Need something to do tomorrow? If you live in or around Los Angeles, cruise over (there’s no walking in L.A.) to Echo Park for the opening of the new bookstore/Middle Eastern cafe Stories. Not only can you pick up some new or inexpensive used books, stocking stuffers, and a cup of Joe, but you can also marvel at the 1800 sq ft space co-owned by former Spaceland/Book Soup staffer Liz Garo and developed by Thomas Robertson’s Ripple Design. The project opened just six months after Garo and her co-owner, Claudia Colodro, came together with Robertson and his firm to discuss the project. The result is a clean, open space with an outdoor patio, exposed brick, and sparking concrete floors that doesn’t feel cluttered even though there’s plenty going on. Like reading! So if you haven’t given up on the print industry, drop by for munchies and silk screened Stories bags made on site by Hit & Run.
We’re not sure that Dubya, Dick, and Rummy will ever give a straight answer for their reasons for invading Iraq this last time, but popular opinion can be best summed up by that early 90’s anti-war mantra, “No Blood For Oil.” Echoing that sentiment Andrew Wilcox (noted for his collaboration with Ji Lee on Tag A Dummer) along with photographer Jonas Lara have created a video showing Iraq veterans invading a gas station. It serves as a scathing critique on the Bush administration’s foreign policy, as they assert through Operation W.A.N.T. (We Are Not Toys) that soldiers should not be treated as plastic toy pawns in their war games.
In the past year MWM has given us plenty of design work to ooh and aah over. We’re not sure if he plans on taking 2009 off, but if he wants to, he’s welcome to. The Vermont based ex-agency man and Spear favorite has just unleashed “Cycles & Seasons”, his limited-edition four poster calendar collection for the coming year. Each print is representative of a season and uses a color scheme relative to the Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter. Each image is printed in a vibrant indigo press print on heavyweight poster paper and is only available at the MWM Graphics Online Shop. There’s only 100 sets, so act fast and don’t leave 2008 without it.
As holidays near, the selfish among us may be prone to thinking less about what significant others would like and more about good looking items to bring to their family’s Thanksgiving celebrations. Lest you think a faded weekender bag will do the trick, the craftspeople at our favorite leather and fabric goods house Makr have created an expandable strap tote that’s just right. The unisex black and grey bag is expandable with riveted leather straps — a perfect train ride accompaniment. Its bigger counterpart, the three pocket strap tube duffel, can also be found at Shop Acrimony San Francisco and Blackbird in Seattle.
There is something great about a Polaroid image — they just scream old school. The colors are never quite right, the corners are often blurred, and they have that distinct border. Now that traditional Polaroid film is dead, it is going to be a lot tougher capture your memories with that flair. But don’t fret, Poladroid is a free application that turns your digital pictures into high-resolution Polaroid-style images, complete with the border. The results from this drag-and-drop application look amazingly realistic. For more examples, check out their Flickr group. This app is only available on a Mac right now, but the Windows version should be out in about a month.
Eco-friendly threads don’t have to look so geeky. Brazilian streetwear brand Vibe’s summer/spring ‘09 collection (remember, we’re in opposite seasons down here) uses water awareness as inspiration to give root to its designs, incorporating whales and droplets of water to help the message grow in a subtle way. I absolutely adore the H2O shirt, a fun jumble of letters and numbers. Parts of the collection are already in stores at the Jungle Beach chain in Sao Paulo, which may be the only way to get them because there are no current plans from the company to sell the apparel online. Environmental agencies, take note — this is how to make an idea stick. Anyone thirsty?
In the past year 
As holidays near, the selfish among us may be prone to thinking less about what significant others would like and more about good looking items to bring to their family’s Thanksgiving celebrations. Lest you think a faded weekender bag will do the trick, the craftspeople at 
