Life Lately

Lately, well, I've been a bit disappointed by people. I don't understand why people don't do the right thing even when no one is watching, you know? So when I came across this mug by Afternoon Coffee, it made me smile and gave me motivation to try to forget those who don't have my best interests at heart and to move on to happier thoughts. That's what books and movies are for, right? To escape into other worlds and forget our current cares and worries.

Afternoon Coffee is currently out of these mugs, but she's going to restock them in September. I'll know I'll be checking back so I can get my hands on one in time for warm cider and hot chocolate in the fall!

On a related note, I know I haven't been posting much this summer. I've been trying to stock my store with a ton of new prints well before the holidays come, so that's been causing the delay. I should be back to posting more in September. In the meantime, you can see what I've been up to in my HeritageCurrentCo. store if you like!

Hen and Chicken Block Prints by Drenculture

When the husband and I transition from apartment living in the city to a house in the 'burbs, I've insisted on having a chicken coop in the backyard. I've always wanted to collect my own eggs to serve for quick weekday scrambled eggs and more elaborate weekend brunches. So these block prints by Drenculture by Rigel Stuhmiller would be a perfect accent for our house, as a nod to our hopefully-future feathered friends outside.

This first print is called "Hens with Lemons" and was featured in Sunset Magazine's holiday gift guide. I love the greens and yellows in this. I think it'd look great in a vintage-style kitchen!

 This next one is "Mattie the Hen". The bright red on her face really pops against the aquas and blues, and it looks like she's proudly puffing out her chest. A bit sassy, isn't she?

This last one is "Wendy the Hen". She seems less showy than Mattie. She looks like she's settled down to lay eggs or take a nap. I think the colors in this match really well with "Hens With Lemons" above. They'd make a nice pair to display together!

These chickens are part of Rigel Stuhmiller's Chicken a Week series, "devoted to chickens and the people who keep them". You can see more of the series here and more of Rigel's work at Drenculture here!

Edit: Coincidentally, Rigel Stuhmiller's work was featured on Shoppe by ScoutMob the same day I posted this! What are the odds?

Animal Prints by Zara Illustrates

These "Country Badger" and "City Fox" prints by UK-based Zara Illustrates have had me smiling all day! I think they'd work wonderfully with taupes, browns, and tweeds in a living or dining room. They'd add a wonderful touch of humor and lightness, and would be great in combination with pops of blue, orange, or red.

See more of Zara Illustrates' work here!

Clever Illustrations by Hisss

Philadelphia-based artist Hisss creates clever, sure to make you smile, play-on-words pieces featuring animals in various poses. From top to bottom, the prints are named "Raccoon Mask", "Cariboo", and "Candy Crane".

See more animal-themed prints here!

Vintage Birds and Flourishes

You can tell by now I'm in a vintage mood this week! Here are antique calligraphic bird and flourish illustrations, found on Slang from Chaos.

I'm amazed how the artist managed to keep the curves and lines so even and free of ink splatters. I wish I could do this!

Lotta Nieminen's Illustrations

After a Tax Day-related delay (okay, so I may have procrastinated on doing them...), I'm back with some lovely illustrations for you by Lotta Nieminen!

I love her use of slightly muted but still bold colors, vintage-looking textures, and unexpected details (like the overlaid patterns on the little birds).

I can't wait to see what she creates next!

Visit her portfolio here.

Apartment Therapy Feature

Just wanted to take a second and thank Apartment Therapy for including my "Vintage Food Poster" on their "Under $50: 10 Great Posters for Your Kitchen" list.

Check out their other picks here!

J. Fletcher Design

Beautiful illustrations and design from J. Fletcher. I highly recommend you check out the rest of his posters here!

London-Themed Posters

Some of the amazing posters from Blanka, created to celebrate London. See the rest of the set here!

New Print

One of the new prints in my shop! For this, I reworked an old print that needed freshening up. I made the notes heart-shaped (to represent a love song), and brightened up the colors.

A version with chocolate brown notes is also available.

Darling Doodles

Darling, colorful doodles from HowNovel.

Rainy Print for a Rainy Day

Well, it's still raining here in Boston - it's been day after day of gray. So I figured I'd post a rain-related print to fit the weather's mood! The talented Ilustrista created this for an as-yet-unpublished children's book. It's called "The Rain in Spain" (great My Fair Lady reference!). I love how the bright yellows add a bit of sunshine to the grays and blacks, and I love how he drew the figures. They have such great expressions!

The Music in Your Heart

These illustrations are so clever! The Zurich Chamber Orchestra recently commissioned them - I'd love to know who the artist was. I haven't seen anything else like them!

Keep Calm and Think Like Harry

Just wanted to post a low-res version of one of my new prints! It parodies two great British institutions - the "Keep Calm and Carry On" print, and the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling!

In times of trouble, Harry always remains calm and finds a way to save the day. So, it seemed like a natural fit to make a "Keep Calm" print about his bravery and wisdom. He always knows just what to do - an admirable trait, and one to aspire to.

The quote is accented with a zigzag, resembling Harry's famous scar. Right now I just have a red version up, but I'm planning on adding more colors soon. And another Harry parody!

Friday Smiles

Happy Friday everyone! For today's post, I wanted to share these adorable (and delicious) illustrations from Jessie Oleson.

Jessie is also the author of CakeSpy, a blog that seeks out the most delectable and tasty baked goods in the country.

Be sure to check out both her sites!

See the World

Lovely, colorful, vintage travel posters collected by Design Observer. What a great way to travel the world without leaving your desk!

Native Arts

Siggi Odds created his own renditions of Northwest Coast native art, based on traditional works but infused with his own style and symbols. Here are a few examples of the pieces he made.

In his own words:
"The illustrations were executed according to the formal rules of the general Northwest Coast style, using approximately the traditional colors. The imagery is symbolic, with references to matriarchy, adventure, treachery and more personal things I will not go further into."

Stamp of Royalty

Here's a new stamp from the USPS. I love how the two sides fit together. I've never seen a stamp like this! Despite all the folk-art elements (including the beautiful flowers), the stamp maintains a modern and clean look. The saffron and dark orange tones really pop against the white and cobalt. Really well-designed!

Not Your Ordinary Paper Art

Helen Musselwhite constructs these beautiful illustrations out of paper. She carefully cuts out different shapes and elements, and then folds and layers them to create 3D images. She must have really steady hands! Here are three of my favorite pieces she's crafted.

Friday Smiles

I've decided to make the last weekday "Friday Smiles" from now on! I'll be posting links, photos, and other things meant to bring a smile to your face after a long work week!

For my first "Smiles" post, here's an adorable comic from Kawaii Not. The look on the muffin's face in the last frame is just too cute. (Sorry, Cupcake, you had it coming!)