2011 Calendar Designs, Part 6

November 16, 2010 // kristen // 2 replies

So many calendars, so little time! I’m going to be wrapping up my 2011 calendar roundups over the next couple of weeks, but it’s going to be difficult to stop because there are just so many great designs out there this year. Every time I think that I’ve found as many as I can, I end up finding a few (or twenty) more!

SusyJack* always has one of my favorite wall calendars. The spectrum of color in the nature silhouettes is simply lovely.

The desk calendar version is gorgeous, too:

I love argyle, so it’s no surprise that I’m digging Albertine Press’ 2011 letterpress calendar. The accordion fold design is super cool, too! Available in green & gray and dusty blue & gray.

A Little Hut’s Box Calendar is such a unique design. The 3D calendar comes pre-scored and pre-cut, and you can customize the calendar by adding pieces of colored paper or fabric to the back. So cool! An SVG version of the calendar is also available for those of you who have digital die-cutters.

These limited edition 2011 Folky Calendars by Junecraft are so much fun, and the 11×14 inch calendars can be framed for a more finished look, too. Available in red and orange or blue and green.

Snow & Graham has a little something for everyone! Their wall calendars, desk calendars, and the new accordion calendars featuring Snow & Grahams trademark floral illustrations make great gifts, too.

I can’t get enough of the foodie calendars, and this one by English Muffin is super cute. Inspired by Saturday mornings at the market, the 2011 ” Counting the Kitchen” calendar features a different food illustration for each month, and you can frame the 5×5 inch illustrations when the month is finished. Available in English and French.

Jumping Jack Designs’ 2011 calendar features a different, hand drawn illustration for every month and comes with magnetic display clip for hanging. Printed on 30% post consumer waste recycled paper with eco-friendly wax inks.

Tamarindo Paper Company’s 2011 seasonal wall calendar features such super cute illustrations for winter, spring, summer, and fall.

A series of favorite and brand new illustrations are featured in Nella Design’s 2011 desk calendar, housed in its own display case and ready for gifting or displaying in your office.

Blue Tricycle’s printable Lunar Calendar (Northern Hemisphere) features a different illustration every month and includes moon phase icons so you’ll know when to step outside and night for some moonwatching.

images from their respective owners

Hello! Lucky Giveaway Winner

November 16, 2010 // kristen // 2 replies

Thank you to everyone who shared your special local and family holiday traditions with us during the Hello! Lucky destination holiday card giveaway. I could feel the holiday spirit coming through in your stories, and that had me thinking about my own family traditions and the local holiday traditions from my hometown. Such a warm and fuzzy feeling. Thank you, again, for sharing.

The winner of the giveaway is Emily, comment #8:

Our favorite tradition is taking out the manger scene. Each figure is unwrapped and carefully put up on our mantle. My children LOVE it. Since it’s done the same way every year.

Congratulations, Emily, and I will be in touch shortly to let you know how you can claim your prize!

A Letterpress Christmas 2010 : Fine Day Press

November 15, 2010 // kristen // 2 replies

Fine Day Press has a fantastic collection of holiday letterpress greeting cards and gift tags this year. Everything has such a clean, modern feel, and I’m really digging the red, green, and teal color palette. Holiday cards are sold in sets of six or as single cards, and two sets of letterpress gift tags are available, too.

The all-occasion letterpress gift tag set is also great inspiration if you’d like to try a new and different holiday gift wrap color palette this year . The set features purple and yellow retro florals and chartreuse and teal diamonds, and these tags will rock your gift wrapping all year long.

images from Fine Day Press

Large Scale Origami Installations

November 15, 2010 // kristen // 0 replies

If only I saw decorations this inspiring at any of the local malls, then I might go more often! Emily from Paper Tiger Press sent over these jaw-droppingly beautiful, large-scale origami art installations that she spotted on a visit to the Siam Paragon Mall in Bangkok. They give so much life and color to the space that they’re in, and I hope that you find them as inspiring as I do.

P.S. I’m also excited to hear that Emily is spreading the letterpress love to Singapore, where she founded her country’s only letterpress studio, Paper Tiger Press. Go, Emily! You can check out some of the gorgeous letterpress wedding invitations that Emily has designed in the Paper Tiger Press portfolio.

images from Emily Loke / Paper Tiger Press

Weekly Wrap #48 : Vintage Game Embellishments

November 12, 2010 // kristen // 3 replies

I love the idea of using vintage game boards and pieces as gift wrap embellishments! This super cool gift wrap idea was featured by Country Living and created by Nany Laboz, who suggests looking for incomplete vintage games at garage sales and flea markets, where you can often find them for just a few dollars. I’m imagining all of the neato things that can be done with this concept, and I’m actually getting a lot of design ideas from this, too.

If you’re not comfortable with using the original vintage items (I know that it would be hard for me to part with awesome vintage game stuff), you could scan them and print them onto aged-looking paper to create reasonable facsimiles. For findings that look like they might be part of a vintage game, I’d recommend looking in the scrapbooking aisle at the craft store. Over the past year or so, a number of companies have started making embellishments that are vintage-inspired, and while they’re not the real deal, some of them are pretty cool.

image from Country Living