A Sigwalt 3 Tabletop Press Joins the Family

My lovely husband surprised me this Christmas with a beautiful Sigwalt 3 tabletop press. I haven't had a chance to use it yet. We need to get it mounted on to something heavy, but also set up so I can bring it with me to craft shows. It's so cute, but man—so heavy!

Spoonflower Southwest Baby Bedding Contest

I recently entered a fabric design contest hosted by Spoonflower with Southwest Baby Bedding for the theme. I made it into the top 10 out of 400+ designs. (Thank you to all who voted for me!) I had a lot of fun working through the design direction and enjoyed the research and sketching process. You can see some of my sketchbook pics below. I used french curves to establish the stylized fox and rabbits and it was also a chance for me to explore a color palette that I initially wasn't very comfortable working in. In the end, I was very happy with the results–it feels playful and cohesive and I have enough elements to build a full collection around. 

Produce Printing: Corn

This was so much fun. All you need is paint, a sponge brush, paper and of course, CORN! I found that putting the paint on only half of the corn cob worked best because it left a place for your fingers to press down as you rolled it without messing up the paint. But if I had those cute little corn cob holders, I could have done the whole thing and rolled it easier. I'll be sure to post what the final pattern designs when done. I think this texture would make a really great wallpaper pattern too. I will be trying other produce items soon.

Pretty Pickling

I find canning and pickling so beautiful. From the process to the final outcome. The colors are amazing and the history of it makes me feel happy. It's all part of the "hunter/gatherer" instinct I think. Enjoy.

Sticks & Stones Pattern Study

It's hard for me to focus on a subject matter when I enjoy so many. So to help me stay on track as I try to build some pattern collections, my husband gave me an assignment. (He is a teacher, so what a great idea!) He told me to focus on the theme of "Sticks & Stones".  Since I often get my inspiration from nature, I loved the idea. I also love the contrast of shapes and structure that the two have. One is light, narrow and can be broken pretty easily. The other is dense, rounder, and extremely hard to break.

I find my process changes a bit with each pattern approach. Maybe that's ok? Maybe it's the subject matter that will determine how the process goes each time? Guess it will work its self out as I go more. And I guess as long as I enjoy the process along they way and get to my goal, it doesn't matter too much.

I started with gathering some different branches outside. Of course there is snow on the ground, so I didn't have as many options as I may have liked. And gathering them in the dark was a challenge—and a bit painful...accidentally grabbed a branch full of thorns. In a way, it was kind of fun to discover what I had gathered once I came inside. Here are some picks of the initial approach I'm taking as I do some studies of the subject matter. I randomly placed some of the sticks I broke up and rocks my daughter had collected on a surface and then drew them on the opposite page. Once I had a black and white base drawing, I placed vellum over it to trace with different line weights, etc. I've found that vellum or tracing paper is crucial for exploring different approaches in a quick manner.

First drawing on right with black ink.

Doing an outline of drawing with vellum.

When the vellum shifted, I like how the underdrawing created a shadow effect. I'll take this idea into one of the patterns. Happy accident! I also like this crop of the pattern.

2013 Holiday Letterpress Cards and Gift Tags

Tis' the season for getting things done! This year I was determined to get more seasonal pieces printed...and more importantly, up on my Etsy Shop. In fact, the tree design was actually created last year, but I never got around to printing it. I also pulled out some of my vintage wood type for the JOY cards. It's always fun to see what little imperfections show up from the old wood letters. Hard to believe that I already have to start thinking about Valentine's Day!

2 Color Letterpress Holiday Note Card-Joy

2 Color Letterpress Holiday Note Card-Peace/Joy

Stamped Gift Tag-Cheers!

1 Color Letterpress Gift Tag-peace

1 color Letterpress Gift Tag-Snowflake in Silver with Bakers Twine 

2 Color Letterpress Holiday Christmas Card on Brown Paper

2 Color Letterpress Holiday Christmas Card on White Paper

2 Color Letterpress Holiday Christmas Tree Gift Tag on Brown

Studio Space Finished

I still can't believe that my husband finished off my studio space for me. It was a wonderful 5 year anniversary gift. And did I mention he has a great taste for style and decorating on top of crazy carpentry and building skills! I'm a lucky gal for sure. He wanted it to have an Anthropologie vibe (since he knows that's one of my favorite stores) along with some modern elements. And then he had some friends contribute items as well. So I'm surrounded by beautiful items that make me think of all the love from my family and friends. Pretty nice place to be creative.