NEW WORK: Logo and a SURVEY!!

Cafe Awesome is a sweet little project I'm working on. The best part, the client is my 8 year old niece, Tari! Last week I received a very official email where she asks for my design services in creating a logo for her newest project, Cafe Awesome. The instructions were specific. The name of the cafe as well as a tag line that reads "It's Awesome!" was to be included. So I went to work.
Below are the results.  I don't have approval yet from my discerning client. Actually, she would love your help picking the winner. So let's VOTE! It's easy.

Just select your favorite in the survey column to the right of this post!

1, 2, or 3. You have till Monday so check them out and let Tari know your pick.
We are counting on you...

1. (below)

2. (below)

3. (Below)

IT'S HERE!

BeachCityCountry is here! Are you ready???
Which is your favorite?

Student wall "paper"

It's spring break this week for me and my clan!  But, before leaving for wherever they were going, I had them pin up their latest work: a portfolio. They are charged with making a book showcasing all the work they have done during their architecture education. So, here they are, baring themselves. I have to say, there is some pretty good work up on this wall. What do you think? Can you spot a favorite?

A custom bag coming to life

A few weeks ago a friend from long ago contacted me wanting a custom bag. A few idea emails were exchanged and before long a custom tote was in the works.
My primary goal for writing this blog is to give you insight into the process of designing and making. How do things come to be the way they are? It's no easy task, but I hope you at least get a peak into my world and the way I think. Enjoy the images, and Sara, enjoy your new tote!

The handle for the tote is a reclaimed leather belt I found. I chose it because I felt the natural leather works well with with the Gray Felted Wool. My favorite feature is the 02115 zip code stencil. It's the zip code where Sara and I went to college. It's moments like this that help me remember why I love what I do. It's intensely personal, always.

Is that me in the window?

A couple of days ago, strolling down Center Street, window shopping my favorite spots, I look up and see my Saddle Bag perched on a "man"-equin's hip, peeking out from under a very cool jacket! Of course, I know my bags are at Salmagundi, my favorite shop in JP, but seeing one there in the window was unexpected and so exciting!

If your wondering, 02130 is the zip code in JP! Fun and graphically cool too.

open.market

Big news! 
MAKE.GOOD studio will be at SOWA Open Market next weekend September 25+26!!! This is a great weekend outdoor market that features many handmade wears, music and food. What makes this weekend even more exciting is that it's also South End Open Studios! You can stop in artist's studios and see their work, meet them and buy art.
I am over the mood about having been chosen to participate. It's a big step for my little operation and a great way to get my handmade bags and home collection to a broader audience.
I'm working extra hard this week to have lots of new bags in great winter colors. I'm also planning a great GIVEAWAY that weekend so don't miss it... I look forward to seeing you there!

letter.press

Last week's trip to the antiques market was more than just about a fun morning out with friends. It was also a day to find inspiration for MAKE.GOOD studio. Winter is fast approaching and I've started working on a new line of bags and home accessories, but inspiration is lacking. It must be the changing of the season. It always brings on the urge to hibernate.
But this Fall I'm staying focused and luckily my finds at the market are helping. I found these beautiful antiques printing plates! Some have text, others images, but overall I'm loving that the results are still abstract.
I'm not sure yet how they will make their way into the new designs, but I'm excited to try.
(My favorite is the series of squares in the second image on the left! Click on the image to zoom in and take a closer look)

First.Thursday.4

I walked down the block from my apartment carrying all my wears and arrived at Salmagundi at around 5:30 last night to set up for the Trunk Show.  Greeted with great enthusiasm by the lovely owner Jessen, I was shown around this little gem of a hat shop. Gorgeous hats and belts everywhere, propped beautifully on display. So many lovely things, I instantly felt like a part of it all. The music was playing, and we could feel the anticipatory energy in the air.

By 7:30 the shop was bursting, the cava was flowing, and the evening was in full swing. What a wonderful night! I met so many great people and the positive feedback of the bags was overwhelming. That's me in the photo above chatting with two lovely women that wanted to know all about the fabrics and stencils.

Friends stopped in to say hello, offer support, and buy a bag, of course. The HipBags were a big hit with bikers, travelers and dog owners. The clutches caught the eye of quite a few very stylish ladies, and the tote's leather strap reminded one girl of her childhood. Wonderful!

Thank you all who came to Salmagundi last night for the Trunk Show. It was great to meet so many lovely people and get so much positive feedback on my bags. JP is an amazing community and you all make it so!

First.Thursday.3

The countdown has begun! Officially, three days till First Thursday, September 2nd and the MAKE.GOOD studio Trunk Show at Salmagundi!
If your curious as to what great MALA handmade bags you'll see...here is a sneak peak.

First.Thursday

MAKE.GOOD studio will be participating in Jamaica Plain Center/South Main Street First Thursday in September!!! (That's Sept 2nd!)
Find out soon which fabulous shop will be featuring our MALA handmade bags!
If you haven't been to a First Thursday in JP come on by. It's an evening of Live Music, Art, and a peak into a great community! Hope to see you there.

house.calendar (mobile.homes.4)

Every project comes in its own time. The past few days have been bright with the possibility of this latest work. And after a long process of working with this iconic form, the 'House' Calendar has arrived!
The changing of seasons in New England inspired this collection of small watercolor vignettes depicting sky, ground, and house.

Visit the online shop soon to purchase prints!!

mobile.homes.3

What started as an obsession with the iconic form of "house" is turning into much more.
This little shape holds so much meaning. It is evocative of times in our lives spent curled up inside as the snow fell outside, playing in the tall grass as the sun warmed the shingles and our bodies, and of the days the leaves turned red and the cool breeze through open windows lulled us to sleep at night.
These are the memories of home in New England.
This project captures these moments as the long year progresses and changes and our relationship to home changes with it. As the seasons change, so do the colors of our lives. It's a subtle shift but one that resonates with us all.

mobile.homes.2

One of a few recurrent themes in my work is the "house" with it's sloped roof and sturdy proportions. An iconic form, it is classic and modern, intimate and generic, simple and complex all at once.

These are a few small scale pieces I'm working on where I use both the iconic image and the word home to create evocative compositions. I plan to make a much expanded series of these in various colors and text combinations. Check back soon. They will be available in the online shop both with clip hanging and framed!

inspiration.walk.3

I am overjoyed by encounters like this...a random mailbox, tagged.

explaining.stuff

I've been working on ways to better communicate what a MALA handbag looks like in real life. It's a challenging thing. A pretty picture says a lot, but there is nothing like understanding dimensions, colors, and fabrics to help you make a decision about whether or not you will buy something.
Between designing, making and selling, I've been working on some graphics to help communicate the detail information better. Still not quite working, but progress is being made.
Anything you would like to see? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below! Thanks.

Eames.Love

I am in love with these Eames House Blocks!
They are simple and beautifully graphic without all the plastic typical of kids stuff. It seems to me that the imagination is pretty involved when playing with this toy and, bonus, it will look great sitting on a dresser or bookshelf!
Is there a little one (or big one) in your life that would love these?  I know I would love a set. It's never to early to start shopping for Christmas (hint, hint).

(Image House Industries)

sneak.peak.3

Where do the long days of summer go?...away too quickly, it seems.
Thought I'd share a few things that have been in the works while I've been away from blogging.

Hip.ster

I have been hard at work developing a line of MALA handbags for a little shop in JP!! Can't reveal all the details yet, but here is a little peak... The design is based on the ARMY MARKET COLLECTION I recently released for Summer 2010.

Eames.Yippy!

Can hardly wait to get my Eames Century Modern Catalog by House Industries!!! (it's Free!!)

(Via Designer's Library)

just.tuesday

A few things in the works...on a Tuesday.