hot off the press

the wheels are in motion for NYIGF

2012-01-22T22:38:00.000-05:00

We'll be there with a brand new look and brand new designs. Stop by and say hi!

Twas the season

2011-12-22T21:41:00.003-05:00

Twas the season for playing with pretty stamps to mail out Etsy orders (spanning three continents this year!)

And twas the season for holiday craft fairs aplenty (ten at my last count). Thanks to my fearless team Albertine, and of course the fill-in sales wonders, Bobsie and Ellen, for helping make it all happen!

We're on a much needed break now (through the new year holiday) but look forward to being back in the shop refreshed, ready to print up lots of new goodies in the year to come.

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Festivus for the Rest of Us, and a Bright New Year!

Shelley

Happy Hanukkah!

2011-12-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Tree Sale posters

2011-12-06T23:05:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I posted the set up for our first run of a wood type poster I designed and printed for my daughter's preschool's Christmas Tree Sale and fundraiser for the scholarship fund.

Here's what it looked like after the first run.

Seemed like a good idea to add some pertinent details.

And the final result.

If you live in or around Boston and put up a fresh tree or wreath for the holidays, consider heading over to Somerville and supporting the Agassiz kids.

P.S. the trees smell amazing!

Three more fairs, one more weekend

2011-12-05T21:18:00.001-05:00

After the four fairs of this past weekend (I'm still recovering) we have three more great events to look forward to in the week to come.

Friday evening get your cool on and meet us at the Pink Comma Gallery in Boston's South End for a one-night-only opening and print design extravaganza.

This year’s exhibit is entitled Command-P for the Macintosh keyboard shortcut that allows one to print the digital contents of their screen. Command-P explores the dichotomy between traditional and contemporary printing techniques. Each artist in this exhibit uses digital manipulation and classic printing methods in varying degrees to create their work. Whether manually screen-printed computer illustrations or die-cut letterpress prints, the pieces in this show represent the wide spectrum of work celebrating the art of printed matter.

Friday, December 9 from 6 to 10 pm at 46 Waltham Street, Courtyard 1, Boston.

Saturday you'll find us in the Cathedral High School Gym (also in the South End) for the annual SoWa Holiday Market. This fair is always packed but chock full of great makers - fine art, clothes, stationery, ceramics, jewelry, handbags, and don't forget the Yummy Mummy Brownies!

Saturday, December 10 from 11 am until 7 pm at 74 Union Park Street, Boston. $5 admission (kids are free).

Last, but certainly not least, we'll be back in our hometown Somerville for the Snow Mall at the Armory.

Sunday, December 11 from 12 until 6, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville.

As always, you can find our calendars, coasters, notebooks, and holiday cards on Etsy while they last. If you can't make it to one of the fairs and still want to support local businesses, Magpie in Davis Square, Somerville has a great selection of our holiday goodies in stock. For those a bit further away, stop by Concord Handmade in NH or Craftland in RI for even more local crafty goodness.

Greetings from 2012 - Austin

2011-11-29T21:57:00.000-05:00

The last city on our grand calendar tour is Austin. I have never been to Austin, but my husband has a number of cousins there and recently visited. He brought back many postcards, and the cousins were instrumental in finding my inspiration for the Austin sketches.

It was the postcard of the bat bridge that got me. It's proper name is the Congress Avenue Bridge and it is home to the largest urban colony of bats in the world. About 1 million bats live underneath the bridge during the summer months (they migrate to Mexico in the winter) and every dusk they emerge in this cloud to hunt for food, a sight that attracts over 100,000 tourists annually. That's 10 bats for every tourist!

The bats have become such an iconic part of Austin that many businesses have adopted the bat into their logos and below you can see a bat sculpture which sits across the street from the bridge, by artist Dale Whistler.

I've already done a second sketch of the annual kite festival. The Letterpress Library volumes will be available at the end of January. I'm very excited and can't wait to finally visit Austin!

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. There are discounts for multiple purchases. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets and events listed in the sidebar.

Greetings from 2012: Amsterdam

2011-11-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

Throughout November I've been visiting the inspiration behind the designs for our 2012 postcard wall calendar, which features sketches from twelve cities from around the world.

I love visiting Amsterdam. I still want to do more traveling around the Dutch countryside (during tulip season would be amazing!) but there is still so much more of Amsterdam to explore.

Oh the row houses! The beautiful diversity of the slanted, narrow canal houses! The plethora of peeping windows! How could I not draw those marvelous buildings!?

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. There are discounts for multiple purchases. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets and events listed in the sidebar.

Greetings from 2012 - Tokyo

2011-11-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

I have been itching to go to Tokyo and Japan for years and years. Honestly, I want to go there with an empty suitcase and return with it full of papers, tapes, and other fabulous stationery products. But aside from that, I find it a fascinating, beautiful country and look forward to an anniversary trip with my husband some day.

I slotted Tokyo for April since it's the height of cherry blossom season, a wonderful welcome to deep spring, and included a drape of blossom branches over the city skyline in the sketch.

Though the illustration didn't address it, the traditional and religious architecture of Japan draws you in. I adore the sweeping roof corners and how they seem to embrace the sky.

I even find the lights and busy-ness of the entertainment district captivating and love especially how the natural verticality of Japanese signage creates this amazing tunnel of lights and life (in an entirely different sort of way than the cherry blossoms).

What are some of your favorite places in Tokyo? What about Japan?

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets and events listed in the sidebar.

Opensky

2011-11-18T20:56:00.001-05:00

I'm excited to share that three of our favorite holiday card designs are being featured this weekend only on Opensky. Endorsed by organization-guru Julie Morgenstern, they're available at a 30% discount through Monday.

Julie has thoughtfully included tips on how to stay organized and get your holiday cards out on time without stress. Thanks Julie and Opensky!

Greetings from 2012 - Los Angeles

2011-11-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

In case you're just tuning in, Greetings from 2012 is a series of posts about the inspiration behind the Albertine Press 2012 calendar, which features a dozen cityscape postcards.

I've been to L.A. only once before, but clearly wasn't paying careful attention. When I went about researching reference images for the skyline sketch, I was pleasantly shocked at the beautiful mountain in the background. Hmmm, maybe L.A. is worth another visit?

Los Angeles, or Miss June (that's when the summer blockbusters come out, right?) is actually an alternate version of one note card design already in our wholesale catalog. I was glad for an opportunity to showcase the variant, which I was particularly attached to.

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets and events listed in the sidebar.

Wood type fun

2011-11-17T20:56:00.001-05:00

It's not often I have an opportunity to do a typesetting project, let alone the forethought (or during-thought) to actually photograph it in progress. But the stars aligned and here you can see the set up for the first run of several for a Christmas Tree Sale poster for my daughter's preschool.

More progress shots forthcoming (as the print progresses).

Greetings from 2012 - New Orleans

2011-11-13T14:13:00.000-05:00

New Orleans is one of these magical places I've always wanted to visit - with the French-influenced architecture, phenomenal regional cuisine and of course the ever-present jazz.

The romantic ironwork balconies in the French Quarter called out to be rendered for our next city sketch.

Like taking a step into another century.

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets listed in the sidebar.

Greetings from 2012 - Rio

2011-11-10T21:41:00.000-05:00

I wanted a South American city to round out the calendar and Matt suggested Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Everything I found added up to an impossibly complicated and inspirational place.

The favelas, or shanty towns, have a captivating quality to them that I find somehow beautiful, but for the representative postcard image of the place, I didn't feel it quite appropriate. And with so many other gorgeous options, I was okay with that.

Also Matt's suggestion, I took a good hard look at the tiled boardwalks of the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. How amazing is this?

If there are songs about it, then a nice beach-y scene seemed a great place to land for our postcard image - especially for December (cold up north, but full on summer down in Brazil).

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets listed in the sidebar.

Greetings from 2012 - Philly

2011-11-09T09:39:00.001-05:00

Albertine Press is located in Boston so we have some appreciation for historical importance of a place (our studio windows look out onto the hill where the first American flag was raised during the revolutionary war). So deliving into the historical richness of Philadelphia for our calendar was second nature.

The Liberty Bell seemed a bit cliché but Robert Indiana's love sculpture (commissioned for the US bicentennial) seemed the perfect monument to represent the city of brotherly love. And how perfect for Feburary!

I thought about doing another city skyline, and may still, when we release the designs as a note set.

In the end I sketched Independence Hall, the juxtoposition of the two rounding out two centuries of the city's impressive history.

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets listed in the sidebar.

Holidays 2012: Concord Handmade

2011-11-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

We're excited to be participating in our first seasonal pop-up shop of the year: Concord Handmade.

From their website:

Concord Handmade is a seasonal pop up shop located in downtown Concord, NH. It will be open November 1, 2011-January 5, 2012. Concord Handmade is a venue for indie arts and crafts. Our shop will feature juried handmade goods from artist all over the country, but with a strong focus on New England-based artists. The shop will be located at 1 S. Main Street, in the heart of downtown Concord. It is operated by Alison Murphy, the artist behind drawnonward designs. Having been an independent jewelry and accessories maker since 2005, Alison chose to open a store this holiday season that supports the community of which she is a part.

So if you're looking for some holiday cards, calendars, or general gifting goodness, shop local and stop by Concord Handmade!

Greetings from 2012 - London

2011-11-03T17:26:00.002-04:00

London is an incredibly complex city - centuries-old structures alongside modern skyscrapers. Glorious landmarks surrounded by the unmistakably London double-decker buses and telephone cabinets.

In the end I chose to capture the mixing of old and new landmarks by illustrating the gorgeous Big Ben with the London Eye in the background.

I'll be turning back to the buses and telephone booths, maybe some of the lights and action at Picadilly Circus next time.

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets listed in the sidebar.

Greetings from 2012 - Chicago

2011-11-02T22:51:00.003-04:00

Chicago has an amazing skyline, which I loved designing into a save the date card a few years back.

I knew for the calendar I wanted to do something with skyline in this birthplace of the skyscraper, but the sheer breadth didn't quite work for the vertical calendar format.

Then I remembered "The Bean." Properly titled The Cloud Gate, this sculpture by Anish Kapoor in Millenium Park has become a landmark and tourist destination for Chicago.

I love that it so neatly captures the downtown skyline in its curved, distorted reflection.

The steel gray ink that I chose for Chicago was the first one I printed, and definitely helped define the palette for the entire calendar: urban, gritty, a little hard. It made it easy to choose our ribbon, though. Lucky for us, Angela at Carta, Inc. just started carrying her 5mm ribbon in iron gray - how perfect!

The 100% cotton ribbon is a must to pair with the textured 100% cotton paper, for the perfect completion to the finished calendars.

I'm still considering options for a second Chicago sketch to complete our Library volume for next year, but the El running between the looming skycrapers might just be it.

Our 2012 postcard calendar is now for sale in our Etsy shop. We will also it for sale at all of our holiday markets listed in the sidebar.

Greetings from 2012: Paris

2011-11-01T17:14:00.000-04:00

Designing the Paris page was a task near and dear to my heart - I lived there for nearly two years after college. How can you possibly decide on one thing - there are bridges, landmarks, canals, booksellers, gardens, boulangeries, streetscapes, and so much more to draw upon for inspiration!

I have sketches of the iron lattice work on the Eiffel tower from an attempt years ago to design an Eiffel Tower decorative card. It didn't work. Instead, I turned back to another long-time obsession - rooftops.

The Haussmann unified facades, collections of teeny tiny little chimneys, plant-strewn balconies, mansard roofs with the maids' rooms beneath (nowadays students - who else would voluntarily climb seven flights to get home each day).

I love the result. To me these buildings define Paris in much the same way that stooped brownstones do in Brooklyn, or the narrow tilted canal houses do in Amsterdam.

And now I'm ready to design another! Metro signage?

Our calendars are now available for sale in our Etsy shop.

Greetings from 2012 - San Francisco

2011-10-30T18:35:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to start sharing our 2012 calendar with everyone. Yes, we're running a wee late with it (is it me, or are the calendar round ups getting earlier each year?) and furiously cranking away the last month and cover so we can get to the hole punching and ribbon tying and packaging parts.

Every month in the calendar will feature an original sketch from a different city in the US or around the world. One or two may be familiar from our Letterpress Library collection of note cards, but most are brand new (though stay tuned for new Library volumes next year). When you're done with each month, flip over the page, cut along the dotted line and voila! a ready-to-send postcard.

I'll be sharing each of the month designs over the coming weeks, along with some of the inspiration I drew from to create each image.

I love cities and for each illustration tried to find something iconic about each city, not necessarily stereotypical but something recognizable as uniquely *that place*. September's city is San Francisco, where I've visited twice now. The delicate victorian row houses scattered throughout the city were definitely my inspiration.

I decided to showcase the Painted Ladies because they highlight the steep city streets, and the more modern towers of downtown can be seen in the background from the right angle.

I have another SF design to do for the Library volume debut in January and I'm angling for something Chinatown. What's your favorite spot in San Francisco?

Our calendars are now available for sale in our Etsy shop.

Sara & Sam

2011-10-17T09:36:00.000-04:00

One of the best parts of my job is being able to design pieces for friends and family. I was so happy to be working with Sara on her wedding invitations because I knew they'd be full of personality and awesome-sauce - remember these business cards from a few years ago?

True to form, Sara and Sam decided to have their wedding at the MIT chapel and the reception at the unconventional (but crazy-fun for us old timey machine lovers) Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation. We took our inspiration from that for a gears motif on the invitation.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that this tableau met me when we arrived at the museum for the reception.

Backing up, the MIT chapel is an intimate yet breathtaking non-denominational sanctuary designed by Eero Saarinen, and though I've lived down the street for seven years, I'd never visited before. Just look at that backdrop for a ceremony - like little pieces of light falling from the sky to surround the couple with happiness and light (sculptural installation by Harry Bertoia).

Their reply postcard was left blank on the back with an invitation for guests to decorate it. Sara and Sam shared many of the art works at the reception (sorry, no photo) including many sweet portraits of the two of them. I love reply cards that invite thought and creativity from the invitees - they create a truly memorable keepsake for the couple.

Plus there was an ice cream bar manned by people wearing cow suits.

Congratulations, Sara & Sam!

p.s. for those interested, Sara the journalist, author and all-around funny lady has been chronicling her road to the alter all over this great interwebs. You can read about it here, here and here, for starters.

Sadie takes on the summer IGF

2011-09-07T21:12:00.000-04:00

Time once again for Sadie's semi-annual recap of the NY International Gift Fair.

Every time she has a better understanding of the show and this time even recognized our booth. Our morning exchange: "Mommy, where are you going?" "To my booth." "I can come with you?"

Yes, and Elmo, Big Bird and Grover came along, too.

She wastes no time in pointing out Kelly's blue-tiful display.

Sadie giving her critique of the booth. We (sniff) scrapped the walls and floors at the end of the show and will be returning in January with an all new look.

Back to our walking tour of the show. First stop was Jill Rosenwald Studio. A fellow Bostonian and founding member of Boston Design Salon I always adore seeing her latest stunning ceramic patterns. The taupe and orange combo is one of my favorites and looks like Sadie gives it her stamp of approval as well.

Across the way Sadie takes time to show Seema how to artfully arrange her Skeem candles.

We admired the hanging bird feeder (and those pipe fittings!) at Pigeon Toe ceramics.

Elmo and friends also found a cozy next in the wire baskets we're considering for part of our display next year.

Posing in front of the display at Wall Candy Arts (one of many wall decal companies that have sprung up like flowers everywhere).

Sadie serenaded me with Twinkle Twinkle underneath the star lamps from Artecnica. In fact we had to go back and visit this booth no fewer than three times that day.

I took a risk and ventured downstairs to the Kids and Baby section. We stopped for awhile at P'kolino where Sadie took their kid's easel for a test drive. Her fish masterpiece was so well received she was even featured on the P'kolino Facebook page. Her efforts were rewarded with a new set of crayons and a coloring book. [I drew the outline, the rest is all Sadie]

A Danish company licensed the rights to make Lego toy boxes, lunch containers and water bottles. The toy boxes are amazing - giant Lego blocks that actually stack just like regular Legos. Sadie was their number one live demonstration model and walked away with three snack containers for her "troubles". They will be available at the Container Store sometime in October and at museum stores in time for holiday shopping.

Visiting the toys at Kushies/Zolo.

Playing with the cut out taxi cabs from Pop Outs by Marc Tetro.

We did a little back-to-school shopping at Zutano.

All that walking around is hard work - no time like lunchtime to meet back at home-booth for pb+b sandwiches.

Until January!

Gone fishing

2011-08-05T12:58:00.000-04:00

The studio will be closed for a much needed break through August 15th. We'll continue to be short-staffed through August 22nd while we're at the NY International Gift Fair.

Thanks and Happy August!

NYIGF summer 2011

2011-07-27T18:42:00.000-04:00

The studio is busy with loose ends to tie up before we all take a much needed vacation. I'll be heading straight from the beach (fully rested) to NYC for the NY International Gift Fair at the Javits Center. Come check out the new holiday goodies by Albertine Press, Carta, Inc. and May Day Studio!

Booth 4124 in the Studio Division.

Printer in training

2011-07-18T23:17:00.000-04:00

One miss Sadie cranking away at the Vandercook.

Brimfield finds and a trade show hunt

2011-07-15T00:13:00.000-04:00

Today Kelly and I spent a glorious day trekking through the wilds of Brimfield Antique Show. If you've never visited Brimfield, think of the biggest flea market you've ever been to. Now imagine something twenty times that size. In reality it's a collection of markets along a half mile stretch of highway in, you got it, Brimfield, MA. Each market has it's own flavor and if you can dream it, you can find it here.

Although I try to go at least once each year for fun, this time I was on a mission to scout props, furniture and inspiration for our trade show booth design in 2012. It's always a challenge coordinating two (and three) visions for a shared space, coming up with a scheme that works for everyone and is functional for display to boot. Today's keywords: vintage industrial.

This cart was amazing. Too big for our little 8x10 booth, but the fact that it's on wheels made up for its weight and I considered it seriously but briefly. The folks selling it had used it as a kitchen island in their own home for years. Love.

Hmmm, anyone looking for a fish dresser?

Oh boxes, how I love thee, let me count the ways... I swear that the day I have a free and empty wall, I will buy one hundred of these boxes and stack them just so on their sides for a honeycomb of fab industrial shelving and storage.

Check out the scale of this dollhouse! I'm pretty sure my daughter could climb into one of those rooms herself.

My first serious inquiry of the day was about these windows. I've dreamed for years of a display centered around salvage windows, and I love the giant scale of these. They would, however, completely dominate the display and in the end I passed them over. I did, however, break the buying ice by picking up a narrow five-pane window frame for just $10. Whether it makes the cut for booth decor or is simply the newest office installation remains to be seen.

Both Kelly and I toted around these giant safety pins until we learned their price (too much). Ah well, lesson one of flea marketing - be prepared to walk away from many things you love but will not buy.

I don't know what these racks were once used for but they're mighty fine. I imagine draping cards over each rung - maybe at craft fairs? I didn't get one but this is a vendor that comes back year after year with much of the same merchandise.

The same vendor was selling off some random collections of sorts. When I asked whether the $2 was the price for each box she laughed. When she told me they were $2 per letter I laughed. Good lord.

Not far away, a full print shop was to be had for $1000. There's a treadle Kelsey (flywheel disengaged, hard to tell how well it operates) and a rusty small guillotine, plus a cabinet of type and furniture. Letterpress start ups here's your chance.

Valve knobs - they would be super fun as replacement drawer pulls in a kid's room (bright orange and blue and red, oh my!).

The next successful find - a cabinet full of metal drawers (well, not quite full). Many of the cute metal file cabinets, card catalogs, mailboxes, etc. go for hundreds of dollars. I scored this one for only $25 smackeroos. Just wait until you see it transformed...

Nothing quite so grand as this ginormous wall of drawers which once housed bulk spices. I can just see an industrial loft where these line the wall of the bedroom - no need for a walk-in closet when you have this many drawers.

There were lots of charming little stools like this one. Maybe I'll head back in September to find a nice matching pair. Other items of which there were no shortage - salvage windows, fiestaware and bakelite, industrial wooden/iron carts-cum-coffee tables.

I found this table, we measured it, thought about it, looked some more and then left. It was nearly all Kelly and I talked about as we trekked through many more fields. Finally, getting back to the car and taking measurements to see if it would fit, I called the seller and offered him a lower price. He bit and so we went to maneuver the table into the car. We only scratched the ceiling a little bit getting it in the backseat. With a little love and refinishing, this is going to be our trade show table starting this August.

All in all, a successful, exhausting day (and yummy - don't dis the food vendors - I had an amazing Pilgrim sandwich and we dessert-ed on apple cider doughnuts). Here's to the next trip!

Pretty boxes

2011-07-13T14:17:00.000-04:00

Loads of Letterpress Library volumes making their way out into the world (to Cursive, to be exact).

The Past Indicative

2011-06-17T08:25:00.000-04:00

Digging into the pile of print, here is a gorgeous collaboration we did with Angela Liguori. We printed her beautiful design in a sepia ink, which was then completed with the addition of a vintage stamp on each one. These calling cards are truly unique!

In fact, Marsha loved them so much that she reordered within weeks.

Ink cloud

2011-06-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

The ink table during cleanup positively dripping with brightness.

Aloha, Shop Toast!

2011-06-16T22:01:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back we did a favor for some friends from afar. They thanked us with a surprise package full of Hawaiian hospitality!

Each of these charming glass bottles is filled with a different Hawaiian/Japanese treat. There were also woodland creature stumps filled with cookies and some fish candies I can't bear to open because they're so gosh darn cute!

Thank you, Shop Toast! and Aloha!

Nahcotta Gallery

2011-06-03T22:12:00.001-04:00

This gallery display of small art in Nahcotta is exactly what I dream of for my own home, where instead I tend to create Leaning Towers of Art:

Maybe I just need a longer wall.