Typography in the Wild: Vintage Board Game

I am always on the lookout for great typography. Today’s edition of Typography in the Wild is brought to you by the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village History Museum . I went there this weekend for the Scottish Festival, which was loads of fun!

After I basked in the warm sounds of bagpipes and fiddle, we checked out the history museum on the grounds. And I discovered theses gems!

Round the World with Nellie Bly board game.

I absolutely love the typography and illustrations here! A great deal of craftsmanship went into making this board game. It appears as though some of the lettering was outlined in gold that has faded over time.

 

Detail shot of the different locations visited on her 72 day trip.

If you aren’t familiar with Nellie Bly, PBS has a nice write-up of the events that inspired the game! The NY Historical Society has a thorough write-up of the game itself. If you want a copy for yourself, Good luck finding one. Due to their age, they appear to be few and far between. If you are in Buffalo, stop by the museum to enjoy looking at this one.

I love the ornate boarder on the cover to this game.

This game appears to be one of the first versions of the game “Mad Libs”, which is pretty cute. The card pictured in front is a sample card from the game. It would appear that the rules state that the person who laughs the loudest at the fabricated stories, is the winner.

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May the Fourth be With You

Happy Star Wars Day, all! What better way to celebrate the day than some cute hair bows for you and yours. Each bow is hand made from fabric featuring your favorite characters.

Each bow is sewn and carefully folded. An alligator clip in the back makes it easy to clip into your hair. They’d be lovely for children too, and can be customized with different backing types and even pin-back buttons on the front.

Detail showing the bows with embellishment.

Close-up of one of the bows.

May the Fourth be With You!

Updated product photos: Pink Toe Press Puzzle Cube

In a previous post, I talked about updating product photographs for my Etsy Shop Pink Toe Press. This has been a process. I’ve been attempting to recreate a cohesive look for my brand both online and offline. While I offer a number of items made from a variety of mediums, I want everything to look like it belongs together.

My most recent update is my Pink Toe Press Puzzle Cube. The Pink Toe Press Puzzle Cube is a color matching cube that works much like other puzzle cubes where you can twist and turn the columns and rows of blocks to create new patterns. The fun twist of this cube is that each square is a unique color with a unique name created by yours truly. It is inspired by two of my favorite things: the Pantone paint chip system and the Rubik’s Cube.

My last photographs were lovely, but this simple and clean look blends well with my other new photography. I really like the look of the Puzzle Cube in motion, and I think that these new photographs convey the usability of the item.

This Puzzle Cube would make a great gift for an artist or designer in your life. They are great for people who love color at their desk…and even better for people who need a little help with color matching! While they do not have ALL the colors, they do make a lovely set of swatches when you twist and turn the cube.

Each cube is hand-adorned with the color swatch stickers by yours truly. Puzzle cubes are prefabricated. While they are durable and my personal puzzle cube has lasted for about a year now, they are not intended to be toy for young children. These and other fun home and office items are available at Pink Toe Press, my Etsy Shop!

Coming soon: A colorful new DIY Project

A colorful sneak peek of things to come…

I’ve been working on a fun new DIY Project that I will be sharing with you in the next few days.

Keep your eyes peeled!

Kawaii Folded Fabric Hair Bows

A classic red bow looks good with any hair color

Just in time for Valentine’s Day: Kawaii hair bows made from folded fabric. These are the perfect gift for ladies (or guys) who could use a fun new accessory.

For the last decade, I’ve had short hair. I started growing my hair out last year and it is now finally to the length where I can do a bit of an up-do. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any accessories that fit my style and color preferences. So I made these cute bows to fill that gap!

Each bow is carefully hand folded.

They are made from cotton fabric that I prepare and fold into the bow shape. They are then carefully pressed and secured to a felt backing. Each bow has an alligator clasp in the back and is quite durable despite its lovely appearance. There are currently two sizes available with an assortments of colors and patterns. Many of the patterned fabrics are from my collection of vintage fabrics, so there are limited quantities.

Currently available colors

The bows clip easily into any style hair. I like putting one on a ponytail, but you could use them in pigtails, short hair, long hair…the possibilities are endless! Check out Pink Toe Press for more information and to order one of your own!

They’d make a great Valentine’s Day gift!

The Ampersand makes its appearance

Have I told you how much I love the ampersand? It’s true. It’s my favorite typographic element.

I thought to take my love for the ampersand and turn it into an assortment of buttons. That way I can take an ampersand with me wherever I go. These lovely new buttons are fresh off the press and many more are to come. Available now in Pink Toe Press’ Etsy shop. They are the perfect addiction to a jacket, book bag, or more. They are also available as MAGNETS! Huzzah!

Colors and fonts inspired by the 1980’s

Colors inspired by dusk.

Feliz Dia De Los Muertos

In celebration of Dia De Los Muertos, I have added new Calavera greeting cards to my Etsy Shop! They are available in a number of awesome colors and comes with its own envelope. Each card is cut and hand-folded, and is made from my original illustration. They are great for Halloween or Day of the Dead, but could be used any time of year for yourself or to send to your spooky friends!

Retro Aprons with Quilted Detail

Here is  a sneak peek of my newest aprons! They are a similar design as my Retro Fruits and Veggies Apron that I made around the holidays.

The perfect color combination: salmony pink, mint!

I am in love with the fabrics for this apron… the little woodland creatures are a delight. I’ve named this apron “Pink Woodlands” because of that fabric. It has a lot of quilted detailing from the bib to the waistband to the neck-ties. A lot of detail, love, and time went in to creating this apron!

Cute hedgehogs, squirrels, and mushroom adorn this cute apron!

The second one that I’ve been working on is this cute apron with a summery strawberry print. This apron is called “Strawberry Fields” and would be a great hostess gift, housewarming gift, or gift for a bride-to-be.  Wait until you see the rest of the apron…what a great color combination!

Makes me want to go strawberry picking!

Like the Pink Woodlands apron, Strawberry Fields is made using cotton fabrics and has beautiful quilted detailing in the bib and the straps!

Isnt that Ric-Rac amazing!?

Fearless Flyer

I’m sure you know by now, but I am working as a Sign Artist at Trader Joe’s. Every so-often we have Fearless Flyers, sales specials and new-item flyers that showcase some of our awesome product. Each store decorates to let the customers know that the “Flyers have landed!” This month we’ve decided to give the flyer a “Sailor Jerry”-syle nautical tattoo theme.

The “Fearless Flyer” is an almost-monthly flyer sent to customers that features some of our favorite items, seasonal items, and more!

Here are some photos of works in progress:

This photograph shows the work in progress and the original sketch as well as color-blocking and color ideas. We use paint, markers, and paint markers to do signs like this. The paint markers save a lot of time because they dry so quickly!

Each store decorates for their Flyer differently.

This is one of my favorite signs. This sign is going to go over the wine and liquor section. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with some great wines and cheese. Several great wines and cheeses are featured this month!

We chose to do a theme that would also fit with some of our Valentines decorations and specials happening in the store at the same time.

This sign is probably going to go over the “Demo” area. Swallows, roses, and fun lettering make for eye-catching signs.

In progress.

Another swallow sign. Did you know that swallows symbolize love and loyalty? We love our loyal customers! :-)

Now here are the final pieces, hung and ready for the Flyer:

Hanging up and ready to go!

This sign is above our cheese and deli meats section. There are quite a few products featured from this section. Make your honey some fondue this Valentine’s Day!

This sign is hanging above the liquor section. Don’t forget the snacks to go with your drinks!

All dry and ready to be brought up to the front of the store. How exciting!

This sign is on the far left of our veggie cooler where our bagged veggies and fruits are kept.

This sign is on the far right of our veggie cooler where our bagged veggies and fruits are kept.

Reminding our customers that the Flyer is here and that they should pick one up before they’re gone!

This sign is a little wider than the rest and fit perfectly above the Demo section. It reminds our customers who are tasting the demo items that they are available in this month’s flyer! Yum!

I’ll be sure to post more photos as I take them. That’s all for the signs for this month’s flyer, but I will be sure to share more photos of more projects soon!

Catching Up

Gosh, it’s been a while! I hope you all are well. I apologize for my absence, but I feel it was rather well-deserved. In case you’re wondering, Yes, I’ve been quite busy this last month. In the last 30+ days I have…

Gotten a job offer to from a company that I’ve always wanted to work for. They had an opening at a location near my house, and I was able to apply for the job. They gave me an offer for a part-time position which I would have taken under any other circumstance, but…

The NEXT DAY I got a job offer with another company for full-time design work! (When it rains it pours, right?) This came rather out of the blue. They are a locally owned, independent company with a good reputation that puts out great work.  Full time work makes the most sense for me right now, so I picked the latter. It’s a fun, fast-paced, and very challenging position.

Thank you!

Right now I am working 40+ hours a week at job one PLUS 10 hours at the candy shop over the weekends, so I have been a little wrapped up with work. On top of that, my dear boyfriend purchased the Wii U a couple weeks ago when it first came out, so I’ve been pretty busy playing and watching the fun new games! I’m a huge fan of Baby Yoshi in the new Mario Bros Game!

That’s all for now! I’ve got to get some rest to get ready for another full week!