Style Snapshot ///// Madewell

I'm feeling inspired by these looks for fall by Madewell.

And have you seen the "My Madewell" section of their website? The latest incarnation features Eleanor Friedberger (of the Fiery Furnaces). Very fun.

Welcome to Black*Eiffel readers, and a great weekend to all!

Elsewhere ///// Black Eiffel Interview

Rachel from Black* Eiffel interviewed me for her Mother of Beauty series back in May, and she posted it on her blog today! I've loved reading Black*Eiffel for years now, so I was really happy to participate. I can't wait to see who else Rachel is featuring...

Click here to read the interview.

Sycamore Classes ///// Thank You Cards on September 17th

We've scheduled a couple more letterpress workshops for Saturday September 17th! Click here to get more info.

Also, we can arrange private classes if you have a group of 6-10 people who would like to take a class together. We've had people do this before, and it's a lot of fun!

On the Road ///// The Beach

 

What's a trip to the coast without a day (or two, or three...) at the beach? Luckily for us, our family in California lives about 10 minutes away from a beautiful beach. We spent an afternoon there, but I could have stayed for a week. Easily. 

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Oh well. We do have some exciting things brewing here in the printshop, though... For starters, a new letterpress! Can you believe I started Sycamore Street Press almost 4 years ago, and we're still printing on one little non-motorized press? Our "little" Vandercook no. 3 is like The Little Engine That Could... it's done a tremendous job. But we've maxed out our workload. In order to grow, we need another machine. Luckily, we found a beauty! I'll post pics when I can.

We Go Together ///// Goldenrod & Graphite

Another pretty pairing put together by Caroline. I think this is my favorite yet!

This is the Start by cw2389 featuring floral rings Print dress, $100 High heel shoes, $90 Zara messenger bag, $40 Kate Spade floral ring, $44 Madewell metal jewelry, $28 Bow hat, $13 Linda Farrow Luxe glass shades, $425

On The Road ///// A Bit of Earth

We took a quick trip last weekend to visit family in California. They have a spot in this community garden which had such a wild, wonderful beauty. Kirk said it reminded him of Russian dachas.

I love that places like this exist.

Do you have a garden?

Looking Lovely ///// A Little Green House

I spotted this house the other day while on a walk with Kirk. Isn't it lovely?

Our Little Life ///// The National Pastime

Cracker Jacks and hot dogs.
A League of Their Own and The Sandlot.
My brothers' little league games and the Dodgers.
Jose Canseco and Orel Hershiser.

We went to a game for the first time in years, and it still felt like magic.

Sound & Vision ////// The Boy Who Could Fly

The Boy Who Could Fly - Future Nun from If You Make It on Vimeo.


My friend Kari* makes music under the name The Boy Who Could Fly. (I've featured her here before -- maybe you remember?).  Anyways, she was recently featured on the very cool Pink Couch Sessions playing a live acoustic version of her song Future Nun. I love when she gets into the chorus and really starts singing it out. So infectious! And I just love this song.

* Kari also happens to be my sister in law, but we were friends before I even met Kirk. In fact, she introduced us.

On The Road ///// The Golden State

Hello there! My parents are holding down the fort while Ingrid, Kirk, and I are off visiting family in sunny Southern California. I've been looking forward to lounging on the beach with our family for months!

This film still is from the original Gidget. I love that movie. Sandra Dee's character lived my teenage dream. Seriously -- I would have loved to be a teenage surfer in 50's/60's era California. Do you ever think about things like that? Alternative eras and scenes you'd like to experience?

I M A G E ///// via Sarcastathon 3000

Sycamore Q & A {no. 72} ///// Caroline Woods of Sycamore Street Press

Meet Caroline Woods, one of our summer interns! Caroline grew up in Baltimore and now lives with her husband in Provo, Utah. She studies English at Brigham Young University. We are so glad to have her here at Sycamore Street Press!

 

List 5 of your current inspirations

urbaneelements.com is a great source for inspiring photos of interiors, fashion, aesthetics, and happens to be totally dude-centered.

ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars. It is completely embarrassing to admit, but the fashion, hair, makeup, and interior design far outweigh the less-than-stimulating plot line. 

Alice Lane. I wish I could live in their showroom. Nuff said. 

theburninghouse.com This is a great blog where readers can submit photos of the things they would snag if their house was up in flames...it is surprisingly artistic.

Real Simple Magazine. I love this pared-down and modern version of a lifestyle publication. 

List 5 of your favorite artists

Chloé. Specifically the brand's designs for the fall. There is a gorgeous mixture of prints, knits, and leather...not to mention a seriously 70's vibe which I love.
 

Brian Doyle. His prose is amazing. My writing style completely changed after reading it. 

Two Door Cinema Club. I love their mix of indie rock and techno elements. I tune into their pandora station whenever I have to get some serious work done. It's fast-paced and not insufferably poppy. Juuuust right. 

Brian Kershisnik. He is a phenomenal and funny artist. His work is surprisingly sentimental, moving, and simultaneously existential and spiritual. 

Jamie Oliver and his jaw-dropping 20-minute meals app for iphone. His recipes are a delicious blend of rustic and gourmet. 

Dream living situation

Anywhere with an incredible kitchen and a ton of windows for light. That could mean a cottage in the woods or an industrial loft with exposed brick walls...as long as the aesthetic is there I don't really have a preference. 

List 5 of your goals for the next year

Finish my English degree (FINALLY!) 

Take more pictures.

Work on my Spanish.

Be outgoing and friendly.

Be positive.


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Thanks Caroline!


Caroline is also the stylish whiz behind the We Go Together series. Find her personal blog here.


I M A G E S (from top to bottom) ///// Sycamore Street Press ///// Alice Lane ///// Chloé  ///// Styled by Aaron Homm via Desire to Inspire ///// The Sartorialist /////

We Go Together ///// Teal & Graphite

Feeling fancy...

You're Really Good at Doing Stuff For Me to Thank You For, $4.50 /////  H m, £15 ///// Octangonal, Mirrors, italian, Antique, Mirror, wall, art | Wisteria ///// Haley Table Lamp, $249 ///// Can Can Cinched Decorative Pillow, $20 ///// Bark Diamond Throw Pillow

Sycamore Street Press ///// Ingrid's Birth Announcements

Better late than never, right?

These have been in the works for months, but we just sent them out in the past few weeks. In fact, I still have more I need to send out!* But at least I'm happy with how they turned out! And they were so much fun to do... especially because they were in honor of our little girl.

I knew that I wanted the design to be pretty, feminine, and cheerful without being too cutesy. (Hopefully I achieved that.) I didn't look far for inspiration. I looked to Ingrid's nook of our family bedroom for the colors, and to a couple of my own cards for the design inspiration. (This one and this one.) I've been making folk art inspired work for almost 10 years, so at this point, I often take older drawings as a starting point. But of course the original inspiration always comes from somewhere else. For my Scandinavian florals and wreaths like these, as well as my hand lettered script --  it's from the art of my Swedish great-grandmother for whom Ingrid and I are both named. 

It's funny -- the design for the announcement came together in one afternoon. But all the other little details took forever to decide upon and finish. Like the stamps I had made for the front of the envelope and the ribbon I ordered from Angela Liguori. (I've been using her ribbon for a couple of years now and it makes everything it touches feel special!)

In the end, almost everyone on the Sycamore team had a hand in pulling these together. (Otherwise, I may have been sending these out in time for her fifth birthday.) Thanks guys!

As a side note, this is reminding me that I have so much custom work that we've done over the years and has yet to be documented! We actually don't have time to take on any custom work at the moment, but we are working on a portfolio of invitations and announcements that will hopefully debut some time at the end of this year or the beginning of the next... stay tuned for more details.


*If you are a friend, family member, or Sycamore stockist, and did not receive one but would like to, please let me know. My computer crashed while I was in the middle of compiling addresses, and I'm sure that I lost some. I just haven't had the time to meticulously go through the list.

Pretty Projects ////// Handmade Soft Blocks

If you saw the sneak peek of our old home in Ohio on Design*Sponge a few years back, these blocks might look familiar. They're made from our old pillowcases! Although we changed up the look of our bedroom, I still love the pretty patterns of these vintage linens and wanted to find another use for them. I ended up sending them to Little1Fun on Etsy who turned them into these lovely blocks and a set of bean bags for Ingrid to use when she's a bit older.

And these aren't one of those pretty toys that the baby doesn't actually want to play with. She loves to shake them (they jingle), pick them up, throw them, and -- of course -- put them in her mouth.

I just realized that I never finished blogging about the lovely handmade gifts Ingrid received when she was born! I'll try my best to take some photos to show you... they really are lovely.

Looking Lovely ///// New Bohemia Signs

Apparently there's a big revival of hand painted signs in San Francisco and other parts of the country. I love it! Like letterpress, I think this is the kind of skilled craftsmanship that needs to be preserved. It's just so beautiful -- vinyl lettering and other more modern techniques just can't measure up.

These lovely examples are all the work of New Bohemia Signs. I'd like to save up my pennies and have them paint a sign for Sycamore Street Press.

Faythe Levine -- director of Handmade Nation -- is making a new film about sign painters. I can't wait to see it. You can follow her progress here.

I M A G E S ///// New Bohemia Signs

We Go Together ///// Black & White

Yes, please. 


I M A G E S ///// Click Click Click, $35  Striped top, $76 J Brand zip jeans, $189 Steve madden shoes, $64 Leather handbag, £110 Citrine ByThe Stones 18k bracelet, $175 Wool hat, $45 Alexander Wang gold shades

Sycamore Q & A {no. 71} ///// Alyson Sharette of Sycamore Street Press

Meet Alyson Sharette, summer intern for Sycamore Street Press! Aly hails from Salt Lake City, Utah and studies Graphic Design at Utah Valley University. She now lives in Sandy, Utah with her husband, David and their dog Lucy Lou. She's been such a great addition to the Sycamore team!

Aly kindly agreed to sharing some of her inspirations and goals with us:

5 Current Inspirations

My husband David. He has more faith in me and my abilities to be successful than anyone else, even myself. Every day he challenges me to be a better version of myself, yet at the same time loves me for who I am now and who I dream of becoming. That is inspiring.

Nourished Kitchen. Finally an easier way to have a truly raw, healthy and organic diet.

Brandy Winfield. She was the 2011 bikram yoga champion. See her here.

My new found love of pinterest. Especially my dream home board.

The House Home. Oh the possibilities....

5 favorite artists (as of right now)

Jessica Hische.  She knows her type.

Amanda Jones.I just recently found her. She is involved with all sorts of amazing projects.

Krista Schrock Amazing designer. In all aspects.

Gustav Klimt I could stare at his work for hours.

Katie Vernon Love what she does with flowers.

Dream Living Situation

Living in a saltbox/craftsman/shingle/new england style house my husband and I built with a good amount of land to have a horse, chickens and a garden full of good food to eat. Complete with a beautiful patio garden area where I can throw parties for no reason. Of course I will need a workspace so I can work from home and raise my kids.

5 goals for next year

Graduate as a Graphic Designer

Begin on my own business as graphic designer

Learn Dreamweaver and create my website

Complete my portfolio

And maybe not next year, but soon, own a letterpress.

Thanks Aly!

You can download a larger version of her desktop calendar (featured above) if you visit her blog.


I M A G E S (from top to bottom) ///// Eva Jorgensen for Sycamore Street Press /////  Cape 27 via Aly's Pinterest ///// Katie Vernon ///// Stephen Ellwood and Todd Carr's home on Apartment Therapy ///// Alyson Sharette ///// Alyson Sharette

Hand Lettered ///// John Lennon

Wrapped Up In Books ///// Treehouses by Peter Nelson

I don't think I was the only kid who saw Swiss Family Robinson and wished that I, too, could shipwreck in the South Pacific just so I could live in a tree house. I still think it would be pretty amazing to live among the limbs of a big old tree. Which is why I had such a hard time editing down the images I wanted to show you from this book. It's just full of awesomeness. 

Images ///// Treehouses by Peter Nelson ///// Photos by Paul Rocheleau