design / craft / inspire

my last post here, please visit my notebook!

2009-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

My new site is live! I'm VERY pleased with the way it turned out. My summer intern was wonderful and highly responsible for the successful launch... thank you, thank you, thank you.

My summer was very productive! I received many new fantastic projects that placed my site and other internal projects on low priority in the office. I debated my desire to redo anything, because I only launched my invitation site in March. My main motivation was to streamline my web presence. The studio site was dated, the invite site felt different and somber, the blog didn't receive my full attention.

I decided to create a single site with all three things in one place: my invitations, studio work, and a notebook for ideas and inspiration. I enlisted the help of a few super talented friends; writers and designers to map a direction for my notebook based on themes I share in this blog.

So, this will be my last post here. Please find me on my notebook directly or just visit preciousbugarin.com. See you there!

new site coming...

2009-08-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

I'll be launching a new site in September, a streamlined system showcasing all my work (studio, wedding invitations and personal) as well as a home for my blog. Andrea and I have been reshooting work and reorganizing all the content. Things are busy and I NEED to dedicate more time to the site and this blog. I have exciting news, new invite styles, and a new home for P.B. design coming soon, stay posted.

Seattle Central Library // Design Observer

2009-08-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

As a lover of books and a former university library employee in college; I have much love for libraries, especially the Seattle central library. If you have not yet visited it, it is an architectural and information design masterpiece. Here's a great article from Design Observer, read on.

Seattle Central Library: Civic Architecture in the Age of Media: Places: Design Observer

Shared via AddThis

what i've been doing

2009-08-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

Summer has been hectic at the studio and I have a lot of new work to soon share. I've had the pleasure of taking a few short trips with A. too. Maybe you can identify a few spots?

(The insect above is an alder borer, they are attracted to fresh paint, I was so taken by the colors that it inspired a new bug collection that A. is starting up again)

ahhh, the northwest :)

what's on my desktop

2009-07-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

As I wrap up for the weekend, I'm revising the Write Around Portland benefit invitation. This has been a wonderful project to work on. I'll be posting what is currently on my desktop each few days to share more about my process, stay tuned.

fashion of the times

2009-07-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Sorting through my mags I found another one of my favorite issues from the NYT; the Spring 2000 fashion issue inspired by the movies. These images are from the cover story, a Terry Richardson shoot inspired by the film, A Woman Under the Influence, excellent issue.

buttons buttons buttons!

2009-07-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

More vintage inspiration for an invite project. This one is from Martha Stewart a few years ago, I found it in an old tear book.

typographic history in stone

2009-07-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

I lived in the southwest for a few years and had the pleasure of visiting several amazing national parks and Native American sites. El Morro, a national park in New Mexico, was one of my favorites, A. and I visited twice and each time I found something new.

El Morro is the site of an ancient campsite found at the base of a sandstone bluff. Travelers would stop at El Morro for it's watering hole, a welcome rest in the dry climate. Hundreds of ancient petroglyphs and signatures are left at the site; recording all the visitors over time.

A history of written form is found on this rock; it is truly a spectacle. As a lover of type it makes me speechless to view ancient pictographs through modern letterforms as we know them. The inscription above is from 1709.

The craft of the carvings are amazing too, the precision of the P. Gilmer from 1859!

If you are ever in New Mexico I highly suggest a trip to this park and the surrounding area. The natural beauty and history is quite a treat.

amazing typography

2009-07-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a victorian era invitation right now and have been doing typographic research for the past few weeks. On the Martha Stewart Wedding blog I came across this fantastic book: Printed Ephmera by John Lewis.

I found the book at the library today and started to squeal with excitement. For everyone that is a type lover this book is A MUST for your library.

The combination of typefaces, styles, and proportions in many of samples is stunning; the compositions look effortless.

Along with victorian era invitations, handbills, and early American advertising are a few modern pieces. This is a birth announcement from Jan Tshchichold. I've been considering adding a line of modern baby announcements; the possibilities.

have you heard of?

2009-07-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Frazier and Wing, is a fine studio in PDX owned by designer and artist Heather Frazier. She creates graceful paper mobiles, garlands and other 3D items. Perfect for a child's room or event space, the mobiles are whimsical yet modern.

Heather was recently featured in the latest Martha Stewart weddings (go Heather!). The latest issue features many designers and crafters from PDX (soooo exciting).

Love this one...would look great above my desk!

japan flash

2009-07-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

My good friend Sandra from Berlin will be guest blogging today about her trip to Japan, enjoy!

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konniti wa everyone!

my recent trip to japan, which included kyoto, yokohama, osaka, mt fuji and tokyo, was incredibly inspirational. besides having vending machine for literally everything at almost every street corner, i was struck with the beautifully vibrant colors everywhere, an abundance of crazy tech gadgets, and the impeccable sense for delicate designs and tactile packaging. not to mention "the cuteness," as cute little iconic characters pop up everywhere making for "happy time."

giant robot from laputa on the roof of the ghibli museum, mitaka, tokyo

miyazaki's sketches where incredible!

the gian torayan at the MOT, tokyo

at fuji q highland was a display of this cat artist i fell in love with. more of mori wajin's work here

a live painting by a manga artist that was created during a show at a club in kyoto

mori tower in roppongi hills, tokyo

-s b

pattern pops

2009-06-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Greetings from Brooklyn. Thought I'd pop these shots in to brighten up your weekend. Happy Friday!

- t b

the redesign of nyt magazine

2009-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite mags is the New York Times magazine. I picked it up last weekend and noticed the smaller size! Yes, it has been redesigned.

Here's a side by side of the TOC with an issue from 2006 (I think!)

Notice the centered text. This is the second page of the TOC with a side by side.

Condensed sans serif!!!

The design change is subtle—though not typographically. I don't have the issue at the studio so I'll follow up with all the juicy type specs later. Enjoy!

minted minted minted!

2009-06-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hey! I've entered a Minted contest, check out the latest minimal holiday photo submissions. Vote here!!

Here's the next set, super simple!

guest // thomas bugarin

2009-06-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'll be traveling for a few days and will pop in and out during the week. My cousin, the talented Thomas Bugarin from Brooklyn will be posting a few lovely shots to inspire your week. He has a new series about Pattern he will soon be sharing with us!

hypercolor!

2009-06-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

I was shuffling through my magazine archive and came across this gem — my 2001 Wired issue with temperature sensitive cover. The ink is heat sensitive and upon touching it an impression is left, just like the Hypercolor tees from the 80ties.

After a couple of tries the ink wasn't reactive, so I put it in the fridge. After a few minutes, presto!

hot off the press

2009-06-15T11:55:00.001-07:00

I am a lover of printed things. Something magical happens when true ink hits paper—the chemistry of it all makes me swoon. Jenna's save the dates are now complete and off to her home. Here are a few details about the job for all you print lovers:

one color letterpress // custom charcoal mix // printed on lettra pearl

Farewell!

much love for UP!

2009-06-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Friday night A. took me to see Up! What a wonderful film, Pixar's attention to detail blows my mind. In the opening vignette the passing of time between Carl and Ellie is expressed in so many ways—watch for the tie pattern details and their costumes, wow...

There's a great feature in the NYT that describes the character development. Check it out here.

vera neumann

2009-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

My grandma has sent me another wonderful package full of awesome vintage textiles. She is always ahead of the style game, florals have been making their way back into everything.

These napkins are from Vera, a designer from the sixties whose bold floral and graphic pattern work are still popular today. Anthropologie is carrying a few scarves too. Check out the Vera blog for more inspiration here.

an awesome gift

2009-05-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday last week and I received an awesome vintage Japanese pickle maker. As a collector of all things design this is an amazing find for a number of reasons:

One: The quality of the packaging, brochures, and the item itself. Its in (almost) mint condition except for that $1 someone must have recently added to sell the thing.

Two: The colors, the screen printing, the pickle maker!

Three: The Japanese cartoon chef!

I've been in search of a good daikon pickle recipe to test it out—can't wait!

write around portland // spring

2009-05-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Write Around Portland is having their Spring anthology release party tomorrow at 6:30! This is the final selected cover.

I've been designing their anthologies for the past three years and it always blows my mind how much more powerful the words are spoken. When I set text and implement edits much of my time is looking at fine details—letterforms and punctuation at the micro level lose their meaning. The readings and release party always bring me back to my main motivation and joy for working with the organization. It's all about people and stories; that writing from the heart can change lives.

zoe bradley

2009-05-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

Have you found the work of Zoe Bradley? She is an artist who creates amazing paper sculptural pieces for installations, ads, and editorials. Her work is truly inspiring, check out her paper dresses! The image above is a tiny snippet from her site (a project for Surface magazine).

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custom save the date!

2009-05-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

My latest wedding invite project is ready to go to press! It's actually a custom mobius strip invite translated as a save the date. Jenna has been awesome to work with!

I created a 4 x 4 card with a three step illustration describing how to assemble the mobius, the mobius strip, and a custom graphic for the envelope. The suite will be letterpressed on pearl lettra by Clare in the next few weeks. I'll photograph a few samples to share soon.

an interesting wedding invitation

2009-05-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

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I found this awesome non-traditional wedding invitation at the Martha Stewart Wedding blog. I promise, it is worth a look, check out the invitation here!

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marcella robin

2009-05-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Marcella Robin is a fantastic chef and baker in pdx. I'm lucky to have her as a friend and client so that I can sample all her tasty treats. I'm currently working on promotions for her business and we recently set up a mini shoot of her cake cookies (they would make a cute wedding cake!). This is a sneak peek of the shots and hope to have a few cards to share next week.

patterns in nature

2009-05-12T07:44:00.001-07:00

I took a trip to the coast over the weekend and shot a few interesting textures on the beach.

This one is my favorite. The textures were created where a heavy grain of sand or rock remained solid as the wind eroded the sand around it. The next images demonstrate the process with larger stones.

This image is of an algae or plant growing in a pool of water. The image looks like land but it is of water. Great trip!

back to work

2009-05-06T08:16:00.001-07:00

There are exciting things happening over at Precious Bugarin Design, I've been busy on new fantastic projects—which sadly keeps me away from my blog. As projects come together, I'll be sure to share my process and products.

It's Spring in PDX which means crazy weather and flowers! Our lilies of the valley are in bloom, our small patch is spreading which makes me excited, I cut a few to bring to the studio this am.

typeface obsession

2009-05-06T08:05:00.001-07:00

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Iwan Stencil is my newest love. The typeface is a revival of a face designed by Jan Tschichold in 1929. It's a unique mix of modern typographic style with a modern serif—Bodoni. Linotype describes the face as, "All in all, the creation has a bit of a Bodoni-gone-crazy touch." I love this quote... I've been thinking about new business cards and a commitment to a single brand design, we'll see if Iwan Stencil joins the mix.

For all you type nerds and lovers, check out the sketches on the linotype site, truly inspiring.

Brain Dance

2009-04-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

Last week on the cover of the NY Times magazine, there was a fantastic illustration of the brain—if you reviewed the illustration closely you learned that the illustration was composed of people huddled closely together. On the site there's a great video of the cover process, wow!

a type master

2009-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

I purchased a wonderful book over the weekend, Active Literature, Jan Tschichold and New Typography. I'm a big fan of modernism and the work of Jan Tschichold—this book presents over 600 color images!! I had no plans to buy the book but was so seduced by the content (there's an image of his wedding invitation!) that I ended up taking it home. The book is published by Hyphen Press, they have several images on their site, take a look!

rick rack + inspiration

2009-04-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I visited a great thrift shop and scored a large bag of vintage trim. I sew and trims are great—but I was super interested in the packaging. I'm a collector of things, (it drives my husband crazy!) These things help to inform my work and inspire ideas.

These trim packages have wonderful typography. The hierarchy and mix of several different typefaces adds visual interested without an image.

I have a 30 or 40 year span of Wright's packaging. I think the 40ties (ish) packages above are the most successful. Notice below how the 70ties package adds an image and loses its impact—it's redundant.

Love this one! The colors and oval shapes are great, type is wonderful too. Notice the old Boiltex red and green labels above.

in the studio

2009-04-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

I've been working on book cover concepts for the Write Around Portland Spring anthology of poetry and prose. This is a sneak peek as I will be presenting the concepts today and working toward the anthology release at the end of May. I'll let you know how it turns out and what they select next month!

the power of brand loyalty

2009-04-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

TROPICANA

At the grocery store over the weekend I noticed the old Tropicana package back on the shelves—brand loyalty is a dynamic thing. The Pepsi + Tropicana rebranding has been all over the media. There was an interesting discussion about brands on Talk of the Nation yesterday. Listen to it here.

clu

2009-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

The dress designs of Clu inspire me—they are an excellent graphic mix of high and low. I found this dress at the Metier blog and love the lines. The entire collection is cool if you love knits and structural details.

wedding invitations

2009-04-16T08:04:00.001-07:00

At the studio we are having a 15% off wedding invitation promotion until May 15 2009. We can completely customize your invitation, check it out here!

magcloud

2009-04-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last month the NY Times wrote about a new magazine self publishing system, Magcloud, using HP's indigo technology. There's a great video from Berkeley students who use the system for their fashion magazine, Bare. I've always dreamed of having a full color printed magazine! If anyone has used Magcloud I'd love to learn more.

veer

2009-04-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

I received this promo in the mail last week and thought there was some kind of mistake in the printing when I went outside and a few of the letters turned green. Then I realized it spelled out a word, photosynthesis!

The card is a part of a new veer campaign. The cards are printed with a photochromic ink that is sensitive to light. As you can see from the image above, indoors the color doesn't shift—once outside notice how a few of the letter darken below, super cool.

checklist!

2009-04-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Look what landed in my mailbox yesterday!! An awesome new promotional piece by Jon, the Checklist 3000. The piece takes you through a list of skills and attributes the modern designer must have to succeed—super smart and funny copywriting keeps the tone light and makes you want to read on!

The everyday business materials are at a smaller scale, the clipboard is super cute at half size.

There is even a section at the back that you can use as a to do notepad! With each list starting with (of course) review Jon's portfolio...I think I will, excellent presentation.

yudu! yudu!

2009-04-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Craftervidz: Screen Printing with Yudu from Handmade Detroit on Vimeo.

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I found yudu on sale in the local paper last week and wondered if it was too good to be true. After watching a few tutorials—I WANT ONE! If you have experimented with the new screen printing system I'd love to know more.

something new at the office

2009-04-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

I bought this awesome paper lantern a few weeks ago at a great little vintage shop in my neighborhood—the colors really brighten up the grey day. The lantern is constructed from a pleated piece of paper stretched on a wire frame and stores like a paper fan, truly unique.

type nerds

2009-04-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Deep font challenge!

You may have already played this highly addictive type game—its super fun and a stress reliever! Try it here.

uppercase

2009-04-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

The new uppercase magazine is here, here's a pic of the awesome cover from their online store! If anyone knows where I can find it in PDX please let me know asap—I've really tamed my magazine collection this past year, but this one is definitely worth it!

finished!

2009-04-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

I've been horrible at reposting about prior projects—a few hats completed! The hats are off to NY to keep a few good friends toasty.

give power to designers!

2009-04-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

With more and more daily newspapers in the U.S. shutting their doors or translating their papers to online only versions—I found a designer in eastern europe on TED who is changing the face of the industry through design. Dynamic typography matters, can this happen in the U.S.?

a busy week

2009-04-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

I returned from my trip hoping to have saved more time to post work—I'll make it up I promise. It was a busy week with exciting new projects + a new term to teach. Here's a few pics of my new press kit. Beautifully printed samples from the talented Clare. Have a great weekend!

The back cover flap, there's a small insert that that logo hides under.

back to the office

2009-03-30T09:06:00.001-07:00

I returned home to find our magnolia tree in bloom. I shot a few photos to capture the perfect shade of pale pink. Pale colors are so hard to reproduce on press—I'd love to print with this exact shade.

knitting on a plane

2009-03-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

About four years ago a friend taught me how to cast on and knit stitch; with the Stitch and Bitch book and trial and error I learned the rest. I still consider myself a beginner—as I've never knit socks or a sweater. I enjoy knitting small items, especially children's hats as they knit up quickly and make great gifts. During the flight back to Portland I worked on this spiral hat—I don't use patterns so I'm not sure I can recreate it!

an interesting typographic mix

2009-03-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'm traveling right now and will be posting sporadically for you, I'll be back in full creative force next week. Before I let you go I'd like to share a few typographic and color gems from the short lived Blueprint, enjoy the rest of your week!

Style me Pretty

2009-03-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

A bit over two weeks ago I took the plunge and launched my first wedding invitation line! We've been getting a great response and wonderful feedback. I recently learned we were featured on Style me Pretty, the awesome wedding inspiration site. Check out the post here, thanks Abby!

mrs. eaves is now a teenager

2009-03-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

While I was poking through my magazine collection last week, I came across the old emigre type specimen promotions. The Mrs. Eaves one is my favorite, I'm a big Baskerville fan but Mrs. Eaves small caps has got to be one of the most well designed faces there is.

Ahhh, ligatures.

star hits

2009-03-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a magazine collector, it started in the 80s with this magazine and ESPIRT catalogs. I've been chatting with friends about how this collection will help to inform future work one day and here it is. Star Hits was an awesome teen music mag, the printing, paper, and typographic bursts were excellent in a way I was not able to understand as a 12 year old. Star Hits was the US counterpart to Smash Hits in the UK, due to the European influence the design was much more sophisticated (at least at the time!). Here's a few spreads, a blast from the past to end your week.

I love the circled letters and how the quotes are handled.

exquisite invites

2009-03-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

My mentor and dear friend Paul Tsang taught me the art of simplicity and details—that pieces can project a message through subtle qualities like paper, ink, and materials. Ornamentation is a beautiful thing, but it is much more difficult to work with our basic design element—type. These invites present his amazing modern work and also represent some of the creative direction he provided me during my time working with him.

The invite above is engraved in two colors, each layer of the invite—glassine envelope, to the cover and interior give the viewer an indication of the information to be presented next. The materials are selected for their transparent qualities.

I designed this invite under his creative direction. The envelope above is a remittance envelope that was blind embossed and letterpressed. The invitation was letterpressed on onion skin rice paper—what a challenge. We purchased all the paper available in the city at that time—so many of the sheets were ruined in the letterpress due to the weight I had to order more from Japan.

Visit Paul's beautiful work here.

csa + french paper

2009-03-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

Charles S. Anderson was here a few weeks ago and I sadly missed his lecture. A friend saved a few posters for me (thanks JS!). The posters look quite sweet in the studio and helped to brighten up a grey day. I especially love the kids mark, I want pink hair!

what i'm doing today

2009-03-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

*post update* Goods packaged and off to Kate! For more info on the Handmade Nation documentary please visit: handmadenationmovie.com

Yesterday I started to organize my patterned paper and cards to package for the Handmade Nation documentary swag bags (thanks kate!!!) Many of the sheets were remnants from the holidays and I transformed them into cards and tags—a few letterpressed Cheers cards will be included as well as a few bags. I'll be wrapping the cards for delivery today!

silhouettes by jenny lee fowler

2009-03-16T12:51:00.001-07:00

Not long after I posted my leaf invitation idea, I found Jenny Lee Fowler's amazing custom leaf silhouette's on etsy, these objects retain a magical quality, wow! Visit her work here.

latest knit project

2009-03-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

My trip to the yarn shop lead to the purchase of a cotton ochre yarn that I'm knitting into an eyelet patterned cowl. After a few false starts I've managed to get the hang of the pattern (this is my first eyelet!). I'll post the final result later this week.

vintage textiles 2

2009-03-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

More textiles from my collection! My grandma is way ahead of the curve when it comes to style—these are pillow cases she found for me a year or two ago, they are quite fabulous. They would make great tote bags.

spot of color

2009-03-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

I love paint swatches, especially the Martha Stewart line. I keep a small collection next to my pantone book for a bolt of color inspiration. I pulled out my swatches to inspire my trip to the yarn shop today, I'm easily distracted by all the textures and colors. We'll see if these palettes inform my weekend project. I'll let you know next week!

invite ideas

2009-03-12T13:49:00.001-07:00

I collected a few eucalyptus leaves with thoughts that they would turn into magical invitations. I love the found and organic quality, where each invite is an object of art, a keepsake for an outdoor wedding. I'll keep you posted—a new invite style perhaps?

vintage textiles

2009-03-11T09:50:00.001-07:00

My grandma finds and collects vintage textiles as special gifts for me, (I'm very lucky!) As many of my friends and students know I am a collector of all things—packaging, magazines, paper, buttons, ribbons... I didn't collect textiles until five years ago when she gave me a box full of vintage pillow cases and napkins for xmas. It was pretty amazing!

Here's a super special one—all the flowers are cut and hand embroidered. I'm a sucker for details!

bag shapes

2009-03-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a new bag shape, the modern lunch sack. If you have any questions or would like to purchase please contact me, or let me know, add to etsy!!

my collection of dresses

2009-03-11T09:29:00.001-07:00

I'm not a dress wearer—though over time I've collected dresses that have shared moments in my life or inspired my work through texture, construction, and pattern.

There was a small boutique on Haight street (it's sadly no longer there) that carried a fine collection of vintage dresses. I returned something hideous to commit to a dress that I would never wear. I was seduced by the embroidery details and the entirely embroidered construction, no seams! It fit, but was so delicate I ripped the shoulder. For the past ten years this dress has lay wrapped in my closet. It is truly a work of art and deserves to be framed.

Invitation Promos Out!

2009-03-09T14:14:00.001-07:00

I just completed a few promos with Clare for my wedding invitations. The small cards include images from the site and Clare hand set Futura and blind embossed them for the cover and an interior card. The cards are machine stitched with a single silver thread so that the cards are bound together. I think they look most interesting hung, I didn't intend for them to have a mobile like quality. The promos were a quick solution and I'm happy with the result!

Icelanders knit crafty response to global crisis

2009-03-09T07:42:00.001-07:00

Interesting article about craft in Iceland:

Icelanders knit crafty response to global crisis | csmonitor.com

Posted using ShareThis

2009-03-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

I was visiting its nice that and came across a fantastic design firm in Australia, beautiful work. I especially liked the above project, a wedding invitation—a sweet narrative about the couple. Visit Mash design to view their work!

knit cowls

2009-03-02T11:07:00.001-08:00

I've had some time to knit a few cowls. I went to close knit over the weekend, that yarn store is awesome! I found the bulky weight alpaca there and knit up the brown cowl for my sis. Mobius shapes have been on the brain and these two ended up that way too.

it's finally complete...

2009-03-02T10:18:00.003-08:00

After several years of creating invitations for friends and clients I made the big jump and spent the last five or so months developing a line of fine custom wedding invitations. The design came naturally to me, as typography is my first love. Each invitation is type driven and modern, the names and details of each wedding unfold to created the aesthetics and look of each invite. It was important to me not to rely on ornamentation as the couples story is central to each invitation.

The other bits and pieces in starting a new venture was carefully planned and edited. I thank everyone who has encouraged + assisted in my long process. Especially to Clare who will be letterpress printing our jobs!

The official site launch is tomorrow, after one last look at some details today. Here's a sneak peek: preciousbugarin.com/weddings

heroic

2009-02-23T11:07:00.001-08:00

I've loved heroic from a far and recently jumped in and purchased the typeface. Its a beauty—move over trade gothic, my new favorite is in town.

sneak peek

2009-02-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Precious Bugarin Design wedding invitations coming March 1! Here's a sample of the mobius strip invite. Stay posted, I'll present more invites and the final site in a few short days...

Dedicated to JW + 390

2009-02-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out my cupboards and found this packaging gem. This popcorn can from 1988 has some history. It lived with my dear college roomie and I in our first apt in SF, then our second, then it moved in with my sister and followed her around for several years and states to find its home with me where it now sits on a shelf with my other random collections.

i know, i know

2009-02-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

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More Coraline, here's a NYT feature with Henry Selick.

Those tiny skirts and shoes, a must see...

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i need to go!

2009-02-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

Like many art school students in the nineties I loved Nightmare Before Christmas—Coraline the new movie from the same director is out and in 3D! So many handmade elements it makes me crazy...

tiny hats

2009-02-04T15:30:00.001-08:00

I just completed a tiny hat for a friend's 2 year old and a super tiny hat for the little girl's dolly. I will give it to them tomorrow, hopefully I didn't just ruin the surprise!

I promise I'm coming back to this

2009-02-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

I've been away from my blog working on the release of a new product line. It's coming soon, I promise! In the meantime, I've been knitting and working up a few patterns. This one is hanging in my studio now and seemed to be the most popular item from the holidays.

Gift from Berlin!

2009-01-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Sandra sent over an awesome letterpressed calendar from Berlin. It was printed by Studio on Fire and features some beautiful illustrations and printing.

My most favorite drawing is of the little girl with her dog!

Bags available now

2009-01-07T11:41:00.001-08:00

My bags are now selling at Sameunderneath at their Mississippi and 23rd ave. stores! I dropped them off today, they should be available for purchase soon, check them out.

I just made this last bag for myself and have been getting great feedback on the stitch pattern. I hope to add it to the retail line soon. For inquiries about bags shoot me an email me at: craft@preciousbugarin.com!

New exciting book

2009-01-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

If you haven't checked it out yet, you must. The new alphabet pop-up masterpiece designed by Marion Bataille, ABC3D is quite fantastic. I was mesmerized by the U in Powell's, a great gift, thanks sis!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T17:13:00.003-08:00

After taking some time off to recharge for the holidays I got to visit a few of my favorites places. These pictures are taken from Golden Gate Park in SF. I REALLY wanted to visit the new Academy of Sciences pictured above--it looked amazing. Lines are long and admission is high, next visit!

The new De Young museum has a sculpture garden and strange fog area (above). I was able to catch a group of children running through it--it inspired us to do the same (though the fog seemed to stop when we arrived, how sad).

If you look close enough you can see the Golden Gate Bridge!

Wrapping Paper

2008-11-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

Gearing up for the holiday bazaar next week--here's a sneak peek of the wrapping paper.

Write Around PDX

2008-11-14T16:33:00.001-08:00

Concepts from my WRAP presentation this week. The client selected #1, will shoot images this weekend.

Amazing Cake

2008-11-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

I assisted my dear friend Marcella this weekend—taking photos of a gorgeous wedding cake she created. The mushroom topper is made from meringue; it looked amazingly real + cute! If you can recall the cookie self portraits from my studio open house; the graphics for this cake were created in a similar fashion, totally edible. M. is a super talented pastry chef; stay tuned for exciting collaborative projects between she and I in early 2009!

The base of the cake was quite impressive and beautiful—also made by hand by Marcella.

Tag project

2008-11-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of developing a few patterns for tag designs. I love how the final result after punching out each tag is unexpected and unique.

With so much knitting on my mind I drew a stockinette pattern, I like the way it turned out and hope to do a ribbed pattern too.

Knit cowl

2008-11-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

My inner hamster is running on its wheel busy making knitted goods for holiday gifts each evening and early morning. This is the first cowl I've made of the season and I'm afraid I might just keep it!

Wordstock, GO!

2008-11-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

The Wordstock festival is this weekend, for more visit here.

This festival is a unique opportunity to visit great publishers, learn more about the local literary community, and see nationally known writers speak, all for under $10. I highly recommend it! McSweeney's will be there...

Holiday Cards!

2008-11-04T07:25:00.001-08:00

Hurray! Holiday cards are here. Last week I visited Clare to print my cards. I designed a series of three panel cards, printed in two colors. Here's a sneak peek of two of the styles. They will be available by the end of the week here.

This style was snatched up by Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners—K. Rocks! They will be available at the store in packs of 5—it was exciting to get them ready for retail.

New Purses!

2008-10-29T14:40:00.001-07:00

I completed a few new bags last week out of white perforated vinyl. The messenger bag will soon have a black companion with a button closure, I'll post it soon!

Open Studio

2008-10-29T14:24:00.001-07:00

I was away for a week or so getting ready for my studio open house. I presented a few new purses and process for my line of holiday cards that will be completed next week, more coming soon. The turnout was fantastic, thank you to everyone for their encouragement and support!

Wall of holiday process

Marcella made fantastic cookies printed with my self portrait! They were super tasty and went quickly.

Library Book Sale! Part 2

2008-10-13T08:58:00.001-07:00

This book sale find is my favorite! Jolly Origami is a book by Tatsuo Miyawaki from 1968. The pages are screen printed with pop-ups of the actual origami. It is a wonderful example of how-to and information design with clear diagrams accompanying the pieces.

Library Book Sale!

2008-10-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to the library book sale—it was overwhelming! I was lost in the vintage cookbooks and walked away with many fantastic books. The lettering inspires me to do more handwritten pieces and may inform the holiday project I'm currently working on. The photos top and bottom are from an old Cutco Knives cookbook and the bottom two are from a Gaffers and Sattler gas range manual.

New Material

2008-10-13T08:28:00.001-07:00

On Friday I found a wholesale shop that carries wonderful perforated vinyl. A purse will evolve from the material soon!

I want to go: California Academy of Sciences

2008-10-10T08:15:00.001-07:00

photo: heather

photo: giantgingko

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The California Academy of Sciences is now open! In summer I spent some time obsessing about the building —viewing it from the website. According to the website the new Academy is believed to be the greenest museum in the world. The architecture is quite stunning, designed by Renzo Piano. The museum is three in one, plus a bit more: a planetarium, aquarium, and natural history museum. How I wish I would spend today viewing all the amazing exhibits.

Favorite Place: Park Life

2008-10-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

photo: A. Wiig

photo: slickrick

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I'm planning a trip home soon and have park life on my mind. Park Life is an art gallery + book store on Clement street in SF. It's a fantastic place for design books, funky tees, and unique strange/cute objects. What's unique about Park Life is how books are the central feature of the store with the gallery in the back—objects seem to compliment the books and artwork. Hopefully I will be there soon!

Sneak peek #2

2008-10-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

I completed a new style last night, I like the x pattern. I'll be doing some experiments with various industrial mesh fabrics I found today. More soon!

Brilliant self promotion

2008-10-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

I came across this is the nytimes moment blog and had to laugh. I'm currently teaching a portfolio course and often talk about student self promotion. This project from designer Chris Doyle of Sydney is a standards manual for his personal identity including correct and incorrect uses of wardrobe, clearance space etc. Very funny, check it out here!

Purse preview

2008-10-06T09:55:00.001-07:00

Briar at briarmade.com encouraged me to make a bag or knit a project for the Bitch magazine art auction. Here's a sneak peek of the bag I've made, though I'm working on another and may switch it up. Enjoy!

New Project from Sonya D. at Phaidon

2008-10-03T11:08:00.001-07:00

My dear friend — the talented book designer Sonya D. sent me a project she recently completed. As a fellow lover of type this project inspires me—type driven solutions can be successful and lovely on book covers. Beautiful work!

Here's the project description from Sonya:

Carroll was a true English eccentric, who was fascinated by word play, puns, anagrams, riddles, and all sorts of mathematical games and puzzles. Hence, the book cover features a playful extract from Through the Looking Glass, which not only directly refers to Carroll’s famous work, but also serves as a metaphor for photography — it is, in a way, our looking glass. When you look through the camera lens, everything is backwards and upside down!

Alice, who is about to cross over into the Looking Glass world, exclaims that the glass is ‘beginning to melt like a bright silvery mist’. Carroll took photographs on glass plates coated with a solution that looked like a silvery mist.

The lettering used for the title, is a Victorian alphabet which is a faux / three-dimensional face that was widely used as a display face in the 19th century. The book case is not traditional in the way that it simply repeats what’s on the jacket. Instead, it’s another playful quotation, something to discover.

The corners of the book block have been trimmed, a nod to old Victorian photo albums. Carroll used to make his own albums, later asking the sitter to sign his or her name under the photograph, once it was in place. These albums are now at Princeton University Library.

The colour references for the jacket and endleafs came Farrow & Ball paint range, these colours were used for decorating houses in the 19th century England.

New Project

2008-10-03T11:01:00.001-07:00

After spending many hours looking for the perfect texture and color I decided on a pima cotton that I will knit into a wrap.

V + L gave me an awesome knitting book last year that inspired me to start this project. I finally perfected the stitch and hope to complete the project in a few weeks. Though I have been distracted by a new purse project, so we will see how long it will take!

Interesting format

2008-10-03T10:46:00.001-07:00

I reviewed Joke's gorgeous portfolio this week. She uses a unique format combining images of the work and printed samples you can touch, it's a great way of displaying her work and craft.

This page shows a business package for an interior designer, where all pieces can be removed.

The next page shows a cosmetic packaging project where the photos are complimented by the actual printed labels.

New bike, okay kinda new

2008-09-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

A. bought this bike in summer with plans for us to use it to cart groceries back to our home. We took it on a test ride on Sunday and came back from the store with 4 full bags of food! I decided that this bike is much more comfy and fun to ride then my teen ten speed that sits waiting to be updated in the garage. We went for another ride tonight, go trike!

Cupcake hat

2008-09-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

Fall brings knitting projects. I just completed these baby hats for a friend. I didn't intend for one of them to look like a frosted cupcake but I like it. I plan on making more soon.