The Chalk Walk

The Chalk Walk by Katie Sokoler.

I thought it would be fun to add some color to my block. So I went outside and traced my footsteps with chalk down the sidewalk. As I was doing this, a grumpy old man came up to me and yelled at me to stop. I actually thought about stopping until a boy came up to me with a giant smile and said “make more” and I liked his advice better. So I tested out the finished footprints, ran up to my window to wait, and took pictures when people walked by so that it looks like they are leaving trails of colorful footprints! It was really cute to watch kids (and many adults who thought no one was watching) hop along the footsteps like they were playing hopscotch. (via Dennis)

I love neighborhood surprise projects like these and how they can delight someone who may have otherwise been having a grump day. Sort of reminds me the shadow drawings Ellis G.’s work which used to me make me so happy when I would walk home around the Cobble Hill neighborhood.

Outdoor Winter Parties

As someone who has hosted several Faux-Thanksgiving parties over the years in tiny Brooklyn apartments, I am particularly impressed with this party set-up found on flickr (Thanks, Lia!). I think it looks sort of magical. Sort of ghetto. And simply, awesome.

How often I have found myself in a situation with many eager chefs and not enough room for them and their Thanksgiving dishes. But escorting them out to a bubbled tarped tented area is the perfect way to deal with many guests and a small apartment. Plus, it definitely doesn’t feel like dinner at Aunt Kay’s, so Thursday won’t feel like a rerun when you finally get to the real Thanksgiving events.

I applaud these hosts’ creativity and may borrow this idea come next November. See their full set here.

Congratulations, President Obama!

There are few better ways to celebrate than with baked goods and this Obama cupcake mosaic, really, er, sorry, but it, takes the cake.

Check out the artist/baker at work:

Originally via Serious Eats

Posters by Jason Munn

Sometimes I send myself links as a reminder to blog about something I like and then I totally forget: a) where the link originally came from, b) why I wanted to blog about it.

I still don’t remember where this link came from, but as soon as I opened it up I remembered why I liked it. I have always been inspired by poster designs, and that trend continues with, Jason Munn’s work. He creates some amazing posters for clients like Patagonia and Death Cab for Cutie. Here are some of my favorites:

A book that makes me want some apres ski

I’ve always thought snowboard designs are a great source of inspiration as a graphic designer, so when I recently spotted the book The Art of Skiing: Vintage Posters from the Golden Age of Winter Sport, I thought this book would add a different layer of wintery inspiration from the generally modern designs I often find on boards. Not to mention that the book makes you want to curl up with a beer or seven while wearing a bright red parka, sitting in front of a fire in a ski lodge.

Keep calm and carry on throughout the year

I am loving this Keep Calm and Carry On spoof calendar for sale on Etsy. It also happens to be recession friendly. They are selling these calendars as PDFs for $5, so you can print out as many as you like for those coworkers who you know will re-gift someting to you this year.

Mad Men Illustrated

At this point, you’ve probably realized I am slightly obsessed with AMC’s Mad Men. The moment when Betty Draper guns down the pigeons with a rifle and a cigarette hanging from her mouth is visually one of my all time favorite tv scenes and is amazingly iulltsrated by Dyna Moe above. Check out the rest of her incredible Mad Men work here.

Originally via Editor Lisa

Always a work in progress

I started this blog back in the fall and have been slowly working out the details for it, specifically the design. So if you happen to stumble upon this blog in the next several weeks, first of all, welcome! But second, please don’t give the generic design much consideration as the site is still under works. However, please do stop by again as I’ll be updating the site more often in the coming year.

Cuckoo for Cuckoo!

On our first wedding anniversary I tried to find a cuckoo clock to give Alex, as clocks are listed as the modern gift for a first anniversary, instead of the traditional paper gift. I searched around for a bit and didn’t find anything that suited the job, so he ended up with a plane ticket to Spain instead. But recently my mother-in-law, who is a super shopper, found this wonderfully modern take on the traditional cuckoo clock and emailed it to me. “Remember the Cuckoo?” she asked and linked to this lovely little guy:

It’s a nice twist if you don’t want the classical ornate cuckoo clock design. The clock is called Albero and can be purchased on momentoitalia.com.

Originally via NYT by MoCo Loco.

Happy Halloween!

I’ve always been a sucker for all things Halloween, which may explain why I ended up at Ohio University for undergrad (where they happen to have one of the biggest halloween parades). I haven’t dressed up in years, but I still love seeing all the little kids in our neighborhood in their costumes. That’s why I am loving Mrs. Limestone’s excellent stoop party invitation:

The inverted image of her home gives this invitation a nice spooky feel and I love the idea of a stoop party in Brooklyn where the trick or treaters parade for candy in mass.