Photo by Matt DeTurck, who is incredibly nice. Here's his blog and flicr.
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
letterpress love going strong
Photo by Matt DeTurck, who is incredibly nice. Here's his blog and flicr.
Salt City recap
This past weekend we went to the Salt City Craft Market and it was so much fun! I got to visit with friends and talk letterpress to paper enthusiasts. There was a line out the door before the show opened and it was packed until right before closing time. I wish I had time to take photos of the whole show, but I was only able to snap some pics of the tables near mine, which were also great!
the great crowd
it's almost officially fall
ps - A special treat for the next person who makes a purchase from my shop, which will be the 2000th!
{photo taken by Jim DeLucia}
At long last!
I can't tell you how amazing it feels to launch both of these new collections and to have worked with such talented women. To celebrate, I'm offering a 20% discount on all invitation orders placed by September 30th. No need to have them printed by the cut-off date, we just need to have a contract in the works! The discount applies to all collections, even the custom calligraphy line.
No. 5
Happy Easter, goodbye awful week
The good: Today was 87-degrees with sunny blue skies. I spent the day printing in the studio and Jake got to play disc-golf :) But as nice as today was, I can't wait for the week to be over.
The bad: We've been dealing with some crazy family illnesses this week. I have an uncle in very serious condition in ICU and both of Jake's grandmothers have been in the hospital (one is out now, one is being released tomorrow). At dinner tonight Jake got a phone call that his mom was in a head-on car accident and was being taken to the hospital. We hear that she's going to be released later tonight and that it's likely nothing too serious. I didn't think one week could have this much drama and intensity.
The plan: We're going home to spend time with our families on Saturday and then coming back for our yearly Easter dinner with friends on Sunday. Next week will be better and I'll hopefully regain some focus!
(images were taken when I visited my siser in NC in early March)
big life change
My very kind and astute intern just sent me Lemonade, an inspirational short film about being laid off. It pretty much sums up what Jake thinks about his new opportunity.
catalog in the works
yes!
(image from The White House)
Going for it
I've felt incredibly indecisive the past month. Every decision seems like a ton of work, even trying to figure out what to make for dinner each night. In light of this I feel so fortunate to have this decision almost made for me...I'm going to be exhibiting at the National Stationery Show in May! I'll be exhibiting with seven other Ladies of Letterpress in booths 2256 and 2258. And since I'm joining the other ladies a bit late, most of the display decisions have been made already (and made well) - hooray! I know I have a TON of work ahead of me, like trying to design and print next year's calendar beforehand, but I'm up for the challenge and more excited than I thought I would be. Once I get my bearings, I'll try to post my progress semi-regularly.
under the weather
I think I caught a cold from an incessantly coughing girl who sat near me on the airplane last week. In spite of being in a fog the last two days, I think I managed to give a decent lecture about my artwork this afternoon to our senior class. It was actually a little hard for me to talk about the frequency with which I make work these days. Well, my theory on this front seem to be fairly well founded...when you start a business, you stop doing just about everything else. I managed to stumble across an article that compares starting a business to having children. Let me tell you, my business-baby is almost three and I'm starting to see room for me to bring artmaking back into my life...finally. I think the new collaboration has helped that a lot and there are a few more in the works!
Before I head back to my hot chocolate and snuggly pups, I thought you should know what my Valentine's plans are...watching Jake jump into lake Ontario! Sunday at noon hundreds of adrenaline junkies will brave the cold to raise money for Special Olympis. It's quite the spectacle. If you want to join his zombie team or sponsor him let me know! If you're in the area, stop by and see it for yourslef!
ups and downs
Ok, so you may have noticed my increasingly sporadic posting the last week. And I know that you already know when this happens I'm in all-work-no-blog mode, which means that it's time for a recap of the past week.
I spent part of last week in NYC at the International Gift Fair helping my friend Amber in her jewelry booth. Amber's booth looked beautiful and was the perfect showcase for her incredible botanical jewelry. Actually working a booth was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. Mainly, there is a lot of standing and greeting and set up and take down and sore legs! It was really great to see how the show works from the inside and it was amazing that I could gain this experience while I contemplate attending the Stationery Show or a Gift Show. The de-installation of the booths was crazy!
We stayed in a very sweet and very small hotel with the best wallpaper ever. We went to some of my favorite restaurants and checked out the New Museum of Contemporary Art. I also got to meet Jackie Bos for coffee and French baked goods. I knew before I even met her that we would hit it off and I was right!
Unfortunately, while I was gone I found out that an entire suite of wedding invitations was being held in customs in the wrong country. I will tell you now, for your future reference, that the USPS International office only has an automated number and that it's close to impossible to talk to a responsive human being. By the time you do speak to someone there is steam coming out of your ears and it's hard to be nice as they tell you that there is no way for them to do anything even though they delivered said package to the wrong country. After a few hours on the phone and no easy resolution in sight and I have been reprinting the entire suite to mail via FedEx on Monday. I'm so lucky to have such an understanding couple on the receiving end!
This afternoon I took a break from my own printing to help a friend get back into the swing of screen printing. It's been a long time since I have been in a really well-equipped printmaking studio. I miss it. A lot. On many different levels.
My mom and step dad are coming to visit tomorrow and take me out to a post-birthday lunch. And then Jake and I will head to our yearly superbowl party at Luke's. I'll be wearing my "Ladies Superbowl Sunday" shirt that I got with my roommates in college. It's a little small, but it's yellow and awesome and we each have one.
I'm also so excited to come in third place for the jury selection in the Poppies Favorite Papergoods category. I am shocked and incredibly humbled to be on a short list with Rifle Paper Co and Yee Haw Industries. Many many thanks to the jurors!
I spent part of last week in NYC at the International Gift Fair helping my friend Amber in her jewelry booth. Amber's booth looked beautiful and was the perfect showcase for her incredible botanical jewelry. Actually working a booth was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. Mainly, there is a lot of standing and greeting and set up and take down and sore legs! It was really great to see how the show works from the inside and it was amazing that I could gain this experience while I contemplate attending the Stationery Show or a Gift Show. The de-installation of the booths was crazy!
We stayed in a very sweet and very small hotel with the best wallpaper ever. We went to some of my favorite restaurants and checked out the New Museum of Contemporary Art. I also got to meet Jackie Bos for coffee and French baked goods. I knew before I even met her that we would hit it off and I was right!
Unfortunately, while I was gone I found out that an entire suite of wedding invitations was being held in customs in the wrong country. I will tell you now, for your future reference, that the USPS International office only has an automated number and that it's close to impossible to talk to a responsive human being. By the time you do speak to someone there is steam coming out of your ears and it's hard to be nice as they tell you that there is no way for them to do anything even though they delivered said package to the wrong country. After a few hours on the phone and no easy resolution in sight and I have been reprinting the entire suite to mail via FedEx on Monday. I'm so lucky to have such an understanding couple on the receiving end!
This afternoon I took a break from my own printing to help a friend get back into the swing of screen printing. It's been a long time since I have been in a really well-equipped printmaking studio. I miss it. A lot. On many different levels.
My mom and step dad are coming to visit tomorrow and take me out to a post-birthday lunch. And then Jake and I will head to our yearly superbowl party at Luke's. I'll be wearing my "Ladies Superbowl Sunday" shirt that I got with my roommates in college. It's a little small, but it's yellow and awesome and we each have one.
I'm also so excited to come in third place for the jury selection in the Poppies Favorite Papergoods category. I am shocked and incredibly humbled to be on a short list with Rifle Paper Co and Yee Haw Industries. Many many thanks to the jurors!
I have no idea if this will directly lead to any new clients, but it was really the push I needed to put together my 2010 line of invitation, which have now been designed, printed, photographed, and packaged! I'm hoping this officially ends the last several weeks of 3am bedtimes and Mountain Dew sustained days.
In other happy news, my best friend since 7th grade had her first baby this weekend!!! They had been keeping the sex a surprise and found out that they had a little girl. The pictures are adorable and I can't wait to meet Daniela this weekend! Now I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy one of the beautiful vintage gowns I have seen over the past few weeks while searching for milkglass. Belle Heir might do the trick, though :)
and the voting begins
The Poppies is "a virtual awards ceremony of sorts celebrating the Handmade Community!" Voting in all categories is now underway, so head on over and vote for your favorite handmade artist!
I would be honored to have your vote for favorite handmade papergoods, if you're so inclined. Many thanks to those who nominated Pistachio Press! You can vote in this category until midnight on January 30th, one vote per IP address :)
Hello Poppies!
And if you're so inclined to express your undying letterpress love for Pistachio Press, here's the handmade paper goods link :)
Another year down!
Yesterday was our three-year anniversary, but it feels like so much longer. I guess it really has been longer, eleven years! I spent part of the day printing and the the rest of the night half-asleep on the couch watching For Keeps while waiting for Jake's flight to get in. His first flight from Long Island was canceled and the second was delayed. He didn't get home until 1:30 this morning. But, I did surprise him with a Play Station 3, which he has been wanting for quite some time. It wasn't really even for our anniversary, since we always take a trip instead of presents. It was for all of his help the past few weeks. Nothing says "I love you! Thanks for putting up with my shit" like a PS3.
He was speechless at first...but now I feel like I might have created a monster. He's obsessed with linking it to the internet. Who knew it would be this complicated?!
And just for kicks, here's a recent picture of us at a Clue-themed housewarming party. I was Mrs. Peacock and Jake was Prof. Plum. We were some of the only people who actually dressed up, but it was fun to wear one of my vintage hats from Susan's old collection and Jake found that amazing jacket at the first thrift store he went to!I'm feeling much better today about life in general. I've finally realized that I can't print every day of the week. The day after a big printing day I tend to make excuses to stay home and work on new designs or catch up on email. I'm going to work this into my schedule now...only two or three non-consecutive days of printing each week. I think I'll actually be more productive this way. I'm actually glad that all of the events in the past few weeks took place. I have always felt that things happen for a reason and I try to find the lessons in difficult situations. I have learned so much and I'm actually feeling a bit rejuvenated. I'm looking forward to new adventures.
I used to have a life
On the return trip from Renegade Brooklyn I realized that I used to have a life outside of work. When I started Pistachio Press my main goal was to have a self-sustaining career that I loved with more flexibility than other jobs...this is the reason most small businesses begin, right? Well, in the last few months I've worked 60-80 hours/week, said no when friends ask me to hang out, stopped going for walks with my dogs, started living on Mountain Dew, answer work email at midnight, ignore my husband, and let my house get to an almost irreparable state of disorganization. This was never my ultimate goal.
My very high expectations led me to work my butt off preparing for Renegade {as did my sister and husband}, only to have a severe thunderstorm overhead for much of the first day followed by a three-hour traffic jam during which I was sitting in my underwear, wrapped in a sheet because I could no longer wear my dripping jeans. To say I was disheartened would be an understatement. But, the next day turned out to be nice and I met with some of my favorite vendors {more to follow on this subject}. My spirits were especially lifted when Julie from Etui came back smiling even though her tent blew away during the storm {see missing tent in first photo}. And it was awesome sharing a beautiful tent with Shanna and working on our card collaboration during the last few weeks.I guess what I'm trying to say is that although it was a bit rough, I learned a few valuable lessons. I now know where my priorities are and I'm going to try very very hard to work a 40-hour week. Organization will be the key. I'm also going to try to build in some time for myself. My masseuse gave me the suggestion to take a 15 minute break to stretch or sit quietly a few times each day {after I stopped crying during the intake before I even got the massage}. I also know why second storie is so awesome...we always hold our events inside, we try to greet each vendor to make everyone feel welcome, and we would definitely warn our vendors if a giant thunderstorm was going to sit on top of the event. I'm also going to try to start writing my blog again...but this time it's for me. I like reading what I've done in the past year {like my very first listing on Etsy} and I really hope that weekly writing on the blog will help give me a bit of focus and time for reflection. And maybe the next time someone asks how I'm doing I can honestly answer "Great! I just got back from the park and now I'm going to make dinner with my amazing husband."
Check it out
Etsy asked me to write an article for their Handmade Wedding Series on custom letterpress invitations and it was published today! Click here if you'd like to read it. This was a lot of fun to write and it really gave me a chance to reflect on the process of working with clients. It was also a good change of pace for me, since this past week was pretty busy, complete with a broken press, some tears, an awesome Book Fair, and laughs with friends I haven't seen in a while.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Small Press Book Fair. It was so much fun...I bought way too many books and zines and was able to catch up with Nicole, Shelly, and Tara.
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