Hasta La Ideas

In a move that is sure to spawn oodles of funky, handcrafted memorials, ReadyMade magazine has folded. Publisher Meredith yesterday announced that it would shutter the ten-year-old DIY bible and cut its 75 staffers in what CEO Steve Lacy chalked up to a “periodic realignment of resources” that would free up cash for “key strategic growth initiatives, including digital platform expansion.” Meanwhile, ReadyMade editors took to Twitter and the web to relay the sad news and bid farewell to their loyal readership of Readymakers. “As much as it breaks all our hearts it’s a decision we understand and are taking in stride,” noted a post on the magazine’s Editors’ Notes blog. “The ReadyMade community will continue [to] push DIY into the mainstream by building websites, writing blogs, taking photos, and most importantly, forming coherent opinions that are ours and only ours, and letting those be known. ReadyMade’s can-do spirit even in the most dire of circumstances has always been its life-blood and we know it will continue to be the driving force of ReadyMakers in the future. And this will keep us all going.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This week, an iconic figure in Philadelphia wore something decidedly different than his usual, stoic tough guy demeanor would suggest. Local “yarnbomber,” meaning one who uses yarn as a type of graffiti, Jesse Hemmons, sneaked a cozy pink sweater onto the statue of Rocky Balboa which sits in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. On the sweater reads, “Go See The Art.” WHYY spoke to Hemmons after her yarn attack, learning that she did it after seeing much longer lines in front of the statue than at the museum immediately next door. Pre-Rocky tag, Hemmons has seemingly established herself to be the go-to yarnbomber in Philadelphia, judging by the projects available to view on her site. In particular, we really enjoyed her recent train car seat efforts. Back to Rocky, here’s a great quote from her conversation with WHYY:

“When we were finished installing, there was this group of men–probably mid-20s early 30s–they looked like they had really been excited about getting their picture with the Rocky statue,” said Hemmons. “Then they see a pink sweater. They were very disappointed. They kind of took their picture with not much enthusiasm, which I thought was funny.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It seems at once as both the most trivial and most important part of the entire Academy Awards, so while your eyes might not be entirely honed on the envelope as a winner is announce, you’ll undoubtedly be eager to have it opened (if just to see if Banksy does in fact take the stage in a monkey mask). Because the Oscar envelope holds such importance, and because the Academy needs to release more information about itself so the public doesn’t lose interest a week before the show, the organization has released information on the design of the folded paper. This year, designer Marc Friedland, of the firm Creative Intelligence has been hired to design them, creating perhaps the most high-profile, finest-to-touch envelopes of the year. They sound much fancier than what our mortgage notices get sent in every month and rightly so. After all, Gweneth Paltrow rarely touches them (or at least we hope). Here are the details:

Friedland’s custom-designed envelope will be handcrafted from a high-gloss, iridescent metallic gold paper stock, with a red-lacquered lining featuring the Oscar statuette hand-stamped in satin gold leaf.

…The winner’s name will be printed in charcoal ink and mounted onto a matching, red lacquer hand-wrapped frame. The back of the card will be printed with the award category.

…After final tabulation of the ballots, Brad Oltmanns and Rick Rosas, the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) partners, will insert the appropriate announcement cards and fasten the envelope with a red double-faced satin ribbon and a red-lacquered and gold-embossed seal featuring the PwC logo.

A small handful of photos of the envelopes can be found here. We’d say that you should feel free to print them out and hand them to your cat as you pretend that you’re James Franco or Anne Hathaway, but that’s really something you should run past the Academy first (and your cat).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As a book lover, designer and publisher, I am always on the lookout for books that inspire. With review copies, keeping up with the blogs, my magazine and books in progress, it seems that I look at so many things these days that it takes something extra special to grab my full attention. Crafting a Meaningful Home is such a book. Written by Meg Mateo Ilasco (I’ve blogged about her recent book collaboration with Joy Cho, Creative Inc) with gorgeous photography by Thayer Allyson Gowdy, the book goes beyond the typical craft how-to and really does live up to its title: each of the crafts in the book is made by a different artist or family. Sharing meaningful stories on how culture, family and personal histories inform their crafts and home environment, the book is a very interesting read.

The book arrived at just the right time; Glen and I have been redoing our house: putting down new floors, painting the walls, new furniture and bookshelves… With this clean slate, I am inspired to feature more personal items, crafts and collections. (In the photo above you can see a bit of a lovely crochet blanket that Tif made for Finley, and below the amazing colour combination so-awful-it’s-great throw I bought at Value Village.) With all of the activity and work I have to do, I have not had time to sew or crochet… but I remind myself that am crafting a home in the larger sense: Glen and I are creating a wonderful place for all of us to grow as a family.

The book features many of my favourite creative people: Rae Dunn, Joy Cho, Lauren & Derek from The Curiosity Shoppe, Lorena Siminovich and many other fine crafters. Lisa Congdon is also a contributor and her decoupage plates are featured on the cover. Below is a sweet video of Lisa that Meg shares with us:

Crafting a Meaningful Home – Lisa Congdon from Meg Mateo Ilasco on Vimeo.

The book is available through Rare Device and The Curiosity Shoppe as well as other fine booksellers.

It’s October 27. Do you know where your Halloween costume is? We suggest standing out from the Snooki-fied masses and so many makeshift Lady Gagas by donning a crisp white suit, string tie, and goatee whilst hugging a red-striped bucket to your chest (handy for storing candy). Smile, you’re a finger lickin’ good corporate icon! KFC has embarked on an extra tasty crispy campaign to encourage chicken lovers to dress up as Colonel Harland Sanders this Halloween. It’s all part of the company’s year-long celebration of its distinctively garbed founder. Don’t think of it free advertising for an $11 billion global corporation—think of it as your small contribution to our great fast food nation! “Colonel Sanders in his iconic white suit is one of the most enduring images of American history,” says John Cywinski, KFC’s chief marketing and food innovation officer. “As we mark the 120th anniversary of the Colonel’s birth, we’re calling on KFC fans to help celebrate this American icon by donning ‘his suit’ this Halloween.” Depending on your build and disposition, however, you may be mistaken for Boss Hog, Tom Wolfe, or Tommy Tune. One lucky would-be Colonel will win a lifetime supply of KFC sandwiches and “the chance to be outfitted in a more official Colonel’s suit for next year’s Halloween celebration” (are they implying that the winning suit will be somehow less than official?). Costumes will be judged on “creativity, likeness to Colonel Sanders, and relevancy to the brand.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.