Scatterbrained Feedback

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

Happy customers:

Space Invaders Argyle shirt: “Ooops! I totally forgot to leave feedback because this shirt was so awesome it seems like it has always been a part of my wardrobe! I wore this baby to the Emerald City Comic Con and got tons of comments, including a seal of approval from Edward James Olmos… no joke So, thank you thank you thank you!”

Abraham Lincoln shirt: “…the only other down-side has been that the Lincoln print reminded me of a song that got stuck in my head. Since I’ve been wearing the shirt for three days straight now, “Washington and Lincoln” from the Savage Sounds of Woot!”

Atonal Apocalypse T-shirt: “An absolutely stunning print! This t-shirt is wearable art! I am so VERY happy!” And “The shirt is beautifully designed – much better than anything I’d buy in a store.”

Abraham Lincoln Tie: “This tie wins wars. And ships fast.”

Yes it does.

Twisting Branches in the Real World

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

As an artist, trees are one of my favorite subjects because they can be twisted and shaped in any way I can imagine (see the Tangled Forest shirt). Peter Cook uses his creativity in the physical world to shape trees into chairs, people, tables and more. Here’s my favorite, a living chair:

Peter Cook's Living Chair Art

Peter’s web site: http://pooktre.com/

Odd Instrument Spotlight: The Shulberry

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

Gentle Giant Shulberry What’s a Shulberry? No, it’s not edible, but instead is a one-of-a-kind instrument featured on our “Instrumental Oddities T-shirt”. It’s so unique, in fact, that it was created for the band Gentle Giant specifically to play a single chord at certain points in the song “Playing the Game” while on tour. That’s right, one chord, one song, one band. The creator, Dave Zammit, recalls being asked to make an instrument with three strings tuned to the same notes as the marimba parts on the album so the band wouldn’t have as much to lug around on tour.

So don’t go looking for a Shulberry at your local guitar center. They’ll think you’re looking for Cap’n Crunch. You’ll have to find it on Youtube (Gentle Giant) or on a Screen Printed T-shirt.

Nerdy fetishes: argyle prints and video games.

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

We’ve had an upswing of Argyle shirt sales on our Etsy T Shirt Site, so a little research found this little plug on Buzzfeed: “This t-shirt combines two of my favorite nerdy fetishes: argyle prints and video games. The shirts come in black and brown, and are fitted for both men and women. Hooray for equal opportunity geekery!”

Many thanks to Baby Praying Mantis for the mention!

I’m (insert random human)’s Biggest Fan!

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

When Jacques sees his “fans” wearing his T-shirt, the look on his face is priceless:

Space Invaders and Argyle T-shirt: Destructive Fashion

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

Atari Space Invaders T-Shirt Some things are meant to be together. Argyle and Space Invaders were not.

And yet, they work so well. An unlikely paring, but there’s a strange satisfaction that comes from seeing something infiltrate and destroy something as static as an argyle pattern. (No offense to the Scottish, of course.)

Lining up the four screen that make this T-shirt and figuring out how to make it look perfect took hours, but the result was well worth it, especially given the huge response we’ve received so far.

Satisfy your inner geek and fashionista at the same time, available on a men’s or women’s shirt on this site or on Scatterbrain Tees on Etsy.

I feel so incomplete

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

It’s great to have a shiny new shirt site with a “bonus blog” up. Problem is, I still don’t have all of the designs added in the three store sections of the site (men’s shirts, women’s shirts, neckties). All the designs are up in our Etsy Scatterbrain Tees or Scatterbrain Ties shops, so you can go there to see everything I have for sale. I also have a pretty amazing giveaway coming up, so check back soon!

Duct Tape? WRONG!

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

Duck Tape is right! “Duct tape” has attained quite the status in popular culture, with a near 98% approval rating. (+/- 2%). Honestly, the jokes are getting a bit old, aren’t they?

Have you ever corrected anyone for getting the name wrong? For calling it “duck tape”? Well, it’s time to tape your mouth shut! During World War II, the U.S. Military commissioned Johnson and Johnson to create a waterproof tape to keep ammunition cases dry. In a comparison to a duck’s water-resistant feathers, it was dubbed “duck tape”. Somewhere along the way, someone slapped some tape on their heating duct. Just like in its thousands of other applications, the tape stuck. Why the altered name also stuck, I don’t know. Saying “duct tape” takes a lot of extra effort, like saying the middle syllable in “probably”. But now you know the truth and can annoy your friends by correcting them!

Odd Instrument Spotlight: The Tromboon

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

Tromboon Musical Instrument

I’m fascinated by weird musical instruments, so I had a lot of fun creating the Instrumental Oddities T-shirt. Sometimes I wonder how certain instruments never caught on while

others such as the piccolo or soprano saxophone were allowed to gain prominence. Then there are lesser known instruments that leave little doubt as to why they remain unknown and unloved. Enter the Tromboon.

Its inventor, Peter Schickele, called it, “a hybrid – that’s the nicer word – constructed from the parts of a bassoon and a trombone; it has all the disadvantages of both.” Featured in works by the J. S. Bach’s lesser known (and fictitious) relative, the Tromboon has a very, um, gastric quality to it. Really you’ve just got to hear it, so I present to you this duet:

Accordion Jokes!

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Mr. Phipps

This is a little add-on to my previous accordion post (I will move on to other themes, I promise!). I came across a page dedicated to accordion jokes today. Thank you, Hans!

Enjoy

One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse wielding an accordion

Scatterbrain Tees Artistic T-shirts

Creative T Shirts For the Art Lover