Earlier last week I was alerted to the fact that Chapters has been selling a bunch of paper products with some of my iStockphoto illustrations on them. How novel! How… noteworthy (pun intended). So, of course I had to venture down to the local Polo Park Chapters to check them out.

It looks like there’s still more to come, given that part of the display isn’t filled yet and a few more licenses were purchased on the same day for retail use, so I’m hoping to see a design with my typewriter or bicycle on it. They’ve paired them with some products that have similar (but not my) illustrations and they’re looking good. Some of the colour/cropping choices aren’t what I would’ve done, but it’s great to see my stuff available to a broader market! Now if only it had my name on it…

Please ignore the poor quality of my sneaky iPhone photos and enjoy!

Oh, and if you wanted to purchase them, or see some of the other designs up close, they’ve made them available on the Chapters/Indigo website.

So today’s the perfect day to write this as I’m currently trying to rest up what I think is a slight groin pull. Advil seems to have taken care of most of the ache, so I think I’ll try to give it a good go out there again tomorrow, after about 4 days of mainly rest. It’s not too bad of a pain and it goes away when I run, but I figure it’s best to try and get rid of this one month before the half marathon, rather than overtraining on it and making it worse.

PROGRESS

My longest run to date was last Friday at 9.5 miles. Feeling pretty good about this, as I still have one more month to add those last 4 miles. The goal is starting to feel attainable, though the heat is not helping me in getting in my runs. I love hot weather, so it’s odd for me to complain about it, but just having slightly cooler mornings would help. Or some clouds. Butttt, I don’t want to ruin it for everyone else, so I hope the weather keeps up! It’s better than the cold weather, for sure.

I’ve also managed to chop about a minute and half per mile off my average pace. It’s still a slower pace of only 10.5 -11 minute miles, but I seem to be able to keep it up for long distances and it’s a major improvement for me, so I’ll take it! Just had to focus on consciously running faster and taking my stride from heel-toe to striking on the balls of my feet for better propulsion.

GEAR

Here’s a short list/review of some of the stuff I’m currently using to aid my running:

UNDER ARMOUR COMPRESSION TANK – Pretty happy with this, it definitely wicks sweat well without showing it. It also seems to keep fairly cool on hot days and doesn’t seem to chafe my arms on long runs. Also, I recently discovered that it has a zippered pocket large enough to hold my iPhone.

MIZUNO WAVE INSPIRE 6 SHOES – Just picked these up about a week and half ago and I’m finding them to be at least as nice as my old Mizunos (that turned out to be a size too small, due to foot swelling during distance runs). They’re very meshy, so your feet stay quite cool while you run, and also very light. They’re also built for people who slightly over-pronate so they offer good stability. I use them in conjunction with Dr. Scholl’s inserts for knee pain.

NIKE AERO SPORT HEADPHONES – Was looking for some headphones that looped over the ear, but weren’t earbuds, so these were really the only option. The sound isn’t that great but earbuds always fall out of my ears and I have an insane fear of getting earaches and infections, so having something block my ear canals from the wind/elements seems like a good thing. The padding is also rubberized, so it’s easy to clean and doesn’t get too sweaty. It also comes with a cordkeeper clip-on, which works alright.

iPHONE + RUNKEEPER PRO – I can’t say enough good things about this little app for the iPhone. It keeps track of runs (and other types of exercise that you can enter manually) beautifully and you can get lots of stats on their easy-to-use website. I used to use TrailGuru and I have to say, it was garbage compared to this. The free version is awesome, but if you’re a moderately serious runner, I’d recommend ponying up the $10 to get the audio cues and support the developers. I’ve had a couple issues here and there with the tracking, but I believe it has something to do with the iPhone’s GPS, rather than the app, and the errors are few and far between. Two thumbs up.

ARMPOCKET – I’m still on the fence about this one. I tried it out last week when I got it and it chafed the hell out of my arm. It may be that I just had it on too tight. Haven’t used it since as it’s been so warm out that I really don’t want to have anything on my arms, if possible.

GLUCOSOMINE/CHONDROITIN – Just started taking this supplement today, so I can’t comment on its efficacy, however it’s supposed to improve/ease joint pain, so I guess it’s worth a shot. The pills are huge and gross tasting, probably because they contain things like “parts of crab exoskeleton”, but not so bad that I won’t try and finish the bottle. They say results come after a month or so, but I’m mostly just taking them for preventative purposes, since they don’t seem to be harmful.

Other than some of the things I’ve mentioned above, I feel like things are going pretty well. I’ve also been reading some books on running- Running for Peak Performance and Running Well - that I’ve found pretty helpful. I’m sure this post was only interesting to runners, but I thought I’d put it out there, since sometimes I’m looking for inspiration in other people’s progress.

Got a tree or garland to decorate but short on cash? Or maybe you’re just looking for something a little different? Consider filling a tree with these origami sparrows! Pattern and more, after the jump.

Sure, a lot of us have seen (and love) those porcelain origami crane ornaments, but who’s got $15 (or more) to spend on them, especially if, like me, you’d want an entire flock of them? Hence my simple solution to make your own. You can place a few here and there for a modern, handmade touch or fill a whole tree with them for impact. Grab a pdf for the design HERE and print away!

The pattern for this type of bird is very simple and I’ve included the pattern with a set of two small folding sheets for you to cut out. The detailed toile-esque sparrow pattern on these sheets is an original Sam Posnick creation and you’re welcome to use it for your own personal Christmas ornaments.

Merry Christmas and happy folding!

More of my illustrations can be seen and purchased at iStockphoto.

I’ve been wanting to make and sell my own illustration-based products for some time but it seems that all the online companies and people that do it offer either poor quality products or take too much of a cut for it to be profitable to me.  And I know that screen printing can be done with fairly minimal supplies, but I’m not really interested in the mess and sourcing of materials.

Enter the Yudu. A screen printing machine that does prints up to 11×14″ in size, which is definitely a decent starting point for a newbie like me. It prints on fabric, paper, wood with no problem at all (or so it seems). The website makes it look like it’s aimed at younger people but all the reviews I’ve seen for the machine have been from adults, so I think it’s a fairly professional piece of machinery. I think this might be a good starting out point for me and I could finally start that Etsy shop that I’ve had an account for forever. I’ve really been wanting to do a line of prints and home goods and people have suggested it to me as well, so I know there would be some interest out there for the products.

The only issue is that the machine is puh-ricey, it goes for around $400 at Michaels. I suppose one could use those coupons from the flyers, and I did see it on sale for only $300 a few weeks back (actually it is on sale this week, according to their flyer). I’d go out and get it, but due to my the appendix bursting and the complications that came with it, I’m only just recovering on the money front right now.

So I guess I’ll just have to have this blog post hinting about what a great Christmas gift this would make. *nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more, say no more *

Oh, and do yourself a favour and watch the product video on the link above, it’s hilariously bad.

Just blogging here to advertise my participation in the Week of Hope with Hope Is In the Cards. From September 1st to the 7th, my partner- Cardstore- will allow anyone to personalize and send out a free card from the HOPE collection (including my design above) to anyone else worldwide. This includes postage! It’s a great way to show some love and encouragement to a friend or partner, so my “hope” is that you’ll all participate!

Feel free to personalize the card’s inside and back with your own photos and sentiments. Then just go through the motions and enter the promo code SENDHOPE at the final checkout point. Easy as pie!

Tell someone that they’re Number One! >

Just found out about this via Steph via Thoughtful Day’s blog.  Nice to see some of my work applied with snarky writing, and I mean that seriously. I get told sometimes that my work is very sweet, but the sarcastic sentiments at Popptags are more my cup of tea (or glass of wine, if you will). Popptags are funky little tags you can attach to that bottle of wine you give people you don’t really know well enough to buy a birthday gift, or it would also be good for dinner party gifts (yeah, I go to a lot of those alright).  Haven’t seen any of these locally yet, but it appears you can order some online at their official site.

I think my favourite is one that doesn’t feature one of my illustrations, just because for me the sentiment is so apt: “The wine store guy said this was good.”.  I can’t even count the number of times I’ve bought a wine gift for someone using that reasoning…

So my plan to beef up my portfolio has been going slower than anticipated, due to deck-building and various other design projects on the horizon. But here are two newer files for your consumption and I hope to add some beachy seashell illustrations for summer soon.

Well, Pixar, if your goal was to make me cry (again… damn you WALL-E), mission accomplished.

Nik and I just got back from seeing Pixar’s latest Up and have to say it was pretty good. Aside from us making the obvious mistake of seeing the earlier show (too many yappy children), we had a good time. It was a good pick-me-up for a crummy day and for that, I thank them.

The movie was in the new 3D format that’s all the rage with the kids these days (or so I hear). We last saw Coraline in that format, and while that movie was really great, this one made much better use of it. The animation was clear and crisp, as one would expect from Pixar, and the 3D really popped.

The story itself was very sweet, and the opening background info is a bit of a tearjerker. Hell, even the opening animated short is a bit of a sniffler, though perhaps I can blame this on the poison Turkey Wrap I had at Prairie Ink beforehand, blech. The vocal work was excellent as well.

If I were going to nitpick, I would say that this one was a bit more kid-oriented than some other Pixar films, but honestly, when I think about it, they’re really all very kid-oriented. Adults just like ‘em anyway! Up wasn’t quite as funny as some of their films as well (except for perhaps the talking dog bits), but it was still a pretty solid film that I’d recommend.

You know, just maybe bring a few hankies if you’re feeling a bit sucky…

(Photo above poached from Design*Sponge, thank you! If I had my own photo, I’d use it!)

Was perusing through Design*Sponge’s great coverage of some of the artists at the National Stationery Show in New York when I spotted this card from Twig & Fig featuring my Pigeons illustration. They produced this beautiful card by doing a foil print on wood. 

Suzie McKig was kind enough to get in touch with me and offered to send me some samples, to which I say YES!  Apparently they have also done cards with my microphone, cassette tape, and headphones illustrations as well, which I would love to see. It’s always great to see my iStockphoto work getting out there and applied to products in such an excellent way.

It feels like I have gone through a massive glut of books this year. Just can’t get enough of ‘em. Even on the short flight back from Denver (after leaving Las Vegas… lights so bright, palm sweat on a Saturday night…) I felt the urge to pick up something a bit better than just a magazine. Mind you, I did pick up an issue of Real Simple magazine as well, but I digress. Lately I have been back on my “information binges”, so I think the reading of everything I can get my hands on is part of that.

The book I picked up in the airport was Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped and Canceled by Jon Friedman. It’s an easy read, as it’s basically a collection of short stories and articles written by mostly comedic writers and actors, or rejected content from said writers and actors. Some of the writers have been associated with The Daily Show, SNL, and Flight of the Conchords, to name a few.

It’s a nice little collection. There’s a few duds, but most of the pieces are funny and quick-witted, though somewhat understandable as to why they were “rejected” (too racy, too risque, too esoteric or just not funny enough).  Lots of laugh out loud moments so far (I admit, I haven’t had the chance to finish it).

Plus, one nice thing about it is that most of the writers are very successful folks, so it gives hope for the rest of us, in a humorous way. A nice light summer read for anyone who’s interested in picking it up.

Sam’s verdict on a scale of ‘how late into the night I’ll stay up reading it despite how tired I am’? It’s a 1 am novel. You keep wanting to read the next story, but at the same time, it’s easy to put down too.