Not A Dollarshort

Cuts And Caps.

he gorgeous Briar Press, a resource for printers and enthusiasts, offers free downloadable "cuts and caps" for use in "print, web, or even letterpress projects." Some particularly nice ones are Catchwords, Bird Header, M Franklin, and Leaf. Link via Typographica

Credentials.

Yeah, the dog is cute and all, but you've got to love the photo on that credential badge.

Ephermera Online.

EphermeraNow is a great collection of high-quality, mid-century advertisements and illustrations.

According to the site's question page you can save these images to your own computer for personal use, but you can't use any of these images on a website without permission and/or payment. Is this how the public domain works? Could anyone just scan in some images from old magazines and resell them? Seeing all those watermarks made me wonder. Most likely, you'd be paying for labor (scanning, burning of images) and not the images themselves. Still, $400?

Regardless, this is a vibrant collection worth perusing.

No fish-assed-tasting chicken was served.

Rooster at the Hitchin' Post, David Sedaris' latest offering for Esquire, can be found in the September issue of the magazine. Yes, that Rooster got married and David Sedaris writes about the days leading up to the wedding.

What made me absolutely giddy about this piece was that it was accompanied by four photos of the happy couple -- including one full-page shot. Now in the past, I have questioned the existence of The Rooster -- or at least The Rooster as described by Sedaris. David Sedaris has even admitted in past interviews that he adds a bit of exaggerated color to his stories. After seeing these photos, I felt reassured that the world was indeed good and The Rooster did indeed exist. What's more, The Rooster has his own flooring company, a division of Silly "P" Floorworks.

And you can buy T-Shirts, too.

Chief.

Inaction Figure is a project that my sister-in-law Sarah recently started with her two friends:

"Our first product is called The Chief. The chief is a plastic yellow bird with a smug look on his face. He's the king of birds! The Chief was designed by Sarah and built by Devin. When you order him you also get a twenty page storybook which, assuming you can read, makes it a better deal. The storybook, entitled "The Adventures of the Chief" is a work of fiction with few rivals."

Not mentioned on the site, but probably of interest to anyone considering puchasing him, is that he's about 6-7 inches tall. He's $12, a relative steal for a product hand-crafted with love.

If you decide to buy Chief, tell them Mena sent you. I won't get any money -- just some sister-in-law appreciation for supporting her bohemian lifestyle.

Coloring Contest Vote

Cast your vote in the latest coloring contest.

What would Anil Do?

mena: http://littlesister.mcgraws.com/blog/
anildash: so that's who you stole your layout from?
mena: ha ha. she stole my source too.
mena: Motherfucking Beatrix Potter lover.
anildash: I'll give you a $100 if you post that.
mena: Make it this fondue pot and we have a deal.
anildash: you camgirl ho.

YACC.

It's coloring time again.

This contest, brought to you by Central Booking - Read Like Crazy.

Carousel of Social Progress.

From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Within These Walls is the beautifully designed online companion to the exhibit of the same name.

"One house tells the stories of five families and 200 years of history."

Link via Spinning-Jennie

And it's not from the Library of Congress.

"The Ad*Access Project, funded by the Duke Endowment "Library 2000" Fund, presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955."

Some interesting finds from this collection: "104 of 106 independent stations want "better pictures", "I turned the music louder to drown out the silence", "What Will I See On My Television Screen?"

Once you've browsed through the ads and, as Coudal Partners suggests, spent "one day on the art direction, another day on the type, and a third on the copy," make sure to explore the other collections housed by the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke.

Including, but not limited to:
Medicine and Madison Avenue
The Emergence of Advertising in America
Historic American Sheet Music Collection

Link via Coudal.