Monday, December 7, 2009

give the gift of foodie prints

Food is permanently on my brain, which creates me to forever eat, drink, speak, squeal and gush over anything that's relatable to edibles. And, while some people wear their beaten hearts on their sleeves, I suggest it being better to wear the print of your last night's dinner proud-and-true on the outside of you.

Below, for the holiday season, I've compiled a handful of top-notch foodie pleasures, made locally and not so locally, to promote your adoration to eats, aplenty.

Dressing on the Side crafts cutesy limited-and-exclusive pen and ink designs from Arizona that, just like the one shown above, are ideal for those who are truly a foodie at heart. Being burger-obsessed, I gush at the above print, and could also sport any of her other designs, including the "Cupcakes are Cool" t-shirt and the "You Are What You Eat" with a pie slice symbolic of an "A".
Girlscantell is Philly-based and beautiful, inking attractive sketches on totes, coasters, oven mits, and much more. My favorite of her designs is her Kitchenaid mixer print, fully equipped with all the necessary attachments. Coming from a girl who welled up at the sight of her own icy blue Kitchenaid, it is a must-have for any baking space, and also, any item promoting it's fancy-schmancy machinery, is also a pleasured treasure to own.


Let's Get Healthy, a Josh Reames project, has sculpted screenprints that revolve around food, and furthermore, encourage the slow food movement. The Dinner Party t-shirt is a chaotic swirl of our kitchen's favorite cutlery, and comes printed on varying colors and sizes of v-necks. Also appealing is the store's "Ugly Organs" messenger bag that's durable and screams of good health. All funds raised from the shop's sales go to help to provide food, medical attention and education to children in the Philippines at the Gugma Child Development Center.

Mike Geno, another Philly-based artist, makes me proud by promoting his love for meat at large, especially his fascination with bacon. His bacon cards, which remind me of a statement a dear friend said to me recently ("you are the bacon to my cupcake"), are adorable and smile-creating, as are his various other meat paintings and pieces, such as other favorite, the heart-shaped "Bacon Love" print.

Sara Smedley is from PA Dutch Country and crafts textile prints on sturdy tableware and aprons. Her line of "butcher’s aprons" are partially inspired by what her grandfather wore when he cooked. Her modernized-looking kitchen companion is also sourced from a style similar to what Julia Child wore and quotes the French Chef saying, “It's a working apron, not a dainty thing. ‘Dainty’ doesn’t look professional in the kitchen.”

ChezSucreChez may not follow the print-based formality of this post, but it doesn't matter, because her monogrammed and cross-stitched pieces are excitingly adorable. Her Strawberry Sachet, popped with six lavender sewn berries inside, not only looks cutesy, but smells mighty fine, too. Also, she lives around my neck of the woods (Berks County, Pa), and I am quite pleased to have such a handsewn artist, locally.