Ink, Post & Paperwink

This Santa Barbaran is officially obsessed with a new blog I discovered today, via Sunset magazine, called Ink & Post.

Ink & Post is the creative outlet and personal aesthetic of local Santa Barbara blogger Katie Chambers.

Ink & Post covers: design, ephemera, fashion, home, interiors, music, paper, photography, print, Santa Barbara, shops, travel and type.

By the way if you're asking yourself like I did, 'What is ephemera?'

This should help...

From Wikipedia: Ephemera is transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, bookmarks, catalogues, greeting cards, letters, pamphlets, postcards, posters, prospectuses, stock certificates, tickets and zines.

Ironically Ms. Chambers' and Retro Republik share a favorite ephemera...STAMPS!

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To keep this ink and post theme going thought I'd indulge in a throwback to a bygone era and share my recent Design*Sponge find, Paperwink.

Paperwink's award-winning stationer duo Darcey + Tara have wowed us with their retro inspired custom wooden address stamps.

Had a hard time deciding between Airmail, Telegram and Vintage Typewriter:

In the end the bright and simple Vintage Typewriter won me over:

Click here to check out Paperwink's full section of rubber stamps, note cards, labels and calling cards.

Retro Stamps: Eames to Mickey Mouse

Just got back from running errands and to my husband's surprise I brought home everything I've always wanted:

An Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman, an Eames Storage Unit & a set of Eames plastic Stacking Chairs.

What more could a gal ask for?!? How does a self-employed gal swing this, you ask? Just ask the US Postal Service.

This commemorative set of stamps illustrates the breadth and depth of Charles & Ray Eames innovative 'good design' from architecture, art, exhibits, film & furniture.

This got me to thinking...what other design related stamps are out there?

USPS's American Design series showcases a stylized treatment of a Chippendale chair made in Philadelphia between 1760 and 1765.

I may want an original Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman, so I guess I'm OK with my honey bringing home any of these four polished & chromed beauties any day of the week.

Built by four different manufacturers, each of these retro mahogany watercraft are still in use today:

• Frolic, 1915 Hutchinson Brothers Launch
• Dispatch, 1931 Gar Wood triple cockpit Runabout
• Thunderbird, 1939 Hacker-Craft
• Duckers, 1954 Chris-Craft Racing Runabout

From vintage watercraft to Steamboat Willie, the USPS's most popular stamp series of all time, 'Art of Disney', will be calling it curtains soon.

Mickey Mouse and his friends rule as the most popular stamp series with $211.5 million in revenue. However, Elvis remains king as the single most popular stamp subject of all time with an estimated $124.1 million collected.

This 'Art of Disney' imaginative design features:

• Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie
• Mowgli and Baloo from The Jungle Book
• Princess Aurora and her helpers Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty
• Pongo and one of his pups from 101 Dalmatians

For more retro & fun stamp facts visit the USPS newsroom: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/

It only seems appropriate to shut down the laptop now and break out a pen & paper to let someone else enjoy receiving one of these retro stamps.