Yardfolk 2010 Calendars

After printing disasters - wrapping disasters - even liquor license disasters, we did manage to pull the Yardfolk 2010 calendar together, just in time for the holidays! These dahling 11x17 hanging calendars are printed on 100% recycled paper, and your support will help support Earthroots and emerging Toronto artists.

Click here for more info on our delightful contributors and to see where you can purchase these in fine boutiques in the Greater Toronto Area. Not from these parts? No prob - check out our Etsy store (more to come on that front in 2010!).

Why I've Been Blog Slacking...

Lunchboxes are cool again.

I was one of those kids who carried a cooler to school for lunch everyday. Luckily for me I managed to turn it into one of those quirky 'things' about me, even when I had to put it on top of my new locker because it didn't fit on the inside.

However, now that I'm in my 20s, or because it's 2009, people are just a whole lot more judgemental. Luckily, it's all cahoots with OOTS!
This is my next "splurge" investment. With microwavable containers, machine-washable, and design to drool over, suddenly packed lunches become... amazing. I like to think of it as recession-chic.

Step-by-Step, Ooo Baby.

DOCUMENTATION OF ARTISTIC REINVIGORATION - PHASE 1:

So as I had posted a few weeks back, I had decided to take up the 'Screenprinting for Illustrators' course put-on by Halo Halo, led by Jeff and Jan (who both happen to be super talented but also so unbelievably nice that it's hard to be embittered towards them for it). Despite being a titch nervous going in, asking myself, "Yo, are you sure you're ILLUSTRATOR enough?!", within the first 15 minutes I knew I was in good company.

First things first, perhaps it is just my longing for some sort of education in anything, but throughout this thing I can't stop referring to things in school project terms. Think "homework", "group projects", and "thesis", but stick "super-duper fun" at the beginning of all of that. And we even had a guest speaker. All to the sweet sounds of Live Free or Die Hard playing in the background. The result? A fun, bizarro group project called Exquisite Corpses to whet our appetite for dundundun: The Thesis.

Photos to come, if you can handle it.

*Note: I just keep calling it a Thesis, they mostly just laugh in my face when I formalize it like that.

Load up on those carbs.

Toast your own art onto bread and by default $1 goes towards Feeding America. Think outside of the "Virgin Mary/Jesus-on-toast" concept. God's already been there, done that.

{Thanks to Danni L. for this great link!)

Robot birthday cupcakes by Sach Steffel

For her 4-year old son. Awesome.

(via Bunch Family)

Hey, I think I just used that font!

I hate bad movie posters and I reaaaaallly don't hate this one. Fingers crossed the movie will be as lovely as this work is.

Make T-shirt Pretty Win Award.

"graniph T-Shirt Design Award is a global design competition which is open to everyone regardless of age, location or experience. With over 30.000 designs submitted over the past competitions, it has uncovered some great talents on tees."

Do it.

Yes, We Can Dingbat.

Resigned to the flu bed today (but not foggy enough to not watch the Inauguration), I still have to throw in my shoutout to the Man of the Moment today. Congratulations, Obama, and congratulations world. Now celebrate with (downloadable!) Obamabats! Great for essays.

Nick Cave's Sound Suits

Some of the most amazing pieces of wearable art (if you can call it that) I have ever seen. One of the most intriguing aspects of Nick Cave's "sounds suits" (and no, I don't think THAT Nick Cave), is his grounding principle that a costume can inspire someone to become someone - or something - else for a moment in time. At times traditional, at other times somber, but almost always animated - these suits are what dreams are made of. Check his interview with B/D here, currently showing at the Jack Shainman Gallery in NY.

Oh, and what the hell, here's some of that other Nick Cave for ya'.

5 Great Things About Hong Kong - #1.

Cafe de Coral: This massive chain puts McDick's to shame. Large, legible, well-designed signs, constantly evolving menus, aesthetically superior packaging and the service of clean and nutritious meals? And did I mention you could get this - 
for the equivalent of $5 CAD?!?! (Okay, I know, that's the power of conversion), but seriously, bring this bad-boy to Chinatown and I won't eat another Egg McMuffin in my life.

Paint or Die or Love Me

With a dining table like this, who cares what's for dinner?

M/M (Paris) 2009 Catalogue

For those of you who, like I, cannot afford a poster for 200 Euros, but prefer to safely admire them from a nice comfortable online distance, feast your eyes on M/M's 2009 catalogue. I am especially loving their 2008 decoupage-esque posters. Mmm/m/m//m/mmmmmm....

Interview with Spraygraphic.

Here it is, me yapping about my vision for our planet and how I fit into that vision. Well, not really. Check out my interview on Spraygraphic here.

ABC3D

"ONE OF THE MOST DELIGHTFUL AND INNOVATIVE POP-UP BOOKS I HAVE EVER SEEN.—Robert Sabuda

MARION BATAILLE is graphic and book designer who has never before been published in this country. She lives in Paris. This is just a hand-made mock-up of the actual book which publishes in Oct. 2008. We couldn't be more excited about it.

Also for those asking that's the incredible 30's trio The Boswell Sisters singing "Roll On" "

Check out ABC3D here. Watch the video and enjoy the brilliance.

"For the discerning fashionista".

This is one of my favourite sites to pick up unique clothing pieces, and this is coming from someone who is a) skeptical about buying clothing online unless it is of the mass-produced tshirt variety, and b) skeptical about buying vintage in general. Thus, it speaks volumes that I have poured my former fashion-student faith into Nasty Gal Vintage. Updated regularly with glorious finds, this site has saved me from personally rummaging through the musty bins of junk to amass the diamonds-in-the-rough onto one, functional shopping site. Here, two of my fave vintage dresses on the site, fresh outta the 80's. But it's best to react quickly - there is, obviously, only one in stock. These two are, er, already "SOLD OUT". I could possibly be the culprit.

Kickin' it old school.

Real life Photoshop. The tagline reads "As real as it gets". Love love love this.

Deck the halls with boughs of sabers.

“Neon was an obvious choice for me,” he said, referring to the set of his Spring 2009 Paris debut show. “I think the simple melding of tradition and modernity aptly suits the mood at the moment. we are all looking to a brighter future.” Here, Gareth Pugh's nightmarisly delightful concoction for London's Topshop, er, holiday, display. 

Love it or hate it, (I, personally love it. If you want your red/green, reindeer and rosy-cheeked elves fix, go, well, anywhere else and you'll find it), it's an attention grabber.

{via Style File}

Spraygraphic AOTD.

Thanks, Spraygraphic, for picking me as your artist of the day! Check it out on the link, and don't forget to check back this Friday for my interview.

Criterion.

It's always been a secret dream of mine to design movie posters and their accompanying packaging. Now, I can continue to be jealous of those who do with this collection of fantastic DVD covers from (what else?) the Criterion Collection. These show just how beautiful covers can be, which again, prompts me to ask why Hollywood insists on dumbing down their own DVD releases with lame-azoid covers. Anyway, enough with being disappointed with one segment, instead, let's celebrate the good. Here's some Criterion. Below, some of my favourites: