paper stories letterpress

huge, Huge, HUGE letterpress giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:26:00 +0000

We are co-hosting a massive letterpress giveaway from the swap I organized. All the info is over at Poppytalk.

loving this...

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:59:00 +0000

I love these new stamps that came out, just in time for the postal increase. The stamps were designed by Jeanne Greco, based on 18th century playing cards. From her website she says, “In a way, it’s sad that the King and Queen will usually be used separately, but I hope they’ll find each other in the same mailbox from time to time. Perhaps they’re destined to reconnect only by chance in a royal flush or on an envelope that weighs more than an ounce.”

These stamps would be perfect for any upcoming wedding invitations.

come for a visit

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:11:00 +0000

If you feel like a lovely drive to the country this Saturday, May 9th, then head up to Grayslake, IL. We will have a table set up along with the other storefronts in our little shopping district. The community holds an annual organic plant and sidewalk sale. There will be music, food, plants and of course, us. We will have a small selection of cards available but will also be passing out info about our new space as well as registering people for our June classes. We will be there from 9am to 1pm. Hope to see you there.

bad blogger, bad

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:06:00 +0000

I can't believe how long it has been since I wrote anything here. I have been so incredibly busy and have neglected my little blog. Well here is what I have been up to in a nutshell...

moved into new space
found a new partner to share the space with (more on that later)
have been working hard to ready the new space (there will be a classroom and retail section too)
getting ready for NSS... this has been the biggest task (finishing the line, printing new designs, designing postcards, business cards, press kits, and a new website, working on the booth display, figuring out how to ship a large crate from Chicago to NY, and the list goes on)
guest blogging on other sites such as the Stationery Guides & Poppytalk Handmade Artists
organizing & participating in a letterpress swap
organizing a HUGE indie wedding event in Chicago called Indie Wed
don't forget I am a mom (and full time caregiver) for a very mobile 18 month old

I am exhausted just thinking about it. ;) I will try to be better though. Until next time (hopefully sooner than later)

moving day is approaching

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:43:00 +0000

Rusty Skeleton Keys for sale by 2BCreative's etsy shop

We just made plans to pick up keys to the new space on Monday. We will also be moving our press next Saturday. I will try to take plenty of pictures of the process which should be interesting. I just hope that the Chicago weather machine will hold off on the snow.

Now I am off to make calls as we need to rent a commercial grade vehicle and trailer for moving. Ugh.

blast from the past

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Tuesday was my birthday, so I got a bunch of well wishes from friends. One email was from my super duper photog friend Jeff who used to be my roommate for years and years. When we lived together on the east coast, we adopted a dog right off the streets. His name was Sailor and he was with me for 11 years until he passed away in 2007 from cancer. He was an amazing dog. In the note from Jeff, he included this old picture he shot of us about 10 years ago. I hadn't seen Sailor look this good for quite a while as he was pretty frail during his final years.

Sometimes it is nice to look back at things from long ago... and remember how they used to be.

studio lighting

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:03:00 +0000

studio lighting
counterclockwise from l to r... 1. sol pendant, cb2, $99 2. leran lamp, ikea, $90 3. swing pendant, cb2, $50 4. copper blow light, tom dixon 5. bucket pendant, anthropologie, $248 6. coral pendant, dwr, $400 7. foto lamp, ikea $15

I am going back to the new space on Sunday to do some measuring. No point in renting the place if I can't get my monster of a press through the door. One thing I will need to get right away is some lighting. Currently there are only open junction boxes. I have been looking at some options and have found some that I just love. Of course since there are 11 outlets, I doubt I will be getting the more expensive ones. Right now I am leaning towards the swing pendant from cb2 though my budget may push me more towards the 'foto' ikea pendant. Any lighting suggestions?

space

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:12:00 +0000

While the market may be shaky, Paper Stories is outgrowing its little 200 sq/ft studio. I have been thinking about expanding for a while and have found the space. It is 1000 square feet of concrete goodness. The space will serve primarily as a studio space but is so big that I have other plans as well that will eventually include a small retail section, a gallery, and even classes. The space is actually in a retail location next to other eco-friendly and artsy shops. I just signed the letter of intent, which is very scary....

The space is long and skinny with two outside doors and LOTS of windows. What light through yonder window breaks, for sure! I haven't signed the lease yet but barring unforseen issues, I will be moving in March 1st. The space does need a little work, from painting over a mural of a lady. (Sorry lady, you gotta go) to installing a bunch of light fixtures to the ceiling sockets.

I would love to hear and decorating suggestions you have. I am hoping to document the moving in process here as it all unfolds.... so keep your fingers crossed for me.

(The pictures were all taken at night so the colors are all off. When I get some daytime pics taken, I will post them here. That is the hubby and the baby in the pictures, checking things out.)

vote!

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:46:00 +0000

This card was selected for the Etsy Valentine's Market. Now they are asking you to vote for your favorite 'love' themed item to be featured on the Etsy blog and in their Valentine's gift guide. So head on over and vote for our little card here!

for obama fans and printing nerds

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Here is a quick little video that shows the lucky Brooklyn print shop selected to print Obama's Inauguration invites. I don't know a ton about engraving so this was fun to see. And I can't imagine having to print a million invites. I would have to hand feed each one and would most certainly have a stiff back by the time I was done. ;)

fresh start

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:41:00 +0000

Since it is a new year and my last post was less than happy, I want to start fresh for 2009. I have got a lot coming up this year including my debut at the National Stationery Show. I plan to do a series of posts as I go through the process of getting ready for the show. Of course my debut couldn't come at a worse time for the economy so we will see how that goes.

I am also in the midst of looking for a new studio space. Actually I have a space all picked out but would probably need to share it. I am hoping to turn it into a studio/retail/gallery space. So if you know of anyone in the N.W. burbs of Chicago that may be interested, send them my way.

On another real estate related front, we just put our house up for sale. We don't need to move but would really like to get into a slightly bigger space and actually have a few houses on our wish list. Right now we are just outside the city (Chicago) and are just a quick drive or train ride away. The biggest thing I LOVE about our house is our huge backyard. I will miss it indeed. The area we want to move to is pretty great as well. It is further away from the city but is part of a conservation community that has its own organic farm (can you say baby chicks!) , 10 miles of walking trails and an incredible charter school. There was a little bit of an inside sneak peek from this earlier post. So if anyone out there is in the mood for an adorable home just outside the city, give me a hollar. I am dying to get closer to those chickens. ;)

sad news

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 00:30:00 +0000

For those of you familiar with the cast of characters on our website, we sadly announce the passing of our beloved Boston terrier, Chloe. She passed away today after a long battle with congestive heart disease, severe heart valve leaks, and cancer on the heart.

While she was the best shop dog around, she was a super sweet gal we adopted from the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue. She was actually one of our foster dogs that we just couldn't bear to part with. Most recently, she has been the best buddy to our 14 month old son and he misses her already. This will be a sad Christmas for us. Thanks for letting me share.

craftastic weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:17:00 +0000

This is one busy little midwest weekend in the craft arena. Typically there are several good shows spread out over the few weeks during Thanksgiving and early December. For some reason this year, all the shows are happening the same weekend. As a vendor I had to make a choice as to which show to apply to and participate in. I was really looking forward to applying to the No Coast show in Minneapolis as I have never been there and I hear it is a great show but the distance and schedule just didn't work for me. I love Renegade in the city but I didn't think I could give up 2 full days with a toddler to contend with. So we are making our annual trek up to Madison for the Craftacular because 1. we love Madison (the food co-op, Roman Candle pizza, Naomi & Emily etc), 2. any excuse to get out of town and stay in a hotel is super fun, 3. the show is only one day this year which is easier w/ the baby, and 4. we always do really well at this show.
Thankfully we will have some Chicago presence as the Holiday DEPART-ment is also this weekend. For that show we just drop off our work (Russ did that tonight) and then pick it up Sunday night).

So this is what our little craft schedule is:
Thursday (tonight): Drop off work at DEPART-ment show in the city.
Friday: Drive to Madison after Russ gets out of work.
Saturday: Craftacular in Madison 10-6pm. Drive back to Chicago after show.
Sunday: Attend Renegade as a shopper (this will be my first time as a shopper!). Then head over to DEPART-ment for end of show shopping and to pick up any unsold merch.

Ahhh, it's a crafters life for me. It will be interesting to see how the new cards go over. I also wonder how the little one will be. He is 13 months old and has already done a bunch of shows (all before he was walking). It will be interesting to see how he behaves since he is used to running around all day. I have a feeling Saturday will be a VERY LONG day.

letterpress swap

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:32:00 +0000

Unfortunately this will be very disappointing to those of you who simply admire letterpress rather than print, but there is a letterpress print exchange starting up for printers and I am hoping to spread the word.

So for any of you who have a press and want to trade prints with other printers, you can find out all the info here. The exchange is being organized at swap-bot, which if you don't know, is an interesting site filled with a plethora of exchanges from holiday cookie recipes to handmade postcards and so much more. If you print, I hope you will sign up!

new cards + giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:18:00 +0000

We just posted our two newest designs for sale over in our Etsy shop. Both are illustrations done by Angela Navarra, who I found through the design*sponge job board (which sadly is no more). Angela whipped up a wonderful holiday card and an adorable birthday card. We love them both!
Now for the giveaway. One lucky reader will receive a set of the holiday cards (that is 6 lovely letterpress cards). A runner-up will receive both a single holiday and a single birthday card. To enter, just post a comment below. I would love to hear what are your favorite childhood holiday memories.

~~Comments can be posted until midnight, Sunday, December. 7th. Winners will be announced Monday, December 8th. Good luck!~~ Comments are now closed for entering... and the winners (through random draw) are....

first place = #8. nancy. second place = #1. evy. Congrats to you both and thanks to all who entered!

holiday show - coming soon....

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:28:00 +0000

Once again we will be making our holiday trek up to Madison, Wisconsin for the Glitterworkshop Holiday Craftacular. This year the show is only one day but the hours are longer and will also be in an all new, bigger venue.

The show will be Dec. 6th from 10-6 pm at the Madison Masonic Center at 301 Wisconsin Avenue.

We will have all sorts of letterpress treats including several new designs, a bunch of our recycled game board journals, and other assorted gift-giving goodness. So mark your calendars and make a date to meet me in Madison.

sneak peek

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:06:00 +0000

I just couldn't wait anymore. Even though they aren't finished yet and still need to be cut, scored, and packaged, I wanted to post a little sneak peek of some new cards. These were commissioned from illustrator Angela Navarra and we couldn't be happier. We just love her illustration style and especially her way with hand drawn type. So to start, she drew an uber adorable holiday card and an equally cute birthday card.

We actually have a few more collaborations in the works with Angela as well as some other amazing folks. And as soon as these two cards are finished and in the shop for sale, you will be the first to know. I am hoping by early next week at the latest. Until then... make sure you vote today! (more on that later.)

blog alert

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:11:00 +0000

I have been meaning to post about this fairly new blog, for quite some time now. The loveliest designer Fiona Richards has a terrific new blog called Cafe Cartolina. The blog is appropriately named after her card company, Cartolina Cards. Not only are her cards absolutely gorgeous and some of my personal favorites, but her blog is a daily read of mine.

Fiona first entered the world of blogging after a week of guest posts on Poppytalk and shortly afterwards, started her own blog. In just over three months she has amassed over 200 posts that are inspirational and visually stunning. I think the thing I appreciate the most about Fiona's posts are that they don't seem to regurgitate the same posts that simultaneously appear on many design blogs, but rather she follows her own interests, opening us up to a whole new world.

Check it out... she rocks!

nerd love

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:17:00 +0000

Sorry for the long delay. We have been so busy with a zillion jobs from business cards to birth announcements and so much more. We are also printing some new cards that were designed for us by a wonderful illustrator named Angela Navarra. We can't wait to get those photographed so you can see. We do have some recently printed cards that we can share and I am sure you will agree that they are oh so cute and clever. (Okay, so we are a little biased.)

This new little set of cards (there is actually a 4th that we haven't finished printing yet) is from the "Nerd Love" Collection and feature all sorts of geeky romantic sayings. The "You & I Are Chemistry" card utilizes elements from the Periodic Table. "Lets Bond" gets right to the point with an image of a covalent bond. We know what the compound is, but we are keeping it a secret. (But if you know, you will score high points with us). Lastly we have the "I'm Attracted To You" card which is pretty obvious in its intent.So if you have someone special who appreciates a little sentimental geekery, then head over to our Etsy shop and pick yourself up one of these letterpress lovelies. (All three of these cards are letterpressed in 2 colors onto a nice, thick 100% cotton rag with a coordinating gravel colored envelope.)

rain rain go away

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:25:00 +0000

I had hoped to post today with a lovely recap of the Renegade Craft Fair from this past weekend. However, this has been a really rough week all on fronts. Earlier in the week Jackson was in the hospital having surgery. He is home and doing well but that was stressful enough.Jackson during our recent trip to the Outer Banks in NC. He just attempted to eat a mouthful of sand.

Then we were all ready for the Renegade Craft Fair when the whole area was hit by big storms. Minutes before we were to leave Saturday morning to set up for the fair, our basement flooded about 6 inches or so. We had so much stuff stored down there. My entire darkroom is in the basement including lots of equipment, photographs, books etc. It is all a mess and I am totally bummed.

renegade 1
Originally uploaded by missdesigndiva

Then to top it off we had to sit for two days in pouring rain and then lots of wind. It was pretty awful the first day but Sunday picked up and sales were better. I was pretty amazed that so many people came out to shop, even in the worst weather. We met some terrific people who really brightened our day and made the whole experience worthwhile. So thanks to eveyrone who stopped by, made us laugh, bought a card or two, or just said hello.

Since I didn't get a chance to go around and photograph other booths, I will try to do a roundup of some of the great stuff that I did see.....

old school exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:00:00 +0000

The Old School exhibition at UPPERCASE gallery opens today! This shot is courtesy of Poppytalk and if you look closely, you will see my little quartet of work (slightly southwest of the middle of the wall).

Unfortunately the gallery is in Calgary so I doubt I will be making the exhibtion. But if you are in the area, please do stop by... I'd love to hear how it looks. All the works in the show are for sale and will be available starting the 24th.

letterpress table

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:24:00 +0000

This table has just started making the blog rounds and I must say, I am in love. (That is twice this week, including the chandelier). This lovely little table is from Crate and Barrel and comes with a not so little price, $900.

The reason I like this table as opposed to a table that uses actual wood type (this one is simply carved to look like individual blocks) is that original wood type is something letterpress printers treasure. It breaks my heart every time I see a set of wood type on Ebay & split up so it can spell out words like 'friend' or 'dream'. There are so many letterpress printers who desperately search out old type to print with and to see it treated as a novelty totally trivializes what we do.

But that is just my two cents. ;)

decor8 guest post

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:53:00 +0000

Hello. If you are joining us for the first time, you may have ended up here after reading my guest post on decor8 today. It was such a treat filling in for Holly and having a chance to give a little inside scoop. Running a business is hard work and having a new baby makes it so much harder. But for all the frustration, I totally love it!

For me what is the most difficult is the scheduling. Trying to stay organized. I do a lot of custom work which requires me to keep on top of whose order needs to go out when and so forth. I try to have good systems for this but could always use suggestions. I loved teaching high school because of the bells. I liked how my day was broken up and how each hour was assigned to a different class or planning period. I joke with my husband about putting in a school bell in the house (along with a time clock).

Jackson is probably the biggest joy as well as the biggest factor in structuring my day. Trying to send out emails during business hours is tricky. It isn't like you can explain to a 10 month old why I need him to occupy himself for a half hour. We try to be very hands on with him, using cloth diapers, making all his baby food from scratch and so it just didn't seem right to bring him to a daycare center all day, at least not at first. However we are starting to talk about daycare and realize that it doesn't make me a neglectful mom if I can't be there every second of the day. Career mom guilt I guess.

As far as mentioning inspiration, the places we visited on our recent trip included: DC/MD, Richmond VA, the Outer Banks in NC, Charlotte NC, Asheville NC and Paducah KY. It was a trip visiting friends and relatives. Here are some more pictures from our trip that didn't make it on to decor8.

Some vintage butter molds as well as the prettiest black and white hen... from Asheville

Fabric from Hancocks of Paducah, and a bridge in KY (I think)

Some vintage goods from an antique store in Asheville I think?

oh my gosh... i want one

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:18:00 +0000

I just spied this post over at Design Milk.... I am totally in love and want one so very badly... See more over at Adam Wallcavage's website.

where oh where has my little blog gone...

noreply@blogger.com (Paper Stories) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:28:00 +0000

I have been so neglectful to my little blog. I feel so sorry for it. I even went and cheated with another blog. Forgive me.

Well just to fill you in... I got swamped with wedding orders, which usually never happens in the summer. Lots of fall weddings this year.

Then came a round of business cards. Then I went on vacation. Now I am back. As for the 'other blog', I just sent off my copy to Holly from decor8. I am going to be one of her guest bloggers for a day. So look out for that post on Monday August 25th.

In other news, if you are in the Chicago area September 13th & 14th, come down to Division Street. Paper Stories will be selling at the Renegade Craft Fair again. We have lots of new goodies to share!

My other news is that I am collaborating with a few other artists to create some super cool goods for next year. I am working with an illustrator named Angela Navarra to create a line of cards that I am so excited about. I am also talking with Susie Ghahremani of boygirlparty about a super secret project that makes me jump for joy! You will read more about these in my decor8 post.

Next up, I will post some lovely inspiration shots I took while on vacation.