let's go!

 

Here's a sneaky little preview of an activity kit I had the honor of designing for Chronicle Books last summer, to be officially released this Spring–just in time for Farmers' Market season! The kit provides ways various ways for young children to participate and be engaged in the experience of going to the Farmers' Market, as well as learn about the importance of eating healthfully & locally.

little ones

Lost pages from an old picture book tell a story all their own; a disjointed melody of dainty little darlings, frightening in caricatured cuteness. Found here.


These bright-eyed bulbous beings remind me of this: The Science of Cute.

dining & doodling

 
I just received advances of this friendly little trio of doodling books I recently designed for Chronicle Books, featuring the ever-expressive illustrations of Sir Taro Gomi! The pages of these books, to be released this Spring, are meant to be torn out and used as placemats–a way to engage the imaginations of hungry tummies before sitting down for a meal. They seem to me to be the perfect excuse to host a dinner party! Who wants to come?

craft yourself

It's been awhile since I've taken up a needle and a thread, but in the dead of winter, I'm re-discovering inspiration in the humorous and the homely. 


Chapter openers for Amy's Simple Times, hand-crafted by Megan Whitmarsh. 

the searching eye

Film frames from The Searching Eye, Saul Bass, 1964

Work informs play, play informs work, and throughout both there are moments of triumph, and of despair. The new year marches on, and I continue to plow through with my head held high, my eyes wide open, and my hands busy.

"You know, we hear a lot about the joy of creating. What we don't acknowledge is the anguish and anxiety that come with the territory...Of course the pleasure when it does come can be very intense. Also, the play between pleasure and anxiety is part of the dynamic that makes the creative experience so compelling."

–Saul Bass

food values

Bought this lovely trio of cookbooks from the ever-gracious Bonnie a few weeks back. And now, as the days grow darker and the holiday season starts off with a gobble, it seems the perfect time to bring them back out. Because the winter winds, as bitter as they can be, also have a way of bringing us together. And so, for that matter, does food... 


With the end of a successful Thanksgiving feast, and the start of a busy yuletide season, I am ever more reminded at the healing capacities of cooking real food. It nourishes us, it teaches us, it comforts us. It provides context, and history, and calm. My only hope is that we can instill this appreciation in our future generations, because while pizza is delicious, it is most certainly not a vegetable. 


[On a side note, excuse the recent lack of posts. Notions & Potions had been busy, and also perhaps bit existentially uncertain about her relevancy and relationship to the internet and the greater blogging community.] 

reading, writing, and

Exploring Arithmetic, copyright 1958 by Webster Publishing Company

There's a crispness to the air today that reminds me of plaid uniform skirts and pumpkin muffins for breakfast, of pencil cases and new backpacks, of spelling tests, library books, and arithmetic. I never was attracted to math, yet I can't help but want to pull out a hand-crank pencil sharpener and spend an early evening filling in these whimsical pages. 


The desire to keep learning is strong, and the mind questions whether my current path is the right one. In this Autumn air, I long for academia. 

telling stories

I am pleased to present some sneak peeks of the first two picture books I had the pleasure of designing for Chronicle Books this past year: Stephen Shaskan's ever-so-cheeky A Dog is a Dog, and Bob Barner's Animal Baths. 


Despite some recent naysaying, the picture book still remains as the pivotal format of classic children's literature. Deceptively simple in design and format, picture book design relies heavily on the outstanding talents of the illustrator, whose personal vision and rendering style carry the spirit and drive the narrative of the book. In this case, the role of the designer becomes that of a composer–the invisible presence who shapes the composition through quiet direction while letting the voice of the illustrator shine. I had the privilege or working with some amazing (and patient!) illustrators, and through many rounds of sketches and typographic exploration, these books are complete. They are ready to sit on a nightstand somewhere, waiting for those quiet moments before bedtime, when their pages will be turned, and their stories told. 


The Target Children's Book Festival is this Saturday, and Minneapolis' own Stephen Shaskan will be there! Will you?

good things to eat

Been spending a lot of long-overdue time in the kitchen lately,whipping up some good things to eat–my gluten-free versions of some of the classics. Thank you, Babycakes and Elana for the inspiration. When life gives you lemons, you bake!

Anyone want a bite? I'd love to whip you up a batch of something sweet.

creative playthings

I've been positively gaga over this über retro catalog of children's toys from the 70s, plucked from a thrift store and sent to me all the way from the mean streets of Philadelphia (thank you, Jenny)!


Lately it's been reminding me of all that I believe in–a ray of sunshine through the clouds. Because we'd all like to believe that the world is still joyful and good.