••♡ Fancy Nancy ♡••

Here are the finished lino prints from the tutorial. I cleaned up all the excess lino and got down to a production line of printing. I used my Adana press but you can just as well do the printing by hand. I used a pure Magenta ink and thoroughly enjoyed watching row upon row of postcards appear...

I went into production for a nice little job I had to do last week. To make and design press packs for Fancy Nancy, a gorgeous bakery that is doing a Christmas presentation at Harvey Nichols this week. 

Because this is how the world works. 

Whilst we are sweltering and dreaming of running naked in the surf, 
lots of designers/makers/businesses have to think about Christmas.
Anyway enough of the C-word.

It's more than a little hard. Hands up who remembers all that snow? 

A press pack is just some info for journos about a company or product. Usually quite dull affairs or needlessly expensive publications. I wanted to make a nice little presentation and Juliet of Fancy Nancy is just one of those gorgeous clients who leave it to me.

Here's a peep at the press packs I ended up making to be distributed to all the journalists to let them know all about Fancy Nancy. I made a rubber stamp of a cupcake and made all these bag toppers. Another production line developed and of course I had to leave them all spread out to dry.. it was a particularly windy week so I had to be really careful which doors and windows were open otherwise we could have ended up with cake stand postcards being stuck to cupcake toppers and that would have been VERY BAD. And with the windy weather I could not take anything outside to photograph in good old fashioned natural sunlight so forgive the crappy pics but at least you get to see some of what was created.

So, every press pack got a cakestand postcard, a little Fancy Nancy booklet with all the info inside with images etc. All designed by me. I'm loving the doily designs. It was lovely to work on a real girlie vibe with cakes and weddings and sugar coated possibilities. Here's the piles of booklets. Made from one page wonders...I'll have to show you how another time. 

Inside each pack was a little decorated printed biscuit beautifully made by Fancy Nancy. I developed a great sense of willpower and didn't eat one. It would have been so easy to pop one into my biscuit sized mouth too. 

And here are all the finished pieces with the early morning sun glinting off them as they waited delivery.

Like a row of party bags for grown ups. Now, there's an idea.

Fancy Nancy loved them...and I love them for letting me 'show and tell'

♒℉ishy business♒

Don't take to the smelling salts just because I am back within the week. I meant it you know. I'm a woman of my word. Which works against me sometimes but that's another looooooonnngggggg story.
It's been a productive week, lots of coming and going, toing and froing, huffing and puffing.
A quick peek-a-boo at some of my moments...

I gathered all my rubber stamps together and made this as a promotional piece. It's all the rubber stamps I have carved recently for various projects. Using my quite ridiculously large collection of inks. (it's one of my cheaper habits)
When I was a porous, diligent art student at The London College of Printing or the LCC as it is known by these days and I extended my printmaking skills, I felt as though I had come home. The thoughtful, meditative quality that comes with printmaking was a great soother to me in those (when I look back on it) quite troubled times. But printmaking is a process requiring equipment and it means making a mess and although I can quite easily manage both of those; the simplicity and ease with which I can quickly carve a stamp is increasingly seductive.
A block of rubber, my trusty lino cutting tools and a selection of ink pads and almost instant results. I teach the basic techniques of this at The Make Lounge.  Everybody can do it once they know how. A few points in the right direction from an experienced maker saves so much time and wasted materials ;-) And we achieve quietness and concentration in class there. Printmaking weaves a spell of contemplation. A yogic focus. If I had a bit more time on my hands I would take a few of the other classes there myself. They all look amazing. 


Here's a few cards I made earlier with some offcuts from book projects, painted watercolour circles and fish and seaweed stamps. I haven't got around to folding them yet, will come back and pop them in the press later when they are dry. It's coming up to lots of birthdays and I love sending cards, HATE buying them.

And in my quieter moments I wander field and woods trying to walk off excess rhubarb cake and keeping the dog happy. It's Spring you know! 

♁ lessons in letterpress ♁

Last week I had a great day with Vicky and Chrissie at 
Harrington & Squires.  
Once upon a time, a long time ago, far away in another land etc etc I bought, for a ridiculously small sum, a whole load of letterpress furniture, type in cases and two Adana presses. And it has so far languished in every available space in my shed/ house/under the stairs. I nearly gave it away, I stubbed my toe on it all, I cursed it,  I tried to print with it a couple of times and failed miserably. I had forgotten what all the things were for and needed a refresher. 
I noticed that Harrington & Squires did day courses and with much excitement I put myself in their very capable hands. 
It was a lovely, inspirational and educational day. 

I relearned all the basics, some technical terms (albeit all forgotten already as demonstrated yesterday whilst attempting to print with Simon Goode "can you pass me one of those thingummys please?") and came away with a set of business cards all handprinted by me and a new found desire to letterpress my life away. Of course, there is much left to learn but I am so happy to realise that it's a wonderful addition to my skills and I want to do more.

I know these pictures don't do letterpress much justice, 

the letters are debossed into the card with ink and feel really really good.

{I've blurred my phone number since I became a member of the witness protection programme}

Chrissie and Vicky were great teachers, patient and very knowledgeable about their subject. The studio itself is a dream to work in, it's called The Corridor for good reason, spread over three floors it's delightfully laid out with inspiration everywhere. I highly recommend a day there. Have an idea about something you would like to print...I was hopelessly unprepared.

I learned the basics of type and how to put it in a chase, lots of useful stuff about inking up and registration. After lunch I had a whole afternoon of printing my heart out, the day whizzed by and was over before I could draw breath. I left filled up with enthusiasm and another new skill. 

I'm so excited about printing up all the old printing plates I found with my Adana booty. 

Invitation to a South Seas Dance anyone?