Mint

One of our favorite sponsors Felt & Wire has some really great gifts for everyone on your list this year. They also have a large selection of cards and tags that would put the perfect finishing touch on any gift! Here are some of our favorites for the holidays, and be sure to check out their entire shop!

1. Heart Cushion Cover / 2. Holiday Music Card / 3. Yellow Candle Holder / 4. Kids Letterpress Color-in Clock / 5. Recycled Canvas Bucket / 6. A Year in Caps 2012 Calendar / 7. Fern Art Print / 8. Italian Grapes Journal / 9. Letterpress Holiday Cards (set of 6)

Thanks F&W! Sponsors help make Mint possible, and I am so grateful for their support. If you’re interested in advertising on Mint, please get in touch by emailing ellie at mintdesignblog dot com, and I’ll be happy to give you all the details.

The 3rd issue of Wrap is out, just in time to cover all the Christmas presents you’re buying. If you’re unfamiliar with Wrap, it’s a new magazine focused on contemporary illustrators, so you can read interviews and features, then flip over the page, disassemble the magazine, and re-purpose it as wrapping paper. Visit their shop for the full Christmas collection.

Illustrators: Donna Wilson, Josephin Ritschel, Andrew Groves, Iker Spozio, Ruth Munro, and Lesley Barnes

Luci Everett is an Australian illustrator / graphic designer / collage artist extraordinaire who creates beautiful work and seems to always have her hand in a new adventure. We caught up with Luci to get a little peek into her mind and see what she’s been working on and what’s next for her!

When did you first become interested in graphic design and illustration?
I think I’ve always been interested in it. Definitely since I was about 12 at least, although my work aspirations have changed (I don’t particularly want to design for teenage girls’ magazines anymore!).

We have been following your blog and love your posts “Things I’ve been working on.” Can you tell us about these new pieces? 
These are peeks at some illustrative stationery I’ve been creating for an online wedding stationery store which is launching very soon.

Do you have any other exciting new projects you are currently working on?
Yes! A few personal projects in the works. I’m working on a publication with my friend and great photographer Olga Bennett and an animation with two friends. I just finished a fun illustrative typography project for Frankie magazine which will be in the next issue.

Who, would you say, is/are the biggest influences of your work?
Probably a mixture of a gazillion sources. Some which come to mind: Chris Silas Neal, MASH, Dane Lovett.

What piece of art do you own that you cherish the most?
Other than my nephews’ drawings, I have a beautiful wooden “egg head” (that’s the only way I can describe it) by artist Eveline Tarunadjaja.

What are some of your favorite materials to work with?
Paper/collage, watercolour, pencils.

What are three things you never leave your house without?
Phone, keys, shoes!

What is the best part about living in Australia?
Lots of beautiful places to visit and road trips to take. The Melbourne coffee is killer too.

Thanks, Luci!

All work and photos by Luci Everett

Some things we are coveting this week:

+ Pippa Small’s ethically traded collection at Terrain.

+ These constellation calendars by little bright studio via Unruly Things

+ Erika Lawlor Schmidt’s collages via Design for Mankind

+ This apple galette recipe from La Tartine Gourmande, above

+ Turner Pocock’s Owlet Wallpaper via Design Sponge

+ A very cozy looking Rennweg Scarf from Anthropologie

+ LOCAL STUFF: First Friday Gallery Walk in Raleigh // Durham Storefront Project // Holiday Open House at Marbles Kids Museum’s Corner Store // Raleigh Winterfest on Saturday

 Have a good weekend!

We’re kicking off our 2011 gift guide series with design books. Why? Design books are the gift that keeps on giving! Above are some favorites from my own collection (which I refer to often), in addition to a few I wish would appear under my tree. Photographs and book descriptions provided by their respective publishers.

DIY Furniture: A Step-by-Step Guide
Featuring 30 designs by leading designer-makers from around the world DIY Furniture shows you how to use simple techniques to make stunning designer furniture from scratch. …Each project features hand-drawn diagrams with short, easy-to-follow instructions on how to build the piece.

Thinking With Type, Revised Edition
Thinking with Type is the definitive guide to using typography in visual communication, from the printed page to the computer screen. …Throughout the book, visual examples show how to be inventive within systems of typographic form—what the rules are and how to break them.

By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art
…By Hand features the work of thirty-two artists whose innovative and unexpected uses of handicraft techniques such as embroidery, sewing, knitting, and crocheting are making the age-old craft versus art debate obsolete. From Kiki Smith’s lovingly etched birds, to Barb Hunt’s knitted land mines to dynamo-ville’s one-of-a-kind puppets, to Evil Twin’s handstitched publications, the artworks in By Hand revel in the care and consideration of craft.

Vera: The Art and Life of an Icon
…An innovator and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs of her time, Vera built her company on a radical philosophy: fine art should be accessible to everyone, not just a select few. Known for her iconic images of cheerful flowers, trendy geometrics, and vibrant ladybugs, she believed people should surround themselves with beauty. …In this volume, richly illustrated with Vera’s original sketches, paintings, and photographs of her worldwide travels, readers are introduced to the amazing woman behind the dynamic designs that continue to inspire and influence art, design, and fashion.

Pulled: A Catalog of Screen Printing
Popularized in the 1960s by Pop artists such as Andy Warhol, screen printing remains a favorite of artists due to its remarkable versatility and relatively low cost. In Pulled, best-selling author Mike Perry (Hand Job, Over and Over) collects the work of more than forty of today’s most talented designers who are, in their own way, pushing the boundaries of this dynamic medium.

Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists
People are fascinated by artist’s sketchbooks. They offer a glimpse into private pages where artists brainstorm, doodle, develop and work on ideas, and keep track of their musings. Artists use these journals to document their daily lives, produce their initial ideas for bigger projects, and practice their skills. …See inside the sketchbooks of artists Jessica Hische, Mike Perry, Jen Corace, Matt Leines, Jill Bliss, Camilla Engman, Anders Nilsen and many more.

Design*Sponge at Home
The long-awaited home décor bible by design blogger Grace Bonney

To Each His Home: Inspired Interiors as Unique as Their Owners
…In To Each His Home: Inspired Interiors as Unique as Their Owners, photographer Bilyana Dimitrova takes readers on a tour of eight extraordinary homes that unabashedly express the personalities of their free-spirited owners. Dimitrova’s carefully crafted color photographs, accompanied by brief interviews with each homeowner, create vivid portraits of these one-of-a-kind American spaces.

The Printmaking Bible: The Complete Guide to Materials and Techniques
… The Printmaking Bible is the definitive resource to the ins-and-outs of every variety of serious printmaking technique practiced today. In-depth instructions are accompanied by profiles that show how working artists create their prints. Historical information, troubleshooting tips, and an extensive resource section provide more invaluable tools.

Stay tuned this week for our usual Mint gift guide round-ups… more books, DIY, and “gifts for good.”

Leah Duncan wants sugar in her tea and is darn proud of the city she now calls home: Austin, Texas. Her eye-catching prints and folksy illustrations are what initially pulled us into her shop, and her plethora of inspiring new designs is what keeps us coming back. We thought it only right to feature one of our favorite artists in our new interview series, and we are sure you will love her and her work as much as we do (if you aren’t already in her shop daily)!

When did you first become interested in drawing?
I spent my days in school daydreaming and doodling, but drawing was never something I saw myself as particularly good at. I remember loving my art and English classes the most and looking back I feel like I’ve always known deep down I would do something creative with my life. I worked for a screen-printing company as a graphic designer after college where I slowly started to get back into drawing. When I moved to Austin in 2008 I began to screen-print my work and put it on Etsy. Luckily, after a lot of hard work my business took off. I’m ever-so-grateful.

For many, it can be a challenge to continually come up with new and fresh ideas. Where do you find your inspiration?
Color, nature, animals, and the small moments in my life are what inspire me the most. I love taking a moment of my life and translating it into my artwork by humanizing a creature or just capturing something I see from day to day. I think my style comes from several different influences that include children’s illustration, folk art, my east Austin neighborhood which is predominately Latino, and the fact that I’m part Cherokee. If I’m feeling a sense of panic from a lack of inspiration I find spending time outdoors helps me cope and brings me back with a different perspective so I can regroup, focus, and hopefully look at everything with new eyes.

Who, would you say, is/are the biggest influences of your work?
There’s so much talent out there. It’s hard not to be inspired by every single piece of it. Beyond that, I picked up a love for Frida Kahlo from my sister that has never faded.

What piece of work are you the most proud of?
I’m very proud that I took the leap to attend Surtex, an art licensing show, in May. It’s an enormous undertaking and I jumped in with both feet, regardless of how overwhelming it felt at times. I spent day and night for three months straight creating new work. The only way I survived is that my husband threw pizza in the studio from time to time! Looking back, I kind of can’t believe I did it and I’m still not really sure where it all came from. But I’m glad it happened.

You are launching a new fabric line, Maya, in February. What sparked your desire to do a line? What’s the story behind Maya?
I’ve dreamed of having a fabric line for some time now and since I work so closely with textiles it seemed natural. Maya was inspired by my neighborhood and my morning walks with my dog, Oslo. I hope it gives a sense of the festivity and vibrance that I see in Austin day to day, from brightly colored, quirky buildings to piñatas and amazing mexican food. Maya is purely a reflection of that spirit and I hope the feeling it brings is quirky, beautiful, and vibrant – just like the place I call home.

What is your favorite part of working for yourself?
I’m in control. It’s all up to me and my determination. And I can dance whenever I want to.

What are three things you never leave your house without?
Burt’s Bees chapstick, a Bic pen, and my keys + iphone. That equals four, but the last two seemed equally important. : )

You live in a city I’ve always wanted to visit, Austin, TX. I hear so many wonderful things, what do you love about it?
You should visit! Austin is quite a unique place. There’s a weird sort of cowboy meets liberal hippy thing going on that makes for an interesting dynamic. The hike and bike trails which wind through the city are probably my favorite thing since I often go for a run or walk on them. It keeps the stresses of owning a small business at bay. There’s also an attitude here that is unlike any other place I’ve been. It’s perfectly OK to go to the grocery store in your pajamas. In fact, people probably won’t even notice. I kind of love that. The breakfas tacos, sunny weather, and cowboy boots don’t hurt either.

Thanks, Leah! 

Photo credits: 1 & 2: Leah Duncan, 3 & 4: Paige Newton

+ Anthropologie has some really cool substitutes for traditional wrapping paper this season, Spotted Indigo pictured above.

+ The 2012 Buy Local Calendar is the perfect daily reminder of what you should be buying locally in your city!

+ Pretty Penny has a lovely collection of silk scarves with fun, illustrated prints via unruly things.

+ These mixed media pieces by Paige Anderson tell the story of her family’s history using “meditative and repetitive processes” and are overall really amazing via arthound.

+ City Fabric’s Wear You Live started in Raleigh a little over a year ago and has since gained a lot of momentum thanks to Kickstarter. They now feature 15 city maps you can buy as a print, on a tote or on a t-shirt.