Anaco Pears Placard


Anaco pear card, vintage split-serif type with a single glowing yellow pear.

I went to California recently, and although I visited the area canvassed with strip malls and big box stores, I was able to find a small town general store that had some fun vintage fruit placards. I love pears, so I took this one home with me (and totally got through border control with it!).

Detecto Scales


I like to measure things so when I found this old scale I just had to get it. It has a neat font for the face and tells me exactly how much my lunch weighs. If my lunch weighs under 10 pounds, that is. If it weighs more than 10 pounds, I guess I have bigger problems than inaccurately weighing my lunch. Mmmm, lunch. Want a Danish sandwich?

How Globes Are Made


My Dad was a geography, history and politics teacher, so I’ve always been surrounded by maps, atlases, and globes. My sister and I would rise early on school mornings to compete on the local radio quiz show, the Geo Bee. There were only two other families in our small town that also competed regularly in the Geo Bee, so we quickly amassed a stockpile of geography related items: map placemaps, globe-topped pencils, keychains, you name it.

When I started my studio and moved into the Povey Perch, one of the first decorations I bought was a vintage globe on a stand, featuring Czech and Slovakia united as one. So when I saw this video on how globes are made, I had to share it…

Welcome Jen – Yay!


Since striking out on my own, I’ve shared a 3rd floor studio in the Povey Building with a developer, Tim “Schnitzel” Trautmann, and a web designer, Darin “Factor 45” Richardson. And while I enjoy their company and conversation, sometimes it can be a bit much when they’re both grumbling about cucumbers and server modules and database errors.

So I’m happy to say that we’ve finally formed a quartet by adding Jennifer Heuer as our final independent desk renter. Jen is a designer – yay! Jen designs books – yay! Jen is also another girl – yay! Now that Jen is here, the girls outnumber boys 3 to 2 (if you count Lucy). I have yet to give Jen a nickname, but these things take time, you know. And if you see Jen around town, say YAY!

Check out some of Jen’s work at www.jenniferheuer.com.

Noilly Prat and Isabel Branco


You might have seen the vintage liqueur bottles my neighbors brought me a while back; here are a few more that didn’t seem to fit in with the first batch.

Noilly Prat and Isabel Branco, vintage liquor bottles that might best you in a showdown.
Noilly Prat and Isabel Branco: two mean mofos in the miniature alcohol bottle world.

Noilly Prat and Isabel Branco seem like the alcohol version of Bonnie and Clyde in comparison to the Crema Liqueur series. If they met in dark alley, I have no doubt Noilly would off the Sabor de Platano without a second thought. Upon further scrutiny it turns out Noilly Prat is a French company that uses floofy flourishes all over their website. I’m guessing that means the “t” in Prat is silent, which negates most of the badass connotations. That ALSO means that Noilly PraT (emphasis on the “T) is up for grabs (just like the URL www.discountbordello.com).

Therefore, let it be known that I claim Noilly Prat as a pen name for times when I need go undercover to tell tales like Turkey: 1, Mormon Boyfriend: 0. Like all legendary duos, Noilly needs a comrade, so I am hereby seeking an Isabel Blanco to be my partner in crime. The position is currently undefined (I’m imagining we can have cheese eating contests, watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the Musical, and see what a turtle on roller skates can accomplish if they set their mind to it) and will stay open until filled.

Noilly Prat, quickdraw.
Noilly Prat, quick draw, seeks partner in crime.

Isabel Branco, sharp shooter.
Be my Isabel Branco.