Ride the "Lightning"

yes.

When I was young, I loved Little House on the Prairie books.  I still love to read the same thing over and over. Unfortunately I lacked the understanding or guidance to question everyone's attitudes towards Native Americans or Pa dancing in blackface.  But I also remember a much less controversial scene.  Laura convinces her parents to let her get her own name card printed.  It was fashionable to do so, and you could trade with your friends.  How I would like to bring back that trend! (That and buckwheat pancakes are the only things I may want to bring back from those books).  Since Andy Gibbs is such a great guy, and he helped me brainstorm for another business card, I printed these for him.  Silver on black calling cards.  The quotation marks were at his insistence (and Ben broke the tie vote) but I am happy to have printed them.  I have a business card for gutwrench press but I like these personal cards, totally tradeable, and, in this case, with no contact information.  Purely for style.

these are the best ideas we had

Andy's card came out of this list.  For Christmas, I offered to print my dad new business cards as he has recently relocated to Tennessee.  He sent me this letter of instruction and one night, we got to work.  My dad is a "motorcycle safety instructor" which sounds so square we thought we would help him out a little.  But my dad, though he is supportive in many ways, does not share my brilliant sense of humor and probably did not want "ride the lightning" or "turbulence manager" on his business card. My dad also sent his old card, and noted he "did not like the skull much".  Beck asked if my dad was a juggalo. Since he is not, I redesigned his card in a much cleaner, simpler, to-the-point card in classic gold on brown.  If you see something on the list you want printed, I will do it for cheap.  Because who doesn't want a pig saying "legit" in the corner of their business cards? My lawyer friends I am talking to you.

before

 

after

All You Need is Magic

Andy captured the magic

 All I need is magic.  And maybe antibiotics, sleep and coffee.  Last weekend, Andy and I celebrated a day off by taking a little walk in the woods.  Around here, that means, amazing redwoods twenty minutes from your house.  Sure we maybe took an unexpected turn and I was already feeling a little under the weather and a five hour hike was beautiful and so much fun but I woke up Sunday with the nastiest sick in my face. I have been sick a lot, sniffly allergies that make me tired but I have run out of tv series I want to watch.  So, it is movies and bookbinding, naps and trying to get enough sleep while realizing I maybe agreed to do too much this month.  But, like an accidently-five-hour hike, it is totally worth it.

before

Finally in the mail today went cards I printed for Janna.  I have started to offer custom printing specials through my mailing list .  I like the creative challenge and it is fun to offer letterpress cards to someone who might otherwise afford them.  Last month I offered these bright cards and envelopes and my penpal Janna took me up on it right away.  I will post a picture of all three color combinations though I used the same ink on all the cards.

after

 Perhaps not incidentally, I dreamt the other night about wearing a sweatshirt that was 2 tone blue, not unlike the card above.  It was fun to work with Janna. There is no special this month as I get ready for the Patchwork Handmade Show in Oakland May 12 but there will be more specials soon.  Send me an email at gutwrenchpress@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list!

choose any 3 tiny blank books for ten dollars

 I also added a bunch of new things on etsy, including these tiny blank books.   Handbound, containing 12 pages of quality drawing or writing paper and covered with a colorful photograph from my travels.  Many episodes of Twin Peaks were watched while making these.

thanks jeff for the photo!

 I was listening to a designer complain about blind deboss (no ink) printing with type.  Just as I had printed this.  I didn't justify my choice because I know it makes it like a whisper or a secret.  Also, this is one of my favorite things I have printed in a while.  Handset type from the San Fransisco Center for the book, on Lettra Duplex paper (scrap from a Heidelburg job gone horribly wrong), printed on my best friend, the C&P.  Oh, and coppery edge painting done foolishly by hand. What is this fanciness for?

During our travels, Andy and I have been talking about bringing the Italian idea of apertivo to wherever we moved.  Fancy drinks, light snacks, all before dinner.  Though I never made it to dinner after I went out for apertivo.  Now we have a great backyard and a bunch of friends and aquaintances with whom it is hard to make plans.  So we are inviting them to our backyard every Friday night all summer.  I've already started making liquors for it.  If you're in the Bay Area, stop by!  Starting next week.  If you stop by this week there will be Twin Peaks and bookbinding.  Life is pretty good.  If only my sinuses would agree.

bay leaves in vodka, an experiment for apertivo