One Year!

Hello everyone! I've officially been freelancing/working for myself for a year now. The time has flown by! I've loved every second of it. I'm much more relaxed in my life now and I don't have that tight/angry feeling in my chest I used to have when I worked my 8:30-5:30 job. My goals have been evolving over the year and I'm feverishly working on wedding invitation designs and birth announcement designs for the new "launch" of my business. I'm doing a few different projects for clients right now that will serve as great portfolio items to show my design styles and capabilities. I'm having so much fun! On another note, I have attached a photo in this post of a blank wall in the upstairs of our house. It's a huge wall and it's screaming for some design action. But I have so many thoughts that they are running together. I'm overwhelmed! I'd love ideas if anyone has them for this wall. The aesthetic I'm going for is transitional...I'm open to something "different" and I'm trying to avoid just hanging a bunch of photos there. Some ideas I've thought of are using wall decals, a big giant painting, a "mosaic" of small photos, one huge photo, blown up and tiled...see what I mean? But the wall is so big that I feel like one idea won't fill the space well. An ongoing battle I think. I feel defeated before even beginning. I've also attached a pic or two of part of my design studio space where I keep some books and inspiration . I like eye candy. I have some decorating work to do in the office, but I'm gathering ideas. Slowly but surely. I hope everyone is well and has a great week ahead! I'd like to start posting more frequently...but I can't make promises (as I've learned.) Be well!

Rolling along...

I just got word from NA Graphics out in Colorado that they can replace my 3 rollers, give me all new trucks, and send everything out soon. Yay! I guess the rollers will take around 3 weeks to get; and I'm grateful to be getting them. I will be using rubber rollers this time around on my press instead of composition. Supposedly they will be much more consistent and easier to work with. (Thank GOD!) It also turns out that my roller trucks were off from each other in diameter, so that was leading to inconsistent ink distribution as well. I feel like starting from scratch with new rollers and trucks will really help me out in the long run. I'm so excited to sort of start over again the right way for how I work. Plus, since the basement is chillier, the rubber rollers won't constrict so much and cause me trouble. The down side to all this is the expense. If you haven't seen the 80's movie "The Money Pit" yet, I highly recommend it. It's hysterical. And it really encapsulates how I've been feeling with my letterpress stuff. I know it will get better and I will stop hemhorraging money to it. Eventually. Been working on lots of wedding invitation designs and birth announcement designs and am excited to debut them. I'm also working on a new website design for Megan creates. All will be shown in due time. My goal? To have things up and going in by June. Hopefully sooner than that. I guess we'll see. Have a great weekend everyone!!! Hopefully it will be above zero degrees this weekend around here so we can actually go outside without having the lungs freeze up. Last, but not least...my cousin found out she is having a boy!!!! It's the first child of my generation on that side of our family and we are all so excited. I'm sending good thoughts and prayers each day to her. Now, I need to come up with some cool baby shower designs for her! Be well everyone!

Polaroid love

Hi everyone! I'm back in action working at home again. This month I am designing concepts for a wedding, an adoption family album, a birth announcement, and a baby shower/thank you notes set. All of these are the most fun kinds of design and I'm excited to get started! I've decided to spin my business more in this direction (and still offer corporate design too). I'm thrilled about the future! I tried to do some letterpress work this past weekend and it just won't work right now. One of my freakin' rollers melted (long story) so I have to try and order all new rollers. ARG. I will order rubber rollers this time and hope that they are consistent and work. Letterpressing has been very frustrating for me so far. But, when it worked (however briefly) I loved it. I just have to keep at it and know that it will work out for me soon. My parents visited me recently and Dad brought me his Polaroid Land Camera (230). He got it when he was in Vietnam for the war; from a general store for the soldiers. He says a guy called Smitty helped him get it going. I love that. Circa 1968-1969. The battery (probably close to original) is corroded inside the chamber so I have to try and clean it up and then locate a new kind of battery to use. I'm excited to get it going and I hope it works. I'll post on it, of course, once I know and I'll be sure to show the photos. This weekend I actually didn't work. My friend Sue came to visit and the three of us went snow-tubing at Nashoba Ski area in our town. It was so fun; as it was my first time. As a child I always used a plastic rectangular sled on our hill at my parents' house. On occasion I'd go with a friend to some "extreme" hilly golf courses and sled there too. But those were more like cliffs; so I called it "extreme sledding." The snow tubing park had very particular lanes and the hill was long and high compared to what I was used to. I about had a heart attack on the first run since it was so icy and fast. Once I got used to the speed I had a blast. We're definitely going back! As the time went by, the slope started getting a bit melted from the balmy 48 degree weather so the sledding got a bit slower. We're looking forward to it getting a little colder outside so we can go back and have prime speed. :)

Busy Weekending!

Hello everyone! This morning I was taking off my deep red nail polish when I heard a knock at the door. I bounded down the stairs with my tissue soaked in polish-remover and already red-stained. (That stuff is SO HARD to get off!) There was a friendly looking guy on our porch with his Bible and pamphlets. It was cold out so I decided to give him a break and let him give me a pamphlet. He stared down at my hands and looked back up at me puzzled. He left pretty quickly and I thought; "Wow, that's the fastest Jehovah's Witness visit ever!" (I like to be friendly to these people because they are trying to do something for their faith; which is better than trying to rob me. And I've gotta give them credit for standing behind their religion even if I'm faithful to my own.) I shut the door and realized that my fingers looked bloody; as did the deep red tissue. Heh heh. He thought he walked in on some sort of crime scene when the real crime was my choosing deep red nail polish. I'm repentant! It's a busy weekend of working ahead. I haven't had much time for rest and relaxation lately. I've been in Boston working for a client every day (it's a 2-hour commute time each way) and I've been working on my own work and other client work during my weekends. I've got a big presentation next week that I am preparing for and need to finish designing a whole bunch of things today and tomorrow. Rush Rush Rush!!! Hopefully I can stop and breath soon...so much going on in my head! I thought I would post a few photos today. The first is of the beloved Chili made for me by my husband on Valentine's Day. (Thanks again!!) It's made with pulled pork...which I don't normally like, but is so good in chili. I also posted a photo after the latest snow we had. I just loved the morning sky looking up in our back yard. And finally; me in my office. Looking tired; no makeup, hair in a mishapen bun, and ready to work through the weekend. Have a good one, all!

Passing Notes

I was paging through my latest issue of "How" Magazine (it's the 2007 Design Annual) and stumbled on a gorgeous wedding invitation featured. I went to the designer's website and was AMAZED. The firm is called "Passing Notes". What beautiful work!!! For anyone who loves invitation design and loves eye candy this site is for you. The work there took my breath away. I was sad when I had finished looking through everything! The studio showcases designs that truly reflect the people they are for. And the thinking is very "outside the box" and refreshing. I was starting to think that all invitation design was starting to look the same! This gives me hope that new ideas exist, we just have to spend a little extra time to get there. Note, the site is in Flash so you'll have to have it installed. Also, I noticed that if you click each number, a new project comes up. To see all the images/parts from one project you have to look over to the right...you'll see a ": next" link. Click on that to remain on the same project and see all its different parts and pieces. That's where the fun is! All I can say is, I'm completely inspired! I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I did! Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear opinions.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! It is snowy here; we're having a bit of a storm come through. I decided not to travel into the city today; so I'm working here at home. Lots to do! I decided to take a break and write... I won't spoil the Valentines Day surprises, but I CAN say that my husband is making me my special chili (mentioned a few posts ago). I will be sure to take pictures of it this time. It's in the crock pot now and smells good. *sigh* I'm very excited. I never knew food could make me so elated. I'd never much cared one way or the other about food. It's also tax time! Our accountant is coming over tomorrow night to help weed through the jungle of papers and forms. I've tried to stay as organized as possible with everything so hopefully it will go smoothly. My first year of freelancing went well (for what I had hoped anyway). And thankfully my sometimes anal-retentive ways have helped me via a detailed excel spreadsheet where all my numbers and figures are recorded. I hope the tax faerie is nice to me and doesn't need to audit us. I've tried so hard to make sure everything is perfect. But it still makes me worry. Maybe I can slip her a few bucks under my pillow tonight to make sure we have an understanding.

Anyhoo, I'm happy to be safely indoors today. Drivers around here are nuts on the highways. I know; I'm one of them. But at least I'm a polite driver. And I'm always careful. You can be crazy AND careful. It's an art. I'm also glad to not be on the T. (The subway system in Boston). There's always "that person" nearby picking his/her nose. ALWAYS. And I find myself wondering why they seem to think nobody would see them. "You're in an open public space!!" I've wanted to yell. But I suffer and gag in silence. There's also "that guy" on the train who tries to use slick lines like "hey, I've seen you on this train a few times and wanted to say hi, so hi!". Or "hey cutie". Or some other phrase that's delivered in an overly friendly, slightly patronizing way. I'm not a mean person, so I smile and say hello politely. And then I stare at my shoe.

Meanwhile my inner dialogue says: "look dude, I'm trying to friggin' get to work. I'd drive my car; but this place is a traffic disaster from hell. So I'm stuck on the train watching the nose picker while I gag. I'm happily married...see my ring? And I don't see you on the train because I'm thinking about my day ahead. I'm not scoping the scene trying to pick up strangers. Please don't follow me when I get off the train. And please don't get mad that I'm not giving in to your advances...I don't want to be found dead in a trash can somewhere. But I'm sure you're a nice person."

More Penguin Love

Hi All! Today was an exciting surprise. Grace over at Design Sponge featured my Penguin card on her blog today! What a thrill! Thanks Grace! This busy week has come to an end. This weekend will find me working most of the time. I'm grateful to have that problem! Lots of ad campaign and branding work to do. I do have a manicure appointment for Saturday; not that it will last for more than a day since I am not girly enough to take proper care of my hands! But it's a fun indulgence once in a while. I will see if I can squeeze in some time to finish designing some plate designs for future letterpress projects. I have a design or two done, but need a few more to make a full/complete plate order. I also have some paper I'm interested in ordering and I have some etsy shipping to do. Busy times! Well, I'm off to dinner with my husband. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Get rest and have fun (if you can!)

Penguin Love

Hi everyone! Ugh; I'm still fighting my cold from hell. I finally got to the doctor today and she prescribed some antibiotics and other goodies. I hope I'm on the upswing now! I feel like a permanent lump on the couch. I'll have to be surgically removed. This past weekend I had some free time and pressed some new cards...they are flat notecards with rounded corners with a little mint green king penguin with baby. They're just a little fun design that are also professional. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what kind of designs I want to do; and realize that I like the more frilly/girly looks. But, there is so much design out there that already fits that bill; I want to be different and provide designs that suit anyone's needs; both personally and professionally. I find that I like to hand-write notes when it comes to business matters and many designs out there are too frilly to feel professional. So I've decided to focus on designs that can be used in that capacity and still be fun for personal use. I have lots of ideas for future designs to work as flat notes like this; it's just a matter of getting plates made and getting to it. What was fun about the penguin cards is that thet didn't take nearly as long to produce (since the design is one color and simpler). I really enjoyed working on them; it was both relaxing and fun. They are now up for sale on my etsy shop if anyone is interested!! Have a great day everyone!!

Argyle!

Happy Friday everyone!! I just posted my Argyle cards for sale on my Etsy shop. I only have only 4 sets for sale right now. I plan to do a reprint of these for sure; and next time they will be on Crane's Lettra paper. I hope you like them! I even designed cool new Presslings labels to go on the cardsets. I have a version designed for letterpress and a version for screenprinted cards. The letterpress one features a bright pink logo and the screenprinted features a bright blue. It's designed to cover a lot of the front and have a blue tab that wraps around the back. You can see both sides in the photos above. I'm happy with how it came out. It's going to be a busy 2 months here at the studio. I'm doing work for 3 different corporate clients as well as invitation projects for a few other people. I will hopefully unbury myself by the end of March so I can come up for air and do more letterpress creating. I'm happy to be so busy since January was on the slow side. For fun, here is a link to a cute online shop that I like called Cut & Paste. Have a great weekend everyone...stay warm and enjoy creating!

Color Number Two

Good evening! Or should I say "Greetings!!" Today I did some client work and then I got a chance to print the second color of my 2 color print job! Finally! Some of them got messed up; so I'm not sure how many total usable cards I got. But I'm hoping to eek out a couple sets of 5 to sell on my etsy shop soon. YAY! Brown was the second color; and I'm happy with the way it came out. (I made a joke in today's title entry...did you get it? I know I'm not funny.) I'm happy with the design... I've discovered I'm not that happy with the paper. It's very smooth and I didn't really get any impression (except where the logo is). Which is the way it's SUPPOSED to be, but I wanted at least a little bit of an impression. So when I run the job again, I will use Crane's Lettra letterpress paper which is soft and "pillowy." It is supposed to take more of an impression. I also learned that my design printed slightly crooked which will make me have to trim each card a certain way to "hide" it. Next time I'll have to take more diligence to get it straight so I don't have to fix it through cutting after the fact. BUT I'm proud of myself. It's my first letterpress project and I chose a challenging design that had to line up perfectly as two colors. I learned so much and it's been fun so far! My next several projects will be 1 color flat notecards...a bit easier to pull off as a beginner. I've just been booked for a major freelance design project for the next 1-2 months, so that will away a lot of the free time I've had for printing. But I'll still try to fit some press work in during the weekends during that time. Things are lookin' good! (And Busy!) I'll be sure to post images of the finished cards and card packs when I put them up for sale at my Etsy shop. Hopefully that will be by the weekend. You can check out today's print session on my flickr photos. I hope all is well with everyone! I'm off to go celebrate my first card print. Wahooooo! *dancing*

It's Chili

Good morning! Well, I got more sick on Friday. f*ck!!! Went through a box of Kleenex...I'd moved on to the "head cold" portion of the flu with the watery eyes, nose, etc. PLUS my beloved cough. Spent the entirety of the weekend on the couch unable to move or do anything at all. Last night filled with asthma attacks. Today, I'm just back to having the cough and almost deaf ears. The whole thing is a sonofabitch. All with hives covering 90 percent of my body; thanks to my flu meds aggravating my normal batch. So the insane all-over itching tended to be a factor of the weekend. I just try to remember it could be worse...it always could be worse. On to the topic at hand; my husband made me my favorite chili last night for dinner. Not just ANY chili; THE chili. My favorite food dish is the chili at Charlie Beiggs Restaurant in Windham, Maine. It's won many awards and whenever I'm in Maine I beg to go there just so I can have the crock of chili (which they bake to melt the cheese on top and put a bunch of scallions and such on the top). They make it with pulled pork (smoked) and special bbq sauce and such. It's got the most amazing flavor. I've been obsessed with it for years and I don't try to hide it. For Christmas Eve dinner (since I don't eat seafood...I'm shamed) my Dad drove all the way out to the restaurant just to pick up the chili for me (they don't do takeout). He convinced them to put it in a container for me and I gratefully ate my chili as the rest of the family ate their lobster rolls. Thanks Dad! It was a nice surprise. And so sweet to drive all the way there just for me. Knowing my love for this stuff, my husband has taken on the task of trying to emulate the recipe. Yesterday morning he set up the crock pot and started in with cooking the pork. He spent all day lovingly preparing all the ingredients. He toiled and slaved over each vegetable slice and sprinkle. And when it was ready and smelled so delicious he put it into crocks and baked the cheese on. He even added the scallion garnish! It was friggin' great! It wasn't exactly like the restaurant's, but it was better. It was his. It was made with love and determination to make me smile. It was perfect and perfectly delicious. And now I have enough to last me the week! He will try to make it again; and next time he'll add a little more sauce. All I know is, it was heavenly and I'm very lucky.

Be well everyone; I will be trying to get through this recovery so I can get back to my life again. Dirty bastard flu!!!

*COUGH*

Sorry for the coughing; I'm covering my mouth...I promise. (waaaaaaa!!) I hate being sick. Well, I was booked to work for my client on Wednesday; and they booked me for yesterday too. So, that was a nice surprise. They wanted me for today too; but of course my creepy cough has escalated to more of an illness. I'm sort of slogging around the house to get where I need to go. I've even used up my DayQuil. And my breathing is that sort of perverted phone-call sound. You know, the guy you hang up on after he asks "what are you wearing?". In all seriousness, we had a guy call our dorm every night at 2:45 am when I was a freshman in college. I would answer and he'd say "What are you wearing" and then be silent. I was always puzzled by this. At first I said "sorry, sweatpants and a tshirt aren't really the most exciting things"...and he hung up. Then, I could hear the phones ring through the walls in other rooms on the floor. He called everyone. I always just told him to get a blowup doll and I hung up the phone. Well, he finally called during the SuperBowl once and I tried to have a conversation with him. I asked him what HE was wearing instead. I said we couldn't keep meeting like this and have it be so one-sided. He finally hung up with anger and he never called again. I talked him to death. With that, I'm off to the couch. I'm sorry no print yet. I'm sad it's not done, but I guess I have to take care of myself first. As soon as I feel ok I'm going to finish it. I'll be sure to put up photos and all. OH! And my potential new client is officially my client! He approved my quote for his project and I'm off to the races! So, I CAN say to anyone considering, that joining the Chamber of Commerce (as a graphic designer) was a good idea and worth it. A fraction of this project will pay for the membership and I might forge new relationships as the networking meetings continue. The trick is to remember that a lot of small businesses simply can't afford big-ticket marketing. So I push myself as professional and affordable. Design on a budget does not have to look bad. Be well everyone!! Happy Friday and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I hope my next post will have photos of my print with the second color (which will be brown). Later!! (Card posted above is on my inspiration board. It's a fabric card by Beaumonde...it's fuzzy/velour-like. I'd gotten it at Anthropologie a while ago. It's cool envelope is behind it. Check out the website; there's a lot of cool stuff there!)

Off to Work!

Good Morning all! Well, I'm getting ready to head into the City today. I got booked yesterday to work for a client on-site today. (I'm very happy to have gotten booked!!) I don't like the commute (2 hours door to door via drive to commuter rail, commuter-rail to T, T (subway) to the stop, and a 3 block walk). But I'm grateful for the opportunity to work and happy about it. It's only for today. I can come home and rest tonight (I probably won't get home until after 7) and sleep more of the cold off tomorrow. No printing news yet! I didn't do it yesterday since it's cold in the basement. I figured that wouldn't be smart. Perhaps tomorrow. It's definitely calling me! I also got a few calls from other clients for work soon, so things are picking back up. It's been a slow month for sure. I hope February sees better times work-wise! I'm still trying for my goal for having at least one letterpressed card up for sale on my etsy shop by the end of the month. Never hurts to try, right? Well, I'm off to finish getting ready. Be well today everyone!

Sick Day

Hello all! *cough* *cough* I feel like crap today. Some sort of deep cough and pain in the chest. Maybe I have the black lung. (Anybody see the movie "Zoolander?"...it's a stupid/funny movie, but a good quote) Maybe it's bronchitis. I tend to assume the worst thing first so that when I find out it's just a little cough I can feel relieved. I'll have to keep an eye on it. I'll head for the couch. I was hoping to do the second color of printing on my cards, but don't know if I have the strength. We'll see. I've done a small run of 30 cards. The first color went on evenly (yay again!) so now I just have to correctly register the second color on top of it. I tried one or two yesterday and it came out ok. But just not in the ink color I want. Almost there! I also have to head off at some point to the craft store to get mineral spirits for cleaning the press. I'm running out. I use Crisco on the plates, but the former owner of my press mentioned his concerns about using it on the press because he said it leaves a varnish film behind. Anyone have thoughts on this? I am also waiting for more plate adhesive from Boxcar...my plates aren't really sticking very well right now (I've peeled them on and off a handful of times now) Anyway, when I clean the press I use mineral spirits and I wear surgical gloves. I can't use anything with water because my rollers aren't rubber...they are composition and will deteriorate with water. Anyhoo, I hope all is well everyone! Keep smiling! (or start, whatever the case may be)

The Celebration

Muuuuuaaaaaaaahhhahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! (That is maniacal laughter in case you weren't sure) I finally got my press to print evenly! Friday was the magical day when I got the platen to print evenly. The bright blue ink in the image is not going to be the actual color...but it was just used so I could gauge an even print. Now I'm that much closer to having these come out the way they need to. YAY!!! I am in the bathroom in that picture, taking photos of myself celebrating after the "win." When the print came out evenly I stood there in disbelief while my heart raced. This time it had to have been GOOD blood pressure. I must have looked like I'd unearthed the Holy Grail or something. I imagine a glow of light shining up on my face as I stared down at the "treasure." I stayed pretty calm as I did a few more to be sure I wasn't hallucinating. Then I went upstairs to do a little dance and take photos. I also immediately marked up the print with everything I did to set it up so I'd remember and be able to do it again later.

I ate lunch right then too in order to avoid fainting from surprise. I also got a really cool sample: paper and envelopes package from Crane's. I wanted to know the difference between their "Lettra" letterpress paper and their regular cover stocks. So they sent along samples of all the kinds I'd asked about and labled them all for me! They also sent one item in every color. Same for each and every size/shape of envelopes! Now I have a nice reference library of these great papers! (It's amazing what kinds of things can excite me.) I'll be sure to order.


And finally, I got my Lassco corner rounder in the mail. I can put a stack of cards in, and it rounds the corners of the stack for me. Very cool! And will be used a LOT. I plan to use rounded corners in most of my work (where it will suit the design). I tested it out and it works great! This weekend we went to my husband's family's house up by Stratton Mtn. in Vermont. I read by the fire and watched movies/tv. Very relaxing! I also ate tons of junk food and now am a little sluggish from it all. All that "activity" takes it's toll, you know? Well, I'm off to nap. It's Sunday; it's ok. I'll end with a photo of some random dude driving a 4-wheeler along the foot-path the runs behind our house in the woods. He'd whizzed by when I was photographing my celebration. :) Have a good one!!!!

Tagged!

I've been "tagged!" In blog-world, this is where someone writes 6 weird things about themselves and then "tags" 6 other people with blogs to do the same on their site. Kathleen of Cake + Pie has tagged me. I never had heard of this until recently so here goes!
1. A lot of people don't know I have "Nail Patella Syndrome" which is a genetic disorder. From it, I have cracked/incomplete thumbnails. Also, I cannot rotate my forearms...there is no socket in the elbow to turn...I can only bend the elbow. WEIRD! I also have strange hips and knees. Luckily, it's hard for others to notice (except sometimes I get comments about why my arms always seem to look "bent." But I tend to hide it ok. So this is a weird thing about me.

2. A lot of people ALSO don't know I have "Pressure Urticaria" which is pressure hives. I get them every day all over myself wherever there has been pressure on my skin. It's extremely itchy and annoying. On bad days I look like "Pizza the Hut" from Spaceballs. The key is to not do too much strenuous activity and avoid sitting/leaning on hard surfaces. I'm contemplating getting a bubble I can live in. Anyway, side effects are painful/swollen joints, fatigue, and of course itchy red welts. It came on just before I turned 22. I'm halfway to 29 now, so this sucks. There's no treatment or anything...mine is a severe case. So, I'm just used to it now. They say it will probably go away some day just in the way it came. WEIRD, RIGHT??

3. I'm originally from Maine and I hate seafood. Anything that looks like a giant ant is not for me. I'm just not a fan of the tastes or the textures. BLECH! But I know I'll probably never be allowed back in the state and I've also shamed my whole family. I can't help it; I'm weird!

4. I LOVE the muppets and anything muppet related. NO, I don't have muppet shrines in my house. Just a bunch of DVDs. Jim Henson was a genious. And his goal was to create a more peaceful and happy world. His work makes me feel like that. But to be 28 and singing "And Dance Myself to Sleep" by Ernie from Sesame Street makes me a little weird. Oh well.

5. I don't like to be tickled. Yeah, most people don't. But I cry and panic. Who does that?

6. My favorite movie is "Platoon." It's so great. What makes that weird is my second favorite is "Muppets Take Manhattan." I know, I know. Freakish.

Now, I have to tag 6 people. It's ok if you don't want to do it; but it's refreshing if there's a lot of other things on your mind.

RULES: People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

I tag: Juliet, Thea, Amy, Romina, The "Reluctant Housewife", and Alison

Already Thursday

Sorry no photo today. My meeting with the potential client when really well yesterday! I learned a lot about his business and the project will be really exciting. Therefore, I'm excited! I have to put together a quote today and we'll see how it goes. Becoming a member of the Chamber of Commerce is really paying off! As for today, I have a different meeting with a client of mine so it's an administrative day here. Lots of filing and organizing to do. I didn't get to do much on the press yesterday; perhaps this evening I can make some progress (will I EVER!?) I DID receive my stack paper cutter yesterday: a QCM-1200E Stack Paper Cutter. I was all excited until we put it together and thought there was all kinds of things wrong with it. SIGH......
The paper clamp seemed to be ruining my paper and the blade wouldn't cut through my small stack. BUT upon calling the guy who sold it to me, I found that the stack had to be thicker. Once I thickened the stack, it cut like butter and the top sheet only got a little ruined from the paper clamp. He told me to use a few sheets of scrap paper on the top to absorb the clamp pressure and it should be ok. YAY! So, I'm now happy with the cutter and relieved I don't have to send it back. Another near set-back averted!
Today will be a little break as I focus on design-world. But I won't give up! (slamming fist on my desk) I hope everyone has a great day today!

Not yet defeated

Good morning all!
Well, yesterday was another trying letterpress day. (I say this as I rub my back) I had finally gotten my design to print straight, but ran into major press operation issues when it stopped working all together. After hours and hours of troubleshooting, my husband helping as well, we came to figure out that the bottom of the right gripper was smashing the base all along and shredded up the bottom of the base. There was no warning or sound that I knew this was happening. It slowly threw the pressbed crooked and hence stopped it from working properly. Upon the realization I felt like I had about 2 heart attacks and 1 panic attack. I thought the press was dead, but my husband the superhero with a ratchet made some adjustments to the form and re-balanced out the bed. It seems to be working great now; and I'm no longer hitting the bottom of the right gripper. A HUGE lesson learned. I'll get there yet! Today I have a consultation with a potential client in the morning and then errands to run. I'll have to start my design layout from scratch this afternoon since all the adjustments yesterday have changed things. We'll see what I can accomplish today as tomorrow will be strictly a design/administrative day. The good things this morning: It's sunny out, my blood pressure is coming down after yesterday, and I'm going to have FUN dammit! Stay strong everyone!

The Progress

Whew! I feel much better this morning. Still sore, but the bath and Tylenol did wonders last night. I've put notes out in letterpress world looking for help with my "crooked printing" problem so we'll see what tips turn up. In the meantime, I thought I would post some images from yesterdays press attempts. As I'd said, I don't have the first run of color done yet. Once I solve my crooked printing issue I can keep going. But, the pictures give an idea of where I'm at. One thing I discovered yesterday was that ink is DEFINITELY different than paint! I'd always assumed that mixing it would be similar to paint. How wrong I was. I had to throw out 3 mixed batches before I got the color I wanted. The amount of blue I needed literaly could cover the head of a pin. (Mixed with a blob of Transparent White) That's it. I can't believe how little I needed. But, as you can see in the ink photo, it's quite blue! Of course, then I realized that when you put the ink on the paper it is MUCH lighter than what you see on the palette. So, I've learned to not believe what I see. And I am such a trusting person! :)

I've learned a lot so far; and I figure with each printing attempt I will get a little more adept at what I'm doing. It's easy for me to get discouraged when learning something new. I want to be good at it right away! And that just isn't possible with something like this. There are too many factors involved...so I'm learning to go with the flow and enjoy the process. Each little discovery is another little thrill that gets the adrenaline pumping and keeps me going forward. It's a lot of fun so far and I know the payoff will be worth it down the road. In other news, not much going on business-wise. I have a few consulting meetings this week and that's about it. January has been such a dead month so far! Is it always like this? It's my first dry month since I started last March. One of my consulting gigs is with someone I'd met through the Chamber o. C. networking meeting. I can't get my hopes up, but my fingers are crossed that I can build a relationship with this potential client. I really enjoy the thrill of helping small businesses improve their brand image. I love a job well done and a happy client. Well, I'm off to face this day of printing...we shall see how it goes! Have a great day all!

Sigh

Holy crap. I'm sore. I'm tired. But I'm not giving up!
I've spent the entire day and evening working on my first letterpress print. And I still have nothing to really show. I keep running into roadblocks and problems. I'm learning a lot, which is great. I haven't even done the run of my first color yet because I'm still fumbling with how to get the print to come out straight on my paper. Once I solve the issue with the crookedness I'm good to go. My back is imploding right now...I feel like Igor. I'm excited because I'm learning so much; but I just wish I had something right now to show for all this time and effort. Maybe tomorrow. I will post again then with a bunch of pictures I took of today's activities. I feel like a bumbling idiot, but I know that with each project I try I will learn more and more; thus getting better and better. I have a little Word document with all the things I've learned today jotted down. I can use this as a "what not to do" sheet as I move forward. I'm off to take a hot bath and some Tylenol. I'll write more tomorrow when I'm refreshed and have pictures to share. (All before I have another go at the press, of course). I hope I don't have too many nightmares tonight about measuring. Oh, the measuring. *shudder* Oh ruler, I will master you yet!

Nineteen

19 is the number of layers of tape I needed for my press on each rail. I spent all day yesterday taping and testing and taping some more. I cannot believe how thick the tape is!! But now, the rollers are at the perfect height where they are finally not inking the entire printing base and plate. Now, the rollers just kiss the top of my plate and I'm now good to go. I'm not sure if I'm going to start printing today though...I need a little recovery from my 8 hour tape-wrangling episode from yesterday. I also got my paper, correctly cut this time. I'm finding it makes a nice impression, and is very smooth. My original goal was to get soft fluffy paper, but it's kind of hard to write notes on without the pen snagging a lot. So I've gone with the smooth and thick paper for the stationery projects for now and we'll see. I want to try Crane's "Lettra" letterpress paper. Maybe in another month or two...my budget is tapped for now! On another note, I went to the Business Network Intl chapter meeting today and it was very interesting! Only one member of each profession is allowed in the chapter at a time. And everyone make sure to refer each other from the group; they keep track of referrals and the money brought in to the businesses from those referrals. It seems to work out quite well for everyone involved. I'm not quite decided on whether I will join or not. It's a big time commitment with mandatory meetings every Thursday am. It also calls for time outside of the meetings as well. I'm just not thinking I have so much time to devote so faithfully. But it HAS taught me the power of networking and how word of mouth makes such a difference for people. Now, I think the rest of my day today will be spent brainstorming and thinking about a few projects coming down the pipeline. Above photo is of a corner of my vanity table...on the lookout for a mirror that is of medium size and a bit modern or different in some way. I'd also like to find some sort of bright light for the area as well so I can actually do my makeup there and not come out looking like Bozo's bride. Any suggestions are welcome! Happy creating all!

Adjustments

Good morning all! Well, I didn't get to play as much on the press yesterday as I'd wanted. I went and had all my paper cut, but they cut it wrong be accident. One ream was supposed to be cut one way since it's a particular weight while the other, thicker ream was to be cut another. But she reversed them by mistake. The good thing is she's ordering me new paper and will cut it correctly for today (at no cost to me). So I scored a bunch of paper for free! It's rare when a mistake like this works out so well. It just set me back a day. But, I got home to do more adjusting on my press and found that the new tape I'd added to the rails came peeling off all over, so I have to take off ALL the tape on the rails and start from scratch. I'm annoyed at this because it will take forever and I'll have to do a lot of trial and error to make sure my rollers are at the right height. But, it's also relaxing and time well-spent to make sure everything works properly. Hopefully I can get this fixed up today and get back on track. (on track...get it? I made a pun!...ok, it wasn't very good). The photo above is of a silk jewelry travel pouch one sister in law gave me...I love the colors in it and the pattern. The dish on the left was given to me by my other sister-in-law...again I love the colors and the pattern. It's little things like this where I find my favorite color combos. On tap for tomorrow is a different networking meeting; this time not with the Chamber of Commerce but a different group called "Business Network International." I was invited to go as a guest so I figure it can't hurt to check it out. The local chapter is for the greater Boston region and very specific to where I live. It meets at 7:00 am so that will hurt a little, but I'm looking forward to any opportunities it may swing my way. I'll keep you posted! Here's a link for those of you who enjoy podcasts. A friend of mine recommended this to me as all the podcasts are about living a creative life/running a creative business whether it be through music, art, theater, etc. It hasn't been updated in a long time, but there's lots of content there to explore. Just little bits of inspiration if you are interested! Happy Wednesday all!

Press Practice

Good morning all!
Well, yesterday I spent about 5 hours in the basement making adjustments and learning about my "new" letterpress (a Pearl Improved No. 11). I''ve finally saved up enough money to get the accessories needed to print, ink, etc. I've also been reading everything I can find on the subject. I still would like a guillotine cutter/stack paper cutter and a corner rounder...all in due time. I'm open to any suggestions anyone out there may have for those! Time flew by yesterday; it's so easy to get lost in everything. I don't have any prints yet since I'm still adjusting and such, but it's really interesting so far! Above are photos from my practice setups and adjusting times. You can see the old tympan paper on the platen from the previous press owner. (I will be changing it out). I still have to organize the printing area...everything is just sort of thrown on the desk down there. I need to get things to be organized that's for sure. Hopefully I will have photos to share of my first actual print within a few days.
Be well and remember to do something creative!

The Big Meeting

Today was my first meeting with the local Chamber of Commerce. It was a small "breakfast" networking session so everyone could mingle, trade cards, and discuss what they do. It was really neat! I was so nervous before going, but felt good once I started chatting with people. I like the idea of supporting local businesses while they support me. It's a great way to meet new people, potentially get new clients, and get out of the studio. We went around the room in a circle to introduce ourselves and our businesses out loud to each other which gave me sweaty palms. In terms of networking tips: I made sure to say my name in the beginning and at the end of my little spiel--where I discussed the kind of design I do. I also made sure to mention my purpose (my tagline) which is "growth through creative strategy" while remembering to also mention my website. Whew! Hopefully it was all enough to stand out for others to remember me. I circulated a lot of cards, met wonderful people, and even have an invite for another networking group that meets once per week. Overall, my 2007 goal for expanding my client base has begun! And on a fun note, I have ordered my boxcar base and my very first plate for printing my first letterpress projects! They should be here any day now. I finally have everything I need to get started with printing. It felt like forever saving up the money I needed to get all the supplies and ink and paper. And I'm not even sure the paper is going to work! But I can only try, right? I have completed the design for the packaging for my cards and I'm very pleased with it (hope to provide a sneak peek soon). So hopefully I will have more to report regarding my letterpress fun very soon! Happy and creative Friday everyone!!!

LensBaby!

Good day to you all! Well, I had vowed to start having some fun with photography yesterday. And I started by playing around with my new Lensbaby that my lovely husband gave me for Christmas! I highly recommend checking it out; it's a cool little "toy." The two shots I posted here were taken with it. I have to practice using it, but I like the effect of the edges. It adds an element of "surprise" to digital photos...you don't quite know exactly what you will get. Of course, it will change as I learn to control the lens. But fun! As another surprise with fun photography, my father emailed me yesterday with this:
"Found my Polaroid 230 Automatic Land Camera (Circa 1969) if you want it." Well, Yes! How cool! I've been researching now what film can go in it (since all the original film is discontinued) and what battery needs to be used. They also don't make the flash bulbs for that (apparently) anymore, but I can use it outdoors in the natural light I bet. THANKS DAD!! So, lots of fun photographing ahead for the year! It's fun to see what happens when you put your dreams out into the universe. Have a creative day everyone!

Happy New Year!

Ahhh yes. A new and clean slate. The New Year is always like a fresh new pad of paper or a new unopened book or magazine...just waiting to be discovered and crisp. I never make resolutions because it just sets me up to be disappointed in myself so I usually think about directions I want to go in a general way--A sort of compass for the year and what I'd like out of it. Here are some of my thoughts:
-Develop my line of letterpressed stationery and paper goods -Involve more of a purpose to my blogging -Begin a generally regular workout routine that I can stick to for health's sake -Have fun with photography and play with it! I want to put more pics up on flickr. Learn to use my new Lensbaby. -Start bike-riding for fun with my husband -TRAVEL! We have upcoming trips to Austria and to Italy (I've never been abroad!) -Network and build on my design business; try to work with more local clients (I just joined the local Chamber of Commerce so I can build on this goal) I have other goals that are more personal as well...as we all do. I'm looking forward to the year! It's going to bring a lot of discovery and adventure. Here's a toast to all of you out there and your personal goals and interests for this year! I wish you all the best!!