I am NOT procrastinating

I'm doing a bit more research- because I need it. I've been going through videos on you tube and elsewhere, and it's reminded me of a couple of things

1) I'd love to have a cute shop like this.

2) Anyone can try to fake anything.

But is that so bad? Obviously none of those are letterpress, they are "inspired by", but even if they are failed experiments, aren't they an exercise in expression? (The last link, is especially interesting - though far from letterpress.) I know scrapbooking is not the peak of art, but some people do it in interesting ways. I'd like to stand up and present everything I make as my own, and as authentic, but when it comes down to it, I'm not making my own envelopes, much less paper. (yet.)

Briar Press is an online community for professional and amateur printers, and in some ways it is a great resource - but the negativity in the forums- the constant bickering over what is the correct form for printing, what to use, how little impression to have...

well, it draws you in.

I just want to say - lets all do what we want. Let's express ourselves however, share our methods, buy from each other, and let the sun come out.

That's a bit of positivity to offset the weather and radio silence. Now I'm ready to go!

of my impending adventure

There's nothing left to wait for.

I received my trusty polymer plates today (though UPS may have screwed up a good portion of it in transit), and now it's time to take some real letterpress strides.

There is the little matter of having to take my whole office apart for the window installation on Friday...

comma Spider Haters.

It's not what you think. I swear.

I have written before about how much spiders love me. Now, this love is unrequited, and so it would just be cruel to compound their disappointment by destroying them just when they come out to share their feelings.

Enter the Spider Box (Patent Pending). The Spider Box is any small box with a dark interior that has a lid that can be removed. It functions by offering a dark place for the critter to hide after you have terrorized it by chasing, by teasing, and with cats. Once it goes into the dark to hide, you can put the lid on and take the whole box outside. (The Spider Box works best when there is a man to do all this for you.)

This particular box was cramping my style because it was a highly branded, highly emo, ipod box with John Lennon staring at me. I could not, with good conscience, put a spider into that box, so I covered it with a sweet rendition of their MORTAL ENEMY– THE BIRD.

bwahaha- spider.

comma Ugly Books

This might sound ridiculous to you social butterflies, but I think my favourite part of London was a little chain bookstore in Victoria Station. The only thing that made the shop special (besides the fact that it was a glorious escape from the hideous bustle of the crowds outside) was that the books cover designs were fantastic. I was tempted to buy all the ones I thought were great, but was limited by funds and packing space (we were traveling with backpacks.) We ended up getting these two-

The first (I am Legend- which is nothing like the movie by the same name) is simple, strange, and features rounded corners.

The second was part of a set of Neil Gaiman's books, all published in matte black with foil icons. Someday I will either have millions of dollar to spend at my whim, or the moral flexibility and skill necessary to smuggle a whole set of books out the door. (It's about quality AND quantity.)

Out of context, maybe these aren't so impressive. Definitely not compared to these beautiful photos of the new Penguin Classics.

I thought I'd share a few more of my shelf favourites. They are a mixed batch, from old (Pride and Prejudice from '62) to new (don't you just love the red pages in Christopher Moore's book?), to more from overseas (my goal is to have each HP book from a different country, I'm nearly halfway through.)

Since you're reading, will you send me photos of your favourite covers?

of trash painting

Jovi would like to show you what I've been up to today.

Since I am incapable of keeping anything alive (including my apple whose power cable just bit-it) and the season is about to change to fall (which is, coincidentally, what my spirits are doing- falling) I decided to use some of the trash I've saved to paint some little made-up plants.

This wood was the surface of my book cutter before it was left out in someone's yard. I love the way the wood weathered, and after a quick sand, it was easy-peasy to paint on. (I used gouache for the first time, and I may be in love.)

While Jovi is helping me style the trash-art, Angel is working on a plot against Apple. While I don't support her 100 percent in her plans (which could get someone hurt) I understand her motives. I mean, replacing a power cable for a laptop under warranty should be easier than

(a) driving to Bellevue tomorrow which is the earliest a genius can see me, to wait 20 minutes for them to get to me and say "Yep, the power cable is not working. You were right. Let me just disappear to the back for an hour and see if I can find one of the hundreds of replacements back there."
(b) waiting 5 business days for them to send the part to me. 5 days!

(c) or (this is my favourite) "You can come to the store in Bellevue, buy the part, use it till a genius can see you in a couple of days, then return it." Oh, did I mention they have a restocking fee?

It should be mentioned that Angel doesn't have anything in particular against Apple. She just needs a target for her kitty-rage; and I'm not even so mad anymore because really, what am I doing on the computer all day?

I should just paint more trash.

and you want an adhesive gun.

Trust me when I tell you that you really want one of these.
A Scotch ATG 700 puts down adhesive strips on the back of all your paper/object needs. It may look like a massive pricing gun, but really it's a thing of wonder that lives in one of my adhesive drawers.

That's how the adhesive (think the sticky part of tape) is laid down on your paper. It makes a pretty great bond. While the price of the gun is PRETTY high for a glue toy, the small cost of the massive refills makes up the difference.

I use it mainly for gluing things together, but it can also be used for closing envelopes, wrapping packages, etc.

(glam cats)

I tried out the Tombow Mono Adhesive (above) before I used my employee discount to invest in the ATG. It's nice, but the refills cost the same as the dispenser, and you get barely any coverage. (I keep it in my art bag now, so I can glue things into my books.)

**btw- I'm sorry if this entry is a little weirdly written, I'll probably rewrite it later, but I am working on day three of a massive migraine that I think has shorted out my brain a little.