I wish I had time to vacuum.

Somehow, in the last two weeks, I have fallen in love with blue cheese. I don't quite know how it happened, but it started innocently in salads and now I'm basically eating hunks of it right out of the fridge. I never thought I'd like it, but now I can't get enough. I had some tonight for dinner and it was quite tasty.

I am tired and it's only Monday. This was a long weekend. On Saturday Jake biked another long ride - 60 miles this time, and then he came to the studio and kept me company while I printed until 1am. It was nice to have the company. I have a few more days of printing ahead of me and a bit more design time for the calendar before I order the plates. If you're waiting for a response to an email, I promise it's coming!

I'm excited about the progress my students are making this semester. They're a quiet group, but they're making some really great drawings. Our first critique went well this afternoon and I'm glad to see that they're working so hard - all of them.

{delicious photo from here}

I love it when you call me big poppa.

Another day in the studio. Notorious BIG, Pitbull, ODB, Outkast, Parliment, and Justin Timberlake all made an appearance. Seriously, I don't think that I could get through so many hours of printing without them.

The light in the studio has been really beautiful now that the sun is setting earlier. I'm trying to settle on the color palette for the calendar and I'm just about there.

I got home at ten this evening and Jake had done three loads of laundry and most of the dishes. It was so awesome, so very awesome.

It seems like it's already October! Now that the weather has gotten cooler and the leaves are starting to fall I'm think about our yearly Fall activities - apple picking, hiking in the leaves with our puppies, moonlit corn maze, soup party. Mmmmm, soup!

Jake biked a century this weekend with our friend Jude. Really, he biked a 100 miles on a fixed gear bike and was still able to stand when he got home. They left early Sunday morning and got back before the sun set. I can barely bike the three miles to the ice cream stand!

I'm gearing up for a busy week and coming away from a busy weekend, so the posting this week may be a bit spotty. I hope to post some pictures of a big printing job I've been working on for the last few months, a very large 75-page, 4-color commemorative book.

Noa Noa

A while back I was reading Decor8 and saw this gorgeous collection from Noa Noa. Why aren't there any stores in North America? All the more reason to take a trip to Europe :)

Nobody puts baby in a corner.

I was so sad to hear that Patrick Swayze had passed away. At one point I think I could have quoted every line from Dirty Dancing, Ghost, and Point Break. To this day I can't turn the channel if I see Ghost playing on tv. I'll stop and watch it and cry every time, which I will continue to do.

How many dressers can one person fit in a house?

Twelve. I have twelve dresser-type units in my house. Some for the dining room, bedroom, guest room, and a few in the attic that are waiting for a cottage someday. I have a pretty strong attachment to each of them, but I would give away at least three of them for one of these pieces by Valentin Loellmann. These are just fantastic.

Congratulations...

The winner of the giveaway is Jess from Just Happily Ever After! Her sentiments about our blogging community echo many of yours: "I think that one of my favourite things about the blogging community is the many doors it opens to learning about new independent designers and crafters."

Thanks so much to everyone who participated! I'm excited to have found your blogs, too. I will definitely be posting more giveaways in the future (monthly), so check back.

2010 is just around the corner

Can you believe that the week is almost over? What's even more unbelievable is that we've had two weeks of classes already...and my students all seem to be on top of things! I've been working on a few big projects for the press these last few weeks, including the 2010 calendar. This year I'm doing all of the design work as well as the printing and I feel like I'm really making some great progress. All of the months have final sketches and about half of them have been drawn in Illustrator. I can't wait to post real pictures of the printed pieces, but for now this sneak peek will have to do :)

And a huge thank you to everyone who has left comments in the giveaway post. I love reading what brings you to blogging!

Giveaway

I've been keeping this blog for two and a half years and I really love it. I especially love that I am connected in some way to people I have never met in real life, but who nonetheless read my ramblings with some sort of regularity. I would love to reach out in a more tangible way...and that way is to give you something to hang in your home. I think it's about time I had a giveaway!

The winner of the giveaway will receive this print and two sets of cards of his/her choice. To enter, please leave a comment telling me (or rather, all of us) what you most love about our blogging community. To double your chances, post about this giveaway on your blog and leave another comment with a link to the post and I'll make sure you're entered into the drawing a second time! The contest will end on Sunday, September 13 at midnight (EST) and I'll announce the winner on Monday, September 14.

words to live by

I took a yoga class at the gym last week and the instructor ended it by telling as a quote from Corra Harris. "The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly." I think that sums up my life philosophy and has always been how I try to behave. Even if I'm afraid, I try to move forward.

{I love this piece from Nicole Georges}

An ode to upstate NY

Sunset in front of my house last night. Jake just finished mowing the lawn.

My group of friends swam the master's mile swim a few weeks ago at Canandaigua.

Yes, Rochester continues to grow on me. When we moved back here four and a half years ago I hated Rochester. Well, I didn't really hate it, but I was most certainly not happy to be moving away from Buffalo. But then I got to know the city a bit more and it has steadily been growing on me. Now I would venture to say that I love Rochester. Some of my favorite things? The gorgeous sunsets. I complain that we don't get enough sun, but I truly love the sunsets around here. They're still unexpectedly beautiful each time I see one after a cloudy day.

I also love the public market. We go on Saturdays and it's totally crowded, filled with the most diverse group of people, and we leave with bags of fresh fruit and empanada-filled stomachs.

And I love my studio. There aren't too many places where I could live an afford a separate studio space, especially one that is so spacious and shared with long-time friends. Speaking of the studio, my new rollers for the No. 4 arrived last week and they are pristine.

Bring it on

When I was growing up my mom would take the first day of the school year off from work. She'd stay home and steam clean the carpets and just generally get things in order for the start of Fall. But the best part of this day off was start-of-school-dinner, usually stuffed shells and always apple pie. My sister and I would get home and the house would be super clean and smell amazing.

When I started grad school I started this tradition on my own and have continued it every year since! This year is no exception...and school started today. After finishing my syllabi, a slide lecture, photocopies and desk organization I headed home to make a big dinner. I actually went a little overboard and decided to make and freeze meals for the next few weeks, too. I made stuffed shells, roasted tomato soup, two pot pies, flat bread pizzas, and the apple pie. And after all that, I think I need to make some whipped cream for the pie!