Slick 60s Package Design Re-Lived

I was recently visiting friends who were in the process of cleaning out their late grandma’s house. Apparently, grandma was a bit of a collector during her day, keeping everything from broken vacuum cleaners and air conditioners (they might, after all, see a day when they could be repaired and reused), to Canadiana antiques, to a broad selection of complete sets of dishes and kitchen knick-knacks, dating back to great, great relatives of sorts. The treasure trove of family finds was mind-boggling, as said grandma had a very large house in which to store all of the above and more.

It was my good fortune that brought me to my friends’ house, a day or so before the closing of the house, which had to be emptied of all its belongings. As such, my friends whose own house is now bursting at the seams with much of the contents of grandma’s house, were eager to find homes for some of the less sale-able odds and ends. After dinner, I was offered to take home with me one of the many recouped bottles of liquor, from the many cases they’d uncovered.
Apparently, grandma liked her gifts sets… and so I selected this James Bond styled gift box, that came beautifully wrapped in a gold lame box, with blue velvet interior. Accompanying the bottle of imported Boodles British Gin, were two Crystal d’Arc glasses, suitable for the finest of any smoking room. I leapt at the opportunity to own a piece of this kitch… a veritable piece of packaging design history. I suppose my hosts detected my excitement, as they then offered me a second bottle of booze: a bottle of Bolshoi Vodka.

Beside the intricately designed glass bottle with the fancy top (these tops were clearly all the rage… notice the similarly fashioned one on the gin bottle), my favorite part of this bottle is the fine print on the label (“Distilled from an original formula under government supervision by Distillers Corporation Limited, Montreal, Quebec”) and on the seal (“Bottled in bond under government supervision”).

Why they use the word “formula” in lieu of “recipe”, I have to wonder. True to the days of the iron curtain, there’s an element of secrecy about this ornately designed package. I suppose I’ll never know the exact ingredients, but it’s certainly a form of slick (dare I say tacky?) 1960s art that I will continue to marvel at.

Food for thought for any packaging designer, thanks to my friend’s late grandma.

Getting Etsy-ed Out!

It's official: I now have two store fronts on Etsy.com. One is for my wearable art (right now, that just means felted hats), and the other shop is for my fine art (paintings).
Since it takes me ages to upload pictures and add virtual merchandise to my shop, it might take me a while before I can say I'm in full-swing business, but let's just see. Wish me luck!

Fabulously Handmade Art at Etsy

Okay... so I've joined Etsy.com (see my shop with its one test painting in it... more to come soon!). Etsy is an DIY ecommerce platform where you can sell your handmade wares (art, clothing, jewelry... anything you make with your own hands), and sell online. It's an easy setup for someone like me. While the contents of my own shop are a bit slim at the moment, I've got an extensive list of favorite items being sold by other people:

Recycling Old Vinyl into New Designs

The other day, I was walking the dog, and I came upon a box of "free stuff", sitting on the sidewalk. Naturally, I stopped, and marvelled at a collection of old vinyl records. Despite not owning a record player, I felt compelled to tuck the collection under my arm, and continue on home. They've been sitting in my living room for a few days now, and I'm wondering what to do with them. Scanning the internet for inspiration, I found these cuffs, on "Cut Out + Keep - a step by step crafty community" (a punk or retro precursor to Etsy.com?). I was thinking of making a mobile, however.

Any other suggestions? If anyone has any thoughts, I'll take them, and promise to photograph and post what I end up creating.

Revolutionizing Pixel: Reading the Fine Print

The fight against fleas, ticks, heartworm and other parasites is something that all dog-owners should be concerned about. For this reason, I have been using Revolution (by Pfizer) for my dog, Pixel. He's been on it since he's been a young pup. I liked it, because it was the most all-encompassing parasite treatment I knew of, and with only one application monthly, it was all taken care of. It was not until recently, however, that I noticed my dog's reaction to the drug, and so I read the drug label's fine print (see picture above). Nobody ever mentioned that he could actually die from it. In fact, besides the death part, my dog was experiencing all of the side effects listed in the "Adverse Reactions" section, in teeny, tiny print.
I thought it was worth sharing this information, because after reading the "Warnings" section, I didn't see anything too bad (their sections include "Caution", "Warnings", "Precautions", "Adverse Reactions", and "Safety", among others, and I had inadvertantly skipped over that piece of info... see the PDF on the Pfizer web site). In short, be sure to really read about any chemicals you are giving your furry friend, especially if they start acting strangely. I gave Pixel a bath at 1:00 AM, and he almost immediately went back to his normal behaviour.

Haircut 2.0 - The Ultimate Wearable Art

It takes a very brave soul to ask random strangers to cut one's hair... which is precisely what this young guy, Bilal Ghalib did. He's calling it Haircut 2.0. Crazy? You decide.

How to Make, Create, Design... Stuff

Always on the look-out for new projects, I found this web site, Instructables, that promises step-by-step instructions on how to make... well, just about anything. From Food to pets, to art, to the offbeat, ideas about. Users submit their own "how to" instructions, photos and all. Get inspired--in a cast? paint it into a funky high-top sneaker, like this one. Teach yourself how to divide, throw a punch, enroll your kid in school in San Fran, or teach your dog tricks.