In the shop: Interstellar Love Craft
Thank you.
Christmas potluck at the studio.
Dolly at the studio.
Yep, it's been a month since I posted here. That is crazy! This past month has been really wonderful. We had an awesome first holiday season in the shop and I am so beyond floored by the local support. For those of you who have followed this journey, come in to the shop, directed friends to us, or sent notes of encouragement, THANK YOU! We truly appreciate your support and we hope you had a great holiday with friends and family. We had a rejuvenating break and I can't wait to share with you what we've been doing for the past month - including a trip to the beach :)
In the shop: Shanna Murray Illustrated Decals
Shanna Murray's beautiful decals are perfectly at home in almost any setting. The chalkboard is particularly awesome in the kitchen or office. I first met Shanna during the second storie indie market and we became fast friends. When we opened the shop, Shanna was one of the first people I called and I am so happy to carry her work!
Another month
It's just about calendar time. Every year we produce a letterpress-printed calendar and this year we made a few! The 2012 Cross Stitch calendar was designed by our dear friend Abbey of Aesthetic Outburst. Abbey is wickedly talented and we are in love with the result of the calendar.
Our second calendar is a Perpetual calendar. There are no days of the week listed so this is perfect for listing birthdays and anniversaries and using it every year! I have been wanting to make a perpetual calendar for about four years now and it finally happened. We also have a tear-away calendar available in two colorways.
DISCOUNT ::: To celebrate the grand opening of the shop and the changing seasons, we're offering 15% off all orders placed by November 30th. Use code 'CONGRATS' at checkout.
In the shop: Blackbird Letterpress
We first met Kathryn of Blackbird Letterpress at the National Stationery Show a few years ago. We immediately became friends (how couldn't we!), not to mention we fell in love with her work! These die-cut cards are perfect for just about any occasion but you might want to pick up two of them and keep one for yourself :)
In the shop: Yellow Owl Workshop
Over the next few weeks I'll share with you some of the lines we carry in the new retail space. They're all so great and I'm thrilled we are carrying them!
First up is Yellow Owl Workshop. Their line of stamps is completely adorable and perfect for holiday gift giving. Actually, they're perfect for any time of the year!
*All images by Yellow Owl Workshop
Reflection
Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
My friend Lizz posted this last night and I couldn't stop thinking about it. It's such an amazing occurrence. I had something similar happen a few years ago when I was on campus. Thousands of birds flew overhead and the sky grew dark. It was so incredible.
We're been keeping a low profile since the shop opening. It was such a huge success and thank you so much to everyone who made it out and sent well wishes. I promise to post pictures soon!
Tomorrow is the big day!
Without further ado, here's the plan for the weekend:
Friday, November 4th, 6-10pm
First Friday opening party.
Check out the new space and paintings by Jim DeLucia in our Work in Progress Gallery. We'll also have a super cool DJ to keep it lively.
Saturday, November 5th, noon-5pm
Studio tours, hands-on printing (pull your own print on our letterpress and take it home), delicious snacks by Fig and Purl.
**Also, I have to say that the response from people in the community, especially when I was hanging posters, has been amazing. You other shop owners in Rochester are amazing and so supportive. We are SO lucky to live in such an awesome city!
Starting to look organized
Alright, the new space is really starting to look good. We painted a ton this weekend and have gotten a lot of organization done. I can't believe the shop opens in just a few days!!! We might be able to sleep after this :) Sorry for the cell phone pics, that all I have time for lately!
Welcome home C&P
As of last night, Pistachio press is now home to a beautiful C&P that belonged to Robert Marx. Robert is an incredible (and I don't say that lightly) printmaker who happens to have a studio in our building. He was selling this press and we knew it would fit right in with our collection. Our press-moving team (Jake, Jim, and Eric) made short work of this move - they're pros!
artist talk and round table
Department of Art Alumni Exhibition
October 26 - December 4
Round-table discussion
Tuesday, October 25, 3pm (Room 2203 Tower)
Opening Reception
Tuesday, October 25, 4-6pm (Tower Fine Arts Gallery)
Grand Opening: Nov 4 & 5
We have been working like crazy to prepare for the grand opening of our new studio and retail space! If you're free (and in town) November 4 & 5, please stop by. We'll be hosting demos and you'll be able to pull your own print and take it home with you! For more details, click here.
***spread the word***
Printmaking Show this Friday
This is going to be a crazy month
During the Ladies of Letterpress conference almost all of the printers we know (and met) told us we're crazy for printing everything on our trusty Vandercook presses. In fact, we have friends who have been telling us this for years. Although the Vandy's print amazingly, they are much slower than more automated presses and are much more physically demanding. We can't produce huge editions since we have to hand crank every sheet of paper through, for every color of ink. Honestly, we've been at a tipping point for a while and we really need to be able to print more to keep up with jobs and to stock up on inventory more efficiently. So, we caved and decided to start looking for a Heidelberg Windmill.
The day after we got back from the conference I went to our local paper shop and saw a handwritten sign in the window for a Windmill. Really! I called in the parking lot. We looked at the press the next day and put down a deposit. It was in perfect condition, oiled every day and was only 30 minutes from our studio. And the seller could deliver! What can I say, we have good press karma.
So, that brings me to the studio. We have a gorgeous space on the fourth floor of an old shoe factory. It's big and sunny, but it's on the fourth floor and we have to run the presses with other artists working below us. I always feel bad about the clanking of the press while we print, so we often print at night. This just wasn't going to work for the new press, so we had to figure out what to do. Do we only ever print at night? Do we move into a new building? Well, as luck would have it, I returned from visiting the Windmill to a voicemail from Eric on the first floor of our building asking if we would be interested in splitting his space. He's a digital printer and bookmaker (perfect for us to share a space with) and there was a possibility for retail in the new space! Seriously, this all took place in the span of three days. So we talked to our current studio mates and decided to move into the new space as a group!
ps - My family is from Heidelberg, Germany. When I told my mom about the press she told me I had to get it! And it's beautiful.
Mark your calendar: Salt City
Bootcamp Winner
Congratulations Andrea from Paper Presence for winning the Tradeshow Bootcamp Giveaway!
- Tradeshow Bootcamp is already a great idea & opportunity, but a giveaway, too?! Yay! My question is "how do I know what to exhibit, i.e. what are buyers looking for?"
LofLCon recap
One of the best parts for me was meeting Judith Berliner of Full Circle Press, who also happened to be the keynote speaker. Judith is one of those people who is incredibly genuine and she's been printing since she was 14 years old. She's seen tons of changes in the industry and was also caring enough to ask everyone she could about their first press. She's completely inspiring and generous. I can't wait for the next conference!
Owego Flood Relief
Can you imagine losing everything you own? Your house, your clothes, your computer, your family photos and heirlooms, your kids artwork, your new couch. Now try to imagine losing your whole town, too. The town you grew up in. The town where you are raising your family. The flooding in many upstate NY towns has done this to countless families. I can't even fathom how devastating this would be, especially for the thousands of families who don't have flood insurance. Although I didn't grow up in any of these towns, I grew up very close to them and I have friends who live there. Abbey, from Aesthetic Outburst, is organizing a fundraiser for her hometown Owego. You can read more about her story here.
If you can, please make a donation. Even $10 helps. Abbey's goal is to raise $5000 for the Tioga United Way, but I know we can do better than this. The blogging community is filled with such passionate, supportive people and I know we can spread the word of this very far. Please re-post, tweet about it, put it on facebook, tell your friends. You could also put a piece of artwork for sale in your shop and donate the money you make from selling it. Put a badge on your sidebar or website. We're creative people. We can do this. Please help Owego.
Photos by Simon Wheeler for The Ithaca Journal.
GIVEAWAY:::Tradshow Bootcamp
Amber Ellis Seguine (FlyWheel Press), Katie Hunt (Kelp Designs) and yours truly will share our experiences designing, setting-up and pre-planning booth logistics for the National Stationery Show and New York International Gift Show. Topics will include:
· Pros + cons of sharing a booth
· Setting a budget for the booth
· Shipping + schlepping
· Booth furnishings + vendor services
· Q&A
To enter the giveaway for a chance to win a seat in the workshop just leave a comment on this post with your most burning question about booth set-up. I'll announce the winner on Monday, September 19th. Even if you've already signed up for the Bootcamp you can still enter the giveaway (if you win your fee for the workshop will be refunded)!
Click here for a complete schedule of the workshops.
Designer Rolodex
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