live. breathe. design.

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!

a month or two ago i stumbled across these fabulous pyrex cruets, which are now happily at use in my kitchen. i had never seen them before so i wanted to do a little research on them. turns out, they were originally packaged in a pretty awesome way. i adore this packaging style, and can just picture these items on display in a department store in these boxes! simple 2 & 3 color design is very underrated in modern packaging – this box shows off the product perfectly. plus i am a sucker for mid-century design…

these photos were taken from joe’s addiction, a blog of many interesting vintage finds!

in the spirit of the giant candy filled easter basket, i had this idea. i thought, wouldn’t it be cool to feature some vintage chocolate packaging from the long time local candy shops? between fowler’s chocolates, parkside candy, watson’s chocolates and niagara chocolate and all of the photos people post online now i thought it would be easy to find some cool retro boxes to share. not as easy as i thought, it turns out. i did however come across a couple of cool items though.

someone had posted a fowler’s chocolates easter box for sale on ebay. after much searching, it was exciting to find. the illustrations & coloring are just so sweet and 1950s. my favorite part though is the inside, i love the typography and that cute little whimsical bunny!

my other find was an item offered on etsy. it came up on my search of buffalo candy vintage. a fun find, it looks like a local business that existed in the past. i wonder if they sold candy or meat here?  i thought it was fitting of the season still, because of our rich german and polish heritage, sausage (as seen in the man’s basket) is a huge easter tradition in this area. design wise, i love the type in the logo and address. does anyone know anything further about this company? i am interested to find out more!

Patterns from top left: Compass Pattern Divided Serving Dish (promotional piece from 1969), Crazy Daisy Mugs (or Spring Blossom), Town & Country Casserole (1960s – very much a Betty Draper kitchen item) and a Fire King Primrose casserole. Check them out in more detail in the retro shop on etsy.