Heber Valley Shenanigans

Well, I didn't do the laundry, run my errands, clean the bathroom, or set foot in the gym. But I did manage to take advantage of one of the last weekends of the summer:

+ Went to Meredith's opening in Park City with Jeannie, Kari, Jen, and Ashleigh.
+ Helped Caroline find stuff for her upcoming baby at local yard sales.
+ Rode in my aunt Lisa and uncle Peter's boat on Deer Creek reservoir.
+ Cooked/ate lots of food for the family Sunday dinner.
+ Sat in the Midway hot pots with Max, Elizabeth, Paul, David, and a bunch of highschoolers who wouldn't stop making out. (We didn't stay long.)
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p.s. Thanks to the Cookie Mag Blog for mentioning our "Welcome Little One" card. And I think I may have forgotten to say that Oh So Beautiful Paper and Poppytalk mentioned Meredith's print last week. Thanks so much!

2010 Calendar Sneak Peek

Here are the layers lined up on the light table. Old fashioned, I know. That's how I roll. Oh - and if you are looking for a way to give yourself burning eyes and an arthritic-feeling hand, just make a drawing like this one.
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I was honored to see we were included in this post about eco-paper resources along with some of our favorite paper peeps -- Enormous Champion, Green Paper Co., Fugu Fugu Press, Two Trick Pony, and Susy*Jack.

Happy weekend everyone!

Bollywood

When I was studying in Tonga, the music I most often heard on the radio came from Bollywood. I only saw one movie while I was there - and it was also from Bollywood. Stupid American that I can be, I remember being so surprised at the time that Bollywood films and music could be more popular there than Hollywood and American pop :). Not that it bothered me. I really liked the upbeat rhythms of the songs I'd hear on the radio... it was a welcome change from all the whiny emo on the radio back home.

Anyways, I just found these fantastic images on the website for the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg, Sweden. I wish I could visit the exhibit to learn about what is now the largest film industry in the world. I'd also love to watch some more Bollywood films. Our local library and video shops don't carry any. I'll have to take a look on Netflix. Any recommendations?

The Man I Call Morfar

Carsten Adler Hubertz was the son of a sail maker. He took a boat to school with the other children in his small island town of Lyngor, Norway, and at an early age became a ship boy and sailed the world. In his early 20's he stood in line with the the other immigrants on Ellis Island and swore an oath of loyalty to the United States of America.

Over the course of his life, he would move many times, but always remained close to the sea: New Jersey to California to Florida and back to California. He worked a series of jobs: at a pond that rented toy sailboats, as a fisherman, and as the in-house painter for the Beverly Hills Hotel.

I remember him in his old age. He was a frail, but bright eyed man with a thick Norwegian accent and a wave of still-blond hair. He had working hands that were always busy building stools, end tables, and miniature ships. He smelled like coffee and sawdust and loved to tell us stories of his days spent sailing the world.

My favorite story about him involves this beautiful old accordion that we found buried in my parents' garage last week. A young Swedish woman by the name of Eva Maria Wilhelmina Lundh was persuaded to go to a dance at the local Norwegian community center in Summit, New Jersey. She didn't really want to go, and entered the dance hall reluctantly. But when she looked up at the stage and saw the handsome young man playing the accordion, that was it.

I love this photo of them all dressed up in their Sunday best. (And Stephanie's frame mat shows it off really well, don't you think?)

Also, much of the work I did in grad school was about Morfar. I blogged about it here.

New Accessories at Oak

They're out of my price range, but I like looking at these pretty new things on the Oak website.

from top to bottom :egg bracelet with pyrite by anna sheffield, black kindergarten necklace by langoliers, black/silver multichain watch by la mer, silver rock ring by bijules, black shard chain by bijules.

Some Houses Near Our Studio...

Sometimes I dream about buying a little old house and fixing it up.
And then I start thinking about the practicalities...like the fact that I am already working about 60 hours a week, and don't really feel like coming home to tons more work. So, for now, I get my fix by looking at blogs like Door Sixteen and The Townhouse.
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I hope you had a great weekend! My mom taught me how to make corsages and boutonnieres, I got to see a dear old friend and her cute little family, and we hung out with the ever enjoyable Jorgensen clan.

Giveaway Winner!

Jes (commentor #93) is the winner of Meredith Prévot's print for the Sycamore Club!
Please send me an email at info{at}sycamorestreetpress.com with your mailing address so that we can get that out to you. Thanks to everyone else who entered!

Summer Songs from Lightning Dust

I just got turned on to the music of Lightning Dust while listening to All Songs Considered on NPR. They're on the same label as Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar), and they have a similar sorta feel, but with old-timey female vocals.

Click here to see a video for their song called "Highway".

photo via radio k

Tara Donne

I'm loving these summery photos by Tara Donne.

Summer Fun

Things I'd like to do before the summer ends:

+ Float the Heber canal.
+ Swim and go on the the rope swings in Mona.
+ Go boating on Strawberry Reservoir.
+ Ride bikes on the rail trail in Park City.
+ Eat on the terrace at Ruth's Diner in Emigration Canyon.
+ Start a band or two.
+ Hike up Mount Timpanogas.
+ Drive over the Alpine Loop.
+ Ride down the Alpine Slide.
+ Camp out in the mountains.
+ Get friends and family to do all this stuff with me.

How about you?

Giveaway / New Sycamore Club Print by Meredith Prévot

Take a look at our newest Sycamore Club* print! I love its juicy, summery colors, the intricate line work, and the way the pale pink looks almost like a blind (no ink) impression. It really shows off the letterpress well.

The artist this time is Meredith Prévot (one of my former classmates.) She has lived in Paris on a couple of occasions and even taught an art history course inside the Louvre. To read more about Meredith and her work, please click here to read an brief interview I did with her last year.

About the drawing:

This drawing is based on sketches of Rococo architectural details I made while visiting Paris earlier this year. I enjoy recontextualizing old forms and giving them new life within my paintings, drawings, and prints. - Meredith Prévot

Artist bio:

Meredith Prévot grew up in California. She studied painting and drawing in Utah, where she currently lives. She enjoys exploring different art media and methods in her small studio. Her interests are diverse, and she finds that this variety fuels and facilitates her artistic exploration.


To enter the giveaway, please leave a one word/phrase comment below telling us your dream summer getaway destination. I'll announce the winner next Monday morning (August 24). Click here to see more photos, find out more about the Sycamore Club, or to purchase Meredith's print.

* The Sycamore Club is our letterpress-print-of-the-month club. Each print is in a one time only limited edition of 100, and I hand print them on my letterpress with soy inks on 100% cotton paper. You can purchase an individual print in our shop, where you can also purchase a membership to the Sycamore Club and get a pretty new print in your mailbox every month. (Domestic shipping is free with memberships.)

Russian Dachas

When Kirk lived in Russia, he loved working at his friends' dachas -- little summer country homes and vegetable gardens. They are usually within biking distance from the city, and they are often humble, DIY structures made by the family themselves. They've always seemed like magical places in my mind, and these photos from Irina Troitskaya's flickr only heighten that idyllic sense.

via this is not my work
(the new blog of abby try again)

The View from my Desk

Kirk's got real ink under his fingernails these days.

He's been my printing assistant for a long time, but now he's taking on projects by himself.
He loves it, and it's nice to have the help...especially these past couple of weeks. It felt like we ran out of everything at once (plus we have some new projects we've been working on), so it's been a major tag team effort to get caught up.

(Sorry to everyone we've been wanting to hang out with but haven't had the time! Hopefully we'll get caught up from the whole moving/traveling to shows/family reunion/running out of inventory whirlwind sometime soon and then we'll be able to start hanging out for real.)

The Heber Creeper

When Kirk and I decided that we would move back to Utah for good, we also decided that we would make the most of it. We would take the time to really experience and appreciate all that Utah has to offer.

That was the plan, anyway. But someone's got to keep SSP going! Kirk and I could probably work 24/7 and still fee like there was more to be done. Luckily though, we've had family visiting, so we've made some time on the weekends to hang out and "sightsee" in our new hometown. Like the demolition derby, the rodeo, and most recently... the Heber Creeper.

These photos don't do the scenery justice. The train takes you through a mountain valley, along the shores of a big lake, then down through a steep, forested canyon alongside a river. Gorgeous.

Goodbye John Hughes

image via verdoux

I was sad to hear about John Hughes. Nobody does the high school film genre better than he did. The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Some Kind of Wonderful...and you have to admit that Home Alone was pretty funny. Which one is your favorite? (I think mine is Pretty in Pink...but I like the alternate ending where she ends up with Duckie.)

Here's a link to one of my favorite clips.

70's Crafts

My grandma recently sent me an envelope full of craft projects she ordered out of a magazine back in the days before the internet. She completed the Queen Elizabeth stuffed ornament, but never got around to making this screenprinted Victorian house into a quilt.
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p.s. A part of me would love to be as minimalist as this, but I don't think I could ever achieve it.

Craft Lake City

above and below: Jen Sorensen

below: Art Schmart

above and below: Anne Michelle Heirlooms

above and below: Isabell's Umbrella

above and below: Carrie Eldredge (celdredge9@hotmail.com)

above and below: Claire Taylor (Claire.taylor@utah.edu)

We heart Craft Lake City! There were so many lovely goods to choose from. Some of my favorites are above. Too bad I've given myself a moratorium on buying any new "stuff" for the time being...

Overall, Slug Magazine did a wonderful job organizing this event. There was a great turnout, and we definitely want to come back next year. Plus, it was great fun running into so many of our favorite people from Salt Lake.

Below is a photo of our booth. They provided us with the super sturdy tent.