Seed Magazine just ran an article by Carl Zimmer entitled ‘The Awe of Natural History Collections‘ as part of their Darwin 200 celebration. It was beautifully illustrated with a series of large-format photographs by artist Justine Cooper featuring the scientific collections at the American Museum of Natural History. Seed describes the series as one that “document(s) the intersection of science, curation, and human curiosity.”  See more of Cooper’s beautiful and slightly creepy images here.

“These elephant skulls are located in the attic of the museum, one of its last remaining 19th-century storage places.”

[photo detail]

“These newspaper-wrapped Cretaceous bones (75-65 million years old) have not been unwrapped since they were excavated nearly 100 years ago.”

[photo detail]

“A motley crew of specimens wait to have their carpet beetle infestations dealt with by a visit to the -20°C freezer located behind the silver door.”

[photo detail]

“As objects and specimens come into the AMNH collections, they are accessioned, meaning they are assigned a number and a record of accompanying data. These are some of thee first accession books, from the gems and minerals department.”

Well, back to school means brushing up on our ABCs. Big Bird gets us going with a sweetly cornball sketch/song from 1969 and then we’re off with a new round-up of alphabet themed goodies!

Alphabet Poster by Draw Pilgrim

Alphabet Cards by Sea Urchin Studio, sold individually and in sets

ABC Animals Pillow by MyMimi

Owlphabet Print by Gingiber

ABC Print by EvapaulPetite

Alphabet Embroidery Patterns by Penguin and Fish

The ever clever Michelle Romo of Crowded Teeth fame has a brilliant new book filled with some of the cutest paper toys I’ve ever seen.  Each Paper Wonderland project is beautifully colored and meant to be cut out and assembled - majority can be constructed by kids with a little adult help.  Check out the book’s website here and some adorable free downloads (including ‘Owlito’ below!)  And keep up with Michelle on her blog.

Oh friends, hello! My ’summer vacation’ from the clubhouse is coming to an end and I’ll start back in full swing next week. Lots of varied projects have been keeping me busy, not the least of which is the The 3rd Annual Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco this weekend, July 31st and August 1st, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion!

After a long hiatus from craft fairs (more than a year!) I’m excited to be sharing a booth with my good pal Cathy of California - and bringing a new selection of goods from the Mahar Drygoods Party Department (some of which Cathy and I created together!)  I’ve been working around the clock creating a lot of the items myself and a new display set-up (which is freakin’ adorable if I do say so myself!)

This particular show is among my very favorite craft, art, design and DIY shows and features more than 225 talented indie-craft colleagues from all over the nation. The spectacular setting over the San Francisco Bay is reason enough to attend, but there will also be great food, workshop and all manner of incredible handmade goods at the Fair! If you’re in the Bay Area, please come by and say hello!

Details, directions and any other question you may have about the event can be found on the Renegade Craft Fair Frequently Asked Questions page.

A few highlights of note!:

Discover the power of ‘craftivism’ at the Scarving Artists Knit-In, coordinated by the St. Anthony Foundation. Get a crash course in knitting and crochet and contribute a handmade-scarf to benefit the Bay Area homeless population!

San Francisco’s marvelous Museum of Craft and Folk Art will be leading several hands-on demonstrations inspired by their popular Etsy Craft-Bar nights.

The fantastic folks from Etsy will also be there to guid you through a whole host of quick and simple, make and take projects: stamping, sewing, printing and more.

Visit the Renegade Info Booth to custom-make your very own Renegade button and to pick up a free issue of 7×7 Magazine or Juxtapoz Magazine while supplies last.

Sign up for free-to-enter raffles for your chance to win a year-long subscription to Uppercase Journal or prizes provided by Chronicle Books, Beautiful/Decay, BurdaStyle.com and Jenny Hart’s Sublime Stitching.

And finally don’t forget to get your photo snapped in a free-to-use photobooth provided by The Magnolia Photobooth Co.!

A little mid-week entertainment. For your consideration - Cours Toujours, a charming little video by Elise Garcette and Olivier Barré, with music by Pilöt and produced by La Station Animation.

Cours Toujours - animation short film from Cours Toujours Team on Vimeo.

Swiss born artist Rolf Sachs has created a coffee table featuring 511 miniature figures roaming around beneath its glass top.  Titled Alone in a Crowd, Rolf’s description of this piece is ‘packed’ with a lot of meaning which honestly feels a little cliche - but I’m a sucker for miniature figurines. Read the write up yourself - you’ll find it on his website in the furniture section. [via NotCot]

It’s day four of our bloggy love-fest, celebrating some of the small businesses that are members of the Handmade Toy Alliance. The aim is to bring attention to the current efforts of the HTA to amend the the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in a positive way - protecting children’s safety while allowing crafters, manufacturers and importers of small batch children’s products to remain in business. Please see the paragraph at the bottom of this post for more information and helpful links!

From her home base in Suquamish, Washington, Laurie Sharp needle felts arks full of Wool Pets. She only discovered the craft 4 years ago but now it’s one of her greatest passions and she has two books and a brilliant line of craft kits to prove it! She even shears, washes, cards and dyes the wool from her own small flock of sheep. Visit the Wool Pet’s website to see more of her work, or visit her Etsy shop to purchase a kit!

“Since I was very young, I have admired the natural world. The trees have often offered comfort, the mountains brought strength, and the sea tranquility. As I grew older, I developed an appreciation and empathy for animals, which profoundly influenced my artwork.”

Wool Pets is a member of the Handmade Toy Alliance, a non-profit organization made up of crafters, manufacturers and importers of small batch children’s products. In 2008, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to regulate the children’s product industry - a well meaning but over reaching law with unintended consequence including the requirement that all children’s products to be tested at a third party testing lab. The testing costs are so prohibitively expensive that they will result in many small businesses having to close their doors. The HTA is urging Congress to amend the CPSIA in a way that keeps safe products in the market place and maintains safety standards that protect our children while keeping innovative and industrious ‘mom and pop’ shops in operation. Learn more about the HTA and what you can do to effect positive change by visiting www.handmadetoyalliance.com.

Welcome to day three of our bloggy love-fest, celebrating some of the small businesses that are members of the Handmade Toy Alliance. The aim is to bring attention to the current efforts of the HTA to amend the the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in a positive way - protecting children’s safety while allowing crafters, manufacturers and importers of small batch children’s products to remain in business. Please see the paragraph at the bottom of this post for more information and helpful links!

Jennifer Murphy has been making bears since she was eleven. Her repertoire includes many other animals now, but it started with bears. It makes perfect sense, considering she is the daughter of an incredibly talented toymaker.  As her skills developed, Jennifer’s aesthetic became increasingly influenced by turn of the Century toys made in Germany and those made in the 40s and 50s in the US and Japan - resulting in the love-worn cast of characters you see below.  Visit her site to see more of her work and visit her blog to learn more about her process and current projects.

As you might imagine, Jen’s collectible art animals are in constant demand. Her next batch of goodies will be available on Tuesday June 29th at 12noon (10am Pacific, 11am Mountain, 1pm Eastern).

Jennifer Murphy is a member of the Handmade Toy Alliance, a non-profit organization made up of crafters, manufacturers and importers of small batch children’s products. In 2008, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to regulate the children’s product industry - a well meaning but over reaching law with unintended consequence including the requirement that all children’s products to be tested at a third party testing lab. The testing costs are so prohibitively expensive that they will result in many small businesses having to close their doors. The HTA is urging Congress to amend the CPSIA in a way that keeps safe products in the market place and maintains safety standards that protect our children while keeping innovative and industrious ‘mom and pop’ shops in operation. Learn more about the HTA and what you can do to effect positive change by visiting www.handmadetoyalliance.com.

This week we’re participating in a bloggy love-fest of sorts, celebrating some of the small businesses that are members of the Handmade Toy Alliance. The aim is to bring attention to the current efforts of the HTA to amend the the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in a positive way - protecting children’s safety while allowing crafters, manufacturers and importers of small batch children’s products to remain in business. Please see the paragraph at the bottom of this post for more information and helpful links!

“Blabla means nothing and everything,
it’s a swirl of letters flying,
a small word for a big idea…
‘Happiness fits in the palm of the hand.’
Blabla searches for beauty,
authenticity and laughter.”

In 2001, best friends Susan Pritchett and Florence Wetterwald partnered with an incredibly talented group of expert knitters in Peru to create line of toys and clothing for children called Blabla. What has resulted is an incredible marriage of old school craft and modern sensibility.

Florence, who designs the product line, say she thinks about “Blabla products as contemporary objects which reflects the inner life of the children in this modern world… I like to believe that my designs comfort them and make them smile.” Florence, as a big kid, let me just say - I’m grinning like an idiot! Brilliant stuff - see more here.

Blabla is a member of the Handmade Toy Alliance, a non-profit organization made up of crafters, manufacturers and importers of small batch children’s products. In 2008, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to regulate the children’s product industry - a well meaning but over reaching law with unintended consequence including the requirement that all children’s products to be tested at a third party testing lab. The testing costs are so prohibitively expensive that they will result in many small businesses having to close their doors. The HTA is urging Congress to amend the CPSIA in a way that keeps safe products in the market place and maintains safety standards that protect our children while keeping innovative and industrious ‘mom and pop’ shops in operation. Learn more about the HTA and what you can do to effect positive change by visiting www.handmadetoyalliance.com.

[Oh good grief! I got so excited about HTA Week that I jumped the gun and posted a whole week too early! The official HTA Week begins next Monday, June 21st. So we'll continue the festivities then!]

This week we’re participating in a bloggy love-fest of sorts, celebrating some of the small businesses that are members of the Handmade Toy Alliance. The aim is to bring attention to the current efforts of the HTA to amend the the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in a positive way - protecting children’s safety while allowing crafters, manufacturers and importers of small batch children’s products to remain in business. Please see the paragraph at the bottom of this post for more information and helpful links!

Our first stop is Grand Rapids, Michigan, my hometown and headquarters of Uncle Goose. Since 1983, this company has been producing an amazing array of blocks from sustainable Michigan basswood and child-safe inks. We’re talking about everything from traditionally styled blocks to those with more of a modern aesthetic, old school English language blocks to those featuring alphabets in Braille, Hebrew, Dutch, Russian, Arabic (and many more), nursery rhyme blocks to those featuring US presidents… the variety makes your head spin. (Blocks featuring the Chinese alphabet that are manufactured in the US - imagine that!)

I’m not aware of any other company currently manufacturing embossed alphabet and number blocks that compare to the quality and responsible manufacturing of Uncle Goose. Take some time to explore their site and support this HTA member.

“We are concerned about our environment and wish to point out that wood is a renewable resource. The wood we use is farmed–planted and harvested on industry-managed land around the Great Lakes. Our manufacturing process minimizes waste, both in our production and packaging. We use only child-safe, non-toxic inks. Our toys are continually tested and are always well within the safety guidelines of the ASTM and more stringent European EN-71.”

Uncle Goose is a member of the Handmade Toy Alliance, a non-profit organization made up of crafters, manufacturers and importers of small batch children’s products. In 2008, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to regulate the children’s product industry - a well meaning but over reaching law with unintended consequence including the requirement that all children’s products to be tested at a third party testing lab. The testing costs are so prohibitively expensive that they will result in many small businesses having to close their doors. The HTA is urging Congress to amend the CPSIA in a way that keeps safe products in the market place and maintains safety standards that protect our children while keeping innovative and industrious ‘mom and pop’ shops in operation. Learn more about the HTA and what you can do to effect positive change by visiting www.handmadetoyalliance.com.