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Cyber Monday: Free Gift with Purchase!
Now that you're full of turkey, tofurky or whatever your pleasure, it's back to work, which means back to secretly shopping behind cubicle walls.
This Cyper Monday, don't forget to stop by Etsy. Make a purchase from either the ScrappyLynn or the fivefeettall shops and mention this blog post in the notes at checkout and I'll send a Free Bird Ornament with your order!* Order before December 15th!Not an Etsy member? Joining Etsy is free, BUT you can also order directly from me via email!*No minimum purchase required. Limit 1 per customer. All birds are handmade and one-of-a-kind and will not necessarily be identical to birds shown here. Blog must be mentioned in notes. javascript:void(0)Valid at ScrappyLynn and fivefeettall. Offer valid on all orders placed now till December 15th, 2010.
Path to Delight
I stopped by Anthropologie.com today (surprise, surprise) and I was delighted by the little vignettes they have posted on their homepage. Take the scenic route, and explore all their accessories. These videos are beautiful and cute!
Not so Pretty Pooo-tato (but delicious nonetheless!)
Several weeks back I shared the ode to a tuber, and also a link to some delicious look spuds. Well I FINALLY got around to trying the new potato method. The recipe called for redskins but the blogging chef used russets, so in the interest of research, I made both. I cooked each about 35 minutes, and while they weren't as beautiful as Savoring Time in the Kitchen's they were super easy and super delicious. I honestly can't decide if I preferred the redskins or russets. I'm sure either would compliment grilled salmon nicely. (I, however, paired mine with a side of croutons. Because, well, I love starch).
A Hate-Hate Relationship
Over the past several years, I have taught many how to recognize and detest Papyrus.
Papyrus was created in 1982, but it wasn't until over a decade later, when it was released on the Mac OSX standard platform in 2003, that it became a noticeable problem. The first year of it's Mac release Papyrus didn't ruffle my feathers, I may have even used it once or twice. But by 2005, I had grown to passionately despise the typeface.
My objection is simply overuse. It's everywhere: organic products, non-organic products, alternative healing methods, teas, snack foods, menus, cosmetic products, storefronts, Nathan Fillion movies (!), animated shows and multi-million dollar movies (including the subtitles???). It can also be seen all over basically any resort or beach town—I've been known to twitch when walking through the towns in the Outer Banks of North Carolina because I couldn't point out violations fast enough.
I'm not the only one startled (and annoyed) by the universal infatuation with a typeface that should really be used in moderation and in niche markets. And I'm not alone in the fight to educate civilians.
Here's some great Papyrus-centric Blogs:
Papyrus Watch: (Incidentally I've eaten at this deli in Camden, Maine, that they are posting about here and it's amazing! Also, Camden makes my list of top 5 US cities I wouldn't mind living in)
Attack of Papyrus
Say it With Papyrus
People were pretty irritated with Papyrus' Appearance in Avatar:
Fonts.com writes:
One would think that, in the $300,000,000+ budget for Avatar, there would have been some room for hiring a lettering artist or calligrapher. If there was only $30 allotted to the subtitle typeface (which appears to be the case), designs like ITC Noovo™, ITC Tempus™ Sans, Briem™ Script or Carolina™ would have carried off the alien and beautifully exotic demeanor of the Na’vi quite well – and would not have reminded the audience of a restaurant menu.
Papyrus has become a common punchline. Here's one of my favorite comics: (click to enlarge)
So familiarize yourselves with the type specs and be on the lookout. It won't be long before Papyrus slaps you in the face. And over the next few weeks, watch out for the holiday season's version of Papyrus: Almonte Snow.
Reindeer, NaturallyI've definitely rediscovered an infatuation for printmaking this year. From carving the blocks through applying the prints—the entire process, is something I intrinsically enjoy. 
Here are some reindeer cards I printed this week. Simple deer silhouette stamped onto scrap cardboard pieces. And my love affair with kraft paper continues!
Posted on Etsy 11.16.10.
Spending Time with Martha
Martha's Homemade Thanksgiving Issue included a special section on Pets. Martha, along with most other Americans, seems to be truly fond of her pets. I myself have a particularly high-maintenance cat who I simply adore, despite her idiosyncrasies.
For those who love their pets and want to honor them with a 3-D pet portrait, artist Sian Keegan is here to help. Simply send her a photo of your pet, and she'll create a stuffed likeness using found fabrics.
This Martha blurb reminded me of the Your House.... as a Dollhouse which I saw several years ago in a FAO Schwartz catalog. Since I never throw anything away, and I file things meticulously, I was able to find the feature.
For a mere $10,000 you can turn your house into a dollhouse. Now, post reading the description of what this entails, it's actually quite a bargain:
...The design team makes an appointment to come to your home, where they measure and photograph every detail... highly skilled artisans recreate every inch of your home in a 1 inch to 1 foot scale. This includes the wallpaper, paint color, lighting—even the actual fabric of your furniture through real swatches or recreated fabric...
I'd be interested to know, how many of these dollhouses FAO was able to sell. From the googling I did, it doesn't appear to still be an option. I couldn't even find reference of the initial offer. But honestly, I'm rather partial to the home I grew up in, and if I had a spare $10,000 (and there weren't starving people in this world, of course) this would be something I would love to have.
But until I feed the World's starving people, and scrounge up an extra 10G, I'll have to be satisfied knowing that the dollhouse my dad built for me in 1988 is waiting for me safely in my parents' basement, still full of all the furniture we built and painted ourselves.
As for the pet portrait, since Daffy has made it perfectly clear that this is a one-pet household, I guess for now I'll have to abstain.
