paper stories letterpress

huge, Huge, HUGE letterpress giveaway

2009-06-09T07:26:00.003-05:00

We are co-hosting a massive letterpress giveaway from the swap I organized. All the info is over at Poppytalk.

loving this...

2009-05-12T06:59:00.006-05:00

I love these new stamps that came out, just in time for the postal increase. The stamps were designed by Jeanne Greco, based on 18th century playing cards. From her website she says, “In a way, it’s sad that the King and Queen will usually be used separately, but I hope they’ll find each other in the same mailbox from time to time. Perhaps they’re destined to reconnect only by chance in a royal flush or on an envelope that weighs more than an ounce.”

These stamps would be perfect for any upcoming wedding invitations.

come for a visit

2009-05-08T15:11:00.003-05:00

If you feel like a lovely drive to the country this Saturday, May 9th, then head up to Grayslake, IL. We will have a table set up along with the other storefronts in our little shopping district. The community holds an annual organic plant and sidewalk sale. There will be music, food, plants and of course, us. We will have a small selection of cards available but will also be passing out info about our new space as well as registering people for our June classes. We will be there from 9am to 1pm. Hope to see you there.

bad blogger, bad

2009-04-24T08:06:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I wrote anything here. I have been so incredibly busy and have neglected my little blog. Well here is what I have been up to in a nutshell...

moved into new space
found a new partner to share the space with (more on that later)
have been working hard to ready the new space (there will be a classroom and retail section too)
getting ready for NSS... this has been the biggest task (finishing the line, printing new designs, designing postcards, business cards, press kits, and a new website, working on the booth display, figuring out how to ship a large crate from Chicago to NY, and the list goes on)
guest blogging on other sites such as the Stationery Guides & Poppytalk Handmade Artists
organizing & participating in a letterpress swap
organizing a HUGE indie wedding event in Chicago called Indie Wed
don't forget I am a mom (and full time caregiver) for a very mobile 18 month old

I am exhausted just thinking about it. ;) I will try to be better though. Until next time (hopefully sooner than later)

moving day is approaching

2009-02-14T12:43:00.002-06:00

Rusty Skeleton Keys for sale by 2BCreative's etsy shop

We just made plans to pick up keys to the new space on Monday. We will also be moving our press next Saturday. I will try to take plenty of pictures of the process which should be interesting. I just hope that the Chicago weather machine will hold off on the snow.

Now I am off to make calls as we need to rent a commercial grade vehicle and trailer for moving. Ugh.

blast from the past

2009-02-12T10:04:00.002-06:00

Tuesday was my birthday, so I got a bunch of well wishes from friends. One email was from my super duper photog friend Jeff who used to be my roommate for years and years. When we lived together on the east coast, we adopted a dog right off the streets. His name was Sailor and he was with me for 11 years until he passed away in 2007 from cancer. He was an amazing dog. In the note from Jeff, he included this old picture he shot of us about 10 years ago. I hadn't seen Sailor look this good for quite a while as he was pretty frail during his final years.

Sometimes it is nice to look back at things from long ago... and remember how they used to be.

studio lighting

2009-01-30T18:03:00.005-06:00

studio lighting
counterclockwise from l to r... 1. sol pendant, cb2, $99 2. leran lamp, ikea, $90 3. swing pendant, cb2, $50 4. copper blow light, tom dixon 5. bucket pendant, anthropologie, $248 6. coral pendant, dwr, $400 7. foto lamp, ikea $15

I am going back to the new space on Sunday to do some measuring. No point in renting the place if I can't get my monster of a press through the door. One thing I will need to get right away is some lighting. Currently there are only open junction boxes. I have been looking at some options and have found some that I just love. Of course since there are 11 outlets, I doubt I will be getting the more expensive ones. Right now I am leaning towards the swing pendant from cb2 though my budget may push me more towards the 'foto' ikea pendant. Any lighting suggestions?

space

2009-01-26T11:12:00.004-06:00

While the market may be shaky, Paper Stories is outgrowing its little 200 sq/ft studio. I have been thinking about expanding for a while and have found the space. It is 1000 square feet of concrete goodness. The space will serve primarily as a studio space but is so big that I have other plans as well that will eventually include a small retail section, a gallery, and even classes. The space is actually in a retail location next to other eco-friendly and artsy shops. I just signed the letter of intent, which is very scary....

The space is long and skinny with two outside doors and LOTS of windows. What light through yonder window breaks, for sure! I haven't signed the lease yet but barring unforseen issues, I will be moving in March 1st. The space does need a little work, from painting over a mural of a lady. (Sorry lady, you gotta go) to installing a bunch of light fixtures to the ceiling sockets.

I would love to hear and decorating suggestions you have. I am hoping to document the moving in process here as it all unfolds.... so keep your fingers crossed for me.

(The pictures were all taken at night so the colors are all off. When I get some daytime pics taken, I will post them here. That is the hubby and the baby in the pictures, checking things out.)

vote!

2009-01-22T13:46:00.005-06:00

This card was selected for the Etsy Valentine's Market. Now they are asking you to vote for your favorite 'love' themed item to be featured on the Etsy blog and in their Valentine's gift guide. So head on over and vote for our little card here!

for obama fans and printing nerds

2009-01-14T10:56:00.002-06:00

Here is a quick little video that shows the lucky Brooklyn print shop selected to print Obama's Inauguration invites. I don't know a ton about engraving so this was fun to see. And I can't imagine having to print a million invites. I would have to hand feed each one and would most certainly have a stiff back by the time I was done. ;)

fresh start

2009-01-06T09:41:00.005-06:00

Since it is a new year and my last post was less than happy, I want to start fresh for 2009. I have got a lot coming up this year including my debut at the National Stationery Show. I plan to do a series of posts as I go through the process of getting ready for the show. Of course my debut couldn't come at a worse time for the economy so we will see how that goes.

I am also in the midst of looking for a new studio space. Actually I have a space all picked out but would probably need to share it. I am hoping to turn it into a studio/retail/gallery space. So if you know of anyone in the N.W. burbs of Chicago that may be interested, send them my way.

On another real estate related front, we just put our house up for sale. We don't need to move but would really like to get into a slightly bigger space and actually have a few houses on our wish list. Right now we are just outside the city (Chicago) and are just a quick drive or train ride away. The biggest thing I LOVE about our house is our huge backyard. I will miss it indeed. The area we want to move to is pretty great as well. It is further away from the city but is part of a conservation community that has its own organic farm (can you say baby chicks!) , 10 miles of walking trails and an incredible charter school. There was a little bit of an inside sneak peek from this earlier post. So if anyone out there is in the mood for an adorable home just outside the city, give me a hollar. I am dying to get closer to those chickens. ;)

sad news

2008-12-24T18:30:00.004-06:00

For those of you familiar with the cast of characters on our website, we sadly announce the passing of our beloved Boston terrier, Chloe. She passed away today after a long battle with congestive heart disease, severe heart valve leaks, and cancer on the heart.

While she was the best shop dog around, she was a super sweet gal we adopted from the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue. She was actually one of our foster dogs that we just couldn't bear to part with. Most recently, she has been the best buddy to our 14 month old son and he misses her already. This will be a sad Christmas for us. Thanks for letting me share.

craftastic weekend

2008-12-04T23:17:00.005-06:00

This is one busy little midwest weekend in the craft arena. Typically there are several good shows spread out over the few weeks during Thanksgiving and early December. For some reason this year, all the shows are happening the same weekend. As a vendor I had to make a choice as to which show to apply to and participate in. I was really looking forward to applying to the No Coast show in Minneapolis as I have never been there and I hear it is a great show but the distance and schedule just didn't work for me. I love Renegade in the city but I didn't think I could give up 2 full days with a toddler to contend with. So we are making our annual trek up to Madison for the Craftacular because 1. we love Madison (the food co-op, Roman Candle pizza, Naomi & Emily etc), 2. any excuse to get out of town and stay in a hotel is super fun, 3. the show is only one day this year which is easier w/ the baby, and 4. we always do really well at this show.
Thankfully we will have some Chicago presence as the Holiday DEPART-ment is also this weekend. For that show we just drop off our work (Russ did that tonight) and then pick it up Sunday night).

So this is what our little craft schedule is:
Thursday (tonight): Drop off work at DEPART-ment show in the city.
Friday: Drive to Madison after Russ gets out of work.
Saturday: Craftacular in Madison 10-6pm. Drive back to Chicago after show.
Sunday: Attend Renegade as a shopper (this will be my first time as a shopper!). Then head over to DEPART-ment for end of show shopping and to pick up any unsold merch.

Ahhh, it's a crafters life for me. It will be interesting to see how the new cards go over. I also wonder how the little one will be. He is 13 months old and has already done a bunch of shows (all before he was walking). It will be interesting to see how he behaves since he is used to running around all day. I have a feeling Saturday will be a VERY LONG day.

letterpress swap

2008-12-02T21:32:00.003-06:00

Unfortunately this will be very disappointing to those of you who simply admire letterpress rather than print, but there is a letterpress print exchange starting up for printers and I am hoping to spread the word.

So for any of you who have a press and want to trade prints with other printers, you can find out all the info here. The exchange is being organized at swap-bot, which if you don't know, is an interesting site filled with a plethora of exchanges from holiday cookie recipes to handmade postcards and so much more. If you print, I hope you will sign up!

new cards + giveaway

2008-11-24T18:18:00.007-06:00

We just posted our two newest designs for sale over in our Etsy shop. Both are illustrations done by Angela Navarra, who I found through the design*sponge job board (which sadly is no more). Angela whipped up a wonderful holiday card and an adorable birthday card. We love them both!
Now for the giveaway. One lucky reader will receive a set of the holiday cards (that is 6 lovely letterpress cards). A runner-up will receive both a single holiday and a single birthday card. To enter, just post a comment below. I would love to hear what are your favorite childhood holiday memories.

~~Comments can be posted until midnight, Sunday, December. 7th. Winners will be announced Monday, December 8th. Good luck!~~ Comments are now closed for entering... and the winners (through random draw) are....

first place = #8. nancy. second place = #1. evy. Congrats to you both and thanks to all who entered!

holiday show - coming soon....

2008-11-11T15:28:00.006-06:00

Once again we will be making our holiday trek up to Madison, Wisconsin for the Glitterworkshop Holiday Craftacular. This year the show is only one day but the hours are longer and will also be in an all new, bigger venue.

The show will be Dec. 6th from 10-6 pm at the Madison Masonic Center at 301 Wisconsin Avenue.

We will have all sorts of letterpress treats including several new designs, a bunch of our recycled game board journals, and other assorted gift-giving goodness. So mark your calendars and make a date to meet me in Madison.

sneak peek

2008-11-04T08:06:00.006-06:00

I just couldn't wait anymore. Even though they aren't finished yet and still need to be cut, scored, and packaged, I wanted to post a little sneak peek of some new cards. These were commissioned from illustrator Angela Navarra and we couldn't be happier. We just love her illustration style and especially her way with hand drawn type. So to start, she drew an uber adorable holiday card and an equally cute birthday card.

We actually have a few more collaborations in the works with Angela as well as some other amazing folks. And as soon as these two cards are finished and in the shop for sale, you will be the first to know. I am hoping by early next week at the latest. Until then... make sure you vote today! (more on that later.)

blog alert

2008-11-03T09:11:00.004-06:00

I have been meaning to post about this fairly new blog, for quite some time now. The loveliest designer Fiona Richards has a terrific new blog called Cafe Cartolina. The blog is appropriately named after her card company, Cartolina Cards. Not only are her cards absolutely gorgeous and some of my personal favorites, but her blog is a daily read of mine.

Fiona first entered the world of blogging after a week of guest posts on Poppytalk and shortly afterwards, started her own blog. In just over three months she has amassed over 200 posts that are inspirational and visually stunning. I think the thing I appreciate the most about Fiona's posts are that they don't seem to regurgitate the same posts that simultaneously appear on many design blogs, but rather she follows her own interests, opening us up to a whole new world.

Check it out... she rocks!

nerd love

2008-10-16T09:17:00.007-05:00

Sorry for the long delay. We have been so busy with a zillion jobs from business cards to birth announcements and so much more. We are also printing some new cards that were designed for us by a wonderful illustrator named Angela Navarra. We can't wait to get those photographed so you can see. We do have some recently printed cards that we can share and I am sure you will agree that they are oh so cute and clever. (Okay, so we are a little biased.)

This new little set of cards (there is actually a 4th that we haven't finished printing yet) is from the "Nerd Love" Collection and feature all sorts of geeky romantic sayings. The "You & I Are Chemistry" card utilizes elements from the Periodic Table. "Lets Bond" gets right to the point with an image of a covalent bond. We know what the compound is, but we are keeping it a secret. (But if you know, you will score high points with us). Lastly we have the "I'm Attracted To You" card which is pretty obvious in its intent.So if you have someone special who appreciates a little sentimental geekery, then head over to our Etsy shop and pick yourself up one of these letterpress lovelies. (All three of these cards are letterpressed in 2 colors onto a nice, thick 100% cotton rag with a coordinating gravel colored envelope.)

rain rain go away

2008-09-15T11:25:00.002-05:00

I had hoped to post today with a lovely recap of the Renegade Craft Fair from this past weekend. However, this has been a really rough week all on fronts. Earlier in the week Jackson was in the hospital having surgery. He is home and doing well but that was stressful enough.Jackson during our recent trip to the Outer Banks in NC. He just attempted to eat a mouthful of sand.

Then we were all ready for the Renegade Craft Fair when the whole area was hit by big storms. Minutes before we were to leave Saturday morning to set up for the fair, our basement flooded about 6 inches or so. We had so much stuff stored down there. My entire darkroom is in the basement including lots of equipment, photographs, books etc. It is all a mess and I am totally bummed.

renegade 1
Originally uploaded by missdesigndiva

Then to top it off we had to sit for two days in pouring rain and then lots of wind. It was pretty awful the first day but Sunday picked up and sales were better. I was pretty amazed that so many people came out to shop, even in the worst weather. We met some terrific people who really brightened our day and made the whole experience worthwhile. So thanks to eveyrone who stopped by, made us laugh, bought a card or two, or just said hello.

Since I didn't get a chance to go around and photograph other booths, I will try to do a roundup of some of the great stuff that I did see.....

old school exhibition

2008-08-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

The Old School exhibition at UPPERCASE gallery opens today! This shot is courtesy of Poppytalk and if you look closely, you will see my little quartet of work (slightly southwest of the middle of the wall).

Unfortunately the gallery is in Calgary so I doubt I will be making the exhibtion. But if you are in the area, please do stop by... I'd love to hear how it looks. All the works in the show are for sale and will be available starting the 24th.

letterpress table

2008-08-22T09:24:00.004-05:00

This table has just started making the blog rounds and I must say, I am in love. (That is twice this week, including the chandelier). This lovely little table is from Crate and Barrel and comes with a not so little price, $900.

The reason I like this table as opposed to a table that uses actual wood type (this one is simply carved to look like individual blocks) is that original wood type is something letterpress printers treasure. It breaks my heart every time I see a set of wood type on Ebay & split up so it can spell out words like 'friend' or 'dream'. There are so many letterpress printers who desperately search out old type to print with and to see it treated as a novelty totally trivializes what we do.

But that is just my two cents. ;)

decor8 guest post

2008-08-21T11:53:00.008-05:00

Hello. If you are joining us for the first time, you may have ended up here after reading my guest post on decor8 today. It was such a treat filling in for Holly and having a chance to give a little inside scoop. Running a business is hard work and having a new baby makes it so much harder. But for all the frustration, I totally love it!

For me what is the most difficult is the scheduling. Trying to stay organized. I do a lot of custom work which requires me to keep on top of whose order needs to go out when and so forth. I try to have good systems for this but could always use suggestions. I loved teaching high school because of the bells. I liked how my day was broken up and how each hour was assigned to a different class or planning period. I joke with my husband about putting in a school bell in the house (along with a time clock).

Jackson is probably the biggest joy as well as the biggest factor in structuring my day. Trying to send out emails during business hours is tricky. It isn't like you can explain to a 10 month old why I need him to occupy himself for a half hour. We try to be very hands on with him, using cloth diapers, making all his baby food from scratch and so it just didn't seem right to bring him to a daycare center all day, at least not at first. However we are starting to talk about daycare and realize that it doesn't make me a neglectful mom if I can't be there every second of the day. Career mom guilt I guess.

As far as mentioning inspiration, the places we visited on our recent trip included: DC/MD, Richmond VA, the Outer Banks in NC, Charlotte NC, Asheville NC and Paducah KY. It was a trip visiting friends and relatives. Here are some more pictures from our trip that didn't make it on to decor8.

Some vintage butter molds as well as the prettiest black and white hen... from Asheville

Fabric from Hancocks of Paducah, and a bridge in KY (I think)

Some vintage goods from an antique store in Asheville I think?

oh my gosh... i want one

2008-08-19T21:18:00.006-05:00

I just spied this post over at Design Milk.... I am totally in love and want one so very badly... See more over at Adam Wallcavage's website.

where oh where has my little blog gone...

2008-08-07T15:28:00.007-05:00

I have been so neglectful to my little blog. I feel so sorry for it. I even went and cheated with another blog. Forgive me.

Well just to fill you in... I got swamped with wedding orders, which usually never happens in the summer. Lots of fall weddings this year.

Then came a round of business cards. Then I went on vacation. Now I am back. As for the 'other blog', I just sent off my copy to Holly from decor8. I am going to be one of her guest bloggers for a day. So look out for that post on Monday August 25th.

In other news, if you are in the Chicago area September 13th & 14th, come down to Division Street. Paper Stories will be selling at the Renegade Craft Fair again. We have lots of new goodies to share!

My other news is that I am collaborating with a few other artists to create some super cool goods for next year. I am working with an illustrator named Angela Navarra to create a line of cards that I am so excited about. I am also talking with Susie Ghahremani of boygirlparty about a super secret project that makes me jump for joy! You will read more about these in my decor8 post.

Next up, I will post some lovely inspiration shots I took while on vacation.

old school

2008-07-06T19:19:00.004-05:00

So I think I finished my piece for the Old School exhibition I am in. I might tinker with it a bit more but here is a preview.

Basically I collaged some old education related ephemera onto some nice cotton stock, letterpressed some images of school buildings, alphabets, bikes and other things onto the surfaces then added in with some pencil, pen, and whiteout. The pieces are mounted onto cradled hardboards and are about an inch thick. They look nice this way and don't need a frame.

I think the thing I feel the worst about is that I cut up some pretty old documents such as the Library Certificate from 1911 and the little green bit in the top left pieces is from 1878. Yikes. For art's sake right?

These four little squares were actually from several different printings. Originally everything was printed onto one piece but I decided to separate the images and mix them up. I do have a few of the original larger pieces as well as some smaller ones and plan to put them up in my Etsy shop soon, unmounted.

northern bound

2008-06-27T12:48:00.002-05:00

Craftacular
Originally uploaded by Olive Talique

In just a few minutes we will be leaving for Madison to take part in the summer Craftacular held at the High Noon Saloon. It should be a real hoot so don't forget to stop on by and peruse some local goodness.

Make sure you stop by and say hi!

High Noon Saloon
701 E. Washington
Madison, Wi
10am-4pm
Saturday, June 28th

art house

2008-06-24T16:49:00.012-05:00

I had taken some photos recently in our house for a little project and thought I would post them here. They highlight some of the art we have in our little house. We have no large walls in our house and all the little wall space we have is pretty full already. I have always liked things hanging salon style so we started hanging our larger and extra pieces in the stairwell. As we get new pieces, the display grows. Many of the pieces are either made by Russ and myself or our friends from grad school. A few of the pieces we bought.

Here are a few pieces close up. The painted square piece at the top middle is by Cara Ober. The two pieces below Cara's are serigraphs from Scott Saw.

We have tried to put as much art as possible in our son Jackson Calder's room. The first piece I ever bought for Jackson was this letterpress print from Green Chair Press. It fits perfectly in his room.

Our mantle is full of stuff from a vintage globe to some vases from Mexico. Here is another little illustration from Russ Horvath (my hubby). Not all the art in our house is on the wall. We have frames all over tables and bookshelves. The peony is from our garden and just sits in a bowl of water. (That was my contribution)

My friend Jen Renninger makes these wonderful illustrations and we have a few of them all over the house. This one is in the hallway right outside our bedroom and is the first thing we see when we walk out of our room. We hung it in a really wide black frame and love the contrast against the yellow wall. In the background you can see a little print in the bathroom by comic artist, Steven Weissman

This is a pretty large piece and we have no other walls so at the moment this piece hangs out in our bedroom. It is called 'Sweet Potato Shower Head' and is an original limited edition print by Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo fame). Part of the piece included this heavy black mat and frame that it is in. It can be a little overwhelming on a wall but for now it looks okay above our black weathered vintage dresser.

We have a few small pieces in our bathroom. This piece was made by our friend Jay Ryan in the early-90's back when he was roommates and bandmates with my husband. If you are familiar with Jay's work it has evolved quite a bit. It is a funny little piece with a group of naked men so it seemed most fitting in the bathroom.

In a corner of our living room we have this beaten up antique table that houses our meager plant collection. Above it is one of my husband's illustration/collages.

What sort of art do you have in your house? Feel free to post links in the comments.

tamara mogendorff

2008-06-20T09:42:00.003-05:00

It was a brief mention in this post on design*sponge, that brought me to the site of Tamar Mogendorff. I have been working on some birdhouse designs so when I saw this I was instantly in love. I want that whole wall of them above my bed.

She sews all these fantastic little things, from birds to sea horses to mushrooms. Everything is just gorgeous. Unfortunately her site only mentions her sales rep and not where the average consumer can actually buy her wares. If anyone knows of any stores that carry her goodies, please post them here. Thanks.

wanna trade?

2008-06-19T09:20:00.004-05:00

The article I wrote about the National Stationery Show for the Storque (Etsy's online newsletter) was just posted the other day. So far people seem to be digging it. I hope that the companies featured feel that I represented them well and that readers have found some useful information. I would love to hear what you think. Catch the full article here.

decor8 contest

2008-06-13T11:14:00.005-05:00

If you don't read decor8 then you may not know that Holly is having a Mood Board Contest with Amy Butler for some of Amy's goodies. Above is my entry.

We were supposed to design a room around Amy's fabrics. I decided to do something a little different and opted to create an outdoor dining space that would be perfect for a garden party or even a small wedding reception. Most of the pieces used in my 'mood board' are vintage pieces from the 19th century.

What do you think? Think I might win? Oh I hope so.

my vintage yet modern bar

2008-06-04T13:19:00.013-05:00

Several months ago Grace had a little DIY contest at design*sponge. I wasn't among one of the winners but thought I would post my entry here any. Of course I am biased and think my project was overlooked. ;)

I started with a vintage dresser that I had purchased at a thrift store for $18. It had a dark cherry stain and the veneer on the top of the dresser was missing completely.

First I refinished the dresser in a satin black finish. For the top I did a distressed blue-gray color. Then I built a lip around the sides and back so nothing would slide off.

For the wine storage, I measured the second drawer and built a thin box with zig-zag supports. The box is a tight fit but could be removed without damage to the dresser. The zig-zags are where the wine bottles go of course.

The rest of the drawers are perfect for storing anything related to entertaining... candles, tablecloths, place mats etc. It keeps everything neat and tidy and easy to find.

I wanted to keep the middle drawer so I turned it on its side and hung it on the wall above the bar. I decoupaged the inside with some vintage images I printed out. Now I have a perfect shelf for some of the prettier glasses and things. It is hard to tell from the photo, but the drawer pull (which is a decorative ring) hangs down and becomes the perfect place to hang a towel for the bar. Add some little lights and you are good to go.

visit us in madison

2008-06-03T13:33:00.004-05:00

As you can see, we will be in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, June 28th. We will be there selling our wares at the summer High Noon Craftacular. We are there every year for the holiday one and have SO much fun. A craft show in a bar in a very cool city makes for a fun selling and shopping experience. We always make a weekend of our travels there and try to soak up as much of Madison as we can.

Usually we start our morning at the Willy Street Food Co-op for some juice and a vegan blueberry muffin. Then we head over to the High Noon to set up. The super lovely (and this year super pregnant) Naomi from the Glitter Workshop is there to get us all organized as she is the head honcho for the craft fair. After a fun day of selling goodies to the lovely Madisonites we pack up our wares and head to our hotel for the evening. Usually we stop for dinner at a super yummy pizza place, The Roman Candle. Oh my goodness, their Pestoral pizza kicks major booty. (pesto, mozzarella, feta, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, & roasted tomatoes....)

Since we are usually only there for the holiday event, it is too cold to walk around much. This time we hope to spend Sunday walking along the water, going to a park, or otherwise enjoying this pretty city. If you are in town, come on down on Saturday and say hi!

nss (part three)

2008-05-28T09:06:00.021-05:00

Today's post features some of the wonderful paper folks that I had the pleasure to interview for my Etsy article. (By the way, the article is finished and is just awaiting publication- I'll post a link when it goes live) These gals made some wonderful work and were super sweet to answer all my questions. They gave a lot of good advice which I passed on in the article about exhibiting at trade shows. So here is just a little pictorial tour of some of the booths. Enjoy

Pie Bird Press

JHill Design

Ink + Wit

Sub-Studio

Sweetbeets

Albertine Press

Letterary Press

Micah and Me

nss (part two)

2008-05-26T09:40:00.011-05:00

So one thing I must say as I go through my photos of the show... the lighting at Javits is not very good at all. I feel terrible posting some of these images as they do not do the work justice. That being said, here are some more images from the show... Tomorrow I will post much of the work from the folks I interviewed.

Smock is a new company run by the folks at Boxcar Press. (They make a large number of the printing plates for all us smaller companies). They have developed a whole line based on a bamboo paper that they are having manufactured just for them. I am super jealous as I have been trying to track down a bamboo paper for a while. Think they will sell me some paper? ;)

More lovely cards from the Screech Owl Design booth

national stationery show 2008 + nyc visit (part one)

2008-05-22T11:18:00.017-05:00

What a long weekend. I missed last years NSS due to being very pregnant but I was determined to make it this year. So with the gang in tow, we left Chicago for NYC early Saturday morning. This was Jackson's first plane ride (at 7 months old) and he was super! Not one cry. He slept the entire plane ride and was just the perfect little boy. We spent the rest of Saturday walking around midtown. There was a street festival 1/2 a block from the hotel (the Flatotel was nice) so we dined on some vegetarian Thai food and did some people watching. Jackson must be a city guy at heart because he was just so into the scene. He loved it all and was surprisingly relaxed.

On Sunday we went down to Javits, picked up our press passes and hit the floor. Since I was partly there to interview some specific people, I tried to get to their booths first. (Those interviews will be posted on Ety's online newsletter, The Storque. I'll keep you posted when it is published.) Since we only had Sunday and Monday to hit all the shows (NSS, ICFF, & Surtex) we had to move fast. As we walked up and down the aisles, one thing was pretty evident... letterpress is hotter than ever. More and more independent letterpress studios were represented while some larger companies that usually focused on offset printing were also introducing letterpress lines. In one row alone there were at least seven letterpress companies that I counted. Overall the show was pretty impressive. I saw some old favorites and found some new ones as well. Here is just a sampling....

fugu fugu press had one of the nicest booth displays. it felt fresh and looked wonderful. they have the cutest designs as well.

night owl papergoods is always a treat to see. They were giving away the cutest little tote bags but I was too shy to ask for one. of course I am kicking myself for it now!

super lovely goods from dutch door press and super lovely ladies as well

the yellow owl workshop booth really stood out. plus they were super fun to talk to

these girls at the motormouth press booth were just the cutest thing on four legs. their work was supper yummy.

another couple I really enjoyed meeting were Jacqueline and George at the screech owl design booth. Jacqueline's illustrations were wonderful to look at.

I will be posting more later as I also work on my article for Etsy. If you were able to walk the show I'd love to hear your thoughts. Who was your favorite?

poppytalk handmade

2008-05-05T18:10:00.004-05:00

From May 12 through June 6th you can find us over at poppytalk handmade, a virtual craft fair of sorts created by the lovely Jan and Earl of poppytalk fame. we are excited to debut some of our newest cards which so far, have only been available at the most recent Chicago Depart-ment show. (most of them sold out at the show... exciting).

This particular month will feature paper goods makers in celebration of the annual National Stationery Show in NYC. It is the place to be every year for anyone even slightly interested in selling stationery products. This year I will be attending as press for Etsy for an article I am writing for them. If you sell cards or want to sell cards and have never been, I encourage you to go to the show next year. Note, it is a trade only event so you must prove that you are in the industry.

old school

2008-04-25T09:00:00.005-05:00

I am pleased to announce that Paper Stories will be part of a wonderful art exhibition at Uppercase Gallery in Calgary. The exhibition is called "Old School" celebrating the aesthetics of early education. (As a former high school teacher who is married to a current high school teacher, I am excited about the subject matter) In a few weeks I will be receiving an "inspiration packet" containing all sorts of vintage ephemera such as flash cards, film strips etc... to help inspire a piece for the show. Janine Vangool, Uppercase owner, also has plans to document and publish the exhibition in a book. The exhibition opens August 23rd and I will post more information as the date approaches. What I am actually most excited about is that I will be featured in the same exhibition as Ray Fenwick. He is just the most wonderful illustrator. I am not sure who else is participating but just knowing that he is in there, I can only imagine. Now I am starting to feel nervous about the whole thing.

three bears

2008-04-18T07:26:00.004-05:00

After spying a mention of this artist on poppytalk, I had to check out the lovely Etsy shop of sara jane. I am totally digging this three bears print and think it would look perfect in Jackson's room. And speaking of Jackson's room, we were recently in the running for a contest over at Apartment Therapy's nursery site ohdeedoh. We didn't win but had fun anyway.

As for letterpress news, I may have a big announcement soon but can't quite give up the goods yet. I am also working on a super crazy (in a good way) invitation for the most dynamic couple, Betsy and Aitor and will post some pics soon. Imagine a two color, six page, accordion fold booklet as your invitation. Yup. That is what I am printing. It will be monumental!

come check out our goodies

2008-04-05T09:36:00.007-05:00

If you are in the Chicago area, come by the DEPART-ment show in a few weeks. We will be selling our wares there.

If you aren't familiar with DEPART-ment, it is a super awesome event organized by some super awesome folks. Basically a bunch of 'stuff-makers' get together and organize all their goodies in a huge space just like a depart-ment store. There is a section for clothing, paper goods, art, jewelry, soap etc. During the three day event, shoppers come and pick up their goodies and then check out at the register. Everything is handmade by area artists & craftspersons. It is a totally fun event and opening night usually includes some sort of revelry. Definitely check it out! All the details are above in the picture and also on the DEPART-ment website.

We will be selling cards (along with some new designs, yet unseen), some art prints, and some journals.

vote for this guy

2008-04-04T21:18:00.005-05:00

This is a super spiffy illustration done by my even spiffier hubby, Rusty. It is actually up for votes online over at threadless. So get on over there and rate his design. Pretty please.....

And if you really go ga ga over this illustration, it is for sale in his etsy shop. It is a super fancy giclee print. We have a copy in our house and it looks smashing.

Click this button to vote (and then rate the image).

paint chip interiors

2008-03-25T09:47:00.005-05:00

I need to list more of these in my Etsy shop. I just want to rephotograph them first. I may have mentioned these before, but these are some prints I did a few months back. I created two different room illustrations and then printed them onto those big Behr paint chips. I think they are super cute. I sold a ton of them already at the Renegade Craft Fair in September and December but have behind on listing the rest on Etsy. I have two listed but that is it.

etsy love - elsa mora

2008-03-16T21:45:00.004-05:00

I am online searching for a new guillotine paper cutter and I was reminded of a different type of paper cutter... artist Elsa Mora. I love this little mini bee sculpture in her Etsy shop. $49.50 found here. She also has the most lovely blog with all sorts of glorious things.

trunkt

2008-03-11T10:01:00.002-05:00

We are now on trunkt. Trunkt is an online portfolio of sorts for artists that is geared towards the trade. Most people who visit trunkt are wholesalers, art directors, editors etc. We will see how it goes.

brooklyn letterpress

2008-03-05T15:22:00.007-06:00

Here are some new postcards in our Etsy shop. They come in sets of 4. Great to send but I think they'd look nicer in a frame.

Printed in green on the super thick Crane's Lettra paper. It is 100% cotton (tree free) so it not only looks lovely but is super earth friendly as well.

flickr eye candy

2008-02-27T18:23:00.004-06:00

some of the sweetest bits of Flickr eye candy ever!
Originally uploaded by holiday_jenny

Stumbled upon this on flickr. I love the colors. Hmmm. Perhaps some inspiration for some new cards.

Photo collage is by Holiday Jenny.

studio sneak peek

2008-02-25T10:58:00.003-06:00

People keep asking me about my studio so I thought I would show a few images of my home away from home. The space is very small but more than enough space for us. I love this first photo as it has everything I love... my 1200 lb monster of a press is in the reflection of this super old mirror I have mounted on the wall surrounded by lots of wonderful photographs and bits of goodies... vintage maps of Chicago, little typewritten lists, etc. It is just a fun wall to look at and keeps me inspired. (Many of the band photographs were either taken by myself or by one of my super duper friends, Jeff Winterberg) The rest of the photos include little bits of stuff I have collected that also serve double duty.... an old dartboard becomes a great bulletin board, vintage French kitchen tins hold all my letterpress goodies.... and the blue and white tables are actually old science tables salvaged from a local high school.

site back online

2008-02-22T21:22:00.003-06:00

Well after several frustrating days and a whole new retooling, the site is back up. I am a little disappointed that the original design had just too many issues to work out (at least for now). Perhaps simplicity is best and at least this new site has the flash galleries I had wanted originally. Gosh I hate techy stuff. Why do you think I use a printing press from the 1920's?

website down - need help

2008-02-19T21:16:00.005-06:00

holy cow....

major website troubles. you may have noticed that the site is down. yikes. everything was all kosher if you use firefox but if your browser is internet expolorer... major disaster.

im am working all night long to fix this mess. if any super website whiz kids are out there and want to help me out, feel free to email me at info@paperstories.com.

new website

2008-02-11T09:24:00.000-06:00

For the past few weeks I've been working on redesigning the Paper Stories website. I was finally able to get up some images of the custom work we've done, as well as just give the site an overall new look. I like to do this at the beginning of the new year and the last site redesign was a few years back. So hopefully things look okay and you like the new site. If you notice anything off, please let me know so I can fix it right quick.

baby announcements and more

2008-02-07T08:19:00.001-06:00

I FINALLY got around to photographing a bunch of custom work, including the much anticipated (according to our family) birth announcements for Jackson. We couldn't decide on a 'theme' so I just whipped up this circus/wanted poster style design. The swirls are in a pool blue to match the envelope and all the text is in a cocoa brown. As for the photo, he is just 3 weeks old. Look at all that hair! (He's lost most of it....sad).

As for the other work, mostly wedding stuff with a Bar Mitzvah or two thrown in. Why the sudden rush to document the invites? Well I am redesigning the website and am updating the gallery. Aside from adding the pics, the site is done and should be up soon. In the meantime, here are a few shots from my photo session. Enjoy.

This was a Bar Mitzvah set that included 2 invites, an rsvp, a map/directions booklet, thank you cards, place cards, and printed envelopes. Everything was in an assortment of blues, and browns.

This is just the rsvp to a super fancy invite. I was given a swatch of fabric and told to mimic it. This set is a whopping 3 colors (that is usually more than many people get) and the invite itself was two sided. Every inch of the front and back were printed to look like a piece of fabric. Very interesting project.

blogging in the new year

2008-01-18T13:02:00.002-06:00

How can it be the middle of January and I am just adding my first post of the new year now? I suppose I knew having a baby would change a few things but didn't realize how much.

Right now for example, the baby is laying on the Boppy eating his lunch while I have my laptop perched precariously on my knee, trying to type. My boston terrier is pushing against my left side, snoring away while one of the cats is on my right. He is licking the baby's head. Great.

One thing I was able to do, was finally read a copy of Craft, Inc. by Megan Mateo Ilasco. My favorite part was surely the interviews. Even though I knew most of the info it suggested, it was still a great refresher as well as inspirational. Here, Jackson at 3 months is already looking towards his crafty future.

As for what Paper Stories has been up to, I am working really hard on a whole year's worth of designs. I just finished a whole collection of designs for readymade occasion cards such as birthday, thank you, and engagement cards. I am so excited to get these printed. And I certainly can't wait to show them off. Let's just say they mix the old with the new. I am also working on some new designs for a furniture related set of cards. I am still trying to flesh out my ideas but again, am so thrilled with the results so far.

In May I will be traveling to New York to cover the National Stationery Show for an article for Etsy. That should be fun. I didn't get to go last year but had so much fun the year before. I am a little nervous though since we will be bringing the baby on his first plane ride. Yikes. Any suggestions for safe travel with little ones?

blueprint magazine

2007-11-19T11:59:00.000-06:00

I am very excited to say that Paper Stories is listed in the current issue of Blueprint magazine. You can find us in their "100 Reasons to be Thankful During the Holidays" article under the indie stationery section. There are only three other stationery companies listed so we are pretty grateful ourselves, not to mention what great company we are in. The funny thing is, is that we didn't even know we were listed. I found out from a customer who mentioned it. I was pretty excited. I am not sure who to thank, but one of the editors over there, Valerie, is a super swell girl. So I will thank her and hope she passes on my grateful wishes to whomever is responsible.

holiday cards

2007-11-14T13:03:00.000-06:00

So in addition to having a baby, recovering from a c-section and otherwise going bonkers from all the baby love, I have been printing a ton of stuff. I printed two new holiday cards along with matching gift tags.

I decided to keep it simple this year for the holidays and can't wait to see what people think. I am especially excited about the gift tags. I think they are super cute. They are actually very large (2.5 x 5") so they will make quite an impact dangling from your gift.

baby on board

2007-11-14T12:54:00.000-06:00

Baby is here! I would like to introduce you to Jackson Calder. He was born on October 15th at 10:45 pm and he is superb. While there have been challenges, so far I have found motherhood to be easier than pregnancy. I am getting more sleep and can maneuver much easier. Plus now my husband can actually share in the action.

Being pregnant while trying to run a business has been a challenge. I participated in the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago just a few weeks before Jax (his nickname) was born and that was just plain crazy. We were sitting in the elements from 8 am until 11 pm. For a very pregnant lady, that is seriously uncomfortable. Especially with just a few disgusting port-0-potties to deal with. Yikes. But otherwise the show was GREAT! We sold a ton of stuff and met lots of great new folks. In the future though, if I were ever pregnant again, I would have to pass on such an event. Just too much work.

Where have we been?

2007-06-21T17:32:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been so long since updating this. This is because we learned back in January, that we will be adding a little baby bundle to the Paper Stories gang. First joy, then lots (and I mean LOTS) of morning sickness. Thus I abandoned my P.S. duties while spending most of the last year getting very acquainted with my bathroom floor. Yikes. While I avoided as much work as possible I did have several projects that had to be printed. So while battling an evil bout of morning (read: all day) sickness, I was printing a job of 300+ wedding suites (invitations, maps, place cards, programs, thank you cards etc) for one couple, printing a set of lovely baby announcements for my sister-in-law, finishing another amazing 3-color wedding invite set for an awesome couple in NYC and otherwise trying to stay afloat.

Well it has now been a month since I have been able to rejoin civilization and I have had a lot of catching up to do. I printed a bunch of new cards for celebrating birthdays, babies, and weddings. I even printed a 5 image set of postcards from NYC. You can check out most of the new goods by visiting the Paper Stories Etsy shop.

Otherwise, you may have seen us in various recent publications such as Chicago Magazine, Readymade Magazine, & Best Life Magazine. If note, here is some of the press.

a fun distraction

2007-01-26T18:34:00.000-06:00

update: I received a few shots from Friday's art fest. They are sending me more, but these should give you an idea. The last one is not very flattering, but oh well!

Demo-ing the press.

I brought out some of the materials used along with samples. The kids liked touching the raised polymer plates.

More press action.

Okay, so one thing you may not know is that I started out as a photography/design instructor. For 8 years I taught at the high school level and then as an adjunct in a nearby college. Sometimes I really miss teaching. Well today I was invited to participate in an area high school's annual art fest as a visiting artist. Having a background (and MFA) in photography, much of my teaching and formal exhibiting has been as a fine art photographer. But today I was excited to be able to share my printmaking interest with the students. Basically I had a big table in the lobby area of the school with all my supplies set up. I brought my little 5x8 Kelsey tabletop press along with some polymer plates, a tray of metal type, a computer slide show and lots of examples. Most students had never heard of letterpress so it was pretty interesting for them. They wanted to know how the press worked, if it had a battery, why I didn't 'just print it out from a computer'. Oh teenagers. They did get excited when we set some type (that read "HOWDY"), inked up the press with some pretty purple, and let the kids take turns making a print. Also in the slide show I had some photos of my big monster press so the kids could get a sense of how big the presses are. Overall the kids were pretty excited and were introduced to something that 99% of them had never heard of before.

Well one of the teachers is supposed to send me some photos this weekend from today's festivities. As soon as that happens, I will post them.

cards for your sweetheart

2007-01-25T08:51:00.000-06:00

I have been really hesitant to make Valentines Day cards. I am just not into 'holiday' cards so much and really struggled with the Christmas/Hanukkah cards. Not sure what my aversion is. Well I decided to suck it up and make 2 cards (both available in my Etsy shop). First I made a pretty straightforward card. It is in 2 very slight shades of a pinkish red color and comes with a strawberry pink envelope.

Next I went a more nontraditional route and like this card even more. I was thinking about all those old Rorschach patterns and how it might make an interesting card. Originally this was going to be in black and white as just another everyday card. I decided to juice it up a bit with the red ink.... so now it is perfect for sending to friends and family for V-Day without getting all mushy on them.

I guess I am just not a Hallmark & Kleenex type girl. (If you saw my bittersweet cards, then you would know that!)

sudlow

2007-01-12T23:45:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to take a second to post the prettiest little jewelry pieces by a super sweet designer, Rachel Sudlow. I love her peapod necklaces and the leaf imprint earrings are so pretty.

She even makes these awesome little dog tags. We got this one for Chloe, the Paper Stories mascot. She certainly has earned the title! Rachel's stuff, including lots more, can be found at her Etsy shop.

that's Chloe on the right with her little buddy Neuman.

our magazine debut

2007-01-12T09:42:00.000-06:00

I think I mentioned this before, but we were recently contacted about a little product spotlight in Best Life magazine. It is geared towards middle-aged executive men and is probably why I haven't heard much about it before. (I'm not a man nor much of an executive!) Though I did just see the magazine at Target the other day. Apparently somebody is buying it.

They wanted to know if I could design a letterpress genealogy chart for them. I did and know they will be putting it in the magazine. Yippee. The only disappointing part is that is was originally supposed to go in the February issue but as I am learning in the media world, there is no guarantee. (Last year I was picked from the audience to sing for David Letterman in the 'stump the band' segment and it got cut at the last minute. Total bummer.) Anyway, the article will now be in the April issue which comes out mid March. As soon as I get a copy I will definitely post it here.

d*s shop for january

2007-01-03T11:50:00.000-06:00

fyi... the design*sponge shop will now officially open next monday, featuring the cards below. we are anxious but i am sure the shop will be worth the wait. hope to see you there.

a sneak peek

2007-01-01T17:16:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to give everyone a sneak peak at the new cards that will be a part of the January design*sponge shop. During the month of January, this is the only place where you can buy the cards. They are a limited edition so get em while their hot. It is a box set of 6 cards, 2 of each 3 designs. The cards are each 2 color letterpress on a super soft 100% cotton (no trees!) paper with coordinating sage green envelopes. I think these are ultra cute and am so pleased with the results.

holiday hustle

2006-12-27T10:55:00.000-06:00

I just feel terrible that I have neglected posting anything in so long. As you can imagine, the holidays are super crazy and we have been ultra busy. In addition to getting holiday cards together, going to craft fairs, and also trying to find time to have a little fun, it is also the busy time for weddings and special events. We are up to our eyeballs in orders for spring events. Right now we are working on a really cool invite suite for a Bar Mitzvah, including this super funky map, a separate kid's invite and some other fun stuff. I have been really excited to work on these but they have also been a lot of work. There are also these really lovely invitation booklets that were designed by the bride. I will definitely post photos of these when we are done. Then there is a Frida Kahlo-meets-Spain inspired invite for this couple in Montreal, a rustic western save the date for a couple getting married in North Dakota, some funky retro save the dates for a couple in NYC and the list goes on and on.

Also in the mix, we were asked to create a special item that will be featured in Best Life magazine out on newsstands mid-January. I was at the Target the other day and saw a current issue so at least I know there will be pretty decent circulation. Just as long as we aren't inundated with too many orders. (Keep in mind, Paper Stories exists primarily from the sweat and tears of one full time person and the part-time help from someone else).

We have also created some new cards that will be part of the January design*sponge shop. This has been very exciting but also very nerve-wracking. The d*s audience is pretty large and also pretty design savvy so I must admit there is a little bit of nail biting going on as we get closer to the launch date for the shop. Basically we created 3 designs inspired by some vintage embroidery patterns of these rather whimsical birds. Each card is 2 colors and is on the same super soft paper as the 'bittersweet cards'. I love these new cards because they are made to look like they were stitched on and since the paper is 100% cotton (tree free too!) they feel like fabric. Perhaps I will post a little sneak peak after I photograph them today or tomorrow. The cards will be sold as a set of 6 so you basically get 2 sets of each of the 3 designs. So you can send one copy and frame the other.

Well one of the Paper Stories resolutions will be to post here more often and to include photos of some of the things we are working on. Since we are also still a young company, it might also be nice to add occasional stories and advice about things we have learned along the way and are still figuring out.

I will leave everyone with a photograph by an amazing Japanese photographer named Tokihiro Sato. He creates these photographs using an open shutter and bouncing light from little mirrors and flashlights. His snow images epitomize everything that I love about the winter. Enjoy.

my favorite mirror

2006-11-29T09:35:00.000-06:00

This weekend Paper Stories was in Madison, WI selling stuff at the High Noon Christmas Craftacular sponsored by the Glitter Workshop. We had a blast and sold a ton of stuff. We sold out of these cute little silkscreened gift tags we had made. We don't have a photo of them yet, but when we do, we will post them. We have to reprint them in time for Renegade in 2 weeks.

One of the highlights of our weekend was making friends with the folks at the neighboring booth. They are an awesome couple, Matt & Kellee, and they own a little business called My Favorite Mirror. They make little pocket mirrors. Some have unique images and are one of a kind but they also have the 'Illustrator Series'. They have licensed the artwork of some of the best young illustrators out there for their mirrors. I don't know that I would need a bunch of little mirrors per se, but would certainly want a bunch for the artwork. Heck, buy a bunch, paint your wall with magnetic paint (yes it exists) and instant gallery!

top: by boygirlparty aka Susie Ghahremani

bottom: by seamripper aka Kathleen Habbley

We are mostly excited because Kellee & Matt will also be our neighbors at the Renegade Holiday Sale. Yippee. We are already making plans with them for a monster Scrabble game! If you are in Chicago, stop by and visit us both.

holiday cards are here!

2006-11-15T17:22:00.000-06:00

Just want to let everyone know that our holiday cards are now available. You can get more info and even purchase them by visiting our Etsy shop. Here is a sneak peek.

paper stories updates

2006-11-08T09:21:00.000-06:00

Well I have to take a little space in blog-land to give you some Paper Stories updates. If you are in the Chicago area, we will be at a few locations during the upcoming holiday season. We will also have some of our new holiday lines and everyday lines available. I will try to post those as we finish printing them. (Read below for updates on the bittersweet collection)

Where to find us this holiday season:

Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale
Sat & Sun December 9 & 10th

12-5 pm daily

Pulaski Park Auditorium

1419 W. Blackhawk, Chicago, IL

High Noon Christmas Craftacular

Sat & Sun November 25 & 26th

11-6 (sat) & 11-4 (sun)

High Noon Saloon

701 E. Washington St, Madison, WI

Another update regards our Bittersweet Collection. We have sold out of almost every card. For remaining inventory, visit our Etsy shop. We have hit a few bumps in the reprinting process. First the paper we ordered was on back order. Then we were told that it was discontinued in the large sheets (30" x 44") that we use. We finally were able to track down available stock and are expecting delivery today. Of course now it will take a good solid week or so for us to reprint all 5 cards (3 colors each) but it will get done soon. We have lots and lots of people who have pre-ordered and pre-paid for their set of the cards, so if you still want to get on the list before the final printing sells out, head over to the collection page to purchase.

puzzle miror

2006-11-02T14:20:00.000-06:00

What would you buy if you had $7000 lying around? If this was for a totally frivolous purchase (ie: anything other than bills) then I would have to say this puzzle mirror.

The first time I saw this mirror was a few years back in the lobby of a little boutique hotel, The Hotel Monaco, in Washington D.C. Every night they have a cocktail hour (or two) for quests to come mingle in the lobby and drink all the complimentary wine they desire. I noticed this mirror hanging above the fireplace, set off by the super rich green walls while lounging in a van der Rohe Barcelona Chair. An image, much like the one below, has been etched into my brain for all its boldness, simplicity, yet total decadence. I love it.

And while I am giving raves for this hotel (don't get me started on the rooms!) I must mention that this hotel is owned by the Kimpton Hotel Group and all of their hotels are super funky and just plain gorgeous. I have stayed in several of them all over the place and love each one for their uniqueness. They like to incorporate existing architecture, used superb decor, are totally pet friendly (and even have pet packages) and my favorite... they will bring a cute little, live goldfish in a bowl to keep you company for your stay. At the Monaco, my little goldfish was named Popcorn. How cute!

And if you really want to buy this mirror... go here.

cathrineholm

2006-10-26T12:11:00.000-05:00

While I am posting today about Scandinavian enamelware, I figured I would include a little blurb about Cathrineholm. I am totally loving these mid-century pieces from a now defunct Norwegian ironworks company called Cathrineholm. Again, finding info on the web is scarce but you can find pieces all over the place. Many of the Cathrineholm designs were created by a woman named Grete Prytz Korsmo, wife of architect Arne Korsmo. Apparently she won the Lunning prize in 1953 and 'a Grand Prix at the 1954 Milan Triennale for enamel and was highly coveted for her enamel design.

The pieces in these photos can be found at a store called Hi+Lo Modern in NYC.

emalox

2006-10-26T11:33:00.000-05:00

Every time I see my parents they arrive armed with boxes containing things from my childhood like old clothes, artwork, dolls. Sometimes they find things that were either theirs or my grandparent's from years past, that I might like. Not too long ago, I was given a small set of dishes which I think were from my grandma's house. The small, mismatched set included some really little lime green bowls, some slightly larger green bowls, a few purple bowls and a silver plate. They looked as though there had never been used and still had the original stickers on the bottom as well as the little slips of paper with the 'care for' instructions. The dishes are basically enameled aluminum in these super wonderful, intense colors.

The company hailed from Norway during the 60's. They made bowls, plates, cups, platters and even candlestick holders. Surprisingly, there isn't very much information on the web about them.... There are some pieces available on Ebay in all sorts of shapes and sizes for relatively cheap. I would snatch them up when you can.

There are a few Scandinavian sites with images of Emalox on the web, such as this one. And if you know anything about Emalox... please let us know. I just love them.

time to spare

2006-10-24T18:02:00.000-05:00

My plans to post more of the things that I have been looking at lately, have been somewhat derailed. This past Friday, Grace over at design*sponge did a super little feature about paper stories and our bittersweet cards. Since then, orders have gone through the roof (oh how I have always wanted a skylight) and I have been contacted by so many people. I spent time today talking with the senior editor at Martha Stewart's new Blueprint magazine about an upcoming feature. I wont go into details in case it doesn't come to fruition. I am just excited for any possibilities that may come up. Of course with the extreme highs, soon afterwards comes the anxiety and nervousness involved with running what has pretty much been a one-person venture. How do you "take it to the next level" (don't you hate that phrase? It's like when people in the 80's would always talk about 'the danger zone'. What?)? Ideally, I need an accountant, an office manager, more designers, more printers, more presses, a warehouse, a maid, a personal chef, a helipad... Am I getting ahead of myself? Perhaps just an extra set of hands would do for now. (but they must be cheap hands... I'm not really raking in the dough yet.... Just breaking even) Sometimes I just want to say....

james casebere

2006-10-20T08:57:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite photographers has to be James Casebere. The Michigan born artist has been photographing mostly interior scenes since the mid-1970's. What you might not realize upon first glance, is that his images are carefully constructed models, rather than actual dwellings. Using model-makers 'tricks of the trade' he builds detailed table-top miniatures of the most amazing spaces with simple materials such as plaster, styrofoam, and cardboard. His interiors have ranged from a faux-flooded prep school to an asylum, using light as another tool to accentuate each space.

James Casebere was one of the first photographers to 'construct' a new reality simply for sake of the photograph. This idea has been further elaborated upon by dozens of great photographers such as Sandy Skoglund, Gregory Crewsdon, and Laurie Simmons. Constructed Realities: The Art of Staged Photography, is a great book if you are interested in learning more on this topic. The idea for many of these photographers is to find the commonalities between sculpture, photography, and architecture; where the lines cross and where they blur.

This style of photography has been a huge influence on my own photographic work. I think it is the idea of the process from start to finish. Before you look through the lens and snap the shutter, you might spend months creating this world, literally with your own hands. For photographers who print from their own negatives, toiling away with chemicals in the darkroom, the image doesn't just end with a tactile experience but begins with one as well.

James Casebere has won numerous prestigious awards such as a Guggenheim grant, has exhibited worldwide, and spent time teaching at Cal Arts. He currently lives in New York. You can read another good article about him here.

learning to love you more

2006-10-16T11:56:00.000-05:00

For many, the concept of fine art is illusive and confusing. As an art instructor, I have been asked on numerous occasions about the validity of something such as a plain canvas painted a solid blue. There are those who understand this and are able to contextualize their work or the work of others, there are those who are unable to wrap their minds around this, or any other form of art for that matter, and most often there are those stuck somewhere in the middle. Fine art has always towed the line between high-brow elitism and something a bit more palpable for the masses. However, from time to time, opportunities emerge for your 'average joe' to stick their proverbial brush into the art-mix. "Learning to Love You More" is my most recent favorite art obsession.

Learning to Love You More exists as both a web site and series of pieces comprised of work made by the general public in response to assignments given by artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher. When one visits the site, one finds a list of over 60 assignments which require participants to either photograph, write, draw, videotape or otherwise document their submissions. The instructions are very specific on the format of the submission but the entries are as varied as the participants themselves. The U.S., Spain, Japan, & Germany are just a few of the locations that LTLYM participants submit from, highlighting the universal nature of the assignments. "Describe your ideal government", "record the sound that is keeping you awake", "draw a scene from a movie that made you cry", & "make the saddest song" are examples of the possible assignments. In addition to entries published on the website, Learning To Love You More exhibitions have popped up all over the world and at venues that include The Whitney Museum in NYC, Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, Aurora Picture Show in Houston, TX, The Seattle Art Museum in Seattle, WA, the Wattis Institute in San Francisco CA, among others. Over 2000 people have participated since LTLYM's inception in 2002.

Visit their site and pick your assignment today! (The above photo is from Assignment #23 "recreate this photograph")

hamilton wood type museum

2006-10-14T19:05:00.000-05:00

If you ever happen to find yourself in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, you must stop by the Hamilton Wood Type Museum. The Hamilton Co. started manufacturing wood type in 1880 and quickly became the largest provider in the U.S. Newspapers as well as other public information such as those old wanted posters, were printed using wood type. The museum is in a less-than-flashy building in an even more less-than-flashy town. The museum is run by a small group of volunteers, many of whom originally worked in the factory. When you look past the dust and homemade displays, you find over 1.5 million pieces of wood type, beautifully aged and worn, scattered about the building. From the second you walk in the door, you become immersed in a part of history often overlooked. While I consider myself a little ahead of the game when it comes to the general public's knowledge of letterpress, I never thought about things like... "in all the old ledger books, pre-computer age, how did the little red and blue lines get there"... Perhaps this seems obvious to you but I had no clue. At Hamilton, they have the original machine from the 19th century that used this elaborate system of strings coated in red & blue ink to put the lines onto the paper. It is pretty incredible. The Hamilton Co. also dabbled in other things, which are on display, such as medical examining tables and the first gas dryer ever invented. The museum is free to visitors and for letterpress folks, you can rent time on their presses (mostly Vandercooks) for $30 a day. After a day at the museum, head across the street to the Washington House, the original site of Ed Berners' Ice Cream Parlor... the officially recognized location of the first ice cream sundae.

entry no. 1

2006-10-11T10:11:00.000-05:00

In 1996 when a company called Xanga launched their first online diary community with only 100 members, I certainly never imagined that I would find myself as part of the fray. Now, 10 years later, I am writing my first entry and taking my first steps into 'blogdom'.

My goal is two-fold. Firstly, I am an artist and a designer. I have a Masters of Fine Arts in photography and have been a photo & design instructor since 1998. Within the past two years I have started a little paper goods company, aptly named Paper Stories. I have been slowly designing and letterpressing my way into peoples' lives with my custom invitations and announcements. Most recently I have added readymade note cards to my repertoire. Ever the self-promoter, I hesitantly came to the conclusion that a blog might just be a great way to bring attention to my work as well as share my love for design and all my inspiration with others.

Conversely, what I feel may be the more relevant outcome, is that I will personally become more inspired. No longer will I rest my laurels on what I already know, but in my efforts to "educate" others, I will make new discoveries along the way. Discoveries that will stimulate growth, encourage new ideas, and invigorate my life. Or so the plan is....