Blog Archives

COLLECTING [Three for Thursday]: Tea Cups

10/30/2014

What is the critical number to start a collection?

Three seems like the magic number. One of course, is one. Two speaks to a pair. But three looks like the beginning of a collection.

I have six tea cups with saucers, a modest collection for sure, but a collection still the same. They are beautifully delicate and were handed down and gifted to me at different times.

Very often that's how it starts. You receive or purchase something and then people start giving you more.

The fortune-telling tea cup on the top of the stack to the left was a gift. Drop loose tea into the cup, pour hot water over and steep. Drink your tea then swirl and dump the remains onto the saucer. Your fortune is revealed in the images where the loose tea remaining in your cup gathers and clings.

In other cultures and countries, coffee grounds and wine sediment are also used in fortune telling.

Do you have a collection? Have you had your tea leaves read? Tell us about it, post a comment.

0 Comments

COLLECTING: Mapping It Out

10/27/2014

0 Comments

The Osher Map Library opened a new exhibit last week: The Art of the Hand-drawn Map. They have a fantastic collection of hand-drawn maps and globes. Big globes, tiny globes, and my favorite—a globe that opens to reveal an inkwell. Fabulous!

At the opening there were lots of interesting souvenirs and books available for purchase. I grabbed a copy of Map Art Lab by Jill K. Berry and Linden McNeilly.

Maps can be as detailed or simple as you like. Here's my apple picking map. Saturday we went for a long drive meandering until we found an orchard. In the collage I used a scrap of paste paper, a cancelled stamp, hand-lettering, and machine stitching.

Do you collect or make maps?

Post a comment with the link above and tell us about it!

0 Comments

COLLECTING [Three for Thursday]: Vintage Packaging

10/21/2014

0 Comments

Rummaging through the tool bench looking for small nails to tack down the linoleum floor that tucks under the dishwasher, these three packages caught my eye.

I can't remember if we bought them, or, more likely, they were included in a bundle of hand-me-down tools and supplies.

A bit tattered around the edges, each package has something that makes it stand out: the Atlas globe with piercing nail; custom lettering on the Superior brand name; and Arrow's target marketing for women . . . apparently well-manicured nails are a must when stapling!

It's a small collection, but a collection worth documenting. If you are interested, Forbes' Eight Ways To Make Collecting Pay Off covers some interesting aspects of collecting including value, what to avoid and what to look for . . . and some crazy expensive violins.

What do you collect? Tell us about it.

0 Comments

Ikea's New Catalog - Not an eBook, But a "Bookbook"

10/14/2014

0 Comments

IKEA has a new catalog. They are calling it a "bookbook" and it comes "fully charged" with "tactile touch technology."

For anyone (like me) who still enjoys curling up with a book, thumbing through a magazine, or flipping through a catalog, it's exciting to see a print version. This marketing video is full of creative word play: Ikea's Bookbook.

Thanks to Chuck Green's Designing Brief for mentioning it.

Do you like reading print magazines and catalogs? Make a comment below and tell us what you think.

0 Comments

Hiking The Appalachian Trail (and a Craving for Hostess Sno Balls)

10/10/2014

0 Comments

When Jeff Ryan and a friend set out to hike the Long Trail in Vermont, they soon realized they were also hiking a segment of the Appalachian Trial. And that Jeff says, "was the start of a 2,100-hike spanning 28 years and 2,100 miles."
   It was a journey that Jeff recounts in a new eBook, Appalachian Odyssey, due out next month.
    From the logistics of planning a segment hike to an unexpected craving for Hostess Sno Balls, Jeff tells his story of what it was like hiking the trail.
    Are you in the middle of a big adventure? Post a comment and tell us about it.
---------------
Read more about Jeff's adventure and sign-up to be notified when his eBook is available:
feedthevision.com/odyssey

0 Comments

COLLECTING [Three for Thursday]: Tea Cups

COLLECTING: Mapping It Out

COLLECTING [Three for Thursday]: Vintage Packaging

Ikea's New Catalog - Not an eBook, But a "Bookbook"

Hiking The Appalachian Trail (and a Craving for Hostess Sno Balls)

Categories

Archives