Christmas tree picking

A few weeks ago we picked out Christmas trees with our friends Sara and Ben. It's become tradition for us to eat breakfast together the first weekend in December and then hunt for the perfect tree at Powers. Sara and Ben always go for the long-needles big round trees, but Jake and I almost always end up with a fraser fir, which is able to hold all of our heavy ornaments. And the best part of Powers is the animals runing around. This year we got to pet a baby goat while the snow fell!

Concepcioun Books

 

 

During Second Storie I got to sit next to Christine, owner of Concepcioun, and chat about making work as indie business owners. In addition to being a great person, Christine makes the most awesome felt notepads. There are six different notepad inserts available. My favorites are the web account log (to store passwords) and the checklist (of course). She also makes gorgeous and impeccably crafted custom guest books.

{all images from concepcioun}

stamps, cards and gift wrap

Christmas is fast approaching. As usual, I feel like I'm behind. I can't believe December is already half over! I've given up on getting holiday cards in the mail before the actual holiday, but I've resolved to send new year cards instead. I'm happy to see these great stamps from the Post Office, which I have to order today!

Also, a little update on calendars. We still have them in stock, but they're going quickly! If you're planning to order one as a gift you have a bit of time left and we just listed some expedited shipping and gift-wrapping options.

Hope you all had a great weekend. I'll fill you in on mine in the next day or two :)

Bust Craftacular this weekend!

Hey NYC friends...Pistachio Press is coming to your neck of the woods! We're going to be at the Bust Craftacular, which is always a super fun show. We'll be on the second floor - stop by and say hi!

letterpress love going strong

Letterpress has been going through a period of renewed popularity in the last few years and our local alternative newspaper has taken notice. City Newspaper created a cover story on the new wave of letterpress and we're so excited to be part of this feature!

Photo by Matt DeTurck, who is incredibly nice. Here's his blog and flicr.

Holiday ornaments, hooray!

My good friend Abbey from Aesthetic Outburst created an ornament challenge for herself. She's making 20 ornaments in 20 days and they're pretty awesome! You can check them out right here. It's totally inspiring me to make some new ornaments for my tree, which we got this weekend! Oh, and we also got about eight inches of snow over the last few days. It's beautiful outside and the lights from the tree makes the inside so much more cozy.

Holiday Gala this weekend

This weekend: 
Anderson Alley Holiday Gala
250 N. Goodman, Rochester, NY

Friday, December 3, 5-9pm
Saturday, December 4, 11am-4pm

I'll be showing work in my studio (#4-7) with my talented studio-mates Jim and Sara and friend JoAnn. Stop by and say hi if you're in town!

mad skills

Wow. I just saw this video on Pidge Pidge's blog and had to post it. So amazing to think about the work that goes into these rugs and how much skill the makers have.

welcome December

It's the first of December and it's the first real snowfall we've had in Rochester. Apparently, we usually have 7.5" of snow by now, but this year we've had so little. Maybe this means we're in for a snowy winter? All I know for sure is that it's time to break out the snow boots and I'm glad Jake put the winter tires on our car. Hope you stay cozy today.

second storie = a great weekend

Second Storie has come and gone. It's always such a great experience and so fun to meet with old friends and make new ones. We had three local news stations come to the event and interview us, so exciting! And I got some pretty awesome presents for Christmas, including a few really amazing trades :) I wish I had gotten some more pictures of the event, but I was to busy to pull out my camera until the very end. Hope you had a great weekend, and thanks to those of you who came and said hi! It means a lot to me :)

Second Storie, this weekend!

Second Storie Indie Market
Saturday, November 27th, 11am to 5pm
Sunday, November 28th, 11am to 4pm
The Visual Studies Workshop auditorium
31 Prince Street, Rochester, NY 14607

Shop local and buy handmade this holiday season.

If you live anywhere near Rochester, stop by and say hi! I'm sure you'll love it!

Thankful for...

My husband, our puppies, a supportive family, a stomach full of stuffing, a clean dining room table (at last), good friends, Rochester sunsets. Happy thanksgiving.

What to make?

For the past few years Jake and I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house. It's been so nice to cook for my family and to not have to rush around from house to house like we used to. This year it looks like it will just be us and one of my students, which I think might also be a good change of pace. My plan is to spend part of the day cooking (which I love to do and often don't have time for), eating, and watching movies. I'm going to try really hard not to work at all.

So, now I have to decide on a menu. I think this potato gratin from La Tartine Gourmande is going to make an appearance. And I'll certainly have to have Molly's cream braised Brussels sprouts and savoy cabbage gratin. Seriously, last year I made both recipes and we ate every last delicious bite. I still haven't found a great stuffing recipe (if you know one, send it my way), but I think I might try this one. For dessert, I know we'll be having Smitten Kitchen's raspberry buttermilk cake. I'm not usually a sweets kind of person, but this is hands down one of my very favorite recipes. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a delicious meal with family or friends!

{image from Béatrice Peltre}

Handmade for the holidays

Rochester's free weekly newspaper, City, just published a great piece on shopping local for the holidays. And although I'm biased because they interviewed me (yay!) I truly think that buying handmade and shopping locally is so important. It makes a difference in the economy, it's reassuring to know that the product wasn't made in poor labor conditions, and it's a gift that can be cherished for much longer than something mass produced. As someone who makes stationery, I love that people are starting to place more emphasis on handmade items, that they want to take time to hand write a note and not just send an email. Buying handmade shows the same sense of thoughtfulness and commitment to your commiunity.

Second Storie Indie Market

Second Storie Indie Market is almost here! If you live anywhere near Rochester, stop by and check it out! I'm sure you'll love it!

Saturday, November 27th, 11am to 5pm
Sunday, November 28th, 11am to 4pm
The Visual Studies Workshop auditorium
31 Prince Street, Rochester, NY 14607

We have 40 talented vendors joining us and we just know this year's event is going to be amazing!  Find a gift for everyone on your list: housewares, soft toys, screen prints, letterpress, ceramics, jewelry, knits, decals, clothing and more. Second Storie Indie Market is an experience not to be missed!

Local Conditions: One Hundred Views of Mt. Rainier (At Least)

I wanted to share with you the most amazing letterpress printed artist book by Anagram Press:

"Artist book consisting of viewing box and 120 image flats, illustrated and compiled from data collected in person, on location, over the course of two years. Housed in a set of drawers with nested stab-bound book and Japanese-style outer wrapper."

As someone who prints and makes books, I can't begin to tell you how much work this must have been and how impressed and awed I am at the final piece. It's just stunning! To see more images or check out Chandler's blog, click here.

A photo and a link: Nicholas Conbere

Gorgrous etchings and drawings: http://www.nickconbere.com

Starting the weekend

 

A beautiful Rochester sunset outside the studio window. Printing a similar color palette on some new business cards for the designer of our Finer Things Collection. Drinks and free pizza with friends to celebrate our friend Luke's new job. Leftover cake.

Book Arts Weekend

 

 

 

 

 

This past weekend I took a group of students to the Pyramid Atlantic Book Fair. It was a great event, filled with road-trip mishaps, group bonding, Ethiopian dinner in DC and some amazing books. I also got to catch up with friends at Ladies of Letterpress and Drive By Press. Later this week I'll post about some of the artists we got to meet. Hope you had a great weekend, too.

Ornament Swap

My dear friend Nicole from freshlyblended is organizing her 5th Annual holiday ornament swap! Basically, you'd make 8-10 ornaments and then trade them within your group. I did this swap twice and plan to sign up again this year. It's so much fun to get little handmade packages in the mail in December and great motivation to make something new. Every year I make some letterpress printed ornaments, this year will be no different :) Head on over and check it out!

(past swap ornaments from Aesthetic Outburst, Parrott Design Studio, Pistachio Press)