This year, Kirin would like to receive the following gifts beneath her Christmas tree . . .

1. This is Paris! by Miroslav Sasek — an amazing children’s book to help her prepare for her French excursion in May (and to add to her Sasek collection)!
2. A subscription to The Thing Quarterly – instead of a magazine subscription, you get a quarterly periodical in the form of an object. Four artists, writers, musicians, or filmmakers are invited to create an everyday object that somehow incorporates text. Amazing!

3. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Expupery — one of her favorite books ever. . . now in a pop-up version!!

4. Fin poster by Richard Roberts to be framed and hung up over her bed. The perfect way to end a long day. The End.

Jaqueline Bos is a Portland based illustrator.  Among other things she enjoys magic, myths, minty tea, and hanging out with her super fat cat Zooey Papaya. Jacqueline’s Etsy site, JackiePeppermint, is filled with all sorts of lovely illustrations and goodies. You can also check out her handprinted textile collection here.

Today Jacqueline is offering the function key readers a free set of Golden Girls postcards and a zine!

Here’s how it works:

*Add a comment to the bottom of this post and tell us which piece is your favorite over at Jacqueline’s site.

(Extra entries! (Add these as separate comments for more opportunities to win):

*Leave a comment that you have blogged or tweeted about the giveaway! (and leave us a link )!

*Leave a comment that you have added JacquelinePeppermint on Etsy as a favorite!

*Leave a comment that you are now following Jacqueline on Twitter!

*Leave a comment that you are now following The Function Key on Facebook or Twitter!

***Please make sure to leave a valid email address in the comment!***

We will close the giveaway on Saturday, December 11th at 5PM! So get your entries in!

If you’re unfamiliar with Present & Correct, consider this an introduction. The super cool online shop stocks a mish-mash of vintage and modern office and stationary supplies designed in house like this Primary Colors Card Kit, these Tartan Cards, and this vintage 6 Languages Calendar and assembles them in little desk top scenes that are so rad they make you want to buy everything! Seriously.

For the next two weeks, Present & Correct has set up a pop-in (wish we could!) shop at the House of Propellers. They’ve assembled a mini classroom, displaying some vintage books and posters and other holiday-themed goodies that we’d love to get our hands on.

If you stop by, we’d love to see pics! Email us here, and we’ll post them!

Up For Grabs From Design des Troy

1 set of Happiest of Holidays cards and 1 set of Holiday Triangle Pattern cards (six cards in each set).

Samantha and Owen Troy met while studying graphic design at RISD. After the requisite courtship, an engagement and wedding followed, which is when Design des Troy was born. As they were planning their wedding, the couple decided to collaborate and design their own wedding invitations, and the next thing they knew, they were collaborating on other people’s wedding invites, album covers, and greeting cards! Samantha and Owen are based in San Francisco and also co-edit The Experts Agree.

Up For Grabs From Gold Teeth Brooklyn

Five Gold Teeth Brooklyn cards wrapped in bakers twine

Jesse and Emily are two Brooklynites who run Gold Teeth Brooklyn out of Jesse’s apartment. The design duo create quirky greeting cards and prints of illustrations that remind of how objects might look like through a child’s eye. Additionally, the pair have added a line of jewelry to their repertoire — brass and sterling silver necklaces cast from real objects like erasers, peanuts, and teeth! Be sure to visit Gold Teeth’s Etsy shop to check out all of the designs.

Up For Grabs From IN HAUS Press

One set of Holiday Gift Flags printed on birch veneer.

What happens when a pastry chef and an engineer join forces to design paper goods? IN HAUS Press that’s what! Based in San Francisco, this design team draws on their intuitive designer/craftsman skills and their appreciation for hand-set type to produce modern paper goods that incorporate natural elements and are uniquely packaged in drawstring cotton bags. Also, through December 15th, IN HAUS Press is offering free shipping on all orders!

So you wanna win one of these awesome items? Here’s how it works!

*Add a comment to the bottom of this post and tell us which piece is your favorite over at Design des Troy‘s shop, Gold Teeth Brooklyn‘s shop, or IN HAUS Press’ shop (Choose One Shop!).

(Extra entries! (Add these as separate comments for more opportunities to win):

*Leave a comment that you have blogged or tweeted about the giveaway! (and leave us a link )

*Leave a comment that you have added Des Troy Design, Gold Teeth Brooklyn, or IN HAUS Press as a favorite on Etsy!

*Leave a comment that you are now following The Function Key on Facebook or Twitter!

***Please make sure to leave a valid email address in the comment!***

We will close the giveaway on Wednesday, December 1st at Midnight! So get your entries in!

This contest is now CLOSED!!! CONGRATS TO Elise C. of Foxboro, MA. who won this one of a kind print and tea towel by  Leah Duncan!“

Originally from South Carolina, Leah Duncan now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and family of cats and foster puppies.  Leah received her bachelors in commercial printing, and has since developed a multitude of skills in illustration, design, and textiles.  Inspired by the small moments in her life life, nature, folk art, children’s illustrations, and currently southwestern culture, her style is both delicate and unexpectedly quirky.  All of her prints are original ink drawings that are scanned, digitally colored, and then silkscreened or giclee printed.

Lucky for you, Leah Duncan has donated one of her beautiful prints as well as a tea towel for today’s giveaway!  This 5×7 print is made with pigment inks that guarantee years of quality and bright colors.  The tea towels are made from organic fair trade absorbent cotton and measure to about 18″ x 30″ to allow for shrinkage in the wash.  The towels are perfect for drying hands or dishes…or even as a handsome wall hanging!  With the next few months being filled with house guests and hours in the kitchen, what a perfect opportunity to amp up your decor and impress your company with Leah’s quaint works of art.

Here’s how it works!

Add a comment to the bottom of this post and tell us which piece is your favorite over at Leah Duncan‘s shop.

(Extra entries! (Add these as separate comments for more opportunities to win):

*Leave a comment that you are now following Leah Duncan on Twitter.

*Leave a comment that you have blogged or tweeted about the giveaway! (and leave us a link  )

*Leave a comment that you have added Leah Duncan on Etsy as a favorite!

*Leave a comment that you are now following The Function Key on Facebook or Twitter

***Please make sure to leave a valid email address in the comment!***

We will close the giveaway on Tuesday, November 23rd at Midnight! So get your entries in!

For me, Jacob Whibley‘s collages are a reminder of simpler times. I think of  grade school – writing weekly journal entries on lined newsprint and grimacing as it tore from the pressure of my eraser or the year I practically lived in the library because I was required to write a book report every single week — totally true, the librarian, Mrs. Mras, is now a good friend of my mother and still remarks how she remembers my little face returning books on the very last day of school.

Other pieces remind of working part-time at a drycleaners in high school. I loved that job because we had to type orders onto an invoice using a massive inventory computer and then tag them with a ticket gun. It felt very professional. At the time, I didn’t realize how beautiful all of these tags, invoices, and sheets of paper, etc., were, they were common place, ubiquitous.

Since then, the way we work has changed so much. Using paper has turned into a lesson of conservation, with an increasing absence in our work culture. We certainly won’t be returning to the wasteful ways of yesterday, but if for nothing else, those moments and modest methods remain fresh in my mind and inform who I am today.

Colleen Pugh is an British graphic designer with a witty sense of humor and a penchant for typography. She currently resides in Wellington, New Zealand, and is well on her way to realizing her dream of making it as an independent designer. Colleen‘s quirky designs (which feature her typographic witticisms) have received press from Pikaland and Design*Sponge and are available for sale at Dear Colleen,  her online print shop.

For our third Have A Handmade Holiday giveaway, Colleen has generously donated a super fantastic printed tea towel. It’s called “Dishes I’d Rather Be Doing,“ and it’s screen printed with the faces of three dapper English gentlemen, who I believe we can all agree are quite dreamy. There’s the cad — Hugh Grant — who somehow manages to still make me melt despite the fact that he was caught with a prostitute; hunky, rough-around-the-edges Sean Bean who’s first caught eye as an IRA terrorist in 1992′s Patriot Games; and of course, Colin Firth, who will forever be marked as romantic hero Mr. Darcy.

Thanks Colleen!

Here’s how it works!

Add a comment to the bottom of this post and tell us which piece is your favorite over at Dear Colleen‘s shop.

(Extra Entries! (Add these as separate comments for more opportunities to win):

*Leave a comment that you are now following Dear Colleen on Facebook.

*Leave a comment that you have blogged, facebooked or tweeted about the giveaway! (and leave us a link  )

*Leave a comment that you have added Dear Colleen on Etsy as a favorite!

*Leave a comment that you are now following The Function Key on Facebook or Twitter

***Please make sure to leave a valid email address in the comment!***

We will close the giveaway on Tuesday, November 16th at Midnight! So get your entries in!

Ace Hotel in Portland, Oregon

In the last few months I have attempted to read about four different books…but with my crazy busy life and inability to prioritize, I am ashamed to say that I don’t think I have completed a single one.  Instead, I spend my time doing more important things…like researching cool how-tos.  Luckily, in doing so, I think I may have discovered the perfect solution for my literature deprived/craft-craving soul: book page wallpaper!  Check out these step-by-step instructions to add a simple and budget-friendly design element to your home.

This year, we’re grabbing the holidays by the reindeer horns. We’re keeping our budgets in check and our last minute acquisitions to a minimum. We are not letting the holidays become an arms race. Well, OK, we’re not letting the holidays become a super expensive, purse string-bursting arms race. And just exactly how are we accomplishing this seemingly impossible feat? We’re buying handmade! We took to the Web and headed straight to Etsy, where we handpicked a slew of our favorite independent designers to see if they wanted to Have a Handmade Holiday, too! And guess what? The answer was an astounding “Yes!”

We couldn’t be happier! We get to promote a group of extremely talented people and we get to give back to our readers.

So here’s the scoop, we’re gifting you six weeks (yes, six weeks!) of giveaways! Each week we’ll feature two designers and each week you’ll have the opportunity to win their awesome creations! Sound good? That’s what we thought!

The fun starts now, check out our eighth giveaway!