MO Music (Part 2 - Hallmarker Edition)

There are so many note-worthy bands in Kansas City (and surrounding areas), that i could have dozens of these posts. But there won't be many this good. Haha. What can i say, Hallmarkers like to rock. Check it:

Softee - A lo-fi pop-rock four piece. All of the members cute girls, all of them designers. And you would be able to tell from the glorious posters, cd covers, and endless creative merchandise they have. My first month at Hallmark, i heard about these ladies more times than i did greeting cards. They don't disappoint either. The shows are always full of energy and way fun. Tomorrow, they have another butt-kicking performance, 10PM at the Brick, to kickoff there newest EP "Birds & Aliens" (see above poster). Expect good times, some surprises and a chance to buy a limited edition first run of the EP (w/ screen printed CD sleeve).
Playing with Softee, will be two other solid bands:
Big Surrender
The ACB's
I hope to see you there.

NoMathmatics - DJ-ing, retro video playing, dancing robot machines! Again, this brings another big crowd in KC. They encourage their crowds to come dawning sweatbands, 80's attire, or robot suits. And one of the guys is an art director on Shoebox. Why wouldn't you go really?

Travoltron - Nate and Samantha L. listed in our bloggers on the right, also are part of a band... this one. Sort of a disco indierock powerpop sound that makes you want to dance. I've only seen them once, but oh did i ever dance.

(you can totally tell they are creatives just by their flashy myspaces, huh?)



There are definitely some more Hallmark bands, but they escape me at the moment.

Some other notable bands this time around: The Architects, It's Over!, Aaron Hale and the Boy Detectives (EP out this Tues), Queen's Club

Stay tuned for part 3, which will likely be rap and hip-hop. If you have recommendations, please let me know!

-Josh

SNEAKY!

One of my co-workers, Piper, came back to her desk and found a little treat. She's not sure who to blame (thank), but she sure is happy.



We snapped a picture with my cell phone so the quality is poor. It's a great little knitted wrap that goes around any writing utensil. Apparently (from the tag and button attached) it is from a group called "KNIT HAPPENS | We knit, we tag, we drink!" Well, we like it!

knithappenskc.blogspot.com
www.flickr.com/photos/tag_it

And Piper says, "THANKS!"

Green :: Donating Products for the Greater Good

Every business has some level of unsold products, and it can be a challenge to dispose of those products efficiently and responsibly. For Hallmark, the answer for many years has been to donate excess product inventory to help enrich the lives of less-fortunate people.

From 2006 to 2007, Hallmark doubled its product giving to a group of pre-approved charitable agencies serving the communities in which Hallmark operates. “By donating surplus products, we can support our core mission of enriching lives by strengthening relationships,” says Brenda, from Hallmark's Corporate Contributions Group. “We also minimize expenses associated with discarding products and keep those products out of landfills, which is environmentally responsible.”

Here are just a few examples of the organizations that Hallmark has benefited, while at the same time, keeping excess product out of landfills.

City Union Mission, which distributed last year’s Father’s Day T-shirts and boxer shorts to homeless men.
Harvesters, which packs Hallmark plates, napkins and cups along with canned food for its member agencies.
Head Start, where teachers use Hallmark stickers and stuffed animals to encourage good behavior.
The Guadalupe Center, which includes a senior center, youth development, and drug rehabilitation program, decorates the facility with piñatas and other party decorations.
Della Lamb Community Services, which takes bridal shower invitations and uses them for writing practice by refugees learning English through its adult education program.

More KC Rankings...

Folks, I'm telling ya...

Next to Beijing, Moscow, Seattle, and other fab cities, KC, MO also made Fast Company's latest List of 12 Fast Cities.

Also, boasting affordable housing, terrific schools, and top of the line entertainment, KC ranks 6th on Kiplinger's list of 50 Smart Places to Live.

And if you are still wondering if KC is a great place to live, check out our strides toward sustainability, in this article, which highlights KC's "Sustainable Skylins" initiative.

Feist and a Lesson in Storytelling

One of the schools that Bess and I visited in Atlanta this week used the following videos as a lesson in a design class: audience and storytelling are critical to design problem-solving, and this was the example the professor used. Very cool, I think. Enjoy!

Green :: Food Composting

The first things that come to mind when I hear the word "recycling" are newspapers, plastic bottles, and soda cans. But I usually don't think about recycling food scraps.

Food is actually the second heaviest waste stream in our landfills. And the cafeteria within Hallmark (The Crown Room) feeds a few thousand people each day, you can imagine that there will be food waste. So, we're doing something about it!

Here is how it works: Each year, Hallmark’s kitchen workers scrap the food, paper and bones off dishes into a sink with a grinder. It comes out on the other end as 130 tons of kitchen waste, which is ground into compost. The result: organic compost free of pesticides and herbicides, which feeds a local rain garden of native Missouri plants.

Click on this video link to watch a recent news spot by NBC Action News (KC NBC affiliate) on Hallmark's Food Composting initiative (there is a 15 second advertisement, and then the story will start).

ARTIST TRADING CARDS

This month's theme for the Artist Trading Card (ATC) trade at Hallmark was "tutti fruiti." Seems like everyone had lots of fun doing a creative exercise!

Here are a sample of the ATCs.





You can see all of the summery fruiti cards on my ATC blog.

I GOT IT!

Last night I came home and there was the BIGGEST box EVER from Amy Butler. Inside was the Amy Butler bag I had won from the
decor8 Amy Butler mood board contest!

It's HUGE! I looked on Amy's Sweet Life BAGS page, but I didn't find my style of bag. Hmmm... maybe it's a brand new style! Anywho, I freakin' LUV it!

Thanks Amy and decor8!

NEW BLOG ADDED

Chris (mentioned below for the "This Crazy World" art exhibit) and his cohort Mirna have a great blog that's been added to the list of Hallmarkers Who Blog on the right. -------------------->

Chris S. and Mirna K. --- Two Headed Beast

Welcome to This Crazy World!

Many people probably have no idea, but Hallmark has a totally killer image archive that holds images spanning at least as far back as Hallmarks existence (almost 100 years). This archive is so cool in fact, that i hear Urban Outfitters has asked if they could partake in its splendor. Every so often, we have an artist here use The Archive in a fun, new way. This month Chris has floored me. The sheer awesomeness and [what some people might call] "unHallmarkness" of Welcome to This Crazy World, i think, makes people double-take on the images. It definitely has inspired me to reconsider my hesitance at using the archives and thinking, "i don't think i can do anything manly with lots of watercolor flowers." Nice work Chris. Click the image to the right to get a taste. I don't know what else to say, so i think i will let the pictures do the talking.

-Josh

Here are some pics from the reception:

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.

-Erich Fromm

TrendPlant ACTIVITIES

Last Thursday was another fun-filled monthly meeting in my Hallmark TrendPlant group.

Our object of our afternoon retail excursion was to see if the business had:
• theme or intent
• if the product or service reinforced by experience
• what could have been better
• what was great

First we went to Blue Grotto, a new pizza place in Brookside, for lunch.

This gorgeous place used to be some sock store. But now owner, Chris Graham makes authentic Italian pizza. The secret is this super-fine flour used in the crust, which Chris special orders for his pizza.

The place has only been open for like a month. So go check it out! (Sorry I didn't get any pics of the pizza, but the all LOOKED exceptional!).

Brookside had just started their summer sidewalk sale. After lunch we walked over to Shop Girls.

Super cute store with unique stuff. And a super cute business card.














Then we went next door to 5B & Co. Candlemakers. They make handmade candles.

Too many scents to smell! The food smells made me want dessert!

Then on the way back to Hallmark we went to B Bop comic store.

Love the store sign.

I even found a cute birdie Brookside brochure. I even found the new Blue Grotto restaurant listed!


I can't wait for our August TrendPlant outing!