Welcome to 2022

It's a new year and I'm committed to posting more often on my blog. I wanted to post earlier but our electricity was out New Year's Eve and as a result, we had no internet for the past week. I actually spent the time reading books instead of surfing the web. 

So we start 2022 late. Here's the month of January from my 2022 calendar. 

Stay tuned for a new collage project...

 Making my Christmas card

Carving the Linoleum Block

On press

My finished card for 2020

Welcome to 2020

My calendar for 2020. Letterpress printed from my hand carved linoleum blocks and available in my Etsy shop. Images include a leaping bunny (in honor of the bunnies in my backyard), an Owl duo (because I like owls), and a little mouse ( for Year of the Rat and the mice living in my garage who watched me print)

January thru April

May thru August

September thru December

52 Weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 34

This week, I raided my stash of Reader's Digest Condensed Book covers for another collage base. I printed one of my linoleum blocks onto a vintage envelope. I used some decorative paper for the heart, textured green paper on the edges and a rubber stamp.

collage week 34

New in the shop

New cards are in my Etsy shop! Unicorn notes -  letterpress printed from one of the images used in my 2017 calendar.

New in the Shop

A new card for my Etsy shop. This image was inspired by the cactus plants I have on my windowsill. I have them in ceramic pots and am trying not to kill them. The card is letterpress printed from my hand carved linoleum blocks in black and green ink.

New in the shop

It's almost Christmas!

Hot Off the Press!

I finished my 2017 calendar just in time for the LA Printer's Fair last weekend. All of the images are from my hand cut linoleum blocks. This year's images include a a cowboy boot full of flowers, a set of Russian matryoshka and a bear in a turtleneck sweater.

Even though I carefully sketch and plan, things change as I start carving the lino blocks. One of my sketches started out as a dala horse and ended up as a unicorn, featured on the month of January. The bear started out in a scarf and was re-carved in a sweater. The calendar is letterpress printed in a limited edition of 30. It's for sale in my Etsy shop here.

2017 Calendar

January thru April

May thru August

September thru December

The linoleum block and printed page for January

New in the Shop

Lavender sachets, new in the shop. These hand sewn sachets were printed from my linoleum blocks and are filled with organic lavender from a farm in San Diego county.

Daisy and Mod Bird

Bunny and florals

Birdie and Floral Arch

Letterpress Exchange

I am participating in a letterpress exchange with the Ladies of Letterpress (LOL). Our assignment was to come up with a broadside using a poem or a quote. Here is my submission.

Letterpress broadside

The quote is by the 13th century Persian poet Rumi. The broadside is printed in 5 colors on a speckled white recycled card stock. The pattern on the bird and the type were printed from metal blocks, the leaves and solid part of the bird were printed from my handcut linoleum blocks, and the star shape in the background was printed from a wood block (purchased from Virgin Wood Type). This was printed in an edition of 60 with 50 going to the Ladies. I have a few of the extras in my Etsy shop for sale.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a fun & festive holiday

New Product

I've been getting ready for a few shows - this coming weekend is the Holiday Market in Ojai, California - and so I've been madly making things. In addition to my lavender sachets, I made some filled with balsam pine for the holidays. The pomegranate image is from my 2016 calendar and the bird is from last year's calendar. The sachets are available in my Etsy shop.

I also finished some new holiday cards which will go to my shows.

New Print

I carved some random linoleum blocks (the ginko leaves are from the 2016 calendar), played on the computer, and came up with this print. The final print was done on my letterpress in 4 colors - dark brown, yellow ochre, grey, and an over tint varnish. It was inspired by the birds flying south for the winter ( I say winter even though it's over 90 degrees right now and it's the middle of October). I did a limited edition of 16 and it's for sale in my Etsy shop.

"Flying South"

2016 Calendar

I printed my calendar a little early this year and it's now available in my shop. It's letterpress printed in a limited edition of 35.

LA Printer's Fair

Next Saturday, October 3, is the LA Printer's Fair at the International Museum of Printing in Carson, CA. It's a great show where you can try your hand on a letterpress or type setting machine, purchase your very own press and supplies, or just buy finished product from a variety of talented sellers.

I'll have a booth and I've been madly printing in order to get ready for the show. I really wanted to have my 2016 calendar done, which it finally is. I draw all of my designs on tracing paper and then transfer the drawing to the lino block. The image on the block is in reverse and it will print like it looks on the paper.

Lino block in progress

And here is the finished month of July

The calendar will be in my shop next Sunday, as soon as I get a chance to photograph it. And I'll see you at the Fair on Saturday!

Lavender Love

I love lavender - anything lavender scented is a favorite. So, I've printed some designs on fabric and sewn up some lavender sachets. They're filled with California-grown organic lavender buds and are for sale in my Etsy shop. I think they came out pretty well.

Lavender Sachets

New Year, New Product

I have some new product in my Etsy shop. This bird image was one of the images from my 2015 calendar. It's now printed on a linen pouch and comes with a set of matching note cards.

Pouch and Card

Linoleum Block and Card

2015 Calendar

Let me start by saying I got the flu which turned into pneumonia and I have been pretty much in bed for the last 3 weeks which is why I have missed my weekly collages. I hope to get a new one done this weekend - keep an eye out.

I did manage to finish my 2015 calendar before I got sick, so here it is. All of the images are printed from my hand cut linoleum blocks. The calendar is available in my Etsy shop here.

Cover

January thru April

May thru August

September thru December

New Cards

New in my Etsy shop is this letterpress note card. It's one of the illustrations from my 2014 calendar and was printed from my hand cut linoleum block. The image was inspired by the succulents and cacti that I have on the windowsill in my office. The white pot in the back was the inspiration for the middle pot on the card.

New Note Card

Week 18

My collage for week 18 is a few days late but here it is. It started with a print of my ink bottle on a vintage postcard. I then mounted the card on a book cover from my stash of mid century Reader's Digest books. Add some hand made paper, a bit of music and a butterfly and the collage is done. I did a collage using the same ink bottle last year. You can see it here.

Collage week 18

I normally don't like to cut up perfectly good books, but many of the older Reader's Digest books that I have are cracked along the spine and starting to fall apart so I don't feel quite so badly. The cover's on the older books have wonderful patterns - I keep some for collaging and the rest just to keep.