paper + scissors = good [toy] design

today my boyfriend made himself this cardboy calendar. while trying to find the instructions and site he got it off of, i came upon several really neat places that had cool paper toy art.

[images are from the rag & bone blog]

you can download the cardboy calendar pdf here.





most of the sites i found thanks to the okee dorkee blog.




[above] there are a bunch of free downloads for these cool ready mech paper toys.



[to the right] a teeter totter mechanical paper kit, $9.95, from the giant robot online store.


the cannon [creative park] website, of all places, has some really cool paper projects. from origami, paper replicas of famous monuments, cards and even cool patterns to print out your own origami paper.


[above] i love the goldfish and rabbits origami pieces.

[to the left] an example of what one of the pages in the pdf download will look like. you print the pages from your computer (usually onto thicker photo paper) and then you cut and fold along the dotted lines. some are much harder than you probably think!






[above] a bird cage pop-up card and an origami pigeon.



[to the right] i especially want to try making this last one, we have a lucky kitty collection growing in the kids' room.

pictobrowser

i just found the neatest flickr application called pictobrowser. i'm testing it out on my blog, and apparently it works! how nifty. well, the photo show above is from my 'rachel best blogs' photo collection on flickr.

i am photographing a friend's wedding this fall, and this application will be a great way / easy way to showcase photos outside of the typical flickr look. thank you to the cool hunting blog for pointing it out!

come in / go away.

this is our new back door doormat. facing one way it says "come in" ... turn it around, it says "go away." [from Suck UK, via greener grass design.] i love it. love love love the play on typography. in fact, norm asked me when we moved into our new house if we could get a mat that said 'go away,' and i'm more of a 'come in'-kind-of gal, so i thought this was a fair compromise!

martha at macy's.

[recipe box $14.99, vintage-inspired spice rack $59.99, six prep bowls $9.99, cast iron pot $119.99]

excuse me while i drool a little bit... martha stewart's new line at macy's is oh-so-pretty! (it's reasonably priced too.)



[measure equivalents magnet $5.99, colanders $9.99 and $19.99, cake stands $14.99, $19.99 and $29.99, six melamine bowls $29.99, 3-piece silicone bakeware set $39.99]

looks like the perfect place for a registry if you ask me!

where in the world is carmen san diego?

[above: worldly flickr favorites]

after having a conversation the other day with my good friend megan, who is coveting a new globe to adorn her home, i started looking around and wondering where it was that you could actually purchase an up-to-date, decent-looking globe. so megan, this post is dedicated to you!

also, recently when i was abroad (which happened to be with megan) i decided that i wanted to bring some stuff back for the kids' room in our new house. to go along with their international goods i thought a mural like this would be fantastic.


[right: Austine - Replogle Globes, Inc., $699.999 at map and globe store]


[wall mural via flickr user kbreenbo.]

the mural comes in 8 different panels and applies like wallpaper. it can be found at four corners map and costs $119.95. (if you read kbreenbo's description of her photo on flickr, she tells you a lot about how she put together that room pictured above.)

in fact, this was all inspired by a kids' puzzle we saw in an amsterdam shop window. the puzzle was a map of europe. i wanted to buy it desperately but it was in the wee hours of the morning and the shop was not going to open before our flight departed. however, i have found a puzzle and globe online that would be great for any child to have. (see below) having exposures to maps and globes at a young age can only increase their sense of adventure!



[globe, $39.88 and puzzle map, $29.98 from highlights magazine. (omg, remember the hidden-things picture in every issue?? that was always my favorite as a kid.)]



doesn't this store in barcelona look like it would be fun to go to? so many globes! [via Greg Robbins flickr.]

some other nice globes that you can find at the map and globe store...



[first column: Starlight - Replogle Globes, Inc. $69.99, Crystal Marquise - Replogle Globes, Inc. $169.99, Livingston (Illuminated) - Replogle Globes, Inc. $98.99. second column (tall globe): Edinburgh - Replogle Globes, Inc. $129.99.]

makin' munny.

so i know i don't post about a lot of local events on this blog. (this is partially because that is my day job, and if you want to read about all of the local stuff happening jacksonville i assume you will read my magazine.) however, there is a really cool art show happening this weekend that deserves a mention... the color of munny. this is a show being put on by urban jacksonville blog author, joey marchy.

this is jacksonville's first vinyl toy art show. basically, marchy asked different local artists to take blank kid robot munny toys and transform them into their own masterpieces. (you can read more about it in eu's article here.)

marchy has been posting a few photos of finshed munny's over the last few days (see first pic for a few samples) and i'm blown away! the show is tomorrow night (saturday, july 7th) at the thief in the knight gallery in downtown jacksonville (map, 118 west adams street).

eu is one of the sponsors of the event. it was such a great idea we couldn't pass up the opportunity to be involved, and we thank joey for 1. taking the time and energy to put on a such an original show (and everything else he does for jacksonville) 2. letting eu be part of it.

i am really hoping i can make it to the show, although i'm nervous i may not; norm (the boyfriend) and i will be at the 30th anniversary party for kona skatepark and i have no idea when that is supposed to end. either way, cool things are happening in jacksonville and i am stoked about it!

(the top photo is of the individual munny's made by dan may, levi ratliff and brittni wood.)

happy birthday, helvetica.

(above image from love brigade t-shirt.)

happy 50th birthday, helvetica. i know this is old news by now, but i just wanted to put the love out there for my buddy helvetica. there has been a documentary made, directed by Gary Hustwit, that i really want to see.

and to top it off, am i complete dork for wishing i could make it to TypeCon this year?