Where did the name "HandmadebyWarmunky" come from?
A few years back, while partaking of Hot Toddies and watching the annual James Bond marathon on TV (Sean Connery preferred, of course), snow bound on a farm in a small town in Idaho, the Warmunky was born. My one year old niece, who couldn't yet say "uncle", could only say "unky". The blue eyed angel spent the whole day prior napping on my warm self. As I was discussing this with my sister-in-law, her husband and my wife were giving us quizical stares. Convinced we were speaking a foreign language, they finally had to ask what a War Monkey was. Laughter erupted as we explained, not "War Monkey" but, "Warm Unky"... Thinking this a good name, I've stuck with it.
In your Etsy shop profile you mention collecting pretty much anything with a graphic appeal. What is the most interesting item(s) you have right now, and why did it catch your eye?
There are a couple of items. The first is a produce box full to the brim with matchbooks collected by my father between the late 1930's and late 1940's. The illustrations and typography are fantastic. It's too bad most of the locations they are from are long gone. I'm planning on visiting some of the local spots and photographing them and then posting the picture along with a picture of the matchbook. Sort of a "then and now" story.
The other item, probably because the holidays are foremost in my mind right now, is a quirky booklet of holiday crafts, recipes and activities. I picked it up at the Portland Expo Antique and Collectible Show. It's called the Golden Circle of Holiday Ideas and was put out by Oster in 1963. It's just crazy. The cover is avocado green as are many of the pages inside. Many of the crafts use hot pink and orange color stories with gold and cyan. The foods are hard to describe. Lots of chopping, molding and saucing. Lots and lots of garnishes too. Most everything is pureed or blended. Of course it is, it's from Oster! The thing which caught my eye however was the cover. Not so much the spool of ribbon cutting out and gluing on her own cheek but rather the Santa cutting out his own head from plywood with an electric jigsaw. Another Oster product I assume?
I get asked a lot what my favorite era is for fashion. What time period do you most admire for graphic design?
That's a tough one... I equate it to ordering a favorite dish at a certain restaurant. For example, I only order Pad Kee Mao at a certain Thai restaurant, a particular hamburger at another and only the French Onion Soup at another. It's like that for me with design. I may admire the colors from one period, the typography from another and the illustration from another. If I have to be pinned down though, I would say I am currently very fond of the design from children's books of the 1950's and 1960's. They were so whimsical and fun. They just make me smile.
What can we look forward to in the future for your shop?
Cards, cards and more cards. More pillows, some "art" and more cards. Thank You cards and New Year cards. Also, some cards based on my "SIT A SPELL" pillow (currently on Etsy) and probably some... well, you'll just have to check back on my shop and see.
