Made by Hand

The editor of Make Magazine has a new book out today, "Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World". For those of us who make stuff by hand, this couldn't be a more profound publication.  Seth Godin aptly and eloquently describes the book "...is about the increasing insulation between modern life and the idea of actually making/growing/fixing things. As Mark chronicles his journey into the world of tinkering, I realized that this is a spiritual journey, not merely a hobby. Tweaking, making and building are human acts, ones that are very easy to forget about as we sign up to become cogs in the giant machinery of consumption and production." {I appreciate Grodin referencing Marx's theory of alienation.} Buy one at your local {mom & pop} bookseller today! 

...from the studio

Some of our new products for the National Stationery Show. 

"Adopt a Shelter Pet" Stamps

Halo will be donating a million meals to shelter pets, and raising awareness with these adorable stamps. All the photos were taken of adopted animals from a Connecticut shelter. Purchase online or at your local Post Office.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A recent project from our studio. I like the idea of sending a "holiday card" on St. Patrick's Day. 


I'll leave you with a quote which is hanging on a plaque in our kitchen: 
'Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.' W.B. Yeats

Charles Burchfield Exhibit

I finally got around to seeing the incredible Charles Birchfield exhibit at UCLA's Hammer Museum, on the closing day. Birchfield mainly worked in watercolor, depicting Americana and Nature-- I found it very interesting that he worked for Birge Wallpaper Company and American Greetings early in his career. During his illness at the end of his life, his paintings developed into  landscapes of a much looser unfinished quality, conveying a sense of freedom if you will. 

{above: artworks by Charles Burchfield}

are you gonna be there (at the craft fair)?

We like to participate in one good craft fair every year around the holidays. Since Felt Club is no longer in operation (???) BUST magazine's Craftacular has decided to stop in L.A. I think this is a worthy substitution. Right in the center of Echo Park, the Craftacular will take over the Echo and the Echoplex this Saturday. Come for the handmade goodies, stay for the Grilled Cheese Truck.

font of the week-odstemplik

Seeing as it is officially a recession, we've decided to highlight a free font we've been loving over here at Flora and Fauna. We never have enough scripts, and it's nice to find one that is not to 'flourishy' yet still retains the elegant qualities of a script. 

Download it here  for free.

blog of the week

Cat ladders. One of the few things in this world that truly fill me with a sense of hope and joy towards humankind. If my cat had any interest in the out-of-doors I would build her one.

Animal Instinct

Anyone who has visited my home knows what an animal lover I am. So I am so proud to be part of the "Animal Instinct" benefit show for the Humane Society this Saturday (11/07)  in the O.C. Furthermore, I am excited to see the ARTery, described as "a series of steel shipping containers transformed into a walk-through community art exhibition space." More information on the exhibit can be found on the Animal Instinct blog. 

{click picture for larger image}

The print will be on exhibition Nov. 7th-15th, and more Limited Edition hand-colored letterpress prints are available here.

Afterwards...

It is always satisfying to see what happens to the stationery we create after it leaves the studio. {Hint, hint, send us your pictures!}  These are programs and menus, we created for a lovely bride Christina earlier this summer. You can view the entire stationery collection here. 

 

By the way, you should have seen this amazing menu! Her parents spent "countless hours preparing the sauce, meatballs and ravioli." Yum.

Programs and Menus, Flora and Fauna Press. Photography, Michael Wilson at Daylight Portrait.