It’s happened. We may not have any more space, but we are now the proud owners of two drawers and two fonts of metal type, plus a few pretty incredible ornaments and antique carved seals.

Blind debossed (no ink) images of a few of the ornaments we picked up yesterday

So, when I’m not busy printing tiny eagles or the occasional 1936 VFW Woman’s Auxiliary seal for fun, I will be using some of the other newfound ornaments and type we picked up in some new card designs. The newest round of cards are on the way and there will be plenty more to share and look at this week.

As you probably gathered, the last week has been busy with cutting, pasting, and sewing up new albums, which I was anxious to get together. One of the nicest things that could have happened with these new pieces has happened: they’re turning out just the way I envisioned them! (Matt would very casually say, “Proof of concept,” here…and I would have to agree!) There are lots of these books in the works and they’ll be ready soon, but for now I’m thrilled to show off a sneak peek of the first one that is all ready to go!

This is a 10″ x 10″ album sewn with a 3-section pamphlet stitch, using waxed linen thread, slate grey bookcloth on the spine, and a beautiful Indian silk-screened geometrically patterned paper for the covers, with cream-colored heavy recycled printmaking paper for the pages.

I’ve mentioned it before and - at the risk of sounding like a broken record - I’m excited about the materials, patterns, colors and textures involved in these books. They’re a little different from the work I’ve done up to now and I think they’re coming together as a really nice, cohesive set. The colors are wonderfully soft and, while the patterns are intricate, they manage to not appear busy.

So, until the new round of cards is ready to share this week, have a little fun, and take a few seconds to watch the “200 minutes at Campbell Raw Press” time lapse Matt compiled, showing this afternoon’s activities…really just an average Sunday afternoon around here. And yes, in case you were wondering, we are hummingbirds.