Not that WE need to be told that Nate Duval is a rockstar, but now the Boston Globe has caught wind of it too.

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New Blue Q stuff from Nate Duval.

Coin Purses:

And Pencil Cases:

Don’t you just adore Colin Johnson’s Flotsam & Jetsam?  Get your deluxe version of this fantastic print just in time for the holidays.   Hurry, only 50 available. 

Check it out here:

See the  step-by-step process of how Colin Johnson put Flotsam & Jetsam together at flicker.

Check it out here:

Here she is. 

The classiest woman in New York City.  I feel qualified enough to say that.  Because I’ve been to NYC a number of times…and lived there a bunch of years and…I think it’s true. 

May I present, please…..Louise Fili….and a tart.

When Deborah, Mitch and I went to visit her in NYC a few years ago, she offered us grilled Halloumi cheese with wedges of lemon and then showed us around her amazingly classy office (the word here in this here blog post is, indeed, classy).

She has collections from Italy, vintage food labels, matches, vintage advertising posters on the walls I could go on and on.  She is married to design author Steven Heller who worked for many years as the Art Director of the New York Times Book Review (currently serves as the co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City).

Check out her website and you can see everything.  INCLUDING the New Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval which, yes, she redesigned.

Here’s what she and her amazing co-horts at her studio have done for us over here (oh!  And there’s more to come!!  Keep your eye out on our website for the secret next item…coming in days…..):

da Vinci Zipper Pouch

da Vinci Shoulder Tot

Madonna Shopper

World Shopper

Alphabet Shopper

Our dear friend and extremely talented designer, Helen Dardik, has had her work stolen.  It happens.  Unfortunately.  But honestly, it never seems to go unnoticed.  This world is waaaaay too small.

Read more here at Helen’s Blog.

From Helen, and I completely concur:

I encourage everyone who feels that this is wrong to write an e-mail to KOKKA and let them know: info-os@kokka.co.jp

(and….I apologize in advance for the blog post directly below this one….bad timing…but hey, whatcha gonna do?)

There is a local artist around these parts who we just love and adore.  Maggie Mailer – and she just had an exhibit open Saturday night at the Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, Ma. 

So, I’m walking around admiring the colors, the mood of these pieces – I ain’t no art critic, but I really dug these paintings.  There’s just this classic quality – but a modern spin.  And the colors.  And the strokes on these puppies….

And then I saw this:

Hey!!!!!!

I know that guy!!!!!

Mitch bought a bunch of these little beasts called Sonny Angels from some wholesaler at a tradeshow in Dallas?  I think he said Dallas - do you know them?  They’re always in the office ready to be presented to just the right person at just the right time.  Once, he gave one to me….and then I gave it to Maggie…and there it was!!

Here’s the one that inspired the work of art – see below on the box (Frog Girl).  These are all in blind boxes so you don’t know which one you’re getting until you rip it open.

You can try your luck and purchase one of these lil’ cupie dolls on Amazon, or just buy one of Maggie’s paintings.  I’d shoot for the latter – but wouldn’t you know it, that one had a red dot next to it.

Roman Klonek designed one of my favorite new bags that we loving like to call “Chicken or the Egg”.

and also in Russian (the backside):

Here’s his website – I love the homepage:

Roman is from Poland (Kattowitz) and now lives in Germany.  Got all that?  He studied Graphic Arts in Duesseldorf and discovered a passion for woodcut printing.  Check out his website for great photos and more info.  I dig him so.  Here’s how the art for this bag got printed (and then he converted the layers into Photoshop files):

Step one:

Step two:

Step three:

Step four:

Step five:

Oh!  He also did this super sweet Snow Day Winter bag (can anyone say, perfect for holiday gifting??? – hard to think about that concept in July, yes I know….but you know, put it in your iPhone/datebook/back of your hand kinda thing).

This is Roy Fox.

Ok, actually, that’s not Roy.  That’s a collage he did.  It’s of R. Hovey, poet.  Not that Roy Fox isn’t a poet.  In fact, when you scroll through the Blue Q website, you’ll see it’s full to the brim with Roy’s poetry. 

The Flower Shopper.

Vintage inspired Air Mail Zipper Pouch.

You see all these vintage postcards of buildings in the photo below here?  Keep your eyes peeled – we have something s-uh-weet coming out in a few weeks featuring these puppies. 

He hails from Maine and recently moved his studio into this tremendous brick mill building where he can fit all of his stuff. 

Because he really does have a lot of stuff.

And he plays in a band (see the electric guitar hangin’ out over there).  The Bob Band.

But he, thank GOD, still finds time to design these little nuggets of eyecandy.

This is the Landscape Overnighter.

If The Shoe Fits Coin Purse.

And I just have to say that this little soap here, Mood Swing Soap, it the cutest and sweetest bar of suds.

I love Roy.  I talk to him almost every day.  He just came to visit and he’s lovely and wonderful.  Ok, enough enough!  Just go buy his stuff.

Don’t forget to check out all our other Designer Workspaces.  Utterly inspiring.

This gorgeous artwork is by Catalina Estrada…..

….whom we just love and adore.  I mean, look at her.  How can you not?  (Don’t you love what she’s wearing?  She designed it.)

More clothing designs.

Her work is just vibrant symmetry with birds and flowers dripped in electric color that is amazingly hard not to stare at.

This talented woman was born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, where she graduated with a degree in Graphic Design. In 1999 she moved to Barcelona and earned a degree in Plastic Arts. She works as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer in Barcelona with this view…..

The first thing we did with Catalina was this gorgeous Owl Handy Tote.  Still sells like hotcakes.

Then the Night Bird Overnighter:
Moon Garden Shoulder Tote:

And this super elegant and gorgeous Night Bird Stainless Steel Water Bottle:

Here, wanna peek into her world a bit?  Once you finish wishing you lived in this joint, take a look at this great piece about her in Communication Arts.

Don’t forget to check out the other Designer Workspaces.  More to come….

Let’s look at this Blue Q car air freshener closely, shall we?

Every once in a while there’s a Blue Q product that gets a TON of attention.  This time, it’s this one; the Nelson Mandela Car Air Freshener.

Damn Nelson Mandela, you smell so good!

It was designed by Mother NYC.

Sometimes, they think of just the strangest things.  I mean, this car air freshener smells like freshly baked cookies.

Speaking of freshly baked cookies, check out This Chick Bakes.  The bakers friends of ours….and so are their cookies.  But I digress…..

I love this guy’s work. 

He’s older now though.

Do you know him?  Christopher Silas Neal?  I first saw his work on Thumbtack Press a couple of years ago (a great site for affordable art, by the way).  But he’s everywhere really.

 He does most of the illustrations for the New York Times Modern Love section on Sundays too.

We were lucky enough to collaborate with him on dishtowels.  Please Feed The Birds, What’s For Dinner and Just A Nibble.

He works in an old Pencil Factory in Brooklyn and in fact when you send him things, you send it to the Pencil Factory.  What a cool place to work.  (All photos by Colby Bird).

Here’s a great article on Christopher from Communication Arts - I just wouldn’t do it justice so….enjoy the pics, click on the links, read the article and buy all of his stuff.

 Every Pencil Factory needs a pencil sharpener.