1. LetterMpress
Hey, artsy people with iPads…have you tried LetterMpress? It’s so cool! See my simple first attempt above. I look forward to experimenting with multiple colors and papers, exporting files into Inkscape and GIMP, printing my own cards and art prints, and…and…all kinds of awesome projects!
Hopefully John’s plan for phase two (mentioned at the end of his Kickstarter funding page) will happen. He wants to offer actual letterpress prints of the designs that we create. How cool would that be? Answer: So cool.
2. Curl’s Cupcakes
This week I was reading a post about Magnolia Bakery on one of my favorite blogs, Piewacket. Even if you don’t want to read the entire post, you should take a look at the photos. They’re beautiful. I went to Magnolia Bakery when I visited New York in 2009 and I just have to say that I didn’t think the cupcakes were worth the hype.
 |
| We should have tried these instead. |
I’ve tried a lot of cupcakes, people. In addition to Magnolia, I’ve sampled sweetness from Trophy Cupcakes, Cupcake Royale, Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company, Cassia Cupcakery, Toast, Bluebird Cafe, Sprinkles (I think), Joan’s on Third, and others that I can’t remember, I’m sure. The red velvet cupcakes from Toast were always my favorite…until I met Curl’s Cupcakes.
Curl’s Cupcakes is located in West Monroe, Louisiana, and these small town cupcakes kick the frosted ass of every single one of the big city cupcakes mentioned above. Trophy, you’re my Seattle favorite… ♥ you. My mom introduced us to Curl’s a couple of years ago and now I have to go there every time I visit. Their cupcakes are so moist and the frosting is SO delicious (and there’s lots of it). My mom bought several flavors for us to try and I swear they tasted just as good for breakfast on the third day as they did as a snack on the first.
Mom, if you’re reading this, feel free to bring some when you guys visit in August. We won’t mind. No, seriously, it won’t be any trouble at all.
3. Ugly Baby Shower Art
Doug and Rosalie Gale have created some hilariously hip art to entertain you when you’re soaping up with your Trader Joe’s shower gel.
I’ve seen their stuff at different markets and events in Seattle and have been wanting to make a purchase for a while. On Saturday I walked away with this one.
A unicorn…on rollerskates…surrounded by pink glitter? Hells yeah!
Rosalie also provides resources for indie businesses on her Unanimous Craft website, which I plan to explore soon.
4. Prints by Mary Kate McDevitt
Mary Kate is a super friendly Portland based artist that I met on Saturday at Urban Craft Uprising. She creates beautiful and inspiring screen printed art and cards using gorgeous color palettes.
Here’s the print that I purchased. I still have to decide where I’m going to hang it. It needs to be in a high traffic area so I can look at it often.
Here are some of Mary Kate’s lovely cards in one of my favorite color palettes. Maybe she’ll have more of these in her Etsy shop later.
5. Alisha Louise Designs
Alisha is another cool crafter that I had the pleasure of meeting at Urban Craft Uprising. She designs and creates beautiful jewelry that incorporates metal and gorgeous shades of enamel. She had so many great pieces that I had trouble selecting a necklace, but I finally narrowed it down to the one below.
I love it!
It was super fun chatting with Alisha. I was hoping she’d be my new Seattle art friend, but alas, she doesn’t live here anymore. She lives in…care to take a guess? PORTLAND. Seriously, is this a sign? Am I supposed to move to freaking Portland and have tons of BFFs or something?