I love finding artist with a sense for color, composition and an imagination. Today, I would like to highlight Kendra Binney for all those reasons. I recently found her work on the wildly popular Etsy. Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. The site is large and a bit overwhelming, so over time I will be sharing my fantastical findings.

Kendra resides in Portland, Oregon and according to her bio, “she spends her days all alone in a small studio with no windows. Here she paints, daydreams, and paints some more.” This makes me want to give Kendra a hug, but since I am so far away, I thought I could share her work with you!

You can purchase an original painting for $375 and up on her website. Or a reproduction for as low as $20 plus shipping. The reproductions range in size from 4×4 inches to 6×12 inches. Most of the reproductions are mounted on 1/2 inch birch wood and covered with a clear plastic resin which protects the print. All prints are signed, numbered and ready to hang. She also has 914 positive reviews from customers. 

Go directly to Kendra’s Etsy Shop to purchase a reproduction. 

   

T-shirts have enjoyed a long history of success in our culture and are an inexpensive form of expression. Remember tie-dye, airbrush, hyper color and iron ons! Since 2000, the t-shirt has enjoyed a revival with humorous slogans, political messages and indie art. With the election year in full swing, I am sure we will be seeing some great iconic shirts. 

Here are a few sites to shop for your next big statement or artful expression:

Threadless  

 

Ban T-shirts

 

 

Busted Tees 

 

Standard Deluxe 

 

 Moral Fabric 

Check out the Chop Shop Store and Veer for tees specially made for graphic designers. 

As an Alabama native, I must spread the news about this exciting Sewing, Cooking and Community Workshop in my home town! There are two workshops to enjoy with two wonderfully creative women: The Alabama Stitch Workshop by Natalie Chanin and the Secrets and Standards of Southern Food by Angie Mosier.

Workshop 1: Alabama Stitch Workshop

Work directly with Natalie Chanin and her Alabama Chanin team to begin creating a corset and fabric flowers from Natalie’s Alabama Stitch Book. Materials, patterns, tips, treats and lots of stories are included. No previous sewing experience necessary.

Alabama Chanin creates beautiful, limited-edition jewelry, clothing, home furnishings, accessories and fabrics. All products are made with new, organic and recycled materials and constructed with care by artisans who live in the local Alabama community. Check out the Alabama Chanin website for more information and get to know Natalie by reading this Domino magazine article online.

 

Workshop 2: Secrets and Standards of Southern Food and Hospitality

This workshop includes a Southern food history primer, seasonal menu planning along with cooking instruction and ideas for setting a beautiful Southern table with Angie Mosier. You will learn the techniques of making some of the South’s most iconic foods such as biscuits, fried chicken and layer cakes. Mysterious recipes like pimento cheese, chow chow and pot likker will be uncovered. When the workshops come to an end, the Stitch participants will join in for a Southern, family-style meal. All tools, recipes, instruction and ingredients will be provided. No previous cooking experience necessary.

Angie Mosier is a chef, baker, food writer and stylist. She owns the Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop within the Serenbe Community in Palmetto, Georgia. She is also on the board of the Southern Food Alliance.

When: March 7-9th, 2008

Where:  GAS Studio in Tuscumbia, Alabama

Cost: The Alabama Stitch Workshop is $1125 and The Secrets and Standards of Southern Food is $825. Price includes materials, one welcome cocktail party and three meals. Lodging and transportation is separate. There are 2 scholarship positions available for each workshop.

For more information and registration, click here. The “shoals” region of Alabama is rich in history, so it is worth the trip. Find out more about visiting at Explore the Shoals. 

You may have noticed that you are receiving a large volume of catalogs in your mailbox. Did you purchase some holiday gifts from a mail order catalog, make an online purchase or fill out one of those online surveys? If you did, it is possible that your information was sold to others. You might even be getting new catalogs that you actually like. The marketing folks try to send you catalogs that interest you, so there is a better chance you will buy something. Just yesterday, I received a catalog selling fitness apparel that looks interesting.  

If all of these catalogs are piling up in your house and you no longer want to receive them, you now have a choice. Catalog Choice is an free online service that allows you to decide what gets to your mailbox. Just sign up for an account, find the catalog you no longer wish to receive and Catalog Choice will contact them on your behalf, requesting that your name be removed from their mailing lists. 

Catalog Choice reports that 19 million catalogs are mailed to American consumers each year. This uses 53 million trees, 3.6 million tons of paper, 38 trillion BTU’s of energy (enough to power 1.2 million homes per year), produces 5.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and uses 53 billion gallons of water. Catalog Choice is sponsored by the Ecology Center and endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.  

If you are a business owner, designer or photographer that works on printed catalogs, you may be saying to yourself, “But this is how we make a living!”. By eliminating the people that don’t want the catalog, you are actually getting catalogs directly to your target market. This lowers the cost of distribution which would allow you to put out a better quality catalog to the people that really want to see it and/or spend a little more money on your online business. Already, savvy retailers like Antropologie, Brookstone, Tiffany & Co., REI and Brocade Home are signing up as merchants on Catalog Choice to show their environmental support. That alone, will gain a reputation for responsibility and the willingness to listen to customers.  

According to trendwatching.com, one of the top 8 important consumer trends for 2008 and into 2009 is Eco-Iconic. Eco-Iconic is described as “Eco-friendly goods and services sporting bold, iconic design and markers, that help their eco-conscious owners to visibly tout their eco-credentials to peers.” 

Okay, I get it. It is now a status symbol to be green. Some people have decided to jump on the non-green “hater” bandwagon. You can get your I HATE YOUR SUV t-shirt or sticker on ihateyoursuv.com. While there are a substantial number of people concerned about the environment, there are still large numbers that don’t have the time or resources, or plain don’t care.

One of the most talked about issues relating to the environment is transportation. We are all concerned with gas prices, but it isn’t feasible for all of us to ride our bike to work or hop on a transit system. Americans love their cars and looking good in your car sometimes trumps getting from point A to point B. If this trend is correct, could auto makers try to sale a new version of sexy? Maybe it is just cool to be smart like when you solved the rubik’s cube in the 80’s.

Here are a few futuristic concept cars to keep your eye on:

Mitsubishi i 

 

Toyota FT-HS

Volvo 3CC

 

Nissan Pivo

 

Honda FCX 

 

Toyota Volta 

 

 

Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I thought it prudent to mention Harris & Clark’s chocolate themed Food School. As you may have already gathered from my many chocolate links, I am quite taken with the stuff. 

Harris & Clark is a grocery located within the Serenbe community, just south of Atlanta, Georgia. This is a beautiful sustainable development that is worth checking out. There is a bed and breakfast, farm and wonderful restaurants. It is a great place to spend the weekend or have a business retreat. If you really like the vibe, you can purchase an EarthCraft home and be part of the community too. 

I visited Harris & Clark last Fall on my first trip to Serenbe and was able to meet the owners, James and Anissa Clark. They are great people with a passion for food. The store carries staples like milk and bread as well as a variety of gourmet items and gifts. The Food School is Harris & Clark’s food education program. Each month, they have cooking and food education classes such as: “Sushi Start to Finish” with Executive Sushi Chef, Jimmy Meas, from Serve You Restarants or “Souper Class” with Jenny Levison of Souper Jenny’s.

I am very excited about the upcoming “Chocolate Therapie” class with Kristen Hard of K Chocolat. The class will feature Kristen’s world famous Azteca Aphrodisia blend, giveaways and chocolate gift baskets will be available to purchase for your sweetie. The class is Saturday, February 10th starting at 2:00pm. It is $30 to attend. RSVP to ssatterfield@harrisclark.com.

On a design note, the beautiful Serenbe branding, unique street lights and signage were created by Robert Rausch. This vision for simplicity and environmental consciousness earned Robert four ADDY awards. The ADDYs are the advertising industry’s largest awards.

As a member of The Gallup Poll, I receive information on recent polling activity. Since this is the beginning of 2008, I thought I would share a report from a recent poll asking people what they think about a few basic topics in the year to come. This was the finding:

Cost of basic items

90%  said the price of groceries would be higher

85% said their out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare and medicine will be higher

67% believe that the price of gas will hit $4.00 per gallon

Unemployment

63% believe unemployment will be higher

50% of the panelist believe the United States economy will be in a recession in the next 12 months

Housing Market

68% think interest rates will be higher a year from now

53% believe housing prices will be lower

It seems that Americans will be holding onto their money this year, at least until the presidential election or those rebate checks are in the mailbox. There is also a underlying fear of what is to come, which may cause people to put a halt to spending. There seems to be a shift in thinking about the way we live, the credit we take and how all of our “consumerism” affects the environment (and stress levels). All the major brands are jumping on the environmental bandwagon, so look for more to come in 2008. It is now “posh” to be green. I also sense a movement to more rural areas with a more simple way of life. This may be due to the large amount of retiring baby boomers looking for a place where their money will stretch further. 

So, good luck in 2008! We may have to maneuver in new ways, possibly clearing those flat panel televisions from dancing in our heads and other new things (depending on your income bracket, of course). They are just “things” after all.

To get more information on current trends or to share your opinion with The Gallup Panel, go to http://www.gallup.com/   

    

TopKote is a premium Japanese paper that is distributed by Unisource in the United States and Canada. This wine journal was created to showcase the paper’s spectacular performance. The paper representatives were able to take the journal to their customers with a bottle of wine or have a wine tasting to promote paper sales. In the back of the journal, there are dull, uncoated sheets of Starbrite text paper dedicated to documenting favorite wines.

“Ideal for its nice bulk-to-weight ratio, incredible consistency and vibrant color, this top sheet is the toast of printers. And while it’s offered at a competitive price, you’ll still feel like you’re splurging.”  - Emily Capps, copywriter

The cover was printed on TopKote 100 lb. gloss text with 4 PMS colors, then dull laminated with a spot UV coating. The cover paper was then mounted to chipboard with a registered deboss. The interior was a combination of dull and gloss text weight papers printed using 4 color process images, 4 additional PMS colors and offline spot dull and gloss varnishes.

Position: Design Director at Function:, Decatur, Georgia