start writing

Check out these amazing journals from Freshleyblended Press and Lara Cameron. Hand screen-printed by Lara and meticulously bound by Nicole, they are even more gorgeous in person! I used mine all last week while I was in Chicago at the annual SGC Printmaking Conference {more on that later}. You can purchase your very own journal here.

Buffalo = art and books

The third annual Buffalo Small Press Book Fair is almost here and I can't wait! Pistachio Press is on the vendor list and I've been busy printing all week. "The book fair is a one day event that brings booksellers, authors, bookmakers, zinesters, small presses, artists, poets, and regional cultural workers together in a venue where they can share ideas and peddle their wares."

March 21, 2009
noon-6pm
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
453 Porter Avenue
Buffalo, NY

The Karpeles Manuscript Library is a beautiful building, the vendor list is awesome, and admission is free! I hope to see you there.

going green?

I've been thinking a lot about the new "green" fad. I'm so completely torn over the issue. On one hand I love that people are talking about sustainability and making responsible choices. On the other, it often seems like a marketing ploy to get people to buy more stuff.

I was in grade school during the first reduce, reuse, recycle push and it truly made an impact on me. From that point on I recycled every scrap of paper I could find, created a "recycling center" in my college dorm room and still pull used water bottles out of the trash if I see them. Obviously, these tendencies have carried over to my press and my choice of materials. I'm trying hard not to jump on the "I use cotton paper because it's responsible and tree free" bandwagon even though I do use cotton paper and it is tree free. I also print on cotton paper because the impression is gorgeous and as a printmaker I have always loved the surface quality. But, cotton does have it's share of issues if it's not properly sourced.

This article is quite interesting and talks a bit about greed and the consumer driven aspect of the green movement. Although I don't buy into all of it, I do think that we need to be much more conscious about what we're buying and why. For me, this directly translates to why I love the handmade movement so much. I know that I may spend more money on handmade items, but that makes me more selective about what I purchase and it makes me appreciate those pieces more than something from Target.

I guess what this all means for me is that I will continue to be as responsible as I can in my life and business practices. And I'm so happy to receive email from clients indicating that environmental practices and paper options are a big factor in their stationery purchases!

Working lunch

Some of the biggest parts of running Pistachio Press have nothing to do with printing. They have to do with organizing receipts for taxes, answering emails, packaging orders, creating new designs, writing more email, talking to clients, printing, fixing broken presses, ordering paper and many other things that don't seem like they should take as much time as they actually do.

This is a busy time of the year for anyone in the wedding business since summer weddings are getting close. I'm so grateful for the work, but sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in email! And since I'm such a hoarder, I have trouble deleting mail from my inbox, which means that I currently have over 4000 email between several accounts (and Etsy convos). I've tried sorting them into folders, but I really prefer to see them all in one place. Just today, I've been answering email for about 5 hours. I have been taking breaks here and there to work on other things and eat lunch (which included a delicious triple-cream that I could eat every day for the rest of my life).

On a brighter side note, I've been reading A Homemade Life every night before I go to bed. It's so good and I've been staying up way too late reading, which feels quite satisfying since I hardly ever make time to read anymore. I always intend to read before bed, but most of the books on my list aren't the type I want to fall asleep with. Molly's book is really beautiful and even though I've been trying to ration it, I know I'll be done this weekend.

Ok, enough break time for me...it's time for more email!

Christopher Baker

I'm helping to organize a workshop series at school about zines, book arts, and digital publication. Christopher Baker's work would be perfect to show. This piece is called Murmur Study: A live Twitter visualization and archive. I love how the feed looks like a sculptural book piece and that it keeps growing. How awesomely overwhelming and fitting for our saturated culture.

{images from Christoper Baker's site}

orange = spring

I can't wait for spring to get here! This is what I'd love to wear on the first day of spring. I even think I could teach in it. But I probably wouldn't print while I was wearing it, unless I had a wicked cute apron to match.

I've been a bit quiet the last week, spending some time reflecting and trying not to be distracted by the internet. It's really crazy how quickly time can pass in so many cases and how some memories from years ago seem like they happened only yesterday. This past week marked two years since Tipper's been gone. The top photo was one of the last pictures I took of him, when we thought he might get better and he wanted to play with his toys again. The memories from that week are always so close to me and I'm glad we had that day of hope. And then the next week we adopted Cassie. She didn't know her name yet and she'd tear around the house like a possessed dog, but I'm so incredibly happy today that we have her, and Susie. Thank you Cassie, for finding us when we most needed you.