S. Stein Designs strikes again.
Go to their Blog chop-chop and watch the fab promotional video. This creative company just gets better and better.
Full disclosure: They are NOT paying me in money or schwagg to promote their brilliant company. Damn it.
Okay. Am I the only one who saw this in MARTHA STEWART? (YES - I occasionally read Martha....shuush). I just went to this site and had to firmly grasp the top of my computer table:
Lord have Mercy, it's a colored pencil SUBSCRIPTION (for your NERVES!!!!). No. It's really good:
Go to the site, be sure to click on
The Complete Palette, then click on a group of colors on the right, when that group pops up, roll your mouse over them to see the
fabulous names assigned each color!
I'm very upset about the fact that I did not invent or market this, but I forgive the Very Brilliant folks at Social Designer....
The first edition of the Magical EverChanging Web Journal is almost done, so we decided to toss one of Matt's illustrations your way to tide you over. The next time that you're in a very serious meeting looking straight into the eyes of your client or your Boss, think about THIS Bad Boy:
Illustration by Matt Wood...of course.
After being shamefully inattentive to my ETSY store, I've popped a few things back in, realizing that the Holidays are roaring down upon us. You can access my store here or click the icon to the right which is always there. I'm going to try to add to the store every couple of days during this season. I'll be out of town from the 2nd of December to the 9th, so remember THAT if those dates fall into your busy zone.
I intend to sit on the computer tonight and shop NOW so that I'm not freakin out at the last minute. Love the comfortable ease of buying this way and knowing that I'm supporting a fellow craftsperson. I also want to send support to my friends that have amazing brick and mortar stores. They keep us inspired and entertained all year round. Being a Shop Keeper at heart, you'll ALWAYS find me sending loving support their way.
Please leave your ETSY or web address in the comments so that we can all shop each others stores, online and otherwise. That's what a web community is all about: support, networking, relationship building, connecting.....fun. We gotta have fun.
Looks so sleek and I-pod-like, right?
Well, kinda. I finally cracked open this screen printer from ProvoCraft. I was raving about the concept of a giant Goco printer. NOT SO FAST. I will give it props for the large screen area, the totally non-toxic materials that have virtually NO smell, but I'll also say that this is a VERY bitchy little machine. We used every obscene word that we knew and then made up a bunch. My feeling is that ProvoCraft released it way too soon. They needed a ton more field testing. Without boring you with a long laundry list, I will say that the "issues" are many, but I still love the idea that I may someday conquer this beast. It's a good thing that I bought really inexpensive, sacrificial jersey for my first crack at scarves, inspired by the incredibly amazing gift that Fran Meneley gave me from VIVA ZAPATA! -people who obviously screen print old school.
Feeble attempt at scarf-ery:
I WILL say that after THIS experience, I'm willing to jump into screen printing at a real studio. Bring it.
Welcome to my Blog and may I say that you picked a lovely time to visit? As of Friday, November 13th, I'm the Guest Blogger over at Scrapbook News and Review. They've allowed me to rave on about closing the gap between Scrapbooking and Visual Journaling. There really ISN'T a gap, but some people need to be reminded, yes?....yes. EVERYONE should be nurtured and encouraged to pursue their creativity ALWAYS in ALL-WAYS. Oh, I like that.
Anyway, allow me to change gears and announce our new project here at Lisa Hoffman dot-typepad dot com!
As you can see on the banner announcement above, the fabulous Matt Wood will be joining me once in a while as we take the liberty of creating a Web Journal here. Right here. Free to YOU, my readers. Most of the time things will not change. I'll be swinging art, events and generally cool stuff in your direction, but occasionally you'll drop in and we will have re-arranged all the furniture. Illustration, inspiration and aggravation (I HAD to say that because it just FIT). We'll be treating you to Matt's illustrations along with my highly enlightened point of view. HIS point of view and maybe YOUR point of view. Maybe not.....we're not sure. We may give our web journal a REAL NAME, but we're just too busy right now.
Here are a few topics that we might cover. It all depends on the mood we're in:
*"Classes: Don't be intimidated by Rockstars" or "That Chick Freaks me Out!!!"
*"Don't Look NOW!!!".....Matt shares his secrets to unlocking NEW Creative Terrain
*"What was I THINKING???!!!!" or practical advice about what to do BEFORE a class or workshop
*Shows...Excellent Opportunity or Evil Conspiracy Run by Alien Body-Snatchers?
*How do I know if I really need to take that class? Or “YOU again??!!!”
*Not For Woman Only....Guys give their take on Creativity
*Look OUT!!!!.....how to keep your ear (and eye) to the ground and use current culture for inspiration.
So we will attempt to entertain you, inform you and keep things fresh. Remember, it's the MAGICAL, EVERCHANGING Web Journal!
No, not the image to the left. That's something from an old visual journal. I just wanted my readers to know a couple of things:
*ONE- I'll be the Guest Blogger on a site called Scrapbooking News and Review starting tomorrow, Friday the 13th. I decided to accept their generous invitation as long as they would allow me to go on about Closing the Gap between Scrapbooking and "Visual Journaling". The fact that there is a large group of artists crusading on behalf of ALL creativity. Well, you'll have to click on over. Once you get to their main site, choose "BLOG" and I should be there in all my preach-y glory.
*TWO- (and here's the part that I'm REALLY excited about) ...as of tomorrow, Friday the 13th, I'll post an announcement regarding a new direction that this Blog will be taking. My friend and former Graphics Genius at my old company, Matt Wood and I are going to collaborate and.....okay. Just come back for a sneek peek.
We're totally committed to amusing ourselves. Maybe you'll join us? I hope so.
It's time again to consider your 2010 calendars. May I suggest a trip to the amazing Dolphin Studios?
This is where you will joyfully meet the Ffrenches, one of the most creative families imaginable. John Ffrench and Primm Turner are now in their 80's and ready to hand the family calendar production & distribution over to Crispina and Sofia, two of their 3 daughters.The hand-screened hand-printed calendars are 12" x 24" and so Freakin' AMAZING. I suggest that THIS be number one on your wish list for Holiday 2009. Where, I ask you, WHERE can you find twelve hand screened 12" X 24" images for less than $60?
Here's a peek at 2009's delightful images. The upcoming 2010 is Off The Charts excellent as well:
Okay. So after you read the Ffrench Family story on their site, come back here for more about their daughter, Crispina. I first "met" Crispina when my friend Julie George Windsor (more about HER in a later post) showed me a unique blanket made from pieced together, super soft recycled material. Oh, and Crispina was distributing her catalogs in a collapsed cereal box in the early 90's, LONG before using cereal boxes became Green-Cool. Now Crispina has a web site, a Blog and an ETSY where she sells her stuff. Hooray for THAT. It used to be really hard to find.
Look at some of her coolness:
How great is this? >>>
I love the way that she integrates sketching with her photos:
Look at this chair!
One of her specialties are these little RagaMuffins. The perfect toy:
Of course, there's a book for you Fabric People (Bless your talented Hearts)
So enjoy the season as it roars down upon us. Buy Handmade when you can.
Next up? More cool people to meet, books to investigate, whatever I can toss your way....
I wasn't going to post about Sundance Channel's MAN SHOPS GLOBE, but in the last week, several of my very design-savvy friends mentioned that they had NO IDEA that it existed, so I had to do my Bloggers Duty and pick up my bullhorn. Let me tell you FIRST, that if you don't receive The Sundance Channel, you can purchase the shows on I-Tunes. $1.99 each. TOTALLY worth it and less than half the price of the Sunday Times!
A few weeks ago, my friend Linda Warlyn gave me a "heads up" about this show (look for Linda's work as the Featured Artist in an upcoming Somerset Studio!). She had me at ANTHROPOLOGIE!
Stand back as the lovely Keith Johnson enters the scene: He's the main Treasure Seeker for ANTHROPOLOGIE. He travels the World looking for displays and unique, craftsman-made, one-of-a-kind products for the 120 national and international ANTHROPOLOGIE stores. Sometimes he artfully combines pieces that he finds, right there, on the spot, creating an even MORE unique spin. He takes the viewer on each trip, narrating and sharing his thoughts and strategy. You get to meet the accompanying staff and craftspeople. Oh, help me over to the couch!
Keith's partner is Glen Senk who is a brilliant mind behind the stores and has a fascinating history. Read an excellent article about Glen here at the
Wall Street Journal Digital
Network. Just thought I'd toss this in because these guys are SO fascinating.
The above photo came from the fabulous Blog Apartment Therapy.
See that amazing chandelier? It's made from recycled plastic and pretty much JUNK, by craftspeople in South Africa. Guess who commissioned a duplicate for his daughters play room? President Obama.
I found out that Keith and his crew were at the Denver ANTHROPOLOGIE on October 6 to raise funds for a local art school. Yes, I was 3 weeks too late. I hate that.
It's on Wednesday nights, but again, feel free to scarf 'em up at I-Tunes.
This tale starts with a very quick visit to Santa Cruz. My good friend Erin and her lovely partner Margot agreed to make the drive up from their home in Morro Bay (better known as Paradise). If you don't already know, Margot owns Sassy Feet. She and her business partner Destiny run a company that alters shoes of all kinds. There's a bridal division, there's a Sassy Feet book. There's a Blog. Margot teaches classes and participates in Altered Clothing Worlds previously unknown to me. Being a former resident of Santa Cruz, Margot knew the area like the back of her hand and we had a fabulous 20-some hours. We packed a lot in, but I HAVE to tell you about my Aqua work boots!...Knowing Margot's Mad Skills, I had told them weeks before about my vision for Aqua Work Boots a la David Bowie. The MOMENT we got together, they whisked me away to a Payless where we found THESE affordable and somewhat "Practical" boots:
Back to the hotel parking lot where we unpacked the shoe workshop supplies from the back of her car. This cute, 30-something guy was watching us and drove slowly up to Bark:
"OHMIGOD!!!....are you three going to Be-Dazzle Tee Shirts??!!!!" I loved that he even knew the word
"Be-Dazzle". Up in the room, I glanced through the swatches and found the perfect color, but it was a Glitter Paint that didn't make the trip up. Also, I wanted "Bowie" but not "Bowie does Vegas" so I opted to mix the un-glitter paints (which had a delicious, subtle metallic glow) to get the same color:
A few coats later, a new pair of laces and my vision was realized EXACTLY the way that I hoped it would be. How often does THAT happen???? Margot is a VERY patient and skillful teacher. She's also VERY fun.
I'm now pulling MORE shoes out of my closet knowing that all it takes is a little trip to Sassy Feet and Voila!...new life!
Hey. Nobody has boots like this. I custom blended the paint. If you have to pass on Nordstrom's shoe department this fall due to harsh economic times, or if you're all about re-purposing and cheering for a lower carbon footprint (get it?)....just hook up with Sassy Feet.
Thanks M and E...you're the best!
