Spring Where are You? (Midwest)

I can't believe March is almost over. If you were to look outside my window you would understand why. We have a couple new inches of snow covering the grass that was beginning to turn green. The crocuses must be wishing they had waited to come up. And, I'm sure the birds are annoyed that the nests they have been building are snow covered.

I find myself mildly discouraged by the snow, yet optimistic because it feels warm and things sound like spring.

This last week I have been in and out of frame shops trying to find the right frame for the letterpress print that I'm donating to our preschool's silent auction. I found a frame that has a weathered barn wood look to it. I liked how the texture of old wood relates to the wood type I used to create the print. I'm so pleased with how it looks I even listed a print in my Etsy shop. I haven't been listing many new items and hope to post more prints soon.

Speaking of Etsy, Laurie and I have been discussing consolidating all our cards at our joint shop. I may keep amyb13 open for fine art prints and more limited run cards. Change is a brewing.

Alright, it's time for me do a little house cleaning...

Having Fun (Midwest)

This is a photo from a shipping box I got in the mail this week. It made my day for two reasons. First, I love that someone spent the time to draw up a personalized message for me. This particular scene is right up my alley (love the breasts on the woman and the ice cream cone). Second, within the box was my latest Etsy find. I ordered a very interesting art object titled "Stand by your Striped Man" from Minnesota artist, gilhooly. If you have time check out her etsy shop.

Below you see my Man sitting on my mantle next to another art piece by Leslie Dill (some info that here). The pottery is from Madison artist, Gloria Van Dixhorn.



I'm sure my Striped Man will migrate around the house, but right now he has me thinking about displaying a little collection of images of the human form on my mantel. I must go dig out my life drawings...

Well, I'm off to get a jump on my week. I leave for Mexico in two days! Hooray!

Before I Go (Midwest)

I'm feverishly trying to get some graphic design projects to good holding stages because we are going on Spring Break next week (see temporary Etsy avatar above). I'm excited to have nothing to do, but also wish I could be here working on things I want to do. I will probably need to have a few beers to ease my way into my leisure status. It will be hot in Arizona so maybe margaritas will be in order.




I was excited to learn yesterday that Amie of ploverwing has started a new lens on printmaking artists over at Squidoo and she put me on it.

Whoohoo!

I'm so grateful. But, I have to admit I didn't know much about Squidoo. Today I clicked around a bit. I was amused by the Squidoo Top 100. Coming in at number 9 is "Parrot Taming and Training Plus Teaching a Parrot to Talk" and then at number 13 there is "Making Lemonade". In between are more "serious" lenses addressing important topics like global warming, html programming, etc. Anyway, now I have a link to a place to search for artwork to purchase. I love the Internet! Thanks so much Amie.


Finally, I plan on posting Friday or Saturday with details about my card give away. Stay tuned for that one.

Art and Etc. (Midwest)

Good Morning people. I'm organizing my desk today for a psuedo client meeting. I have so many things in my office that are waiting to find a home. A mini art quilt, three knitted cupcakes, stuff like that. Oh, and the big print that I bought at an estate sale (I posted about this before). We are somewhat limited on wall space in this house. Plus, my husband has this phobia about nailing into old walls. The permanence of putting a hole somewhere that might not be exactly the right spot. Me, I would nail away.



So, back to the print. I found out very little about the artist, Gabrielle Brill. What I learned is that she is from Germany, lives or lived most recently in Hollywood and her etchings often reflect embryonic life and visuals. I spoke with Jan, my step mother who used to run and maintain the UW Madison Union's Art Collection, and she said this type of thing sounds like the art done in the 70s, which is when this print was likely created. Hmm. I'm still undecided about it. It may join the other prints I have stashed in my art collection.

Finally, I am planning on being on press tomorrow. I received my Boxcar plate order and I have about a dozen card design options I can create, depending on how I cut the plate apart. The themes relate to the spring and my deadline is to have items ready for posting this weekend. If I get 3 designs printed I'll be happy. Plus, I have two related gocco cards ready. I finished those last night. Busy bee = me.

Outside My Window (Midwest)

For those of you who aren't in the Wisconsin, you are missing a spectacular snowstorm. It's been snowing about an inch and hour since late morning. Sam and I have been out twice. Our entry is littered with wet mittens and puddles. We plan to pick up kids from school via sled not car. This is part of why we moved back to Wisconsin from California. I wanted my kids to have winter memories similar to mine from childhood. LET IT SNOW!

For those who have sent me emails wondering about my studio space I'm posting a shot from our front yard taken earlier today at the onset of the snow. The right bank of three windows is the South facing wall of my office. It's a 10' x 14' sunroom with windows all along 3 walls. The light in the room is amazing. I should probably thank Joey for letting me have the sunroom. His office is in the basement (neener neener). Some sunny day I'll photograph the interior.




Finally, I'm thanking Jan over at Poppytalk for posting about my "love" card. She has sent a good deal of traffic to my Etsy shop. I've sold several cards already. Here is one of the card orders all ready to be shipped. I try to include a freebie with every Etsy purchase. Usually, it's a hangtag or two as is the case in this order.

Gathering (Midwest)

This year I'm striving to be a little more organized or maybe more business-like with Bee13. I've been taking inventory of printed pieces, organizing supplies, etc. I'm mentally preparing to file my sales tax and also do some year end bookkeeping. It feels good to take care of these business loose ends. I also reviewed my paper catalog and got a large paper order placed today. I've ordered 3 new colored folding note stocks. I've always been comfortable mixing ink and printing on white papers. I'm going to challenge myself and see what happens when the paper already has a color, tone, value and saturation to it.

Aren't the colors above pretty? I seriously wanted to order them all. It was really difficult to stay in budget and stick to three colors. Of course I had to order envelopes in coordinating colors. So exciting.

Printing Fix (Midwest)

WTF? You wonder. A second post in one day? Yes. It's true. All 3 kids and 1 husband were asleep by 7:30, so I put on some JT (simmer down, I can't help myself) and got to printing. I feel so much better. The knots in my neck are gone.

Here is a rather poor photo, with the lack of natural light and all, it's late people, of the first of 4 cards I have designed for 2008. Ideally, I'd like to have about 8 card designs. I think Laurie is working on more ideas on her end. I'm eager to see those.

Anyway, this card is my "love" card. I printed it first because Valentine's Day is a comin'. See I'm catchin on to how it works. I gocco'd the peachy pink cupid this afternoon and tonight I ran a hit of pms 185 red on my letterpress over the top. Let me tell you I really had to discipline myself in order to print pink with the red instead of my usual Robin's Egg blue. I used the magnesium block that I mentioned in the post below. I definitely like the printer's blocks better than photopolymer. The imprint is nice and crisp. There is some flippin' thin type in the design that printed pretty cleanly. Also, the heavier weight fonts have a nice hand-printed texture to them. The paper I'm running is 80 lb Esse by Gilbert Papers. It's partially recycled and has an interesting texture. It took the ink just fine. Tomorrow I will photograph some better shots and post to my Etsy shop.

Sleep tight everyone.

Ornaments Or Not? (Midwest)

I'm so undecided about these. They are supposed to be my ornament for the Cake & Pie/Freshly Blended ornament swap. I'm not sure if they are good enough. Last year I stitched for hours making little bird ornaments. Somehow, a piece of paper as an ornament doesn't seem nice enough. Or, 3-D enough, maybe.

Is anyone sick of me yet with my pool blue and red color combinations on everything I print these days? I do own lots of other ink colors. It's just I can't help myself. I love these colors together.

Craft Fair Affair (Midwest)

I'm finally getting around to posting about last Saturday's craft fair experience. I had a booth at the DIY Trunk Show in Chicago. It was a busy day. Lot's of traffic, many sales, interesting people to look at and chat with. And, and, and! the show got me a few wholesale orders. I was pretty overwhelmed most of the day. I have lots of retail experience to draw on, but this was more personal. And, presenting graphic designwork to clients is different because you already know what your client wants. I gleaned quite a bit of advice from my seasoned booth neighbors which was helpful. I even got to make one trip to the bathroom. From what I learned every venue is unique and I'm sure this weekend's event here in Madison will be a totally different experience.

Before I sign off here's a rundown of what I used to create my booth. My table display was put together on the fly at the show. The kraft paper table covering was from the Dollar Store and sat over the top of a Goodwill white sheet. I used wooden rulers with clothes pins as sign holders, and wood boxes from our basement to house my cards. Finally, I used a laundry drying rack (free from the curb courtesy of my hubby) as print rack. I think I spent around $10 on my booth.

Ta ta till next posting.

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.


____________________________________________________________________________________

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.

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. :)

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.

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!

Etsy Treasury (Midwest)

I saw tonight that I had a few hits more than normal over at my Etsy shop. I found out that I am listed in a treasury. Happy dance. Look at the painting titled "Duo" right below my card. Luv it.

Application Sent (Midwest)

This morning, early, before noisy children descended upon me, I applied for the DIY trunk show in Chicago. I filled out an online application form. Then, had to email 2-3 photos of my work. I would much rather email about 10 shots. I compromised by comping up two "family of products" shots. When I saw my stuff grouped together I was modestly proud. So, I'm posting them here for all to see. God, I hope I get accepted into this show. It would be a good stretch goal for me to create a butt load of Xmas paraphernalia. (I'm giggling now because in running the spell check feature I learned that butt load is really two words. I thought it was one. Who knew? Tee hee hee.)



I'm heading off to Milwaukee later to check out Art vs. Craft. I'll take the digital camera and post what I see and what I buy. I'm going to look for some folks that I've met online via Etsy and Flickr.

I Don't Make Lawn Spinners (Midwest)

Saturday I attempted to sell my wares at "The Taste of Wisconsin Dells" craft fair. The weather was perfect. The attendance level was good. The market was, well, not my market. So, it was a learning experience. Here is a line list of information gained from the event:

- Preparing for a fair is a lot of work, but exciting, fun work filled with anticipation.
- Preparing for a second fair would not be much work, and would still be exciting.
- It is important to put the tent all the way up so that people can fit under it. Don't ask.
- Rocks come in handy (for holding down product, not flinging at customers, silly you!).
- Popular fair items (at this fair) were, lawn spinners (see photos below), cat beds that look like big fish, toe rings, wooden roses - I bought 3, beer can lamps, fishing lures, etc.
- When bored at a fair find things to amuse yourself. I decided to photograph the most popular item, lawn spinners, as they walked by my lonely tent.
- Think about better marketing ideas for next time. This reminds me of the man in the soap booth who said to me "Oh, you sell greeting cards? You must have a lot of Father's Day cards today." Me, frozen face, smile, thinking that would have been a really, really, good idea. Doh!
- Have a buddy to enjoy the experience with. Thanks Joy!

Even with the lack of sales it was fun. I would do it again, but I would research the fair better and find a better fit for my products. On that note I leave you with photos of the ever so popular lawn spinner. I heard they were only 5 dollars. My kids would love them. No wonder we saw dozens go by.

My New Baby (Midwest)

I did it. I held my breath, plugged my nose, and jumped in. I bought some turn of the century piece of technology which will sit on my desk in contrast to my iMac. I bought something I have only about 7 total production hours using. A thing that I have no friends to advise me on. A piece of machinery that most people will see and say "what is that?" and the following discussion/explanation will take in excess of 15 minutes and they will still not understand...

...I bought a letterpress, and I am so happy.

Impressed (Midwest)

I'm back from my fabulous weekend in Minneapolis. I took a two-day crash course on letterpress printing at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. The MCBA resides in the Open Book Building in the Warehouse district. The Open Book spaces, the MCBA classrooms, shop and galleries were all visually spectacular. I would kill to work in a space like this. Check out this shot from the bathrooms looking out at the Open Book commons area through to an exhibit on the exterior wall of MCBA classrooms. Nice.

Anyway, I really, really enjoyed the class. I was able to handset type and then run prints on a multitude of papers provided. I tried some larger, old, woodblock type, then metal type, and even carved a linoleum block to run on a press. Here you see some of my efforts. The type is 9 point Univers all caps spaced with 3 em blocks. The lower case type is 8 point Times New Roman Italic. I only dropped my type once. Yes, I swore. And, after printing discovered that some of the type characters were bolder than the rest, so I had to tweezer out and replace them with the correct type. This was somewhat tedious and time consuming. If and when I buy my own letterpress (!!!!) I will probably run photopolymer plates along with block prints on press. Hand setting type is not my cup of tea. The shadowy twig image is my lino block (also in the shot) run with transparent white ink. I think I would print this way over and over and never get sick of it. The ink adds such a soft wash of gloss on the stock. It is beautiful.


After a weekend of much needed time away and working creatively. I am realizing it is time for me to start working again. I'm not sure how much or exactly on what, whether it's graphic design, greeting cards or fine art. Come this fall I think changes will happen. Right now I am now back at home reorganizing my office, making lists, and thinking about how to prepare for my first arts and crafts fair on June 9. The bigger plan will emerge this summer I am sure.

Mother's Day (Midwest)

Yesterday Joey took the kids for a few hours so that I could have some time to myself. I was able to finish printing my print for the Periodic Table Print Project. I ran prints for a Gocco print swap. And, I started a run of new note cards to sell on Etsy. I was so productive. I'm feeling a little guilty about asking for time away from my family as my Mother's Day present. Oh well, maybe next year I will want to be with them. :)




Here's my print. You can read about it here.