Getting close to dropping my total unread in my reader to under 50. Close, but not there yet. Here's two items that have been sitting in there for awhile, waiting to be shared. Both a glut of pretty stuff from Lovely Package:

Vintage matchbox lables - That's where the hedgehog/porcupine up top comes from, not surprisingly. Lots of good stuff in there. Love the radio, and the socks & scarf.

Vintage Paul Rand packaging -  Love that first box design, and all of the rest of it too, of course.
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Here's one from the dieline that I've been meaning to show you for awhile too:
Studio Spotlight: ilovedust. Their Country Cider packaging is really cute, and the Quality Meats promo piece looks awesome.
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If you haven't noticed before, I'm pretty fond of pedal cars. This one here is pretty awesome, but at $2000, and looking that pretty, would you really want to let your kid drive around in it? They would look pretty suave though...
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The office supply store that time forgot on ACL. How much would I like to go there? How many vintage staplers still in their original packaging do you think are in there? Damn.
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I am already very excited for this movie, and I'm sure it's still a long time coming. Looks awesome though.

Here's an awesome series of pictures about crate digging, and the reasons not to do it, fittingly called Crate Digging, Don't Do It. There's a nice intro to it, that explains what crate digging is in case you don't know. The lettering is particularly nice in each one, and I'm really just digging the overall style too.

My form of crate digging is more digging through stacks of last season's shoes, looking for great deals, but you know, I think I understand.
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Jenna sent me a link to a great looking little book for kids written by Ann Rand, and illustrated by her husband, designer Paul Rand, called Sparkle and Spin: a Book About Words. It shouldn't surprise you to hear that I want it. Examples of great design being used in products for kids keep popping onto my radar recently. Specifically, I LOVE the Charley Harper ABC's board book, 123 board book, and blocks. I bet you can guess what friends of mine will be getting when they have kids! While buying copies of everything for myself too, of course (actually, maybe two for when I actually have kids...)
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Looking at Paul Rand stuff got me thinking about Saul Bass, who, of course, is another design god. Being a former film student, I obviously knew a thing or two about his movie title work (you know, aside from his movie poster work) but it never occurred to me that he pioneered the idea of making interesting opening titles. Crazy. Check out this video to see the man himself talk about some of his big title sequences. Of course, you'll get to see some sequences too if you don't know what I'm talking about.
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All Known Metal Bands. Interesting, funny, and maybe informative? (I've never actually flipped through the book, just stumbled upon the title...) Beautiful cover though. Not surprisingly for McSweeney's though, of course.
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Great Flickr set here: anthropomorphic cannibalism. Definitely something I love seeing in a sign, all brought together in one nice little set.