Anthology

wisconsin proud

 

Yes, we love our state, and our city too...  Going away on vacation is always nice, but coming home is nice too.  Though I didn't mean to start bossing around my sister right away, it must just come naturally to me as a big sister, and she responded by making more photo snippets per my request, so we have a new batch, including some of the recent pictures I took at the Farmer's Market (so, yes, whoever approached me asking if I was taking pictures for snippets, you were right).

 

I know I'm probably repeating myself but I am so pleased that we've been able to build up our collection of local imagery.  I missed out with a few artists, one of whom is no longer selling his wares, but some new ones have come to my attention in the meantime.

We are particularly excited that Tara in Milwaukee responded to our request with this great batch of Madison notecards.

Our Madison neighborhood map has now been joined by a Wisconsin counties map, Madison sweetheart photographs, new t-shirts, and a return of the felt Wisconsin ornament and the Madison lakes paper cut.

And we're showing the love for the Midwest too... don't worry: new t-shirts, and the popular Great Lakes cut-out is back in stock.

And you don't think we've forgotten about our Governor, do you?  I think what's happening in Wisconsin is playing out on the larger stage with the Occupy Wall Street movement; it's ultimately about concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few, at cost to liberty and justice for all... but that's just my opinion.  I must say that police-protester interactions around the country have really made me thankful for the Madison Police Department.  Seeing protests from around the country and around the world bring home even more so how lucky I am to live in this place - to be able to express myself without fear of gunshots, arrests, or someone running the country for 40-some years.   I still haven't seen anything that convinces me that Scott Walker will be good for our state for a full term.  We are personally happy that our chance to collect recall signatures is fast approaching, and naturally Sachi had some new buttons to make.  We also have our prints, including the great new "Don't Let Yer Badgers Grow Up to be Weasels" made here in Madison and a new Solidarity t-shirt.  And, yes, bumper stickers.

 

 

 

for those who travel and those who stay home

(one of our story pictures - the text says, "when days start wearing the same face, a road trip is in order.")

Seems like summer is always a busy time of journeying.  Sachi has filled the window with items to take on your trips (journals, passport covers), items to commemorate your trips (posters, books) and items to send back to those who didn't come along with you (postcards, stationery).

We have souvenirs for those who have traveled from afar, including some great postcards and magnets based on vintage images.  And mementos , and art supplies for your travel journals too.  Or, why not consider booking an altered address book appointment and bring in your travel ephemera to make into a travel journal?

We just received some fabulous map wrapping papers based on vintage maps.  They come from Minnesota, even though their focus is decidedly not Midwestern. I'm a map person for sure - they conjure up memories of looking at maps with Mom - tracing our fingers over the possible routes.

In addition to maps of Chicago, San Francisco, Manhattan and US roadways, there are constellations and great retro images of Paris street scenes and a Paris department store.

 
The "New Yorker's view of the world" is quite entertaining.  I've put in a request for Great Lakes/Midwest so hopefully he will keep his eye out for something along those lines.

And for some reason, this end of July seems keenly like a time of transitions and endings (and beginnings too, of course).  We especially want to say fare well to our mailman who is retiring and to our upstairs neighbors Tyler and Nancy, who've been neighbors to Anthology from the beginning.  They've seen 2+ years of our growing and changing (as well as that of Lily).  When I mentioned to Lily that they had known her since she was a little baby, she said to me, "Everyone knows I was a baby."

Madison Madison Madison

Okay, okay, we're getting there. We've been having fun coming up with mementos of Madison. It is very satisfying to provide an interesting souvenir of someone's trip and send an artist's work out into the world. Hopefully we can involve more artists but here's what we have so far: photos from Mike Bass, photo snippets and photo blocks by me (I'm hoping to fill a wall, maybe if I trade babysitting time for wood-cutting time from Marco?), photo snippets and drawings from Sachi, oh, and also her original onesie. And Madison buttons, of course.