Why I Love Little Printers.

On today's visit to Dave Allen's blog, a must read if you're interested in digital branding, I came across something so cute, well designed and fresh that it's moving to the top of my 'I want' and 'cool stuff' list. BERG, a design consultancy, recently announced their latest invention, the Little Printer, which prints out tiny receipt size announcements that sum up your daily activities, news, and interests. The Little Printer has partnered Foursquare, Google, Nike, The Guardian, and ARUP to help bring you your tiny news.

The printer remains at your house, connected to the web, and you may choose which daily tid-bits you want printed and waiting when you get home. You may print as many times as you like by pressing a button on your smart phone, or you may set it to print automatically once or twice per day. You can add any news you like; where your friends have been via Foursquare, how far you ran with Nike+, puzzles, or the world news with The Guardian.

Why I love it:

1. It's cute and tiny. People love things that are cute and tiny (kittens, puppies, babies).

2. It doesn't use ink! The tiny thermal printer uses heat to transfer an impression onto the specially coated paper.

3. It's physical. As much as I like looking into my computer screen, iPod screen or iPhone screen until my eyes are bloodshot, it may be nice to carry around my favorite notes, achievements and ideas of the day.

4. It works with the cloud system, which is where everything is headed anyway, but I love that I don't need to carry the printer around or remember to print when I get home, everything is done for me!

5. It's cute and tiny. Really, I can't emphasize this enough.

Well done BERG.

The Portland Bazaar

This past Sunday, my friend and my mom and I ventured to The Portland Bazaar, a weekend event to promote mostly regional vendors who have interesting products, books, drinks, plants, and sweet treats to share. The event was coordinated by three generous folks who love to spread local cheer; Grace Bonney from Design Sponge, Greg Hennes from Antler and Co., and Matt Pierce from Wood and Faulk. I was lucky enough to meet Grace Bonney right before her book signing and was delighted by how generous, enthusiastic, and real she was.

Her book is a wonderful collection of inspiring homes and interior decor, DIY tutorials, and creatively designed products. Not a bad Christmas present (or a Happy Tuesday present for that matter). After looking through her blog or book, it is easy to see why she wanted to showcase the vendors at the bazaar. Each booth I walked into lead to an 'Oh My God, look!' moment or an idea of a new way I could redecorate or a cool book of typography that I needed to have.

The event was advertised in small boutiques and upscale thrift stores around town (which was how I heard of it) as well as Twitter, where it was soon trending. Here are some of my favorites:

The heart reads "sweet tits."

Just in case you haven't had enough chocolate.

Attaches onto your bike, in case you prefer beer over water while gettin' your sweat on.