Published!

One of my letterpressed pieces was published in a book! I'm very excited!

I'm sorry...

Hello friends! I'm so, so sorry I have been away for so long. There is so much going on in my head and a lot of personal emotions/things I've been working through...I have just needed to pull away and into myself for a while. I fear posts may still be erratic for a while going forward, but I don't plan for things to be like that forever! I wish I could say I was out doing cool things like going on safari in Africa or climbing some grand mountain...but I've been here quietly soul searching and moving through the days. I promise that soon I will be back with more frequent and fun posts.
In the meantime, here is a new letterpress print I illustrated and printed. I call it "The Willow." It's a 5 x 7 print in a gray ink on thick, soft 100% cotton paper. Each print is signed by me and is for sale here.

new!

The last of my newest designs have debuted in my shop. You'll see my new giraffe card and my new branch card... the giraffe is a folded note while the branch is a flat note. I printed the giraffe to be a touch "off" between the yellow and brown colors. I wanted it to feel more childlike and whimsical, so the brown layer was printed a hair "off" from the yellow. It varies a bit from card to card and gives it a more whimsical/cartoony feel. I'm pleased with how it came out. My favorite is the branch card. I think it's because I like the combination of filled color and outline color. These are also original illustrations. Have a great weekend everyone! I'm headed to a morning showing of the new Indiana Jones movie with my husband. (no crowds and much cheaper tickets!). I hope you enjoy whatever plans you may have.

hungry hippos

Hello! New card in the shop; two more to go after this one! This is just a fun little card with a mom and baby hippo hanging out by a tree. Selling them in my shop in a set of 3 (you can contact me through the shop if you want a custom quantity). Happy Friday! I'll be posting the last 2 of my recent card designs in my shop later today and this evening. I hope you enjoy your weekend. I'll be back Monday with a post about a great book I'm reading... Until next time!

Elephants on parade toward bliss

Elephant card sets are now available in my shop.

Hello everyone! Happy Thursday to you. It's feeling a lot like summer now and I'm loving it. It was such a long winter and I'm glad it's done with. Today I've been thinking a lot about choices and the tough ones we make regarding our careers. I wanted to share this with you because it's a sort of milestone in my life. Two years ago I left my corporate graphic design job for the world of freelance. I had no idea what direction I wanted my work to go in; I just knew that I wanted to work for myself. I plunged forward trying to get a client roster going. Things were booming! I was so busy that first year I thought "Wow! I can't believe I didn't do this sooner!" But, as time went by I started noticing I still had that little pit in my stomach that said I still wasn't quite happy with what I was doing. I still felt a little un-fulfilled and a little sad. It didn't take long for me to realize that it wasn't graphic design as a field that I was unhappy with, it was the KIND of work I was doing. I didn't feel that wave of pride when I completed a project. That thrill of a job well done. Well, I didn't feel ANYTHING for that matter. Doing work for corporations just didn't feel right. I decided I wanted to CONNECT with people. To do work that mattered to someone on a more personal level. That's when I decided focus my work more on weddings, birth announcements, stationery and the like. Not only is my job much more fun, it is much more personal. And even more recently I've refined my goals to include selling my own cards as I try to create a thriving online shop. I've never been happier. Have I taken a pay cut? YES. But I feel that it's only temporary as I move forward and try to gain more of an audience for my product. It took me a while and a leap of faith to allow myself to focus in on what I really wanted to be doing and not what I "maybe should" be doing. The other day I got a call and a possible opportunity to do some freelance work with a great up-and-coming company with a fantastic brand doing packaging (and such). I would have been working with one of the country's top product designers. I was speaking to the President of this company who is a friend of my husband's family and I thought to myself "Wow! Up until recently I would have given my left arm for an opportunity like this!!!" It was everything I used to dream of. Right there dangling in front of me. And I said no. I SAID NO!!!! I ask myself if I'm crazy. But I know that I'm not. It WAS a great opportunity...for someone else. For someone who has the dream I used to have. The reality is that the work would have taken me way away from where I want to go and I know it was the kind of work that I simply dread doing. If I had said yes, what would I have been trying to prove? Because I wouldn't have said yes for myself. I'm proud of myself; that I was strong enough to say no to something that, while slick and glossy, would have taken me away from where I'm truly meant to go. I heard the voices in my conscious saying "don't do it! it's not right!" and I listened for once. What I'd like to say here is that we all have to make choices in all facets of our life. And we make decisions based on many reasons...sometimes we have to stop and ask "is this going to take me TOWARD my dream, pull me AWAY, or STALL me on my path? The decision has to be right for YOU and your family. Not for anyone else or for any other reasons. And if you can't make that decision now because of finances, bad timing, or a zillion other reasons that may hinder you, just know that if you make tiny little steps toward your dream it will eventually be realized. But you have to be making steps no matter how small. Here's to small steps!

new stuff

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a great week so far. I finished 5 new card designs yesterday after a week of printing and doing lots of other things. Here is a new flat notecard available in my shop.
"Printed in a light blue and brown ink, the stump flat notes are stylish without too much pattern and frill. Comes in a set of 5 flat cards. Printed in ultra-thick and pillowy soft cotton Crane's Lettra letterpress paper. Ultra luxurious." I will debut my other cards through the next few days; I'm excited about all of these ones because they are a little different from the other work I'd been doing but are still cheerful, whimsical and fun. Plus I did all the illustrations myself (quick and simple ones to keep the child-like quality to the design). I hope you enjoy them! Have a great day!

The Bird Cage!

Here is my newest letterpressed card that will be available today in my shop. I've been enjoying the color combination of yellow and gray and thought this was my big chance to use it! This is a small folded notecard printed on ultra-thick and cotton Crane's Lettra letterpress paper. They come with matching white cotton Crane's envelopes. I will be selling these in sets of 3 for $9, but feel free to contact me through my shop if you'd like other quantities. I hope you like them!

Filigree

I've been hard at work completing several wedding orders before my vacation happens in a few weeks. I printed a program in black ink the other day so I took advantage of the set up and created a new flat note design. I also created a smaller more subtle logo for the back of all my flat notecards going forward. Too bad I have a big inventory with the original logo that will have to run out first before printing new. I'll still be using the original on folded cards...the small logo will go on flat cards. You can get the new filigree notecard set here.
Have a great day!

Dooce!

My Leaves and Follows print from my shop made it (in a small way if you squint) onto Dooce's website today in her photo of the day section. How exciting! See it HERE. It's the tiny print to the right of the giant print over her head. My little print looks like it's sitting on top of Heather's head. Yay! (looks like Heather is doing an interview for Nightline and Good Morning America airing next week.)

How it all works

Hello everyone! Happy Thursday to you! I wanted to let you know that me and my letterpress were featured on A Visual Guide for the Online Bride...
Kim Calakoutis is a fabulous wedding photographer who decided to start this guide as a reference point for all kinds of things dealing with weddings. She decided to include her most favorite vendors and locations... thus giving brides a one-stop-shop of wedding goodness (especially for the New England bride)
This article focuses on what happens in the letterpress process (in basic terms and step-by-step photos particular to how I do it) and why you would hire a designer to craft your wedding invitation designs. I hope everyone finds it interesting and useful. For the article with me an my press click here; and for future reference the article is under the date April 8, 2008. You'll get to see me, my press in action, some of my work, and my little dog Maren! Thanks for including me Kim, it was a blast! Be well everyone!

Article A

Hi everyone! Look! I had a mini interview/article written about my viewpoints on letterpress. How fun! You can check it out and read the whole thing here. Thanks to Roxanna at Aisledash!!!

More of a good thing

Good morning! Today I have listed a new item in my shop: a notecard multi-pack! I printed tons of each color to create a pack of 5 flat notecards with 5 unique animals in the set. I just figured that a multipack would allow everyone to get a sampling of a few popular designs at once rather than only getting one kind to a set. Of course, feel free to contact me through the shop if you would like a certain number of one kind. I've got lots made. I chose to use bright colors to ring in the warm season here in the States. There are also 2 new cards that are making their debut in the set: the seahorse flat note and the dragonfly flat note...I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed making them! Have a happy Wednesday everyone and I will see you tomorrow!

Spring is coming!

Spring is almost here...Thursday is the day I've been waiting for all winter. Not that it will change the weather much right away, but it's a step in the right direction for me. I love Spring and Summer. I love going outside without a coat and being able to walk freely without a thousand layers. Not getting frostbite is always an added bonus when going outside. These cards I designed and letterpress printed are my welcome to Spring (to be enjoyed all year round)...for sale in my shop here. I hope you like them!
Today I will be working on shipping orders, posting new items in the shop, and working on quotes for clients. Then, perhaps I will work on brainstorming new card designs and do some client work. I'm feeling a good bit under the weather (I'm scared I'm catching that super flu) so I'm trying to take it easy. Be well everyone!

It's in the cards

Hi everyone! It's Monday again and I'm back to the grind. I'm assuming you are too! Happy St. Patrick's Day! I would have a theme post, but I was too lazy to bother. See how honest I am? Anyway, I recently redesigned my business cards and letterpressed them in a pale robin's egg blue color...that's the photo above. It is a standard size for business cards, but this one is held vertically (just fit my info better) to be a little different. I used Crane's Lettra paper and was worried it would be too thick, but no, it isn't. It took a nice deep impression and makes the card feel sturdy and luxurious. I love collecting fun or fancy business cards and I hope people hang onto mine as a keepsake (the way I do others) when I start handing them out. This week I plan to share some of my recent notecard projects with you as I refresh items in the shop. Be well!

meadow wedding

Good morning! Happy Monday to you. I thought I'd show a picture of a letterpressed wedding suite I did a while back...all in a chocolate brown. The invitation is a tea length card and envelope (just for something a little different). I can't wait until the weather here improves and we'll really be able to romp through the meadows like the one in the invitation! Today you will find me putting together quotes for several clients and working on artwork for some future prints...along with putting together a few etsy orders that came through over the weekend. The daylight savings time has me all thrown off. But I have to say I love when it is still "light" out at 7:00 in the evening! It makes me feel so much more energized. Time to come out of hibernation! (And the Robins hopping around outside seem to agree).

A Peacock Wedding

Today's images are from a wedding suite I recently completed that involved a variation of my peacock wedding design shown in the portfolio section on my website. I could not use the original design since the bride's color scheme was too dark to work that way. I little shuffling took place and this is what we came up with. I'm very pleased with the outcome. It's printed on Crane's Lettra letterpress 100% cotton paper in Pearl White (an ivory). It's very soft to touch.
The suite included in invitation card, a directions card (with a map on the back) and an rsvp card. I also did an outer envelope with return address on the flap with a plain inner envelope. This was so much fun to work on! I love my job.
This Design is copyrighted by Megan creates...

Don't mess with the T

Hello! Well, the doctor who did the procedure on me yesterday called me back. He couldn't give me specifics since he's not officially MY doctor. But, here's some quotes of what he said:
1. "generally speaking, women with a t-shaped uterus have poor pregnancy outcomes"
2. "many women with the t-shape go on to eventually have a healthy viable baby
3. "many miscarriages before 10 weeks aren't because of the t-shape...the t-shape tends to cause later miscarriages" (this did not feel good to hear at all!!)
4. "looking at YOUR x-rays, I would say you have a slight t-shape. It's there, but not bad. I've seen much worse cases. I would guess that you should have a positive outcome at some point. Of all the t-shapes, this one is a better one to have."
So, I guess it's not all bad news. It's possible. I will find out more details in a few weeks when I get to meet with my actual RE to go over all the numerous results from all my testing. The bottom line is: I have to keep trying. And there's nothing I can do to control the outcome except for trying to relax and not obsess (that's a knee-slapper).
This next project was for a client as a gift to his wife for Christmas. They were small folded notecards using his requested scallop shell as a motif with her name on the bottom. Very simple, printed with blue ink on 100% cotton Crane's Lettra letterpress paper. He emailed me to say that the cards were a hit, so I'm glad it worked out! The simple designs seem to be a bit in fashion right now. I am currently working on some designs for generic folded notecards that have more interesting designs on them as a change of pace and more fun for me. But I'm buried with work lately (a good problem!) so my personal projects for sale have been a bit on hold. I'll talk more about that tomorrow! Have a great day everyone!

free to bee?

Hello! Well, holy hell... today's test hurt so badly. UGH! It seemed like it was ok during the procedure...just very uncomfortable. But the pain I felt afterward had me in some tears and a bit of writhing and gnashing of teeth ensued. I feel much better now and am happy it's done. The doc there at the hospital said my tubes are free-flowing and clear! No blockages or issues there. But (of course there's a "but") my uterus is "a bit T-shaped." (his words). He went on to say "But it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Well, I hadn't realized it COULD be a problem. So, of course I got home and googled it...and didn't see much by way of good news for the condition. It seems, though, to explain the ectopic pregnancy and miscarriages. So after a lot of tears and stress, I've left a message with my RE hoping she would call me back once she gets the official results from the hospital...rather than me waiting a few weeks to see her in person. I'd like to be able to, you know, SLEEP tonight knowing what she thinks in terms of MY situation. Googling OTHER people's situations doesn't help because their "T" might be more "T-like" than mine. Or perhaps their uterus looked more like some other letter of the alphabet...or a wingding symbol you get when you hit lots of key combinations together on the computer. I know I shouldn't panic when I don't know the details. But that's why I panic. And I can't help it. So that's that. We'll see what happens!
The pics above are of some stationery I made for my Mom for Christmas. Growing up her nickname in her family was "queen bee" since she was the only little girl amongst many boy cousins her same general age. So her stationery has a bee at the top. I know it's obvious, but only to her I think. I'll be back tomorrow with more design fun!

I'm looking over a 4-leaf clover

Hello! Sorry I've been so absent! It's been hard finding the time to update while watching a wild puppy and get my work done. I just took a bunch of pictures of some recent work so I can use them through the week and update more regularly. We are having a Nor'easter snow storm right now and we are absolutely buried! Again! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine had a little bit of work and a little bit of fun mixed in. My husband and I went to see Juno...I loved it. He thought it was ok. I found it to be touching and funny...though not quite as funny as I thought it would be. I also went out with friends Saturday night into Boston for dinner, drinks, and some dancing. It's been so long since I've been to a club...and I had a lot of fun. Definitely not something I could do several times a week like back when. I have no idea where I got the energy for going out all the time back then. It must have come from some secret energy reserve I don't know about...if only I could tap into it now and fuel my car for much less money. I spent Sunday recuperating from Saturday night and I also spent the day catching up on a bunch of work I had intended to do on Saturday. The pics above are from some flat notecard stationery I made for my mother-in-law for Christmas. I know she wanted an Irish theme to the card and something simple, so that's what I did for her.
Tomorrow I have the HSG test with a reproductive endocrinologist (I mentioned in the previous post). They are injecting dye into me and checking out my uterus and tubes via an xray to make sure there is no damage or cysts, etc. that might be causing my miscarriages. It is supposed to be quite painful during the procedure, so I'm nervous. But I am happy that I'm getting so thoroughly checked out. Soon I will have a complete picture of what may or may not be happening with me and that's a good feeling. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. And, of course, show some more letterpress fun. See you soon and wish me luck!

Holiday Birth Announcement Design

Hello! Today I thought I would show a fun recent letterpress printing and design project I was hired for: A holiday card and birth announcement combination! My client happened to be my sister-in-law and it was a dream from start to finish. She came to me looking for something preppy, girlish, with a holiday element to it. It was a fun challenge trying to create something that feels babyish and holiday-like at once. The baby wasn't born during the holidays so I didn't want it too close to that theme either. She suggested using elephants or whales or polka dots. After some designing, we landed on using the whales as polka dots using a magenta and green to evoke the holidays without being to "Christmas color-y". We decided to do 2 cards tied together with a ribbon at the top. In this way, either card could be displayed by itself by taking off the ribbon. The baby's photo is attached with removable glue dots so that photo could be taken and kept in a frame or wallet if desired. My sister-in-law assembled them by putting in the pictures herself and tying them together with matching ribbon she found. I'm happy with the results and am honored she chose me for this project. Thanks for looking!