Put your weed in it...

The wooden laptop case by Rainer Spehl is the perfect compliment to the wooden veneer portfolio from Veer.com. Theres just something about a wooden laptop case holding all that plastic, metal and mercury that gets me. Not only is the computer going to last a 1,000 years (if I'm not p.c. and recycle it), I killed a tree to protect it just that much longer. Sweet. It is cool though, isn't it.
Now all I need is the computer...
Check out more wood stuff at iheartwood.com

Chopping Up for a Cause

As a creative outlet, I started an online business called Buffalo T-shirts. I sell Buffalo themed, limited-edition graphic tees and other stuff-specifically posters at this point. I have one poster design that I had printed in limited quantities and sales have been pretty steady-no complaints. This week, I'm participating in the Artists in Buffalo Open Studio sales event and am setting up shop at Gilda's Club WNY. 20% of all sales goes directly back to Gilda to support her cause. I have a vested interest in the Club as it was a great help to a loved one as she kicked cancer's ass a couple years back...she absolutely loved Gilda's Club-they really know how to help take your mind off your struggle and thats an absolute great thing–a true gem for the city.
Anyhoot, I wasnt sure what kind of space I had and was concerned I couldnt display all three poster colors, so I chopped the three up and created one poster so people could see the color combos I had to offer. I had no idea people would love what I did. So there you have it-accidently on purpose-I'm on to something. I'm offering these chopped up posters only at Gilda's club. Ill frame it for you for $60 bucks and ship it (or drop it off) FREE by Dec. 23rd. They're pretty cool, right? Oh, you can also pick up the regular posters at Gilda's too. One for $20, 2 for $35 (any combo tee/poster).

New Postcard Design for local Buffalo jeweler

I recently had the chance to assist a local jewelry store create a direct mail postcard for the local Buffalo NY area. Korona Jewelry, 1588 Hertel Ave, Buffalo NY contacted me through Buffalo First's Business Directory and asked if I could help them get a postcard out the door. In less than a week, we had the quotes from local printers/mailhouses, sent them rough concepts, got approval, created the final artwork and got it out the door!
They had originally received quotes from printing and mailing companies online and although the quotes we got from local companies came in a bit over those, Joe and Noreen Korona saw the benefits of keeping the money in WNY utilizing local vendors–big ups to them–and all the more reason to stop on in and support them and our local economy. Did you know: 3X more money stays in the local economy when you shop local? It's true.
They originally had a rough layout when I stopped in to talk to them, but I saw that they were missing something in the design. By using similarity of design, we created the postcard to look like a gift box: pearls as ribbon, the pendant as a bow, their logo on a gift tag placed on top a striped background really told the story of the holidays. To further the design we utilized the diamond ring as an "O" (again, similarity of design) in the "Hoooooh!". On the back we rearranged the text hierarchy with a bold callout and call-to-action and emphasized the redeemable coupon. Topping it off is the Buffalo First logo to highlight Korona Jewelry's local roots as Buffalo First members. Should be dropping this weekend in the 14216, 14214 zip codes-look for 'em.