WNYBAC ::: Breathe

The WNY Book Arts Collaborative is a really wonderful letterpress/book arts center in Buffalo. They're trying to raise money for a ventialation system in their printshop. For anyone who has ever printed, you know how important ventilation is. Especially if you work with kids, like this non-profit does. Please consider making a donation, in any amount. Some of the donation levels will even bring letterpress goodies to your doorstep. There are only a few days left and the project will only be funded if enough support is pledged (they're close to the goal).

Boxcar Press, the company that makes my plates for letterpress printing, just featured an interview with me on their blog. Boxcar is one of my favorite companies to work with and I'm honored that they asked me to participate in their interview series.

Cyclocross

Jake participated in his first cyclocross this weekend. It was pretty intense and even though it was his first race he chose to do the 45-minute event instead of the 30-minute race. He's so stubborn! I am so proud of him for finishing it, even though his pedal broke off right before his final lap. That just meant he had to push or carry his bike through the course aside from the downhills. And...he was one of only two people riding a single speed bike. How's that for stubborn and determined!?

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it's almost officially fall

September is nearing the end and the fall equinox is only a day away. This means we're getting close to the release date of the 2011 calendar(s). I thought you'd like a teaser for the carvingmyinitials collaborative calendar. It's quite fabulous and was super fun to work on with my talented studio-mate Jim. Can't wait for the official launch!

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}

Studio love

Lately I've been feeling really antsy. I change my mind daily on whether I want to move into a new house or stay put. Would I want a studio at home if we moved into a bigger house or do I really love having an outside studio? Could I handle printing in a garage? I think that maybe I should move my studio to a new location and add a storefront component. Or maybe it would be better to build a structure on our fictional new land, not quite attached to the house. Do you have the same irrational thoughts?

We actually just fell in love with a house that we can't afford, especially since Jake's income is less than stable at the moment. We even had our realtor come over and look at our current house to let us know if it's sellable. So while we contemplate our options we're going to do some long-overdue home improvements (like finally nail down the moulding in the bathroom four years after we "finished" the remodel). And I'm going to keep looking at houses and daydreaming about studio spaces. The spaces from Kanga Room Systems seem like an awesome solution, as long as we can build it on concrete for the presses and they have heating for the Rochester winters.

A photo and a link: Hannah Bertram

Hannah's work is a gorgeous blend of contemporary practice and traditional aesthetics. "This is a project of ephemeral site-sensitive dust works created and installed in 12 private homes." It's hard to imagine how something this complex and delicate can be created with dust. I love the fleeting quality of these pieces. To learn more about Hannah's work, check out her website.

{Thanks to I Dreamed I Saw for the heads up.}

Back to school shopping

As fall starts to settle in I always feel like I need to stock up on new school clothes. I love these pieces by Madewell, especially that awesome pintuck dress. And comfy sweaters? Sign me up.

Gratuitous dog pics

Our girls sat next to each other while I shot these. They actually stayed put for a solid minute, maybe even two. Dolly is starting to fit in a bit more. I still am hoping to find her a home before we really start to like her. Any takers? Look at that face!

{Left to right: Dolly, Casie, Pancake Sue}

A photo and a link: Jen Stark

Jen Stark's work is gorgeous and technically complex. Her drawings are made with felt-tip pens and her sculptures are made from handcut paper.

Reminder

Just a little reminder that we're offering a 20% discount on all invitation orders placed by September 30th. We just need to have a contract in the works, so don't worry if your wedding isn't right around the corner :) Check out our designs here - we have close to thrity different suites.

Made BY Oots

When we were at the NY Gift Show I found the Oots lunchbox and fell in love. We've been trying to pack our lunch and not eat out as much. We've actually been pretty successful and I think a lunchbox like this would help anyone want to pack their own meal. I think my favorite thing about this is that they come with stackable containers. According to their site: "All materials used are food safe and kid-friendly: made of BPA-free and phthalate-free polypropylene plastic, and safety tested for lead. The Lunchbox and containers are dishwasher safe (top rack) and the containers can be used in a microwave."

Lilacs

I'm lucky to live in a city that hosts the Lilac Festival every May, which aptly celebrates the blooming of an entire park filled with lilacs. It's really incredible. I was fortunate to print a new supply of notecards for a local garden club in the most lovely shade of purple with a really beautiful lilac illustration. When I was printing I could almost smell the real thing!

Office

I've been spending a lot of time in my home office lately. Lots of getting ready for classes, email, design work. I also have a small studio set up in my office and I'm hoping that things will settle into a schedule in the next few weeks.

A photo and a link: Michael Wille

I've been really interested in abstract work lately, which probably isn't much of a surprise. These paintings by Michael Wille "combine architectural remnants of particular cities, gathered throughout short stays in each place." I love the idea of this and the pieces really do have the feel of a collection of memories.

can't get enough

I recently debuted a calligraphy collection with Grace Edmands that is so dear to my heart and thought it would be nice to show you a little bit more of her work. Grace is such a genuinely sweet person and it's been amazing to work with her on developing this new collection. I can't imagine any pairing more perfect than letterpress and calligraphy. Seriously, they were made for each other.

The above photos are pieces that Grace has lettered. I wish that every envelope I sent out could be addressed by Grace instead of my sorry excuse for handwriting.

It begins again

Today is September. Wow. I can't believe that school has started, that the summer is over and that the leaves are going to start falling soon. Hmm, maybe that's a bit melodramatic. The first week of school is actually one of my favorite weeks of the year. Students are excited and there is still so much anticipation for the unknown.

When I was growing up my mom would take off from work on the first day of school and she'd make sure the house was deep-cleaned and bake something delicious with apple pie for dessert. When I started grad school I started doing this for myself. Although my house won't be as clean as it was growing up, I think I might make a pie for the first day of class. And I might take a day off from scoring and folding cards.