Oh hello there, long time no see. Sorry guys, when it comes to blogging lately I’m out of practice and frankly a little uninspired. Why don’t I just tell you what’s new around the shop?
These are new:
So are these:
And I’ve got a yellow-orange version of these drying as we speak:
I’ve also been working on a couple really exciting things—including a new limited edition print and personalized note cards. Stay tuned!
T-minus 30 days until Valentine’s! Just sayin’…
This Christmas, I gave myself a gift. The first part was to really, truly take four full days away from work. No email, no phone calls, barely a thought of the office. Sure two of those days were a weekend, but if I’m being honest, it’s rare that I even go a whole weekend without doing a little something for the magazine, so this really felt indulgent for me.
The second part of that gift was to spend much of that time printing. I had a few things I had to get done for Driftless Studio—a beautiful store on State Street in Madison owned by a talented photographer, writer and wonderful person named Anne. Her favorite design is my “Gone to Seed” dandelion print, so I printed up a bunch of those in light blue, plus some Happy Birthday bike cards, some blue and green grasses, love you. cards for Valentine’s and more.
Since the process of inking up, setting the plate and cleaning up is so labor intensive, I tend to print several different designs while I have a color on press. So while I was at blue and yellow, I also did a reprint of one of my fastest-selling designs that I’ve been out of for a while, “you are my sunshine.” I also did a run of a new “congrats” card that would work perfectly for a wedding or new home, plus started lots of recipe cards, limited edition prints and more.
Good morning dear readers! I have a confession to make: I haven’t sent out Christmas cards for two years. Somehow each December seems to fly by and before I know it, I’m heading to my parents for the holidays and my stack of cards is still sitting on the dining room table. But this year, in an effort to show how much I value those who make my life better, I’m going to try. I may or may not succeed 100%, but at least I’m making the effort!
Since I can’t send a card to each and every one of you (although if you email me your address, I’ll put you on the list!), my gift to you all this holiday season will be to give 110% on the blogging front. Truth be told, I’ve been saving up some awesome ideas for weeks now, so from now until Christmas, my plan is to post at least every other day (do the math, it’ll make the title of this post make more sense). From décor to gift ideas, I hope I can share a little inspiration and help thaw the brain freeze that can accompany trying to find the perfect present.
An aside: This year, I’ve chosen not to use the politically correct “holiday” in lieu of Christmas. Not because I’m ignoring the other holidays that fall at this time of year, but simply because that’s what I celebrate. Sometimes we take such drastic steps to make sure no one is left out that we end up over-generalizing or making the world feel like one homogenized landscape rather than celebrating what makes each culture unique. I hope you can use the ideas I write about in your own traditions this season, and please feel free to leave comments about how you’d use these ideas in your life!
Happy Cyber Monday! Yeah, apparently that’s a thing. I know I should be more enthusiastic about the retail surge this weekend but I just can’t bring myself to do it! If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that “it’s just stuff.” (And definitely not worth pepper spraying your fellow shopper over! Seriously lady?!?)
However, I was excited about being given the opportunity to put together a beautiful little gift set for a fellow etsian. She wanted two of each of my botanically themed cards in different colors. I had most of the designs already printed in a couple different colors, but I did get to put in several hours on my press this weekend. The results are quite lovely if I do say so myself!
It seems that whenever I work on a custom project these days, the stars align, the humidity and ink consistency and pressure are all just right and I can’t help but print everything in sight. This weekend was no different, so while I was all inked up, I worked on a couple projects I’ve had swirling around in my head for a while. Turns out, they all looked good in purple!
622 press | LETTERPRESS GOODS MADE BY HAND 