Hey Y'All! (Midwest)

I'm home from my 5 day adventure in the Nashville area. I could probably blog several pages about the Franklin, Tennessee area and the things I saw, ate and did there, BUT, this blog is "supposed" to be chronicling my crafty-designy side so I will post something related to that.



I present to you Hatch Show Print. Hatch is an example of a successful letterpress business. Located right downtown, the Hatch people have been designing and printing show posters for Music City for quite some time. I think the business originally opened in the late 1800s creating advertising for local companies. Today you can come in and watch them work, pet their shop cat (if he isn't grumpy from being stepped on) and browse and shop.





The things I liked most in the shop were the postcards made from make ready sheets. I love that they don't let these practice prints go to waste. I bought several cards which I'm deciding what to do with. Maybe frame them as a set. The image below is a make ready sheet that they had woven into an interesting wall hanging. Very clever and fun to look at.




It's good to be home, but it's too cold here. Winter cometh.

I See Blue (West Coast)

OK. I am coming up for air. I have been under various projects, and haven't made time for blogging lately... Thank you Amy for picking up the slack. Love your photos that you have been taking. I am jealous of your lovely new camera, and your cool lens!

I have been busy with my needles lately, and have quite the stack of rags going... Amy and I started these back in Chicago during our cold wet craft show. I am on number six, but last week when I set up my little stack, I only had four finished. I love the colors of the yarn. It is the first time I have tried this out — new from Blue Sky Alpaca, it is called Skinny Cotton. Blue Sky always has such a pretty palate of colors to choose from. I have a few more skeins left, but I am itching to buy a few more... Always more possibilities to the color combinations.

I printed Monday morning, but I don't think I will be printing again this week. I am having ink troubles, and need to figure it out before I print more. My ink seems to be drying immediately. I am not sure why... I will try to post on Briar Press in the next day to see if anyone has any advise. It is late my time, and I need to get up early.

Spectacular Fall (Midwest)

The tv weather liars said that today will "probably" be the last warm day we will have until April. Now, normally this news would depress me. I'm too smitten by the beauty outside to be sad. The trees are amazing. Reds, yellows, oranges. I love fall in Wisconsin.



It's hard to focus on indoor tasks when it's so wonderful outside. Here is my laundry list of goals for this week:

1. start knitting leg warmers in preparation for the cold weather
2. continue to shoot a photo per day to post in my group (so far so good)
3. letterpress on Wednesday
4. finish my a holiday design project for a client
5. go to Tennessee to see Joy on Thursday

I think I will wait until tomorrow's cold front to start attacking this list. :)

Bokeh Sunday (Midwest)

"Bokeh is a photographic term referring to the appearance of out-of-focus areas in an image produced by a camera lens using a shallow depth of field", as per Wikipedia.

You may have already figured out that I'm into bokeh since almost every photo I post on this blog blurs out. When I take a photo I'm purposely trying to use focus and depth of field to enhance my composition. So, in an effort to improve my photography skills I signed myself up for a self imposed photography project. I joined the 365 Bokeh flickr group. My task now is to shoot and post one photo per day for a year (gulp) that incorporates bokeh. Yes, I realize I may not be able to squeeze this into my busy schedule. I might even have to eliminate a boat cruise here a manicure there, etc. Oh wait, I don't get manicures or go on boat cruises. I'm good!

So today, besides shooting one photo, I need to make more of these notebooks for a wholesale order. Other than kid activities, those are the only things on my calendar. It should be a nice day.

Moving (Midwest)

No. I'm not moving. Been there. Done that. But, my good friend, Joy did. (Damn her.) As a good bye gift I offered to make up some letterpress moving announcements for her family. I printed them a few days ago and mailed them off to her today.

Here is a detail of the design. The left column has illustrations depicting her "old" life in Wisconsin and the right column is the "new" life in Tennessee.




I definitely have to go visit and while I'm there I hope to go here.

Knitting or Xanax? (Midwest)

Dang, TV is hard to watch these days. It's so stressful. There are reminders of the intensities of our current situation everywhere. In an effort to keep myself calm during my sporadic tv viewing, I am back at my knitting. If I'm about to sit down for the evening news, I need my knitting for protection!

I started this warshrag when I was in Chicago with Laurie. The pattern is from the Mason Dixon knitting ladies. Love them! I see they have a new book out, too. I must add that to my wish list.

I'm sure to finish the warshrag during the VP debates, so I will need a new knitting project. This is exciting. It will require going to the yarn store for some hard core yarn fondling. Maybe I'll take my camera. The rows of colorful fibers would make a good study. Any suggestions on what I should knit next?

Red (Midwest)

I have surfaced to post. I've been sick. Sam decided to share his intestinal virus with me last week, and then his cold. Of course my body was so clever, and created a nifty sinus infection from the cold by products. Anyway, bedrest, aspirin and antibiotics saved me and here I am. Posting. With not much to say.



I will just put up a few pictures from yesterday's apple picking excursion. Red wagons. Red apples. Red berries. Red t-shirts. Hooray for a theme!

Rain-e-gade (Midwest)

Laurie and I have successfully completed our first Renegade Craft Fair experience. I can sum up the fair with one word - wet. It rained almost 7 inches the first day, a record one day rainfall for Chicago, and another 2 or 3 inches the second day. Despite the rain, people still came out. And, when the rain stopped it got really busy. Sales were not bad considering the weather. A huge thank you to those of you who donned your rain gear and came out.



Sharing a booth with Boh Bon Soap Co. was definitely the way to go. Setting up a wet tent in a downpour was much easier with three people. And, we were able to take breaks as often as we wanted.




The time we spent before and after the fair was great, too. Our hotel was very cool and smelled great (seriously).


We bought two day El passes to get around. We ate yummy food at Penny's Noodle Shop, Milk and Honey and CBA. We shopped Wicker Park and Armitage (twice). Yesterday, when the rain was finished, we drove through the Loop and up Lakeshore Drive. I am in love with Chicago. It's a fantastic city.

So now I am home unpacking, drying my shoes, stowing the show tables, etc. It's nice to be here and think about what's next. I have a moving card to print and some wholesale inquiries to follow up on.

Finally, I'd like to thank those who posted about us and Renegade. We sure appreciate the blog mentions. Thanks, bohaute, Poppytalk, Roadside Scholar, Broadway Paper

Off to Chicago! (Midwest)

This week I have been packaging up card after card after card after card after card after card after card (you get the idea). It's time to road trip to the most amazing craft fair ever. It's time for Renegade!

Tomorrow morning after I drop the squirts at school I'm off to O'hare to fetch Laurie for our long weekend of craft fairing, knitting, eating, hoteling, shopping, etc. I don't think we have ever been on vacation together, just the two of us. I can't wait. Of course we will be busy with Renegade on Saturday and Sunday (come see us!), but there is much time to play beyond our fair obligations.

I'm excited to introduce Laurie to Chicago. I lived and worked in the Windy City several years ago and I still miss it. Whenever I'm there I get a rush. Sometimes, I fantasize about buying a loft in Wicker Park as a weekend home. I could set up my loft with fully stocked art studio complete with letterpress area. Sigh.

Back to reality, I need to tidy up a few things and then start packing. Fingers crossed that it doesn't rain as planned.

Holiday Buzz (West Coast)

Temperatures out west are soaring this past week, but I am busy inside working on my winter stash of cards. It seems strange to be printing up holiday cards when it still feels like summer! My printing area is in my garage, and by 11:00 a.m. the heat is unbearable. My ink is drying before I finish each run. Today I cleaned the press twice for one run of red ink. I am making progress though, and the weather report shows cooler temps to come next week.

Off to get some ice tea!