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A simple card design using glossy white stock, a perforation rule and a cute wagon cut. I have an old Sydney street directory from 1998 that I have used to line the envelopes. I love the bright red and blues and all the symbols and graphics used in maps, new and old.
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Sorry, been obsessed with gardening and not with blogging…but I have been lucky enough to find some vintage wallpaper that inspired a small run of prints called ’seas’. So below is the paper and the inspiration for the cut outs that form the waves. An old print I have of a Japanese screen with what I interpret as choppy seas done with what I guess is a circular scraping method through the ink while it is wet.
I have found a new fondness for purple too. I have only used it in gardens before, where it looks amazing against greens and silvers. But having come across this fat ceramic penguin in a second hand shop, it has fuelled a passion for using it indoors as well.
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I was asked to produce a line of stationery for a new yarn shop in Brisbane. I did not have any ‘literal’ images for these cards, things such as balls of wool or knitting needles so I suggested using type instead. It was an interesting exercise. I have always enjoyed trying to do a lot with little. Using only type gave me a chance to play with the letters as shapes and not just words.
The colours chosen were bright enough to be used together without being overpowering as well as a good conrast to the white cardstock. Small printed embellishments were used for added interest and I used one hand coloured edge on each card. A similar treatment was given to the swing tags which have a rough, torn edge to contrast with the flourish style typeface. I even enjoyed bundling everything up in brown paper and sending them on their way.
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A busy few months has seen a great deal of change. A new home and neighbourhood and one very distressed pet. After many years of living in a fairly small two bedroom flat in Sydney we now have a lovely 1890’s house in Leura, deep in the Blue Mountains. Still not quite used to having so much space…and a garage!
A large garden needs a bit of a facelift and bringing back to life. Quite a challenge after looking after a small cottage garden in a shared block of flats. All the gardening books have been strewn across the floor in an attempt to get an idea of what on earth to do. After the giddy delight of buying large gardening implements and things with sturdy handles we stand outdoors in the cold, smile and then dart back inside to a hot cup of tea.
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I found this beauty of a booklet a month or so ago. Such a specific piece of ephemera! First printed in the mid fifties, it’s a guide for the best way to produce interesting chalk drawings for children. Unusual to see any book printed on black paper stock but in this case it makes perfect sense.
I always wanted the giant compass and protractor set my primary school teacher had. Given half the chance I would have tried to nick them.
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love a good typeface. experimenting with these lovely individuals, such as the vintage blocks above, is brilliant. So many variations to be had, colour schemes to decide…and then of course the frustration of getting a printing press to do exactly what you want it to do. I have come to the conclusion that the quirks can be just as good as any intended design. so bring on the happy accidents.
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