As part of my new obsession with vintage and nostalgic-esque photography, I have recently acquired (read: purchased on a whim on eBay) a Polaroid instant camera. It all happened pretty fast. I was reading about the comeback of Polaroid instant film. You see, in 2008, much to the dismay of hippie photographers everywhere, Polaroid decided to stop the production of all instant film. Something about losing money. And that competing cameras can shoot thousands of images instantly for nearly no cost compared to the $1-3 a pop per Polaroid instant image. Well a large population of those angry enthusiasts rounded up enough money to reopen a production factory in the Netherlands. And after nearly two years of work, and a terrific re-brand (see original packaging in case you forgot), they were able to once again offer the lifeblood to those old garage-sale plastic rejects. They call themselves the “Impossible Project.”

Anyway, after reading about the ability to once again purchase film, I began wondering just how much these ancient photo-capturing devices would cost nowadays. I was surprised to see the first one selling for just $20. In fact, now is really the time to buy. That is, if you can’t find one in your parent’s attic. So I thought, “Why not?” And since there were only 3 minutes left in the bid, I hurriedly clicked the “Buy It Now” button. I anxiously entered my account information and without thinking I had actually verified my decision to buy, the bid had closed and it was mine! Hooray!

Very soon after this excitement, it occurred to me that the select film now on sale would maybe not be compatible with my new camera. Scrolling back through the IP’s website I was relieved to see that my new Polaroid CloseUP 600 Instant Camera was indeed supported. Happy day.

I then completed the eBay transaction, purchased three packs of the PX600 Silver Shade, and waited for both packages to be delivered. As of now, only one type of film is being produced for select camera models. The “Silver Shade” name is just as it sounds – monochromatic prints, mostly of the black/white variety, with color film to be available later this summer (!!).

Only days before our upcoming vacation (post soon to come), I received both items!

The film did not disappoint. It is expensive. Not too much more pricey than the original film, but you have to realize what you are getting into. It’s the instantaneous and tangible quality of this form of photography that is so appealing. No having to deal with image editing, selecting, sending and printing, or darkroom-developing… You just push the button and the image spits out. You are forced to really think about each and every shot.

After carefully pulling the perforated ribbon, sliding out the inner box and removing the seal, the plastic film cartridge finally revealed itself. It is constructed almost exactly as the previous generation’s cartridge, but with an extra designer touch: one of sixty-one specialty darkslides on top. This slide pops out upon closing the camera after inserting the new film cartridge and can be used as a shield from light for each take.

So there you have it. A new life given to an old classic.

Check out these really super tourism posters by The Heads of State.

Yesterday T & I made a fantastic discovery of a little art+floral shop on lower Greenville – just what we’ve been looking for. It’s called ‘bows & arrows’ and is right across from Lula B’s Antiques. You should definitely check it out if you’re in town. The owners and newly relocated couple, Alicia and Adam Rico come from Brooklyn and have really done a great job setting up shop.

The space is long and narrow, with simple gray walls and wood floors making way for the creative displays all about. It has a very modern, home-made, edgy feel to it. In addition to the etsy-style items and flower arrangements on sale, the wall space is utilized for work of a local artist.

Here’s a link to their website and blog.

As for the photos, please excuse the quality. I gave them a boost in photoshop but there’s only so much the iPhone’s camera can handle.

Today I bought a new wallet. My old one was one I purchased in Amsterdam last Spring. It was from H&M and was a nice blue on the outside, and BRIGHT yellow on the inside, made complete with a coin pouch. Great for for the coin dollar Euros (oh how I miss Europe). Anyway, it was beginning to get a bit worn and discolored. But we had a great life together. Then, T told me about these PANTONE wallets she saw at the Dallas Museum of Art a few weeks back and I have not been able to think of anything else. Between my work hours and the museums open hours, I hadn’t been able to stop by to take a look but finally today (Thursdays), when the museum is open till 11 (design store still 9) I had the opportunity. I illegally parked out front (and there are so many cops around downtown – so I had to make it quick) and rushed inside to see it. It was love at first sight. It is basically my favorite color red, for those who know, and I bought it instantly. woo. It’s a bit (read: a lot) smaller than the previous, but it will just force me to carry less junk around. Minimalism, right. Bright red (traffic cone, squash, goldfish) minimalism. And fortunately for me, it’s first use didn’t involve me pulling out my ID for my parking taboo.

On a related note, as I was rushing through the museum to the store, I noticed how incredible it was inside. Reminded me of a mini MoMA. So we will for sure hit that up sooner than later. Maybe Sunday?

Check out what I got today! My very own, driftingcreatives t-shirt. After graduating college with little prospects in this recession, Gavin Braman and Martin Hooper have been traveling across the country meeting and interviewing with designers, seeing the sights of new cities and doing design work to sustain their minimal budget. It is a pretty awesome adventure, indeed. And it is all coming out of a Honda Element.

They have done a great job of keeping a video blog of their travels. You can read more about them and find out where they will be next (maybe you can let them couchsurf) here: http://driftingcreatives.com

via Makr by Northern Lights. As seen on FormFiftyFive.

Here’s a very interesting video about the Kluge Letterpress. It’s 550 year-old printing technology, set out by Gutenberg. It reminded me of some of Dick Van Dyke’s character’s inventions from the film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

I have recently purchased silk screen printing equipment/supplies as I have been wanting to experiment with this hands-on world of printing. There is just something about the process that makes you appreciate the digital methods we are so used to. I decided that for my first test subject, I would create customized “thank you” cards from all the graduation gifts I have received. I am using the left over envelopes from my graduation announcements and purchased cream-colored cardstock. Needless to say, the trial has been an epic fail / major learning experience. From the images below you can sort of see my process, as tedious (read: unnecessary) as it is, and the suspects for the errors.

I am using all Speedball® products as they seem to be the industry standard/best. This specific process involves using a screen (I bought the 10×14) and your design. In my first attempt, I simple-mindedly cut the design out of cardstock and used the Screen Drawing Fluid to paint onto the screen with the stencil. Well, the Drawing Fluid bled everywhere on the screen under the stencil, so that was a no go. I then carefully painted the Drawing Fluid on the design after tracing in on the stencil with a pencil. This took forever and even longer to let dry and ensure it was solid. After it dried, I used the Screen Filler and (as the instructions said) made one pass with the squeegee to coat the entire screen. This dried and I sprayed out the Drawing Fluid with cold water. I was pretty stoked as it looked like this would work well. Little did I know what went wrong. I set it all up, purchased the printing paper, cut it all to size to fit the envelopes, prepared my work space, complete with screen blocks (to ensure I placed the screen and paper in the same place each time), and mixed some water-based ink to a desired color. I placed the screen over the paper, spooned out some ink on the screen, squeegeed, and removed the screen. FAIL. The paper was mostly covered with ink. Turns out the Screen Filler needed a heavier coating to fully cover and mask out the excess. ug.

I have since then looked up alternative screen printing methods. I think I will try this former method again, but with a simplier design. As for now, I was considering contracting out the job of putting an emulsion on my screen to a local printing company but we have nothing like that close by. I cannot wait to move to Dallas. So until then, and for this project, I am going to use the newbie method of cutting the design out of wax paper, place the stencil directly under the screen and over the paper, and ink it then and there. The ink with make the stencil stick to the screen and I should hopefully be able to get 20-30 prints out of it. Here goes and wish me luck…