The Artist

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to see The Artist as a sneak preview. Knowing little (well, nothing, really) about the storyline, I was surprised to discover that the movie was created as a silent film. Initially, I was skeptical of whether it would hold my attention for 100 minutes but by the third scene, I was totally captivated!

Set in 1920s Hollywood, The Artist tells a story of two charismatic movie stars. George Valentin, a prolific silent film star, struggles with adapting to the world of talking pictures. Peppy Miller, a young and energetic aspiring actress, is destined for talkie stardom. The two serendipitously cross paths and develop a relationship that bridges the generational divide.

Beyond the unique storyline, endearing characters, and feel-good ending, I liked that this film was set in a time when my beloved 1913 letterpress also existed. It confirmed for me that truly great concepts are timeless.

Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Stars: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo and John Goodman

Sir Ken Robinson: Schools Kill Creativity

Even though it was long, long ago, I still have vivid memories of art class in elementary school. I remember the chalky smell of those puck-sized tempera tablets and labouring to grip those giant, red handled brushes.

Like little robots we'd all paint pictures of puffy green trees set against a pale blue sky, with a rainbow falling behind two intersecting hills. You know the picture I'm talking about.

Even though our ever nurturing teacher praised us endlessly for what good little artists we were, when I brought my artwork home, it made my mom cry. She cried not because my painting was just that good (which is what I thought at the time) but because she knew it was the beginning of the end of my free imagination.

In this poignant and funny 2006 TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning — creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish.

Echo Park Paper

I may have mentioned in the past that I am a shameless sucker for packaging and gift wrapping is certainly no exception. Not only does Echo Park Paper have ridiculously cute designs, they've taken it one step further and created themed collections complete with stickers and tags so you can wrap like a pro. (Or in my case, hoard it like we're running out of trees!)

Creative Genius?

A while back, my eldest sister posted this photo on her facebook wall. A message from her 13-year-old son. Is he a creative genius? I think so!

Ellen's Frightened Writer!

Recently, Ellen sent her writer, Amy, through a scary Hallowe'en maze at Universal Studios Hollywood. This is seriously one of the funniest videos I've ever seen! Thanks for making us laugh, Ellen!

Coffee & Letterpress

On a recent trip to Chicago, we discovered this fantastic coffee bar on our way to visit the Chicago Museum of Art. Our first clue that Intelligentsia had great coffee? No free seating at 8 o'clock on a Saturday morning! (We ended up at fabulous Caffè Baci instead.) Fitting to their urban yet down to earth brand, they chose to use letterpress – white ink on a coffee bean brown card stock – to print the tent cards on their table tops. I didn't want to impose my camera on the locals' morning ritual so that means no photos, but I'm sure you can use your imagination with this one!

Mighty Mouse Surgery

I'm happy to report that my once mighty Apple Mighty Mouse is once again, mighty! After being faced with roller-ball failure on a second Apple Mighty Mouse, I decided it was time to operate. One knife, one screw driver, one damp cloth and two pieces of tape later, it was all fixed! Avoiding a triplicate purchase at the Apple Store was certainly gratifying but in the end, what I really appreciated most was being reminded of how much fun it is to take things apart and see how they work!

Here's a short photo essay on my experience as a Mighty Mouse surgeon.


My Apple Mighty Mouse about to have an operation.

The mouse on its back in preparation for surgery.


With a thin instrument, I carefully pried off the outer ring. The ring was glued down so I had to gently wiggle it loose in order to remove it without breaking the plastic. (If you choose to use a knife like I did, please wear protective gloves and be very careful!)


This is what it looked like with the outer ring removed.


The next step was to remove the inner grey ring. It wasn't attached with glue so it was much easier to lift off – shown here. (In hindsight, I'm not entirely sure this step was necessary.)


Once the grey ring was off, I gently pried up the bottom of the mouse at the end where the cord feeds in. There was a hinge mechanism on the other end, so once the cord end was free, I unhinged the other end with a little squeeze and a wiggle.


Once that was done, it looked like this. There were a couple of thin electronic pieces that connected the top and bottom of the mouse – I left those connected and was very careful not to damage them.


Inside, there was this little black box with three little screws that I carefully removed.


The contents of the little black box looked like this. Once it was open, I could clearly see the problem – check out all those dust particles – eew!


I noted the shape of the white plastic piece, knowing it would be key to putting the roller-ball mechanism back together again.



After I had very gently removed the white plastic piece, this is what it looked like. All the little pieces inside were free so I had to be careful not to lose any. (When you do this, if any of the pieces fall out, you can use this photo as a reference for putting it back together again.)



With the little grey ball out, this is what I was left with. Can you see the four tiny black and white pieces with the dust particles stuck to them? One-by-one I removed and cleaned each of them with a damp cloth, and while I was at it, I also cleaned out any other particles from the inside of the mouse. After everything was dust free again, I put everything back together by simply repeating the steps in reverse. To make it easier to clean in the future, I decided against gluing the rings back on and opted to tape the rings in place instead. 

I hope this inspires you to explore the insides of your own malfunctioning electronics instead of feeling like you must resign them to the landfill. With nothing to loose, you might as well go for it, right?!

NOTE: Please be sure to exercise caution by wearing protective gloves and glasses and heed all (if any) warnings noted on the casings.

Sole Mates

My friend Illene is Queen of all things innovative. In fact, she should really be contributing to this blog on a daily basis but since she insists she is a designer not a writer, I will post this for her!

You finally found the perfect shoe to go with the perfect outfit, what more could you ask for? Sole Mates! – little caps that you clip on to the heels of your stilettos to save them from grass, mud, cobblestone and sidewalk cracks. Well, how about that... you don't have to sacrifice your favourite pair of shoes for your best friend's garden wedding!

Obsessive Consumption

In this season of extreme consumerism, I thought this would be the perfect time to share this amazing blog. Since 2002, Kate Bingaman-Burt has been documenting her personal consumption... in illustration. French fries, a bus ticket, some scotch tape. I love the quality of her illustrations and of course think they would look amazing printed in letterpress!


Photo: Obsessive Consumption

Touch Me!

It's been a while since I've come across something that's really compelled me to note it in my Creative Thinking category but this definitely caught my attention. Remember those lights that turned on and off by touch? How about this, a FAUCET that does the same! My only question is, what took ya so long?!


Video: Delta Faucet

Get a Grip

Check out these little beauties from Mayfair Lane. Clips that grip to surfaces where magnets don't: stainless steel, whiteboard, glass, mirror. And there's a patchwork of lively designs to choose from.


Photo: Mayfair Lane

Black Chandelier

If the Bendant Lamp had an arch nemesis, this would be it. The Concerto Black Chandelier. Props to The Home Depot for carrying such a cool line. Check out how Color Confidential used it in Episode 75.


Photo credit: The Home Depot

Thinking Outside the Bin

You know you’re a true recycler when you look at a bowl of pistachio shells and you think to yourself, “I must be able to use these for something.” The authors of the How Can I Recycle This? blog began with this thought and are now proving to the world that you can repurpose virtually anything. What’s really cool about this blog is that it acts as a public (and global) forum for all to offer up their own unique and often ingenious repurposing ideas.

Now…what to do with those “non-recyclable” bottle caps…

The Bendant Lamp

This piece is noteworthy on so many levels but what I really love about it is the idea that it has the potential to give the average everyday person the feeling of being creative. The Bendant Lamp is ingeniously designed. Each piece comes flat, you bend the leaves however you choose and…voila! A one-of-a-kind designer pendant lamp designed by you! MIO has been creating sustainable products since 2001.


Photo credit: MIO

What's not to like?

Recycled banner bag companies are popping up all over the globe but these guys are credited with the concept. Swiss by design, Freitag products are one-of-a-kind, totally functional and of course, super cool. If you’re a sucker for design-your-own functionality like I am, check out their “DESIGN A BAG” tool for endless hours of entertainment.


Photo credit: Freitag

Paper Magic

Paper sculpture has always fascinated me. Years ago, I endeavored to carve the Leaning Tower of Pisa out of a sheet of bond with a #11 x-acto for a school project. The end product was impressive but excruciatingly delicate and eventually disintegrated over time. Peter Callesen has mastered the art and taken it to new heights with his conceptual sculptures. His framed work is especially exceptional.


Photo credit: Peter Callesen

Protection with Style

I love my iPod touch and want it to stay shiny and new forever. Thanks to GelaSkins there’s now a practical and stylish way to protect our cherished toys without adding extra bulk. With dozens of designs to choose from, I spent about an hour on their site before finally deciding on Blow Fish designed by Nanami Cowdroy. My new skin arrived in the mail today and it’s every bit as adorable as it looked online. The vinyl isn’t stretchy like “gel” would imply, but is extraordinarily easy to reposition — for all those perfectionists out there (like me) who want it applied just right.


Photo credit: GelaSkins