Coolaroo

Since we started our Melbourne based cards back in 2009 a few new stations have opened up in Melbourne. Obviously their first priority when naming these stations was thinking long and hard about if it could work on an Able and Game card. Luckily the think-tank that decided on Coolaroo had us in mind.

The card is available on Etsy, perfect when you want to congratulate someone for being pretty darn cool.

Round the studio

The other week I realised we had almost been in our new studio for a long as we were in the old one at the East Brunswick Club. That seems like an eternity ago and I have forgotten the 4 flights of stairs like woman forgets childbirth (or so I'm told).

Our studio isn't one that you will see on Pinterest, it is a total hodgepodge with a maze like layout. Slowly but surely we are putting our stamp on it and one day I think it will be a space we are both happy with, but probably still not worthy of pinning. The space was an old school so there are no white painted floorboards, just cheap hard working lino from the late '60s.

I have a pink ass and a yellow ass. From Call Me Ishmael, these little guys add a little bit of class to a wobbly Ikea Billy that holds a selection of things purchased for market displays that we don't use much but can't throw out. The yellow donkey looks like he has something from The Thing coming out of him.

Speaking of The Thing, Gareth loves this movie. He even got the book based on the film. It isn't often you hear that sentence. If you're a big fan of the film you might also like this card Gareth came up with. It seems only a small select few get it but that's okay because these customers make us very happy.

I recently made a second sign for paper sizes to stick up in my office. Like staplers, you can never have too many. This one on the bottom left includes inches and half sizes for each paper size. Coupled with the transform tool in Illustrator, nothing should ever be out of place again.

Gareth has a bunch of art he has been collecting that sits behind his computer. He often buys art at markets and also online and I know Emma Kidd from Benconservato is one of his favourites.

Gareth cut this out of an old wall planner as he wanted to keep the drawing. It is from back when we had the home studio in McKinnon and used to sit on the mantle. Gareth also has a charming photo of me sitting just in front of the mantle with the same red hoodie, folding cards in what I am assuming is winter because I look like a hunchback as there is a scarf on under the hoodie.

Here is Gareth on the phone wheeling and dealing with someone, trying to get the best price on bubblewrap.

Old Sketchbook

These are a few little sketches I found in an old sketchbook I was flipping through. They are from around the time I started my first little creative business. I thought the little vampy drawing had become a felt brooch that was one of the first items I sold, but I got him confused with this little guy.

I think the Katie Katie Katie came from a holiday on the boat and a whole bunch of old New Idea/Woman's Day magazines to draw inspiration from. When drawing from this style of magazine it is always best to use cheap supermarket texta colours.

TV stuff

Do you ever get obsessed with your favourite TV shows you end up buying things related to them? That Liz Lemon Lemon keyring is pretty funny, but the Better Call Saul t-shirt (I keep saying It's All Good Man because it sounds like his name) takes the cake for me.

On the subject of Saul, one of the pod casts we listened to on the US road trip was called Comedy Bang Bang (Episode 159) and had him as a guest along with Alison Brie (Trudy from Mad Men). It was kind of weird because it isn't often you hear people playing a character from a TV show in a totally different place. I almost wondered if he was allowed to do it, did he have a written note from Vince Gilligan?

The guy who plays Saul, Bob Odenkirk was also on episode 287 of WTF with Marc Maron along with David Cross (Tobias Funke from Arrested Development) talking about the early days of how they met, working as a television comedy writer and questioning why they keep remaking stuff in Hollywood rather than create new things. This one was really interesting just for the little insights into behind the scenes TV stuff. As you can tell we watch a fair bit.

1. The Walking Dead - Where's Carl Mug
2. 30Rock - Liz Lemon Lemon Keychain
3. Man Men - Tarot Postcards
4. Breaking Bad - Better Call Saul T-Shirt

Father's Day This Sunday

This isn't the first time I've posted this picture of me and my Dad circa 1980 for Father's Day (which is this Sunday coming up) but it is my favourite so I keep going back to it. The thing that now scares me is he is younger than I am now.

The card I'll be giving my Dad this year is the Things I Almost Got You Just For Being My Dad because that whole pen thing pretty much describes my Dad's big struggle in the '90s. Kids stealing his Green Pentel Rollerball Pen. I'm going to hazard a guess that 90% of the time it was me that stole the pen.

This Sunday the only thing that will please Dad will be Collingwood winning the night before against Essendon, but if they do decide to lose for the third week in a row then I hope this card might cheer him up a little. Hopefully he looks over the fact that the '79 Grand Final resulted in Collingwood losing to Carlton.

Linkies

Just over a year ago we were on the Design Files as a guest blogger. I had great fun drawing five themes for our trials and triumphs of modern life and it is nice to look back on them a year later.

Do you ever dream about running off to an Island? Maybe you could stay here?

I wish I got these knitted socks a few months ago.

Have you been baking more just to turn the oven on and warm up the kitchen? After my mandarin cake experiment maybe it is time to switch to grapefruit?

We may be doing a 2013 swimsuit calendar (sneak peek in the picture above). This may have been a bit of inspiration.

I got this Ryan Gosling Tea Towel by Dear Colleen as a gift for a friend. I hope she likes it.

Rohan from the blog Whole Larder Love has a book coming out very soon.

This is a nice post about dating your partner. Gareth and I celebrated 10 years together a few months back so doing things like this is always important. Plus the food looks amazing.

Gareth and I watched this cat video the other night. Costa Rican cats look like FUN.

Bridezilla

We had a bunch of requests over the years for cards to give someone when you want them to be your bridesmaid. Ugly dresses is one thing that sticks in my mind when I think of bridesmaids and my memory always goes back to a wedding I saw in the early '90s featuring bottle green taffeta with big giant sleeves. A quick google search yields some humorous results and I even found a pinterest album dedicated to them.

If you're getting married and want to give this card to your possible bridesmaids you can buy it on Etsy, along with lovely bridesmaid dresses.