Squid Sighting + Awesome Connection + AWESOME WORK

I tend to overuse the word "awesome", but in this situation I mean it in the full ALL CAPS FOLLOWED BY 17 EXCLAMATION POINTS DEFINITION OF THE WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, since I've front loaded this post with high expectations - I'll just start with the AWESOMENESS!(x17)

Synn Labs is a group of folks in LA who are becoming increasingly well known for making Rube Goldberg sequences for music videos and commercials. Their other projects include installations and sculpture that blend  art, engineering, tech, and cool kid aesthetics. I apologize for the white wash of terms I just listed - but since I can barely understand the tech involved in most of their pieces - I'm just going to leave it at that, post some videos, and trust you to follow the link to their site if you want greater depth.

The video that (I think) started it all:


Synn Lab's most recent video for Google:


What's not to love?

Here come the awesome connections:

1. Deservingly, Synn Labs has been getting a  lot of work, a lot of "buzz", and was recently featured in Fast Company Magazine.

2. I went to school with Hector and Doug from Synn Labs. I know that doesn't give me cool points, but we're friends on Facebook.

3. We're friends on Facebook - so when Hector posted their article in Fast Company - I read it, admired their work, felt very happy for them, and spent a little time watching awesome videos.

4. I got an email last night from a lovely customer who purchased one of our Squid Jackets for her boyfriend last July. She just wanted me to know that her BF was wearing our Squid Jacket in a recent article in FAST COMPANY Magazine!

5. Her BF is Hector, and he's wearing our Squid Jacket!

Small world!

R&L at Seattle UCU this weekend Dec 4/5th!

This holiday season, both  R&L goods and Ladies & Gentlemen Studio will be rockin' it at the winter Urban Craft Uprising show in Seattle this weekend!

Date: December 4th & 5th, Saturday & Sunday

Time: 11am-5pm

Where: Seattle Exhibition Hall

We'll have some new track jacket & hoodie designs & linen scarves with hand-printed Piano Nobile designs!

Check out this post on UCU to find out what we're looking forward to this holiday season.

Come by and see our new things and say hello!

Chikabird + Piano Nobile Line Debut this Weekend at UCU!

If anyone is around this weekend in Seattle, please come by and say hello and check out our exciting new line of notebooks and cardcases with Piano Nobile at the BIG holiday Urban Craft Uprising show!

December 5th & 6th, 2009
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days
Seattle Center Exhibition Hall
Admission: FREE!

Isabelle and Nickolas of Piano Nobile runs a multi-faceted design studio where they could be described as professional designers and colalborators. Isabelle has a painting and printing background with a great sense of material, color, and texture. Nickolas on the other hand has an architecture background with mad building skills in all realms whether it be funiture, design build or a large scale printing table. I'm pretty sure he can build a pyramid.... I remember reading that in his resume somewhere....

Not only do they have the perfect print studio with their self-designed and welded textile printing set up, they're also just a short bike ride away from our studio in Ballard! It's almost too good to be true!
(and yes, convenience does matter...)

Did I mention that they have a dog named Bauhaus, and also owns a sweet vintage Vanagon and Volvo?
Can you stand it?!....I can barely keep my composure thinking about all their awesomeness.

So here it is! Our collaboration line with PN! Okay, so come to UCU to see all the goods in person! You can also go to our shop to check out the entire PN collaboration line.

Look who made the papers!

Or should I say, magazine. Specifically, Do It Yourself Magazine - a Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication - available at Home Depot, and perhaps at your local news stand.

It's a cute magazine, and we're in great company within the article, titled, "DIY:Best in Show". What can I say, I certainly love and rely on the blogosphere - but there's something really satisfying about seeing your work on a glossy magazine page. I guess that's my preference for paper talking.

Meeting the Neighbors: Piano Nobile

Through a series of events and connections this Spring, we've been lucky to meet some nearby and very talented neighbors! Isabelle and Nickolas, founders of Piano Nobile are a short bike ride away from us in Ballard - and we have some exciting things brewing with them.

If you're in Ballard this Friday or Saturday, stop by Piano Nobile's home/studio for a Summer Studio Sale. Part of the City Stimulus event running all week to encourage folks to shop local - it's a great opportunity to do a little shopping and check out a stellar transformation in the Ballard industrial zone. Prepare yourself to get incredibly jealous of PN's space, talent, resources, furnishings, dog, Vanagon, and Volvo. The sale features handmade goods by some fantastic local designers and we feel flattered to be included in such a group.
We met with Isabelle last Monday. Over coffee, berries, and coffee cake - we decided to do some collaborating! Isabelle has been printing her own textiles for home and personal accessories, so her scrap bin contains a lot of high quality fabrics. The following pictures feature the various patterns and pieces she gave us, and what we did with them.



Anyone want a silk dupioni notebook? Perhaps taffeta or linen is more your style? These beauties make their debut at the Piano Nobile Studio Sale and are just the teaser for what we have in store for the Fall!

Piano Nobile Studio Sale
Fri&Sat July 17th&18th
11am - 6pm
908 NW 50th St
Seattle WA 98107

Chikabird in the news!

OK, so we're not credited anywhere (nor did we expect to be), but it's still a thrill to see our work mentioned in blogs like Remodelista!

By working some connections (aka Jean's fella, Dylan) we did the design and prototyping of the soft goods accessories seen in the latest home wardrobe system from Henrybuilt. In short, we did the leather handles, felt accessory pockets, and laundry basket! Take a look:

Leather Drawer Pulls with hand stitched reinforcement detail

Felt Accessory Storage Pockets for the interior door rail system

Hamper Drawer with integrated basket, constructed from mesh + recycled leather

It's great to see it all together, since we were designing a little in the dark (maybe we had a desk light on ;) and knew nothing of all the other lovely details that make the system so classic and warm.

The features around the dressing area are particulary appealing - the wooden jewelry knobs, the lighting, the shaping of the sliding tray tops - ahhhh having a system like this would make me an early bird.

The Dog Days of the Birdhouse

What's this?

Another satisfied customer!

Jared asked me to make a custom bed for Riley, the office mascot, and Travis' roommate. I was planning on dragging my feet a little, but Jared took up a collection at the office, did all the fabric shopping, pattern layout, printing, transferring, and cutting. All I had to do was the stitching - easiest custom project ever!

One last pic, because she's just so sweet.

Thanks to the General Assembly fellas for the fun project and the dough!

p.s. That's the General Assembly logo on the bed.

Good stuff in the air...

Not just the cherry blossoms starting up in Seattle, or the trips ahead of us in the next month, or our recent return from Hawaii (aloha, and don't hate me, mahalo).

I'm talking about great efforts made by some local folks trying to help out fellow indie biz owners in Seattle!

Jean and I attended a great workshop last night all about how to use blogging in an effective way to help and promote your business - and it got me fired up! See? An entry!

Kristen from Schmancy and Megan from Not Martha gave a talk about the dos and don'ts and good habits of good bloggers as part of an ongoing meet up/networking/workshop series in Seattle. I think it's so great that they have the desire and energy to help create this platform in our city. It's called the Grassroots Business Association, and I'm hooked! A big thank you to Kristen and Megan, and the Association for their efforts!

New randL+Slow Loris Notebooks

Don't they make a handsome family?

Our buddies at Slow Loris printed up some new books for us to show at POOL in August, and we finally posted them on Etsy and Supermarket.

The pocket notebook also fits a passport, so it's perfect for use as a spy sized travel journal.