sycamore classes: A Few More Spots

In case you missed the post about our Intro to Letterpress / Valentine classes tomorrow, we still have some spots left. Click here for the morning class and here for the afternoon class.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

friday favorites: Unforgettable Meals

These photos are from 3 (of the many) memorable meals we had in December... which got me wondering; what are the most memorable meals of my life? It's hard to choose, but here are a few:

+ Los Angeles, California. 1980's. Eating Dodger dogs and Cracker Jacks while watching Orel Hershiser with my folks.

+ Gjeving, Norway. 2005: While staying with my Norwegian relatives, they taught me and Kirk how to catch mussels with a broom and then cook them right after for the freshest taste.

+ Orem, Salt Lake, and Heber City, Utah. Present Day: Sunday dinners spent with mine and Kirk's families. From raclette, to pizza and salad, to tortellini soup, to traditional spaghetti...it's all delicious, and I'm with my favorite people in the world.



How about you? If you're game, please leave them in the comments below, or leave a link to your own blog post on the subject. Thanks!

the sycamore q+a {no.50}: JP Haynie

Local Utah favorite JP Haynie is the music project of Jordan Haynie and an assortment of his musical friends. I've known Jordan for quite a while, and I've loved each performance and album he's come out with over the years. He makes tender, simple folk music that's just plain good. No flashiness required. (Record labels, are you listening?)


1) How did you become a musician?

When I was about 15 my friend's older brother was in this hardcore band in my town. They had made an album and I remember thinking that was unbelievable. They became my friends and I wanted to be good at playing instruments like them so I taught myself how to play the guitar with some help from a friend. I started out not liking to learn how to play other songs but I really liked writing them so I kept doing it. I love learning songs now.


2) What's been inspiring you lately?

This past summer (2009) I bought an 8 track cassette recorder. I have been making tons of recordings. Trying make cool sounds. Using the machine has made me want to write more percussive songs which has been awesome. I can't get over it. I also really loved playing my songs in a band pretty loud(Thanks guys!) and would like to make more songs like that. My friend Jefferson inspires me a lot musically, I have been playing music with him a lot over the past year in our band "CASTILLOS" and I have taken a lot from it musically. I've also started drawing.


3) Tell us about a recent project.

We just finished a Christmas album entitled "Where Are My Presents???" that was really fun and I'm really proud of the recordings. Right now I am recording an album called "The Sand". It has more percussion and instrumentation. Lot's of harmony which is one of the things I love most in music. It is possible that I will be recording some of songs with the help of Brendon Massei (Viking Moses) and Laura Goetz (Golden Ghost) this summer or maybe in March. I don't know if our schedules will work out. I am going to make "real" CDs instead of a tape or CDR which is fun. Castillos will have a song on the Ok Ikumi curated "The Sun Never Sets" electronic music compilation.


4) What else would we like to know about you?

I guess I can just tell you some things I like/love. My wife Cayleen, going to the movies, "Buffalo Bleu" KETTLE Chips, SODA, Mount Eerie, The Fleetwoods, Smog, Playing with a band, the smell of soap, taking showers, keyboards, swimming, drawing/painting, admiring drawings and paintings and photographs, singing, Crown Burger, etc...



Thanks Jordan!
He has a show coming up February 28th at the Urban Lounge in SLC, so if you're in the area, I suggest you check it out. If not, listen to his songs at one of these links:

His Myspace page: www.myspace.com/jphaynie
His Tumblr: jphaynie.tumblr.com
His download shop: jphaynie.bandcamp.com
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If any of you are in Utah today, you might want to drive up to Park City to see Isobel Campbell (formerly of Belle & Sebastian) play for free at the Music Café on Main Street.

image credits: JP Haynie, The Sun Never Sets logo by Karl Jorgensen.

our little life: Eating Sour Grass

I miss the year-round flora and fauna from my SoCal childhood. Even mundane groundcovers like ice plant seem exotic and beautiful to me now.


I took these photos on our December trip to San Francisco. December! I've lived in a snowy climate for so long now, I've pretty much forgotten what it feels like to walk outside barefoot on Christmas day....or to think that it's "freezing" outside at 65 degrees...not to mention how much easier it is to eat locally and seasonally in warmer climes. In the mountain valley where I live, the growing season is only 3 months!


As a kid, we used to call this stuff sour grass. It grew in the alley behind my house and on the borders of the playground at school. We'd chew on the stem to taste the lemony flavor and then spit out the pulp. After snapping this photo, I tried it again for old time's sake. Not bad. Did you chew on this stuff as a kid, too?
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We still have a few spots left in our Intro to Letterpress / Valentine class this Saturday, if anyone is interested.

My new blog obsession: http://folkobject.tumblr.com/ (via Design*Sponge)

on the road: Mid Century in Westlake

While in San Francisco for Bazaar Bizarre and Renegade SF last month, we stayed with a couple of different friends. Our first host was Tim Koide in Westlake, which is just south of the city. As soon as we pulled into his neighborhood, I gasped. Look at all these mid-century gems!



I knew that I had seen these homes before, even though I'd never been to Westlake. Then I remembered that Victoria from SFgirlbybay blogged about these "little boxes made of ticky-tacky" a while back. Click here to see her post.


Just thought I'd throw in this last photo of Tim and Kirk jamming in the basement of the "little box house". Thanks again, Tim!
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Thank you so much to everyone who nominated us for The Poppies! Now they're taking actual votes, and I would be so grateful it if you voted for Sycamore Street Press! You just need to go here, click by our name, and then click on "vote" at the bottom. Super easy. But if you don't feel like it, or if you'd rather vote for someone else, I understand :) No pressure.

I also saw that we were nominated in the Handmade Eco Artist category, which is awesome, but I think you should vote for my friend Claire of My Favourite Dress instead. She's my handmade eco idol.

Thanks!

on the road: The Alt Design Summit

Dezeen (image of Freya's cabin by Studio Weave)

I haven't had a chance to open up my feed reader yet this morning, but I have a feeling that a lot of bloggers will be dishing out love for last weekend's Alt Summit in Salt Lake City. I had such an amazing time. The panel discussions were informative + inspiring, it was wonderful to meet the people behind so many of my favorite blogs, and the setting (at the Grand America) was all marble, crystal chandelier, and carved wooden beauty. As a bonus, SLC is just an hour's drive from Heber, so I didn't have to go far for this awesome event.

The Diversion Project (image by Living, Etc)

First off, there was an Early Bird lecture on Thursday afternoon (which is where I saw all the blogs/images in this post for the first time). Later on that night, there was a fabulous 'Hollywood Glamour" party in one of the ballrooms. I hardly ever get all dressed up, so I was eager for the chance to be girly. Each attendee had to enter by way of a red carpet while what felt like dozens of flashbulbs went off in his/her face. I felt pretty awkward, especially since I was walking in by myself. Guess I'm not cut out for Hollywood.

On-Hand Modern

MoCo Loco (image of Pepe Heykoop's Brickchandelier)

Friday started out with the Keynote panel/breakfast. Heather Armstrong from Dooce was the hilarious moderator, while Jean from NotCot, Grace from Design*Sponge, and Maxwell from Apartment Therapy were also on the panel. The rest of the day was filled with panel discussions. Each one was inspiring and full of helpful advice. I loved hearing everyone's stories of how they got started in the design blogging world, and I definitely learned a lot.

Black. White. Yellow (image by Skona Hem)

Design Klub (image of string gardens by Fedor)

I met so many welcoming and friendly people at Alt. There was definitely no snobbery going on. I can hardly wait for next year, and I hope that you can make it, too!

friday favorites: Last Year's Songs

I'm at the Alt Summit all day today, but I thought I'd leave you with some of my favorite songs from 2009.

+ My Boys by Taken by Trees (video above)
+ Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z + Alicia Keys
+ Wavin' Flag by K'Naan
+ Soft Shock by the Yeah Yeah Yeah's
+ Basic Space by the XX
+ My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille by Beirut

I know that My Boys is a cover of Animal Collective's My Girls, but I like the Taken by Trees version a little bit better.

And in case you were wondering what my worst song from 2009 was, I'll tell you: Fireflies by Owl City. (For being such an annoying ripoff/caricature of the Postal Service.)

What were your favorite songs from last year?

the sycamore q + a {no. 49}: General Store in San Francisco

I've got news.
And I'm pretty happy about it.
From now on, along with artists and musicians, I'll be interviewing independent boutique owners for the Sycamore Q+A series. These mom and pop shops are the bread and butter to many indie designers like ourselves. And we know that these small brick and mortar stores have had an especially hard time of it in these down economic times. But we can't let them go the way of the laser disc, right? We need more of The Shop Around the Corner and less Fox Books.

Up first is General Store from San Francisco's Sunset neighborhood; just a short walk away from the beach. Kirk and I got to visit the shop and chat with the owners, Serena Mitnik-Miller and Mason St. Peter, while we were in town for a couple of craft fairs last month.


1) How did you become a shop owner?

We were all set to move to Brooklyn to join our other coast community and just as we were about to begin our transition, a space opened up for lease in our neighborhood and we could not ignore the calling. Community means a lot to us and since our this coast community is strong and growing stronger we felt we needed to do this.


2) Tell us about one of your favorite items in the General Store.

That's a tough one as our inventory changed almost daily. We always have an amazing assortment of goodies to choose from and standard items that never change but I would have to say right now I have my eye on a beautiful plaid blanket that may not last much longer in the store due to it being destined for my living room reading chair.

3) What's the best part about your job?

That we get to collaborate on most everything we do. From designing and building displays, to purchasing, making and displaying merchandise for the store, each day has more to offer than the last in the realm of creative freedom because we are doing this for you and it comes directly from us. And our dog gets to come to work with us, bonus.

4) Is there anything else we would like to know about you?

Serena and I are always looking for new and interesting things in the world to inspire and redirect us.

Thanks Serena and Mason!

Be sure to check out their shop if you are in SF:
4035 Judah Street San Francisco, CA 94122 | 415-682-0600

or if you aren't, visit their blog:
www.visitgeneralstore.com/news/

sound + vision: Torn Curtain

How did I not know that Alfred Hitchcock had made a film starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, and set in some beautiful European locations? Kirk and I recently watched this little gem, and we loved it.


Much of the film takes place in beautiful Copenhagen. It brought back a lot of great memories from when Kirk and I camped there several years ago. (Yes, we camped in the city! Can you imagine doing that in New York? Not me.)




Why don't we still dress up for plane flights? Everyone used to look so dashing.


Another part of the film is set in East Germany (Berlin and Leipzig). Luckily things don't look quite so grim in those cities these days. At least I know they don't in Berlin.




Looks like Mad Men, doesn't it?

Hitchcock's color films are always such a treat to watch. I really feel like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to looking at all the gorgeous sets and costumes. Oh, and the suspense is pretty great, too. :)
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Did you see the Design*Sponge guide for Park City, UT? My friend Veeda wrote it and I think she did a great job! (She even wrote a little section about Heber.) Right in time for Sundance and the Altitude Design Summit...

giveaway winner: #20 Brad

Congratulations to Brad (commentor #20)! I used Random.org to choose a winner, and you are the lucky one! Please email me at eva{at}sycamorestreetpress{dot}com with your mailing address so we can get the newest Sycamore Club print out to you. Thanks to everyone who participated! If you didn't win, you can still purchase one of Chelsea's prints here.

on the road: Granville Island in Vancouver / Haiti Benefit Print

After our craft show in Seattle last month, we took a quick trip up to Vancouver to visit Claire and Nathan. I was pretty excited, because we hadn't seen these two good friends in over 4 years, and it was my first time in Canada.




While we were there, C+N suggested we take a walk over to Granville Island. We strolled along the waterfront, took in the gallery at Emily Carr, met the nice/knowledgeable folks at Black Stone Press, walked through the public market, and ate the best fish and chips ever at Go Fish.



The only bad part was that about 2 minutes after leaving their apartment, my new (Christmas present from Kirk) boots started eating up the backs of my heels. I had to walk on my tiptoes the rest of the day, because that was the only way to keep my heels from rubbing against the back of the boots. I think Kirk was a little embarrassed to walk alongside me, and I don't really blame him. Who limps around while walking on both tiptoes? Me, apparently.
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+ After Sycamore Club artist Jamie Tallerico decided to donate his portion of the profits from his Sycamore Club print to the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti, we decided to follow his lead. This means that from now on, 100% of the profits from this print go to Haiti. Find it here and here. Thanks Jamie!

sound + vision: Letterpress Coasters

Letterpress Coasters from Quarter Productions on Vimeo.

Have you seen this gorgeous video? It shows the intricate process of creating on a vintage Vandercook letterpress (similar to ours). Watch it and you just might fall in love with printmaking.

Printshop shown: Repeat Press
Video by: iloveqp.com
Found via A Continuous Lean

We Can Help Haiti

image credit: CBC News

Like everyone around me, I've felt so sad and helpless over the devastation in Haiti. I feel strange and guilty for going about my normal business. But there are ways we can be involved and help.

+ Jen over at Indie Fixx is organizing an auction of handmade goods. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross International Response Fund. There will be some SSP posters up for auction soon, so keep an eye out.

+ We can also donate to that same fund by simply texting "Haiti" to 90999. It's so easy and direct -- a genius idea. (As of last night, over $4 million had already been raised this way!)

+ We can donate to Emergency Response efforts through LDS Humanitarian Services.

+ Erin at Design for Mankind put together a long list of organizations helping out in Haiti.

+ Jeanine of AfroChic is also organizing some auctions to benefit Haiti.

Friday Favorites

+ Walls from Baja California

+ Supporting local Utah farms

+ Kirk's got me hooked on Season 1 of Prison Break

+ The pretty printed wrap I bought for our upcoming Valentine's classes

+ If I had kids, they'd be wearing something like this

+ Veeda's fresh Vietnamese summer rolls


What are your favorites this week?

Abby has her readers link to their own blogs in their comments on her Five Senses Fridays. I think I'll take a cue from her, so if you've written a blog post with your favorite things this week, please share by putting a link to it in your comment. Thanks!

looking lovely: Felted Style

I came across Karen Hewig's work at Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle. She hand felts everything in her line -- pillows, rugs, wall art, yardage. Her simple designs let the beauty of the wool take center stage.



p.s. There's a giveaway of one of our prints over on So About What I Said.