Monday, June 25, 2007

The Future Designs

Even though just hours ago I posted something about how I covet all the cutesy animal fabrics from Japan, I am now here posting about how there is the littlest inckling in me that is starting to not be as interested in them. Don't get me wrong, I love the animal stuff, I always will, but my bedroom is starting to look like a 6 year olds and I find that I don't feel quite as strong a pull for just anything cute. I am becoming more discerning.

At one time I had to get anything squirrel, now with so many squirrel things around, it isn't as important. In a completely contrary way I have become *more* entranced with owls then I once was, all the cute designs have influenced me in an opposite way. I think often my obsession for designs, or really, motifs has to do with the past. I am attracted to the motifs of the past. In the mid-nineties I looked for cherry designs, they were so popular in the forties and I thought it was so charming. As you can imagine, I was over the cherry thing a long time ago.


I could go on and on with this, but I don't want to offend any of you, because chances are there is some motif you really love that I am unexplicably over and I can be rather surly about it. As you can see I think about this stuff a lot. I notice the movement of motif from underground sort of indie land to more mainstream indie land to Urban Outfitters to Target to Walgreens. Case in point the little bird as a motif. That was something I saw as a new motif when I first moved here in 2000. I am not saying I don't still find things with birds on them appealing, I can, but it is 7 years now!

Anyway, the whole point of this post is that I often wonder what is next. At some point it is going to go the other way. What will be the designs that become the antidote to the ultra cutesiness of now ( by the way, the nature motifs have been a nice addition in the last few years, I personally have always loved the tree motif, but even these are very sweet and romantic and cute, so I am including them in this category). I have thought often that it could be buildings. I saw these recently on the blog Print and Pattern












I really like them. I could see totally getting into this, in a way. Especially if they were buildings I knew. They have a sort of Seventies feel to them, which appeals to me, although I am not sure that they used buildings as a motif back then.
These do, however, go with a certain kind of metropolitan lifestyle and home. I think they are perfect for the modern looks of todays homes, I just do not have that kind of a place. But, anyway, buildings, yeah, look out for them.
p.s. this has been a entry in the making for years!

Etsy Finds and Ridiculously Cute Fabric in General

There are so many adorable fabrics out there with the super cute patterns. Many of them are Japanese and it is hard for me to resist some of them. I try, however to not buy fabric (unless it is really cheap) unless I know what I am going to use it for. I am not some big time sewer, I have only recently started sewing things for myself, and I already have way more fabric than is neccesary for me. If this were not the case however I would be buying way more at Superbuzzy, like this

















There are a couple people on Etsy who sell japanese fabrics, too. Here is some from one shop called Sakura Fabric's. I love the worker animals, just like Richard Scarry's stuff. So cute!















The patterns are so small on some of these that if you use them for something big you kind of lose the image. It seems like making small things with these kinds of fabric are the best way to enjoy it. I think Chet and Dot does a really good job of doing that, highlighting the cutest part of the print, mixing it with other fabrics:













There is another shop on Etsy called Fluffington's that takes it even smaller. They make little covered buttons with these fabrics and them arrange them like a little collage, highlighting one very small part. They are so well done and you definately get to see the little bits you would miss from a distance.




Thursday, June 21, 2007

PonyBoy Press History

I found this a couple years ago when I was cleaning out stuff. I took a photo of it and downloaded it and forgot to ever post it. I just found it again. What you see here, in case you don't know, is the genesis of PonyBoy Press (ta da!).



Let me take you back. It was the summer of 1994. People were heading to air-conditioned theatres to see Jurassic Park, listening to sounds of the chart busting album "August and Everything After" from the Counting Crows and talking non-stop about OJ Simpson. Marilyn and I had been friends for a few months. We both were starting our zines and she had come to my side of the Bay Area to hang out , talk zines and as it turned out, go to a blues club on a hot evening.

We listened to some mediocre-to-bad blues and had some hooch. It was fun. We wrote haikus about the band members and talked about ideas for our new zines. Mine was called Frank, Jasper and Me and her's was of course, Fat!So? I told her I loved the idea of being a "press" and wanted to come up with a name. One of my ideas was PonyBoy Press. She said yeah, and you could have a little logo like this and she drew it right there on the flyer that was on our table. A couple weeks later I took it to Kinkos and copied it. I still love it.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Portland Zine Symposium in 2 months!

I have reserved my table. Now, the question is can I make a good zine in two months? Either way, I will be there. As Shelley said recently, "It is the social event of the year". Hope to see you there! Click on tabling to see who is already signed up!

PZS 2007 banner

Redo and rambling

Sometimes, fairly regularly actually, I get this feeling like I wanna redo my life. I am going to save money, get rid of stuff, eat different, change old habits, etc... I have been feeling like that recently and actually have been doing some of those things. Because of this, it felt so good last night to go home and rip out almost all of my dying plants in my "garden". I cleaned up, repotted some plants, planted some lettuce seeds. I kept the large kale plant I have and some of my snow peas. I have been getting herb plants at the farmers market regularly and am looking forward to getting lots of basil this year. Next trip I am going to get a summer savory.

Speaking of gardens, my mother has this sign in her garden:










It says "Flowers are Nature's Jewels". She has all kinds of signs around the house with this kind of folksy wisdom. You know the type. This one cracks me up though. I mean aren't jewels nature's jewels? It isn't like they are man made! Ha!
Have you ever noticed the plants and edibles section of Etsy? It is always so tempting to me, the idea of getting plants and homemade cookies in the mail. But, then there is this other part that isn't as appealing about it. In fact kind of weird. Have any of you done it?









Thursday, June 14, 2007

Etsy Find - Papered Together

This artist may not be a surprise to you if you spend anytime on Etsy or scouting out craft blogs. Papered Together's shop seems very busy and with good reason. Krista's letterpress cards are so lovely. They are small and made on the most wonderful thick paper. Her designs are intricate and beautiful and they all come packaged very sweetly. Whenever I need a card, her site is the first place I go. The coasters are really nice, too.









New Crafty Project Planners and French Vocab Magnets!

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Yellow and Green!

I have been obsessed with yellow and green for awhile. Preferably together. I am doing my bedroom in yellow and green as I think I have mentioned before. I wanted to do it all vintage 70's, but that was too hard to find, so now I am updating the idea.

When I was a little girl my mother did my room in green and yellow. I had the daisy sheets that you see here in the pillowcase and she had made these daisy decorations on green felt carpet squares that hung on the wall. As soon as I moved into this apartment over a year ago I knew I wanted my room to be those colors again.

This last weekend I found my bedspread after looking for over a year! I got it at Target. Man, I am embarrassed about how much I love Target. Only the soon to be opened Ikea in my own town will seriously rival my favorite housewares store. Here is my new bedspread


They call it a coverlet. This seems to be the new word for bedspread. Not sure why it is a coverlet. It is reversible, though, which is nice. I think it is very considerate that Miranda July's new book goes with my decorating scheme:


I have only read one story in it so far, but it was great. I am no lit major (well, actually at one time I kind of was) but it reminded me of Raymond Carver.

Some other nice yellow and green things from Etsy:




Friday, June 1, 2007

in the garden

I don't really have a garden. I have a box of dirt in my back driveway, but it is more than I have ever had before and the raised bed makes gardening so much more pleasant. I grow vegetables and herbs mostly. Since my space is limited I do something new each year. This year I tried Fava beans. I just picked and used the first batch. You can read about it on my other blog, click on the beans.

I like how big bean plants get and with these fava beans I found myself thinking about the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale, well, really just the part where he climbs the beanstalk. I wonder if there were beans on it, too and how huge they must have been. Just grabbing some of them on the way down could have fed his family for a good long time.

I am also growing snow peas, they are just starting to come out.

I love garden decorating, it is a good thing I only have a little space. Otherwise, I would cover my garden with all kinds of little ceramic and plastic animals and pretty iron and glass things. I already have a few. I love these little guys:

One day I am going to get one of the garden stakes from Jennifer Readington's Etsy Shop. I am just waiting for the right one. Oh and this. I love this:


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