heart The Instant Comfort Pocket Boxes by Kim Welling from the Netherlands. Who doesn't like to hear that everything will be OK? Or that they look wonderful? Plus, the illustrations and design are so nifty that it's a win-win all around. Would make me smile.



And if you're feeling crafty, you can assemble you own with these DIY kits:



In completely unrelated [unless you were to think about the above happy sentiments] weekend news, the boys and I are headed to DISNEY this afternoon! Caps and bold -- I can't wait. They are 7 and 5 yrs old, and this will be their first time at the Magic Kingdom. Should be great ages for enjoying everything...except the waiting, of course. Waiting isn't so fun at any age. But the greatest part of our trip is going to be meeting up with old friends from Texas. I really can't wait for that. Will be back next week with -- hopefully -- some happy pictures and stories!

Color Collections

I'm so taken with these color collections by Kontor Kontur. The compositions, the colors, the shapes of all the different items -- it's all so intriguing. Plus the fact that they are largely made up of office supplies doesn't hurt either.



When we were little, we used to get those big ole Service Merchandise catalogs in the mail. My sisters and I would play this game in the toy section where you had to pick one toy from each page. That was the only rule: one item, each page. Even in the boy section, you had to pick one. So now I ask you:

If you had to choose one thing from each of the collections pictured here, what would you choose?

My answers: From the white, I would probably choose one of the stamps, because I heart a good stamp. That library receipt-looking pad was calling to me, but I'm going to stick with a stamp. And from the red one, I would have to pick that red stapler on the right. Although, it was hard to pass up that little hole punch.

[Images from Kontor Kontur; click over to the site to see many more color collection compositions. I spotted these on Poppytalk in a guest post by Lisa Congdon, who just recently published a book based off her wildly popular blog "A Collection a Day" that I posted about here. I've already ordered my copy! I think whatever it is that intrigues me about these is the same as what makes her collections so engaging.]

Feltron Annual Report

If you like graphs, data, genealogy and/or rockin' typography, be sure to check out the 2010 Feltron Annual Report created by Nicholas Feltron:



This time around, the report is a documentation of the author's father's life. It is described as "an encapsulation of my father's life, as communicated by the calendars, slides and other artifacts in [the author's] possession..."





A fascinating project, not to mention the stunning graphics and typography.



[Find out more about the author, this project, and the other annual reports; via The Fox is Black]