At the start of every new year I like to stock up on small notebooks for a variety of useful purposes, like keeping track of mileage, appointments, lists, and so on. I stumbled upon the lovely shop of Bailey Doesn’t Bark and fell in love with these Ruler Notebooks – I think these may be my pick for 2010. In addition to being adorable, they’re 100% recycled!

In thinking about our upcoming Chicago trip, I figured I should really check to see what the current exhibitions are at some of the art museums. While I always love to go spend a day at the Art Institute of Chicago, when I saw that there is currently an exhibition about industrial designer and inventor Buckminster Fuller at the Museum of Contemporary Art, I realized that if we are able to spend any time in a museum it would be fascinating to see this exhibit.

Buckminster Fuller has always intrigued me – I think because my Dad, as industrial design graduate himself, used to talk about ‘Bucky,’ his geodesic domes, and his forward-thinking designs. Many of Fuller’s designs and ideas were not only ahead for his time but are ahead even by today’s standards. Just look at his design for a high speed, fuel efficient car (30MPG) that could carry 11 – and this was in 1933!

I love the geometric details and futuristic aspects of his many of his designs. I think the retro-future look (which seems to be a favorite of mine) would be really fun to pull into a couples’ wedding stationery – all those fun geometric shapes and patterns would look amazing.

The USPS stamp that was created in his honor is great too.

Okay – so, maybe these aren’t wedding worthy, but these new ‘The Simpsons’ stamps definitely need a mention, and look – they’re even the new 44 cent rate. What more can be said than this is a well deserved honor for one of the best written television shows in history. Now we just need to wait for the USPS to recognize Arrested Development.

I recently came across Mincing Mockingbird and immediately loved the paintings. I loved the details of the birds, the color palette used, and the sometimes awkward angles of the birds and layouts of the paintings. These birds express some serious personality.

Then I was even more pleasantly surprised when I saw that the artist doesn’t take things too seriously – check out the greeting cards they then create from the paintings. These cards give the birds a voice and make many of their facial expressions come to life – many times in ways you don’t expect, but they end up being the perfect expressions for each bird and its portrayal in the painting.

Check out Mincing Mockingbirds Etsy shop or their BigCartel shop for more images and to buy either a painting or a greeting card.

We have only recently ventured into the world of baby announcements, but thanks to the arrival of our dear friends’ little one, we’ve finally gotten on the ball and started designing for new parents! Isn’t he precious?

Our website is not yet updated with our new baby designs, so if you’re interested in working with us on announcements, please email us to get started!