pinkghost just announced the latest (and least exploitative) expression of fandom for all things round and chubby since Dance Your Ass Off. In collaboration with artists Julie West, Helena Garcia and 64Colors, pinkghost will debut the Chubby Books Series. The series combines a sketchbook, journal and postcard book into one “fat, cute, rounded corner book.” The books are indeed chubby: weighing in at a solid hard-backed 250 pages. Each volume features 10 artist-designed postcards, 100 lined pages and 150 sketch pages. Series 1 will be available in store and online beginning September 5th. Awesome.

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Vince Pacheco's work isn't easily mistaken for anyone else's. The Bay Area record collector's stack of cheesecake, kitsch and classic country records were becoming too much to deal with. Then he, along with his crafty girlfriend, got the brilliant idea to turn them into spiral journals. After receiving positive feedback during his first craft season, Pacheco, who sells his wares as Etsy's Vinyl Frontier, now searches thrift stores for materials after burning through his personal collection. Journals featuring popular artists and musicals go quickly (including Dolly Parton, Sound of Music, and the Beatles), although there are requests of all kinds (Steely Dan and Barbara Mandrell among them). The frontier man doesn't only rescue and reuse board games and library books. Many of his journals contain recycled paper and all can be sent back and refilled for a small fee. Sounds sustainable and chic.

Tokyo has been a city bursting with innovative design for years, and when husband and wife team Mike and Yuri Albertson (he’s a product designer, she’s a graphic designer) moved there from New York, their leather and paper company Postalco became another part of the growing community. Wallets, bags, envelopes … a creative project centered around a fish jaw. It’s all available in their clean, minimalist style. But one of the more interesting things we found while checking out the site is Tramnesia’s Working, a series of behind-the-scenes videos that focus on Postalco and a few other start-ups. Worth a peek if entrepreneurs talking about their beginnings gets you hot.

From skateboards to toys, the Web 2.0 world of make-on-demand continues to expand for a populace that runs on a mixture of Adderall and instant gratification. Magcloud is just one of the latest in the trend, a print-on-demand service where you upload a PDF and they print you a real, professional paper magazine with saddle-stitched covers. You can order as little as a single issue printed with the Indigo printers developed by HP (MagCloud is an HP Labs project). If you, like me, grew up in the era of zines and got a job at OfficeMax to use the copy machine and long-reach stapler, MagCloud is an interesting endeavor in outsourcing the DIY aesthetic (which makes it more like DIT — Do-It-Themselves). I have to admit I’m kind of excited about it though, and am already brainstorming ways to use the technology. The project is still in the beta phase, but fully usable for those with a major credit card and a US address.

Our mom threw out our Voltron toys quite some time ago, and frankly it’s been too long since we’ve put together a badass mechanical friend. Thanks to a collaboration between Paper Artist Extraordinaire Shin Tanaka, Asian-American Pop culture periodical Giant Robot, and the Scion division of Toyota we’ll soon be able to feel whole again. Using templates found in four consecutive issues of Giant Robot, readers can create their own 4-in-1 mechanical beasts. Each issue will include instructions to make a bionic creation, but the ultimate goal is to collect all four to make an impressive robot  The current issue (#57) of Giant Robot hosts the second robot template, with the third hits stores on February 2009 — and you can even order the back issues from the site.

The Gift: A Chikabird gift pack (makers of these fine wallets) containing a notebook in your choice of available colors, a Slow Loris pocket notebook and motorcycle tee.

The Rules: We’re using complicated chaos models to determine the winner. Just fill out the name and e-mail fields in the COMMENTS section and we’ll run it through the supercomputer in Bern, Switzerland.

The Deadline: Contest runs now through midnight on 12/17.

If Someecards and CNN’s T-shirt worthy headlines met, their love child might come in the form of gift tags that read “Get ready to fake excitement” and a white doily card with “Hot Mess” printed in fancy script. Enter Pretty Bitter. Their line of “stationary that pushes the envelope” includes self-adhesive opportunities for snarky messages. Depending on your giftee’s appreciation of “I’ll be brief” notecards that feature an illustration of men’s underwear, they could make a nice stocking stuffer (and one that’s available in Hanukkah blue).

Every year the MoMA store unveils a lineup of holiday cards that makes us reconsider making our own. That and Fluffy always refuses to pose in her Santa suit. When the Modern Art Museum first launched their holiday lineup over 50 years ago, the cards featured original work by artists such as Henri Matisse and Andy Warhol who had pieces in the museum. This pracitice is no longer in season, but the cards are memorable nonetheless. This year the MoMA offers 56 different paper masterpieces printed on high-quality stock that range from the spiritual to the whimsical. So whether doves and driedels are your thing or you’re more moved by an ornery reindeer yanking off a snowman’s holiday scarf you’ll be able to find something that will put a smile on whoever receives one from you. Stay classy, holiday senders.

Given the increase in Kindles, new Blackberries, and 3G iPhones, it’s nice to see a black item that keeps notes the old fashioned way. Doane Paper utility notebooks are mobile in their own way at less than four by six inches and only 48 pages — ideal for bite-size musings.  Portland print show Pinball Publishing uses soy-based inks and recycled paper to create the grid+lines notebook line. Perfect for pockets.

“Now it’s time to get zombiefied!” Thanks alien sex fiend, we couldn’t agree more. So, in time for Halloween, we present these undead creatures that you can enjoy within minutes from reading this post! Print out the PDF of the Dude, the Bopper, the Grumm, or one of the three other meanies each designed by a different artist and get building. We plan to customize ours, and we invite you to do the same. Send us pics of your work!

via ThunderPanda

Having trouble finding snarky greeting cards? Copywriter Joel Gryniewski wouldn’t put up with the void when he was trying to woo now fiance Lauren Wienblatt, an art director with whom he launched the letterpress card company Old Tom Foolery. One Craigslist letterpress purchase and a successful stationary show later, their “unsappy, uncrappy letterpress greetings” are earning a following on both coasts. (In SF, they’re available at Green Apple Books and Wishbone; in New York, Kate’s Paperie and  Greenwich Letterpress sells them.) One favorite reads “Kudos*” with the footnote “The congratulatory kind — not the women’s candy bar.” Another, “Wishing you a speedy recovery*,” ends “Chop-chop. I’m tired of covering for your sick ass.” The duo’s tactile and entertaining approach to high quality cards just may be enough to make up for paperless Mothers Days gone by.

Sorry, Hallmark, but your cards … well, they suck. Hence, we’re always on the lookout for excellent indie card stores and ingenious new greeting card designers, like Stephanie Orma, the founder of She’s SO Creative. The SF-based cardstress’ line of quirky, humorous greetings features offbeat characters and thoughtful animals reminiscent of Gary Larson’s Far Side comics — and they beat the funny pants off of Shoebox.

Brooklyn-based artist Samantha Hahn is prolific to say the least. She illustrates for Glamour and Craft magazines, designs T-shirt and stationery patterns, blogs as Maquette when fashion and photography inspiration strikes, keeps a sketchbook for lovely female forms when she feels like drawing (which is almost hourly). Oh, and teaches art to third graders full time.

Earlier this year an agent at a trade show told Hahn she should limit her work to a single craft in the name of brand building. She said she wasn’t ready to not be all over the place. The daughter of a freelance illustrator, Hahn says she thrives from working with her hands and describes her drawing-based endeavors as intertwined. All of which only benefits aesthetics and detail-minded folks who are fans of her colorful sailor women plates, hand-lettering, and all that falls between.

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Most couples have something they do really well together. Maybe it’s partners in a card game. Maybe it’s karaoke — whatever, it’s something that they can use to show their power-couple-abilities. Kirk and Eva started Sycamore Street Press to create stationary and paper products using vintage letterpress techniques. Oh, and they’re more talented than you and your significant other. Check out their Etsy store for a whole host of hand-pressed paper goods and follow their blog for some fun couple things and creative inspiration.

There are a million ways to say thank you. You can send someone flowers, buy someone a boat…or just say “thank” and “you” together. Joachim Baan and Hugo Verweij have added a new wrinkle to the act of showing your appreciation with “Thank You Too”, their book of business card-sized thank you notes athat give friends and strangers alike the respect they deserve for being so wonderful. The recently launched website allows visitors to purchase postcards and stamps, send e-cards, or come up with their own specific messages that may be added to the site. No need to thank us, your blog patronage is thanks enough.