Archive for the ‘cards + stationery’ Category

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Hot off the Press for 2011!

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Over the next few weeks I am going to be packing my Etsy with lots of new cards. Here is just the start! All are hand pulled on my Vandercook #3.

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Arcade Houses Congratulations Card

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Lion and Shield Happy Birthday Card

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Bicycle Lady Happy Birthday Card

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Modern Thank You

My Mac keeps telling me, “scratch discs almost full,” and to any other Mac user – why can’t I invest in a new one? Is it because:
a. it’s so much money
b. I am going to miss this ol’ one?
c. desktop or laptop? I’ve always been a desktop gal, but a laptop has been pulling on my heat strings.
I think it’s more of the money thing. Yikes. Better start saving my nickles and dimes and dollars.

Back to scoring cards as it thunderstorms outside. More new cards coming soon!

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Let’s run away…

Sunday, January 9th, 2011

I am a huge fan of running away. The truth is, there are some good anchors here in Chicago that keep me grounded. This is a two color postcard I did for Uppercase Magazine Issue #8, which is about letterpress. I am a big fan and subscriber to the magazine. Receiving it in the mail really makes my day and I recommend it to like minded creative folk. I am really glad it’s taking off and doing so well. I am looking forward to seeing what treats from other letterpress printers are in my issue!

Let's Runaway Postcard
4×6 letterpress postcard, printed on my Vandercook #3

Let's Runaway
detail, Let’s Runaway Postcard

As a New Years resolution, I am not going to take on any new custom letterpress clients this year, as much as I do enjoy it. I have decided to not bite off more than I can chew and the National Stationery Show is already nipping at my heels. The show is in mid-May and I have not even really started my new line yet and I really want to put more work into the wholesale aspect of the business. I am also determined to take a few HTML classes in the next few months and the day job has been keeping me on my toes more than anything. I also have a little gallery show at the end of 2011 and really want to do some fine art letterpress prints for it. I want to enjoy 2011 and start taking care of myself. The past few years have been really packed and the only time I ever had a break was when I left the country, which is probably why I like leaving the States so much – it’s my only reprieve from my long days. My lifeboat can’t always be my passport; Although, that does sound nice! If my situation does change, as the world is always throwing things unexpectedly at one these days, I may find myself with more time. Until then, I will continue to keep in mind a good night’s sleep, taking care of myself, and spending the time with the people I care about. Life is too short!

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Illinois Print Giveaway!

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

* I ended up losing my comments from before, so I’ve decided to extend the drawing to Monday November 15th. Sorry for the inconvenience, as I tend to ham things once in while. I can avoid these things by drinking coffee and not working so late! I’ve gone back in my emails and added the comments I had lost, so you’re still in the game!
IllinoisBlog_1
It’s high time for another giveaway. I can’t leave my Illinois folk hanging, since California had a giveaway a few months ago! So here’s the deal:
specs:
• 3 color letterpress print, hand pulled by me on a vintage Vandercook #3
• 11″ x 14″ in size – ready to frame
• Paper made by renewable energy right here in the heartland – Mr French Paper. Paper is a 140lb speckle tone

1. List your favorite thing about our dear state, whether it be the town you live, your favorite place in Chicago, restaurant, art museum, how much you love winter… you get the point!
2. Please make sure your first name, twitter, blog, flickr, etc is listed somewhere in your comment so that I can contact you I draw the name.
3. If you happen to not live in Illinois, please write what you love about where you do live.

A name will be drawn on Monday November 15th at 9pm Central Standard Time. I will then contact the winner via social networking site of some sort for your address.

Also, be sure to visit us here:
Twitter
Facebook Page

What’s my favorite thing about where I live:
Well, I would say my back porch. It’s sort of my little haven, where I can drink a beer, line dry clothes (they smell better for some reason line dried!), but my favorite thing to do is watch the planes flying into O’Hare International Airport. The path for arriving planes follows one of the main streets in the city and on a clear night you can see a line flying in right over the apartment. We often like to sit back there and wonder where the planes are coming from. We also have a wonderful bike path that runs along the rivers for miles that I love to go on. We call this a “secret path” even though plenty of people can be found playing soccer, grilling, and biking along its route. It’s the simple things really!

Ready, set… go!

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Gocco Pikapackage Giveaway

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Oh, Gocco! It was good getting back into gocco-ing a little and I absolutely love the prints from this giveaway organized by Amy of Pikaland (a wonderful illustration blog full of amazing work).
My favorite prints are from Denise Holmes of Nisee Made and Dee Beale from the UK. Check it out!

Photo by Pikaland

Photo by Pikaland

More photos can be found on Pikaland’s Flickr.

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Renegade Craft Fair Chi-caago!

Monday, August 30th, 2010

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Well, it’s that time of year again – time for the Renegade Craft Fair Chicago. I will be at booth #224 with Laura George and Sarah Hernandez from Paper Tiger Cards. I am looking forward to holding down fort with these two lovely ladies!

RenegadeChicagoGang

Also be sure to visit: Circa Ceramics, Courtney Fischer Jewelry,Reuse First,and Paper Stories.

Let’s hope for no rain this year! Last year was perfect and since we barely survived the great rain of 2008, I am hoping for nothing but perfect weather Renegades from now till forever!

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Winner!

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Thanks for playing everyone – Caitlin M. won the California Print! I am gearing up to print an Illinois one in the next two weeks, so there will be another giveaway for that poster sometime in September!

If you missed this, the print is now up in my Etsy Shop.

Happy traveling!

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oops

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

I accidentally deleted some comments in older posts! As you know, this happens when you don’t clean up your spam or regular comments and accidentally select a group – I apologize! Yikes. I need to pay more attention!

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Fun and Game Fonts

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

If you ever happen on San Francisco near Pier 39 to see the seals (or, what seals decided to stay), walk a few piers down to Pier 45 at Fisherman’s Wharf. Grab a calm chowder in a bread bowl on the way. Oh, and be sure your pockets are filled with quarters because at Pier 45 you will find Musee Mechanique (careful, the website contains creepy cackling!). I’ve been here twice two years in a row to marvel at the turn of the century coin operated machines. There’s this certain nostalgia that swells inside me, even though I grew up with game systems. Nothing beats the quarter machines or when you’re little, the constant begging to borrow a quarter from the parents for a few minutes of gratification.

Besides the plethora of games and images from days past, there are some amazing fonts. Here are some of my favorites:

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Reminds me of the font Budmo, but so much better. I love the colors and the wood grain! Who doesn’t want their palm read for a mere 50 cents?

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Love the script of the company’s name on this pin ball machine. As always, the classic sans-serif, is clean, modern, and wonderful.

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Yum on the kerning of this vintage photobooth. How about that Western-inspired font, EYE LEVEL ?

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The Inquest is one of my favorites at the museum. The buffalo really don’t do much except shake their heads, but the entire oddity of it fascinates me. Yes, that is a dead person under them – WEIRD, huh? I LOVE it.

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Pacific Bound…

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

RCFSanFran2010

Well, it’s that time of year again – time for the Renegade Craft Fair! I am exhausted, but the fact that I will be on the West Coast is keeping me going. If you are in San Francisco, please swing by the booth! I have to finish with some odds and ends, so I am out! Ciao!

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Polish Design

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Sure, I am Polish, (Can you tell by the last name?) but how incredible is Polish design? One of my favorite design blogs, Pan Tu Mie Stał (You were not standing here) is jam packed with great design and illustration – especially the vintage stuff. It also comes in an English version! Let us take a moment to just swooooon. In fact, I cannot wait for my Cześź t-shirt to arrive to the States! (Yeah, I couldn’t help myself; I am a sucker for condensed fonts and Polish characters.)
CzeszShirt

Let’s look a little more at this lovely blog, shall well?
Yes please on the vinyl!

With so much turmoil in the country’s history, Poland has shown strength with visual design – a mix of Modern, metaphors, simplicity, the past, and keeping ahead of the curve. When I came across this vintage Polish stamp collection, it was like unearthing a visual treasure! Here are some of my favorites.

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Polish stamp with CCCP space program imagery. Check out that 60’s rocket blasting into orbit

PolishStampBasketball
These basketball ones from 1963 are nothing short of amazing. The figure hardly looks like any silhouette of a basketball player, but it has a nice graceful feminine quality to it.

PolishStamp_Liaka
How wonderful is this one with Laika, the first dog the Russians sent into space? Unfortunately, she was sent up there with the known fact she would not return. Despite this, her image has graced Soviet stamps and posters. There is also a monument of her in Moscow.

PolishStamp_Mistrz1958
A small and beautifully designed mid-century stamp. My font love for this little guy is IMMENSE

PolishStamps
more classical and Soviet inspired designs.

PolishStampsFolk
Folk inspired stamps

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1964 Tokyo’s Olympics.

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Fun illustrations with the stamps. What about those amazing mushrooms and that cat meowing… maybe crying?

For more Polish stamps, visit my vintage section on Flickr. I am hoping to pay homage to Warsaw’s Wilanów Poster Museum in October. Has anyone ever been there? It looks like a place I could easily spend hours in. I think a trip to Polska is far overdue. I need some old-fashion root-searchin’ and art inspiration.

Cheers and hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

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