Working for yourself means that you are often the only person around. There aren't any co-workers to chat with in the break room and no one is there to celebrate exciting news unless you call them. So, I take a few breaks every day to visit the land of the living (or at least the land that other living people visit while they work...the time sink known as the internet). A few of my favorite sites are below, and these are mostly fast reads so that I can keep moving and not get sucked in! Although now that I have the pictures linked with them I see a cuteness trend.
Dust
I just saw this video by Chloe Elise posted on our Second Storie blog and was blown away. It's completely and utterly lovely, and that's a term I don't throw around lightly. Can you believe she's only 19?
Congratulations Sara and Ben!!
This weekend was awesome. Sara and Ben's wedding was just gorgeous, totally them in every way. It was my first time being a photographer at a wedding (along with Marni and Matt). More pictures to follow later this week. Right now I have to work on Monday stuff!
Although the deadline to apply to Second Storie Indie Market is quickly approaching (August 17th), there is still time if you’re interested! Don't forget that there will be a screening of Handmade Nation with a panel discussion the Friday before the event!!
Second Storie Links:
Website
Blog
Handmade Nation Tickets
It's not all fun and games
Sometimes there are weeks on end of cleaning. The seedy underbelly of printing...50+ years of grease and paper lint, Simple Green, q-tips, rags, gloves, WD-40.
The upside...blue skies and yellow flags. I'm glad the next building over is still being renovated. The flags totally cheer me up :)Trying hard for five days of Zumba this week. There's something about shaking it in the morning to get you pumped for the rest of the day.
Hey, Cameron. You realize if we played by the rules right now we'd be in gym?
Goodbye John Hughes. You will be greatly missed. I will forever think of you every time I watch one of your movies - which will be frequently.
Covered
I have a fairly severe chair addiction. Yes, chairs (and dressers, too). I have no less than eight sets of chairs in my house, plus several strays. I know, it's crazy. I've decided that our newest kitchen chairs need to be recovered. I'm in love with Daisy Janie's boxwood cotton fabric. The pattern is fantastic and I think the color would wear well for chairs. 
And I can't get enough of Lara Cameron's Ginko design. I have this design in white/teal on a chair in our bedroom and it's just perfect. Can you believe that Lara and her partners at Ink & Spindle print their fabrics by hand?! Once I make a decision, I'll have to find the time to recover them!
I love tomatoes.
They're beautiful and delicious and they're in season. And, as luck would have it, there are several amazing tomato recipe's in the month's Gourmet, which I purchased completely on a whim because of the shot on the cover - blueberry ice cream sandwiches. Last night I made Tomatoes a la Creme and damn near ate all of it myself. It was all I could do not to lick the pan! It's super easy and incredible, especially with some good bread. While I was at it, I made the roasted tomato soup, too. Yum! Now I can't wait for the public market tomorrow so I can pick up many more pounds of tomatoes. Too bad for Jake that he doesn't like tomatoes as much as I do :){image from here}
Celebrating 100 years!
This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Vandercook proof press, the press I use in all of my letterpress printing! To celebrate, I created this print as part of an exchange, the goal of which is to exchange one hundred prints between one hundred Vandercook operators. I can't wait to see the rest of the prints from the exchange!! The bottom image shows a modified version of the print that is available in my shop. Happy birthday Vandercook!
I haven't been able to get this top photo out of my mind since I saw it here. I'm so in love with the colors and photographer Mark Gong's work is just gorgeous. I think what I'm most drawn to are the bits of color and the rich gray background. And the paper cranes are wickedly sweet.
Yesterday evening I met Jake at the studio for a late night of press mechanics. Before he got there I waited by the back door and looked up at the rooftops of the buildings around me. And what did I see? The same pops of color against the gray sky. It was awesome. Working on the press was not awesome. It was actually a bitch. In my frustration, I made much progress cleaning the No. 4, so all is not lost :)
Awesomeness
I'm so excited to let you in on some exciting Second Storie news! Together with Made by Rachel, we'll be presenting two screenings of the indie documentary Handmade Nation later this fall. This will be the first screening in upstate New York and I can't wait!!
The first showing will be on Friday, November 27th at 8pm and will kick off our annual Indie Market. There will also be a panel discussion with some of our very talented vendors. The second showing will be on Saturday, December 5th at 8pm.
Head over this way to purchase your ticket for only $5.00! Space is limited, so buy your ticket soon and spread the word.
Head over this way to purchase your ticket for only $5.00! Space is limited, so buy your ticket soon and spread the word.
I know what you're thinking...
That I've disappeared! Looking back over my posts for the last month, it looks like I haven't been doing much work. Quite the opposite. While I may have taken a hiatus from the blog, I most certainly have been present in life...and busy :) I'm making some good progress on new designs and for the first week in July I taught a pop-up course at the Visual Studies Workshop. I had several grad students in the class and they made some really awesome and incredibly intricate books. Teaching a class like this is always so interesting because everyone intensely puzzles their way through mock-ups and technical glitches, making small adjustments to pull tabs and developing callouses from x-acto knives.
After the pop-up class we packed up the car and headed to our yearly fourth of July camping trip. There were many friends, lots of dogs, and a giant bonfire. I'll post some pictures later this week. In the meantime, Jim posted a great summary of the trip!
And this past weekend Jake and I went back to our hometown for a wedding (my best friend's sister was getting married). The rain stopped just in time for the ceremony and the reception was held on the shore of a nearby lake. It was so nice to visit with people that I've known for more than half my life and who feel like family. We ate and danced as the sun set. It was beautiful and Sarah and Rob looked so happy.
So, hello to a new week, which will be mixed with productive days of printing and a few lazy days visiting with Jake's family at a cottage near Ithaca.
Mysterious Letters
Sometimes when I'm driving I look at the other cars on the road and think about how close I am to these other people. But, although we may only be five feet from each other I will never meet them. I will probably not even have the chance to make eye-contact with them, unless someone is kind enough to wave me ahead of them.
Mysterious Letters is a project by two artists who sent a hand written letter to 467 people who live in a small Irish village. I love the idea of this, meeting every person in a single town. This makes the world seem simultaneously smaller and even more expansive than I can imagine.
100 Abandoned Houses
I'm not sure where I first saw this project, but I immediately fell in love with 100 Abandoned Houses. This documentary of sorts was started by Kevin Bauman, who writes poignantly about the thousands of houses that have been left for worse in Detroit. The images he's taken are nostalgic, depressing, and beautiful. Looking at these makes me feel somehow protective of the houses. I know that neighborhoods can transform, but I wonder if there is potential for there to be new life in these once magnificent homes.
Vacation Journal: Part 2
Day 5, beach
Another lazy start even though we set the alarm. More french toast, but not as much as yesterday. Jake makes me learn a new game. I hate the way it's scored. Obviously I do not win. Long walk on the beach and it starts to rain. The beach clears out. The rain feels cold, but the ocean seems warm. We're already wet so we take a swim. Then we read for a few hours in tiny blue beach chairs. Jake is very cute. Head back to town for a tostada and putt-putt. The course is packed but we have fun.
Day 6, bike ride and beach (duh)
Got up a little earlier. Last of the french toast regimen. Bike ride to the Whalehead for an arts festival. I buy a Yes We Can etching from a real printmaker. Air conditioning at the wildlife center and a collection of hundreds of decoy ducks, made from canvas, wood, cork. They're awesome. Bike past the lighthouse and back to the house. 11 miles today. It's HOT outside, my butt is starting to break in. Head to the beach. The lifeguard swims out to Jake and Harrison to make sure they're ok since they're out so far. They're fine of course. A small crowd watches to make sure.The guard tells them about rip tides when they come back in. Sweet corn for dinner. A long game for the others.
Day 7, travel day, Bethany and Rehoboth Beach
Got up at 9 to pack, on the road by 11. Goodbye OBX, we'll miss you. Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is terrifying. Jake drove it this time. Boardwalk fries with vinegar, caramel corn, saltwater taffy, "cookies" for the puppies from the boarwalk at Bethany Beach. We missed this kind of hustle. Then north to Rehoboth. This beach is much different. Waves break right on the shore line and kids get swept along easily. A nice man takes our picture while his son watches. We sit on the boardwalk facing the sea and watch the sky darken.
Day 8, travel and home
Get up and drive through the rest of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and to my mom's to pick up the girls. Visit with Jake's mom and grandma. Drive the rest of the way home. Susie sleeps on my lap the whole way and Cassie takes up the entire back seat. It's late, but we're happy to be home. Our bed is so comfy.
Another lazy start even though we set the alarm. More french toast, but not as much as yesterday. Jake makes me learn a new game. I hate the way it's scored. Obviously I do not win. Long walk on the beach and it starts to rain. The beach clears out. The rain feels cold, but the ocean seems warm. We're already wet so we take a swim. Then we read for a few hours in tiny blue beach chairs. Jake is very cute. Head back to town for a tostada and putt-putt. The course is packed but we have fun.Day 6, bike ride and beach (duh)
Got up a little earlier. Last of the french toast regimen. Bike ride to the Whalehead for an arts festival. I buy a Yes We Can etching from a real printmaker. Air conditioning at the wildlife center and a collection of hundreds of decoy ducks, made from canvas, wood, cork. They're awesome. Bike past the lighthouse and back to the house. 11 miles today. It's HOT outside, my butt is starting to break in. Head to the beach. The lifeguard swims out to Jake and Harrison to make sure they're ok since they're out so far. They're fine of course. A small crowd watches to make sure.The guard tells them about rip tides when they come back in. Sweet corn for dinner. A long game for the others.Day 7, travel day, Bethany and Rehoboth Beach
Got up at 9 to pack, on the road by 11. Goodbye OBX, we'll miss you. Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is terrifying. Jake drove it this time. Boardwalk fries with vinegar, caramel corn, saltwater taffy, "cookies" for the puppies from the boarwalk at Bethany Beach. We missed this kind of hustle. Then north to Rehoboth. This beach is much different. Waves break right on the shore line and kids get swept along easily. A nice man takes our picture while his son watches. We sit on the boardwalk facing the sea and watch the sky darken.Day 8, travel and home
Get up and drive through the rest of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and to my mom's to pick up the girls. Visit with Jake's mom and grandma. Drive the rest of the way home. Susie sleeps on my lap the whole way and Cassie takes up the entire back seat. It's late, but we're happy to be home. Our bed is so comfy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)