I first met Katie Kulper when visiting Olio United, a shop here in Portland filled with green, sustainable, story-driven clothing and housewares (as the tagline on their web site says). I LOVE this shop. Everything about it. The latest love is the paper airplane installation that Katie created. I could stare at it for hours on end (and have)… and wish I was on the massive wave of them heading to some warm, sunny place. And then I met Katie, who’s just as sweet and awe-inspiring as her work. Her website is full of great projects, including more pictures of the installation, and a clever promo piece that is a lovely drawn mask. A student at PSU, and already kickin’ butt, Katie Kulper is a name I think we’re going to be hearing more of in the future.

Katie also made a small ’scene’ at Olio United using the “Hidden Habitats” screenprint that Jill Bliss and Saelee Oh created together. I happened to be there with Jill when we saw it, and we both could not stop smiling… and I couldn’t stop playing with it. If you want your own little habitat, you can buy it at Olio United, or online directly from Jill.

Speaking of miss Bliss, we were recently perusing Powell’s Books, the largest bookstore in the United States, when I found this gem of a book, titled “Creative Hands: An Introduction to Craft Techniques”, by Doris Cox and Barbara Warren Weismann, 1945. The mod type on the binding caught my eye. And then we saw the cover. And then we saw the pattern on the inside cover, and it all just went uphill from there. Mid-Century and Scandinavian craft are my favorite sources for inspiration, and this book certainly inspires. Here are some spreads from the book. I had to buy it. It was only $6… I love how Powell’s places old books in with new ones. It’s a treasure hunt every time.

Another interesting fact about this book, which was compiled in 1945: It was “manufactured in accordance with the recommendations of the War Production Board (WPA) in the interest of conserving paper and other important war materials.” Which lead me to research the “WPA Milwaukee Handicraft Project” which I saw mentioned next to a few favorite pictures. I am from Wisconsin, and I graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a degree in printmaking. Through a series of links, I find a book titled “Useful Work for Unskilled Women: A Unique Milwaukee WPA Project” by Mary Kellogg Rice about the history of the project from 1935 to 1942, at UWM. What a small world. Found it on Amazon, so more inspiration is coming in the mail soon… And from my Alma Mater. Sweet.

If you’re feeling flush, you can buy this rare book by the Milwaukee WPA on Ebay.