Long time, no see: the National Stationery Show edition

So...I've had this dream, for almost as long as I've been printing, of doing this:

Linoleum block-printed gift wrap! Two patterns, 18x24", available in five colors, and the only place you can get it (for now):

my super-duper new booth at the National Stationery Show! The show opens tomorrow, and I'm so excited about all of the new products I've been added to my collection. If you're walking the show, stop in to booth #2144 and say hello!

hello new york!

Please join Albertine Press, Carta Inc, and little ol' me at this season's New York International Gift Fair! We've got a new look, and lots of new pretty things made of paper and cotton. We'd love to see you!

saturday edition: hard at work

So, here I am again: New York City. I had an "is this really my life?" flash this morning, as I was eating brunch in Central Park with the Pistachio Press crew.  The answer: yup.

Shelley from Albertine Press and I finished almost all of the setup for this summer's NYIGF yesterday, but I went back in today to finish a little labeling.

I'm trying out a new setup, color-coordinated this time, and highlighting my 2012 calendars, which I think are super-cool.

on the bench: organizing

I do dearly love to organize...though in the studio, sometimes the piles just stay piles for months!  Wednesday was an in-between day, so I thought I'd tackle the huge stack of printed papers (printed in April!). First sorting by color and pattern, and then taking inventory.  All in preparation for this big event:

press mondays: oh, my.

I had the best intentions of blogging while in New York...

And then the days just kept getting away from me (and the nights were too short!).

I can't believe that I put this together in twenty-four hours...and that it looked pretty okay!

The Stationery Show is like a big sleep-away camp, where you get to catch up with all of your old friends (and meet new ones!) and gossip.

Or make pretty things--do you know how hard it is to keep my hands still all week?  

My pictures aren't the best, but the lovely and fantastic Nole at Oh So Beautiful Paper brought a professional photographer with her, and they got some really pretty shots of my booth.

And then today...

it was time to get back to work!

mixed-tape monday: stationery show!

So much to show you, but it will all have to wait! New York, here I come!

workbench wednesday: my how time flies...

...and then it's a week later, and gosh darn it!  I've missed a whole week of blogging.

Last week I started reprinting papers (to fill all those orders from NYIGF!) and really, really fell in love with these two all over again.

Usually the zigzag has another color layered on top, but I'm leaning towards offering a grey-only sheet.  What do you think?

And today, two more orders shipped out--these guest books (in my new favorite marine ripple pattern) and more are off to Nantucket Looms in Nantucket, MA.  And more goodies will be arriving a Fork + Pencil in Brooklyn in the next few days!

workbench wednesdays: you've got to make a mess to get clean

Another busy day!  Today was the first chance I've had to (kind-of) unpack from New York...but I'm also in the middle of production runs of cards + papers for wholesale orders.

So, by the end of the day today, my worktable was filled with lots of little piles--paper offcuts just wide enough to print business cards on, stacks of post-it note lists, every pen imaginable, plus (on the far side) cards just off the press, ready for a final trim tomorrow.

And at the end of the day, Brian and I attached the blade back on to my board shear! I'm a bit giddy just thinking about it.

on the press: first day back

Look!  It's a booth!  After spending a week sitting in this 8 x 10 trade show booth with Shelley, I finally got back on the press today.

 First up was a small reprint of my quirky love notes (heading out to two local shops this week!).

And then...the big grey print run (printing the first color for zigzag papers) took up most of my afternoon.  Here are the pretty bloops that transparent white ink makes when you dab it on the rollers haphazardly.  Really, I do mix very precisely (well, most of the time anyway).

finished fridays: new new new!

I'm so excited to share my newest pattern:

(I'm still looking for a name, if anyone has any suggestions....)

I'll be debuting the pattern (and its five colorways) at the NY International Gift Fair, which opens January 30 in New York City. Visit me at booth number #4124 in the Studio Division--I'll be there with the lovely and talented ladies of Albertine Press and Carta Inc.

on the press mondays

The first of a new series (I hope) of blog posts about the daily life of a letterpress business. And to start us off:

No rest for the press!  I returned (triumphant! I might add) from the Gift Show on Friday, and immediately started working on the custom jobs that had been piling up...these are birthday announcement/cards for the President of Saint Michael's College.  1300 of them, to be precise.  I finished the printing and final trims last night, and today am sorting and shipping.      

And yes, I know it's Tuesday.

keeping busy

I'll be in New York this weekend for the New York International Gift Fair.  I'll be sharing a booth on Pier 92 with good friends Albertine Press and Carta, Inc.  Stop by the piers to say hi!