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A hot day at the farmers market last weekend got us thinking about cool refreshing cocktails, so we came up with this extra-crisp take on a summer classic, the gimlet.

Independence Day is just around the corner here in the U.S., and we thought "you know who doesn't get nearly the recognition she deserves compared to other Founders? Betsy Ross."

Fathers Day is traditionally a day for recognizing the contributions of dads within the context of human families, but since they're busy playing with neckties, misshapen ashtrays, and other assorted paperweights, we thought we'd tip our cap to the awesome dads of the animal kingdom!

June is Pride Month, and we thought it would be good to commemorate the struggle and advancements made by our LGBTQI brothers & sisters (and non-conforming siblings) by delving a bit into Pride history with some fun facts!

(Hat tip to Mic.com and CNN.com for these facts!)

1. The first Pride parade was organized by bisexual activist Brenda Howard a month after the Stonewall Inn Riots in 1969. The Stonewall Inn is a bar in Manhattan's West Village neighborhood that was and is known for its patronage by LGBT clientele. At the time, it was still illegal for LGBT folks to meet in public places. The riots and ensuing protests, incited by a police raid, lasted for three days and nights and are widely recognized as a pivotal moment in LGBT history and the first major push for LGBT rights and equal protection under the law.

2. The iconic Rainbow Flag was first designed and developed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, inspired by LGBT activist and politician Harvey Milk, who wanted a symbol of pride and hope for the LGBT community to rally around.

The original flag featured eight colors, each representing a different concept — red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sun), green (nature), indigo (harmony), violet (spirit), turquoise (the arts), and hot pink (sex) — but turquoise and hot pink were omitted to cut production costs as demand for the flag grew following Milk's assassination on November 27th, 1978. 

3. Despite his contribution to regrettable anti-LGBT policies like the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (1993; repealed in 2011) and DOMA (the Defense Of Marriage Act, 1996; partially voided in 2013 by the Supreme Court's U.S. v. Windsor decision, fully voided in 2015 by the Supreme Court ruling that states cannot ban same-sex marriage), President Bill Clinton was the first U.S. president to publicly recognize June as Pride Month via official proclamation. President Barack Obama is the only other U.S. president to do so.

4. While Pride Month is generally viewed as being a catch-all celebration for the LGBTQI community, trans people and people of color have largely been absent from mainstream LGBT events and media. As a result, there are many trans-specific and black-specific Pride events and advocacy organizations in various cities. Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego all have dedicated trans-pride events each year. There are lots of black Pride events across the U.S. and around the world, too! For more information about black Pride events near you, please visit the Center For Black Equity.

5. Some might say this is opinion and not a fact, but we assure you — it is indeed factual: Pride events are AWESOME. We've had the pleasure to attend (and vend at) Pride festivals in Washington, D.C., New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego over the years, and they are a blast, regardless of gender, identity, orientation, etc. There are a lot of worse (and very few better) ways to spend a warm June weekend. If you've never been to one, good grief — GET THEE TO PRIDE. And if you have already been to one and are going to be out there for the parades and other festivities throughout the rest of the month, stay safe, have fun, and above all, be PROUD!

And if you're in need of suitable Pride apparel, feel free to check out some of our fave Pride tees & tanks below!

Friend of Dorothy Men's T-Shirt:

Gay (Lion) Pride Unisex Tank Top:

I Heart My Two Moms Women's V-Neck T-Shirt (Juniors Fit):

I Heart My Two Dads Boy's T-Shirt:

That's it until next week!

Peace, love, and pride,

Boredwalk

...we adore mac & cheese here at Boredwalk HQ!

We know, we know — hardly a rebellious claim. But when it comes to our (many, many) go-to comfort foods, macaroni & cheese is #1 with a bullet. Why?

• Carby & starchy? Check!

• Gooey & creamy? Check!

• Suitable for vegans & omnivores alike (with some slight modifications, of course)? Check!

• Supremely adaptable, with an ability to modify endlessly with a mere dash, pinch, or chop? Check!

And lest you think that mac & cheese is a modern creation with shallow roots in the mid-20th century, check out some of these cool facts:

• Despite the primary ingredients of pasta & cheese and their association with Italian cuisine, mac & cheese as we know it has its roots in merry olde England. The first modern recipe for it appeared in 1770 in a book by Elizabeth Raffald called The Experienced English Housekeeper.

• The first well-known usage of the dish in the United States came courtesy of Thomas Jefferson, who first encountered it in Paris and during travels through northern Italy. He loved it so much he even served it (baked, of course) at a state dinner in 1802. It doesn't get much classier than that!

• Macaroni & cheese is something of an upstart rival to Canada's official national dish, poutine, with some Canadians professing to love mac & cheese even more than poutine. We'd never presume to speak for our friendly northern neighbors; please feel free to weigh in in the comments section!

(Full disclosure: these facts — and many more — are all courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Whether you prefer the simplicity of boxed mac & cheese, or go all-out and bake it in a cast-iron skillet topped with bread crumbs & truffle oil like a seasoned gourmand, this is one dish that will always be welcome at our house. After all, mac & cheese is my therapy:

And don't even get us started on grilled cheese:

Or some of our fave varieties, for that matter! We love cheese in any language!

That's it until next week! Have a great weekend and stay safe out there!

Peace, love, and mac & cheese,

Boredwalk

In addition to Memorial Day's remembrance of U.S. service men and women who have fallen in the line of duty, it also has historically marked an unofficial start to summer in the United States. To that end, we've crafted a Spotify playlist of tunes that make us think about warmer weather and everything that goes along with it — driving with the windows rolled down, cookouts, beach trips, and comfy clothes. Check it out!

 

It was extremely difficult to pare this down to fifteen tracks, but we tried our best! A few notes on the selections:

• I first learned about The O'Jays from Tracy Morgan referring to them in an episode of SNL.

• The Go-Go's 'Vacation' soundtracks a montage in one of the best episodes of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia ever, 'The Gang Goes To The Jersey Shore'.

• Pavement's 'Cut Your Hair' is one of our all time favorite videos of the mid-90s:

• Picking between Biggie's 'Juicy' and 'Hypnotize' was the toughest decision made in the creation of this list.

• Oasis recorded a ridiculous number of high-quality B-sides from 1994-1997; 'Stay Young' is my favorite. 

That's it until next week — have fun over the weekend and stay safe!

Peace, love, and tacos,

Boredwalk

Here at Boredwalk HQ, warm weather means cool cocktails! Now that things are heating up here in Los Angeles, we're excited to shift our focus from the darker, cozier libations that keep us warm during fall and winter to crisp, clear drinks that keep us refreshed when we're not operating heavy machinery! In no particular order, here are our three favorite springtime cocktails!

Classic Gin & Tonic

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia user MangoMix

Make no mistake — gin is something of an acquired taste. The predominant flavor is that of the juniper berry, with a crisp, piney, bitter flavor. However, when combined with tonic water and a splash of fresh lemon or lime juice, it all comes together for a fizzy, refreshing libation to help beat the late spring & early summer heat! While it can be served in either a high ball or rocks glass according to preference, we prefer a rocks glass version. 

To Make:

• Pour 1-2 shots gin (we like Hendrick's for its cucumber-forward flavor) over ice

• Add tonic water till glass is almost full. If you're making it a double, gin & tonic should comprise about equal parts. Stir to mix.

• Garnish with your choice of a lemon or lime wedge. If you use both, congratulations — you're now drinking an Evans, not a traditional G&T! Since we like Hendrick's, we usually opt for a cucumber slice instead.

Classic Gin Fizz

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia user Ralf Roletschek

The Gin Fizz is similar to the Gin & Tonic, but distinguishes itself with the addition of sugar & lemon juice, and the substitution of carbonated water for tonic. It's mildly sweeter than the G&T, with a stronger lemon presence in the flavor profile.

To Make:

• Combine 1 shot gin, 1/2 shot lemon juice (appx.), 2 tsp. simple syrup (appx.)

• Shake with ice

• Pour into rocks glass or tumbler, top with carbonated water

• Garnish with lemon rind

Classic Mojito

© Evan Swigart, courtesy of Wikimedia

Digressing from gin, the mojito is a traditional Cuban cocktail featuring rum, most commonly served in a high ball glass. Fresh mint and lime combine to provide cooling notes to this warm weather classic! Pro and amateur mixologists alike are fond of creating countless variations, but we prefer the traditional recipe over all others.

To Make:

• Muddle 6-8 sprigs fresh mint with 2 tsp. sugar and 1 pony (aka 1 oz.) fresh lime juice

• Add splash of carbonated water and fill glass with ice

• Pour 1 pony (and a little extra!) white rum over ice, top with carbonated water, and gently stir

• Garnish with fresh lime wedge or slice and as many un-muddled sprigs of fresh mint as you'd like!

Those are our three faves — what are yours? Share in the comments section below!

And in the spirit of the season, we'd be remiss if we didn't encourage you to check out our ever-expanding collection of drinking-themed designs, including this one!

Alright, me hearties! That does it for us until next week. The weekend is almost here, and between cyber attacks and the mess in DC, I think we'll all be looking forward to a drink. Just do it responsibly!

Peace, love, and cocktails,

Boredwalk

 

When we're not trying to craft funny graphics for tees, tanks, and fleece, we love enjoying the comedic stylings of the many funny people around Los Angeles. We're lucky to live in a city with such an active comedy scene, but you can enjoy a few LOLs from our favorites right here!

1. Laura House
We discovered Laura's comedy the first week we moved to Los Angeles and we've been fans ever since. Check out this clip below to see why:


2. Neel Nanda
We've been enjoying watching our friend Neel's star rise ever since we moved to LA. He had us laughing from the moment we first saw him perform. Here's a sampling:


3. Trae Crowder
Trae Crowder is a recent Los Angeles transplant. If you haven't seen his Liberal Redneck videos yet you are in for a treat. Here's a recent one that had us laughing out loud (NSFW, so headphones up!):

 

Got a favorite comic you think we should check out? Be sure to let us know in the comments! Did Laura, Trae, and Neel make you laugh? Be sure to click the links to visit their websites so you can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Have a great weekend, stay safe, and try to laugh a little — it's good for what ails ya.

Peace, love, and tacos,

Boredwalk

OK, not really marching for mezcal...but since we only do this once a week, we gotta multi-task!

As many of you wonderful people may know, this year's Earth Day celebration featured a pretty massive happening — the March For Science!

Boredwalk's political leanings are pretty self-evident in the designs we create, so we'll just say this: it was awesome to be part of a peaceful gathering of folks from across the political spectrum who recognize the value of science and STEM fields in both the US's growth (past, present, and future) as well as the world's, and believe public policy shouldn't just be dictated by gut feelings and confirmation biases, but be shaped by objective research and projectable data.

To that end, here are some of our favorite signs seen at the Los Angeles contingent of the March for Science! 

This mother-daughter duo certainly owe a big thank you to scientific breakthroughs in reproductive health and fertility!

Turns out poo emoji are good for something other than Snapchat!

These two posters were designed by our good friends at Intan Technologies, who design and manufacture specialized circuits & microchips for use in high-tech biomedical devices around the world. They're a small business based right here in Los Angeles!

All that marching can work up a mean thirst, which is why we're super-excited that today is Cinco de Mayo! One of our favorite watering holes is Las Perlas in downtown LA, which specializes in mezcal, tequila, and cocktails. They usually open at 5pm, but hey, it's Cinco, so doors open at noon today! We have a bunch of shirts to print & pack before we knock off, but you can be sure we'll be dropping in this evening in our dopest Cinco de Mayo duds!

Lest you think Boredwalk only associates Cinco de Mayo with drinking, let's hear it for the brave Mexican soldiers that successfully defended Mexican independence against French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862 — you the real heroes!

Whether you're celebrating Cinco or not have fun this weekend, celebrate responsibly, and stay safe! And if you're looking to get some sweet swag for next year, don't forget to use the code LOVEBOREDWALK at checkout to take 20% off orders of $50 or more! Until next time, 

Peace, love, and tacos,

Boredwalk

As we noted in our last blog post, spring is here, and that means it's officially time to start hitting up your local farmer's market for fruits, veggies, and other treats that will blow your local mega mart's produce out of the water!

To celebrate, we hit up the Hollywood Farmers' Market last weekend and ended up making a salad (pictured above) that was seriously good eats. Wanna know what's in it? Of course you do!

• Red leaf & butter lettuce

• Chives

• Spicy tofu from Dave's Gourmet Korean Food

• Gwen avocado (real talk: we never knew there were so many non-Hass varieties with so much subtly distinct flavors & textures. Wow!)

• Candy cane beets (roasted in foil w/ lemon juice, balsamic, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. We reserved the leftover roasting liquid to use as dressing.)

• Chanterelle mushrooms sauteed with salt, pepper, thyme, and chives before deglazing with brandy (VSOP, like a true player.)

• Grape tomatoes

Washed down with a spectacular (and spectacularly inexpensive — thanks, Trader Joe's!) cabernet sauvignon from our favorite California wine region, Paso Robles. 

And if you've never heard of candy cane beets, check these babies out, pre-roast:

All in all, it was a great haul that resulted in an even greater salad. Definitely going to have to wear one of our sweet Take Me To The Farmers' Market tees next time out!

That's it from us for this week; next week we'll post some of our favorite photos from this past weekend's March For Science in Los Angeles! Until then, remember: even if you don't have easy access to a farmers' market, you can still make an epic entree-sized salad for 3-4 people from fresh ingredients found at your local supermarket, usually for less than $10. Let us know about your favorite salad ingredients in the comments below! Viva la veggies!

Peace, love, and salad,

Boredwalk

Spring is finally here, and we couldn't be more excited! As grateful as those of us in California are for all the rain we got this winter — hooray for an end to the drought! — it's nice to see the sun again, as well as longer days.

We've still been busy churning out fresh designs, though! In honor of March 14th being "Pi Day" and the upcoming March for Science on Earth Day (April 22nd, 2017), check out the newest addition to our vintage concert poster-inspired series featuring acclaimed scientific hero and feminist trailblazer Marie Curie:

Some cool facts about Ms. Curie:

• She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize

• She was the first person to win it twice — and in two different fields, to boot!

• Despite the xenophobic and anti-feminist climate in her adopted home of France in the lead-up to World War I (she was born in Poland), she personally equipped and operated ambulances to help doctors in the removal of bullets & shrapnel from injured soldiers using rudimentary x-ray machines and other medical equipment she designed — all on her own dime, and never seeking reimbursement.

h/t to Biography.com for the cool facts!

You can check out this and our other newest designs here.

In the meantime, we'd love to hear from all you beautiful humans! Let us know what your favorite springtime activities and songs are in the comments!

Peace, love, and tacos,

Boredwalk

For as long as I can remember, I've loved drawing. I mean, I've always loved any sort of creative act — woodworking, sculpture, painting, music, building Lego sets. Making Logo The Turtle draw basic shapes on an Apple II in the computer lab in elementary school. Outfitting my wagon train with supplies for my virtual trek along the Oregon Trail®. We always died of dysentery, because of course we did. This is what happens when you let ten year olds plan cross-country expeditions.

I dabbled in a lot of interests as I grew up: various sports, assorted musical instruments, the full range of humanities majors, etc., but nothing ever flowed out of me as easily as illustration.

I studied Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, spent a few years making myself crazy working for other people in Baltimore, and then my champion/muse/co-founder/wife Meredith told me to stop whining and try to make the hobby we'd been working on in our free time up to that point a full-time job. That hobby was called Ex-Boyfriend*, and eventually I did just that.

*We've since shut down Ex-Boyfriend because running TWO brands is difficult and at our core we are lazy, but don't worry — we've moved all the Ex-Boyfriend stuff over to Boredwalk, you lucky so-and-so!

At the time — 2009 — there weren't nearly as many graphic apparel brands on the web as there are today. Learning how to design for t-shirts was a new challenge, and I like to think I've become better at it since then. I mean, I know I have, but I'm trying to be modest here!

That said, creative types are restless by nature, and as Ex-Boyfriend progressed, so did the complexity of the designs. Instead of taking hours to take a design from conception to completion, they began to take days — sometimes weeks. We needed a way to offer more stuff in less time. I had to simplify and un-learn everything I had been building toward with Ex-Boyfriend. 

But doing that meant creating a new home for my less detailed, more trend-driven design work — the new stuff we were coming up with didn't really "fit" the increasingly cohesive feel of Ex-Boyfriend. It needed its own name and home on the web. Thus, Boredwalk was born shortly after we moved our business, our cats, and ourselves to Los Angeles. 

We no longer differentiate between Ex-Boyfriend and Boredwalk — mostly because of the aforementioned hassle of keeping them separate, but also because over the last few years I've improved enough as a designer that I've been able to derive creative fulfillment across a broader and more nuanced spectrum of styles and —

Ugh, this is getting sappy. Nothing causes my eyes to roll quite like bullshirt* "artist's statements."

*No, that's not a typo. If you don't watch The Good Place, you're not going to get it. That's OK, though. It's still a pretty sweet bull illustration that would look fly AF on your bod. But I do wonder about your television viewing choices.

Here's the deal: We want to provide you with a high-quality product, peerless customer service, and a warm, welcoming shopping experience. We also want to bring a smile into your life, to get you a compliment from a stranger on your excellent taste, and to make you and those around you laugh a little.

And that's how we want you to feel when you shop with us — that we're friends, and that you're always welcome to drop by and share a laugh or smile with us!

Cheers,

Matt & Meredith