Mixing it Up

This morning I was going through back issues of some design magazines (some 10 years old) and ripping out pages so I could get rid of the periodicals themselves. Sometimes I find great inspiration for projects from looking at the magazines.

I came across a website with "cool business card designs" on it. I thought this one for Matilda Jane was really interesting. It reminds me of my brother-in-law's letterpress art and the birthday invite for a friend's 40th that used stitching. I'm drawn to the mixed media. There's something about the pop of pink thread against the neutrality of the cardboard and silver ink that I find really appealing.

So I checked out www.matildajaneclothing.com which ended up being mostly children's clothing...more specifically for little girls. It's got an Oilily feel to it with layers of patterened materials and ruffles and the appearance that they were sewn especially for you. I was never a big buyer of boutique clothing for my daughter, not because I didn't love the clothes, but because it went against every grain in my being to watch those beautiful garments being slowly destroyed by my carefree and careless child.

The clothing has the same charm as the business cards. It's whimsical with a sense of order and purpose. It reminds me of how my daughter dresses herself. She's not afraid to mix color and pattern, and somehow on her, it works.