saturday morning vintage

interview - Paper Pastries.

Please introduce yourself and your shop.

Hi, I'm Margaret Haas and I run Paper Pastries, a small stationery studio.

 

 

Do you have a dedicated workspace for Paper Pastries?  Would you mind sharing any pictures of where you work on Paper Pastries, or of your desktop where you put together mail and other fun projects?

My husband and I recently moved from Los Angeles to a suburb of San Diego. When we were in Los Angeles, I had a separate studio space, but I now work out of the three bedroom house that we rent. Working from home has it's pros and cons, but I think overall, like it! Especially because I get to spend all day with my kittens :)

There are three main parts of my at home studio. My work table, my shipping table, and product storage.  The room that I have now is about a quarter of the size as my old studio, so we had to get inventive. I got flat file drawers that we added a wooden top to. Inside the drawers is where I can store ready made products, on top is another work space. Usually that is covered in stationery that is drying, or orders I need to ship. I package orders on this large flat space, then I move them to my shipping table to weigh and print labels.

My work table is where I sketch and design. All of my calligraphy supplies are right there at an arm's reach. I need good lighting so my work table is right beside a large window.  I usually listen to music while working and I like to burn a candle too. When I get up to get some water or a cup of tea, one of my cats usually claims my seat!

 

 

Your shop has some of the most fun and unique rubber stamps I've seen lately, especially your newly introduced state address stamps.  What's your process for coming up with new designs?  What do you do when you find yourself in a creative rut?

Thank you! My sister, her husband, and my husband are all part of the Paper Pastries team. Whenever I'm thinking about introducing a new product, I talk it over with them and see how they react. Some ideas never make it past an email, while others are into production the next day because the team is so excited about it. When I go through 20 pages of the same design, I know it's going to be great when I'm finally finished with it. My design process/creativity definitely comes in waves. When I used to attend craft fairs regularly, I would use those as "due dates" for new products. Now, it's more organic. When I see that my shop is a little stale, I have a team meeting and we discuss new products.  The best way to get out of a creative rut is get away from work. Go get a cup of coffee with a friend, go window shopping, take a walk. I find that clearing my head leaves me feeling inspired and motivated to work.

 

 

 

One of my goals this year is to send more mail, so it's no surprise I love your "Sent with Love" blog feature where you share the creative mail you send and receive.  Is this a new hobby for you, or were you a little girl with pen pals growing up?

I didn't have any pen pals when I was very young. I only sent mail when my sister went away to college. I sent her letters and packages. When I reached middle school and was in different classes from my friends, we would write notes to each other to pass along in the halls.  It was only when I started PP that I realized what a great community pen pals have. The letter writers alliance is a great resource if you're just starting out letter writing.

 

 

What are your top three paper favorites right now - particular products, favorite shops or lines, trends, projects, creative people...

Oh, I have so many! There are just so many great shops out there. Right now I'd have to say:

Small Adventure

Small Caps

Scout's Honor Co.

These three shops consistently come out with wonderfully made and well-designed products, and all are run by wonderful women.

 

[Small Adventure,  Small Caps,  Scout's Honor Co.]

 

Thanks so much for giving us a glimpse into Paper Pastries!  Be sure to check out Margaret's shop and blog if you love all things paper, which I'm pretty sure is most of you!

interview & giveaway! - All Vintage Man / Lady / Knick Knack / Hankies.

Please introduce yourself and your series of “All Vintage...” shops.

I'm just an average gal, livin' the dream of working from home and loving what I do for a living. I operate four antique and vintage shops on Etsy; All Vintage Man, All Vintage Lady, All Vintage Knick Knack and All Vintage Hankies which are all under the umbrella of All Vintage Company.

• AllVintageMan.etsy.com features vintage men's accessories, leather goods, antique tins, office supplies, industrial, antique keys and sporting goods.
• AllVintageLady.etsy.com features neat vintage beauty salon items, fine leather wallets, lingerie, hair adornments, makeup compacts and jewelry boxes, plus a lot of pretty, girly things.
• AllVintageKnickKnack.etsy.com is a happy place to visit. The miniature figurines for sale are so cheerful and bright. There's an emphasis on Occupied Japan and Made in Japan figurines.
• And, AllVintageHankies.etsy.com features beautiful handkerchiefs from the 1800s through the 1950s.

 

 

 

How long have you been collecting vintage pieces?

I grew up around antiques, as my Mother was a collector. She's the inspiration for my shops. When I was younger, I would listen with half an ear while she was telling me about a certain piece. I really didn't have an interest in antiques. As I grew older, I could easily recognize quality pieces, but I still didn't have any interest. After working in corporate positions for most of my career, I needed a change and the ability to work from home. I went to an auction and the rest is history...

What catches your eye when searching for goods for your shops? Are you drawn to certain styles / colors / eras?

Since I'm hunting for items to supply four shops, I look at everything! I've been known to sit right down on the ground at an open air market and spend three hours going through old coffee cans filled with antique findings that customers of All Vintage Man would like, or plow through box after box of antique linens looking for handkerchiefs for customers of All Vintage Hankies. I've also waited for six hours at an auction until four boxes of vintage made in Japan figurines came up on the block. I wasn't leaving the auction house without them, for my customers of All Vintage Knick Knack. When I'm out hunting for items for All Vintage Lady, I primarily look for Victorian items, Art Deco Era pieces and Retro Eames Era items. Personally, I'm drawn to pieces from all three of those eras and I can quickly spot them and pounce! For someone who didn't have an interest in old things when I was younger, I'm certainly a die hard now!

 

How often do you shop for your stores?

I make the bulk of my purchases during the Spring, Summer and early Fall. That's when there are plenty of estate sales and auctions. I'm usually out and about 4 or 5 days a week. I tend to hibernate in the Winter and do the bulk of my item listings when the snow is flying and the wind is howling.

 

 

Do you collect anything for yourself – something we won't find in your shops because you have to add it to your own collection?

I love collecting miniatures and micro miniatures. I have a miniature printer's drawer in my shop, filled with objects I cherish. I also collect Victorian Era glass hatpins, pre-war Japanese porcelain elf figurines, intricate Victorian Era handkerchiefs, Art Deco pieces, retro radios and 1950s kitchen tables & chairs...I could go on, but I'm running out of room here, and in my shop...

 

 

Lorri was kind enough to offer a vintage mid-century leather wallet to a lucky reader!  To enter, simply leave any comment - share which of these two wallets you would pick, which shop of hers is your favorite, which product do you love, or any other sweet comment.  Giveaway is open to all readers, and winner will be announced on Sunday, March 17.

interview - ilfant press.

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your shop.

My name is Lisa Hasegawa and I am ilfant press. ilfant press began as an imprint for my artist’s books, but I have been focusing more and more on letterpress since I bought my press and started teaching in 2005. I mostly print postcards (I am also part of a postcard exchange that began in 2001) but also make stationery, notepads, blank books, and a few other related items. My Etsy shop has some of my artist’s books and prints, but for the most part I try to separate the fine art from the retail.

 

 

How do you develop the designs for your letterpress products? Many of your designs appear to be inspired by old office and school supplies. Do you happen to collect vintage ephemera?

I have been hoarding paper for many, many years. I love old office forms, library cards, children’s writing paper, Chinese and Japanese writing paper, old flash cards, file folders, old notebooks (the little ones with company logos on them), old postcards, and paperclips. I have a ridiculous paperclip collection. My postcards are definitely inspired by different papers I’ve collected – some of the old ruled accounting papers are so beautiful the way the colored lines are set up, a thin purple line tucked tightly between two blue lines… things like that. My designs are not done on the computer, they are set by hand with actual lead rule, and I set them using the papers as inspiration and play around until it feels right.

 

 

My favorite product of yours is the Sketchbook filled with a mix of new and vintage office papers. Do you have a favorite product of yours, either past or present?

Thank you - I also love the sketchbooks! I don’t think I can choose one favorite, because I love different things for different reasons. I love the notepads partly because the padding glue is tinted to match the printing, and that excites the print nerd in me. I love the stationery, especially the French style, because the envelopes are printed on the inside and that really excites the print nerd in me. My newest favorite is something I created for myself; it’s like the sketchbook with the repurposed file folder cover, but the inside is lined, similar to the stationery. I use this for taking notes when I meet with clients. Working things out on paper helps me to organize my thoughts better.

 

 

Your work was featured in the book Good Mail Day – an awesome book filled with lots of mail art and postal ephemera. Have do you like to add charm to the mail you send?

Fantastic and beautiful book! I am ashamed to say I am not as good a mail correspondent as I used to be. When I AM a good correspondent I like to embellish using old office rubber stamps, graphic tape (it comes in various thicknesses and colors – eee!!!), Letraset type, stencil letters, one of my typewriters, and washi tape. I also sometimes use something from my ridiculous paper collection for the letter paper and/or envelope.

 

 

You seem to be a big fan of paper, like myself! What are you top three paper favorites right now - particular products, favorites shops or lines, trends, projects, creative people...

(1)  I love onion skin paper – the old typing paper that has that wonderful crinkle sound to it.

(2)  SCRAP (http://scrappdx.org/) - this is where I go to buy old papers, office materials, and especially file folders. I think there’s also one in Oakland and I went a little crazy there.

(3)  I also LOVE carbon paper, especially what Allyson Strafella does with it: http://www.allysonstrafella.info/html/drawings/01_drawing.htm

 

[Scrap, entry by Allyson Strafella]

Lisa's work is the perfect marriage of two of my favorite things - letterpress and vintage ephemera.  If you are a fellow letterpress and vintage ephemera lover, check out Lisa's work at her website and Etsy shop.

 

inteview - Katharine Watson.

 

 

 

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your shop.

I create linoleum prints based on traditional textile designs and folk arts from around the world, as well as motifs and patterns found in nature. All of my work is done with hand-carved linoleum blocks.

Briefly describe the art of block printing.

Block printing is done with a printing block which can be made of wood, linoleum, rubber, any surface that can be carved into. The reverse image is carved into the block, and you carve away the negative space to create the design. The block is then inked and pressed onto the surface to make the print.

When did you start block printing? How did you get into this art?

I studied printmaking in college and loved block printing; I loved the simplicity of the process and the bold designs you can create with the blocks. It stood out to me from the other forms of printmaking because of how bright and bold the prints could be. I then traveled to India and studied block printing there, and combined the techniques I learned in both places to find my style.

How long does it take to go from an initial design sketch to a carved block?

I sketch out designs all the time, so sometimes a design will just sit for months before I am ready to start carving it. It depends on the size and complexity of the design, some take just a few hours and some can take weeks depending on the detail you are putting in.

Where do you do the majority of your work? Any pictures to share?

I work from my studio at my house, where I have all my supplies and my printing press.

Where do you seek inspiration for creating new designs and new products? How do you get yourself out of a dreaded creativity rut?

I love to look through old textile and pattern books, or through photos I have taken while traveling. I don't really get in creativity ruts, if I'm feeling unexcited by a project it usually means I need to change it and try again. Plus, there's always the business side of things to take care of, so I will usually just switch gears and come back to it later. I think the best way to get out of a rut is just to try something new.

The time and talent that goes into Katharine's prints is incredible.  Please take a minute and visit Katharine's shop and blog.  I'm partial to her monogram cards! 

interview - Eleven Trees.

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your shop.

Hello! I’m Kristen Whitley of Eleven Trees Artistry. I’m an artist from St. Cloud, Minnesota, working toward (and almost finished with!) my Master’s Degree in Creative Arts Therapy. Eleven Trees is the quirky love child of my scattered creative energy and my appreciation for old and aged things.

The shop currently specializes in what I’ve coined “Anthology Photo Frames,” which are gorgeous vintage hardcover books transformed into (totally readable!) picture frames. Each book is carefully chosen, freshened up, and transformed with the intent of beautifully and uniquely displaying life’s most precious memories. I use quality plexiglass and brass hardware to protect photos and keep them in place, and the book frames can be hung on a wall or set on a surface.

How did you come up with the creative idea to turn vintage books into picture frames?  Have you always collected old books?

With an appreciation for the past, I have always been a collector of lovely old things that catch my eye- vintage typewriters, a pocket watch, old cameras, tintypes, a photo album...

I began collecting a few vintage art books in high school, but it all started with 10 Reader’s Digests I found at a local thrift store. It was my intention to find a way to use them as wedding décor, simply because the patterns were such perfect rich colors. I ended up using them to stack candle favors at the wedding, and they found their way in various places around our house after that, because they were just so beautiful.  I began brainstorming a new way to display them for their intrinsic beauty, and had a light bulb moment.  After some experimentation, I started collecting vintage books and making book frames like mad.  

Where are your favorite places to search for books?  Any specific qualities you look for in a book that makes it a good candidate to be a picture frame?

I think my favorite places to shop are thrift stores, because there’s so much life connected to the books there. Often times, the books have come straight from many years on the previous owner’s bookshelf, and sometimes they have notes, personal inscriptions, dried leaves, post cards, bookmarks, and other beautiful bits of life inside. One of my favorite parts of the process is coming home with a new stack of old books and going through them all.

The best books for frames are those that have been well taken care of, and it is particularly important to have a strong binding. I generally look for books with the fabric covers, because they’re easiest to cut into and have the aesthetic texture I’m looking for. It’s always an exciting find if the book is a fantastic color, has a great title, or has a charming graphic or font on the cover.

Of all the books you’ve turned into picture frames, do you have a favorite?

There are so many favorites! I’ve loved, oh, about 500 books in the past year, but 3 of them stick out in my mind. “How to Sail,” “Time of Our Lives,” and “Bird,” which all sold soon after I opened my Etsy shop. They’re each so beautiful in their own ways, but as an artist and wanna-be designer, the colors, text, and graphics just stop my heart! All 3 were also great pieces of literature.

It’s truly a pleasure to rescue and give a new life to these oft-abandoned and forgotten pieces of the past. I adore each piece in my book collection: the wear, the smell, the texture, the materials, the fonts, the illustrations, the craftsmanship, the history, the timelessness…it's all beautiful. I’m hooked!

Where do you store your book stash and do most of your creating?

Right now, Eleven Trees operates entirely out of my living room. Thankfully, it’s spacious enough; and for now it works much better than my home art studio, which is a poorly lit and crowded upstairs dungeon. My books are stored in a few different bookshelves, and I work off of a nifty craft cart that holds my tools and supplies and also functions as a workspace. I have big dreams for a fantastic home studio space when we move someday!

Thanks for this opportunity to share my passion with you, and I hope to see you around the shop soon. The new year marks growth and transformation at Eleven Trees, and there are literally hundreds of beauties ready to go out the door, so keep your eyes open!

Please be sure to read more about Eleven Trees and pick up a book of your own:

Shop

Etsy Shop

Blog

interview - Ann-Marie Loves Paper.

 

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your shop.

Hi! My name is Ann-Marie and I am obsessed with all things paper and crafting! I worked for American Crafts for two years in Utah, but am now in the process of moving back to my home state of California. I run a little Etsy shop called "Ann-Marie Loves Paper" where I sell die-cut prints, custom stamps and other crafting supplies.

 

 

I read on your blog about turning your hobby as a scrapbooker into a job when you were hired by American Crafts! Congratulations! Was it difficult to transition from being creative on your own time to being creative for a living?

Working a creative job in addition to running a creative business on the side can be a little tricky, but definitely manageable if you are excited about what you are doing. I find that the hardest part is dealing with the strict schedule of a regular 8-5, Monday through Friday job. My dream would be to set my own hours and work from home. That way, I could get my work done when I feel most inspired (usually late at night!) and not have to adhere to anyone else's schedule.

 

 

What inspired you to take on another creative pursuit with the opening of your Etsy shop?

I have always been a huge fan of the Etsy community and inspired by the wide range of sellers and products available. A few years back I had an Etsy shop dedicated to handmade hair accessories, but I felt it had run it's course so I stopped listing. Then last year, I decided to give Etsy another try, but this time with my favorite medium: paper! Being able to create things that I personally love and use all the time has made it so much more exciting and fulfilling for me as a seller. I love dreaming up new product ideas and seeing them to fruition.

 

 

I really love the die cut prints in your shop. Each has a fun quote, and whatever color/pattern you place it on peaks through the letters. How do you choose which quotes to use? Do you pick spur of the moment, or have a book of favorites that you flip through?

When it comes to choosing quotes for my prints, it's actually very selfish. I only choose phrases that I personally want to display in my home. The quotes usually come to me randomly, be it a favorite line from the show "Arrested Development" or a general phrase like "You and Me." There's really no rhyme or reason to it! Haha!

I know you are a big fan of paper, like myself. What are you top three paper favorites right now - particular products, favorites shops or lines, trends, projects, creative people...

Paper is definitely my one true love when it comes to crafting. A few things that have caught my attention lately include:
- The Wanderlust run by Danni of Oh, Hello Friend. It takes every ounce of willpower for me to not buy one of everything in her shop!
- Anything hot pink, be it craft paint, twine, or washi tape, I can't get enough!
- Paper + Parcel on Etsy. Her simple photo styling, custom-designed invitations, and awesome selection of office and crafting supplies keeps me coming back for more!

 

[The Wanderlust, Neon Pink Cording, Manilla Tags]

Thank you, Ann-Marie!  Please be sure to check out Ann-Marie's shop and blog.  I purchased one of her die-cut prints a couple of weeks ago and couldn't be happier.  The print itself is awesome, and Ann-Marie's packaging is equally fun.  Two thumbs up from me!