Hoefler & Frere-Jones fonts

I just read an interesting article about the type foundry Hoefler & Frere-Jones. I love reading about people who spend their day deciding that the flourish of the M is too big and just which 13th century material would be the best reference (really! I'm not kidding!). The article talks about a project that the firm did for the Nature Conservancy. Hoefler & Frere-Jones ended up creating a font for them called Oakleaf, which is modified version of their font Requiem.


I tried to find a piece from the Nature Conservancy where they actually used this font, but to no avail. With all those amazing swashes, I'm sure the piece was beautiful!

Gary Rosenthal Menorahs

Gary Rosenthal is an artist who welds metals and glass together to create beautiful Judaica art. I have a friend who spent a summer interning in his studio, which is how I first heard of him. In honor of Chanukah, which begins tonight, here are a few of his interesting menorahs. Check out more here.

Brooklyn Bride Holiday Card Swap

I am participating in this year's holiday card swap, graciously hosted by the Brooklyn Bride blog. I have been given addresses to send cards to places as far away as Lithuania! I am very curious to see what cards come to me. I will be scanning and posting them as they arrive, and of course I will also share the card I am sending as well. Stay tuned!

Mashed Potato Sculptures

In honor of Thanksgiving, I present to you some of the past winning mashed potato sculptures from Potato Days, a full-blown celebration of the humble potato in Barnesville, Minnesota which is held in August. These were made by Monique Daley.

2000, 1st Place - Spaghetti, Meatballs and Beverage

2003, 2nd Place - Pizza and Pop

And amazingly realistic corn, with the texture created using a mesh bag/fabric
2004, 1st Place - Corn on the Cob

Doily clocks

I came across yet another amazing etsy find. This time, it's these elegant laser-carved wood clocks by uncommon. The patterns are intricate doilies. How classy would these look in a living room?

Craft in America

I just finished watching the first of a 5 part series on PBS.org called "Craft in America." The first part is called "Memory" and it tells the tale of furniture makers, basket weavers and blacksmiths who take pride in creating beautiful handmade objects, both functional and as art, that follow the tradition of their craft. I really enjoyed hearing their stories and seeing their beautiful work. As an extra bonus, while I was watching I was doing some crafting of my own, stitching up the hem to one of my skirts.

I hope to watch the rest of the series as well, where other types of crafts are explored as well. You can watch the series here.

Kate Slater

I recently stumbled across Kate Slater's etsy shop, which inspired me to find out more about her. She is a London based illustrator and papercut maker, who does amazing work, mostly for children. I would love to hang some of her work in my home!