Our son is getting married in a few weeks to a wonderful young woman in D.C., and we spent this past weekend working on wedding gifts and favors for the guests that incorporate both their Irish and Hindu heritage. Our daughter thought of the idea of screenprinting an Irish and Hindu blessing on a piece of Irish linen. I thought it would be cool to create their own custom image of interlocking Irish love knots and the Ohm, the sacred Hindu symbol. Here’s what I came up with:

Read the rest of this entry »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I just found out about moo.com from Twitter, and boy, I am excited! Check this out: you can get your own custom set of 2-sided business cards, mini-cards (smaller than business cards), or a set of greeting cards, stickers, postcards or notecards… each one with a different piece of your own custom full-color art, for CHEAP!

The process for ordering is very slick. You can print your photos straight from your online photos at Flickr, Facebook, or several other places, or else you can upload them from your desktop. Your photos go on one side, with six lines of customizable text and a logo on the other. All you have to do is log on to Moo, enter your Flickr or Facebook information, and pick the photos you want to be printed. Nice.

They also offer a 100% recycled paper option.

I can think of a million ways to use these products. Like you see in this photo, real estate agents can print all their properties for sale. Companies can print cards with different featured products or services. Artists, photographers or agencies can use it to highlight different samples of their work. Check out moo.com and see what you think! I’ll post samples of the next project I do with Moo (I’ve already got something in mind…).

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

… he designs some cool funky bike racks for New York!

Read the rest of this entry »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Want to build some more brain synapses between your hemispheres, possibly reducing the damaging effects of Alzheimer’s and strokes? Try using your opposite hand!

You can actually teach yourself to write just as well with the opposite hand, believe it or not. It’s all a matter of forging new pathways in the brain, which is possible to do in a healthy brain of any age. (It could take months to perfect it, but it can be done.) I’m heavily right-handed, but have decided that for today– or as long as I can stand it– I’m moving my wacom pad over to the left side of my computer. It’s a very strange feeling trying to move the cursor. It makes me feel like i’m five years old, just learning to "draw" my alphabet. I can’t make a good circle, and can’t manage a straight line, because my left hand has no muscle memory for those kinds of fine movements.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

A couple of days ago, Google released a new open-source browser called Google Chrome. (The name "chrome" comes from the developer’s term for the graphics that go around the window of a browser). Their goal was to totally rethink the way people interact with the web, stripping the browser down to its barest essence with a minimum of tools and options. I am particularly fond of the "omnibar" as they call it: rather than having a separate address bar and search tool, it’s all combined into one. This will make my mother happy, who often types URLs in a search box and then wonders why it doesn’t take her to the website. (This will hopefully keep me from reverting to my annoyed adolescent voice: "Because you have to use the ADDRESS BAR, Mom! Duh!")

Read the rest of this entry »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

You gotta love those Japanese. Check out these aprons, designed by a prison official and cut, sewn and assembled by inmates at Hakodate Juvenile Prison on the northern island of Hokkaido.

Featuring the Japanese character for "jail" inside the circle, with "PRISON" printed in English below, they’ve been a huge hit among the non-incarcerated fashion conscious, and are totally sold out on their website. It’s been so popular, in fact, that the prison is planning to register the logo with the patent office.

The prison is not allowed to hire more staff to meet the demand, and the inmates are forbidden to work overtime.

But like every other hot selling design out there, it’s only a matter of time until somebody rips off this design. Toss those bootleggers in jail, and there you go! Instant labor pool!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Chic from Barcelona is now serving paella! I adore Spanish food, but for some reason, this wonderful little restaurant tucked in a shopping center at Forest and Preston always slips my mind. In fact, if it weren’t for the email I just got from them with the announcement of their new menu additions, it would’ve completely slipped from my radar. (Note to restaurateurs: send out regular emails to customers or you’re easily forgotten, especially in a restaurant-saturated city like Dallas!)

Barcelona Chic is best known for their secret rotisserie chicken recipe, served with wedges of apples. They have wonderful roasted asparagus and tapas, and they serve their gazpacho in tiny cups rather than bowls, which is a great idea for giving you a mouthful of fresh tomato goodness between courses. Check out this Dallas Observer review for more on the food.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

My 8-year-old friend Libby gave me this homemade birthday card yesterday. I guess she realized too late that coming up with 100 things she liked about me was a pretty ambitious undertaking.

I also love that "Loves salty snacks" starts off the list. The "perses" on the wall is a reference to my Indian purse that Libby thought would look cool on the wall of my Creativity Room as a decoration. Then, she said, any time I need a purse, I only need to pull one down from the wall, and voila! Problem solved!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Street "tagger" artist Aaron Gaglia, recently transplanted to Austin from Pittsburgh, just painted this great looking mural on the outside wall of South Austin’s Do512:

At a party hosted by Do512 on Friday, tons of people lined up to talk to Aaron, and he is already setting up jobs in his newly adopted city. He’s looking to create a "legit" art career down in Austin, after having experienced a little less appreciation from South Pittsburgh. Go Aaron!

Do512, "What to Do in Austin", is a popular Austin events site started by my brother Jimmy Stewart and marketing/developer whiz Scott Owens. You can use it to find out about thousands of cool things happening in Austin — art, music, theater, film, happy hours, special events, etc.— ranked in order of popularity. You can listen to bands, read reviews, watch videos, follow the recommendations of friends or other local media, and share your picks with others.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Walmart has a new logo, in an attempt to try to overhaul their image and seem a little more Supertargetish, and a little less Walmart People*. The typeface is nice and contemporary, and the new blue is definitely better than the dated navy all-caps version with the star, but I can’t help wondering how this logo made it all the way through the corporate channels without anyone pointing out its remarkable resemblance to a sphincter.

Check out the history of the Walmart logo here.

* Interestingly, when I tried to link to the free LHF Walmart People font, I can’t find it available for download except on Fontrader.com, which requires a registration. Most sites have removed it. I wonder if they got in legal trouble for their unflattering portrait of Walmart patrons and staff? Hmm….

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!