this year, mama’s sauce sold this pack of love letters to raise money for the hamilton wood type and printing museum–a beautiful set of letterpressed coasters. i’d encourage anyone to go buy more, but alas, they’re sold out!
the hamilton is an amazing resource—the largest collection of wood type in the country—a veritable living history of print and letterpress. you can still follow the link above and donate to them to help cover their move and operation costs before february 28, 2013!
so, what-all’s been going on during this blog hiatus, you might wonder? mostly work, but i found i needed some new creative outlets that had nothing to do with design. that’s where ukelele came in. awhile back, jason bought me one because i wanted a simple melody instrument to noodle around on, but i couldn’t seem to take the initiative to learn it on my own. thanks to barnsdall art center’s offering of ukelele class, i got started in the fall and really love it!
i also decided to return to sewing, which i only learned on my own with some help from my mom as a young woman. this time around, i went to a professional, taking classes and working on personal projects, and have been learning all kinds of techniques. the process of spending time on quality garments is very satisfying, in addition to getting a gift at the end. it’s opening up an area of design i haven’t experienced in a long time: personal fashion design—which is nothing like commercial fashion, because i don’t have to please anyone but myself. the other reality is, i’ve had to get really honest about measurements. ever by something on the smaller side, figuring you’re investing in the near future when you magically lose 10 pounds? umm, i have. you can’t really do that with sewing. you measure, you create garments that fit, and you let go of the future. alter when the time comes, in the meantime, live for today.
the cool thing about these 2 creative forays is that they are long-range. i’m only playing chords with occasional picked vamps in ukelele, but there’s so much to learn, and it’s got me thinking about banjo too. i’ve gotten to beginning pattern-making with sewing, which will open up all kinds of custom options, and then there are all the scraps, which seem to be screaming out QUILT US! so, maybe they’ll get their wish.
anyway, there you have it. and back to work i go, with a little more music and fabric patterns in my stride.
so yeah, i’ve been offline awhile. but i’m emerging from the media diet, undergoing a branding exercise and i’ll be back in many ways now that 2013 is underway, at places like creative mornings LA & stuff…!
worthe numerals, image: house industries
some font releases of the big, bold & extended varieties worth checking out are: worthe numerals from house industries [above] idlewild from hoefler & frere-jones halogen from positype silverfake from alexy frolov
fast company asks are animated fonts the future of type and i’d have to say a resounding yes if they allow you to show cute animations within the font file instead of more complicated software or coding!
you might remember, last year i noticed purslane growing in the gutter on my street. while i had no intention of collecting purslane from the gutter, i did collect the seeds. purslane is a prolific seed producer and i had a nice envelope-full by the end of the summer.
this year, i tried to get more realistic about what i could expect from my garden, and revisited how i might use the full-sun side of the house with containers. we have several hanging pots outside the front door that have turned into our personal purslane garden.
so, why grow purslane? it’s native to los angeles and thrives in summer. it’s often considered a weed, but it’s a beneficial companion plant for many gardens, since it keeps water in the soil. purslane is also considered a superfood, currently containing the highest concentration of omega-3s found in a plant. in addition to being very low in cholesterol, it is also a good source of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate, and a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese.
last year, i wrote about purslane for LAist and collected what few recipes i could find online to suggest how to enjoy it. if you have any preps you like, post them in the comments!
i’m embarking on a pretty heavy schedule in the coming months, so i decided to prepare with a bunch of food ahead of time. one of the downfalls of feeling busy is i often justify eating things i shouldn’t because i my perception is that i don’t have time to stop working and cook a meal. while i know this isn’t true, i still fall for it, so instead i’ve stocked the fridge with healthy snacks and prepared foods i can quickly assemble into meals. i love me a good food prep day!
in place of the usual wednesday creative inspiration, i’ve collected a nice handful of articles on branding i thought i’d share, to bring others in on the experience, and get people thinking about what the next steps are with their own strategies. if you’re new to the idea of branding, i’ve got some great primers here and in my newsletter.
i love that kcet is profiling local, organic / natural farms in southern california. here’s another one you might see at markets around LA, jimenez family farm, growing vegetables and greens, as well as a few varieties of meat. read their story at kcet.org.
parlato design studio 