Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!

Aside from the usual resolutions like going to the gym etc. I try to add some fun stuff to the list. This year, I plan to send a postcard a month to an unsuspecting friend. Easy enough to uphold, right? Let's hope so.

Postcard Exchange, #4 in a Series

The smartly textured argyle cow is from Taylor Luke of Marzipan & Martha.

Florida's postcard reminds me of a bright, powerful sun and is from Ellen Knudson of Crooked Letterpress.

Washington, DC's entry is from Stephanie Hess and Camden Richards of Drop Cap Collective & Press. The text includes, "Capital was an adjective used to describe something excellent or first rate."

How interesting that each card represents their state so accurately and succinctly on a 4" x 6" piece of paper.

Postcard Exchange, #3 in a series

Printed on green stock, that opaque white ink in the background is a nice touch on the Louisiana postcard. I love the upside down exclamation point used as an "i" and Gutwrench Press includes a summertime favorite in the back:
Fill a pint glass with ice
Add 1-2 ounce of bourbon
Top with ginger ale - canned, bottled, or home-made
Garnish with lemon.
Relax. There's so much to be angry about.

Western New York postcard, oh how I love you. The image above does not do this postcard justice. The hand-drawn illustration is printed in 2 shades of green and is just lovely. From Carrie Kaser of Kaser Studio Workshop.

The rawness and complexity of the black and white woodcut entry is striking and is from Aaron Ardell of Dayton Printmaker's Cooperative.

Volunteering

Because I don't have enough to do (yeah right), I volunteered for the reDiscover Center to turn some industrial fabric remnanants into tote bags.

According to their website:
reDiscover promotes creativity in early childhood and elementary education while encouraging environmental responsibility.

reDiscover recycles everyday discards donated by business and gives them new purpose as hands-on learning materials.

I found the call to volunteer for this project from a yahoo group site and since I started sewing, I figured this is a good way to volunteer my time and help out a good organization that teaches children art and recycling.

Matchy Matchy

Imagine my surprise when I saw these Evergreen holiday stamps at the post office. They match my holiday cards so well you'd think I did it on purpose. Except I printed these cards over a year ago. I realized long ago that in order to be up-to-date with occasions and seasons, you always have to think ahead.

Postcard Exchange, #2 in a series

Lake Hiawatha, lakeless since 1962– from Birdcage Press has a 1960's vibe. I love the sparse grass randomly spread throughout this vintage-looking card.

Nothing says hello than an ice tall glass of Alabama sweet tea from Perkolator Press. The vibrancy of the colors used is simply stunning.

Postcard Exchange, #1 in a series

This postcard exchange is a collaboration of women printers from around the world and what better way to start off the exchange by these two beauties. The top card is from Sweden, slightly smaller than the required size but packed with a lot of wit. The happy postcard at the bottom is from the British Virgin Islands, hand printed by Sachkia Barness of Paper Cabaret.

Note: I will credit all the postcards with links unless the postcard is not credited in the back. Also, I am sharing these in the exact order of how I received my stack.

Christmas Came Early

Christmas came early for me last Saturday when I received my letterpress postcard exchange with my Ladies of Letterpress group.

A printed exchange is a tradition among printers and this was my first swap. Honestly, I felt like I earned my printer's cred when I received my package.

The premise for this exchange was a postcard swap in the tradition of the "Hello from..." cards from all over the world. Plus, the cards had to go through at least one pass on the letterpress.

Each card was a joy to see and touch. Stay tuned as I share all the postcards in future posts.

Favorite Shoes

I have worn these shoes everyday since I got them over a month ago.

I can't believe Converse improved upon a classic and they succeeded. I've resisted this new style for years now but find them so easy to slip into and works with everything I wear. A simply great design.

Craftsanity Magazine

I started listening to Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood's Craftsanity podcasts when I started freelancing from home. Feeling isolated, I got addicted to listening to podcasts and talk radio and Jennifer's interviews always inspired me in my creative pursuits. Listening to artists and crafters and their navigation with starting a business gave me hope.

This month, Jennifer and her husband Jeff are publishing their first issue of Craftsanity Magazine. Go here if you want to pre-order the magazine and get a discount. I have no doubt it's going to be good!

The first issue features contributions from Cathy Carron, Lindy Graff, Anna Hrachovec, Sarah London, Alessandra Hayden, Rebecca Green, Alyssa Thomas, Cydney Colvig, Linda Tieu, Steven Rainey, a generous knitter named Jake, Diane Morgan, and Debbie Bliss.