scraps & lagniappe

new obsession alert

I'm obsessed with letterpress. 

Those of you who know me well know that I love everything about the written word, typeface, fonts, color, printing, and imagery.  Letterpress is the one medium that combines all of those things in an organic way that is unlike anything else I've seen.  Maybe it's because I learned to type on an actual typewriter and not a computer, but I love the feel of paper, I like ink, I adore the uniqueness that is only obtained by doing something by hand. 

I've been dabbling in computer graphics for a couple of years now, self-taught in Photoshop Elements, and I enjoy it quite a bit, but there is nothing like paper and ink.  A year ago, I drew an image for the ScrapFest! t-shirts and I hadn't had that much fun working on a project in years.  I love a Papermate Felt-tip Flair pen in a multitude of colors, they make me happy. 

Over the past week I've been looking for inspiration for the new ScrapFest! print materials we send to our vendors and I'm tired of the over-worked look I see so much in posters lately.  A few years ago, I saw a feature on Hatch Show Print, a letterpress shop in Nashville, on the Martha Stewart show and I Googled them.  I knew I liked the look of letterpress, but I was blown away with the work they've done and decided I needed to pare down and do something in the vain of Hatch Show Print. 

Here's a great little documentary on Hatch Show, so you'll see what I'm talking about. Their work is a who's who of country and rock music, and they do custom work for weddings and all kinds of cool stuff.  Take a look.

In the words of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock: I want to go to there.  I was in Nashville a couple of years ago and SO wish I would have gone to Hatch Show Print.  I need one of those monoprints.  Need.  I think a trip to Nashville is in order, who wants to come? 

So, all this digital work I do is great and all, but there's nothing like touching the stuff.  That's why I'm getting this little letterpress for myself.  Yeah, I'm getting it. 

buzz buzz

Dude, it's been a busy week for the queen bee.  We got back from Atlanta Sunday evening and I started working to finish the ScrapFest! website for the re-launch.  I had Andrew's speech evaluation Monday (which I had totally forgotten about until Sunday night), Mother's Day gifts to buy, gifts to mail, and the re-launch this week.  The website takes up a ton of my time at two points during the months leading up to the event -- right now being one of them, getting the whole damn thing changed, colors, background, fonts, dates, the PayPal store, and all the Photoshop that goes with that.  All of the elements were created in Photoshop I learned a few new tricks for making things like the torn notepaper and the new scalloped menu buttons.  I'm pleased.  Last weekend at ScrapEtc. we took a class from the fabulous Jessica Sprague and I got the chance to ask her some Photoshop questions, which for a self-taught girl like myself, that was a great experience.  I so wish when I had started working with da Shop I knew about Jessica's online classes.  She has lovely classes that teach digital/hybrid scrapbooking using Photoshop Elements and they are fantastic.  If you're interested in learning from one of the masters, visit her site, you'll be glad you did. 

And so, we're off to Houston for the weekend for some time with the hubs.  We'll be heading to Kemah tomorrow for Boardwalk fun with the munchkins and good food.  Scott said he wants to go to Joe's Crab Shack, but I'm thinking the kids would love The Aquarium.  I would much rather go to Caddilac for Mexican food because I'm trying to stretch Cinco de Mayo to include the entire month. 

Here's a sneek peek at the new ScrapFest! site.  Y'all have a fab weekend and a wonderful Mother's Day. 

Decorating for fall

Just like decorating the mantle and putting the grapevine & bittersweet wreath on the door, I thought I'd decorate the blog for fall as well.  The Blogwear is by Shabby Princess, check her site out -- her style is very similar to mine (but I'm all about the glitter.)  I'm dabbling with digi scrapbooking, really using it for graphic design for ScrapFest! and the website.  I'm new at Photoshop Elements and bought my Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet the other day, so I have a lot of learning to do.

Pretty soon I'm going to do a ScrapFest! round-up and show y'all what I bought from our fabulous vendors and a couple things I've ordered online.  I had to order the Just Rite monogram stamp kit -- it's fab.

I'm also cleaning out my closet and counted my purses.  Peeps, I've put myself on a purse-buying moratorium.  No more purses until the new Vera Bradley patterns come out after the beginning of 2009.  I'm going to take pics of my purses and show y'all just how bad my addiction is.

Totally of subject, but can you stand it that OJ's going to prison?  SNL put it best last night when they said in Weekend Update that OJ is going to prison for theft, kidnapping, etc, but really for murder.

Totally of subject again -- Scott is playing this God of War 2 game as I type and it's creep-out-city.  I really hope I don't have nightmares.  I can't take it.

Blogging from ScrapFest!

If I can't crop at ScrapFest! I might as well blog.

It's been a great day we're about to call it a night.  I could use a massage.  The scrapbookers are having a ball and we couldn't be happier.  Tommorrow I will bring socks, as it is aproximately 7 below zero in here and I'm wishing I had earmuffs and and gloves.  It wasn't this cold in February.  And it was winter then.

Here's the not-really-our-theme for this year:

It's on our banner, tees, and buttons. Everyone's loving it, but who doesn't love a Vegas theme?  Super like it.  I'll take more pics tomorrow.

I have a headache.  I should be wearing my glasses.  Remind me to show you my new glasses.  Black and pink.

Remember the shirt I was designing?  Here's the finished design on a pink tee. Yes, it's supposed to be half a fleur-de-lis.  Forgive me for the photo, took it with my iPhone.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  Like the colors.  Love the polka dots and paisley.  And everything else.  We are almost out of shirts and it's the first day.  Looks like we'll have to do a second printing for tees and hoodies.

It's almost midnight, I'll try to update tomorrow.  Megan's schizophrenic iPod is playing Michael Buble and Garth Brooks just went off.  I just can't take it.  Ok, for real -- now it's Natasha Beddingfield.  The girl's never heard of a playlist.

busy bee

Hey y'all.  Just wanted to apologize in advance, I'm super busy getting ready for ScrapFest! and will do my best to blog over the next week.  Still lots to do on my end and we're really looking forward to the event.  I'm headed to bed and will be spending all day tomorrow printing workshop tickets and other various and sundry items.  You ready for the worst part?  I'm out of half and half, no Coffee Mate either.  I'm going to have to go to PJ's before I'm fully awake and get a beverage.  By tomorrow afternoon I may be ready for a margarita, even though I've had my one margarita for the year (Cinqo de Mayo, ya know).   Later peeps.

Crazy week, sushi, & Sam's

Whew, this week has been crazy.  One week 'til ScrapFest! and I have all the printing left to do.  I'm going to go through a lot of ink and paper this weekend.  Publisher and I are going to be bff's after this weekend.  I'm going to take Publisher out for drinks and do karaoke.  We're going to partay like it's 1999 and then print more stuff into the wee hours while listening to some slow jams.  Yeah, my brain's fried from being in front of this computer working on ScrapFest! stuff for the past 5 hours.  Yes, I said 5 hours.  I forgot to eat dinner 'cause I was burning up my keyboard and Hello Kitty mouse.  Yeah, I have a light-up Hello Kitty mouse, you wanna make something of it?  That's what I thought.

Megan and I found a new sushi place this week.  Here's Andrew learning how to use chopsticks.  Yeah, I'm teashing the boy all about international cuisine.  He loved the crunchy roll.  Of course, he brought in cars to play with. We went to Sam's today.  I saw someone buy 6 cases of waffles.  60 waffles in a case.  That's a lot of waffles.  I would multiply that, but I'm squinting to see this screen and think I need some sleep.  It's 12:07 in the a.m.