Tagged (Midwest)

Julie over at perfectbound tagged me. Thanks Julie, and no, I've never been tagged before. This is so exciting. Here it goes...

First, I'm supposed to post the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names, and links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


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My five things about me. I'm not sure if they are even interesting but here it goes right off the top of my head.

1. My real name is Elizabeth. When I was two or so we lived in an apartment which was previously the home of a little girl named Amy. I never met her. This Amy had name tags identifying her places in the home. Y'know, under towel hooks, pegs, coat hangers, etc. I always wanted my stuff in the Amy spots. Then, I started insisting I be called Amy, introducing myself that way. I guess it stuck.

2. I don't care for seafood. Since I dislike an entire food category I'm often (mistakenly) taken for being a picky eater.

3. When walking somewhere I have an obsession with crossing the street at the earliest convenience. If my destination is 5 blocks away and on the opposite side of the street it will drive me nuts if I can't walk the 5 blocks on the correct side of the street, the one the destination is on.

4. I'm finding it very easy to write about myself.

5. I've always had a weakness for men with crutches. By crutches I mean the kind the doctor gives out when someone breaks a leg. I know, it's weird.

Let's see, I need to tag some folks now. I'm going to tag my bested buddy, business partner and blogmate, Laurie. Also, I'm tagging Stephanie at Tepimade. Her etchings are so beautiful. And, talented Jenn at AzureGrackle. Lastly, I'm going to tag Poppy Letterpress. I'm sorry I don't know her name, but she's a graphic designer who is enjoying getting immersed in the letterpress world and is blogging about it. We are living somewhat parallel lives.

eBay Rules (Midwest)

Yesterday's mail was good. So good. I got my new business cards for handing out at the craft fair this weekend. I ordered them from overnightprints.com. They use a nice heavy cover weight stock. It's 15 pt. I think. They aren't the highest in quality printing. But, for the price they are a great value, so I'm definitely satisfied.

Also, I got the first of 3 letterpress purchases I made off eBay. Here is a printer's block of 3 tow trucks. It's about 3 inches long. I'm going to have to hide it from Sam. He is a boy who is all about planes, trains and automobiles.

Oh yeah, here is a my new card.

It's Hard to be Two (Midwest)

I just had to post this photo. It makes me giggle.

Hannah and I went for an after dinner walk tonight, while Joey got Sam and Sophie ready for bed. This is what we found when we came home. Sam didn't nap today which explains how and why he ended up where he did. He needed about 12 more feet to get to his big boy bed. Should we leave him there and see if he makes it all night?

Deja Vu (Midwest)

Laurie, the photo above is for you. Remember those days? Coffee, sketch pads, mechanical pencils, reference books? This was my desktop this morning. I miss seeing you at the other end of the conference table. Big sigh.

I bought the latest Print Design Annual the other night. I stayed up way too late skimming through all the design inspirations. Picking up a new magazine like that is like the night before Christmas for me. The anticipation and expectations. I'm comforted to know I picked a career that "does it" for me.



I'm going to post some pictures of things inspirational found within Print's pages. This week I'm posting this candle packaging because I'm in the process of writing an estimate for a similar type project. This packaging is from Duffy & Partners in Minneapolis for Thymes. Simply beautiful.

Validation (Midwest)

As I slowly tally up sales on Etsy, I often question my Etsy commitments and wonder about my fiscal goals regarding my extra curricular printing. Sometimes, I feel like I should have a more obvious asthetic purpose with my art. Or, at least be making a statement about something, thus qualifying myself as a "true artist". Not to mention, shouldn't I be spending this time taking on legit design projects? Ones that earn money for the family, and keep my portfolio overflowing? The more I think about my printing the more I see it as a necessary stress free creative outlet. A hobby for my mind. So much of my creativity in the design world, although fulfilling, adds a lot of stress to my plate. This does not. My goal, if I haven't mentioned before, isn't to become rich or famous (ha.) but to pay off my letterpress, and to enjoy the zen of the process of doing so.

That being stated I returned today after a family weekend at a waterpark in "The Dells". I was without an internet connection for almost 48 hours. It was horrible! Actually, I managed, but was very preoccupied with wanting to check my email. Maybe I am an internet junky like Joey says. Anyway, I returned today, tired but pleased about the daylight saving time change, and eager to see if anything happened in my Etsy shop in my absence. I discovered that I had made another sale and that it came from a posting on Poppytalk! Poppytalk is one of my regular blog reads and has a large following. I'm so proud. I'm feeling validated for creating the gobs of inventory which I store in rows on my shelves (pictured above) .

Weekend Printing (Midwest)

I finally finished my "Winter" print last night. I used all of the elements that I posted on here. I started with a this base print of geese flying in a "V":




Then, I printed two layers on the letterpress. First, came the wood type. Since my type is so old and worn, I got a nice textural print result. Lastly, I ran a red bird graphic over the top of it all. It really pops off the background. I'm so pleased.

Part of the fun of selling these prints on Etsy is playing around with my digital camera. Figuring out a composition, lighting, etc. I'm trying to venture into props. Here is a photo of my final print all styled up and photographed as a (WAY) simple still life. The photo is a little too balanced for my taste, but I'm a rookie photographer don't cha know. :)

DIY Poster (Midwest)

I'm starting to receive show materials, booth assignments, etc for the DIY Trunk Show Chicago. I thought I'd post an image of the poster. I think the design is great. I like that it's playful, with strong color choices, yet it's still clean and easy to read. The car graphic is super. I saw this stuff and got so excited, oh, and a little bit nervous (I'm a dork).

The kids are off school today and tomorrow. We are heading out to a waterpark. I'll post later this weekend with some WIP.

I do like Mondays (Midwest)

I had a productive start to the week this morning. I went to a 6am Step class. I packaged up some cards for my upcoming craft fairs. I printed the first layer on some combined Gocco and Letterpress holiday cards. I started sketching and playing with some wood type for an art print I'm working on. I vacuumed and did dishes and laundry. All this before noon. Whoohoo!


Here is a composition in progress for the print I'm planning. The print is titled "Winter". It will be multilayered with type, cooler colors and the migrating bird block above. I found the block on our road trip through Northern Wisconsin. I'd say it's a Wisconsin bird. Maybe a crane or heron? If I don't pass out by 9pm I'll be running the first base color tonight. (This is very unlikely now that I think about it. Let's be real.)

Hope everyone else is having a good week.

Kids Art (Midwest)

I'm getting my desk cleared this morning, making spaces to put new piles, getting out the inks and papers. I have a few hours to myself and I'm going to work on my press...


...But, before I do I'm posting this drawing. Sophie drew this yesterday. For the past few weeks Sundays have been difficult for her because they are the day before Monday and school. She was happy yesterday. And, this morning. She is finally starting to relax at Kindergarten. I'm not sure what this is a drawing of. I think it looks like a killer whale. Whatever it is, it's a sign of her returned happiness. Pshew.

It's Friday! (Midwest)

What a week. Sophie made some progress adjusting to Kindergarten and lunches solo. She and I both made trips to the doctor to be diagnosed with ear and sinus infections. It's a lot easier to remember to take your antibiotics when you are dosing your child each day. Hannah had Brownies, swim lessons, and soccer practice. Sam did his normal, my life is your life routine. We were busy. I'm so happy to have it be Friday. Ah, time to eat pizza, relax and watch movies with the squirts.

This morning I worked on my letterpress for an hour or two. Here is a print of a circle and one tiny snowflake. I'm going to overprint a tree in a green wash (I think). My press was misbehaving (ok, it was probably operator error) so I got some unexpected gradation, which I actually like. The circle looks more spherical this way. Probably my favoritest (Sam word) thing about printing by hand is the unplanned surprises. The way the colors mix, the way they print, the textures that arise. It's just fun to partake in. However, I do hate clean up.

Joey is out of town this weekend playing frisbee in Tulsa, Oklahoma of all places. I'm going to take the kids on an overnight to a hotel with a modest waterpark.

Have a great weekend!