l o o p

ZOOEY Magazine Giveaway

2011-08-02T06:54:00.001-07:00

[ patterns left to right : pebble, prehistory, inari, honey + peregrine ]

Loop is so excited to share it newest note card collection with you – and what better way to do it than with a giveaway?! We partnered with ZOOEY magazine to send a little eco-love out into the world; simply visit their site and leave a comment to be entered to win ! [ contest ends August 9th ]

Our new note set features patterns from the Tela Collection, many of which are also available as textiles. Two new patterns join the group to form a suite of stationery that wraps your words with style. As always, they’re printed here in Philadelphia with soy ink on 100% post-consumer recycled FSC paper that’s produced carbon-neutral.

We haven’t added them to our our site yet, or our Supermarket store, so this giveaway is a unique opportunity to get your hands on our newest work … Good luck !

Loop Giveaway on exPress-o !

2011-03-16T07:16:00.001-07:00

Good morning, Lovely Readers -

We are excited to announce a giveaway today on the exPress-o blog ! Take a little foray out of your work day and head over to Diana’s blog. Leave a comment to enter – you could win your choice of 3 journals and a set of note cards !

For additional chances to win, follow this blog, follow the exPress-o blog on Twitter or tweet about the giveaway. A random winner will be selected on Sunday night.

I would love to hear what you think of our new journals ~ you can view more images of the styles in our Supermarket shop [ we are in the process of updating our website ! ]

Thank you !

Stephanie Says …

2011-02-21T07:36:00.001-08:00

an original textile, based on a gouache painting by Stephanie Says

[ if only it were organic ! ]

lost !

2011-02-14T11:12:00.001-08:00

from design student, Fuchsia Macaree

do. be.

2011-01-28T11:49:00.001-08:00

Feeling Far and Away

2011-01-24T07:44:00.001-08:00

[ Far & Away IX, by Cheryl Maeder ]

in 14 degree Philadelphia, I’m closing my eyes and imagining folds of warm sea water wrapping my sleepy body.

HGTV Open Casting Call – Philadelphia

2010-12-31T14:27:00.001-08:00

Design Star, HGTV’s top-rated reality competition series, is currently casting for their sixth season and are holding an open casting call in Philadelphia on Monday, January 10, 2011. I thought I would help spread the word to my fellow Philadelphians – we have such great creative energy in this city and I’m sure one of you would be perfect for this program ! According to the casting assistant at CBS, they are looking for someone with “extensive design knowledge, a personality that pops, passion for design, lots of energy and enthusiasm and a clear and unique design perspective.”

Date: Monday, January 10, 2011

Time: 10am - 1pm

Location: Embassy Suites Hotel at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia

Holiday Party + Trunk Show

2010-12-16T08:11:00.001-08:00

Bario-Neal Jewelry Holiday Party and Trunk Show
featuring Marina Borker Stained Glass and Loop Hand-Drawn | Eco-Conscious paper

T O N I G H T from 5.30pm to 9.30pm at the Bario-Neal Studio + Showroom[ located at 700 South 6th Street [ the corner of 6th & Bainbridge ]

The event has been generously sponsored by the Philadelphia Brewing Company. Enjoy snacks + complimentary beer / wine while shopping local for your holiday gifts !

35% off all Bario-Neal boutique jewelry

20% off Loop wrapping paper
[ plus deals on factory seconds + OUR NEW JOURNALS ]

15% off Marina Borker Stained Glass votives and ornaments

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I’m honored to be participating in this event with two fantastic local businesses:

Bario-Neal specialize in making beautiful and unique designs that employ reclaimed precious metals, ethically-sourced stones using low-impact + environmentally conscious practices.

Marina Borker is a local artist whose unique stained glass technique calls attention to the expressive linework of the leading in between the glass to create one-of-a-kind lights + wall-hangings.

Undivided Mind

2010-12-13T10:53:00.001-08:00

The Imaginary Foundation recently created a pop-up exhibition called The Undivided Mind at Fifty24SF Gallery in San Francisco. They described it so poetically …

“ The artist and scientist may at first seem strange bedfellows. Of the many human disciplines, there are few that could seem more divergent. The artist employs image and metaphor; the scientist uses number and equation. Art creates illusions meant to evoke emotion, while science engages in the pursuit of empirical verification. There is, to some degree, a physiological cause for this apparent divergence: the two halves, or hemispheres, of the brain.

The right side of the brain is responsible for emotions and intuition, the left for logic and reason. Yet the notion of two brains gives rise to the function of one mind. Perhaps it is this one “undivided mind” that presents a way forward through the monumental cultural changes we now face, enabling us to surf this dynamic moment in history from a platform of balance and symmetry.

This installation endeavors to fuse the aesthetic beauty of art and science in order to create a synthesis of mind, one which is as much rational as it is fantastic. Think of this undivided mind as a prototype of human possibility—an evolutionary signal of convergence, harmony, and accelerated progress. The rest is up to us. “

While I’m not a huge fan of all their work, I do love this simple graphic and the powerful implications behind it.

Love from Lonny

2010-12-13T06:42:00.001-08:00

Cobbella, a pattern inspired by the beauty of cobbled streets [ in Italy or otherwise ], is featured in Lonny Magazine’s Eco-Style Gift Guide !

I was so taken by the marbled black, gold + silver Thai paper as well …

urban lust

2010-12-02T10:07:00.001-08:00

even though i have a TON to do today, i was stopped dead in my tracks by these gorgeous mixed media drawings by Olalekan Jeyifous. i love the density, the exploration of form and scale and the creamy color palette. from his Urban Growth Strategy series, prints are available in his etsy shop. learn more about the artist at www.vigilism.com.

[ found on Architizer’s Holiday Gift Guide ]

Oh, Country Living !

2010-11-29T06:54:00.001-08:00

Congratulations, Nocturne !

You look good in the spotlight ! To celebrate your spot in the current issue of Country Living, we’re having a Loop Wrap sale – 10% off all our eco-luxe wrapping papers !

coming soon !

2010-11-29T06:47:00.001-08:00

new loop is on the wing

visit us on FRIDAY, 03 december
to learn about our new journals and discover our new pattern, Peregrine !

in the meantime, holiday promotions :

Supakitch and Koralie

2010-11-08T08:22:00.001-08:00

So taken by the making of this mural by two amazing artists. An inspiring way to start the week …

308,160 minutes

2010-11-08T08:10:00.001-08:00

[ from The Birth Project by Amanda Greavette, via The Joy Of This ]

308,160 minutes since the arrival of my first child ! how full each moment, how laden. the luster of the ethereal shines through the dust of day-to-day activities, and now, 7 months later, I turn to glimpse a flicker of my life before motherhood only to watch it vanish in shifts of light. I am not a religious person, but creating this new life with my husband is the most spiritual experience I have yet encountered. my consciousness was pushed deep inside my body for 9 complex months, but now with the arrival of my son, it is thrust open into the full space of the day. I am alert to his gurgling sounds, the spreading glow of his smile, the thump of his limbs as he learns to crawl, pull up, turn over, reach out. as he finds his world and makes sense of it, so too am I relearning the contours of my life, my spirit, my goals, my voice. there is no such thing as silence anymore, for my brain is full of train-like thoughts, speeding from the station in many different directions. tumbling with humdrum to-do’s are the larger questions of who I will be as a parent, who my husband will reveal himself to be as a father, and most importantly, how best we can pull and prod Marsden into himself as he grows into his own person.

i wax nostalgic, burst like a blustery wind, ramble like cool water over river stones, grow poetic when I consider the density of time which yet so briskly moves.

stepping into the space

2010-10-07T09:21:00.001-07:00

stepping into the black and white world of charlie bidwell today, having been enticed by ok store in LA. i’ve set the entrance screen on my phone to the bottom image, The Nantucket Ferry, so that it feels like I am doing something more soul enhancing than screen staring.

Trend Bible

2010-10-05T08:48:00.001-07:00

Oh, being Trendy just tickles ! Loop is delighted to share that we’ve been included in Trend Bible’s Autumn/Winter 2011/12 Kids Lifestyle Trends for the Home! Poliwog is part of the Polar Expedition set and Eon is part of the Cloud Atlas set. I’d love to show you pictures, but the Trend Bibles are in limited number and sold directly or via global distribution agents to trade customers only [ £950 each ], so I must keep it a bit hush hush. It’s a happy hush, though !

oooh, baggu

2010-10-05T05:43:00.001-07:00

so taken by the new collaboration between baggu and No.6 … the perfect pattern / color pairings for my daily grocery / post office run / stroller carry-all / everything bag.

Catching my eye

2010-10-02T11:32:00.001-07:00

feeling Fall’s cool kiss on the air. slipping into jeans, a light sweater and a smile and thinking the warm wooden curve of this necklace would be a perfect fit. From Via Nativa, made in Nicaragua from reclaimed + FSC-certified wood. Fairly Traded.

[ found on supermarket ]

doodlespark journal winners announced

2010-09-27T10:49:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who left a comment and weighed in on their favorite Dooldespark Journal covers. Float and Grow won the day with Cultivate coming in a close third. Float is my absolute favorite, so it was delightful to see you feel the same way ! More of you preferred lined pages, but as I am a die-hard unlined fan, we are going to print some of both – look for them in our online shop by the end of October, just in time for the holidays !

The trusty electronic genie over at Random.org selected the following 2 comments as the lucky winners of our giveaway -

Daisy Janie + Janine - Congratulations, ladies !

Please send me your mailing addresses via email to elissa ( at ) welcometoloop.com and begin singing Mr. Postman in a couple of weeks … : )

We are also printing 4 Loop Journals with a new pattern I can’t wait to share with you !

VOTE and WIN your favorite journal styles !

2010-09-23T10:46:00.001-07:00

We are so excited to announce production of new Loop and Doodlespark Journals ! We are about ready to go to press and are having a hard time deciding which styles to print … WE NEED YOUR HELP !

Leave a comment below with your TOP TWO STYLES and whether you prefer them LINED OR UNLINED and we’ll pick a random winner to receive a pair once they’re printed ! Tell your friends !

[ Journals will be 5” x 7” with 40 pages - Polling closes on Saturday at 12:00pm EST ]

Amy’s Drawers

2010-08-19T06:44:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, we recently moved home and office to a new neighborhood; Loop officially has its own room and feels Quite Grown Up …

I recently received an online order from a girl named Amy who, low and behold, lives on my new street ! I had to take a double take; someone who lives just blocks away found loop quite by accident on the World Wide Web, I discovered. We arranged to meet at the local coffee shop, me with baby in Bjorn and roll of paper in hand and Amy with a smile, a friend and a story of how she intended to use the paper to refinish a set of Ikea drawers. Check out her process and finished product here on Flickr. I love it, Amy; it was so nice to meet you … !

Today We Escape

2010-08-17T06:55:00.001-07:00

I awoke with poems in my head, spiraling around like pea shoots. A song on the radio made me pine for country roads, barefoot summers and stillness.

Being a mom is a most curious thing. So close to childhood and yet so far from it yourself.

Tumbled through the web while my baby was sleeping and found these prints. I love the polaroid colors and imagery pulled from my child-of-the-late-seventies consciousness. I’m about to purchase one or two for The Boy’s room.

Check out the artist, Nazario Graziano, and the publication for which these illustrations were created – “ The New Twenties: A scintillating survey of the work of today’s 20-somethings, who were all brought up in the technological boom years of the late 20th Century – and whose concepts of self-promotion and networking are radically different from those of their predecessors. “ – here, at Society6.

say hello to Cloud

2010-08-12T11:17:00.001-07:00

One of the most delightful and unexpected pleasures of running my own business is that Loop products, as they journey from Philadelphia across the country, across the oceans, and across the blogosphere, tend to attract like-minded eyes. I love receiving emails from artists, architects, graphic designers + students who find Loop somewhere in the world and love it enough take the time to tell me so … More than anything else, this sort of personal connection that Loop forges fills me to the brim and makes me smile for days on end. As most creative people will admit, one thing is making something that you yourself enjoy, but for it to resonate with others is a joy unlike any other.

And so, I’d like to introduce you to one such connection I recently made by way of a most wonderful email from Miss Claudia Forsbrey, a recent fine arts grad in the UK. One glance at her flickr page and I was taken by her playful style. I love how she mixes photos with line art, blurring the 2D and the 3D, fashion and doodling.

Interested in eco designers, art + jewelry, with a mind towards retail + travel, Claudia wanted to know how I started Loop. I invite you to get to know Claudia and her work by visiting her blogs here and here as well as her flickr page. She is currently working on a collaborative booklet with Lazy Gramophone where different artists from the group provide images upon which writers will base short stories.

I am excited to announce that Claudia – or better known as Cloud by her friends and loved ones – will be a guest blogger here at Loop starting next week ! Come visit Cloud every other Monday for interviews and features on artists whose work addresses print and pattern, eco designers of gift and homewares + dispatches from her many travels …. I have to say that I am thrilled to have Cloud on the blog. My life has been absolutely rearranged with the birth of my son [ a post on the little man will be coming soon ]. I am really looking forward to Cloud’s perspective sprinkled into the stream of Loop news and inspiration. I hope you’ll enjoy her posts as well !

loop in the blogosphere

2010-08-11T08:22:00.001-07:00

I had to share this lovely little blog with you, as it’s author wrote me the kindest note to announce she’d featured Loop in a post about notebooks. Hop over to e-sidora and see what the Croatian designer, Isidora Vujosevic, is into -

Anuncie primero!

2010-08-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Before I jump straight into my first blog, I should be polite and introduce myself,

so here here I am!

My name is Claud Forsbrey, but you can call me Cloud, hi! I currently reside in bright grey ole' England. I am an avid doodler, jewellery dabbler, novice baker and aspiring adventurer. I will be contributing to Loop's lovely blog, with bits of creative bobs and nibbles of everything in between.

Alas! It is blog time, I will start with a big chunk of inspiration to me - LeJu Jewellery.

LeJu is fast becoming a leader in ethical and sustainable jewellery, the designer Lenny Trines, is a Dutch born London based jeweller, who absorbs inspiration from natural elements, and whilst travelling through South America discovered a unique natural sustainable material from the depths of the Amazonian Rain Forest better known as Vegetable Ivory - What is Veg Ivory you say?

Well, Veg Ivory comes from a palm tree, and is in the form of a seed, similar to the shape of conkers, but with the durability, hardness and look of Elephant ivory.

Thus, Veg Ivory is the 100% sustainable equivalent to Elephant Ivory - It is that amazing!

Et Voila!

Above, 'Avatar' Necklace by LeJu

Lenny has the ability to understand colour and play with other materials to give her designs another lease of life. She experiments and pushes her creative design boundaries which keeps LeJu flowing fresh with ideas. I love her designs, colour and passion for sustainable design, and I hope you will enjoy her amazing designs just as much as me.

If you like what you see, be sure to have a good gander at their whole range on the below link :)

http://www.lejudesigns.com

The Sketchbook Project

2010-07-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

I simply cannot wait to sign up - but what topic to choose ?!

Earth Day GIVEAWAY

2010-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Earth Day with Loop’s organic fabric !

In honor of this symbolic day, Loop is delighted to participate in a group giveaway ! We’re partnering with talented textile designers to spread the word about how important organic textiles are to our planet.

Here’s the deal : blog hop your way from post to post, learn a little about each designer and their work, and get inspired by their patterns, colors and possibilities. simply leave a comment at each site to be entered in each giveaway for a total of 12 chances to win !

Loop thinks Earth Day is all about choice – We see it as a day to remind ourselves that it’s the sum of the choices we make in our daily lives that adds up to real change and reveals our commitment to sustainability. All of the businesses taking part in this giveaway have made the choice to stand for organic textiles, tackling the challenges of sourcing, production, pricing + merchandising in creative ways because we all believe that sustainable textile production is a necessity for this planet and its people.

So, for our portion of the Earth Day Giveaway, Loop will be giving away 1/2 yard of the fabric of your choice … ! Choose any pattern from our debut Tela Collection [ honey, prehistory, stroll, inari, shown left to right below ] on either the hemp / organic cotton canvas or the yet-to-be released organic cotton sateen; click each style name for more details. Simply describe the ideal project you’d use Loop fabrics for in your comment below and you’re entered to win.

And the winner is ...

KIA

"Ideally I would use the fabric to make a quilted print kimono jacket for a toddler."

To all of the lovely commenters who took part in the Giveaway, thank you for bringing such great energy to Earth Day and for your thoughtful ideas about our fabrics.

In appreciation of your interest, we'd like to offer you an additional 10% off the launch sale price on all our fabrics for orders placed tomorrow, Friday the 30th. Instead of using the shopping cart online, please email me at elissa ( at ) welcometoloop ( dot ) com indicating your order for the hemp / cotton canvas or the sateen and I'll process your order by sending you a custom 'pay now' button for secure checkout through paypal.

Hooray for the spirit of Earth Day everyday !

Betz White
Birch Fabrics
Cloud9 Fabrics
Cottage Industrialist
Daisy Janie
Harmony Art
Homesweet
ink & spindle
Monaluna
Swanky Swell
Umbrella Prints

little shoes to fill

2010-04-07T09:22:00.001-07:00

Friends + fans, I have the happiest news to share with you ! As I write this, I am less than 24 hours away from being a mom … ! I am overflowing with so much joy that I have been wearing out the poor exclamation point on my keyboard … !!!

How can I possibly put into words the last 39 weeks of pregnancy wonder? I decided to keep this huge news private until the last moment, largely because I’ve never been sure how much I wanted to reveal how blended my personal and professional lives are. In reality, I am Loop and Loop is me in so many ways that to even consider a distinction is silly.

Being pregnant has been such an overwhelming act of creation that it has made me quite distracted these past few months ! I’ve tried to make more time to be in the studio drawing, and I have some exciting patterns in the works… My mom is beside herself in anticipation of her first grandchild, and with an increased number of visits, we’ve had more time to doodle together in person over tea. With some incredible new clients – Paperchase UK, Whole Foods + Art Mart, Buro Vis a Vis in the Netherlands, and LACMA – I’ve had my business hands full as well.

Entering into this next phase of my life is full of so many unknowns, but there are a few things I know for sure. The next month will find me truly in the moment, studying our new baby’s face, massaging fingers and toes, getting to know sounds and movements and newborn ways…. * sigh *. I’ll also be listening to my own body with heightened senses and greeting my extraordinary husband as a Father … In a month or so when I’m feeling a bit more recovered, I’ll be announcing a baby blog devoted to my adventures in New Baby Land. A warm thank you in advance to all of Loop’s fans for your patience as I take a little longer to release new paper goods this year - but do stay tuned for updates on the great Newness nonetheless !

Getting back in the Loop

2010-04-07T09:20:00.001-07:00

Oh, my ! How Time has played tricks on me … How can it be that my last blog post was [ gulp ! ] in late December ? Well, hello 2010, and hello to those who happen upon these little musings and eye candies. SO much has happened here at Loop and in my personal life that I hardly know where to begin. I think a bit of a round-up is in order, so let’s imagine we each have a cup of something tasty [ a decaf Americano, extra cream for me, please ] and some time to sit and chat. Here are some of the highlights from the last few months …

Whole-y Cow, Loop’s at Whole Foods !

2010-04-07T09:19:00.003-07:00

princeton store display

Hold onto your hats for some amazing news - Loop has been approved as a vendor for Whole Foods Market ! I am SO sorry it took me so long to share this ... It wasn’t for lack of excitement, I assure you … Being approved as a vendor in the Mid-Atlantic region means Loop can sell to the 3 dozen or so stores in the territory from Pennsylvania down to Kentucky – a huge potential market for us and one that really resonates with Loop’s core values. So much more than a grocery store, I love how Whole Foods works for and within the community to spread health and happiness. We are honored to have our line currently in the Princeton NJ, Plymouth Meeting PA, and Annapolis MD stores.

Part of being an approved vendor means that Loop has to sell to each store individually. I know, right? I thought such a large company would buy more centrally and then distribute to the various stores, but in fact, each location has its own Whole Body team that selects products based on its needs, store layout, demographics, etc. [ This allows Whole Foods to really support local vendors – in fact, Loop was encouraged to add stickers to each of its products sharing the fact we’re Made In Philly. ] I decided to send little welcome packages to each store in the Mid-Atlantic region, replete with a hand-written note and a small boxes of chocolate. I contacted local goodness creator, Liz from Betty’s Tasty Buttons, and she made up special little boxes of fudge for us to include with our Hello. I had so much fun wrapping 3 dozen 4” square boxes with our Loop Wrap, finishing them off with one of Betty’s vintage buttons.

So next time you’re buying some John Masters shampoo, a Burt’s Bees lotion, or a yummy Siggi’s Icelandic skyr yogurt, pick up your favorite Loop or Doodlespark note card !

enveloops

2010-04-07T09:19:00.001-07:00

Dovetailing with its popular Felt & Wire blog, Mohawk paper has a wonderfully curated new Felt & Wire shop. Featuring work from a wide range of graphic designers, letterpress printers + other indie paper businesses [ I’ll have to do a whole separate post to show off their work ! ], Loop is honored to be part of this design-focused online boutique.

I met Felt & Wire’s editor, Alyson Kuhn, at the National Stationery Show a couple of years ago and when she contacted me about doing a feature on our wrapping paper this past winter, I was thrilled. When I saw what she created with Loop’s eco-luxe wrap, I was speechless ….. enveloops ! Alyson has the most nimble faculty with language, she melts and re-pours syllables to create words according to her purposes and they’re always delightfully pertinent; her emails are entertaining, informative, and nearly poetry in and of themselves. [ read the copy on her homepage and see what I mean … ] Alyson used our wrap to form unique envelopes, perfect for gift certificates, special love letters, or hand-made cards … and we were thrilled by her suggestion that one re-use the wrap from a present received to make enveloops to gift again. Thanks, Alyson !

500 possibilities

2010-04-07T09:16:00.001-07:00

You may remember my post about the 500 Pencil Program from Fellissimo’s Social Designer site. Every month has found the postman bringing me a new tray of delicious colors to work with. It feels a bit like what I imagine the era of milkmen used to be; the doorbell rings and fresh, wholesome goodness is there waiting for you … The latest palettes have been tender greens and yellows, fire-struck reds, sensual purples, and watery blues. I invited my mom – my Doodlespark partner and a true color lover – to create a new drawing for each color palette I receive. Now, as I send Doodlespark drawings to her, I also send a set or two from the 500 Pencil series, carefully marking the color palette on the back of each drawing, along with our customary notes what we’re thinking + feeling about a given drawing. Above are some drawings in progress …

the house in seasons

2010-04-07T09:11:00.001-07:00

At the end August, we moved home and office to a new building south of Center City Philadelphia. The new Old Brownstone is a great corner building, and Loop has it’s own room on the first floor that feels dangerously like a professional office [ it used to be a doctor’s waiting + examination room, we think ] … I finally have a desk AND a drawing table separately … [ oh, did you hear that deep sigh ! ] This may not sound like much, but it means everything to a creative business owner. In running Loop, I often feel the strong pull of two very opposing forces – as an artist, I have a strong need to forget about the clock, but as a business owner and Wearer of Many Hats, I have to be on top of deadlines, schedules + goals. So this room helps foster both, all with a cozy chair in the corner and cardboard boxes for my cat, Max, to nest in.

[ That’s Max in the hallway, above, with his trusty sidekick, Spidey. Every morning, a howling begins upstairs as Max carries Spidey in his mouth down to my office, plops him down to show me what a good boy he is, and then he trots off to sleep. And every night, as we’re relaxing in the living room, the up the stairs swaggers Max, happy to return Spidey to us and receive extra pets in payment. ]

Also above : The foyer light just inside the front door casts the most celestial light, as do the star lanterns my husband put up for our first house party. The back garden held all 70” of snow Philadelphia received this winter, and as it melted, the birds moved back in.

Gesundheit !

2009-12-11T06:31:00.001-08:00

my perpetually runny winter nose will thank me when these arrive on my doorstep :
organic cotton handkerchiefs from hank&cheef

the benefits go beyond aesthetics : visit their amazing facts page
. . . it takes 90 years to grow a box of kleenex
. . . an average household spends $30,000 on disposable tissues ?

water dreams in winter

2009-12-10T09:48:00.001-08:00

gorgeous photographs that I am adding to my wish list

Kelp and Yesterday I Sat Quietly by Shari Altman

via photographer Jennifer Causey’s Pop-Up Shop

yester -

2009-12-03T04:11:00.001-08:00

by Lee Crutchley, via ShareSomeCandy

passion for process

2009-12-02T12:39:00.001-08:00

I am a sucker for process : I love when stages of change are revealed because therein lies a level of detail rich with inspiration. Industrial, biological, political, creative – all types of processes intrigue me.

Enter pumpkin waffles.

Not what you expected? But doesn’t this culinary process look so delicious… ? The act of making – smelling, sorting, mixing + measuring – just enhances the ‘yum’ ….

I am also a fan of people who love something so much that they pursue its perfection simply because they enjoy it. Visit the Pumpkin Waffles Blog for this yummy recipe : that’s right, a blog devoted to pumpkin waffles. Fantastic !

OPEN loop

2009-12-02T12:19:00.001-08:00

I am honored and humbled to be featured in an article on OPEN Forum today. Talking with reporters is an odd experience, and it often makes me collect my thoughts in a way that surprises me. Chugging along with the day-to-day work of running a business, I rarely reflect on it philosophies and synchronicities.

Some of Loop’s reflections are shared in the article “Connecting with Experience : 3 Business Owners Share Their Insights” by Marci Shinder as well as the stories of Bruce + Jordan Jed from Longfellow’s Coffee and Dan McHugh from Expense Reduction.

daydreamer

2009-10-15T07:12:00.001-07:00

I was introduced to this graphic designer yesterday while reading an interview from Samantha Hahn for Working Press [ a new online print gallery from sub-studio ] –
I am interested in learning more about who designers draw inspiration from, so when Hahn mentioned Christopher David Ryan, I had to check him out.

CDR is a Portland-Maine based graphic artist …“ daydreamer, pseudo-scientist, wanna-be astronaut and untrained intellectual who tends to find inspiration in pretty much anything... especially music, the universe, the human condition and natural phenomena. “ I fell in love with his Daydream print [ at the top of this post ] and was really taken by his Daily Postings, a visual diary in an unexpected and delightful horizontally scrolling format. Chris very kindly answered a few of my questions and it’s my pleasure to share his thoughts with you :

EB : Your Daily Postings from 2008 are incredible visual diaries. Do words lead your images or do images tease out words?

CDR : As much as I try to have a method for forming ideas that lead to pictures I never get anywhere. I have sketchbook, napkins, envelopes and various pieces of random ephemera that I have words jotted and images doodled/sketched on. These ideas range from things I think I heard in songs, random abstract thoughts, something that I saw or something that I can't explain. Somehow they are all connected. They have to be. They are all intertwined. One thing leads to another. If I have words, I will think of an image and vice-versa. There are the very rare times that both come at once. I appreciate these times... just as much as I enjoy the time that I have no idea where I am going with an idea.

EB : What do you do to overcome creative blocks?

CDR : I'm about to sound egotistical but I don't have creative blocks, seriously. I have times when I have blocks on "good" creative, but I can't recall a time that I have ever been blocked. I often feel cursed in some way. I find it difficult to not think creatively. It's something that I am currently really trying to work through.

I have a lot of ideas and do a lot of work that I find completely unworthy of being shared with the rest of the world. When I feel like I am in a place where I am feeling this way, I find that I need to step away from working or trying to come up with something. I need to go for a walk, listen to an album, watch a movie, have a conversation, whatever. I find that my best ideas come from simple observation, observing the world around me. There are many ways to do this, but I've found that staring into a monitor or a blank sheet of paper does not always work so well for me.

EB : What are some of the challenges you currently face as a designer?

CDR : Working too much, relaxing too little... and that's about it really. I would love to get more work or get representation and such things ... but I should try harder at making these things happen before I list it as a challenges. Ultimately, I am pretty happy with where things are going for me. Maybe that is a challenge.
Perhaps I could be more of a go-getter...
but I don't think so.

Find more of CDR’s work at :
cdryan.com | mylittleunderground.net | hellosleepyhead.com | alittlemorelikethis.com

im-pressed

2009-10-06T15:17:00.001-07:00

loving these coral placemats from chilewich’s Pressed Vinyl Collection

made in philly

2009-10-06T06:05:00.001-07:00

“ Philly Works is a survey and exhibition of work by 60+ students and professional designers, crafts people, artisans, architects + manufacturers based in Philadelphia and the region. Prototypes, hand made limited editions + mass produced goods will be on display to illustrate the many types of production still alive in hopes of inspiring new work, new connections, and to bring light to what is happening in the city. “

Join Loop for the opening party at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design : October 9th, 5:30 – 11pm, Meyerson Hall, 34th + Walnut Streets

Part of the week long design festival that is DesignPhiladelphia + sponsored by Made In Philly.com.

buzzed

2009-10-05T13:55:00.001-07:00

loving the insect / arts + crafts architecture / futurist black lace detail
from Alexander McQueen’s Resort 2010 Collection

25 of 500

2009-09-11T07:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a glorious day ! Amid moving boxes half-unpacked and a dining table full of loop orders half-assembled, a little buzz at my [ new ! ] front door door shooed away the clutter for a moment. A package had arrived from Kobe, Japan bearing the most delicious red pencils I have ever seen … !

Do you remember my gushing over the 500 pencils program last month ? Somehow, someway, my little blog post caught the eye of the PR + Events Coordinator of Felissimo, the maker of said pencils. I was invited to participate in their Creative Ambassador Program, whereby I’d be given a full subscription to the pencils program in exchange for participation in their competitions + their online community and just general social buzzing about the program.

From Social Designer : “Change doesn’t happen by chance, it happens by design.“

“Social Designer strives to spark new thinking about the issues that matter most by encouraging the design community to create fun, socially-relevant graphics for tees, totes and other goods. We do this both by holding design competitions to create products that support meaningful causes — all winning designs are available here — and by selling goods with a strong social or environmental value.”

I can’t tell you how excited I am to begin drawing with these glossy new wood-covered creatures ~ with colors dubbed Spiffy, Jessica, Toy Box, Scarlett O’Hara and Apple Pudding, who knows what will happen !?

“ Nice to meet you, Constantine … “.

2009-09-11T06:52:00.001-07:00

At the other end of the world, a swath of printed fabric hangs precariously in a stairwell. From a distance, the black and white graphic looks like Moorish tile or a Macintosh illustration, the intricate foreground competing slyly with the figural negative space.

Upon closer inspection, one discovers that the inked motif is actually a building, sketched by a hand adept at conversing with it’s master’s eyes. Mirrored and repeated, this sketch stretches the running length of the cotton and becomes pattern. Ah !

Then you learn it’s 12 metres of the new Constantine fabric collection by Architect Lorenzo Nassimbeni, on display as part of the ‘Architects as Artists' exhibition at the Cape Institute for Architects, curated by Suzette Bell-Roberts. And you love it !

Fabric and wall coverings distributed by MAVROMAC :

Johannesburg: [ +2711 ] 011 444 1584
Cape Town: [ +2721 ] 021 797 4739
Durban: [ +2731 ] 031 303 8203
Port Elizabeth: [ +2741 ] 041 586 3338

ps – thanks for the great pics, lorenzo !

a-washi in color

2009-08-24T09:13:00.001-07:00

I love the translucent breath of color that this japanese washi tape adds to wrapped gifts ! Torn easily by hand and *repositionable*, I think I could have hours of fun with this stuff… [ Yukio Taniguchi’s tape show here on loop’s eon’ wrap at MoMA ]

With my favorite season approaching, these warm hues from happytape have me feeling the cooler breezes of September already !

25 colors x 20 months

2009-08-13T07:03:00.001-07:00

I just discovered this on Twitter and have become completely distracted by the 500 pencils program from Social Designer : a simple subscription service delivers 25 curated colors each month for 20 months. The idea that this staggering collection can be mounted to the wall in sleek plexi holders made me marvel at the following : wall-mounted pencil holders would create a work of art that creates works of art, the display itself changing as different colors are taken down, used, sharpened to differing lengths and returned to the wall. My imagination is slipping into blisssss …….

ps : my birthday is september 18th ; )

loop + GreetQ + Scoutie Girl

2009-08-04T07:22:00.001-07:00

While there is nothing like the sensory stimulation of a good paper store – the colors, combinations + textures – the online boutique GreetQ is so chock full of good design, I can almost smell a clean, fresh sheet of writing paper when I visit. Beyond a well-curated collection of notes for all occasions from independent artists and small card companies, GreetQ thinks outside the envelope :

“” … We believe that people still appreciate the act of receiving a note or beautifully made card in the mail. That’s why we want to make staying connected with family and friends as easy as ordering a pizza. You never have to leave your home or office; just select a card, type in your message and we will handwrite or print your message, mailing it directly to the recipient in time for that important occasion.”

[ They have a great blog, too ! ]

Some of the great lines to choose from include, from left to right :
Masha D’Yans, Cartolina, Egg Press + Herman Wu

You can image Loop’s great delight in announcing that a large selection of our Loop and Doodlespark note cards are now available on this unique platform. We’re blushing at how excited Jennifer at GreetQ was to feature us in a special giveaway with Scoutie Girl as part of their Emerging Illustrators and Stationers Giveaway. Scoutie Girl, courtesy of vendor-partners, will be giving away the work of 7 selected artists and illustrators ~ visit now to enter by Sunday, August 9th !

hello, house !

2009-07-09T08:09:00.001-07:00

After a year of looking all over Philadelphia [ and some of its suburbs ] – small, large, new, old, redone, short sale-d, in good school districts, in bad school districts, in scary fringe ‘hoods, in “up and coming” locations, north, west, south + east of our current 800 square-foot apartment – I think [ exhale ] we’ve found the house for us !

I’ll be posting more and more about this as the packing / moving / moving-in / renovating adventure continues, but for now I just wanted to share a few sneak peak pics of what will soon be our new house !!! I am SO EXCITED [ like, bubbling, giddy, can barely sit still and write this post excited ] at the thought of all the space we’ll gain – for my architect / inventor / techie husband, for Loop, for kids [ someday – soon ? ], this house has it all – great old details, hardwood floors + 10’ ceilings throughout, a little back garden + garage, and …. potential … Looks like our closing is July 30th, now that we’ve ironed out the post-inspection details [ our inspection lasted 5 hours !!! ], so stay tuned !

YAY ! Oh, truly happy day !

PS : wish the furniture was coming with the house, but alas, it is not ... that will be an adventure unto itself ~ anyone know a great source for local antique / used finds?

happy day !

2009-07-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

loop is honoring today with a special ONE DAY SALE – we’ll take 15% off your entire order* !!! Stock up on note sets to bring to the beach, wrap for all the summer wedding gifts that need giving – or just stock up on your favorite styles.

what’s so special about today, you ask? here are a few things that make Loop happy today :

- it’s my parent’s wedding anniversary. they inspire me to combine a full heart with a hearty laugh.

- it’s a day with a 7 and a 9 in it, both lucky numbers for me

- it’s the day before Friday and it’s summer

- the city of Paris celebrates it’s 2001st day in existence

- ….. ?

what is important about today for you?

mobile phone captures

2009-06-26T06:19:00.001-07:00

a couple of days a week I consult for bulthaup and I like to walk the 20 blocks home. it refreshes my spirit after sitting in front of a screen all day. these walks were so influential to me as I started Loop; walking to and from, watching the changing light in different seasons, helped me visualize what I wanted Loop to become, how I wanted my life to feel, and what I needed to do to make it happen. One foot in front of the other, with deep breaths and a full smile !

follow the wood brick road …

2009-06-25T04:30:00.001-07:00

my favorite street in philadelphia, made of end-grain wood blocks.

construction sight

2009-06-10T18:49:00.001-07:00

I’m loving the entrance to Anthropology on Rittenhouse Square, spied on an evening stroll - ice cream in one hand, Loved One’s hand in the other hand, mind full of Loop, lungs full of summer, heart yearning and tugging then restful and calm, alternately.

World Ocean Day

2009-06-08T04:58:00.001-07:00

I awoke this morning as usual, wishing I had more sleep and wishing the coffee would brew itself and magically appear at my desk. While waking up, a tweet caught my eye and gave a little more meaning to the day than was there before : Today is World Ocean Day [ thank you, Stephen Fry ]. I watched the trailer above, then surfed through various ocean-related websites. I found great info at The Ocean Conservancy about the problem of ocean debris and whole-heartedly suggest you read ‘The Rising Tide of Ocean Debris’ report based on the International Coastal Clean-Up 2008 [ I couldn’t bring myself to post a pic of the little seal tangled in the web that is their cover image ]. The top three key findings include :

1. A tidal wave of ocean debris is a major pollution problem of the 21st century.

2. Certain categories of debris show up more often in certain places.

3. Of the 43 items tracked during the Cleanup, the top three items of trash found in 2008 were cigarette butts, plastic bags, and food wrappers/containers.

I tend to get frustrated when I read about a pressing environmental issue, and yet feel like there is nothing I can do to make it better. Sign up for a clean up event in your area here.

Thanks as well to Ted Danson, for this calm and impactful call to action :

Hungry For Change?

2009-06-02T04:39:00.001-07:00

the National Stationery Show

2009-05-26T07:26:00.001-07:00

Last week, Loop caravanned to the Javits Center in New York City for the 2009 National Stationery Show. NSS is always such an undertaking for this small business, but it’s an important event … even in this recession, I felt it was necessary for Loop to present its portfolio of eco-goodness. All of the work that goes into getting there and all of the work that follows is worth it when I step back, exhale, and survey the sum of the parts.

I had never shown my work publically before I launched Loop at the NSS in 2007. Opening my portfolio and creating our first collection was so exhilarating; scary, wonderful, surreal, serene… hello, Unknown ! I tend to act first and think later when it comes to things I feel passionately about, and Loop was definitely an exercise in following my instincts. I remember printing samples of all our designs on my ink jet, lovingly perfecting all the details, and hoping something intelligent would come out when I introduced the drawings, paintings and Doodlespark collection to buyers, peers, and members of the press.

In 2008, I was super emotional about our presentation. Loop had a fantastic debut year, and I found myself worrying that we’d be a one-hit wonder [ cue A-Ha ]. As an artist, I put so much of myself into creating our work; as a business woman, I try to learn as much as I can about the industry and make the best choices possible. The combination can be heady sometimes, overwhelming, out of control, but when we hang the last sign at NSS, I always feel like its okay, its manageable, wonderful, alive and real.

This year, our third showing, found me enjoying the process much more. Even though we had many more issues leading up to the show – our printer ran our entire note card suite on the wrong paper stock, we had issues prototyping the binding of our new journals and jotters, and we were waiting on overnighted samples for key portions of our product line – I felt deep down inside that everything would turn out fine. [ thanks, ed ! ] I put aside my OCD, my nerves, my sleeplessness and focussed on the dream of the thing, the vision I have for Loop, the shining possibility that is born of the process.

I don’t mean to romanticize this, don’t get me wrong ! It’s a trade show, for goodness sake ! It’s packing boxes that fill my living room for weeks, its shleping everything down two flights of stairs into the car, hoping it will fit, driving to NY, unloading in hot sun or pouring rain, working 9 – 7 getting the booth just right, standing, smiling, meeting, greeting for 9 hours a day, taking it all down, mad packing and dashing to the car, driving back, and cramming everything into the basement in a reasonable fashion so that the whole process can be repeated the following Spring. Deep breath. And then the email follow-up, the sample-sending, the hoping-the-seeds-will-grow into new business season begins. [ I have to say, I COULD NOT do this without the genuine support and pitch-in-with-a-smile love from my mom and my husband, booth mate / booth architect extraordinaire ! ]

So, Spirit of NSS past, present and future, thanks for visiting me this morning ! My intent was to simply share some images from our foray…. From top to bottom, above : pics of our new wrap and jotters, our new organic fabrics [ launching officially SOOON ], the new doodlespark pairings, our new blank journals and jotters, the Loop oasis amid the green plastic NSS carpeting, the view from 17D [ thanks, edwin ! ], a superb Starbucks artist, and my mom and me smiling on the first morning…. check the tote, made from our new organic Inari fabric by my amazing mother-in-law !

[ ps : so sorry for the lousy quality of the pictures .. love those fluorescent lights ! ]

I really need to get out of my booth more next year to take pictures of some of the amazing work presented by my peers. In lieu of photos, I’ll make a quick list of some of my favorite exhibitors, here :

THANK YOU to all of the bloggers, reporters and other designers who so sweetly shared Loop with their readers. Here’s a list of some of the great post-show mentions Loop was a part of :

sunshine from friends

2009-04-27T04:54:00.001-07:00

good morning ! a bit groggy today after a working weekend. the french press has yet to kick in and my mind is beginning to overflow with to-do’s to be done. today loop is having a huge photo shoot of old work and NEW and my very dear friend Betty is letting us use her house as the backdrop. nothing like friends to make Tasks seems like Teatime ….

In the spirit of spreading sunshine, two of my designer-friends are featured back-to-back on The Bright Side Project currently, as part of the BSP’s eco-luxe month… 100% organic sateen pillows from Daisy Janie are up for grabs here in response to the following question : Who is your favorite indie designer, and what is your favorite item they sell? [ The responses to this will be fun to sift through ! ] Artist and indie-business power house, Jan DiCintio’s new Urbana collection of organic fabrics are delicious in all their color ways : check out Avalon, Metro + Parkside for inspiration.

Also featured is the inimitable work of Cathe Huynh-Sison from Feterie… 10 sheets of eco-luxe wrapping paper are being given away here in response to this question : What is the first present you can remember buying or making for someone you love? Cathe is a multi-tasking multi-talented wonder [ following her on Twitter makes me feel lazy ! ] She has a great eye for color and her wraps will make any present – or other paper project – come alive.

All of this sunshine is just what my Monday morning needed – now, to work !

Sewing Green is so …..

2009-04-23T18:27:00.001-07:00

The incredibly talented, smart, funny and sweet Betz White will be at Spool this weekend as part of a month-long promotion for her new Book, Sewing Green. It should be a gorgeous weekend, so grap an iced drink [ in a reusable cup ! ] and shimmy over to the beautiful Spool and meet the author, drool over the colorful fabrics that line the shop’s walls, and learn from a sewing / felting master about how to transform everyday materials into stylish new accessories, bags, home decor items and more. [ sign up for her Bag Making Workshop ] Philly gets its ‘green’ from more than our football colors, right ?!

Technorati Tags: Betz White,Sewing Green,Spool

tridimensional

2009-04-12T06:46:00.001-07:00

[ Tunnel – 2007 : wood, PVC, beeswax at the Insituto Itau Cultural ]

Enter the world of Henrique Oliveira, found here at designboom. His new exhibition for the Rice Gallery in Houston grabbed me by the hand and led me into the history of his Tapumes projects – incredible outgrowths sculpted, painted and assembled in situ from bits of discarded wood found on the streets of Sao Paolo.

Dubbed ‘tridimensionals’, these constructions explode the notion of flat surface, of brush stroke, instead giving life and form to a gesture until it literally lifts off the wall. I love how the painted strips of wood in some instances resemble muscle and tissue or other organic life forms, creeping in through the crevices of orthogonal architecture, or instead creating new spaces of their own.

[ Tapumes – 2005 : wood at Casa Cultura Da America Latina, Basilia ]

[ Tapumes – 2006 : wood + PVC at Paralela, Sao Paolo ]

Art Prints for Great Causes

2009-04-11T08:59:00.001-07:00

Loop eco-luxe art prints are now available exclusively through Goods for Goodness Sake, an online storefront where Shopping Meets Philanthropy. I couldn’t explain it any better than founders Cathe Huynh-Sison and Lara Frankovitch do here :

Goods for Goodness' Sake is a new way of shopping built on the belief that sharing just a little good fortune can go a long way. When you shop on GFGS, you support the charity of your choice with every purchase. As if that wasn't enough, you also support a group of very talented small business owners. Shop responsibly.

I know Cathe from last years’ National Stationery Show; our booths were across from each other. Cathe made four days of standing on your feet seem fun. Her infectiously cheery personality and insider buzz on the biz was a gift from the trade show gods. Visit Cathe at Feterie and read her blog, Paper Cuts !

I don’t know Lara from Tiny Tales beyond our e-mail volley during the site set-up process, but I love her fill-in-the-blank Daycare Sheets – little notes a babysitter can leave Mom to report on what happened while she was away… And the opening slideshow on her website is very entertaining :

Introducing co.d.ex

2009-04-11T07:31:00.001-07:00

There is an incredible project underway that I am excited to share with you ! As you know, Doodlespark is a collaboration between my mom and me; instead of writing letters, we send drawings back and forth to each other, each of us adding and changing the artwork over time. We've communicated this way for almost 15 years now, and it has enriched our relationship and our growth as artists immeasurably.

I recently decided to expand this idea of sharing drawings as a way to communicate by inviting a group of friends from college / life / work to join in a large group drawing exchange. I sent the original invite on Facebook to fellow architecture studio mates as well as friends in other disciplines completely un-art-related, and asked them in turn to invite a friend. The idea would be that we'd keep in touch in a different way; we'd use the mailing of the drawing as way to stitch us together creatively, to catch up visually, to push the limits of creative play.

co.d.ex was born ! [ co = collaborative, d = drawing, ex = exchange ]. Participants are invited to sketch, erase, paint, collage, write, re-work and add panels to the original drawing, then send it on to the next person on the list. This list is a secret to all involved - I drew names out of a bowl - and the progress of the drawing is recorded on a blog. Each participant has been invited as a Contributor to the blog, with the hope that they'll photograph, scan, photocopy or by other means document their portion of the drawing.

Have a look ! I am so anxious to see how this turns out on such a large scale; co.d.ex has about 2 dozen participants, and if each person takes a week to add their bit, it will be at least 6 months until we're done ... !

Looptimistic

2009-04-11T07:01:00.001-07:00

This week has been full of sunshine here at Loop - regardless of the Philadelphia fluctuation in temperature, the clouds, the rain, the come-what-may. We're so happy that we were included in The Bright Side Project that we're still glowing from Wednesday's post.

The BSP is a fantastic site dedicated to spreading good news - something we all hunger for, especially given Recent Events in said financial system. Each day, BSP posts about an artist or designer whose products are offered up as a daily giveaway; all you have to do to enter is post a commment that answers a specific question chosen by the designer or by BSP. Instant sunshine !

I have been captivated by the nearly 150 responses to Loop's post... the stories people are sharing are incredible - funny, moving, outrageous, wild - I don't know how I'll choose the 'winner' ! There's still time to win, so turn your face towards the sun here ... : )

lose myself in Leeuwen

2009-02-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

I recently walked through the Web to find the illustration of Denise Van Leeuwen and became enchanted with her portraits.... Her spare use of color and charcoal line combine to tell intruiging stories - or rather, tint the air with a story about to be told. learn more about the artist here.

ode to postal service

2009-02-20T04:41:00.001-08:00

Stunning images of security envelope patterns from around the world.... a stream started by josephking on flickr with contributions from pattern-lovers everywhere. how mesmerizing... quiet works of art shuttled in our everyday correspondences revealed here for proper study.

Supermarket Sale to Celebrate Obama

2009-01-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

Shimmy on over to Supermarket to snag Loop note sets on SALE !

All drawing and painting styles are 15% off this week.

Psyched about our 44th? Send a note to commemorate the O-ccasion !

Happy Trails

2009-01-14T05:22:00.000-08:00

Katie Pickard of Paper Trails in Rocky River, Ohio, introduces her stationery boutique and talks about how easy it is to find recycled alternatives when paper shopping.

[ click image to watch video ]

Katie is passionate about great paper + her store reflects her thoughtfulness and savvy eye for unique, original design; she says she only chooses paper products that satisfy the question, " Is this item charismatic enough to be viewed as a work of art?”.

2009-01-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

Philadelphia finds me fitful after a restorative trip to Vermont. The threads of my spirit are woven through with pine needles which slip out of my hair and from the folds of my clothing now that I am back in urban climes; sometimes they soften into tears, reminding me of my first home. I will always be a country girl at heart, awash in solitary moments spent watching the landscape as if it were cinema.

The last photograph is the view from the living room couch in my parents' house, the first greeting for my sleepy eyes upon waking each morning. Soon to follow would be a hot cup of coffee from my Dad. Sometimes I lie in bed in the city with my eyes closed, retracing the way it felt to rise from sleep and see the rustling trees, alive with possibility, like a curtain wooshing open to reveal the passion play.

2008-12-23T05:09:00.000-08:00

Can I tell you how excited I am for the holidays?! I can. not. wait. to disembark from the Ethan Allen tomorrow evening into my families' arms - if I can find them in the 2 feet of snow blanketing the mighty Green Mountain State... Hello?! Parents? Brother? Arms?!!! My husband Craig and I decided to Amtrak-it to my northern home instead of slushing through the highway havok; all we ask for are two seats relatively close together and a tidy spot for our baggage. [ fingers crossed ! ]. My brother is home for his first Christmas from college, and my mom is hosting dinner Christmas Day. Perhaps I can entreat my dad to make us latkes, the infamous fried potatoe pancake, for the fourth night of Hanukkah... I love my mixed traditions, but let's look at the facts, folks. Exhibit A, above : a glorious panetonne in a box worthy of stylish posterity. And Exhibit B, below : a mishmash of oily starchiness.... Ah, holidays !!!

Craig has just offered up a new tradition : Let's bring the inflatable mattress to Killlington ! Instead of skiing down the mountain, we can recline down the mountain... ! And maybe we can bring fleecey blankets and I can smoke a pipe and you can read a book and and and ....

My only comment, once again is : Ah, holidays !

Eco Emporium

2008-12-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

It is my great pleasure to share with you these images from the incredible EcoEmporium in Atlanta, Georgia. The sweet and stylish Carol Held and her husband, Bruce launched this 3200 sq.ft. lifestyle store in October, which they describe as 'A place where there is a sense of community, balance, and serenity.' The glittering lighting and warm, muted palette is such a soothing background to the lush collection of eco products. As they note on their website, prices range from $5 to $6000; so while lucky residents of the Atlanta area are stopping by for organic food events, creative classes and children's events, they can discover fabulous furnishing, linens, baby gear, paper goods and other unique, recycled, fairly traded, sustainable, and non-toxic goodies.

Congratulations, Carol and Bruce !

www.theecoemporium.com

Located at the intersection of Howell Mill Road and Marietta Street in the BricksWorks commercial center.

Store Hours : Tuesday - Friday 1o:30am - 6:30pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

just my type

2008-12-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

The corner desk I work from is growing increasingly cold as the winter winds wrap the drafty brick walls on both sides. I have a constant supply of warm beverages to bolster my spirits as I check off items on my to-do list... genma-cha roasted green tea, yogi peach detox tea, strong french press coffee with lots of cream and the occasional cocoa to name a few of my overtime companions .... So when I saw this fine coaster from ACD on Supermarket, I thought we'd be fast friends. ACD is an undergrad in NYC whose products 'bring interest to otherwise ordinary objects'. ACD's coaster, rendered in Baskerville semibold and produced from mature bamboo stock in Canada, is also available at veer.com.

Great Green Gifts from Inhabitat

2008-12-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

Unlike most of the riotious public, I actually tried not to shop during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday madness... If you're like me, than the posting of Inhabitat's Green Gift Guide comes at a perfect time. Brew a cuppa something tasty [ cocoa, coffee, tea, nips included or not .... ] and peruse the wonderful selections in a variety of well-organized sections. If I may suggest, the Gifts Under $50 have a great note card set you might recognize... ; )

Eye-catchers and other click-worthy gifts include :

you're so fedorable !

2008-12-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this hat from Terry Graziano, and not only because it has the perfect name... Well, maybe it has a lot to do with the name, but still - look how cute and adaptable it is ! As soon as I get over my fear of hat-hair, this is the first purchase I'll make. Visit Terry's store on etsy and check out the other great styles, like the Moxie, Gemini, Confidante + Capricious - or amble through her blog.

loop happenings !

2008-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

With the holidays quickly approaching, we are happy to offer two great new promotions! The first is a December sale-- 15% off note card sets for mixed Paintings, mixed Line, mixed Drawings, Doodlespark Explore, and Holiday. Our second promotion offers a free surprise set with purchase of any three note card sets!

Loop is also happy to be one of 15 artists participating in Scoutie Girl's Indie Goodness Giveaway! Not only does every entry get you one step closer to winning fabulous handmade items, but she is also donating 5 cents to the winner's charity of choice for each entry. Visit her blog to learn how you can enter and see all of the great products!

papercuts that feel great

2008-11-27T06:37:00.000-08:00

The stellar images above were created by artist Nikki McClure. Based in Olympia, Washington, Nikki carves these vibrant graphics from a single sheet of paper using only an Exact-o knife. Once I learned about their genesis, my appreciation for their detail only delighted me further - what an amazing undertaking...

A friend of mine sent me a note card with the 'Return' papercut last year and it has been on my desk ever since [ thanks, Jean ! ].... The series above is sold as a set of 6 posters, each 14" x 18", for only $24.95 at buyolympia.com.

Cinders Gallery wrote the bio on her website :

"Her work depicts the virtues of hard labor and patience, which is inherent in her process as well as in the images themselves: weathered hands washing dishes, people sweeping, mothers caring for their babies, and farmers working the land. But there is also a large element of celebration, of taking the time to roll around in the grass and get wet from the early morning dew. The need for all of us to lay down on the ground, grab hold of the earth, look at the stars and dream. She magnifies the importance of simple things, like the change of seasons, slowing down the world for a moment so we can actually taste it. "

Shelly Steffee

2008-11-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

While New York's Meatpacking District assembles glitterati designers like Louboutin, McQueen + McCartney, one of its more down-to-earth shining stars is the very talented Shelly Steffee. I can hardly describe her work better than she does on her glimmering site... in fact, the Flash greeting sums it up quite nicely, as illustrated above... Steffee's appreciation of line, balanced with hue and keen proportion come alive in corporal form in her timeless fashion collection. Born, raised + studied in Philadelphia [ yay, philly ladies ! ], Steffee's boutique at 34 Gansevoort Street has been a design destination since 2001.

Loop is honored to be part of her studio store's diverse repertoire, which includes J Schatz Egg Banks, Cromono slippers, Siebensachen Mozart Musical Boxes, Melissa Plastic Dreams footwear, and Marcus Huemer, along with her own eponymous Home and Jewelry lines [ shown below ].

Learn more about Shelly's philosophy in this video interview :
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1137708129

2008-11-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

When I think of woodblock prints, my mind instantly floods with the canonical image of Hokusai's wave, shown above. [ The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, from Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji, 1823 - 1829 ].

Lately, however, I've been reading up about traditional printing techniques and came across some other artists and prints that are extraordinary - and some that are almost contemporary... The print below is from Takeji Asano [ 1900 - 1999 - what a lifetime !!! ]. Moonlight at Wakanoura, Wakayama, was created in 1953, but not likely printed until the 1960's or '70's. I love the way the lights are portrayed here - the cutout shape the moonlight forms in the sky and the directional beacons the lanterns etch from the water.

[ courtesey hanga gallery, www.hanga.com, $250.00 for 10" x 15" oban print ]

[ courtesey hanga gallery, http://www.hanga.com/ , $850.00 for 9.5" x 10" shikishiban print ]

Kawase Hasui, Himeji Castle, 1930, from limited edition of 200 printed by Kato

ich ein Berliner

2008-11-08T15:29:00.001-08:00

While I am very disheartened to learn that Moleskine notebooks are Made In China . . .[ always have been !!! ], I have to admit I am thrilled by what's happening to them in Germany at the moment. Dropboxes have been set up on various street corners in Berlin to receive creative notebook essays on the German city submitted by a range of creative people. This program, Detour, launched its annual exhibits in London in 2006, followed by New York '07 and Paris '08.

As the mission statement describes, entrants are invited "to invent an itinerary for an expedition, a map of a tour, a daily adventure, the discovery of something to look forward to, the beginning of a trip, the signs of well known or unknown visionary places, the exploration or the conquest of a region never visited before, as well as something in the city constantly seen and beloved. "

The chosen books from Berlin will be showed in Istanbul in the spring of 2009. Exhibitions are staged so that attendees may don white gloves and turn the pages of each notebook on display.

I highly recommend watching a few of the videos of artists turning the pages of their books. From the London archives I enjoyed this from Birgit Brenner :

The inked New York from London Illustrator Chris Dent is fantastic :

Stefano Faravelli's watercolor journey is worth taking :

Proceeds from Detour support letter27, a non-profit that supports literacy, education + access to information in parts of the world most in need. Some of their projects in Africa include WikiAfrica and WikiAfrica Art. Send a literary e-card while you're learning more about their amazing work, like this one from South African writer, editor + poet, Karen Press.

wonder weather

2008-11-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

Philadelphia is being swept by gusty water-soaked winds and it's putting me in a very wistful mood. I have always been very influenced by the weather; growing up in rural Vermont, watching rain begin to pour out of the sky, changing the hue and depth of colors all around, classified as an 'activity'. [ don't laugh ! ]

So today, as I try to find some time in the studio to put together some new wrapping paper designs, I was drawn to the work of Arthur Rackham, beloved English Illustrator from the early part of the 20th century. Rackhams' prints accompanied works from the Brothers' Grimm, Edgar Allen Poe + Washington Irving [ of Rip Van Winkle fame ].

As described here by Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., publisher of Images, a magazine devoted to classic illustration : "He never lost the joy and sense of wonderment and he never gave in to the baser styles that fell in and out of favor over the years. From Queen Victoria's death in 1901 to the start of World War I, Rackham's illustrations preserved a lifestyle and a sensibility that kept the frighteningly modern future at bay. His beautiful drawings were the antithesis of the industrial advances that allowed them to be printed at affordable prices. Even into the twenties and thirties, his art was a constant reminder of those aspects of innocence that had been left behind. He always kept his gentle humor. . . "

TOP IMAGE : Hanging the Moon and Stars from Rip Van Winkle, by Arthur Rackham, 1905 : via ArtsyCraftsy.com

BOTTOM IMAGE : Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens: Fallen Leaf, Arthur Rackham : via ArtsyCraftsy.com

lost in uniqlo

2008-11-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

Usually, I find surfing the web a rather static affair. I hop from image to image, reading a bit here and there, tracing my way through a string of things that are loosely, abeit but compellingly, connected. This evening, however, was tangled in a web of video that captivated me like a kitten with a ball of string. Streaming images from Japanese clothing house Uniqlo blur the lines between performance art and shopping cart, between visual essay and wow, that would look great on me in purple...

An alluring interplay of fabric, color, and form is presented in 5-second movement essays in Heat Tech Edition, Season Four.

Fly over Merino landscapes to sweet Japanese-colored jazz in Color is Comfort.

I was connected to these flights of fancy while reading the Archinect newletter that finds its way into my inbox every week. I was intrigued by their post about 'Giant Human Vending Machines'.

This brought me to the root article in New York Magazine, where a simple mouse-over on the main image told me that "Uniqlo [was] To Stage The Best Promotion Ever in Times Square."... So boogie on over there and find out why those young men are wearing silver suits and why you need to get your chilly little tush to Military Island on November 18th at 1pm.

enough said

2008-11-04T04:30:00.000-08:00

Royally Ready for the Holidays

2008-11-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

Take a heaping spoonful of upheaval in the financial markets, mix well with the change of seasons, cut in the cacaphony of the political scene and sprinkle with a dash of ' time flies ! ' and voila - ! No wonder my nostalgia is springing warm from the oven of my memory.

How I long to be at my parents' house this winter, nestled in the bosom of my green Vermont home cuddled white with snow... with my husband, my brother home from college, the sounds and smells and hugs of the holiday season all wrapping themselves in layers around me.

As I was losing myself in pages of Italian travel magazines this evening, I found these great illustrations from a Harpers' Weekly Christmas Edition from 1895. As the Rare Posters site describes, "Very scarce and early Maxfield Parrish front and back covers . . . The front is decorative and shows a baker, the back advertises Royal Baking Powder. ". I adore Maxfield Parish, and was delighted by the happy smile of the baker and the buoyant dough steaming with tasty goodness - not to mention the ornate yet balanced detail of rolling hils and quaint towns through the leaded windows in the background.

I don't know what I'm longing for more - the confection or the countryside . . .

Bon Vonage, Imaginary Me !

2008-11-02T13:38:00.000-08:00

There is something about the Fall season that fills me with wanderlust. My mind can't quite focus, my feet carry me down streets I don't usually tread, and I find myself suddenly lost in my imagination.

This afternoon, instead of doing work for Loop, I turned down a couple of e-passageways and took a stroll online to find some images to soothe my yen for a voyage.

I found a fantastic collection of travel publications from the '30s, the covers of which beckoned the footloose to be fancy-free in a different region of Italy every month. Oh ! To be in lulled in Lido, romanced in Rome, treasure-hunting in Venice. . .

Please visit David Levine's amazing online repository of these images, and others from all over Europe . . .

FIRST : Travel Brochure for Venice, published in 1933 by the Ente Nazionale Industrie Turistische (ENIT - Italian State Tourist Department). Signed "Treves - Treccani - Tumminelli."

SECOND : Rome, 1933. Published by the Ente Nazionale Industrie Turistische (ENIT - Italian State Tourist Department) and the Ferrovia dello Stato (Italian State Railway). Unsigned, designed by "Novissima - Roma.

THIRD : Travel in Italy, 1934. Signed "Retrosl," designed by Pizzi & Pizio - Milano-Roma. From the Ente Nazionale Industrie Turistische (ENIT - Italian State Tourist Department).

FOURTH : Travel brochure for Venice Lido, 1934. Published by the City of Venice. Signed "Tanozzi," designed by "Tridentum - Trento," published by "Soc. Acc. Stamperia Zanetti - Venice."

hey loop ladies !

2008-10-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

A quick note to let everyone know that Loop has a new intern, Brenna Stevens, from my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. I am so excited to welcome Brenna into our office [ okay, I'll come clean .... my living room ! ]. Brenna is a sophomore majoring in Communications and she'll be helping me research fabrics and manufacturers for our upcoming eco-fabric collection. Her first post is below, so look out for more updates from her on various findings.

Holly, Loop's Girl Friday, just completed the amazing 60-mile walk for Breast Cancer Awareness with her mom. While she was buffered by gorgeous Fall weather, let's review... She walked 60 MILES !!!

[ And she has the blisters to prove it ! ]

I am so proud of you, Hols !

Fabric Findings!

2008-10-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite fabric designers is Amy Butler. I discovered her clean, colorful designs while shopping in Philadelphia's own Spool. Not only does she create gorgeous home decor weight fabric, but she also writes easy to follow sewing patterns.

For those who choose to use organic fabrics, I came across Rubie Green. Though each yard will set you back $90, it's nice to know the fabric is printed in the most eco-friendly method available!

Sprig-tacular !

2008-08-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

A warm 'thank you' to sprig.com for the wonderful write-up about Loop Wrap posted to their homepage this weekend ! Sprig is an excellent e-repository of great green products, happenings + news. With menu tabs 'fashion', 'home', 'beauty', and 'celebrity', Sprig offers a stylish spin on the eco-lifestyle. Loop is tickled 'green' to be mentioned here !

Also featured on Sprig :

I have been wanting one of these recycled sail bags from Sea Bags all summer ! I love the story behind this Maine-based woman-owned company, and how their bags embody the graphic simplicity of their nautical origins.

As an urbanite with rustic roots, I also love this folding bike from STRiDA. Folding down to a mere 45” x 20” x 9” package, it is inspiring me to run the cross-town errands I have been putting off. Not sure how comfortable it is ... but in alluring colorways like orange, neon green and classic cream, I'm sure I could make it work !

Polliwog

2008-08-05T04:59:00.000-07:00

Get your own - Open publication

Not only is this magazine gorgeous, but it's so well-presented with issuu. with zoomable photos, it's so easy to get lost in the pages. and with a name like 'polliwog' - well, I couldn't resist !

Damn Scientists

2008-08-05T04:43:00.001-07:00

Every now and then I actually click on the Threadless e-mail that glumps up my Gmail account, and this morning I was delighted to see something other than t-shirts. I remembered this woeful ode from a year or so ago, and now designer John Slabyk is offering it as an 18" x 24" screen print. Yay !

Seriously, mon amis who were born in the 70's - what happened to our cartoon promises ?! Why are we not jetting around in personal electric hover krafts and being instantly dressed in the morning by a vaccuum-like whoosh of air ?

the eggs from ipanema

2008-07-27T06:46:00.001-07:00

Supermarket is a trove of wonderful design sold straight from designers - I often meander through random categories for inspiration. I was impressed by the News post on the Supermarket blog from this particular designer declaring that she was essentially taking the month of August off, [ I am living vicariously through her starting now ! ] and immediately clicked to see her work.

The hand-painted porcelain collection from Baily Doesn't Bark is gorgeous, spare, playful and unique. The Eggs From Ipanema series caught my eye - amid the birds, ants, flies, and spiders that adorn crisp white forms, what was this odd shape ? Here is the delightful answer :

"hand painted eggs with the famous ipanema beach (brazil!!!) sidewalk pattern.
i was inspired by my constant cravings for fried egg over toast and the always present in my heart: wonderful brazil, my home. weird combination…. "

YUM !

Daydreaming about LILYPAD

2008-07-03T04:03:00.000-07:00

Let's face it : global warming and its attendant sea level rise isn't exactly an inspiring topic. Most days, we're not forced to think about what it will really mean to millions of people around the world who will lose their homes - literally, the ground on which they live - due to the 1m water level surge.

It's projects like this one, LILYPAD by Vincent Callebaut, that remind me of the power of design. While this self-sustaining, bio-inspired floating microcosm may seem outlandish in many ways - how will it practically be engineered, who would take the risk to invest in it, and how many gazillions will it cost - it's the outlandishness that I like about it. In order to solve the intense problems facing our planet, we need to dream without constraint, to imagine without tether in order to transform our anxiety into action.

While LILYPAD is currently floating through a ton of architecure and eco blogs at the moment, here are the highlights and links to other blogs that are featuring it :

via Archinect - described as an Ecopolis for Ecological Refugees, LILYPAD is meant to be auto-sufficient, using a coctail of energy technologies to produce more energy than it uses [ solar, thermal and photovoltaic energies, wind energy, hydraulic, tidal power station, osmotic energies, phytopurification, biomass ].

via Inhabitat - with the form of an aquatic leaf, the LILYPAD can either be 'docked' near a developed coastline or be responsive to the Gulf Stream, free to travel from the equator into the northern seas. it will house up to 50,000 people and will incorporate varied terrains + venues in order to ensure bio + programatic diversity.

new doodlespark sets !

2008-05-30T17:30:00.001-07:00

float : cultivate : explore

a spark haiku

hot-off-the-press
juicy new doodlespark sets

yummm....

shop new sets on supermarket

Loop Booth

2008-05-29T17:38:00.001-07:00

Whewsh ! We survived the National Stationery Show ! I have to say this year at the Javits was more inspiring and exciting than I imagined it would be. I am so inspired by my peers and was especially impressed by the talent, wit, creativity, skill and hard work represented by this years' attendees. Loop was delighted with its new booth assignment, as we were in the middle of great small companies and got to meet designers we admire. A special thank you to Cathe at Feterie, Stacey Pancake at Pancake and Franks, and Jean at EIEIO for your great advice. Carrot and Stick, your Booth was stellar [ I wish I took a photo ! ]. And Craig Barbieri, husband and Loop trade show Architect extraordinaire... check out that booth, man ! You're awesome.

Check out the companies that exhibited near us :

http://www.pancakeandfranks.com/

http://www.eieiostudio.com/
http://www.feterie.com/
http://www.carrotandstickpress.com/

Loop was on cloud nine showing its new Loop Wrap and Doodlespark had 3 new series' to display. I love being in the booth with my Mom; I blush so much by her praise that I look like a six year old after playtime ! Thank you for all your hard work and savvy New York driving, Mama !

Indie Goodness Giveaway - Yay !

2008-05-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

Indie blogger and designer Jan DiCintio [ aka Daisy Jane ] has just posted a most spectacular GIVEAWAY on her blog, Scoutie Girl. You will not believe how much talent she's jammed into this package - the $547 value doesn't begin to quantify this cool event. Thanks for including Doodlespark, Jan !

24 chances to win between now and May 14th !

Daisy Jane has a must-see shop on Etsy as well. Her custom-screened fabrics are wonderful... I love LuLu especially.

I refuse to pick favorites, but I love this tee from Delicious Tees, a contributor to the giveaway. The website describes each tee as a new part of a story, with names like Instrument [ shown below ], Resonate, Duality + Untamed Imagination. Very cool.

Eco-mmunity Widget

2008-05-03T09:12:00.001-07:00

I periodically check in with ' The Green ' on the Sundance Channel's website. This morning I watched an incredible video about the sustainable fashion house Nau and found this great little widget ! You can download it to Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, Vista, etc. in no time at all and keep up to date on all things green.

LOOP WRAP !

2008-05-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

I love my printer ! [ Ed, if you're reading this, you're the best ! ]. Last Thursday was press day for LOOP WRAP and I spent the morning living a 'How It's Made' on printing and paper. Ed sent me home with a few hot-off-the-press sheets of wrap and some of the limited edition prints we'll be offering as well... He even had the guys in the pressroom [ craftsmen, truly ] clean up my plates for me to take home - I need more wall space !

Check back soon for more images !

Spring !

2008-05-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been intense; days will pass and the amount of time I've spent outside can be measured in minutes... I have been working at my computer so much that I have 'mouse elbow', a dull ball of soreness from my bent arm resting on my desk for hours on end..

But ! While Spring is happening outside, a new Doodlespark collection is springing to life inside the Loop office ! The photo above is from my desk - seeing this drawing fills me with calm and happiness and I can't wait for the new cards to return from my printer in time for the National Stationery Show ...

[ Come visit ! We're Booth 1735 : May 18 - 21 : javits convention center, NYC ].

Earth Day is Everyday

2008-04-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

I cringed as I wrote the cliched title of this post, but the root of cliche is truth, is it not...? In the spirit of getting to the heart of matters, I thought I would go back to the basics with National Geographic. Check out their 'Preserve Our Planet' video series for intelligent conservation tips, download a gorgeous wallpaper like the moving mangrove image above, or browse the stunning nature photography [ I LOVE the Patterns In Nature Series - so inspiring ! ].

[ This post is made possible by my lovely mother-in-law, who reminded me of this incredible resource - and also reminded me not to work too hard. Thanks, Mom ! ]

360 Vodka's Close the Loop Program

2008-04-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

"Drink Responsibly, Drive Responsibly, Exist Responsibly."

As the host of an Earth Day party this weekend, I received a fabulous hostess gift of 360 Vodka. Not only is it tasty tasty!, but it also is supporting the environment. Once the bottle is empty (and that doesn't take too long!!!), you remove the top, take the 100% post-consumer waste paper envelope (pre-paid, of course) that is attached to the bottle, and return it in the mail to be recycled! What a clever program! How easy!

360 Vodka is environmentally-friendly for the full loop of its production. The vodka is distilled for "optimal eco-efficiency". Its labels are made with 100% post-consumer waste paper. The bottle consists of 85% recycled glass. AND the vodka distillery employs CO2 capturing technology. The Close the Loop program also donates $1 for every closure returned to recognized environmental causes.

Just another loop for everyone to happily join!

Hey, Lucky Ducks ! SHOP for MOM !

2008-04-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Loop Loves Spring !

Celebrate with our Super Sale on Supermarket...

Grab your favorite Loop or Doodlespark design and go boldly into a new season ! Our SUPER SALE on all same sets lets you stock up on your favorites without twisting your wallet in a knot.

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, you know your Mom will flip when she gets a set of Doodlespark notes … [ who knows? she may even send one back to you with a care package attached … ]

We’ve also added a SECRET set of 8 Doodlespark designs… Here's the deal :

- We choose 4 designs.

- We put 2 of each together in cute little package.

- You stock up on Doodlespark on sale.

- You think to yourself "I'm a lucky duck ! "....

Get Thee to Yahoo 'Green'

2008-04-18T05:14:00.000-07:00

How did I not know about this sooner ? I just discovered Yahoo Green and have excitedly clicked through this amazing hub of Green links, news + insights for more than an hour... [ don't I have a new stationery line to design... ?! ] I simply had to take some time out to share this with you. Menu topics abound, from the practical to the curious -

LIVING GREEN : CALCULATE YOUR IMPACT : MAKE A PLAN : GIFT GUIDE

two of my favorites are -

FREE IS GOOD : remember Freecycle? How cool is it to trade your unwanted stuff for things you need ?

18 SECONDS : see the States all flushed with green... enter your zip code to see how much your city is saving in energy, emission and dollars by using compact fluorescent bulbs !

Their TECHNOLOGY link brought me to info posted by EcoGeek, and I was captivated by this OLED light.

"Very simply, OLEDs are like LEDs in that electrons jumping across a diode emit photons. But instead of being a traditional diode, the OLEDs are actually a printed film. This means that the light comes from everywhere on the film simultaneously, and the film can take on unique properties, like being flexible, lightweight, two-dimensional, and transparent. "
[ By Hank Green Posted Mon Apr 7, 2008 1:27pm PDT ]

Osram is the leading manufacturer of this technology, and they invited world-reknowned lighting designer Ingo Maurer to design a lamp using ten small (132 x 33 millimeter) OLED panels. I think the result looks like a luminous leaf. It's titled, 'Early Future'.... C'mon everyone, rise and shine !

Do you 'Baggu' ?

2008-04-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

I am in love with the super-juicy colors and simple functionality of the Baggu line of re-usable shopping totes. Yummy reds, bouyant blues.... rip-stop nylon in a deliciously eco-forward form makes me want to go out and find a Farmer's Market just so I can load up one of these babies with fresh veggies and flowers... [ they hold up to 25lbs each and fold into a neat 5" x 5" pouch ]

I learned from their website that Baggu is a mother-daughter team of designers who each need a re-usable bag to satisfy their needs, from urbanite daughter to suburbanite mom. Their creation is easy to love and therefore easy to use - and all good for the environment.

In their own words, " We are working to replace our old friends, the paper & plastic bags, with something that does their job without creating needless waste or harming the environment. Using one Baggu for one year replaces 300 to 700 disposable bags...... The average family brings home 1,000 bags every year. Most of those bags end up in land fills. That really adds up - 100 billion plastic bags are sent to landfill in the US each year. "

"Changing our own shopping habits is one small thing we can do to make a difference. We hope you feel good every time you use your BAGGU. "