For a daily dose of handcrafted coolness, how about a letterpress calendar for the new year?
Christine Brandt runs her letterpress in downtown Los Angeles, turning out custom invitations and greeting cards as well as this space-saving calendar, which gives a quick look at three months on every page. The April-to-June page shows a canine in the country, July-to-September is a seaside scene and October-to-December features a travel trailer being pulled through a forest in fall splendor. $20, www.floraandfaunapress.com. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
The Odd Birds of L.A. calendar from Krank Press features a different exotic avian oddball each month, be it a black-necked stilt or a long-billed curlew. As rendered by the Krank team, even the common raven looks anything but ordinary. Our favorite? Its September: the red pyle old English game red pyle bantam cockerel. The calendar includes a rundown of where and when to see each one. $15, www.krankpress.etsy.com. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)