Anthology

Hamilton pilgrimage

I just learned of some water damage to one of my favorite spots:  Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum (and if you go to the website, you can join us in helping them out with fundraising/clean-up efforts).  I'm still a couple months away from my annual trip, but the news has caused me to think more about this great spot.

I think we first came to the museum on a rainy day several years ago(as a family, we often camped at nearby Point Beach State Forest).  We got a tour from a retired Hamilton employee, who showed us around all the products that Hamilton made over the years, as well as the process of making wood type.  At the time, it seemed like a slightly sad, but really cool museum.  A little like a basement that had been turned into a museum.  I want to make sure I don't oversell it - it still has a old warehouse feeling to it and I have a feeling that temperature control has got to be an issue during the extremes of Wisconsin seasons.  Nonetheless, it has a very genuine feeling to it, as well as a great sense of potential and creativity.  But maybe that's just 'cause I've always been such a sucker for drawers.

Honestly, I wish that I had scads of money - this place seems like a true gem of Wisconsin and I feel like it deserves to be housed in a fabulous space, with tons of workspace for people to print & work, and lots of walls to display prints that people have made, plus more retail space, and plenty of room for drawers, too.

Since our first visit, the outlook of the museum has improved somewhat - each year I visit and I find little tweaks and signs of coming-to-life.  I think one of my favorite trips was in 2010; usually when I arrive, I'm the only car on the street, but this time there were two cars parked outside: 

 

And the cavernous warehouse was filled with the sounds of machines, the ka-chunk of the press, the chatter of voices.  Turns out, I had stumbled in on a workday for an Illinois printing company.  Since then, I have seen evidence of many visiting art classes and groups (Like them on Facebook and you can too).

Every time I visit, I am charmed once again by the drawers and their contents, as well as the inspiration of artists who have left their prints behind.

 

If you've never had a chance to visit, I recommend making the trip soon - well, perhaps give them some time to mop up. They usually have an exhibit of pieces that were printed with their wood type, from one of the many visiting groups, and they have workshops for the public as well. I'm slowly amassing a collection of prints, and there's always lots of inspiration.  I feel like setting type takes a lot of patience and precision so I'm rather nervous about trying it myself - because of course I would want to use lots of letters.  Maybe someday.....

 


But really, it's worth it just to visit and peek in the drawers.

 
 
 
 
 
 

home again, home again

As I stepped off the plane after a grueling day of travel, a little part of me was thinking, WHY did I leave home in the first place?!  Waking up at 3 am, eating in the airport, catching the boogers of the sneezing child did not exactly add up to the best of days.  Now I'm wading through the laundry and the mail, the unpacking, the restless night and coughing (yes, I caught her cold).

But the pictures are up/downloading as we speak, I already got a UPS shipment notification, and as I look out the window on this grey February day, I am reminded how nice it was to get away.  To see blue skies, go out without a jacket, see the trees in bloom.  How nice to come home, too, which is probably the best of both worlds. 

I'm looking forward to coming back to the shop, to settling back in amongst the lovelies we've gathered, even as I enjoyed leaving town and winter, checking out the San Francisco sights and shops.

This was our first time attending the San Francisco Gift Show.  It is smaller than the New York Gift Show and we weren't really sure what to expect.  I was a little apprehensive, but it seems like everyone goes to the New York Gift Show so we thought it would be good for variety.  I think the proportion of good to crap was probably about the same as any other show, which meant less crap to wade through, pardon my French.  Seriously?  When I go to these gift shows, I am always blown away by how much STUFF there is in the world.  If you can imagine, all the notecards, windchimes, fountains, journals, baskets and whatever else, all the products that you've ever seen - from cute little gift shops to JoAnn's or Walgreen's, that is what we walk down aisles and aisles of.  I was terribly remiss in taking pictures while at the show, though Sachi and I both agreed that the CHA show (Craft & Hobby Association) that we attend in Los Angeles/Anaheim is more inspiring in terms of merchandising and crafty inspiration. 

Nonetheless, we had a good and inspiring show.  We wrote lots of orders, found new vendors, reconnected with existing artists.  It is always a pleasure to find the small artisans amongst the mass producers and importers.  I know, you might be wondering why we even look for small artisans in such a setting - why not go to art/craft fairs or etsy?  well, that approach has its limits too, as many small artisans in that setting are not prepared for wholesaling. 

In the next couple months, product will be arriving: plenty of paper products including journals and notecards, stationery sets, necklaces and earrings, Hello Kitty charms and other Japanese cuteness, rubber stamps, ornaments, washi tape, and more.  I particularly enjoyed a lovely booth - I guess there's no other way to describe it except that it had a terrarium feel: a combination of glass and rock and greens.  We also found several new jewelry artists, which will diversify our collection.

Sachi did a great job finding us a place to stay.  We grew up sleeping in tents and on couches/floors when traveling so I don't expect luxury, but it was nice to have a lovely spot to retreat to after a day of working and touring the city.  I was quite jealous of the kitchen floor.




Of course, the other big component of the trip is just being in a new environment, checking out what West Coast retailers are up to, getting the inspiration of a new setting.  We enjoyed visits to indie shops like Lavish and Urban Bazaar and Needles and Pens.  It's always fun to see products we've ordered in big city shops.  And, I must admit that I'm pleased with the shop that we've created - I think we hold our own.  The modern aesthetic seems rather minimalist to me, and I don't fully understand how some of these shops even have enough inventory on hand to cover their costs.  But we all know that I prefer a fuller store.  That said, if anyone ever complains about how full our store is, I now have something to compare it to - a store that probably had twice as much inventory literally heaped in about the same square footage.  I know people who get overwhelmed when they come in our shop, but that's nothing compared to that one.

I'm still kind of obsessed with succulents, and the terrarium bar at Ubran Bazaar was enviable, not to mention the many succulents planted in yards wherever we went.  It was interesting to me on this trip to see how some of the elements that have come up for me in Pinterest repeated themselves in terms of products and inspirations.  A person would like to think they are being original and innovative, but am I just following the trends that everyone else is, which were set by Pantone or someone like that?  Or do we just choose what we want to see, or interpret, as a "trend" ?  I mean, I'm looking at succulents and rocks on Pinterest, but not everyone is.

It was definitely nice to get away and the weather cooperated beautifully.  In fact, I think some of our days were warmer than some of our L.A. days last year.  The flowers were in bloom, we even grabbed a few hours at the beach.  For the "rainy season," the weather was remarkably nice.  My memory of our first trip to San Francisco was nothing but gray skies and just a peek of the bridge through the fog but our days were much clearer this time around.

In all, now that the exhaustion of the return trip is fading, a lovely time was had by all!  Now we just have to wait for the new arrivals.

the traveler returns

 

Ah, it's good to be home.  It was good to go away, of course, and a part of me still wishes I was in Florence, but a part of me was ready to come back.  There was a moment, walking around after dinner one night, when we walked past an alterations shop and there was a woman working away at the sewing machine, illuminated only by the light on her table - and I thought, "oh, I'm so glad that I have that to return to."  Not just a job, but this store which I am so proud of being a part of.  And I think about all the people who don't have jobs, and how much that gives me a sense of purpose and meaning and structure, how lucky I feel... which is the perfect feeling to carry with me as I return from vacation, relaxation and general getting-away from the petty complaints from behind the cash register (which might be the title of a book that I write someday).

So, hmm... what of the trip is pertinent to this blog and this store?  Probably the most pertinent thing is the travel journal but that is still a work in progress and will require another blog post once I've figured out which pictures to print. Besides the travel journal, other projects that will spin off the trip will surely be a Blurb book, which, I think, will be the best way to handle the 1300+ photos that I took in 10 days.  Probably also snippets, as well as some new squares of blue sky to add to the snippets of blue sky collection... which I REALLY need to get to work on.  There's someone out there who is very disappointed that we don't have one in store every time she stops in.  

There are a few photos that stand on their own; perhaps I will have some matted prints for the shop.  And then there's the whole matter of collage inspiration - who knows what will happen with those images as elements.

(In addition to who knows what else,) creative inspiration will be drawn from:

An exquisite felted art exhibit in Paris. 

Views out of airplane windows.

As a former geology student, the view of the landscape from so far above reminds me of the patterns and histories studied in class so there's a sense of nostalgia, as well as an aesthetic appreciation of the patterns of nature and humankind upon the earth.

Lovely doors and windows from Paris to Biot to to Cinque Terre to Genoa to Florence.

The grandeur of 16th century buildings.  Not to diminish the accomplishments of our time, and I'm certainly happy to be living in the age that I am, but as I was walking in Genoa, I was particularly struck by the feeling - what, four centuries from now, will people be marveling at from our present day?  The villas, the chateaus, the cathedrals all seem such a thing of the past.  We marvel at the craftsmanship, the attention to details, the time and effort.  What will be our legacy to the future?  

The charm of little French and Italian villages.  Every corner I turned, I would exclaim, "oh, how charming!" and snap a picture.  Does it get tiring to live in such a location or do you just stop seeing the charm?

 

The view from the balcony.  In France, we stayed in a lovely B&B in Biot.  Our room had a balcony looking out over the rooftops... and you could even see a little sliver of the Mediterranean.  It was so wonderful to have that space to come back to - to take a little rest from walking and touring and yet still experience the charm of the south of France.  That balcony made the trip a truly relaxing vacation and not one of those ones where you have to come home and take some time off to recuperate.  

Fashion on the street.  Including a total Bill Cunningham moment as I chased down the Asian tourist wearing the fabulously striped socks and skirt.

And, yes, I was glad I brought my red shoes.

 

Shop windows & shopping. Or, perhaps more precisely, window-shopping.  When traveling, there is always the challenge of balancing what one wants to bring home with what one has space for.  Biot, as I knew in advance, is known for its glasswork, and there were many lovely colors and shapes of glasses which I would have brought home for Christmas presents, if I hadn't had to still carry them through another country.  And with only one day in Florence, we pretty much confined ourselves to the beaten track, which has a huge array of designer names to offer, most of which are so beyond my budget that I didn't dare step past the doorway. 

To some extent, I was a little disappointed.  There wasn't a lot of time to really hunt out some stores, but I would have loved to find a French or Italian version of Anthology - paper products, local artisans and craft works.  I would have loved to see what French and Italian people are doing in the DIY realm.  There was one little shop in Porto Venere, where the woman was making jewelry as we walked in.  She had some very unique pieces and I was inspired (for my own creating, and to stock up on some presents - so you can't see them until Sachi's opened her Christmas presents).

My other disappointment is not reserved for this trip.  Overall lately I've been feeling like there's some level of aesthetic which is missing in store merchandising. I realize there are many other tasks involved in retail and that window displays sometimes seem like a low priority, but is seems there could be some improvements in the ways that products are displayed (not that I'm claiming to be perfect).  Which isn't to say that there weren't some lovely sights to be seen.

 

Strolling on the beach.  Another relaxing vacation moment from the trip, which also yieled a new collection (see below) and perhaps some other new projects. 

Other elements of being near the sea.  (Namely boats). 
The Mediterranean!  I know, I romanticize it, but every time I am there, I am caught up in the history and nostalgia - to imagine how long humankind has been washing up on its shores.  We were there a little late in the season but had a few days with that intense shade of aqua-blue-green that I can't quite put my finger on.  I should have packed my paint chip fan but didn't have space... though doesn't that seem like it would be a fun travel journal component? Paint chip colors found on travels?  Hmm.  I have to go back!

Since it was late in the season, many boats had already been taken out of the water.  That was a little disappointing - I mean, pretty much all the pictures of Cinque Terre have charming colorful boats in the water.  Thankfully in Monterosso they had striped boat covers so I got at least a few shots of stripes at the Mediterranean.  The shots I missed were the rows of striped umbrellas, also folded up for the season.  Still, I don't really care for traveling when it is hot so I was happy with the timing of our trip.

Lovely arrangements of tasty foods.  Pretty to look at and yummy to eat!

The work of other artists and craftspeople.  I have to confess that I'm not really a museum person.  I really just like to BE in a place, to walk around and look at buildings and people and scenery.  So my experience of art is more as I stumble across it - murals and sculptures, displays in gallery windows, stonework on buildings.  I particularly enjoyed the mosaic in the tunnel at Riomaggiore - it had lots of interesting textures and tiles, not just standard mosaic tiles, but also pieces and slices of rocks, which appealed to the geology major.

I love the hands on this mural.  They are supposed to be repairing a fishing net, but of course, I see hands working on a craft project.

Writing daily in a journal. by hand.  More on that in another post.

Other peoples' collections & thoughts of new collections.  If there's a new collection that I returned home with, it is photographs of rocks.  The beach at Monterosso was so amazing.  I could have taken home every single black and white rock.  However, it IS a national park and I have also been thinking a lot lately about the stuff that we all have in our lives.  Well, I'm just transferring three-dimensional stuff into two-dimensional photographs but thanks to Blurb, I can fit a lot more photographs into a space than actual rocks.  Naturally I already have regrets - Dad asked me if I had taken that circle rock home, but no, it's still there on the beach even though such a rock is very rare, at least in my experience.  Ah well.  At least I have the picture.  To some extent - and this betrays the level of my collector nature - picking up a few rocks on the beach isn't even enough for me.  I love quantity.  And so it really makes more sense to have 100 pictures of rocks than one rock.

Is this a European thing?  I had heard there is a bridge in Paris where couples go.  They place a padlock there and throw away the key, a symbol of their love and togetherness.  I've never been to that bridge and thought the custom was reserved for Paris, but it popped up along Via Dell'Amore in Italy.  First there were padlocks at the entryway, but they appeared along the entire path in random spots.  

The Museum of Culinary Arts had a collection of menus, which was so wonderful, including this cover which shows (I assume) France herself bringing Capital and Labour together for a dance.  And don't they both look cheerful?

Reflections.  I tend to look directly at a subject and find reflections more annoyance than anything else, as they regularly get in the way of the picture of a window display at the shop.  However, in Paris and Italy, the reflections are often just as appealing as the initial subject itself.

and yes, there was a definite chandelier theme

 

Colors.

Well, it's pretty much always about colors for me.  It's the way that I think about almost everything from the books on my shelves to the product in the store.  I don't know if it is just my imagination or the hype of the Mediterranean, but it does seem like there's a particular quality to the light there which is unique.  Though it might just be tinged by the feeling of being on vacation.

Patterns and shapes.  Yes, I'm quite pleased with myself for this picture, taken in Genoa.  I had to wait a bit for the Indian tourist to walk into the frame but I really love that splash of color against the geometry of the two buildings.

My artistic life is mostly occupied with color, though travel (particularly in cities) always makes me pay attention to patterns in architecture. 

Since I took that Valley Ridge workshop with Michelle Ward this summer, I'm also more aware of shapes (in the workshop, we looked to nature for inspiration for stencils and patterns).  As a result, there are several photographs that were mostly about capturing a sense of shape or pattern for future use.

More doors and windows.  All right, I love doors and windows.  As I review my pictures, one is starting to look much like another.  There are a lot of door and window shots.

 

and ceilings in Genoa.  I have to confess that I hadn't done much research about our destinations.  I did some work early on to figure out the general vicinity but I also feel like too much knowledge just means that you realize what you miss out on... because there's always something that you will miss.  Anyway, I hadn't done much reading at all for Genoa and it turned out that our hotel was just around the corner from a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Via Garibaldi.  On the night we arrived, we walked there without knowing what to expect - and I think the experience was certainly enhanced by the lack of expectation.  Amazing buildings and lovely spaces that made one think of glamorous past lives and ballroom dancing.

And the sky, always the sky.  Which I'm often looking at and taking pictures of for the purpose of snippets, and just because I like the color blue.  Anyway, my grad school advisor would be disappointed if I didn't end with a sunset. 

travel journal in the works

Well, I'm making progress.  At least on this trip, I kept up and managed to write in my journanl every night.  Mostly just little notes, which fit the size of the paper and those little boxes that I had on the pages. 

About four days into the trip, I started to face up to the fact that there was no way a single signature (a bundle of pages that are sewn together) was going to work for the structure of the book.  That's nicer because there's less stitching to be done, but with as many pages as I had (plus as many as I was going to add), I decided it would close better if I had several signatures.  The pages were thrown off a bit at the beginning but I think it won't be so obvious once I add the photos and the other ephemera.

 

In addition to these folded pages of drawing/watercolor paper that currently make up the book, I plan to cut up some of the brochures and maps that I picked up and make them into pages, as well as putting pieces into the little spaces still left that I didn't write in.  My mom was smart and brought along her double-sided tape so she could attach things right away.  I will need to lay everything down on the living room floor and plan out where everything goes. 

One drawback to my approach is that the text is in relatively big blocks.  I'm inspired by the journal pages of Teesha Moore but can see that I would have gotten closer if I had done my writing later after more images were incorporated onto the page.  Then again, there's no way I would have remembered all the details.  I suppose one should have a rough draft journal and then a final draft?  But that seems kind of silly.  I could have left more room around the text as I was writing...  Maybe next time.

I'm particularly pleased with myself... later on in the trip, with how I started to break out of my usual writing style and do some larger script to fill the spaces. 

And, yes, there are still some blank pages so there will be room to add photos and little bits.

Next step is sorting through all the pictures to find some to print out.  Or, rather, winnowing down the pile of pictures.  I'm going to make a Blurb book to hold the bulk of the pictures, so I just have to find a few representative pictures - so probably not print out all the pictures of windows with shutters or charming village scenes...

I have some time in the coming week so I am hoping to finish it up soon and then can report back with the finished product.

Crescent City Creativity

"Why don't we have this in Madison? And what can I do to bring it there?"

Those were my two most frequently asked questions on our recent trip to New Orleans. My husband and I flew to the Cresent City the first weekend in October to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary.

Throughout our stay I was so impressed by the respect for art and music and the people who make it. The movement seemed to be for the people by the people, with few signs of wealthy patrons building multi-million dollar arts complexes. Instead, there were dive bars with tip jars and people who would haul their typewriters or instruments to the sidewalk and draw customers and crowds.

Our first night was Art for Art's Sake, a Gallery Night-like event on Julia Street in the Arts/Warehouse District. Traffic was blocked off, galleries opened their doors to the public, arts cooperatives offered demonstrations in glass-blowing, screen-printing and book-making, and food vendors served up steamy dishes and drink specials. The event drew people of all ages and I was struck by the city's involvement in blocking off the street and allowing food and drink vendors to participate. It probably helps that you can carry an open container on the street without being stopped. Our own Gallery Night here in Madison is well publicized, but it is up to the individual shops and galleries to make the event, and it would be nice if the Museum of Contemporary Art took a more active role in organizing food carts, street performers and musicians that night. Highlights from Art for Art's Sake included one artist's painstaking paintings of paperback books (http://arthurrogergallery.com/exhibition/2011-richard-baker/), and a show by the director John Waters entitled "Catholic Sin."

Later that night we strolled down Bourbon Street and heard European Jazz (which I find kind of funny--the idea that a genre of music has been exported and re-imported to the U.S.), traditional Zydeco, and a brass band similar to Mama Digdown's here in town, but with street dancers.

Our newest employee recommended the Faubourg-Marigny District for music, and for that I am eternally grateful. We spent our second night strolling Frenchman Street, stopping in a couple of jazz clubs and watching some kind of swing dance competition (lots of hipsters in hats and vintage dresses). The coolest thing was a group of street musicians who had soldered/duct-taped a dozen percussion instruments to a giant metal wheel that they could roll down the street. They stopped at a corner and offered drum sticks to anyone walking by who wanted to play. We probably have some zoning code against such a music machine (and maybe New Orleans does, too), but I like that people would be so bold as to offer us the experience.

Arts are a big part of the tourism industry--painters set up in Jackson Square and the Artist Alley in the French Market. Your purchase of original art is tax exempt, so that is another way the state encourages you to buy local paintings, pottery, prints and jewelry.

While tacky t-shirt shops abounded (I never have to see another fleur-de-lys or "Who Dat?") there were a few hidden gems--shops featuring the work of local screen printers and a whole wall of different designs highlighting NOLA neighborhoods, effects of the BP oil spill, and Katrina clean-up (Restore, Rebuild, Rebirth). Here in Madison there's no shortage of Bucky t-shirts, but I'd love to see more that reflect city life.

Our last night in town we returned to the Marigny neighborhood for another set at the Spotted Cat. The band played only pieces written between 1920 and 1930 and the vocalist had a distinctive style that sounded like a scratchy record from that era. While strolling down the sidewalk we listened to a group of drifters playing Bluegrass (guitar, saw, juggling girl) and Tom bought their CD. We noticed a young man who had brought his old typewriter to the sidewalk and posted a "Poet for Hire" sign and we couldn't resist. After giving him a few details (5th anniversary, choice between NOLA and NYC, got lost trying to find the zoo, ate raw oysters for the first time) we let him be for 15-20 minutes while he composed a poem just for us, just like the scene in "Before Sunrise." I've already contacted a local poet who has done some performance work in the past, so Anthology might have its own Poet for Hire during the Book Festival.

(guest post by Sachi)

Minnesota highlights

My head is kind of spinning.  And I have a feeling that the walls of the St. Paul Crowne Plaza are still buzzing.  What an amazing time we had at The Creative Connection Event.  Kudos to the organizers, the sponsors, the vendors, the teachers, and especially all the participants.  It is wonderful to have all those women come together with the common purpose of supporting each other in their creative business ventures.

I'd been rather nervous the month before, wondering if we had packed enough... But our table was plenty full.  There are always some people who can't cope with the density; then again, we usually sell a little bit of everything so I can't help feeling that we would lose some sales if I didn't have a little bit of everything.  We took our Mom's little VW, which still managed to fit all our boxes and suitcases, with room to spare for the IKEA purchases we brought home.  I know that my sister is tired of me saying this, but the gas mileage on that car was incredible - we only used 1/3 of a ten-gallon tank of gas on the entire trip from Madison to Minneapolis.  I'm kind of having trouble seeing why anyone would buy any other car.  Then again, we are a short family, so leg room isn't really an issue.

We enjoyed getting away for a little bit, though we might have to add an extra day to the trip next time around.  There are so many great shops in the Twin Cities, not to mention all of our friends to visit.  We didn't have enough time to do all that we wanted.  A familiar problem.  The Creative Connection Event was in a new location from last year and we saw many improvements that enhanced our weekend.  We got a thrill as we passed famous crafters in the hallway, trying to be discreet as we whispered about who it was.  We overheard many mutual-admiration societies forming on the spot, and enjoyed opportunities to meet famous bloggers in person.  The letter-press artist next to us seemed to have met all the bloggers whose work she followed.

When I think about the little ways that Anthology & I inspire people to be creative, and then multiply that.. I don't know a hundredfold? a thousandfold? It truly is something else.  What fun to be a part of all that...

 

Sachi and I each took a workshop on Friday morning.  Although it made for a long day, we do feel that it is important for us as artists to keep trying new things, learning techniques and actually creating, not just inspiring other people to create.  Sachi took a screenprinting workshop from Celina Mancurti and is already brimming with ideas, as well as thoughts of embellished clothing, inspired by many fabric embellishments we were surrounded by.  I'm quite fond of my caged trinkets and looking forward to exploring steel wire some more.  Thank you, Brenda Schweder! 

It was a thrill that Jo Packham, co-organizer/publisher/editor/all-around-guru of the creating world, bought my Blurb book, and wondered aloud why she didn't know the author of the book.   Then there were the many people who followed our blog but hadn't been in the shop, who were excited to get a little in-person taste.  Many people stopped by and said, "oh, I remember you from last year! I'm so glad to see you. I got these great ___ and had so much fun creating with them."  Not to mention the woman who bought paper packs the first day, stayed up 'til 1 am crafting, and came back the next day to get more.  It is always fun to see immediate action of one's creative inspiration.

We were also inspired by the many other vendors keeping us company in the marketplace: I like You, Kelly Hanson, Dottie Angel (is her booth just the cutest?!  And the book, from Uppercase publishers is awesome - please cross your fingers that we can get it for the shop), Tinsel Trading, Curly Girl, the list goes on. 

 

And it was fun to have such a big Wisconsin contingent: Whimsy House, Glitter Workshop, Artsy Fartsy, Mirasol Farm, Space Oddities, dainty daisies.  Even if it was a little silly that I had to drive all the way to Minnesota to purchase something from Glitter Workshop.  I'm loving all the button- and trinket- laden pieces that Naomi has been creating lately.  And we were inspired by all the creative outfits that everyone was wearing, as well as their artful accessories -- everyone was showing off their workshop creations and their own talents in jewelry-making, sewing, etc.

In all, we count it a very successful trip and we are thankful that we were able to be a part of it all.

New York sneak peek

Well, the fog is gradually clearing.  It took us 8 hours to get home yesterday and our four days in New York were packed.  It's always enjoyable to get away, but then there's the catching-up and unpacking that awaits you when you get back. 

The weather this week in New York was less than cooperative.  At one point, my sister accusingly said to me, "I thought you said that May was the best time to come to New York."  Well, compared to January or August, I still stand by the statement, but this trip was testing it a bit. 

First, it took extra time to arrive because arrivals to La Guardia were delayed due to weather.  And I learned firsthand why - on our descent, I was not paying close attention so it was some surprise when the ground suddenly appeared out of the clouds, not 20 feet below us. 

We spent the first two days inside at the Javitz center so the weather didn't matter too much.  Our minds were mostly reeling at all the sights at the stationery show.  We both love paper products so this is always a fun trip. There are usually colorgy booth decorations to marvel at, as well as new stationers and an amazing array of letterpress.  This show has a mix of vendors but we especially appreciate all the small presses that are represented - single card artists selling items they printed themselves.  We were feeling a little overwhelmed after our first day but spent Tuesday walking up and down aisles from 9:30 to 5 pm, making up our minds and writing orders.

Now we just have to wait.  We've staggered orders so we'll be getting product between now and August, but here's a little sneak peek at some of the things we ordered, from among notebooks, wrapping paper, notecards, paper tape, prints, postcards, boxed notes, ornaments, calendars, and stencils that are on our purchase orders.  {And "peek" is indeed to right word to use - many of these pictures are just taken from catalogs so I apologize in advance for the low quality}.

 

This one piece of Italian paper (from my personal collection) is one that I hoard and use very judiciously, so I am happy to have found the source and placed an order.  It's great for wings on collages.

I'm also pleased that we added to our calendar assortment.  Many of them are more artful calendars - to hang on the wall and keep track of dates, but not with space for writing.  We will have some of those such calendars as well, including Nikki McClure's, but the new additions will be nice too.

I'm trying to decide what exactly I am most excited about.  It's a tough call - paper garlands made from letterpress scraps, stencils of birds and keys, artful calendars for next year, new Italian wrapping paper...

Um, yeah, I can't narrow it down. One artist had these fabulous silhouettes of flora & fauna, which we purchased in notecard, wrapping paper, and print form.  Oh, and there was a great series of notecards made from linoleum prints, which are my new area of interest (whether it translates to interest in MAKING instead of just interest in viewing remains to be seen).

Sachi got some Banksy graphics as notecards - they seem especially suitable for Madison nowadays, since I just read about schoolkids being wanded after going through the metal detectors of the State Capitol.  I want my Capitol back!  Sorry, just had to say that.  I took a little break from Wisconsin politics on our trip - too bad I didn't return home to find that things had magically changed overnight.

Oh, and we got some great printed fabric pieces to be used as wrap - like the traditional Japanese bundles.  And also some new simple photo albums and bicycle prints.

 
 
And in the evenings and the remaining days of our trip, there was time for a little sightseeing between rainshowers.  The windows of New York are always inspiring to me, though I'm sure I don't have the patience to line up all those slides the way the Anthropologie people did.
 

And we ate, cupcakes and other goodies, of course. Walked along 5th Avenue, took the subway into Brooklyn, strolled around Soho, got inspired by the textile collection at Purl Soho...

Stopped in front of The Plaza to see the zodiac animal scuptures of Ai Weiwei, which , combined with an artful deck of cards that I bought at Cog & Pearl, have me thinking about series of collage/artworks...  I love the idea of a set - whether a deck of playing cards or tarot cards, zodiac, alphabet, hatever.  Of course, the reality of twelve or more related pieces usually prevents me from following through.

And then a long trip home (8 hours from door to door, thanks again to weather delays), and now, perhaps, a few days to catch back up and enjoy the spring in Madison.  The flowering trees are quite lovely at this moment.
 
 
 

NYC, here we come...

Just a few more days to go...  Next week is the National Stationery Show in New York City!  Aisles and aisles of paper products.. it's about as close to heaven as I can get. 

Back in May of 2008, this was the first trade show that we went to after opening the store.  It was a show that I had been wanting to go to since I first heard about it and one of the very first things I looked into once we opened Anthology.

Back then, Lily was 8 months old and she came along with us:

We walked up and down the aisles with her, and then, in the afternoon, took turns playing with her in the lobby.  I still remember the screaming cab ride to the airport -- we had to have the cabbie stop so we could get her tiger blankie out of the trunk.

My, how time has flown!  This time around, the girl is staying home with Daddy and Mimi (her grandma) so it will be just the two Komai sisters out on the town.  I won't have internet access so I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the report from the trade show until we get back.

The shop will be open regular hours here in Madison - Mom is helping out and Pamela is working extended hours.  We'll be back later next week!

a p.s. from CHA

I can't believe I forgot to mention this little tidbit.  While we were waiting in the lunch line at CHA, the woman ahead of us turned around to compliment me on my Orangy Porangy skirt.  She then said, "your whole outfit could be a picture," and as she gestured from head to toe, she read my name tag (which had "Anthology" and "Madison, Wisconsin" on it.  And said, "Anthology, oh I know you guys!"  Now, for the longest time, if someone said this to us, Sachi and I would jump to say, "oh, you must be thinking of Anthropologie" but for some reason this time I thought she meant us... and she did. She apologized for being a groupie, which I can't say is something that I require an apology for.  She introduced herself and her mother-in-law... Um, Tracie Lyn & Marilyn Huskamp?  The duo whose journal workshop was one of many temptations at Valley Ridge a few years ago?!  Author and artist and teacher... and she knew US?!  It is always a thrill at CHA to brush so close to the celebrities in the crafting world, but to have one of them know us was a thrill on its own.  Tracie was so warm and friendly and she invited us to catch up with her during lunchtime.  Her table was full but after we ate, some seats opened up so we went over and introduced ourselves.  She was at CHA with several other artist-author friends, who were promoting their books at the Quarry book booth... which just happened to be one of the stops on our list.  So, we also got to meet Lisa Engelbreight, author of Modern Markmaking (a book I am perusing right this moment, trying to get ideas for text for a new altered book project) and Jeannine Stein, author of Re-Bound, a book we are once again sold out of and teacher of the file folder folio structure that Sachi learned last year.  So there was our little brush with fame while in California.

cha cha CHA

Oh dear, I hardly know where to begin!  After being away for a week and soaking up lots of sunshine and inspiration, my mind is kind of a befuddled whirl.  But I know you just want to hear about crafty inspiration, so, let's see.  Sachi and I arrived on Sunday morning to the downtown Los Angeles convention center, where the Craft and Hobby Association was holding its biannual meeting/exhibit/show.  The event includes workshops on building your business, social networking and crafting, as well as showcasing products from about 500 exhibitors.  There are always zillions of make n' takes that one could spend time on, but we were really focused on checking out all the vendors, stocking up on ideas and inspiration and products for the shop.

We walked the entire show on our first day, with a break for lunch, placed a few orders, and then returned the next day to walk the whole thing again, make final decisions and place orders. The show is for all sorts of crafts, so we get to see embroidery floss, yarn, canvas, sketchpads, scrapbook papers, Mod Podge, you name it.  There are fine craft supplies and more basic items - things you might find at Anthology, and things you might find at Michael's craft stores.

As usual, there was lots of inspiration to be found.  I'm not sure if it is because this is our third year - things that looked new for two years can't sustain the third year, or if the economy had an effect, or what, exactly.  It didn't seem like there were as many fabulously merchandised spaces as I remember from the past.  That said, some of our favorites included lots of clever ways to use paper: as garlands, wreaths and other decorations.

This might be one of my all-time favorite wreaths.  It uses little puffballs of yarn and also cupcake papers (!!) and strips of book pages to fill the various paper cones that compose the wreath.  Seriously, this (plus Anthropologie's clever cupcake wall art installations) makes me want to go out and buy all the many cute cupcake papers like these that are available nowadays and use them for paper projects.

Overall, it's pretty amazing to see everything that people are doing with paper.  There was very little 2-D work, lots of dimensional additions to pages and "scrapbooks" that went completely off the page: either as framed wall pieces, shadow boxes, or embellishments on accessories, aprons or tote bags. 

It reminds me of what my former boss used to say of accessories: a handbag starts out with a simple new shape.  Then the next step is to embellish the simple shape, and then embellish it more, and then more.  Eventually you reach a point where you've embellished it all that you can, and we react by going back to a new, pared-down and simplified shape, and the cycle starts all over again.  It feels a little as if scrapbooking is reaching this point.  Just about everything that can be added to a piece of paper is now available.  It appeals greatly to me - flowers and sparkles and texture and glitter but it is hard to see what more can be done.  That didn't stop us from buying flowers and sparkles and textures, of course.  There are some great stickers and flowers and cabachons on their way.

There sure are some amazing things being done to paper, and it felt a lot more creative.  There was less of the cookie-cutter template work going on and a little more creativity flowing underneath it all.  Say what you like about scrapbooking, but I consider it a gateway drug - getting people who don't consider themselves crafty to start to consider composition and color.  And I think their desire to move beyond the page is reflected in these more elaborate works of paper craft bordering on art.  Certainly there were lots of possibilities for things that I'd consider more altered books and less scrapbooks, if that makes sense.  We found some really lovely wrapping/art papers, including handmade textures in sheer whites and gorgeous Florentine patterns.

There was also a strong underlying element of textile being combined with paper.  Besides, the needlepoint and yarn-hooking and knitting and needle-felting, there were spools of thread for decoration (is this wreath so great?  It uses old spools wrapped with various pieces of scrapbook paper) and also patterns on papers and notions.  Additionally, there was a lot of sewn paper, people using sewing machines to stitch paper together for garlands and onto scrapbook pages.  I love sewn paper so that was fun to see.  Sorry you have to tip your head, the computer was not cooperating (but that was a bunch of tickets sewn together into garlands for decoration.  That was the 7 Gypsies booth - they always have such clever displays!).

 

Other inspirations for things to do with paper: party decorations for straws and cupcakes,

sweet simple garland made by stapling little scraps of paper and many other garland ideas

 
accordion folding them to make medallions - petite for first place ribbons or oversize for party decorations.  I could see filling the window with a whole bunch of these made from our various wrapping paper sheets.

 

a paper bird cage holding a paper bird

shadow boxes filled with fun vintage ephemera   (we'll be getting blank shadow boxes that you can paint or decoupage and then fill with your own goodies). 
 

 
and other fun random groupings of paper and ephemera like this one, which got us to dreaming about plans for new window installations.
  


 

Combined with all the inspiration we found visitng L.A.-area shops and the orders that we placed, Sachi filled several pages on her little notebook with ideas and plans for the shop.  Should be fun to see how it all rolls out over the next several months (the ship dates are staggered between now and mid-April - first to arrive are encaustic kits - I got the email notification from USPS today).