The Donut Project

Who doesn’t love a beautiful hand painted sign? Even if that’s just me, its hard to deny that these signs by New Bohemia Signs aren’t gorgeous. Just check out the before and after for Mike’s Liquor. What a transformation!

Located in San Francisco, New Bohemia has been hand painting signs since 1933. They recreate art provided to them, but also provide custom designs (all images shown are custom).

Check out more of their work on their site and their recent work on flickr.

(via faye + co)

When I stumbled upon John Vogl, aka the Bungaloo, I was an instant fan. He makes these great silkscreen posters and art prints in his small studio in St. Louis, MO. When I emailed John to ask where he gets his inspiration from, he simply stated

I think most of my inspiration comes from the music I listen to for posters, as well as a wandering mind coupled with a pretty boring day job.

Love it! Make sure to check out more of the Bungaloo’s work here, and you can purchase prints from his Etsy shop too.

I’m such a sucker for cute patterns and simple illustrations. Luckily for my bank account, Minimega currently only ships to countries in Europe. Otherwise my nieces and nephews would give me plenty of excuse to stock up on items from their shop!

More about this adorable Danish design studio here, items in the shop, and find inspiration on their blog.

(via lox papers)

I don’t know what it is about calendars, but I’ve always loved them…and I also seem to collect them (I currently have 3 different calendars surrounding my desk at work). When I saw this perpetual calendar by Nora Whynot Press with its charming little illustrations based off of old wives tales, it made its way almost instantaneously onto my wish list.

Handmade in Queensland, Australia with recycled materials by Nora Whynot Press, you can purchase your very own here.

(via pink shirts and car wrecks)

I found these cards from Up Up Creative awhile back, and find I still love the sweet simplicity of them. These little cards remind you to enjoy the little things in life, like “run like a kid: with no goal and no self-consciousness” or “write a quick note to a friend. a real note, not an email. put it in the mail immediately so you won’t forget.”

To have a reminder of the little joys in life, purchase your own here. You can also request a custom set of good ideas for a personal touch.

Something’s Hiding In Here has really turned me on to their new bow tie line, Forage (yes, those are mini bow ties up there!). I’m loving the fantastic fabrics and styling. Every meticulous little detail. Their pop-up shop is currently available at the Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco (also available online for those not on the West coast).

Shauna and Stephen, the masterminds behind Something’s Hiding In Here, are also the duo behind the infamous”mustache on a stick” (in case you didn’t know from this and this, I’m a fan of the mustache!).

Guys, if you’re interested in owning your own Forage bow tie, make sure you act quick – many styles are already sold out. Check out more details on Forage at the Something’s Hiding In Here blog.

There really are no words to describe these amazing shots by Nick Brandt. Utterly breathtaking.

Enjoy more of his stunning wildlife shots here.

(via Bliss)

This past weekend I have the delightful experience of going to Orange Beautiful’s new studio/shop in Chicago (located on Damen Ave, right off the Brown line). I’ve been following Emily (the wonder mind behind Orange Beautiful) via The Scoop for several months now, and couldn’t wait to see her shop with my own eyes. I felt like a kid in a candy store…except with paper goods! Emily creates simple, yet beautiful little pieces…that have a little quirkiness to them that I adore. She letterpresses by hand in the studio and has some wonderful bound journals/photo albums. She has a selection of other designer/artist’s pieces to please the eye as well. It was a struggle to decide what to purchase!

If you’re in the Chicago area, I highly recommend checking out the shop. And if you’re not in the area, don’t worry! Orange Beautiful sells online too!

Thanks again to Emily for letting me poke around through your shop and studio, and for the sneak peak at limited prints! Also to fellow TDP-er Ricky, for trucking through the ridiculous heat so I could visit the shop :)

Want a chance for people all over the country to see your work? Why not sign up for the 2011 Sketchbook Project?

A sketchbook is a place to put your heart and soul. Let it out into the wild; we’ll keep you connected. We know how precious a sketchbook is. You carry it with you everywhere, spending months working on it. It becomes a part of you. When you’re finished, share your hard work with the world. We’ll make sure you stay connected with your sketchbook as it tours the country and after we catalog it in The Brooklyn Art Library.

I don’t even know where to begin on how spectacular this project sounds (why did I not know about it before?!). 2011 will be the fifth time that Art House Co-op tackles the project and they’ve made sure to add a lot of new features (you can even track your book to see when and where it is being viewed!). As a participating artist, you will get your very own Moleskin Cahier sketchbook and a theme to use as a starting point to create your book. The books will then be put into a traveling exhibition around the country and later placed in a permanent collection at the Brooklyn Art Library.

Make sure to check out all the details on the Sketchbook Project’s site. You have until October 31, 2010 to sign up, and your finished book must be postmarked by January 15, 2011 to be included in the tour.

Thanks to my ever-curious and wonderful friend, Kara Solinsky for the heads up on this!

Jaw. On. Floor. Holy crap…this is what I want to be when I grow up.

View more utterly amazing hand lettering from the Kiev, Ukraine based SHCH Graphics Group here.

(via ok great)