Slow Hands, Soft Touch

The four black fingertips are the result of our seasonal homepage shift. I still haven't washed them off yet, it's kind of fun being two-tone. I tried scanning my hands by placing them directly on the glass, but the results were a little too xerox copier 1990 so I ended up leaving them lifted above while the bright light did it's magic. I like my hand scans blurry.

deep in the stacks...

After almost two years, I am finally building bookshelves to properly house our ever-growing library. It's gotten to the point where I can't even remember all the books I have, with every shelf crammed with stacks at least two deep, and more in boxes piled in the storage loft and under my desk.

I think it'll look like this when I'm done.

keeping up with the times...

A wall calendar by Enzo Mari.

I just finished an interview with him in my new favorite magazine, apartamento.

If you happen to be in Chicago or on the Internet, my favorite bookstore, Golden Age, also carries it.

the ghost of christmas past...

Happy Holidays from the entire staff of Brown Parcel Press. We know your future's bright, just find a good pair of shades.

Hot Tamales (and they're red hot)

Even though it's 36 degrees and rainy outside, it has been such a good friday! Brown Parcel Press was featured on DesignSponge today, and lord knows I check her blog like it's my job so, the mention feels great. Also, i'm getting all of my crafting/ cooking supplies ready to get on the road in a few hours. I'm going down to my folks farm for a Daddy/ Daughter weekend. We haven't had one of those in I can't remember when, and man, i've been missing it. Hanging out with the whole family is amazing, but sometimes those one on one visits reveal so much. (The tamale recipe above is in honor of my dad, who hails from the Mississippi Delta. Recipe courtesy of Screen Doors and Sweet Tea)

CLAUS-ESQUE

If you've ever met me, you know i'm a sucker for guys with glasses and beards.
If you've never met me, now you know- I totally understand where Mrs. Claus is
coming from.

What's in my head today?

Odds and Ends

These are some photos that I took while shooting recent work last week. I love these pictures, but they just don't fit in anywhere. Last Saturday + Sunday were Craft Fair days.... one last Craft event coming up this weekend in Brooklyn at 3rd Ward. Gotta be up at 5AM to sell doughnuts tomorrow morning. Apple fritters and hot chocolate anyone?

Yestsy!

Oh the things me and my white tiger could do, in the jungle.

Enhabiten.

Holiday Craft Fairs, Round 1

Brown Parcel Press is going to be in three Craft Fairs this holiday season. The first one, ICE, took place last weekend in a converted factory space in Atlanta. Because McDavid was manning home base back in Brooklyn, I took my mom along as co-captain of the BPP booth. Who doesn't want to buy letterpressed stationery from the most stylish French woman you'll ever meet? The pictures above are of the little set-up we created. The next two craft fairs are the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa and the 3rd Ward Handmade Holiday Craft Fair in Brooklyn. Come visit us.... i'm going to be constructing life-sized paper holiday characters for the next one. Yes sir.

Chop it, Carve it

My local farmer's market has come to an end for the year, and i'm losing a few minutes of sunlight each day. The past few weeks have been beyond busy, with my fair share of pre-sun wake up calls and a few delirious late nights. It's been a good little month of productivity. Many new ideas. Many things to be thankful for.

Oh also, our amazing intern over the summer, Micah, is now in Germany working with the seriously talented printmaker, Thomas Kilpper, printing large reliefs out of linoleum floors. Anyways, he has a video up on his blog of him workin' on it and i've been unable to embed it on Part & Parcel, but view it here. (We miss you Micah)

Printy Printy

I'm going to be elbow deep in ink all evening and maybe even all night long.... Rinse, repeat and do it all over again tomorrow. Plus, remind me to learn how to pick locks because callling a locksmith to do it for for $96 is $96 worth of knowledge I'm lacking. Fingers crossed that the sunny sky that just peeked it's head at me is here to stay for a few days.

Pictures after the craft fair on Saturday!

70's Folk from a Woman Dentist....

Meet Linda Perhacs..... Linda is a dentist who decided to release a psychadelic folk album back in 1970. It was met with little fanfare, and Linda continued with her career as a dentist. Imagine her surprise when in the year 2000 she was contacted about her reaction to her cult following. "What?! Little 'ol me?" The songs really are pretty amazing.

The Great Goat Let Down

Meet Vanilli (that's right my French mother named our goats Billy, Milli, and Vanilli- she's pretty much amazing). Vanilli gave birth to two kids about a month ago at Carr's Station, the family farm. In the first few days after they were born I spent as much time with them as their mother would allow. Imagine having a puppy disguised as a goat.... that's pretty much what they were like. Anyways, long story short, their addition to our goat herd made me realize that I really wanted to know more about these goats. I signed up for a goat husbandry course that's happening today. I've been looking forward to it for a long time.

Lucky me, I came down with a really gross cold and decided late last night (after my voice disappeared) that waking up at 4AM to drive four and half hours to Bakersville, NC was probably not the smartest idea..... After all i've got hell week coming up printing a bunch of stuff for the ICE Craft Fair in Atlanta next weekend.

My Goat Education will just have to be put on hold for now. In the meantime, anyone who's interested in goat husbandry, milking goats, or goat cheese should look into Goat Song, by Brad Kessler. It's been the most surprisingly enjoying book i've read this year.

Two Sides of a Glass Negative and Baker's Twine

Please Click on me! I look so much better bigger!

This glass negative was found at Luddite, in Williamsburg, and was given to me for my birthday...... in the middle of June. I don't know why it felt so right to get an image of a Swedish man laboring with a tree in a Narnia-esque landscape, but it's certainly one of my favorite possessions. Of course I like all the knick-knacks I choose to surround myself with, but i'm not attached to them like I am this one. I think it's cause it feels like i'm seeing and smelling Robert Frost's universe.

Oh and....baker's twine!

Brace Yourself

Both of these images were found while perusing the NYPL Image Library. I wish you could've seen my eyes nearly pop out of my head when the next arrow brought these puppies to the screen..... I have a few other with the woman at the bottom (who is a shirt collar maker). If you're good, I might post them later.

Sneak Peek

Some drawings i've been working on for a large print..... the sparse lion and tiger on the left side represents the first stage of these drawings, until I came back in and worked some shading magic. I'm still not really sure which I like better. Also, it seems like the animals I draw always come out a little eeyore-ish. I promise the animals in my head are happy.

Also, it's raining today, again. I'm wearing my overalls. Somehow, they make me feel more protected against the rain than an umbrella. Yay for overalls. One day they'll make a cool comeback, and not in their current urbanoutfitters short-alls iteration. I bought some, that's pretty much the only positive thing I can say about shortalls.

TGIF

This is what I look like in the office on Friday

This is what I look like out of the office on Saturday

This is what I look like Sunday morning

And this is what I look like Monday Morning....... ahh the weekend.
Images courtesy of Reanimation Library

More Fox

Saw this trailer last weekend at Where the Wild Things Are, and I must admit i'm pretty excited about it. Any Roald Dahl book that's being made into a movie that's not being touched by Tim Burton makes me happy. Oh Tim, what have you done?

Be a Kid Day

from DosFamily.

from A+R Store, and designer Hector Serrano

Remember that time I was seriously contemplating buying washable hand tattoos made for children? I don't know which is more depressing me wanting these things so bad, or me purchasing them, opening them up excitedly, and finding out that they're going to be midget sized on my hand because.... I'M NOT 8 anymore. Truthfully, I don't think either of those things is depressing. I think these guys are seriously amazing. Why can't I be an aunt already? Is that too much to ask from older brothers..... tick, tick, tick.

Also, the little surprise fox on the stairs makes me so happy. Whenever I own my first home, you better believe there's going to be little moments like this all over the place. At the Book Arts studio in college there was a grad student who built tiny secret compartments in some of the chairs and walls. I remember when someone showed me the first one, it was just as good as Christmas. That's the stuff that makes it all worth it.

Inside the General Store

I see

Whitewashing = Massive Coronary Level Excitation

illustration via canning pantry

Wesson Oil Mayonnaise Maker

Saturday and Sunday were spent down at the farm in Georgia. I picked pecans, sat in front of the fire, discussed the best way to cure a cast iron pot, played with our two new baby goats (only 5 days old, and about 5 times too cute for anybody to handle), made butternut squash and pear soup.... I also took about a billion pictures so you'll have to bear with me as i'm sure i'll be making up for my lack of posting last week with an overabundance of pictures steeped in old farmness. There wasn't enough time to do all of the things I wanted to do, but i've added making homeade mayonnaise with this "mayonnaise maker" to my list for this week. Mmmmm, french fries and homemade mayonnaise, don't knock it 'til you try it.

Google Image Search Results: Dining Car Steward

Magical Chicken Soup

Being the host, you hate to declare something a success as you are inevitably biased in your party's favor, but I think the pumpkin/ potluck was just that. There were cheez-its. decorative gourds, puppies named Sheriff, Kielbasa sausage, magical chicken soup, and to top it all of a little Super Troopers to end the night. (how had I not seen this movie up until now?) Click on the top photo to see details of that corn, it's gorgeous, in fact i'm trying to turn it into a necklace.....