Still in love with letterpress

So I know I haven't really mentioned anything about letterpress on this blog recently... it doesn't mean I don't still love it... A LOT... I'm still totally in love, and will probably be more in love next week after a pretty awesome Proof press Finesse workshop that I'm taking at OCADU with THE Paul Moxon from Vanderblog! Yeeee!!! You can check out more of my letterpress meanderings on the Silverplate Press blog. Happy Weekend everyone. 

Calm mornings

Do you ever feel that things are just a bit too hectic in the morning? Basically right from the moment I wake up, I feel super rushed… I quickly shower, blow dry my hair, do my make-up, figure out what to wear, get dressed, gulp down a cup of coffee and rush out the door! I hardly have any time to talk with Justin… just to say hello. By the time I get to work I'm all frazzled!  

Well as luck would have it, we ran out of coffee beans early this week, (which normally causes panic!), but we decided that we would leave just a couple minutes early and just get coffee on the way. Those 5 minutes made a real big difference. As we rode our bikes through the busy streets, we stopped at a cute little coffee shop filled with bearded baristas, and the smell of roasted coffee beans! We just chilled for a few minutes and enjoyed the coffee and each other before continuing on our way. And let me tell you, it was SO nice! So nice to just collect our thoughts, to chat about random and funny things. It was calming. I peaked outside and saw all the hustle and bustle of a regular morning and thought; why do I that every morning when I could really be doing this?… It was like a mini date with my man and our favourite morning drink. Even if we end up buying a new bag of coffee beans, I hope that instead of rushing through it, we'll take the time to really enjoy each others like this. It was eye opening. 

Now just to get my butt out of bed just a few minutes earlier! lol. 

Hope you're having a nice Friday everyone, and happy weekend. 

One minute things are fine...

It's really mind-blowing how quickly things can change. One second, life was totally great! Riding my bike home and thinking about my adorable little nephew and how I hope that he won't be allergic to cats (like his Dad), so that he could come visit us and play with Sushi. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride yesterday... the sun was shining and it was unusually warm (like 25ºC). I was trying to ride quickly to see if I could beat Justin home. That was all that was on my radar... I was looking forward to seeing Sushi at the door, and getting a couple extra leg hugs. Strange how quickly things can change. She was fine in the morning. She got some treats, a couple extra rubs and cuddles before we left for the day. I wish she could have communicated it somehow. To say; "hey guys, I'm not feeling so hot over here... maybe you outta take me to the vet". By the time I got home, she was on the ground; looking a little limp... she didn't come to the door. She saw me and meowed gently at me. I picked her up and cuddled her to try to comfort her. It looked like she had a bit of a tummy ache. Justin got home about 5 minutes later and that’s when she really started to meow. Like the loud, "don't get me wet!" kind of meow... She was in a lot of pain. We took her to the vet right away... 

It wasn't a tummy ache. And it was way to serious to try to treat (critical care for weeks with multiple blood transfusions and a super slim possibly that she would even make it after all that)... she was dying.

She was only 5.

If you follow my instagram, or if you've had the pleasure of meeting her, you know she wasn't just an ordinary cat. She really had the biggest personality of any cat I ever knew. We miss her. 

I thought it might be nice to make a tumblr page about just how awesome she was... as a place to go when I need a little Sushi. You can check out the awesome life of Sushi on "Sush-Nugget". I plan on posting more. Maybe this is just what I need to do to help myself go through this loss, to collect and organize my memories of her.

My heart is heavy, and my eyes feel swollen, and I will miss everything about her.

Welcome to the World

I am so happy to annouce that I am a proud new auntie! Just this past Saturday, April the 7th at 7:41 in the evening, Dylan Matthew came into the world and inhaled his first breath. He's incedibly perfect, the softest skin, adorble pink lips, and the cutest part in his dark hair. He's so fancy. I took these photos of him when he was less than a day old. I miss him so much already. I'm instantly in love with this little man. 

I'm so happy for Dani & Jay, as they enter the world of parenthood! They're great at being parents already! Love you guys!

Self doubt + the creative process

I think that self-doubt is just in the nature of being a designer. I worry so much as it is, but then when you add designing a wedding invitation on top of that already worrisome personality, I just go into complete self-doubt mode at least at some point in the creative process. It usually turns out okay. At least that's what I tell myself. Designing almost feels like walking through a knee-high swamp sometimes... it's a hard, and messy process, but somehow it feels like you're getting somewhere. And for some unexplainable reason it feels good.

Over the past little while, I was working on designing and letterpress printing a wedding invite for a really awesome couple. (Hi Steph & Sanjay!)And let me tell ya, IT WAS HARD! Really hard. I put so much pressure on myself to get it perfect right from the start, that I kind of panicked. I asked for extensions and begged forgiveness to just get a couple more days... It's funny how the creative process works, especially for projects that are THIS important. I wanted it to remain authentic to them and the style of their wedding... Basically it needed to remain rustic and handmade looking... (just my cup of tea!)... and after a lot of knee high mud to go through, I got to the end and am so grateful for it all, and how the invites turned out. As much as I hated those self-doubt moments, it feels good to be past them now, and to realize that it was just part of the process. Somehow it always works out one way or another. I'm going to be posting the invite design on the Silverplate Press blog. Come check it out. :) 

Another awesome music Friday: Sean Carey & Justin Vernon in AIR studios

Okay, so by now you probably know I'm a huge fan of music... and a massive fan of Bon Iver (and frontman Justin Vernon), and also anything that has a bit a folkiness to it. I have to say that this video with Sean Carey & Justin Vernon is absolutely soul-touching. It's just so incredible to see these 2 brilliant artists together in one studio, just doing what they do best. Get ready to be amazed! 

Perfect for an "awesome music friday". TGIF everyone!

baby (bump) love.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! I've cranked up some good 'ol Dean Martin and just taking in the love that seems to be so thick in the air today. It smells like chocolate. It's a great day to tell someone you love them. Whether they are your husband/wife, brother/sister, mom/dad, or friend... it's the day that you can't be too sweet.

A little while ago I photographed my sister-in-law & her husband, who are expecting a little buddle of love soon. They're love for each other is beautiful, and so is that belly! I just hope I captured a bit of that feeling in these photos. She's stunning, isn't she?! Less than 2 months to go before I meet my little nephew, and I couldn't be more excited!

Awesome Music Friday

Just because it's Friday... and today especially should be filled with totally awesome music like this... Bon Iver covering "I Can't Make You Love Me" from Adelle. So beautiful and authentic. And to make this just a little sweeter; you can download the mp3 for free here.

Happy Friday everyone!

Silverplate Press is in a Letterpress video!

The Office of Nature + Silverplate Press from The Office of Nature on Vimeo.

I know I said that the plan was to keep this blog letterpress free (since it's all over on the Silverplate Press Blog)... But I just totally need to show you this awesome video that Katherine (The Office of Nature) made while we printed together in the studio/living room. So fun to see! I think I need to start collecting fotage for another video! Woo!

Potluck gathering - during work hours.

I just love days like this! All I grabbed with me this morning was a couple of loaves of fresh bread from the bakery on the way in to work... and that's what a few others did as well, (but not bread). By lunch time the table cloth was thrown over our meeting table (or where we mock up designs and do any cutting), and turned it into something that looked like it belonged in a Kinfolk magazine and not in an office. I feel so lucky to be surround by others who have a great deal of apprieciation for a good meal, shared with others. We intended only having a few in this gathering, but once we saw all the food, we invited the whole floor and there was still food left over. The occasion today happened to be a birthday, but by the end of the meal. we all decided that we don't need an excuse like a birthday to do this again.