Pantone Project

The other day I read a blog about the 10 Pantone colors for spring of 2011 and I was intrigued.  It's not that I hadn't heard about Pantone colors, I just never really followed them...until now.  Here's a little back story on the history of Pantone as told by designface for Pantone http://designface.co.uk/content/pantonehistory.


Pantone, as it is today, was founded in 1962, when the company—at the time a small business which manufactured colour cards for cosmetics companies—was bought by Lawrence Herbert, who had been an employee since 1956. He immediately changed its direction, developing the first colour matching system in 1963. Herbert remains the CEO, Chairman, and President of the company.

The company's primary products include the Pantone Guides, which consist of a large number of small (approximately 6×2 inches or 15×5 cm) thin cardboard sheets, printed on one side with a series of related colour swatches and then bound into a small flipbook. For instance, a particular "page" might contain a number of yellows varying in luminance from light to dark.

The idea behind the PMS is to allow designers to 'colour match' specific colours when a design enters production stage—regardless of the equipment used to produce the colour. This system has been widely adopted by Graphic Designers, Reproduction and Printing Houses for a number of years now. Pantone recommends that PMS Colour Guides be purchased annually as their inks become more yellow over time. Colour variance also occurs within editions based on the paper stock used (coated, matte or uncoated), while inter-edition colour variance occurs when there are changes to the specific paper stock used.

What I find it really interesting about all of this is how the fashion industry and now Etsians follow the Pantone color trends religiously, so I decided to put it to the test.  The following are the 10 Pantone Colors for Spring 2011:

1 HONEYSUCKLE PANTONE 18-2120

Percentage of designers who used this color: 15.56 percent

2 REGATTA PANTONE 18-4039

Percentage of designers who used this color: 14.81 percent

3 CORAL ROSE PANTONE 16-1349

Percentage of designers who used this color: 14.07 percent

4 BEESWAX PANTONE 14-0941

Percentage of designers who used this color: 13.33 percent

5 PEAPOD PANTONE 14-6324

Percentage of designers who used this color: 10.37 percent

6 BLUE CURACAO PANTONE 15-4825

Percentage of designers who used this color: 8.15 percent

7 RUSSET PANTONE 18-1235

Percentage of designers who used this color: 7.41 percent

8 SILVER PEONY PANTONE 12-1206

Percentage of designers who used this color: 6.67 percent

9 LAVENDER PANTONE 15-3817

Percentage of designers who used this color: 5.19 percent

10 SILVER CLOUD PANTONE 15-4502

Percentage of designers who used this color: 4.44 percent

So here's my plan...wait for it...okay here's the plan.  I've decided to make 10 projects using the Pantone Colors and 10 of the same projects not using the Pantone Colors, so basically two of the same item for as long as it takes me to finish.  They will be listed on my Skate Dog Studios etsy site http://www.etsy.com/shop/SkateDogStudios?ref=si_shop under a folder called the Pantone Project.  At the end of the project I will post the stats for the Pantone Colors projects as compared to the off colors.  If anyone else is interested in joining me in my endeavors awesome, pass the word!  Either way I think this project will be a win win, I create new items for sale, and I finished a project:) 

A Few of My Favorite Etsy Things

I'm not going to lie, I spend a lot of time on Etsy...People make really cool stuff!  Here are a few of my favorite things:

1.) The infamous DIRTY/CLEAN dishwasher sign by wonbien

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62515959/quick-flick-clean-dirty-dishwasher-sign

No joke, the day before I found this bad bear I was just thinking to myself "hmmm, maybe if I got a dirty/clean sign for the dishwasher I wouldn't be the only one in the house to load/unload the dishwasher..." You watch out wonbien a sale is coming your way!

2.) Bird measuring spoons by beehivekitchenware

http://www.etsy.com/listing/67291095/bird-measuring-spoons

Now I'm not the most fabulous or motivated cook in the world, but I feel like I could be Martha friggin Stewart if I owned these spoons...or, if you don't like that response it could be more like that Rice Crispy treats commercial where the end result is delicious goodies with little to no work involved.  Either way, I firmly believe that these spoons are the bees knees of cooking utensils.

3.) Finally... da da da DA!  The Bearded lumberjack hat!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64890956/bearded-lumberjack-hat-sz-sm-in-burnt

 

Holy crap it's like beard hair extensions for dudes, or the laaaaaadies.  The only person I know that can grow a stellar beard like this is my buddy, Eric Shepard...until now.  Game on Eric is all I have to say, wait'll I have ownership of my beard hat.  Yeah, I'm a girl, so what?  I'll still destroy you with my faux beard.

New Feeders...and a Rodeo?

So my parents are in town, but that didn't stop me from making a couple of new things...

Mad For Plaid Skate Pet Feeder

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/68420851/mad-for-plaid-skate-pet-feeder

She's a Brick House Skate Pet Feeder

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68415385/shes-a-brick-house-skate-pet-feeder

Surf's Up Wall Hanger

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68422700/surfs-up-skate-deck-wall-hanger-one-hook

After the creating was done; however, I deemed it necessary to take the rents out on the town and show them something a little different...ENTER THE RODEO.  

My friend, Mark, from work is an excellent bullfighter.  Every weekend he's always somewhere protecting cowboys all that is bull.  

This particular weekend was a little different though.  The Hangin Tree Ranch needed volunteer riders, so Mark sounded the call for all cowboys at work...Enter Deitrich.

Now I'm not sure if bull riding was something on Deitrich's bucket list or if he accidentally said "cowboy up" before his brain could register what he was getting into (I'm thinking mouth spoke before brain registered) either way we weren't going to miss this bad bear for the world, oh and we were going to make sure to video tape it.  

So there you have it...in three seconds it was all over.  What's better is he paid $40 to do it, wore chaps, annnnd the boots with da spurs YEE HAW!  Thank goodness for Mark is all I have to say.

Crafty Bas@ar!s of the Week

And now for our Crafty Bas@ar!s of the Week...deckstool.

Stools and benches out of recycled skateboard decks?  Now them's some crafty bastar#s!



Created by Pennsylvania skaters Adam Podlaski and his brother Jason, Deckstool's and benches are made up of recycled trucks and skateboard decks and run between $175 and $550.  Well worth the cash for a unique piece o' furniture I say.

You can check out their designs on http://www.etsy.com/shop/deckstool or http://www.deckstool.com/

Be sure to go to their Etsy site quick...From now until the end of February they are offering a MID-February Sale.  Through the end of February 2011, all deckstools are $25 off plus FREE continental US shipping! ($175 + $25 off shipping for international orders.) They are also taking $150 off all deckbench orders!

An Open Letter to my Drill Press

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I seriously hate crafting.  Yeah; I said that, SOMETIMES I HATE CRAFTING.  I don't know, I read all the blogs about how great people's wares are, how to build your business and make it better, or how amazing it can be to do your own thing, which is all great and very helpful, but you never really hear about the downside of it.  I'm talking about those really bad days where the last thing you want to do is come home from your day job only to work on your night job and nothing goes right.  Case in point, my drill press (yeah I'm talking to you drill press).  So here it goes, from the top:

Dear Drill Press,

If I could launch you to the end of the earth and back right now I would.  Why do you want to break on me when I have orders to fulfill?  I'm not sure why, you never respond, but here is my response to you, we are through.  I'm replacing you with the Dremel 3 in 1 and I don't really feel bad about it.  So have a good life drill press and take care.

Love,

Management

Okay I feel a little bit better about things now.

Does anyone else have days where everything they do with their business doesn't work out according to plan?  Or you feel like throwing in the towel, yet you don't because there is always that shiny success story at the end of the tunnel?  Well I want to hear from you, but for now it's off to give Skate Pet Feeder making another go....There are still hours left in the day.