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.

Interesting dog facts to start your day! I had no idea the greyhound could run 45 mph! http://ping.fm/MQXch

It can be tough naming your first puppy, I personally went with a Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure theme by choosing the names Ziggy Piggy and Tank the Destroyer Esquire, here's a great link to help you decide http://ping.fm/DwbHQ

I (Skate Dog Studios) just submitted the Skate Pet Feeder to Pet Product News International for their annual editor's choice awards for 2010...Cross your fingers that they love it!

and something for your hipster pet...
http://ping.fm/ZUtQU

I wonder if I can get Tank or Ziggy to wear one of these... Dog Phones!
http://ping.fm/e2xZf

Simply amazing...Anything is possible
http://ping.fm/Wj94M

Read a little more about J.P.'s Skate It Forward volunteer project - Soles4Souls on my Skate It Forward Blog http://ping.fm/uoGrv

New Skate Dog Studios blog posting! Check it out!

Goodbye weekend:(

It's 830pm on a Monday night and I am bidding adieu to a long work filled weekend (my day job gave us Monday off, yay!)  A lot has been happening since I last wrote...so with my feet up and Tank on my left squeaking his new Kong ball, let me recap...

Friday:  Leave work, make feeders...this is a never ending battle!  Got some new stuff posted for my site and pics sent off to some stores for drop shipping...The day was beautiful so I later snuck off to the beach.

Saturday:  More feeders (do you see a pattern here?)  In the afternoon I went out to DoubleWide Surf Shop and got my newest Skate It Forward applicant, J.P., signed up as well as interest from other skaters.  I'll write more on his project on my new Skate It Forward blog, courtesy of my lovely baby sister, Lynn.  I think it's a great one though!  Got Doggy Go Greens feeders packed and ready to go on my way home, and then off I sped to a pig picking in Beaulaville...If you have never been you should try it, North Carolinians make them some deeeeeelishouusss barbeque.  Afterwards I was able to make it to my favorite pub to listen to some great blue grass music.

Sunday:  More feeders cut, I just bought a new hole cut saw for my drill press, so the skateboards cut like butter right now, it's great.  I'm trying to gear up for the Azalea Festival in Wilmington, NC next weekend, so the more feeders the better.  This will be my first festival that I've done, so I'm curious to see how they will fare.  Cross your fingers...

Monday:  More homework (I go to school at night), moved my office to my new spare bedroom, and yep, you guessed it, cut more feeders.  I was able to get out and buy some beautiful annuals for my garden, finally got them planted tonight.

So now I'm done (for now), there is a siren going off in the distance and Tank, my youngest lab, is howling at it.  I'll keep you posted about the Azalea Festival with DoubleWide...It's gonna be ridiculous!

Check out this posting in Ready Made magazine about Skate It Forward!
http://ping.fm/WWa9Q

12" feeder legs are in! Only available on 8" wide decks

Tipsy Society: Spruce up Those Pet Bowls
an awesome blog starring the Skate Pet Feeder by Courtney
http://ping.fm/dtiG2

Oh snaps the Skate Pet Feeder is EVERYWHERE!
http://ping.fm/kkbwU

Skate Dog Studios presents: Skate It Forward
http://ping.fm/7gaW3

Skate Dog Studios presents: Skate It Forward

It's Sunday night, the boys are piled on the couch with me and I think it's about time I talk about my newest adventure...Skate It Forward.

Skate It Forward is a project I'm working on to highlight skateboarding and its riders in a positive way by helping out the community through paying it forward (Skate It Forward).  The way it works is simple, if a person is under 18 years old and comes up with a plan to help your community in some way either through volunteering, cleaning up the environment, donating, anything they think would be a worth while project and keeps their grades up in school, I will provide that person free decks to ride.  When the decks are broken in, I'll take them back, exchange it for a new one, and make the old deck into a recycled feeder...pretty easy right?

Below are some images of my first Skate It Forward recycled feeder

This GIRL skateboard was skated by a youth from Ogden, NC who is Skating it Forward by helping keep the area around the Skate Barn, an indoor skate park in Hampstead, NC clean (www.skatebarn.com)  He makes sure to keep his grades up in school and takes time out on the weekends to pick up trash around one of his favorite places to skate, keeping it nice for everyone else who skates there.

In the weeks to come, I'll be highlighting more riders and what they are doing to help the community, pretty exciting stuff!

If you or anyone else you know is interested in becoming part of Skate It Forward, either through skating, donating boards, or just helping me make Skate It Forward bigger and better, please don't hesitate to call (910) 376-2619 or email me @ info@skatedogstudios.com...a big thanks ahead of time:)