paper cut wonderland

WOW! I saw this retweet from @papercrave the other day and as someone who dabbles in paper cutting, I'm in awe of the beauty of these window displays. Check out Andy Singleton's blog, his work is amazing. (see Paper Crave's great blog and All Things Paper- where the tweet originated)



Thanks everyone who took advantage of our sale last weekend. Everything is still in stock so if you need gifts stop by our etsy shop. New datebooks are listed each week.

And if you're around Baton Rouge this holiday month, come by and visit us at the Arts Market, Saturday Dec 3, Dec 10, & Dec 17 (if it's not raining) 8am-12pm, downtown between at 5th between Main and North St. AND our big holiday handmade sale: Space Crafted, with 15 other local artists with pottery, prints, and more! Saturday Dec 10 9am-3pm & Sunday Dec 11 11am-3pm, Red Hot Center for Clay, Highland Rd int he Kenilworth Shopping Center.

Datebook Project {Labor of Love}

Almost a year ago, Hope from Gutwrench Press and I had a conversation about the perfect datebook. We both used them. She always made her own. I would buy one but used it for weeks at a time and then did not for a couple of weeks. At the end of the year, I always had a datebook that was half filled but no longer useable. So we decided to design our version of the perfect datebook, letterpress printed, of course. We collected vintage book covers over the last months, printed the pages, cut, folded and coptic bound together. And I am so proud to introduce them today.

The pages were first printed with handset type on the Vandercook SP-15. Soon the realization came(duh!), if we were really going to print pages for 100 books, having to move the type off the press everytime we needed to use it for something else, any cost effective printing was thrown out the window. And honestly, by this point the project had become a labor of love more than about making a buck.

After printing nearly half the pages with hand set type and vintage printer cut images, we had plates made for the remainder of the pages. Still printed on the Vandercook, but now we could easily move the type (or in this case, plate on a base) off the press in order to print other jobs. Hundreds and hundreds of pages were printed, front and back. Does someone really need letterpress printed interior pages? Well, that's for you to decide. (printers cut images range from owls, typewriters, bulls, telephones, bikes, cats, boats, and more)

Each datebook is coptic bound using vintage hardback book covers as the covers.  If there was a library card in the back of the original book, we have included it in the datebook. If it did not come with one, we've attached a small pocket reminiscent to the library pockets. The pages list each day of the week, but no months or years. So if you don't write in it for a week, you can pick up right where you left off. Every datebook comes with a 2012 calendar in the back and an attached ribbon bookmark. Included are 59 weeks and 12 blank pages at the back for notes etc. Size: 4 1/8" x 6" fitting perfectly in a purse or knap sack. Each one is pretty much one of a kind. No two covers are alike. So when they are sold, they are gone. We will be adding several new ones each week for the next several months. You can find them at blackbird's etsy shop and more at gutwrench's etsy shop. So check them both out.

I use mine all the time. The size is good and it feels awesome to upcycle some beautiful book covers!

Margie & Morgen's Queen Mary wedding

Back in September, I posted about Margie & Morgen's wedding aboard the Queen Mary. It was a wonderful destination wedding and amazing venue. A great place to get away from the Louisiana August heat and for the marriage of two of our closest friends (and cousin!). Margie and Morgen are both amazingly talented. Morgen has an interdisciplinary firm specializing in architecture and technology, while Margie is an architect and the co-creator of Larks & Japes. Margie and I collaborated on all the paper elements. She visited one weekend last December and brought inspiration and fantastic ideas. I put it all together and letterpress printed the goods. Inspired by the 1930s architecture of the Queen Mary, a little vintage ocean liner flair (with our own twist thrown in), and a bit of Betsy Dunlap calligraphy, the suite included save the date cards to invitations to place card/tags to thank you cards.  The invites and wedding pics were posted on Oh So Beautiful Paper and 100 Layer Cake! You can read much more about the paper goods at OSBP, and see more photos of the beautiful day at 100 Layer Cake. The awesome photos are by Ben Christensen. This may have been my very favorite job yet!

I made the guest book as well, coptic bound, with cotton pages. The pages each had two sets of photo corners & vellum envelopes-to insert an Fuji instant photo and to insert a typed slip of paper with well wishes etc for the bride & groom in the envelope. (that's me and David in the pic).

And the super cute couple!

Here's to a super life together M&M!

Wagon, camper, and a Lookbook

Well another month has almost gone by. whew. I don't even remember September. ;)

Last week, we were so thrilled that Design*Sponge posted our letterpress DIY 3D station wagon and little camper cards. They are brand new and ready to ship in our etsy shop. I'm working on thorough instructions on how to put them together but really anyone can figure it out. A quick piece of advice is to give an extra score to the folds of the smaller tabs. (the "how to" will be posted on our website soon) They are great as holiday ornaments too, so add a little yellow and orange to your tree this season. A remembrance of visiting your favorite roadside attraction.

My grandmother drove a long station wagon for years. My favorite part was what we called "the way back", the seat in the back that faced out. In the summertime, the seats were hot and the back of your legs stuck to the seat. I've always wanted a teardrop camper, a little mini house, all contained and ready to go on adventures. A station wagon would be the perfect pulling vehicle.

And we're back on Poppytalk Handmade this month, in the Indie Love Market. Check out our little table here. So many amazing artists are exhibiting. Some of my favorites are a. favorite, you sentimental idiot, pumphouse studio, Puur Anders, among many others. Each month Jan puts together an awesome Lookbook with pieces from the whole exhibit. Take a look.

Open publication - Free publishing - More art