Since last time...

Wrapping some presents. Love this paper we just got in the shop.

Jake is picking our tree by smell. For the past five or six years we've had a tradition where we get breakfast with our friends Sara and Ben (and now their son Rowan) and then pick out a tree together. We still need to decorate ours, although it's been over a week since we got the tree. Hopefully we'll have time this weekend.

Cassie and Pancake Sue on the studio couch. We just rearranged the space last weekend. In the next few weeks we'll move some presses around. It always take so much time to find the perfect set up, but it's really starting to come together.

225 sets of tags. There are six designs in each set (either two or three colors and die cut). Now we're packaging these with bellybands and twine for the client. It's a ton of work, but I feel so accomplished seeing all of this come together!

It's almost Second Storie time!!!

After taking a year off, we're thrilled to be in the thick of planning this year's Second Storie Market! The market is only one day this year, November 24th, and we'll have a bunch of really talented vendors, awesome food trucks (Le Petit Poutine and Hello Arepa) and Joe Bean Coffee. If you're a fan of the event (come on, I know you are), please help us spread the word. You can even invite friends through our Facebook Event page or give us a shout out on Twitter. Can't wait to see you there!

one-year anniversary!

November marks the one-year anniversary of our retail shop in Rochester! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us. Your enthusiam for the shop (both in person and online) means the world to us. Thank you!!!

To celebrate, we're offering 10% off all purchases. Not just our products, but every fantastic line we offer! Join us for our one-year celebration during this First Friday (November 2nd) from 6-9pm. For those of you who are celebrating from afar, we'd love to offer a 10% discount on all online purchase in our Etsy shop. Just enter code Hooray1 at checkout or bring a copy of this email into the shop. All discounts end November 10th.

Salt Market, October 20th!

We are so excited to be participating in the Salt Market this weekend. If you're near Syracuse we hope you'll swing by and say hi. We'll have lots of new stationery, our 2013 calendar, and there will be a whole lot of awesomeness.

More yoga

Starting this week Jake and I will begin a 40-day yoga challenge. Basically, this means we'll take five yoga classes and a workshop each week. I've been practicing yoga since April (Jake joined me this summer) and although we usually hit 3-5 classes each week, this challenge seems a bit more intense. Aside from making it through the next few weeks, my main goal is to just be healthier. I feel like I've slowly neglected let my eating and exercise habits over the past few years, especially since starting Pistachio Press. I made excuses about not having time but I've come to realized it will always be like this and if I want to make health a priority then I just have to do it. So I am. Wish me luck :)

ps- the main studio we visit is in a beautiful mansion near the studio. Look at those floors!

A new print

It's election season and we're excited about this new print, which was was a collaboration with JoAnn at Vintage Refashioned. 25% of all sales from this print will be donated to the Obama campaign fund.

Lettering and Embroidery ::: Vintage Refashioned
Letterpress Printing ::: Pistachio Press

No matter who your candidate is, make sure you're registered to vote!

Ladies of Letterpress Conference 2012

For the past week we were in Asheville, NC for the Ladies of Letterpress Conference. We spent a lot of time talking with other printers, going on local studio tours, and attending (and speaking at) panels about issues in the field of printing. It was an incredible trip! Here are some highlights:

Studio tour at Mink Letterpress (one of the most beautiful studios ever!):

Pool-side studio, Hand-Cranked Letterpress (along with cheese type):

Asheville BookWorks (and Paul Moxon's back):

7 Ton Letterpress studio tour (and collective for fur different presses):

Super awesome letterpress dance party! I had a feeling printers could break it down :)

And photo-booth fun during the dance party. 

I already miss everyone and we've only been gone two days!

Loving these pups

In the studio lately...

We've been printing a bunch of invitations and business cards lately. I know I haven't shown you much, but I promise, it's only because we've been working hard :) And I'm actually able to blog about it now because we're on vacation! I hope to start posting a bit more regularly soon. If you ever want to see more of what we're up to, I do post frequently on Instagram and you can check it out here.

On the lake

The finger lakes are incredible this time of year. Keuka Lake, in particular, is where Jake's family meets every year for a week and we just love it. We try hard to make sure it's actually a vacation for us, but honestly, we've never succeeded in not working at least a little bit. We probably could, but the idea of how much email would be waiting for us on the return is frightening. So, we'll probably answer a few emails on the shore instead :)

We open on Sunday!

The National Stationery Show opens in the morning. We just finished the booth this evening and I really love how it turned out. I won't be able to make it to the show for the opening day (flying back to Rochester for graduation), but Jake will be there and I have a feeling he's going to have a great time. I can't wait to get back and I hope to see a few of you there!

NSS - Join us!

The walls are up, the vinyl has been hung, the cards and shelves are almost finished, the catalogs are sitting on the table. Final task for tomorrow, hang the print and try to stay sane! I love how it all looks so far!!! Keep an eye out for our coverage of the show next week on Aesthetic Outburst. 

For our printer friends at NSS

If you're a letterpress printer and exhibiting (or visiting) the stationery show, stop by our booth and say hi. We'll have one of these prints waiting for you! The iphone pics don't do the color justice - it's neon orange and it's bright :) Our booth is #1965. We do have a limited supply, so stop by early!

NSS prep

Stationery Show prep has been going well. Aside from being indecisive about next year's calendar (already!), most everything else is turning out great. We ended up cutting the walls we built last year in half and hinging them so that they'd fit in our car. We have one inch of wiggle room, but they are going to fit! We're also repainting them and all of our ancillary display pieces. We have three days before we head to the show. I'm feeling mostly pulled together, but in preparing for trade shows, I know this can change hourly!

Linwood Gardens 2012

Every year we visit Linwood Gardens for the tree peony festival. The estate is only open for three weekends each year (and a few extra days during the summer) and Jake and I try not to miss it. Usually we end up going twice. Sunday we spent a few hours wandering the grounds and enjoying the flowers. I can only imaging how amazing it would be to live here (it's actually a private residence) or to have been here in the turn of the century when it was built. If you live close to Rochester, I promise it's worth visiting!

This past week I've been fighting off a pretty bad cold. It was some kind of super-cold that knocked me out for a few days. The kind of cold that's more like the flu, but without the fever and chills. The only good thing is that it came before the stationery show. So, no matter how much I may have complained about being sick this past week, I am eternally grateful that I will be in good health for the show.

The stationery show is the largest industry tradeshow for us and I look forward to it every year. Although it's only our third year doing this show I feel like we've been exhibiting much longer (perhaps because we've done so many gift shows, too). Although it seems like it would be very competitive, it honestly doesn't feel like it. I have met so many incredibly talented people and friends through the show. And through their generosity I have learned so much and had so many amazing opportunities.

Jake and I leave on May 17th to set up for the show. Until that time, expect to see us in the shop around the clock. We've got a bunch of printing and packaging to do before the show, not to mention keeping up with wedding orders and proofing. Hope to show you our progress.

This weekend

There are quite a few awesome openings in Rochester this weekend. Three in my studio space!

And one by my studio mate Jim, at another gallery :)

And a whole bunch more going on around Rochester! Hope to see you out.