Field Notebooks

Thanks to John for pointing out these Field Notes books, designed by Draplin Design Company of Portland, OR. Other well-designed products include calendars, pens and pencils, all looking like they are from a retro shipping warehouse or perhaps the island from LOST.


If you actually want to take some notes in the field, the old Rite-in-the-Rain company makes some nice kits for all sorts of scientific, military and hunting uses. Below is the Field Book Kit and the Upland Bird Journal Kit. Both include cordura covers and all-weather pens for serious work.

Jeeyun Chung - Notebook Series

I like Jeeyun Michaella Chung's Notebook Series - a set of notebooks designed for left-handed, right-handed and ambidextrous folks. The lined paper slopes in the direction that our handwriting typically slopes, thanks to our handed orientation. You don't have to slant your notebook anymore to write comfortably...



A set of posters designed in conjunction with the notebooks.

Letterpress Delicacies

I saw Letterpress Delicacies on Creature Comforts this morning and love their work - slightly off-beat letterpress goods that are affordable with most items priced at $3.25.

Henrietta Swift

Henrietta Swift is an illustration student at Brighton University, and is building up a nice body of work. I really like these Letter Envelopes - a playful interpretation of the traditional security envelope. Each envelope takes on a letter of the alphabet.

Via Designboom.

Renegade Craft Fair 2008

Sean and I made it to the Renegade Craft Fair this Sunday (after the crazy rain shower). We were very pleasantly surprised to almost immediately run into our friend Sumana of Imaginary Friends, who had come from California for the show. We got to meet Nick - Sumana's brother and business partner - who is obviously a silk-screen expert (check out the color gradients on their cards and shirts)!



I was also very excited to meet Amber Zezeck of Brookadelphia - I love her acrylic word necklaces (and that tie necklace - yes, please!).



We saw a lot of plush toys at the show...our favorites were from Cherry Box (above) and Longoland (below). Cherry Box makes sad little plush trophies, and Longoland makes crazy monster plushies (high quality, with really amazing detail).



Longoland plushies.



Sycamore Street Press was new to RCF this year. I loved their stationary lines! A lot of Eva's work has a vintage feel to it, although my favorite cards were her more modern illustrations. Our pictures don't really do her work justice - check out Grace's post for far superior photo coverage!



Finally, we were excited to meet Shauna and Stephen of Something's Hiding In Here. These two pay attention to the details, and the quality of their work is just so great. I loved their stamps and the "love until it hurts" hearts.

So there you have it - Sub-Studio's favorite picks from this years RCF.

Publique Living

Publique Living was at the NSS this year with their PopMat Paper Mats - after browsing their website, it's clear that paper goods are but a small part of their business - they also make a bunch of home decor items. My favorite is the 2ply Veneer Tray - it reminds me of banana leaf for some reason.

Young Designers Market

We are in last minute prep for the National Stationary Show...which is right around the corner, YIKES! If you are visiting ICFF or the NSS, be sure to stop by our booth (#2246) to say hi!

Also, if you live in New York, I will be selling both Brevity jewelry and Sub-Studio cards, prints and our new Frame journals (above) at the Young Designers Market (268 Mulberry St. between Houston and Prince) tomorrow (Saturday) between 11am - 7pm.

Subliminal: Debi van Zyl

Debi van Zyl is a British-born, South African-and-Canadian-raised, LA transplant (whew!), currently working in architecture and exhibition design. When she's not on the job, she's knitting little beastie creatures and creating paper goods, mobiles and designing furniture. She's been knitting beasts for about a year and a half, and is currently trying out knitting some new, more human-like creatures.



What are you currently inspired by?
Clever and elegant reuse of materials (ie: Piet Hein Eek) and Polaroid photos...with the news of Polaroid's demise, I love how everyone is in "Polaroid mode". It reminds us that new technology is not always better.

What websites can you not live without?
Besides all the blogs I have bookmarked (and there are too many to list)...designboom.



What magazine subscriptions do you currently have? (Bonus Q: How many of them do you actually read?)
None, actually...I used to subscribe to Dwell, Marie Claire Maison and an Australian design journal called Artichoke, but I had to stop. I couldn't store all the back issues and I felt guilty getting rid of any them. Now I just buy the ones I want when I want them. I am thinking about subscribing to I.D. magazine, though. These days I am reading it cover to cover.

4. Which designers most inspire you?
Eileen Gray
Eduardo Chillida
Piet Hein Eek
Hella Jongerius



What are your favorite inspirational spots?
The high desert - Joshua Tree, CA - the landscape is very inspiring. Sometimes in my car - the traffic has me sitting for hours, so a lot of day dreaming goes on.

What is your favorite local store?
The SCI-Arc Supply Store, in downtown LA. I still go there to buy stuff, long after graduation.
Tortoise, Venice, CA.
Turpan, Brentwood, CA.

What is your favorite music to work by?
I actually listen to a range of things...and it's never one artist or CD. Also, I listen to old 'This American Life' shows, though mostly I'm tuning out.

What books are you currently reading?
None at the moment, but I just finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, which was incredible. And sad.



Any "inspiring" deadlines coming up?
My first wholesale order to an upstart shop in London to be completed in a about two weeks, and then my own personal deadline of launching a new set of knitted creatures (end of July).

Thanks to Debi for the interview!

Modern Printed Matter

I just want to take a moment to highlight the work of one of our sponsors,
Modern Printed Matter. We've posted about Anna Cote's work before - I love the natural imagery, and the great colors she employs in her work. She also has a great range of products - notebooks, notepads, cards, coasters...check out her
website for more.

Walter Ruffler's Paper Machines

Walter Ruffler's Paper Machines show that you can do a lot with a little drawing, paper, scissors, glue and imagination. Each piece has a story that lives in the characters and their animation. Sailing into the Wind (left) and Stormy Sea (right) are my two favorites so far.

Scripophily

SCRIPOPHILY (scrip-af-il-ly) is the collecting of canceled stock and bond certificates. Large and incredibly dense in detail, the certificates circulate and then eventually end up in a personal collection or long lost basement storage. These certificates from Bethlehem Steel Co. (left) and Stone Cabin Consolidated Mines, Inc. (right) are two examples of the certificates available for purchase through scripophily.net, one of the leading traders in collectible certificates.

Valentines Day Cards

For all the lovers out there - I was perusing Poppytalk Handmade and Etsy this morning and came across these cute Valentines Day cards (clockwise from top left) by Night Owl Paper Goods, Pistachio Press, Apak, and Nasty Papercut.

D-Bros 2008 Calendars

Oh Joy! and I must have had the same dream last night. I had D-Bros on the mind this morning and so checked their website and came across their great new line of 2008 calendars. Just opened up Google Reader - and the first post I came upon was Joy's on D-Bros! Yum, I love them. Their work is so cheeky and fresh, and I love the broad range of products that they make (though I'm only showing their calendars here, check out their website or my previous posts for more of their work).

The calendars are available in a bunch of different stores, but stateside they are available at de de ce.

Shama Foundation Christmas Cards

Sean and I are proud to announce a set of christmas cards we made to benefit the non-profit educational organization, the Shama Foundation [disclosure - my mother founded and currently oversees the operation of the foundation]. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these cards will go to benefit the Shama Foundation.

The Shama Foundation is a nonprofit organization providing broad-based, in-country educational opportunities for children of the African island nation of Madagascar. It does so with the confidence that a good level of education within a country reaches beyond individuals and touches a nation as a whole. Support is provided without regard to ethnicity, gender, or religious affiliation. Donated money goes to educational programs, scholarships and grants, promotional materials and activities, or the invested principal necessary to support them. More information can be found here.

Each card is 5.5" by 4.25", and is silk-screened by hand on 100 lb. recycled cardstock paper. The cardstock and matching envelope are available either as single cards in a clear fold-over plastic sleeve for $3.00 or as a pack of five packaged in a clear two-piece box for $14.00.

Etsy halloween

Happy halloween, folks...Here are some of my favorite picks from Etsy...Clockwise from the top: The Line Up by Brian Gubicza, Dead Fish Friendly Owl by Matt Cipov, and Octopus with Ghost Costume and Rabbit Dead by Mandy Lamb. Hope you all have some great costumes out there!

Pardon My Hindi

I love this print from Pardon My Hindi, called Henna Cross. The hands are reminiscent of traditional henna designs, and I like how when the two colorways cross, the overlap looks like hands in prayer. Designed by Chiraag Bhakta, the print is 16" x 22" and is hand screened on archival paper. Only 50 prints were made, so get it quick (I just bought mine)!

Via Unworn Studio.

Turtle Papers

Jennifer of Turtle Papers sent us images of her very beautiful cards. I am always conflicted about when to start posting holiday products (it just seems wrong to do so before November!), but I really love her Merry Merry card. Not to mention her So in Love sea horse card. Very sweet. The cards range from $9-$10 for a pack of six cards and envelopes and are printed on natural white textured cover stock with archival inks.

While looking around her etsy shop, I also thought it worth mentioning her very cute baby tees. The octopus tee is too cute.

(Thanks, Jennifer!)

Modern Printed Matter

Modern Printed Matter is selling a very nice set of fall notecards in her etsy shop. She also has a much larger selection of cards available on her website.

Sub-Studio at the Shiny Squirrel

As promised, here are some product shots of the limited edition prints and cards we did for the Shiny Squirrel. The prints above are from the Kingdom Spirits Series and draw from ancient mythologies of supernatural animal-beings that roam the land, sea, and air. The cards below are from our Bloom Series. Jessica also will be selling a new print from our Celestial Extinction series. Congrats again to Jessica on a great launch. We hope to see you all at the launch party!

Biaugust

Biaugust is a design office in Taipei, Taiwan. I love their 108 Time Box, which is a nine-year calendar that is meant to read as one continuous sheet. As each month is unrolled, you are left with a receipt of time. All 108 months are treated in a unique typographic format. And I just liked the graphics on the mugs.

Via pan-dan.

Remake

Very cool recycled products from Etsy seller Remake. The envelopes above are made from security envelopes turned inside out, and the notebooks from recycled folders, alphabetic dividers and various types of recycled paper.

Peter Callesen

My mom reminded me of the work of Peter Callesen, a Danish artist who works primarily with paper, creating amazing paperscapes by contrasting negative and positive space and 2-D and 3-D, all within a sheet of A4 paper. It was really hard to choose my favorites because they are all so great! Thanks, Mom!

Frerk Muller

We recently sold some prints to Shelf, a lovely shop in London. When checking out their store, I came across Frerk Muller, a Berlin artist. I love, LOVE his raven prints. The crude shape and simplicity of each bird is so appealing, giving each raven a distinct character. The prints cost £70 framed and £30 unframed. As soon as the dollar gains some strength, I'm buying one!

Port2Port Press & Camilla Engman

Maria from Port2Port Press has a gorgeous set of new, limited-edition prints out. A collaboration with Camilla Engman, I just love their mix of illustration styles. At only $16 for both prints, I couldn't resist!

Renegade Craft Fair

Hi all! This weekend is Renegade Craft Fair and Sean and I have been working really hard to get ready for it. If you are in the Brooklyn area and are looking for something to do this weekend, feel free to stop by! The fair is located at McCarren Park Pool on Lorimer St. (between Driggs & Bayard Ave.). We will be there from 11-4 on Saturday and 11-6 on Sunday. Stop by and say hi! We are Booth #81 and are located right smack in the middle of the venue. Some previews of our work above...

A few booths I'm excited to see - Alyssa Ettinger, Foxy & Winston, Lotta Jansdotter, perch!, The Onion (yes! the newspaper! I'm curious as to what they are selling!), Sesame Letterpress, Twigs and Heather...

Kyouei Design

Innovative light fixtures from Kyouei Design - the Balloon Lamp is exactly what the name indicates - a lamp made from balloons and LEDs. The Honeycomb lamp is made from denguri paper. It seems like this honeycomb paper technique has jumped from bad party decorations to product design - think Molo Design's Soft line, these paper vases...Can anyone think of other products made in this way?

Abyssal - Magenta

To celebrate having almost sold out our first edition of Abyssal prints, Sean and I printed up a limited edition in a new colorway - magenta and tangerine. It's currently only available at our Etsy shop, but will also be for sale at our booth at the Renegade Craft Fair on June 16-17 (booth 81! Hope all you new yorkers will stop by!).

Also, we started a blog that is dedicated to our design work and the things that inspire it, called submerge. We hope you will check it out!

ICFF - Baco Stool by Yothaka

The Yothaka furniture line used a variety of different materials, and one of the most interesting was the line of Pineapple Paper pieces. The seat of the Baco Stool is loose sheets of dyed pinapple fiber paper.

Hammocks and High Tea

Karen of Clothes-Pin has debuted a new line of hand-screened cards (go gocco!). Hammocks and High Tea is inspired by Karen's South American, tropical upbringing. So pretty and colorful!

Bob's Your Uncle

Humorous paper accessories from Bob's Your Uncle. I like how the text refers to the action associated with whatever you are tagging/reading/filing. The "Disposable Paper Bookmarks" come in a tear-off pad of four designs: Unputdownable; Once Upon A Time; Happily Ever After and I Laughed, I Cried.

Lure Catalog

Sean and I are excited to present a new series of prints...The Lure Catalog is inspired by the perennial ritual of learning how to fish - waking up at dawn, greeting the crisp, cool air with a sleepy grin and finding your way over to that secret fishing hole. The Lure Catalog features 9 spinning lures including spoons, spinnerbaits, minnows, and insects.

Each lure is available as an individual 5"x7" print for $10, as well as in a combined print (15"x21"). All are silk-screened by hand on 300gsm archival Fabriano Magnani Pescia White paper. You can find the prints here.

Kleen-Bore Bad Guy Target

Bad Guy 23"x35" Target by Kleen-Bore is a perfect piece to have framed for your house. Except that you have to buy 100 of them at a time. So pick one up for yourself...and your 100 closest friends. Nothing says 'you're a good friend' like a shooting target.

Rainy Prints

Cute prints from Sherry of Rainy Prints. I like the illustrations of vintage chairs. They are a pretty good deal at $20.

Smack of Jellyfish

I came across these cards on Smack of Jellyfish's Etsy shop. Some of the classifications jog bits of long lost information from childhood, but some of the names really surprised me! A business of ferrets? A smack of jellyfish? What scientist came up with these? The idea was initially conceived for a children's book, but you can find prints and cards of each item on Etsy.

Bellis Studios

These cards by Bellis Studios are letterpressed, though I would never have guessed just by looking at them. I love the texture of the card and the unevenness of the ink. The card is available as a set of six for $12.95 or as a single card and envelope for $4 on Etsy here.

SammyDog Productions

I thought these note cards by SammyDog Productions were cute. They are inspired by vintage coasters. Love the blowfish and the monkey!

Sarah Erdmann - Lucky Star Press

I love this letterpress card by Sarah Erdmann of Lucky Star Press. The colors are beautiful, and the drawings are very sweet. It's available as a set of six cards and envelopes from her Etsy store for $12.

Pearl and Marmalade

I love these letterpress cards from Chicago-based Pearl and Marmalade. Run by two friends, Dani and Lee, Pearl and Marmalade's designs feature vintage drawings. They also make custom stationary. Visit their store here.

Papered Together

Beautiful vintage-inspired Valentine's Day cards from Papered Together on Etsy.

Keight Bergmann - Lure and Cast

I am loving these cards by Keight Bergmann, a graphic design student in Portland. The cards are letterpressed and come as a set of six for $12, available on Etsy. I like that they feel so textured - I always think of letterpressed items as being very clean and crisp.

Binth

I was introduced to Binth by Grace over at Design*Sponge. I love the prints they have up in their store, especially these Japanese-inspired silk-screens. Beautiful! Their valentine's day cards are super nice, too. Love the stitched look. Binth is a collaboration between Linnea Gits, Suzanna Bierwirth, and Peter Dunham.

Jessica Gary - Insurgentmuse

Sean and I are printing our save-the-dates with our trusty gocco and were having issues with the solid areas of color. Anyway, did a search on the internet to see if anyone out there had any guidance, and came across Jessica Gary instead, aka Insurgentmuse, who didn't really have any advice but definitely has some cute gocco-pressed cards!

Design*Sponge Shop

We are very excited to announce our inclusion in the January Design*Sponge shop. The cards above are from the Sea Pattern series and are available in a pack of four (one of each design) for $16, with shipping included.

Grace Bonney also launched a really great new project - she is raising money for a scholarship fund for three design students, which will be awarded later in the year. 100% of the proceeds from the following the items in the shop will go towards this award (as well as a percentage of the ad revenue): the Tug Drawing and Chair Drawing by Alyson Fox, the A-LIGHT by RE-SURFACE (Donna Brady), and beautiful handprinted pillows by Lena Corwin. I hope you will check these out and support Grace in this new endeavor!

Jill Bliss

These are the native herb posters by Jill Bliss who draws inspiration from the world around her, her interests originating from her childhood on her family's farm in northern California. Each poster is 16" x 20" and is printed on recycled matte card stock with soy-based inks.

Updated store

We wanted to announce updates to our online store. There are a bunch of new prints available, including prints from our visible:invisible panorama series (details of the prints above), and prints from the catalog specimen series, among others. We hope you'll take a peek!

Erin Zam

Grace posted about this nice calendar on Design*Sponge. I love the look and that it is reusable (use pencil!) and super portable. It is available from Erin Zam's Etsy store. Check it out!

Jason Sho Green

I love these paper doll gift tags from Jason Sho Green. Very cool.

Via NotCot.

Imaginary Friends

Sumana sent over a link to Imaginary Friends' beautiful new animal-themed Rare Beauty card series. I love the knysna seahorse and the panamanian golden frog. Each card is hand-silkscreened.

Gift Guide - Paper Goods: Port2Port Press

For a nice gift that keeps on giving throughout the year, consider Maria of Port2Port Press' Card Society. You can sign up for a one, three, six or twelve month subscription, and the recipient will receive two unique cards per month. Each card is a limited edition print, that will never be repeated. All cards are hand printed by Maria on a Pilot letterpress and have a blank interior. Subscriptions to the Card Society vary from $16 - $134.

Gift Guide - Paper Goods: Heiko Windisch

Thanks to Heiko Windisch, for pointing us towards his new postcard set. All postcards are signed by Heiko unless otherwise requested. Sets are available for $10.50.

Gift Guide - Paper Goods: Ichthyo-Series Notecards

We know this is shameless self-promotion, but Sub-Studio @ Etsy.com stocks the Ichthyo-Series of notecards. The cards are hand silkscreened on 100lb. cardstock and come individually packaged for $3.50 per card.

Gift Guide - Paper Goods: D-Bros

Again, my favorite D-Bros, with their playful Tale Tail note book. The center page has an illustration of a horse, which you can glimpse through semi-transparent writing pages. The place holder mimics a horses tail - cuteness.

Gift Guide - Paper Goods: Ordning & Reda

Ordning & Reda is the paper goods branch of Bodum. They have a huge selection of planners and diaries available for 2007. The journals are available in a range of colors and fabric or leather and are designed with the same simplicity as the Bodum glassware and kitchenware.

Gift Guide - Paper Goods: The Kenspeckle Letterpress

The Kenspeckle Letterpress makes a wide range of beautiful prints and notecards. Shown are the Dancing Loon (left) and the Two Chickadees (right).

Gift Guide - Paper Goods: Sesame Letterpress

Lovely coasters from Brooklyn-based Sesame Letterpress. Each coaster is hand-pressed on heavyweight, absorbent beverage board with a rubber-based ink that won't run. Available for $10 from Elsewares.

Gift Guide - Paper Goods: Nava Design

For any of your friends who keep journals, here is "one year of white pages" - a collection of moleskine-esque journals from Nava Design in Italy. There are twelve books in total, with 80 pages per journal. A hole is punched out of the edge for each month. $35 from Rare Device.

Foxy and Winston

I love these cards from Foxy and Winston. I like how she incorporates the lace into her drawings. Pretty!

Banded Rudderfish

This is the first of hopefully many hand-screened cards to come. From the upcoming FISH series, this is the Banded Rudderfish.

Until we figure out how to set up a store on our website, we will be selling the cards through our Etsy shop.

Christmas Cards

These made me laugh.

A christmas card by B Designs. For those who didn't behave. Available at Greer Chicago online.

And for all the greedy kids out there:



This card is from Sidepony, aka Kimberly Dawn Robertson. Her cards tend a little too much toward the hipster side for my tastes, but I couldn't resist this one.

Yee-Haw Industries

Cards from Yee-Haw Industries. This set is from the Farmer's Market Series. I'm not sure how I feel about having to buy the entire set for $50 rather than being able to buy just the tomato cards or something, but they are very nice nonetheless. Also, they have super cute Christmas cards, but I just can't bring my self to post about anything holiday related until at LEAST after halloween! I feel like the Christmas frenzy starts earlier and earlier every year...

Port2Port Press

This month's card from Port2Port Press:



I love the colors and the composition. Maria creates one limited edition card a month. Each card is handmade on her Pilot letterpress. Her cards are available via her Etsy store, as well as at online stores Little Paper Planes, Papastour, and Petaline.

Via Design*Sponge.

Apak Studio

Nice cards from Ayumi Piland of Apak Studio. Ayumi is 1/2 of Apak Studio: Aaron Piland is her husband and partner. They are both talented illustrators, and while it seems a lot of their work is done separately, some of their best work comes via their collaborations:

Blend Creations

Pretty stationary from Blend Creations. I wanted to show more of their work but the images on their website are so small!

Via Modish.

Sesame Letterpress

I came across Sesame Letterpress at IIKH this weekend. Beautiful stationary. Nice coasters, too, if I actually used them. Sesame Letterpress is a Brooklyn based design team - Breck Hostetter and Matt Heindl. From the Flickr stream I came across while doing a google search for Sesame Letterpress, it seems that Breck and Matt just had a baby. Congratulations!

Moontree Letterpress

Subtle stationary from Moontree Letterpress in Brooklyn, NY. Everything is printed on a Heidelberg Windmill press.