Just a little roundup of some nautical snail mail supplies!
1. Whale Card by Banquet 2. Happy Birthday Matey from Egg Press 3. U.S. Merchant Marine from USPS 4. Nautical card from Paper Source 5. Beach Stamp Set by Yellow Owl Workshop
Inspiration
Print of the Week – Etchings by Elvia Perrin
Weekend in San Francisco
Took a quick trip up to San Francisco this weekend; very brief, but packed full of activity. I was particularly excited to visit SF MOMA to see the Cindy Sherman show, which was wonderful.
After perusing her retrospective, I found myself wandering through the other galleries, and feeling drawn towards pieces where the artist used very wild, frantic mark making techniques. I captured small samples of two of my favorites, the one on the left is by Julie Mehretu, and on the right is Cy Twombly. I hope to harness some of this loose and excitable energy in my new textile prints, and I feel inspired to return to my work with fresh eyes this week.
Print of the Week – Woodcut by Tugboat Printshop
This little print (“House Tree,” hand printed by Tugboat Printshop) is one of my personal favorites. In fact, it’s hanging in our living room right now! I bought this print as a gift for my boyfriend last year, as a little consolation prize after we decided to move into a real apartment instead of a treehouse. He would have preferred the latter.
View more awesomely elaborate woodcuts by Tugboat Printshop, and learn more about the artists on their website.
Snail Mail Saturday – Brights Roundup
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I usually spend some time each Saturday catching up on my snail mail correspondence. This week, I was inspired by summer brights, and put together a little roundup of some of my favorite brightly colored snail mail supplies.
1. Trifold Notecards by Mike Perry 2. Vintage UN envelopes 3. Neon aerograms from The Hungry Workshop 4. Love stamps from USPS
Fabric Shopping in Downtown Los Angeles
I have only been living in Los Angeles for a little less than two years, so I still feel like a newbie in a lot of ways. Back in Portland (where I grew up, and lived before I moved to LA), I had a handful of favorite fabric stores that I’d frequent on a regular basis. After moving to LA, it has taken me quite a while to find my favorite spots, and I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what LA has to offer.
A couple weeks ago, Keiko of Small Adventure invited me to go explore the fabric district in downtown LA, and I gladly said yes! Michael Levine, one of my favorite fabric shops is located down there, but Keiko showed me around to a couple other of her favorite spots as well. I have to say, though, that Michael Levine is still my favorite in the fabric district. I’ll always stop in just to gawk at the beautiful Liberty of London printed fabrics they keep in a display case… so beautiful, but so expensive.
(Photos above from Danni of Oh Hello Friend)
I grabbed a few swatches while I was shopping – I’m trying to develop an idea of my color palette for my newer designs, excited to branch out into some bright colors (maybe even a neon!) If you’re an Los Angeles local, let me know your fabric store recommendations over on Twitter, I’m @cottonandflax!
