Cafe Cartolina

Friday, January 14, 2011

Found

I think this is so pretty. A one of a kind original watercolour painting - under glass - and around your neck. Very pretty, from Heather Kent.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

I couldn't resist sharing this with you this morning. A sneak peek at 1 of the 9 new Cartograms available as a free upgrade to the Cartolina iPhone app. They should be available at the app store in about 2 weeks. Hope you like!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Found - instant collection

Have you been shovelling snow like mad for the last few days? Well here's something to make you smile - an instant collection of toy tin shovels from Sushipotparts. Probably meant for a sandbox but would make a great wall display in a kids room!

Inspiration - vintage packaging

I have no qualms in saying that I am completely jealous of Christian Montone's collection of vintage crayons, paints and art supplies on Flickr. I want everyone of these - and he has so many. I think they are terrific! You must check them out asap.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Inspiration - Step right up!

Very cool vintage carnival game - great graphics and wonderful decor piece from here.

More great carnival art from here.

Very impressive carnival/carousel horse with wonderful carving and colours from here.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Folk toy prints for sale

I know we have seen some of these illustrations make the rounds on the blogs in the past - I think most of them were from a Flickr collection. These are actually FOR SALE! Etsy seller King Paper is selling the individual prints for $10/pair. These pieces are from the book Folk Toys - Les Jouets Populaires, illustrated by Emanuel Hercik, 60 years ago. They really would be fabulous framed on the wall. here are some of my faourites.

Inspiration - rainbow hues

Okay bear with me - there's something really appealing about the rainbow hues of these kitchy little doilies. They caught my eye and I filed them away under 'inspiration' - perhaps you will too. From BD Vintage.

Random object

I couldn't resist this fab little radio from here.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Doug's new illustrations

Doug has been working on some very cool illustrations recently. I specifically love this piece that he did for the Wall Street Journal. Doug's been illustrating for a long time now with clients that include the New York Times, Washington Post and LA Times. Very cool. You can see more of his new work on his site which I updated for him yesterday :-)

Found - Annie Smits illustrations

I wanted to share this holiday card with you that I got from Helen our New Zealand distributor. This card is from a line of cards she carries that reflects New Zealand heritage and culture. I love that this angel has the simple and exotic 'tribal' decoration that you might find in Maori art. Illustrated by Annie Smits.

Illustration by Annie Smits

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Inspiration - printers samples

Some simply stunning examples of early 20th century printing. The skill it took to design and print these blows my mind. I am always in awe when I run across stuff like this. From Sheaff Ephemera.

Inspiration - patterns

We have seen these a few times recently but this a fab collection on Flickr - security envelope patterns.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Hello everyone - welcome back for a whole new year at Cafe Cartolina! I'm excited. This time last year I was making big changes at Cartolina. I knew it would be a big scary year as we tackled a whole new distribution model, selling cards to buyers in more places around the world than I ever would have expected. I love that Cartolina has found such appreciation in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand - and I am so grateful to everyone who has made that happen in the last 12 months. So let's say hello to a whole new year - it's looking pretty good so far!

A new hobby or great inspiration?

These are plates are from vintage books on Pennsylvania folk arts being offered for sale here. I thought they looked very interesting - a new hobby perhaps or just some really great inspiration!