sycamore street press: Letterpress Book

Woohoo! We're in a new book: Reinventing Letterpress by Charlotte Rivers.

It's available on the RotoVision website, as well as Amazon. I'm not sure if local booksellers here in America will have it yet because it's from the UK, and a US version is being released by Chronicle Books in August (under the title Little Book of Letterpress).

I just love the covers of this book (esp. the one on the right), and I can't wait to see what's inside!

Quote of the Week

Photo via My Sesquipedalian

sycamore street press: Back For a Limited Time

Our frame mats, gift tags, place cards & coordinating envelopes are back in the shop for a limited time. We won't be reprinting any of these, and certain colors and designs have only a 2 or 3 left. If you've had your eye on something, better act fast!

I love to use the frame mats as gifts. Just adhere a photo to the middle, slip it into a nice wooden standard frame, and voila! -- a thoughtful, unique, luxurious, (and surprisingly affordable) gift.

The place cards are such a pretty addition to the table at dinner parties, bridal showers, weddings, etc.... And if you purchase the coordinating envelopes, they can double as little gift enclosure cards.

You can find them all in our shop, and in our Etsy shop.

at the table: New York Eats, Part 2

For my second New York Eats post, I'll focus on Manhattan. (Find the first post here.)

1) Couscous at Café Gitane. Beautiful presentation...but not at all fussy. This was a hearty, generous serving of the best couscous I've ever had.... I wish I could remember everything that was in there: tomatoes, raisins, cinnamon, mint, spinach, lemon, etc... with that fantastic hummus on top.

(Recommended by Zu and Vanessa.)


2) Chopped salad at the Standard Grill. (Fresh and very good, but I'd probably try something else next time...) Kirk had a tasty club sandwich, and we shared a yummy plate of cured meats with pickles and olives. My favorite was the finocchiona. (It was only later that I realized I shouldn't have eaten them being pregnant!) Beautiful decor, too. (Penny tiles made from real pennies, tufted leather banquettes in the dining room, bentwood chairs in the garden room...)

image via A Hamburger Today

3) Cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate malt from the Shake Shack. I think I mentioned it here before. The burger was amazing. And I love the potato bun it comes on. The malt was so chocolatey and good...I wish I had one right now. But the fries were just blah.

image via Tasted By Two

4) Grilled chicken cobb salad at Le Pain Quotidien. Kirk got the tuscan bean salad. Both were so lovely! And to think this is a chain....you'd never guess by the one we went to. I love the long communal tables and rustic atmosphere. I also think I have a soft spot for this place knowing it comes from Belgium. Too bad we didn't save room for dessert. I've had their tarts and pastries in the past. Delicious.

image via What the Hellz

5) Hot dog and fresh pineapple juice at Gray's Papaya. The juice was for me, and the hot dog was for Kirk. Both were great, but I'd say the juice edged out the hot dog. Kirk would probably disagree.

poppytalk contributor post: Kiki Smith

Kiki Smith is one of my all time favorite artists. I got to see her show, Sojourn, at the Brooklyn Museum when we were in New York. Read the full post and see more images over at Poppytalk.

I also did a post on this blog a while back full of Kiki's quotes and work. Not only is she skilled in visual expression -- she has quite a way with words.

Friday Favorites

A few of my current favorites ///// These multi-colored sandals ///// Flowers blooming everywhere ///// Rhoda's Wedding ///// Watercress soup ///// Wearing my hair like this ///// Blondie's version of Out in the Streets ///// My Snoogle. Yes, that's its name. Don't make fun.

the sycamore q+a {no. 62}: Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store

Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn is chock full of fun books, games, gifts, etc...It's the kind of place that brings out the kid in everyone.

Kirk and I stopped by to drop off Annie's order of cards while we were in town, and even though Annie was in the middle of a hard drive meltdown, she still looked happy to see us and took the time to chat. I am always impressed by the shop owners who carry our paper goods. They are ever-failingly gracious and friendly! Meeting them is definitely one of the perks of owning Sycamore Street Press.



1) How did you become a shop owner?

I dreamed of opening an Urban General Store for years (um, worked on business plans for 10+ years before I opened!)- always with the idea of incorporating the Blue Ribbon motif. Since Blue Ribbons mean “the best”, I wanted to create a fun one-stop shop filled with the best that life has to offer. I do all the sourcing and editing for you (the customer) and since our merchandise changes all the time, there’s always something new. I am soo excited to be following my dream and love every minute of it (okay, the book keeping part sucks, but other than that…).

2) Tell us about one of your favorite items in Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store.

Ooh that is a tough one- I love all our stuff (seriously!). Right now I am obsessed with a few (all very different things)- one is this cool Boombox cooler. It plays music (attach your iPod, etc.) to the speakers, holds up to 18 cans/12 bottles (or whatever you want to bring to beach, garden, etc.) and also attaches your handle bars. Fun and function (our motto) at its’ finest. I also love these Mexican Wrestling Lucha Libre Dolls- there funny hand-painted colors crack me, as does the glued on yellow hair. We are having fun in the shop playing with them. We also have these Rocket Pop Molds for making Ice Pops. They are fun for kids and adults, which I say is true for many items in the shop.

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

The best part of my job is without a doubt getting to know all our fabulous customers. When I was first going to open, the concept was just going to be a website, but I am soo glad I decided to open a store first and a website second. Our customers are so wonderful and I really feel like we have developed a sense of community at the shop, which was one of my main objectives for opening a General Store. I love our location in Brooklyn (in Boerum Hill, between the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene)- we have such diverse neighbors here, many of which are so well traveled and “up on the latest thing” that they really challenge me (and the store) to keep it fresh and exciting. It has also been fun to “meet” our online customers too. People from all over the world shop and visit the website, www.blueribbongeneralstore.com, many of whom send us notes and share their stories with us.

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

I wanted to add a personal touch to the store, so I added “Annie’s” to the beginning of the store’s name about a year after I opened. My name (that I was born with) is Ann Lopatin, and everyone called me Annie Lo for years. I got married recently- actually it’s been 2 years now- and my name is now Ann Cantrell. So, everyone kind of dropped the Lo part and now I am just Annie. Ann, Annie Lo, Annie- I answer to it all. I’ve even been called Annie Lo-quacious, so I better stop writing now!


Thanks Annie!

Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store
365 State Street / Brooklyn, NY 11217

WEBSITE ///// BLOG ///// FACEBOOK

at the table: New York Eats, Part 1

The majority of the food we ate in New York was simple stuff that we ate and prepared at the apartment: sandwiches, cereal, fruit, yogurt, turkey chili, etc...

But when we had a chance to go out & about during the day, we sampled a fair amount of delicious food...much of it recommended to me by friends, blogs, and you -- my lovely readers. I've put together a series of posts to show you, because I'm assuming that you, like me, love to eat.

This first post is dedicated to the amazing smorgasbord that is the Brooklyn Flea.

1) A plum mint popsicle by People's Pops. They use fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients... and it shows. Probably the best popsicle I've ever had. I'm told their shave ice is amazing as well.


2) McClure's pickles. Do I need to remind you that I'm pregnant? We took a jar of these back to our apartment, and I think I ate at least one or two spears every day until they were gone.


3) Watermelon juice by one of the Red Hook Ball Fields food vendors. So refreshing. Although, a bit sweet for me. Next time, I'd ask for half lemonade / half watermelon juice.


4) An artisinal pretzel by Sigmund's Pretzel Shop. The pretzel had great flavor, but was stale by the time I got it towards the end of the day. I'm sure if you go directly to their bakery in Manhattan, you wouldn't be disappointed.

Photo by Ultrateg via Serious NY Eats

5) A Maine style lobster roll from the Red Hook Lobster Pound. It was crazy delicious. We'd never had a lobster roll before, but we're now both certain that it's one of our favorite foods. Maybe we should move to Maine and become lobstermen.

Photo by Sam Horine

6) Pupusas are one of the best comfort foods out there. And they're always cheap. These from the Red Hook Ball Field vendors were no exception. And the yummy flavors: zuchinni and cheese, pork and cheese with jalapeno, etc... were some that I'd never seen at our local Utah pupuserias.

Photo via the Brooklyn Flea

7) The Ginny from Asia Dog. It's a hot dog covered in kimchee and shreds of seaweed (the bottom one pictured). Unexpected and pretty fantastic. Wish we could have tried all the other toppings: Japanese curry, sesame slaw, mango relish with crushed peanuts...

Image via Tom Cat Bakery

8) Pastries by Tom Cat Bakery. I'm lucky these guys don't have a shop in Heber, or I'd be incredibly fat.

You can probably tell by now, but there was so much great food at the flea...If possible, I would have eaten there every day and been happy. I've listed so much food here that it probably looks like we did anyway, right? Let me remind you that we were there two entire days, and we split most of what you see. But okay... I'll admit that it's still a lot.

Quote of the Week

I think I'll start posting a different quote I like each week.
I hope you like them, too!

image via toptenz.net

poppytalk contributor post: Summer Bike Rides

photo by clumsy bird

My latest post full of dreamy photos of bicycles is up on Poppytalk. Click here if you'd like to see. The above Polaroid is by my dear & talented friend Claire (aka clumsy bird)....who also introduced me to the site 8tracks. Listen to the first mix I made for it here.

sound + vision: Somewhere by Sofia Coppola

via The Neo-Traditionalist

Looking forward to Sofia Coppola's newest film, Somewhere. It seems to be a story about waking up to the important things in life... the father-daughter aspect reminds me a bit of this.

Oh - and I happened to notice that a photo I took for Poppytalk of Enormous Champion's whale mobile made it onto a recent nautical-themed Cup of Jo post! Phew. Try saying that 3x fast. :)

our little life: Happy Father's Day!

My dad is so generous, strong, hard-working, and loving. I couldn't have picked out a better father! I feel incredibly blessed to have him in my life. I love you, Dad!


I also have a fantastic father in law and grandfathers. They've all made my life so much the better for being in it.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. Your job is so important. Thank you for all you do.

(Do you remember the guest post I did over on Abby's blog? These photos of my dad and I are from the same circa 1980 album. Don't worry, Mom. I'll give it back unharmed.)

our little life: It's a Girl!

We went in for the 20 week ultrasound yesterday, and found out that we are having a healthy little girl! We're completely over the moon! I wish you could have seen the look on Kirk's face when we found out. She's already got us wrapped around her little finger.

the sycamore q+a {no. 61}: Catbird

They Sycamore Q+A's are back! I put them on hiatus while we were in New York, but I've really been missing them. They're one of my favorite things on this blog.

This week, we'll hear from Rony Vardi, the owner of a pretty little boutique in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Catbird is the kind of place I love to peruse when in need of a gift: scented soap, home decor items, greeting cards (including some of ours), wrapping paper, and one of the best assortments of handmade, quality jewelery I've seen.

While in New York, Kirk and I got to stop in and say hi. If you're in the area, I definitely suggest you do the same!


1) How did you become a shop owner?

I guess every job I ever had, even when I was a kid, I always wanted to make the decisions. Not necessarily to be in charge -- because that's not always so much fun -- but to decide what color to paint the walls, what projects to explore, what avenue to explore...


2) Tell us about one of your favorite items in Catbird.

That's really heard. We have been doing a ton of wedding business, so I have rings on the mind. I love the Lucky Seven Twig Ring by Bittersweets. It looks great on a pointer finger or pinky.


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

Unearthing talent and collaborating with my incredibly smart, sweet, and talented staff. I could never do it alone and I am so fortunate to have such an amazing team.


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

I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do what I do and be able to balance my work life with my family. Or at least try to.


You may have heard about Catbird in the news lately because of this adorable apology letter they received from a little (accidental) thief:



Catbird:

219 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY

WEBSITE ///// BLOG ///// TWITTER ///// FACEBOOK

Last two images by Catbird. All other images by me.

on the road: NYC Facades, Part 2

We called this red building home while in New York.

Common sounds that came through our windows (the two to the left of the door):

+ the constant buzz of the BQE,
+ the tinny music of the Mister Softee truck,
+ kids playing,
+ crazy men shouting in the middle of the night,
+ dogs (mainly pit bulls) barking,
+ loud bass seeping from cars stopped at the red light on the corner...