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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Make an Impact

I recently saw this over on Popytalk, and talk about design with resonance. While I am not an avid supporter of any major causes, I find it completely necessary to give credit where credit is due while recognizing the impact of a major situation.

We are all aware of the current crisis in the Gulf, you don't need me to bring that to your attention. If you haven't helped yet, but have a desire to do your part keep reading!

Dear Colleen just launched her first charity project yesterday, and everyone should help contribute to getting the word around the blogging world.

Like most of us, upon hearing about the tragic events that are still plaguing the Gulf and its natural inhabitants, something overtook us. Whether this was a feeling of grief, an urge to fight, or simply a reason to get angry; Dear Colleen decided to design. Not uncommon, most artist express their emotions through their talents. Through friendly encouragement she decided to take her idea to the next level. She created a logo displaying the word "spoil" with oil dripping, respectively. Further yet, she put it on one of the most common green items we use today, the reusable grocery bag.



Colleen is currently selling these bags in her Etsy Shop  for $12.50 USD, 100% of her proceeds are going towards  Oxfam’s Gulf Oil Spill Fund. She is also putting a high res version of the logo on Flickr, she has hopes that people will use the free image to further the cause (do the right thing people! karma can be a killer!) For links and more information please visit her blog. 


Get the word out! For a small price you get a bag that clearly speaks for the cause. Encourage friends to blog, facebook and tweet it forward!


{image cred: Dear Colleen via Poppytalk}


Punctuate away, 


Jessie-Lee

Friday, July 30, 2010

Illustrations with Attitude

I have been seriously swooning over some great illustrators lately. I'm always totally jealous of illustrators, I never had the self confidence to find that "style" every illustrator needs to embrace to call themselves credible. Just not my thing, therefore I lust.

Brendan Wenzel looks to be developing himself as an illustrator. His blog heeds some amazing illustrations, just not a lot of info. Maybe he is going for the let my art speak for itself approach? Check out the links, see what you can find!

At any rate I am going to show you his amazingness...














Don't they just make you smile? I feel especially cheery looking at them, I just want to name them all and turn them into my own personal animal clan. They just appear like they have something to say.

It looks like our mysterious artist man is trying to start an Etsy shop. Keep an eye on it, he may post more in time. Wouldn't these be super cool for a kids room?

{image cred: Brendan Wenzel}

Punctuate away, 

Jessie-Lee

P.S. Mr. Wenzel, if you Google yourself and you come across my little piece of the internet, give us all some background!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Leather Goodie!

StumbleUpon is one of the worlds most amazing websites! How can you not love a site that gives you exactly what you want when you want it? Sheer genius!

While "stumbling" I ran across this gem. 



Oh isn't it super lovely? If only an all leather typography bag didn't cost me more than one weeks pay, it would be mine I tell you! Well if you make a million dollars a week feel free to buy this thing here.


Punctuate away, 

Jessie-Lee

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Choices

Spotted these over on Creature Comforts. I think I may have to have them. It's a tough choice though, silver (my all time fav shoe color) or sand? I seriously can't decide! Help!


{image cred: Piperlime via Creature Comforts}

Punctuate away,

Jessie-Lee

P.S. Mom, if you are reading...my birthday is in 26 days. Just to remind you :)

Lovely and Intricate

First off, if you have seen these elsewhere I apologize, but they are just so darn cool! I have spotted them popping up all over the blogging world in the last few weeks and have resisted the urge to post them. Now I just can't help it, I need them in my curious compendium of all things awesome.

Lori Danelle is a crafty one indeed! This lovely lady will take your fingerprint and turn it into the most awesome thing you can produce from paper possible.
"I find it fascinating to look at the detail of something that is so unique to each person, we carry around with us always, leave all over the place, and yet never really look at!"
Talk about some effort. Me and x-acto knives never got along this well, hand down she is amazing.




Really, really cool right? I think these would make such an amazing gift to new parents, newlyweds, or as a first anniversary gift (paper, get it?). I urge you to check out her Etsy shop. Also, Design*Sponge did a pretty amazing feature on her as well today.

{image cred: Lori Denelle}

Punctuate away,

Jessie-Lee

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Need a Drink?

If you have never had the pleasure of looking over the work of Anna Bond at RIFLE Paper Co. you are really missing out. Talk about talent. Not only does this chick design amazingly well but her illustrations are to die for! I highly recommend looking through her plethora of wedding invites, so sweet!

I spotted this awesome DIY project over at 100 Layer Cake, and it was just too cute to pass up.



This project is featured over on Martha's (yes THE Martha) craft dept. You can not only see more pics, but there is a step by step DIY guide if you want to use this for a party of your own design. 100 Layer Cake also thought it would potentially make some fun save the dates, something to think about.

{image cred: Anna Bond via 100 Layer Cake via the craft dept. via RIFLE blog}

Punctuate away,

Jessie-Lee

Friday, July 23, 2010

Fireworks

So yes, I know the 4th has come and gone but this is just too awesome not to share. A NYC artist by the name of Rosemarie Fiore thinks its best to create art by exploding stuff! HA! No, but really, she creates these expansive color collages by exploding and containing live fireworks. This process results in highly saturated color (looks a lot different in the sky, huh?) that is overlapped into the abstract collages.








And finally, a pic of Rosemarie in action!


Awesome right? You can grab more info from her website here. She is a very established artist. Definitely check out her website, it is worth the time it takes to browse. When this woman takes on an idea she does it in a very big way. Totally inspiring.


Punctuate away,

Jessie-Lee

P.S. I have recently surrendered some commitments in my life (cough, MBA) I should be posting much more regularly. I apologize to those who are loyal readers for the lack of posts in the last few weeks. I feel like such a slacker! To those of you who do read, thank you for taking the time to visit me everyday. I appreciate your efforts as much as I am sure you appreciate mine. Thanks for always listening!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Want. No. Need!

Once again with the Etsy, I know! But I just love it so much!

Check out these bags from Quote:




Love them. They are so functional (hello they expand!) but they still have that something that makes them NOT designer! See this is why all the Etsy posts will never go away? Everything from there is way to unique and awesome.

I think I need to have the first one (ahem, birthday Babe?).

{image cred: Quote Design}

Punctuate away,

Jessie-Lee

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Judge a Book by it's Cover

While out shopping yesterday, I took notice to all the classics on sale at our local box giant. Then I took notice to something cooler, how awesome the cover designs have gotten for these classics! I only wish they looked like that in high school, we all might have been more inclined to peek inside.

Thinking this would be a great idea for a post I started searching, for the best of the best of classic cover designs. In the midst of my very determined and focused search, I ran across a rather interesting graphic designer that decided to take on redesigning a number of these classics for his thesis work. What a brilliant idea! Mikey Burton, a graphic designer now residing in Philadelphia decided to bring the classics into the modern age. His project is self described;

An integrated branding campaign based around the illustrative reinterpretation of classic book covers directed toward junior-high-school students. You can check out more of the bits and pieces here. Done while at Kent State.





If you are super interested in this project, check more out here. You can find some earlier versions of the final product and that whole step by step process that only students are required to do. Not being too far from that world, it is always nice when someone can appreciate all the effort that goes into a project like this, and not just the final product.

{image cred: Mikey Burton}

Punctuate away,

Jessie-Lee

Monday, July 19, 2010

Feel Deeper

Over the weekend I had a few personal epiphany's. The result of this was realizing I need to be more authentic, I need to get back to the roots of me. Sounds confusing right? How can you be anyone but yourself? Oh it's easy! Try working a job that doesn't interest you, forget why you loved being in school, go to school for something totally different, then come home crying and wonder why. You then start to realize, pretty quickly, that you have lost yourself.

So, in order to fix all this mental craziness I need to indulge.

I turned to my forever addiction, Etsy, to help me do just that. Oh and the lovelies I found! I would really love to highlight Ranae Schoeffel, someone I feel should be generating a little more attention here in the blog world. Take a look!







Let me say, that I am educated in art. I strongly believe that there is good art and bad art. Every creation in an "art" medium does not deserve to hang in a gallery. Knowing this I also believe that sometimes you need to create to feel its sensations. Sometimes it doesn't matter if your work follows the principles of design or follows gestalt laws, or is over all good art. Sometimes, you just need to feel. You need to feel the media all over your hand, you need to have streaks of it on your face, you should dance with an easel while singing at the top of your lungs. Sometimes you need to rip the paper apart after you are finished, sometimes you need to splatter paint all around you like you don't have a care in the world. Sometimes you need to let loose and just feel what you are doing, and feel it to your core.

These painting remind me of all those things. When I look upon these canvases I feel why I love art, and why I started in the first place. The vibrant colors are so haphazard, yet they have been chosen with a purpose. The synthesized textures are necessary and keep the viewer grounded in the plane. They are large, telling me they hold nothing back; they are not trapped. The forms these take on remind me a lot of the way I work. I often start with a precise direction, but by the time I am finished they have taken their own form. This form that has evolved all on its own from applying your own process over and over again.

These make me smile, and make me remember. I needed this more than anything this morning. How did you all react? You may think this is all a bunch of poppycock and if so let me know! Thanks for listening, I always know someone out there is taking me seriously even when everyone else I know isn't.

{image cred: Ranae Schoeffel}

Punctuate away,

Jessie-Lee

Friday, July 16, 2010

United STATES

These are so cool! Frank Chimnero, is a self described "graphic designer, illustrator, teacher, maker, & writer in Portland, Oregon." These prints are absolutely amazing. He has started this ongoing personal project that is, "meant to be an explanation of form. Take the silhouette of a US state, and fit something inside of it." How clever!


















I really love how seemingly tactile these are for being prints. So great!

So if you are loving these as much as I am, or you are in need of a unique way to display some state pride, you can travel over here, and buy a print! Well it looks like he doesn't have it up and running yet, but the link is there for when he does. 

I can't wait to see what he does for Maryland! And oh yeah, I guess if I got one of those the Hubs would make me buy one for Virginia no matter how non-great the state is :). (Gotta make sure he is paying attention!)

Have a wonderful weekend!

{image cred: Frank Chimnero via Jeremy & Kathleen}

Punctuate away, 

Jessie-Lee

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