love, luv, <3

After a weekend of love {attended an amazing wedding} >>>

and a few days doing what I love {spending time outside with my family}, >>>

I came home to even more love today! Love from new old friends on facebook, >>>

love from a wonderful friend and amazing metalsmith, {so much more about her to come} >>>

and love from a fabulous photographer {intertwined with some of the other love mentioned above} >>>

after all, all you need is LOVE!


ps. if you click on the photos, you'll notice that both were taken by the fabulous Jenna Walker, which i should have mentioned more clearly above, and certainly deserves all the credit and major props!

self image

I am really enjoying all of self promotion projects coming my way. Here are two from earlier this year. One I mentioned before from Julie Afflerbaugh Photography – and here is the finished product! Reminiscent of a trip to an old fashioned candy shop, the nearly edible colors and glassine bags allow Julie's photography to shine timelessly. This was such a rewarding collaborative effort between two Aries women!


And another from Cathy Nilo - colors that pop! and usefulness too. This was a little booth teaser for a Chicago trade show announcing new clothing lines represented and featuring a show schedule on the back to entice attendees to put them to use. Great idea for attracting attention as opposed to the old, run of the mill direct mail marketing junk!

rollerCOASTER ... ooh ooh ooh!

Maddie turns one! What can't you live without at your First Birthday Party? Coasters for the parents' beer, of course. This might just be the cutest job that has run on the BirdDog Press to date.

We can do coasters for any event. Holiday Parties, Business Gatherings, Wedding Cocktail Hour ... you name it.

Photography by Julia Vandenoever

holiday gets underway

See, the newly designed studio HAS increased productivity! A few things from the start of the holiday hullabaloo ...
This is Truman with his long winter's nap yawn as photographed by Julia Vandenoever, featured in a vintage cut holly frame. And some fun grommeted gift tags made with plantable and alternative pulp papers from Porridge Papers.
More very soon ... this little elf is working overtime in the studio.

self-promotion specialty

If you haven't discovered Hot Mama Designs yet, you should click on over and check out what this mama is doing to honor all mamas around the world. A woman after my own heart, she is a metalsmith and jewelry designer, doing custom handcrafted jewelry for moms (and dads, and grandmothers, ...)
We have been working on a self-promo piece for her and it is becoming a favorite specialty of mine as I have been working on one for Julie Afflerbaugh Photography as well – and of course, several for myself.
Three cheers for women entrepreneurs and innovative letterpress self-promotion pieces getting these women noticed! Keep watching, I will post these pieces as soon as they are finished.