live. breathe. design.

there is just something about handwriting a note to someone that is so much more special than an email or a Facebook message. trust me, i love technology, it has so many benefits, but I still wouldn’t trade it for paper. (i try to be as eco-friendly as possible, don’t get me wrong here!)

to help you make your notes a bit more personal, i am adding return address seals to my shop this week. combining the envelope seal and return address label into one piece, gives your greeting a personal but modern touch!

this new product got me thinking about the type of tools and items used for correspondence, present and past. pictured above you will see some great vintage items from fellow etsy Homespun Society members. From top left clockwise: Retro Return Address Seals, Teal Blue Royal Custom III Typewritter, 1930s Colorful Paper Emphemera, and Vintage Pencil Leads.

more great correspondence pieces can be seen in this treasury on etsy and on pinterest, too!

also new to the shop, buffalo envelope seals.

anyone who knows me, but even a little, knows that i love everything retro mid century modern. i also love kitchen items for some reason. the combo is great. one of my favorite finds ever was a working 1950s kitchen aid stand mixer. sadly i broke the bowl but i used it for a few years and still keep it for when ever i come across a glass mixer bowl that fits! that mixer was the inspiration for the stationery pictured above.

amongst kitchen items my favorite things are dish ware, vintage food packaging, canisters and coffee carafes. i can’t seem to get enough of those items. in the spirit of great mid-century kitchen finds, i found some great items on etsy for everyone to check out!

from top left: Retro Kitchen Aid Card Set, Blank Inside, Vintage Dansk Kobenstyle Red Enamel Pot, Set of 4 Hand Sewn Table Napkins, Serve More Ice Cream Bucket, and  Retro Tea and Coffee Tins

more great retro items can be seen here on pinterest and her in the treasury i created on etsy.

i am loving the designs and posters of claudia varosio. her illustrations are beautifully done and have a nostalgic hollywood feel to them, even for the newer movies! check out some of her work below and her full store on etsy.

all images copyright claudia varosio © 2008-2011

this week’s “pack it up, baby!” features another vintage design. this one was a particularly unique  find (thanks again to Tom). federal meats is a local butcher shop with several locations and has been around since 1930, making it a buffalo,ny staple. this insulated paper bag looks like it was from the late 40s or 50s. the illustration is so whimsical and charming in it’s simplicity. what is particulary exciting about this find, is that my father-in-law is a long time employee and manager of federal meats. so not only is it a great piece of local graphic design history but we have a personal connection to it, too! enjoy

i love vintage ephemera, it is one of my favorite things to check out at estate sales and thrift stores. it’s so often the items that get tossed aside, that it is so exciting when you get to see some little bits here and there. my good friend, Tom Walton of Bossa Nova Bungalow came across a huge pile of mid-century decorating items. magazines, ads, paint swatches – all collected with the intention of a fabulously modern mid-century home re-do! we spent hours last night pouring through all of the fabulous goodies. i shot some photos of my favorite pieces and will be sharing them with you over the next few weeks.

i love the layout of these samples. it is so organized and easy to navigate. plus the swatches all running together have a great visual effect! from the type to the wonderfully organized layout this is a very nicely designed piece.

i really enjoy the texture in this irish linen swatches – might need to do something design with that soon!