turtle takeover

This past Wednesday, our Stroller Strides class was held at the Great Lakes Zoological Society.  The small indoor zoo made for a fantastic backdrop for class and a fun playdate afterwards.  Ella had a great time moving her step stool from enclosure to enclosure to see the animals (though she may have been more interested in the step stool then the reptiles and birds at times).  But there were a few of the reptiles she seemed especially taken with - the very active red eared sliders were one of them.  I actually had one of these fine looking turtles growing up (her name was in Angel, may she rest in peace), and so it was fun to see her so excited and curious about them.  

I've been wanting for some time to start designing some activities for her that would tie together an actual experience with a fun craft.  She is getting old enough to understand these things and has more patience to actually execute them.  So, by the seat of my pants, I decided to take out a stack of construction paper when we got home so we could make a turtle.  I quickly cut out a green half circle for the shell and some brown legs and a head.  I then applied the glue to the legs and the head, letting her stick them on (with my direction for placement - uh, can you say control freak).  I then hurriedly began cutting hexagons out of an old catalog, applying glue and handing them over to her to glue on wherever she saw fit (I did a better job this time of letting her do her thing).  And then out came the crayons.  She decorated the shell further with a flourish of quick scribbles, held it up so I could snap a few pictures on my phone, and then scurried off to yell at Henry, our dog (or play, I'm not sure which).

Do you have any good companion activities you do with your kids?

this weekend: tour de ann arbor

This weekend, we enjoyed the company of great friends visiting from Cincinnati.  I love when friends and family come to visit because it gives me an excuse to be a tourist in my own town.  I prepared dinner for all of us on Friday night - Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Parmesan Croutons - and following the complete inhalation of the meal (we ate too late), we played a mostly friendly game of Settlers of Catan (congrats to Tara).

We got a late start on Saturday (we made a point to finish painting our paper mâché eggs), but that didn't stop us from completing an extensive walking tour of downtown Ann Arbor, Kerrytown, and the University.  We hit up Zingerman's for lunch because let's face it,  it isn't a trip to Ann Arbor without something from Zingerman's settling in your midsection.  We stopped for coffee at Sweetwater's, walked through the Farmers Market, and then headed through downtown towards the University.  

Saturday night we grabbed dinner at Jolly Pumpkin (love their Truffle Pizza and Chicken Nachos), and stopped in at The Last Word for a nightcap (nothing better than a Bubbles and Basil).

I feared Sunday brunch was going to be a disaster considering Easter brunch is definitely a thing in most places and I hadn't made any reservations or done any research, but when we arrived at Northside Grill, we actually had table options!

letterpress workshop

The Letterpress Workshop I took last Friday was fantastic (and now I can check this off my Love To-Do List)!  I was surprised to discover that Hollander's has a large basement studio space complete with worktables, stools, and a variety of letterpress equipment - proof, platen and cylinder presses, an assortment of type, and all other related equipment to complete a project.  And if you need paper, just run right up the stairs and you're in a printers and crafters heaven.

The full day course walked us through how to set type in a composing stick, print proofs to check our work, lock the type form into a chase, and ink and operate the platen press to print to our heart's content.  We were all tasked to start by setting a small amount of text - a business card or tag - in our composing sticks, and after printing, we able to work on whatever we wanted.  And, after finding out that we all now have access to the studio during Hollander's free open studio hours (are they serious?!), I scrapped my planned project and decided to use the remainder of my time to experiment.  I can't say I'm over the moon about anything I printed BUT I am excited to spend many future Monday evenings practicing a new craft.

With these valuable lessons under my belt of course:

1. To go into the course, never having printed before, with an image of what I wanted to accomplish was dangerous.  I am used to working on computer software, like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, as my primary medium for graphic representation.  It was therefore very difficult for me to adjust my thinking and work within the constraints of a new medium.  All mediums lend themselves better to certain visions and it will take a lot of practice for me to discover all the potential of letterpress.
2. Setting type is extremely time consuming, so with that . . .  
3. ALWAYS proof your type form before final printing (can you find my mistake?)!  

letterpress workshop: prep

I am preparing to attend a one day Introduction to Letterpress Workshop this coming Friday at Hollander's here in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown.  I am beyond excited as this is something that has been on my Love To-Do list for a long time.  Among other things, I need to come prepared with some sort of text to print.  I have collected many quotes and pulled a few other ideas from sketch books past, but I can't seem to decide on a direction.  So until I do, I'm going to share some of my favorite letterpress (or just plain typographic) projects that have inspired me to learn more.

From left to right:

New Year's Poster, Happy Deliveries, Etsy. I like the placement of the text here, justified to the left in such a way as to not only read as one complete statement, but also to bring attention to each individual word.

Pablo Neruda Letterpress Print, Miss Cline Press, Etsy.  I am a big fan of Pablo Neruda, but aside from that, I like the experimentation here with multiple fonts and the in-line scaling up of the text.

Untitled (I am an invisible man), Glenn Ligon, MoMA.  Glenn Ligon is one of my favorite contemporary artists. Though not letterpress, I especially love his pieces like this one, with layers of text, moving from clear to indistinguishable.

Zeichen Press-Type Limited Edition Alphabet, no longer available.  I've always loved these prints, from the first time I saw them at Room & Board.  They were probably the first pieces to spark my interest in printing methods and the alphabet as potential graphic material.

Kennedy Prints, Amos Kennedy. Amos Kennedy is a prolific print maker.  He uses bold colors and bold text for pieces that are guaranteed to stand out.

No Whining Art Print, Hammerpress.  I am very attracted to the signage quality of this print and the way the bold type is used for the prohibitive phrases and the light type for the permissable phrases.

Black Numbers Print, Inspire U Art, Etsy. Though not a letterpress print, I couldn't help but fall in love with this mid century mash up of numbers.

Paris Parsnip, Alan Kitching, Printed Editions.  I really like the idea that the text can become image, as in this work by famous letterpress artist Alan Kitching.  Apparently, he is also a trained architect too (best education ever but I am biased).

What are your favorites?

inspiring ladies

Source: facebook.com via Traci on Pinterest

For a little over a month now I have been working it out in the mornings with a very amazing group of ladies.  I found Stroller Strides Ann Arbor on Facebook before moving here in July of 2011 while contemplating what the heck I was going to do as a stay-at-home mom (I never really thought I'd find myself in this role) and how I was going to manage losing all of the baby weight with, well, a baby.  It took me a long time to actually attend a class, but once I did I was hooked.  I remember saying to one of the ladies during a class that it was the workout that got me to the class, but the promise of great friendships that kept me coming back.  I feel so lucky now to have met all of these ladies and, if I had regrets, waiting so long to get to a class would certainly be one of them.

Today one of the ladies asked me what the motivation was behind starting my blog.  It's had me thinking all morning.  When I had a baby, left my job, and moved my life to Ann Arbor, I began to feel incredibly lost.  All of these amazing things were finally happening in my life, but they all also required me to abandon a place in my life that I had worked very hard to get to (at least that was how I felt about everything as the post-pregnancy hormones surged through my body).  But as a new wife and mom, I felt a deep desire and need to support and take care of my little family as we entered this new phase of our lives.  My husband was getting ready to start law school and I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed from me to do well and devote as much time to his coursework as needed.  And Ella, she was just two months old when we arrived and I wanted to do everything right for her: nurse her for a year, make all of her baby food, sign her up for classes, make sure she had plenty of time to socialize with other babies, keep her on a good routine and as healthy as possible.  All of these desires, I think, are perfectly normal for any mom and wife.  But being consumed by them began to separate me from myself.  I was trying so hard to pour myself into my new roles, treating them as I often did my previous job, that I left myself little to no time to take care of me.

I owe it to my daughter to take the time to take care of me.  To take care of ALL the parts of me;  to make sure I'm physically healthy so I can teach her good habits and be around for as long as I can, and emotionally healthy so I can engage with her and truly enjoy my time with her, thereby teaching her to enjoy the world and people around her.  Finally getting myself to Stroller Strides has definitely helped encourage good physical health.  Starting this blog has done wonders for the later.

And rather than focusing on being perfect (I am a perfectionist to a fault), I am forcing myself (finally) to just enjoy the journey of it all.

Check out these blogs by a few of these very inspiring stroller striding ladies:

Chez Napier
Paper Hat Gal
Stroller Strides Ann Arbor

We may not be professional bloggers, but we are sharing what we love and there isn't anything much better than that.

found: bloom florist collective

This past Tuesday I attended a BYOC (Bring Your Own Container) class sponsored by Bloom Florist Collective and hosted at Pot & Box's cozy event space here in Ann Arbor. The Collective was created to "educate and inspire," and is made up of four independent florists: Susan of Passionflower, Holly of Sweet Pea, Tracy of Red Poppy, and Lisa of Pot & Box. Read more about the Collective here.

I decided to bring a bright yellow vintage teapot I found at an antique mall several years ago. At my previous house, the teapot graced the open shelving in my kitchen but, when we moved, I couldn't find a place for it. Sadly, it has been living hidden in my dining room sideboard, which isn't a bad home if you love midcentury modern.

Thanks to the experience and wisdom of our instructor Tracy, of Red Poppy Floral Design, I brought this home:

found: pot & box

i've posted a few "found" posts in the past and i quite like the motivation they give me to find new things and explore the world around me. plus, who doesn't love a good find! so i've deemed every friday {found friday} and can't wait to share with you my latest finds.

today i stopped in at a local favorite, pot & box, to check out their floral shop and event space. ive been, ahem, stalking them, if you will, online for months now but had yet to drop in. and what better reason than for their terrarium bar!

i have been coveting a terrarium for, oh, forever. finding the container is easy but who wants to buy a gigantic bag of gravel or potting soil and use just a few scoops? this was the perfect opportunity to create a beautiful addition to my dining room table in just fifteen minutes without having a huge mess to clean up at home. the young lady in the store was fantastically helpful and showed me exactly how much of everything to add and gave me instructions on how to care for it (which is quite important as i seem to have only black thumbs - is that a thing?).

i would highly recommend a visit, even if its just for the bird pants. yes, i said "bird pants."