Chicago C2E2 Comic Book Expo (Recap)

My new man is a nerd. And so am I. Which makes for some very mentally stimulating dates... such as last weekend's outing to the Comic Book Expo. My first, but he's a regular. The artists were amazing, the costumes were aboslutely awesome and overall it was a great time! Totally inspired, I'm even considering dressing up next year... *wink*

...all badged up and ready to go...

 ...crazy costumes...

 ... talented artists...

... the man picking up a few items....

... playing around with some masks...

 ... and we grabbed this Chicago themed print from @carlationsart



Oh, and I absolutely adored this print from Sarah Satrun! Its on my list of things to order!

End of the World Suvival Kit - designerstyle

The best part of the holiday season at work is the amazing and tasty gifts our partners send us. There are cookies, sausages, popcorn, chocolates, cheese varieties, etc... and now, an end of the world survival kit!

While the useful and tasty items included are cool, the real start here are the slogans and comments. This must have been a truly exciting project for everyone involved! I took a few photos for your entertainment...

The box came in a very strong black bag with a warning label "Open in case of Armageddon" and below it "Radiation dampening and RF-shielded bag. In case of emergency, bag may be inflated and used as a floatation device."

The box was labeled for the "Apocalypse" and sealed extra tight...

The dramatic dark colors, "scientific" fonts and extra features such as the aluminum panel all gave us second thoughts as to whether we might actually need this in a few days!!

A close-up of the contents... whisky (with a note to remember that the bottle is "portable"), rope (not to be used too close to the whiskey), duct tape with a "not edible" warning label, soap - to keep it clean, anti-rad pills (i.e. tic tacs), a glow stick which can also be used for light during surgical procedures, a chocolate bar that provides an aphrodisiac if needed, and a box of matches to burn the chocolate wrapper and prevent any zombies from following the smell. I can't forget the coffee labeled "Stay awake, stay alive!" and lastly, the white flag to wave, in the event you need to surrender!



In the event you aren't sure of what qualifies as "Armageddon", there is a graphic-list of possible scenarios...

Hands down the BEST and most creative I've seen so far! Kudos to the amazing designers of Hexanine!

*bonus for all of you marketing and brand geeks - Check out their book Damn Good: Top Designers Discuss Their All-Time Favorite Projects

William Conger’s “Ragtime”

While walking through the River North area today I came across the Roy Boyd Art Gallery on Wells and decided to take a peak around. I saw some amazing pieces of art, many of which were beyond my price range, but definitely noteworthy for remembering at a future time. One piece that led to some interesting conversation in the gallery is the work of famous Chicago artist William Conger. The piece, called “Ragtime” is shown below and reminds me of hearts, solar systems, banana peels and the TV show “In Living Color”… all in one piece. (You know?? The intro when they were painting the walls?? LOL… ok, after watching the video, maybe not…)

  

I also enjoyed these pieces by John Fraser… respectively named “Legend (revised)” and “Guild”…

Check out more pieces and get directions to the gallery here.

Next door to the gallery is a cool boutique named Elements Chicago. I didn’t have a chance to go in but I will definitely return after seeing some cool pieces of jewelry in the window displays. Check out some of the beautiful necklaces, which will serve as the Item(s) of the Day:

Happy Shopping!