The Office of Nature + Silverplate Press

The Office of Nature + Silverplate Press from The Office of Nature on Vimeo.

I totally can't believe it! A video with The Office of Nature and Silverplate Press! Back before the holidays started, I invited Katherine (from the Office of Nature) and her hubby Matt over for some good 'ol fashioned letterpress printing. I used to work with Matt when I was just a wee design student, and I gotta say that he was a big contributor to my obsession with handmade design... which eventually lead to a series of shenanigans that ended with having a vandercook in my living room. I am forever grateful. lol.

Katherine is an incredible designer and illustrator - honestly if you're looking for adorable and funky prints for your kids room you totally need to check out her Etsy store; here!

Anyway, back to printing with The Office of Nature... Katherine and Matt came over to meet the Vandercook, and to try their hand at printing on this press. It was a bit of a letterpress workshop in a way... that also came with chilling out between colours, some beers and of course a cheese fondue! It was fun! And I'm really glad that the cards turned out so well! The video is totally cool and one of these days I will have to ask Katherine to make me a Silverplate promo video! Ha. Maybe we'll do tradesies for some printing. lol.

The photos and the video are from The Office of Nature. 

Skinny Love, part 2

I'm not quite finished this design yet... but thought I'd give you a glimpse of the 2nd colour. I've been sticking to wood type thus far, but I'm thinking of breaking out some good old fashioned lead type for the next round. I gotta say that one of my favourite parts of printing is the test prints... the parts that don't quite work out, it's basically a beautiful ugly poster... perfect in it's imperfections.

Skinny Love, part 1

At the moment I'm taking it slow and steady as I get comfortable around the press... and still even though it's been about a year since I moved into this studio space and started up this shop, I feel like I'm still learning with every single print run that I do. Which is giving me more reason to print for the sake of printing... like this poster that I started on last night. It's not done yet, just the first layer of red... a cool turquoise is hopefully next and a little bit of black as well... (I'm testing these colours out and how they react overlaid and next to each other on the kraft paper as research for a cool wedding invite that I'm in the middle of designing)... Anyway, printing just for the sake of printing is frikin' awesome, and hopefully I will be doing more of it soon... And the test prints made for some pretty cool wrapping paper. lol. Maybe that's what I'll do next; letterpress wrapping paper!

the letterpress blues

My plan for last night was to print! I just got the polymer plates in the mail for my sister-in-law's baby shower and I was so excited to get them done! I set everything up; cut the paper, aligned the polymer on the press bed, and mixed the ink. I thought it would be cool to add a little bit of silver into the mix to give it some shimmer. Just look how lovely it looked on the press, I thought. BLAH! No such luck when it actually printed. The silver totally overhauled the lightness of the white and blue, and it turned out way to dark when I actually printed one. Ah well, such is life. I will be trying again tonight, without any silver this time around. hehe. So it doesn't turn out this dark...

(here's a sneak peak).

Live Your Own Life

As 2012 is settling in and getting comfortable. I know there are tons of resolutions being thrown at us – get fit, be healthy, organize, de-clutter, etc. etc... I try not to think of this time of year in that context. Instead I usually find myself reflecting on the years past, remembering favourite moments and then thinking of possibilities and exciting moments that lay ahead. I don't really need January to tell me how to change my life... I use January to remind me to live the life I want. This is the time of year that I feel energized, refreshed and feel that anything is possible for the year ahead, I just need to remember to live that way for the rest of the 11 months of the year.

So this year live your own life. Live the way you want, cherish the moments, enjoy, and embrace what life has to offer. And know that there is a whole year of goodness ahead if you decide to truly live instead of waiting for another January to come along to tell you how your should be doing things.

I letterpress printed this print to remind me of just that. It was the first time I printed just for the sake of printing in a long time! Lately it's just been printing for this or that, but not really for me. It was nice. It was calming and almost meditative to set the type on the press bed... to mix a lovely energizing orange, and roll the cylinder over the type to leave such a beautiful and deep impression into some blotter paper I happen to have lying around. It was nice to not have anyone but myself to answer to... and to completely absorb myself in printing.

I'll be selling this limited edition set of prints whenever I open up an etsy store. They are about 10" x 14" (but I'll have to check the exact size). There were only 30, so if you'd like to buy one (only 10 bucks! + shipping), let me know.

I hope your today will be a lovely day.

photos take by Me: Amanda Keenan, on my phone. 

Woodtype

I am so excited to share the latest addition to the Press shop! 4" wood type, made in Two Rivers Wisconsin at Hamilton Wood type... (a place on my personal bucket list to visit some day). The type is impeccable! So soft and smooth. The edges still feel freshly cut and I couldn't be more excited to start using them. Look out for big posters coming with these shortly!

Happy Christmas & a Merry New Year

Happy 2012 everyone! I hope you all had a great time ringing in the new year last night! Now that the holidays are officially over, I thought it would be safe to share with you the Silverplate Press holiday cards! (I hope everyone got them by now!). We mixed a lovely deep silver ink for these cards and picked out a silver envelope to match, each letterpress printed and trimmed on machinery from about 100 years ago. It still amazes me that somehow my life has lead me to this place, next to this press,and totally in love with printing. I feel so blessed! 

I hope that you all have a wonderful 2012, cheers to a merry new year!