I’ve been counting down to Christmas since August, and am now finally ready to
unleash my new cards and products! Next weekend, November 20-22nd, I’ll be
at Plaid Tidings (Show and Sale) at Branksome Hall, in Toronto. If you are looking
for something to do next weekend, come and visit my booth!

This week, I’ll be posting a sneak peak of the new line. For today, here’s a bit
of background on the inspiration for this collection.

Vintage fashion illustration, part of the inspiration for the new series of cards.

Because I’m doing my thesis research about keepsakes, greeting cards and memory,
I chose an era for these images that is both nostalgic and glamorous: the 1950s. Some
of the research got me looking at fashion illustration, typography and colour trends.

Gathering inspiration is one of my favorite parts of working on a new project. It is
also a great excuse to get out and shop. I found this adorable pop-up book at
the antique market in Kingston for $4. The book’s original owner’s name and
the date were still inscribed on the first page. She was given this as a Christmas gift
when she was 5 years old, in 1954.

This pop-up book from the 1950s has cute features, like Santa's fuzzy beard.

There's a definite Snow White look to this book.

As you can imagine, shopping can get pretty dangerous. For me, Ebay was a short-lived
obsession that ended with a purchase of about 300 Santa images. That’s when I realized
that I’d had enough. Now I just browse.

One of the 300 Santas. For some reason, this doesn't seem safe.

What I really like about some of the vintage pieces is how they use typography.
There’s so much movement and personality in words. After all the illustrations were
designed, I took a look at House Industries to get a modern take on vintage type.

House Industries Book features a modern take on vintage typefaces.

Check out the House Industries website for typographic inspiration.

Stay tuned to see how this inspiration came together!

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at 1:43 pm and is filed under Blog Posts, Design, Events, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.