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The Swap Meat

Read the four things that can happen when you send us something for swapping and learn how you can get involved. Selected items are featured here and the deadline for swapping has been extended through the summer. Yay! Keep 'em coming.

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Hi-Ball Records

ID SM0104 (photo)
Arrived 4/18/07 PM (USPS)
From Mark Greenberg, Chicago, IL
Description Several Hi-Ball records releases
More info Mayfair Recordings
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

Here's a good chance to tell a good story. When we were looking for music for our film Copy Goes Here, we contacted local music legends (and one-time Lounge Ax house band) The Coctails through a friend. They agreed, and their music worked perfectly in the film. The afternoon of the release party, we posted an invitation to CP readers, and got an email from a reader named Annmarie that she was very excited to see the film. When we met her at the party, her husband looked familiar, but we couldn't place him. He came up to JC as the credits were rolling and said "That's my band in your film!" He and Annmarie had come to the party completely unaware of the Coctails/CGH connection. Luckily, Mark apparently enjoyed the film. When we got a Swap Meat package from Hi-Ball, BB called dibs and enthusiatically opened the package, only to find that he already owned 5 of the 7 records they sent, so it looks like they'll be going to a swapper after all. (There's a Dianogah connection here, too, but we've already rambled on too long.)

Crayon Men

ID SM0062 (photo)
Arrived 3.31.07, PM (USPS)
From Stephanie Hargreaves, Fox River Grove, IL
Description Five carved crayons
More info none
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

Many years ago on the tiny Pacific island called "Kraa-Olah," tiny men carved faces into the colorful pointy wax cylinders that dot the landscape. Suburban Chicago teacher Stephanie Hargreaves was the first to discover these tiny works of art and now she's taking all the credit for them. Whatever, as if we believe a regular-sized person could have made these. She sent us five examples, but sadly, two were broken in the mail, or maybe by tiny earthquakes on Kraa-Olah.

Photo Greeting Cards

ID SM0125 (photo)
Arrived 4/27/07 PM (USPS)
From Lisa Avery, South Pasadena, CA
Description 9 handmade greeting cards, various sizes/colors
More info Flashcube Greetings
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

Family photos can be so much more interesting when they're not yours. Lisa Avery makes greeting cards with found vintage photographs. Each card is unique, with an actual photo attached to the front, and space inside to write your message. She can also make cards featuring photos of your actual family, if you're not a replicant.

MS: Why do you have to ruin a perfectly cute, happy Swap Meat post without making a stupid Blade Runner reference that no one's going to get?

BB: Sorry! They're nice cards.

MS: Plus, I'm not even there today, don't use me as a cheap literary device to explain your dumb joke!

BB: Too late.

Giraffe Pillow

ID SM0174 (photo)
Arrived 6.1.07 PM, USPS Priority
From Alissa, Portland, OR
Description 10"x 20" pillow
More info Pause/Still
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

Sometimes all this Swapping takes it out of us. And when that happens, we feel a nap coming on. Now, finally, thanks to Alissa from Pause/Still, we'll have the world's softest pillow to rest our heads on (at least until, sadly, we have to send it back out). What's more, because it depicts a giraffe swallowing a heart, our dreams will now be filled with adorable cuteness, as opposed to our normal dreams, wherein we're buried in stacks and stacks of Swap items. In our underwear. And the girl we had a crush on in high school is laughing at us. Whew. We're really glad Alissa sent in this pillow.

Mexican Wrestler Print Sold Out

ID SM0008 (photo)
Arrived 3.20.07, AM (FedEx)
From Denny Fanning, Chicago, IL
Description Photo Print, Mexican Wrestler, 16"x24"
More info dennyfanning.com
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

SD linked up Denny's Mexican Wrestler photos a few months ago in Fresh Signals, then an interior designer in Boston found his work and bought a set of poster-size prints for a restaurant. Denny ordered an extra print for himself, but when he saw Swap Meat, he decided to send it in. "All I ask for in return is a thank you and something awesome," he writes. Well, thanks very much! Fear not, Denny, we'll send you something equally awesome.

Swap Meat Exclusive: Available For Purchase Sold Out
Limited-edition of only 25, 16" x 24" Printed Borderless on Kodak Professional Porta Endura Paper, Signed and Numbered.

Color Wheel Kusudama

ID SM0067 (photo)
Arrived 3.30.07, PM (USPS)
From Vanessa Gould, Brooklyn, NY
Description Origami Object
More info Green Fuse Films
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

The literal translation of Kusudama is "medicine ball," and perhaps this beautiful object has some healing powers. We certainly feel better after seeing it. Vanessa says that while it's a traditional model she has lately been making them with non-traditional color schemes. Origami is a popular Swap Meat subject but in general, the craft doesn't seem to get its fair share of attention. Vanessa and friends are out to change all that with their film project, Exploring Origami. Check the trailer here.

Field Notes Sold Out

ID SM0020 (photo)
Arrived 3.21.07 PM (USPS)
From Aaron Draplin, Portland, OR
Description Package of three "Field Notes" journals
More info Field Notes Brand
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

A bit of a coincidence, but swappable goods nonetheless: Our friend Aaron Draplin just sent us some printing tests for a soon-to-be-real, made-in-the-USA product we've been working on together. Field Notes are perfect little books for taking notes, making lists and other assorted sketchiness, and they come three-to-a-pack. As JC's grampa always said, "I'm not writing it down to remember it later. I'm writing it down to remember it now."

Swap Meat Exclusive: Available For Purchase Sold Out
Limited-edition of 50 sets of three Field-Notes journals from a printers test-run.
$8 for each set.

Shirtfaced

ID SM0134 (photo)
Arrived 4.30.07, PM (USPS)
From Tiffany, Gina, and Amy, Chicago, IL
Description "Amy" Shirt, Black (L)
More info Lets Get Shirtfaced
Swapped for TBD
Status in front of Michele's face

"Dear Swap Meat!," the note starts, "My friends and I have been silkscreening our faces on t-shirts and wearing them when we get together for bowling or a night out." That's what we call marketing. This creatively-named outfit currently offers Tina, Betsy, Tiffany, and Amy shirts, and they're looking for more faces. We don't know what kind of loser would wear a BB shirt, maybe we'll send them an MS photo and see how it sells.

Typeface Pins

ID SM0083 (photo)
Arrived 4.12.07, PM (USPS)
From Clark Wimberly, San Marcos, TX
Description Fifteen 1.25" diameter buttons
More info None
Swapped for TBD
Status In an envelope, waiting for a home

Clark's entry had no cover page or note, so we can't tell you much about him other than that he loves type enough to make buttons featuring typefaces. Judging by this batch, he sticks to the classics -- Bembo, Univers, Futura, Clarendon -- adding a few indisputable modern classics (Myriad and Minion). We joke about "dating" typefaces here (BB is married to Adobe Garamond, SE flirts around with the Hoefler catalog, JC's in a stormy relationship with Avant Garde), maybe these pins are a way to pledge our love. Clark included a few Swap Meat "steak" pins, too, because all the great typographers are carnivores.

Reklats Rekcits Sold Out

ID SM0068 (photo)
Arrived 4.02.07, AM (USPS)
From Jennifer Sharpe, Los Angeles, CA
Description Front Bumper Sticker, 10" x 3"
More info
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

Rear automobile bumpers don't have to get all the glory. Jennifer Sharpe sends us this sweet sticker she created. It's for the front of a car, preferably a black Crown Victora or Police Interceptor, and meant to be read in a rear-view mirror. Emosewa.

Swap Meat Exclusive: Available For Purchase
Limited-edition of 100. Glossy, Jet-Black Front Bumper Sticker. We'll toss a couple of our CP Fleet Identification System Decals in too. $4 each. SOLD OUT

Computer Hoodie

ID SM0171 (photo)
USPS Priority
From Drea Gomez, Brooklyn, NY
Description Silkscreened/embroidered sweatshirt, Navy, L
More info So Golden
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

We're not sure what kind of computer adorns this handmade sweatshirt, but it reminds BB of his phototypesetting terminal days (yes, he's that old, just). The printing is cool enough, but Drea steps it up a notch above all the other computer sweatshirts out there by hand-stitching the edges of the case and keyboard, and adding some cables, or streamers, or rays of awesomeness or something. This particular example is #6 of a numbered series of 50, with a tag reminding you ;You are Golden." (There definitely were not a whole bunch of tiny Polish hard candies in the bag either, we don't know what happened to those.)

Jalopé

ID SM0074 (photo)
Arrived 4.9.07, PM (USPS)
From Nick Grygiel, Chicago, IL
Description 3-color poster on craft paper, 17" x 14.5"
More info Who is Nick Grygiel?
Swapped for TBD
Status In a pile of outbound swaps, somewhere

"Who is Nick Grygiel?" asks Nick's site. We asked the same question when we got Nick's package, the name seemed familiar. After a brief moment of headscratching, we remembered meeting Nick and looking at his portfolio about a year ago. Ah, that Nick Grygiel! We're glad to hear that Nick is gainfully employed and doing well, and that he knows the magical power of the accented "e." And everyone loves a totalled Benz, yo.

(Speaking of accented "e"s, When did Chank Diesel's fabulously-named typeface "Asswipé" become "Chunder"?)

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What We're Up To

Check the Museum of Online Museums (MoOM) or our summer reading feature, Field-Tested Books. Or you can read a mostly unsuccessful attempt at explaining ourselves or just start on the Cover Page.

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