how to do nothing...

I've been reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and I love it! She's a beautiful writer and I feel like I couldn't be reading this at a better time in my life. For starters, I've barely read any book in the last three years just for fun. I used to be a voracious reader, but the intense reading load in grad school just took all of the joy out reading. Every time I pick this book up I don't want to put it down!

In the first section of the book she travels to Italy in pursuit of pleasure. I was particularly excited about this because Jake and I are going to Italy this summer with another couple and I'm looking forward to relaxing. But as I read further into this section I came across the following excerpt, written by the author when she was trying to "learn" how to relax and take pleasure in doing nothing:

"...many Americans feel more happy and fullfilled in their offices than they do in their own homes. Of course, we all inevitably work too hard, then we get burned out and have to spend the whole weekend in our pajamas, eating cereal straight out of the box, and staring at the TV in a mild coma (which is the opposite of working, yes, but not exactly the same thing as pleasure). Americans don't really know how to do nothing. This is the cause of that great sad American stereotype - the overstressed executive who goes on vacation, but who cannot relax."

This really hit a nerve for me. From the time I wake up until I go to bed I feel like I'm constantly working. The only time I even watch tv is if I'm folding cards at the same time! The fist thing I do when I wake up on Saturday is check my email and I can't even seems to make time to go to a yoga class once a week. How is this possible? How am I going to be able to go to Italy for two weeks without my cell phone or computer? I'm taking this excerpt as a sign that I need to prioritize a little bit of time for myself every day to do something (or nothing) without feeling guilty. With that in mind, I'm going to make a real lunch (no Cheetos) and read some more of this book!

Thank you

I made my 300th sale on Etsy today! This is a personal milestone for Pistachio Press and I'm super excited. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and the press!

For your Valentine...

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this...chocolate type! Two of my favorite things wrapped up into one! Typolade is a German-based company, which means that I have no idea how to order these lovelies.

Equally tasty and awesome, chocolate bubble-wrap from DeLessio Bakery. I think Jake would also love this, although it might not give him that satisfying pop that real bubble-wrap does!


{both chocolates were found via sub-studio design}

Whew!

Well, after many long hours I finally finished binding a set of beautiful save-the-date booklets. I printed and bound 80 booklets (12-pages each) for an upcoming wedding and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out! And this whole experience has reinforced my love for my guillotine paper cutter, which was one of my best studio investments ever!


The pages were printed on pearl white Lettra and the cover was printed on light blue Magnani Pescia (a gorgeous Italian paper).

Pistachio Press BABY

I am so excited to announce the launch of Pistachio Press Baby! I've been working with Canadian designer Sam Posnick on a set of super cute onesies and caps. This set features a dreamy squirrel on the onesie and two acorns on the brim of a cap. Both are printed with water-based inks on organic cotton. Check them out in the shop!

shop update {valentines}

I just updated my shop with a few Valentines. They made their debut at second storie {which was really wonderful} and I'm happy to finally have them available in my shop. I've been pretty busy printing weddings, but I promise that more updates are coming soon!

second storie} i heart handmade

Please join us (and Pistachio Press) for i heart handmade this Friday, February 1! second storie is Rochester's answer to a growing movement towards a new approach to art + craft. This unique craft event comes just in time for Valentine's Day!

With letterpress, pottery, jewelry, fabric and much more, we bring our passion for hand-making to those who have a passion for the handmade. second storie} i heart handmade is sure to be a warm evening full of live local music, warm drinks and fine art & craft. This craft fair will truly be one of a kind.

second storie} i heart handmade
Spot Coffee
Rochester, NY
Friday, February 1, 2008
6-10 pm
live music
admission is free

www.secondstorie.net
http://www.myspace.com/secondstorie
http://www.firstfridayrochester.org


{awesome poster image by Marlene Heuer}

Belted

Why are there so many great spring dresses? And why aren't they sold in my price range? I'm totally in love with these pieces!

I don't usually like belted dresses, but these two by Lela Rose are amazing. The length is perfect for me and the patterns is just great!

And who couldn't like these Badgley Mischka dresses {yellow and patterned!}.

Sweater...dress?

I never thought that sweater-dresses would make a comeback, but they have! Check out this great H&M dress...I love the buttons and the jacket it's paired with is too cute!

Need to start playing the lotto

Oh, beautiful yellow dress, why do you have to be $350? This would be perfect for my trip to Italy this summer, light, silky, patterned, yellow. What more could a girl want?


Hmmm, not sure that I could pull off this little black dress, but I would love to try!


{yellow dress is from Tibi, black dress is from Burberry Prorsum}

Continue to give

For me the last few months flew by and I can't believe it's almost February! But, that doesn't mean that we should forget about the holiday spirit of generosity. I recently discovered an amazing challenge that is being offered by Six Degrees (yes, Kevin Bacon!). The four US charities that have the most unique donors through the America's Giving Challenge will receive $50,000 for their cause (in addition to the pledges).

A Place to Bark is one of the charities that has a shot at this amazing opportunity. Please check out Bernie Berlin's blog to learn more about her animal rescue. In addition to running the dog rescue full-time, Bernie is a mixed media artist. In order to win the grant they need to have the most amount of donors, not necessarily the amount of money donated. Each $10 (unique) donation give the rescue a shot at winning $50,000. The challenge ends on January 31.

You know my soft spot for dogs...let's help make a difference!

New Obsession

Remember my ring obsession from last month? Well, I've moved onto dresses! I love gray right now {and we all know how much I also love pattern}, so this beauty is perfect for me. It's for sale at Olio United...I wish I could visit Portland and try it on.

Hello new garage!

I haven't been the only busy person around here. Jake finally managed to clean out the garage {with Lindsay's help, of course}. We haven't been able to fit a car inside the garage for almost a year, and Jake could never find his tools when he needed them since they were spread out over the floor.

I took this after they had already been cleaning for three hours, so you can imaging how bad it was!

Now all of the tools are organized and he has clean space on his work table.

And we can fit a car in here!

Hello new office!

I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post...bad blogger! Well, I haven't been sitting around, I've been working my butt off on this new organizing kick. Here are a few pics of my newly organized office {before and after}.

My desk was such a disaster even the drawers were overflowing. Now I have clean drawers and these cute new shelves {complete with Julia Rothman mug for pencils and my Matryoshka dolls from Sara}.


My sewing area is much better now. I couldn't even get to my sewing machine before!


And my favorite part is the closet. Lindsay talked me into making this closet "business only" and we moved all of my crafting supplies to the closet in the spare room. I love all of the little boxes. They're all labeled and filled with inventory, so no more searching for a pack of cards to send out!

Welcome 2008!

I hope everyone had a great time last night! I was lucky to have a very low-key night...dinner with a few friends and then board games are Luke's. It was the perfect way to start the new year and is the beginning of what I hope will be a very peaceful and productive year. I'm not making any resolutions, although I am going to have some life goals in the next few months.

Goal #1 is to get organized and live a {mostly} clutter-free life. I'm inspired by Organize Magazine, which I just found! In honor of this new goal I spent part of today cleaning my office closet and desk, filing stationery, and making a list of organizational things to buy. I'll be posting before and after pictures to keep myself motivated. Speaking of organizing, I just found out about Bloglines {thanks Shanna!} and created an account with all of the blogs I read daily...woo hoo!

Goal #2 is to complete half-finished projects around the house. Jake and I started remodeling our bathroom about two years ago and have been 90% finished for two years! Today we started patching drywall, which lead to another list of supplies that need to be purchased! By the end of the week I'd like to have finished patching, nail in floorboards, and paint the trim. Personal zen, here I come :)


{image from Organize Magazine}

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Mine was pretty hectic {3 houses on Christmas Eve and 6 on Christmas}, but we got to spend time with all of our families. I'm looking forward to spending the next few days getting organized and recuperating from all of the craziness of the last few weeks.


In addition to a fantastic dishwasher {can't wait to have it installed}, I got some great handmade gifts this year!

Wishing for the New Year

I just put together quite possibly my last treasury of 2007. I'm hoping to buy at least a few of these things in the new year {or maybe my husband will buy one or two for my birthday, hint, hint}. Check out these great shops while you're finishing all of your Christmas shopping.

Definite Obsession!

This coral-colored bouquet ring is from Zakka.


And this lovely chartreuse cocktail ring is from Starry Configurations. I have been wishing for this for a while now.

I'm not sure if it's the rings I love or the awesome set-ups!

A tiny secret

Ok, so I feel like I have a slight ring obsession right now. I think this little leaf ring by Amanda Conley is lovely. It's like wearing a secret...Others may not notice how cute it is because of it's size, but you'll know the whole time you're wearing it!

I love, love, love this ring from Hester Zagt Sieraden {found via Bloesem}! I tried to find more information on her, but alas, I only speak English. Hester has more rings like this on her website, and many other beautiful pieces. I can't decide what my favorite color is for this design...maybe I would pick white...

Reminder

Vote for Abbey's house as best decorated! This is the last day.

Wall Paper = Love

I was in Nook yesterday doing some holiday shopping when I found the book Wall Paper by Lachlan Blackley...instant love! Needless to say I now have another early Christmas present from myself. I frequently use wallpaper and patterns in my work and I think this book will be a great source of inspiration. There are interviews with 50 designers and beautiful images of their work. "The new wallpaper is blurring the line between art and interior decoration".

Now that I have a good wireless connection at home I can work in front of the tv, which isn't necessarily a good thing. I get sucked into watching pointless shows like Deal or No Deal and I feel like I'm going to puke the whole time! I always hope that the player "wins" and the suspense kills me. Good thing I usually only see the last 10 minutes. Ok...back to grading!

I can't seem to help myself from buying fabric from Lara Cameron, owner of Kirin & Co. Lara's hand screen printed designs are so beautiful and impeccable! The photos just don't do the designs and printing justice. My only problem is that I'm afraid to cut into the fabric, although the vision of awesome throw pillows in my bedroom might just be the kick I need!

New prints available

Shop update: I'm out of calendars, but Tara has a few more. I can't believe how well they sold. Thank you to everyone who purchased one (or two)! I do have some prints from the calendar for sale. These make great holiday gifts and are super easy to frame.

Productive!

In addition to feeling a little overwhelmed, I've been quite productive lately. I even had a chance to finish my ornaments for the Holiday Ornament Swap. Here's a sneak peek of my ornament (four-sided letterpress) and some tree decorating from this weekend.

Gala

This was a busy weekend. The Holiday Gala at my studio was Friday and Saturday. I sold a good amount and purchased a good amount {some gifts and some for myself}. I bought a beautiful "sketch" by Colleen Buzzard, whose work is pictured above.

Saturday night I went to Buffalo to see Andrew Hershey's amazing exhibition at Big Orbit Gallery. I went to grad school with Andrew and it was great to see him and his new work. I am still impressed with how well his work fit in the gallery. Usually Big Orbit has sculptural or installation-based pieces, but Andrew's work made the space a bit more quiet and better for contemplation.

On Sunday Jake and I picked out our Christmas tree! This is the third year of our tradition of brunch and tree-buying with friends Sara and Ben {and Marni this year}. Snow had covered all of the trees and we had a snow-ball fight in the midst of the trees. And rounding out my weekend was a night of editioning for my book exchange between my class and Abbey's class. It turned out quite nice and I'll post pictures of the book ad the tree soon.

Time to cast your vote

Congrats to Abbey! Her house was chosen as a runner-up in the Domino Decorating Contest. She could win $1000 to make more improvements and all you have to do is cast your vote. I can vouch that her house is unique and beautiful in person and truly reflects her family. Go ahead, vote right now! And tell your friends.

Playing Tag

I was tagged by Megan, so here are five random things you may not know about me.

1. I love popcorn from the movies. I love it so much that I bring my own seasoning to the theater and if I have leftovers I eat them for breakfast the next morning.

2. I have an obsession with 80's pop music and I play it while I'm teaching (which amuses most of my students).

3. This may not be a secret to some of you, but I can't stop myself from making piles. If there is a clean flat surface in my house or studio I cover it with paperwork, cards, prints, junk mail...you get the idea.

4. It takes me forever to compose email. I blame this on a job related to copy editing. I proofread even the most simple email several times and read it aloud to make sure it makes sense. I've been trying not to obsess about it so much!

5. I am one of those crazy-obsessed dog people who dress their dogs in clothes and send out holiday cards with pictures of the dogs. I never thought I'd be one of these people, but I guess I am. My hope is that acknowledgment of this fact will somehow make it ironic and not creepy.

I tag Abbey, Lindsay, Kris, Nicole, and Erin.

The rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Happier

If you're in the Rochester area you should check out Happier, and exhibition by Abbey and Phil Hendrickson. The show is at the Art & Music Library Gallery through December 28, so you have plenty of time to see their amazing drawings!

{photos by Abbey Hendrickson, top image is Phil's work, bottom image is Abbey's}

Cyber Monday

Ok, so I've been a pretty bad blogger these last few weeks. But, that just means that I've been working hard and trying to catch up with family during the holiday! Jake and I went home for a few days and made the rounds with everyone we haven't seen in a while. We did go to the mall on Black Friday, but I've taken the handmade pledge, so we mostly just watched the other shoppers and ate pizza! In honor of Cyber Monday and the handmade pledge (which you should join if you're reading this), here is one of my favorite necklaces, made by Kim Eichler-Messmer.

Finished!

Calendar printing is done! Lindsay and I made the final push last night and printed for 16 hours...holy crap! Saturday consisted of about 3000 pieces through the press, a few Mountain Dew breaks, some minor irritability from both of us, lots of dance music, and a chance to see the sun rise as we drove home (singing loudly, of course). I can't tell you how awesome the pages look and how happy I am that everything registered so well. It's been so amazing to work with Tara on this project and her designs look like they were made for letterpress. This week we'll be collating and packaging calendars to send out.

Michael Bosworth

I wish I was going to be in town tonight. There is an artist talk by Michael Bosworth at Rochester Contemporary at 7 pm. I missed his opening las week because I was printing and I'll miss the lecture tonight because I will be printing! Oh well, that just means I might have to take one of my classes to the gallery :)

I was taking a break from work and found these amazing chairs. I wish I could buy a set for my dining room, since I hate the chairs we currently have!