Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts

Monday, July 18, 2011

New Pulp Cards: COMPETITION!


Papyrus has just opened up two stores in downtown Toronto, and they happen to be absolutely gorgeous. Aside from the card tycoon being a top competitor to my precious, new-born New Pulp, I really love the designs Papyrus uses on some of their cards. The whole store concept is also very boutique, bright and exciting, much unlike a Hallmark or Carlton Cards... which makes it painful to walk past as it is situated near my work. The stores have their walls lined with brightly coloured graphic cards, expensive gift wrap sheets (not tubes!), boxes of thank you cards, small gifts, and a Custom Printing section in the back that offers consultation for making any kind of printed matter you might require (aside from posters and the like).



I must sound like an idiot for promoting their new stores and products, but hear this! They are quite expensive, especially for the fancier cards (obviously). Another drawback to their brand is materials. What I noticed from their shop and website is their giant ecological footprint. Below is a statement from their website on the paper and ink they use:

PAPYRUS & the Environment

Paper

Papyrus papers are made from fiber harvested using sustainable forest management. Sustainable forest management means the environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of forests for present and future generations.

Inks

All Papyrus cards are printed with soy-based inks. Soy-based inks are made from soybean oil, a renewable resource. Unlike petroleum-based inks, Soy inks have low levels of volatile organic compounds which help to reduce air pollution during printing. Soy inks also respond to de-inking better than petroleum based inks, and facilitate the making of paper waste into recycled paper.


Sounds a bit better than what I thought they may have been using, and although they say their sources are renewable... it's still a whole lot of sources for the amount of stock each store carries (online and offline).

Sweat: an Art Show (July 15th - 29th)



This past Friday, I spent a portion of my evening attending the opening night of "SWEAT" An Art Show at Oz Studios, 134 Ossington Avenue. Organized by my dear friend Kate Thornley and her colleagues Sam Singh, Kira Shaimanova and Chelsea Canlas, this specific setting showcases works by local artists surrounding the theme of "sweat" or: "Each artist will explore the physical, ideological, social and cultural notions of sweat. Ultimately, "Sweat" will be a study of a most basic human condition, interpreted through a collection of witty, humorous, and dynamic illustrations," as the organizers eloquently put it.

The collection was exactly that: bizarre at times, but totally mesmerizing and charming. Taking a walk around the long, crowded room, I got the feeling that many of the artists didn't take the word "sweat" literally in their works. Many of the pieces were elusive and offered the sensation one gets with sweating; that slight chill, tingling, full-body reaction (minus the gross aspects of the bodily-fluid). Although many of us in attendance were actually sweating due to the large crowd and summer heat, the show was a huge success.



 The Artists:

Terry Baker
Alex Beaton
Inga Borisenoka
Chelsea Canlas
Will Cardona
Anjo Chiang
Inkyung Choi
Gillian Goerz
Jesse Graham
Yoojin Guak
Ko-Hsin Hong
Jacquie Jeanes

Kassem
Haena Kim
Diana Luong
Jessica Mundell
Taj Nabhani
Javier Ortiz
Irva Saraci
Kira Shaimanova
Sam Singh
Caitlin Taguibao
Kate Thornley
Kat Verhoeven


Organizers Kate, Chelsea and Sam
Merch


Diana Luong


Diana Luong

 Kassem


Kate Thornley