Progress

This week, I'm spending afternoons in the studio. I'm trying to get into the habit of putting aside a few hours and starting to feeling comfortable there. I can be a bit of a homebody, you see. I do like it there. The light is diffuse and comforting, I can listen to the radio, and it smells nice, like a studio. Like concrete, metal, wood, and cardboard.

I cleaned the ink disk, which was covered in 30 year old red ink. It's smooth and shiny now, sort of looks like a full moon.

I'm sorting the type I brought from North Carolina, which is very dusty, but it's quite enjoyable anyway.

I'll be leaving for the studio soon, it's almost noon already. Any podcast recommendations for getting work done? I've been listening to This American Life, Radiolab, and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me.

The Studio! It's...Evolving!


While it may look like a decommissioned tugboat yard sale, there is progress here at Huldra Press. Progress indeed.

Last weekend, I drove to Lititz, PA and got two full cabinets of type as well as a galley rack and a mess of wood furniture and other odds and ends. The seller, a retired printer, was so friendly, a nice break from the usual curmudgeons I encounter when buying equipment. If you're in need, he's selling a 8x12 C&P and a sweet tabletop Challenge paper cutter. Like I said, super nice guy. I wish him the best.

goodies

Now it's time to break out the mineral spirits and start cleaning so I can get printing! I hope to have the press running by mid-June. But in the meantime there's work to be done. Like these...

Holy registration, Batman!

I finished these Yellow Submarine birth announcement cards, thanks to the folks at Lead Graffiti, who let me rent press time in their studio. They have beautiful studio and well maintained equipment and made me feel right a home, so I highly recommend their services if you are ever in need.

That's all for now, enjoy the weekend.

Field Trip!


Last week, Mike and I decided to go to the Mercer Museum, a collection of pre-industrial revolution tools and objects, in Doylestown, PA. There are many things that make this museum a unique place, one being the building itself, which is best described as a spiraling, concrete castle.

It's also a charming time capsule of a long lost museum exhibition style. Each exhibit in its own little room, behind paned glass, with description...Is that peg board?

the wallpaper maker's room: handcarved wooden blocks

that tag says "obsolete objects circa 1991"

And there was a letterpress room! Complete with iron hand press, and lovely little cabinets.

Needless to say, we were filled with nerdy delight to see all these tools, Mike being a blacksmith, and I a fan of obsessive collections of obsolete objects (see Henry Ford). Great field trip day.


Girard's Farm

If I could have a super power, I've often said I would choose the ability to observe a place where I am standing in any point and time. This wish originated during hours of looking out the window of R2 train, which runs from Philadelphia to Wilmington. The train runs through Chester, then Marcus Hook, both port towns that have seen better days, and then along the Delaware River. I'd daydream about what it must have looked like before the Swedes settled this area. Then what did it look like as industry started to scatter along the river?

Below are a few pictures from xzmattzx's, well, really nice photo tour of Marcus Hook on Skyscraper City.


the beautiful American Viscose Company building

I want it.

But I digress. The title of this post refers to my new neighborhood, Girard Estate, defined as the area between Passyunk and Oregon and Broad and 22nd St. So I am living on Stephen Girard, once the richest man in America's, land. This whole neighborhood was once a 583 acre farm, named Gentilhommiere, full of exotic fruit trees and vegetables imported from Europe.

Now, the house sits alone, in the center of a small city park. I was really surprised the first time I saw it.
from pwbaker's excellent flickr set of the farmhouse

Around it is a shady, quiet, almost suburban, and not at all typical south philly neighborhood, that I walk through whenever I have the chance. If you're interested there's a guide on the architecture of the neighborhood here.



Adventure Adventure

Adventure adventure...both on screen and in real life. Exploration in new lands. That is the theme of today's post.

:: from the Carter Studios website ::

Yesterday, we went to visit my good friends Mike and Jess of Carter Studios. Jess and I were roomies in college. It made me very happy to see them again. They are both incredible designers and artists, working in a variety of materials.

industrialness.

They took us on a tour of their incredible studio/live space in the old Globe Dye Works factory. The place is in the midst of being converted into artist's studios. Very exciting.

On screen, we've been watching hours and hours of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and Michael Palin: Pole to Pole. I fondly remember watching Pole to Pole on PBS years ago (I was a huge Monty Python fan in my teen years) and now realize how indebted these newer travel shows like No Reservations are to this classic. They're both guaranteed to make you long for exotic landscapes (the fjords!) and very very hungry.

:: anthony bourdain ::

:: michael palin ::

And what do you need to go on an adventure? A good satchel. I've become smitten with the designs from two etsy shops, Cotton Petal from Scotland and Wooly Bison who makes wonderful bags out of recycled wool clothing. I'm torn between the choice of getting a smaller bag or something that will carry my laptop. Any thoughts?

:: cotton petal ::

:: wooly bison ::

Once I have my satchel, it's off to the fjords for me.

Friday Afternoon.


Some pictures of our new apartment and stationery for the spring. Available here. It's rainy and windy today. Mike and I are watching episodes of Art 21 and No Reservations and drinking coffee. The cat is running back and forth on the slippery bamboo floors. And loving it. I'm designing a Yellow Submarine themed birth announcement. Friday Afternoon.

So.


There are time tested hallowed traditions one must follow while a Core Fellow. As per these traditions, I have moved out of my studio and bedroom at Penland to make way for a new group of Core Fellows, and left huge piles of crap in my wake.

I don't really like saying goodbye. It's hard and yucky and awkward and sometimes you have to do it twice or three times which is even worse. But it has to be done. So.

Goodbye studio.

Goodbye witty light switch.

And goodbye dearest, sweetest nerds. I will miss you all so much.

bwahahahaaa

Printing was just murder today... HA! I did print a whole bunch of new cards that I'll be taking pictures of soon. Feathers, wrens, hellos, congrats, thank you''s, more robocops! Lots of new things.

My boyfriend and I also got the stomach flu, luckily offset by two days so there was no competition for bathroom territory. This was an experience I wish on no one. No one. I spent most of Thursday night curled up on the bathroom floor reading Nintendo Power, which is perfect reading material for coming in and out of consciousness. Tough questions, real answers.
Like this one,

Q: If you could play your Nintendo anywhere, where would it be?
A: I would play it on a mountain of money so then I could buy more Nintendo games after!

Awesome! Thank goodness we're both feeling great now. So great...why...It makes me want to SING!
(thank you, Henry, for this video)

Storm of the Century!

Well I had an interesting week. Thanks to Gizmodo. So let's start at the beginning. Way back, in the time machine to last week.

Serval Cat Cards in progress

It was my last full week to work in the letterpress studio before I move. I reprinted some serval cat thank you cards in new color combinations. Halftones are not the easiest thing to print on a Vandercook. You have the have just the right amount of ink and just the right amount of pressure. Otherwise, the tiny raised dots that make up the image will overflow and fill up and you have to clean the plate and start over.

And then Mike, Mark, and I drove to Delaware. In the snow storm of the century, during a state of emergency. It took 19 hours (normally it's a 10 hour drive) to get to Wilmington. It was rough. We ate Tastykakes in the car.

There was a great deal of snow.

So back to Gizmodo. We got to Delaware at midnight, a little shaken, had some scotch, and fell asleep. The next morning, I checked my email and I had many messages of congratulations and many orders, many many orders for Robocop Valentines. So I checked a link and found this!

A blurb!

Apparently read by many men. Many men who wanted Robocop Valentines for their girlfriends. I promptly sold out of everything. And enlisted the help of my dear roommate, Jessica, to help me send off the rest of my stock. Thank you Jessica! And thank you Gizmodo, you just bought me a board shear.

While all that was going on, we went for a walk in Rockford Park, where there is a giant stone water tower that strangely happened to be unlocked that day (it's not supposed to be). So we walked up to see the view.
Pretty nice.

This is where we'll go if there's a zombie attack.

So now we are in Wilmington at my parents house. Waiting out another snow storm by watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and I am reading The Scar, by China Mieville. Mike is reading Lives of the Artists by Calvin Tomkins. The cat is sleeping.


A Resolution

This year, inspired by my very organized and talented friend, Amy Tavern, I made the resolution that I would start keeping meticulous record of all my expenses (and profits) related to letterpress and bookbinding.
To motivate myself, I shopped on Etsy today for a handmade pouch to keep receipts. I love vintage fabrics, especially wools and plaids, and found these lovely examples of using recycled wools.



I went with the last one, although I covet them all.

But what I really covet? A lot? Is one of these.

Katie Henry, from Philly, makes these beautiful one of a kind purses, and if you're real lucky, you'll snag one from her madebyhank etsy shop.

I want one real bad.

That's all for now. It's snowing here, and it looks it will continue to snow through the night. I'm going to go watch V now. Good times.

News and Notes


No not the NPR program. News and notebooks! Slim little notebooks to slip into your purse or coat. With sweet rounded corners and light grey paper inside. They will be on sale in my shop starting tomorrow.

: recycled paper letterpress notebooks :

I really can't believe that it's been two weeks since I've posted and that it's almost February. Mike and I will be going to Philadelphia in a couple weeks to look for an apartment. Apartment shopping in Philadelphia can be a bit..mmmh...interesting. Sometimes the closet door has been punched in and there's cat food on the floor (true story). So we're crossing our fingers. And so should you! I know that dreamy apartment is out there. Just have to find it.

So where have I been for two weeks. I'm not really sure. I've been here and there. And reading this.

And I watched this! So good.



And boy, did I spend a lot of time doing these little beauties.

: a set of handmade recipe cards :

Penland wanted some handmade gifts for their donors, so I made these letterpress recipe cards. Each set includes four Penland recipes and four blank cards for them to share their own favorite recipes. It was by far, the biggest print job I've had to do so far. 2,000 recipe cards. It was a challenge, but I feel like I learned a great deal. Like to how simplify a design for production without compromising what makes it work.


: chocolate banana bread :

And finally...the big news. I got a board shear! A wood top 40" T.W. & C.B. Sheridan Co. board shear, something I've been looking for. You could say wishing for. Mike and I will be picking it up when we go up to Philly.

: see you soon, good lookin' :

I felt it would be really be a great addition to a new studio. I really enjoy making hardcover books, portfolios, and boxes, and this shear will make that much easier.

I'm getting excited, excited to start working on my press and finding a studio space. Excited that we'll be living in a city, and to reconnect with friends. Things will be getting hectic as we get ready to move, but I'll keep you updated. Thanks for reading.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for Grown Ups


This is my favorite oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, tweaked over the years to be a little spicier, a little more savory than the Quaker Oats classic for your grown up palette. So good with a strong cup or tea or coffee.

This recipe will make about 3 dozen medium size cookies.

Preheat oven to 375

1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar lightly packed
2 eggs
1/4 cup strong honey (something dark w/ good flavor)
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

*4 cups rolled old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup crystallized ginger

*3 cups if you want a more spread out chewy cookie

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Whisk in eggs, honey, and vanilla
In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients except oats, ginger, and honey
Gradually stir the dry into the wet
Stir in the oats, raisins, and ginger
Drop rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie tray
Bake in the center of the oven 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer shiny on top






Breakfast.


I love breakfast. I have always loved breakfast, especially a slow, lazy breakfast with plenty of coffee and bread and butter and... an egg. Especially a soft boiled one.

Image courtesy of Baking and Books: with a great recipe!

When I was little, my parents read me this book. It's about a little brown bear having his breakfast. Un oeuf tout neuf! I can still see the illustrations in my head. I love this book.

And then of course there's egg cups, in all shapes and colors.

New Things!


I've added some new letterpress goods to my Etsy shop, including two different Robocop theme cards. As usually everything is printed on 100% recycled paper from French Paper. I'm now also listing more items in sets at lower prices.

*Click on the pictures to purchase them through Etsy*

So why Robocop? This last year I've been watching all the heavy pop culture movies that I somehow managed not to see during my 27 years on earth. These include Die Hard (watched that last night), Top Gun, Terminator, Total Recall, Roadhouse, The Road Warrior, Predator (that's coming on Monday), Wall Street, Robocop, etc. Yeah. I'd never seen any of those movies.

I discovered that I really like Paul Verhoeven movies...SO good!


And this is the Robocop Valentine.

And lastly, a print from the fall. Fall In Love.
Three color linoleum block cut and wood type.

And if you're wondering if I'm ever going to make books again, well I am. Time to switch gears and start binding again. I'm going to have a line of affordable letterpress notebooks to show you soon and more.

Merry 1887!


sleepy monkey cat

I went home for the holidays and got to take a closer look at my press, which is currently in storage in New Jersey. The press move was a such a blur, I didn't have time to take a close look at the thing.

Like the serial number on my Chandler & Price 10 x 15 Old Style, which is located on its dirty dirty platen. According to this list, that means this press dates from 1887. That's old. And when you're old, along the way you acquire a great deal of dust and grease and lose some parts.

One thing I'm wondering about is whether I should look for a saddle for the (not present) third roller. A third roller would help in inking large forms, although I have seen C&P's being operated with either two or three rollers. Hmm. I will have to investigate. To Briar Press!

I'm also researching the dimensions of the wooden feed and delivery boards. I'm lucky to had a Dad who's a woodworker and willing to help me make some sparkly new ones out of birch or maple.

All in all, the second inspection was very encouraging. Both the platen and the inking disc look smooth, although they'll need a good cleaning and the press seems to have been well maintained. The motor may even be salvageable!

mmm. christmas log.

Lastly, the traditional picture of the Buche De Noel that I helped decorate. It's a cake that French people try very hard to make look like a log. And it's delicious.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

And thank you for reading...

Best,

Marianne

It snowed.


A lot.

This has hindered my plans for driving to Delaware today and has left me with no choice but to play video games and drink coffee instead. Did you know that after getting 9 lives in Super Mario Bros. your lives become symbols? So you can have Crown-Brick lives!

It's true!

Perhaps due to the snow, there is now something living in my wall. Something with little gnawing teeth that kept me up last night . I would like to tell that critter that unless he/she is a mongoose and planning on coming out soon and becoming my mongoose friend, I am not pleased with this arrangement. Not at all.

Lastly, I also finished these business cards for the husband of a friend. It's their one year anniversary, which is the paper anniversary, so she is getting him these as a gift. I think that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard.


These were very good practice for precise trimming on the guillotine paper cutter. The guillotine, while being an enormous time saver, has always made me very nervous because if you are not paying attention, you can ruin days of work with one bad cut.

Happily, I feel like I'm getting better at it, calmer and more focused, and these came out very well. Nicely centered and even all around.