Print A Little Valentine with Me!

I'm happy to say that the Printing Station is back and will be posted at the lovely SOUVENIR studios this Saturday February 13th, just in time for Valentine's Day. If you're keen on a little DIY, come into the shop between 12:30pm-3:30pm to print a little love note with pre-designed plates on the mini Showcard flatbed press. Each print is $5 and you have a choice between using one or two colours.

Swing by SOUVENIR and get your print on. There will also be fresh bouquets, baked goods, and other swell things in the shop that you can pick up for your loved ones or to keep for yourself). It'll be a good time!

SOUVENIR Beach House pop up

Souvenir's latest concept pop up shop for Spring is opening tonight! They'll be bringing you a mix of new and vintage treasures, with some exclusive new work from their favourite designers and some new and exciting pieces from their latest group of collaborators. Snap + Tumble starburst cards will be there too for your correspondence and stationery needs!

Project Gallery
1109 Queen St. East
THURS 06:00-11:00pm
FRI 11:00-08:00pm
SAT 11:00-07:00pm
SUN 11:00-05:00pm

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love her but leave her wild

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 printed with the Line-O-Scribe Morgan press

wood type

12 x 18"

available here

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letterpress signage for Cultural Hotspots project

For it's inaugural year, an initiative called Cultural Hotspots will be featuring the south area of Scarborough by celebrating culture, art and community. I was invited by craft maven Kalpna Patel to participate in her window installation project "Please Come Again" which transforms an unconventional space and brings it to life through the lost art of visual merchandising and striking displays.

 

Say Yes and Ask Questions Later

If you aren't familiar with Kalpna's work, get to know it - it's inspiring. I was both honoured and scared straight when she asked if I would create an installation. I loved the idea of this gallery of storefronts coming to an area that hasn't ever been mined for art installations before. I'm always griping about living so far out east from the downtown core where all the cool stuff happens. So the opportunity to do something that I've never done (and have always wanted to), and the chance to work with an ace in her field, and bringing some craft to an area nearby are all the reasons why I jumped in with both feet. 

 

The Big Idea

The storefront that I was assigned to isn't really a store. It's the Crossroads Business Improvement Area office. What these folks essentially do is market, promote and revitalize businesses in the area, which in this case is between Victoria Park Avenue and Warden Avenue. Kalpna came up with the concept of creatively displaying names of businesses along that strip. It was a simple and effective idea that gave both purpose and meaning to its storefront.

 

The Process

As a letterpress artist, I was excited to execute the vision. For this project, I knew I had to get type that was larger than what I owned. It's not often that I get to work on things larger than 5x7", so this was a treat. I selected various fonts with serifs and a  gothic trade and sizes between an inch and a half to 3 inches in height for visual interest. The primary press used was the Morgan Line-O-Scribe flatbed which has a bed size of 14x22". For the smaller signs, I used the Mini Showcard press. This was all very fitting because these antique machines were originally used by small shop owners to print temporary point-of-sale signs. The business names that were printed were, for the most part, selected at random. Other names, Kalpna and I just really liked the sound of regardless of the business type and its current state of operation.

 

The Community Notice Board

The BIA asked if I could help address their promotional flyers situation. Up until the installation, they would tape announcements of events to their windows for passer-bys to read. But it looked plain, scattered and a little untidy. I decided to create a notice board disguised as another piece of storefront signage. It's simply a corkboard covered in felt and "Crossroads of the Danforth" hand-painted in a fashion reminiscent of old-school signage. The board is now prominently showcased with the dual purpose of either displaying the business name or a collection of flyers neatly arranged.

 

Big Ups

This project was a hell of a lot of fun to work on. I only have big hugs and thanks to give to Kalpna for trusting me to see it through. She was a huge help in the actual installation. I brought the supplies but she brought the know-how.

My hope is that people who come upon the window stop, look, read, wonder and smile. The display will be up for a month, so if you are in the area (or even if you're not), have a look-see and please do check out the other window installations created by fellow artists. Each of them are truly unique and a sight to behold!

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crochet rugs

While looking for crochet projects, I've realised that I like to work big! That is, with a big hook and big yarn. I find it easier to use than small hooks and thin yarn. That and the piece works up really quickly with a big hook. So, I thought I'd try making a crochet rug and my first one turned out well, so I went ahead and made another. I love the feel of these rugs. I used cotton sheets so that they're nice and cushiony to stand or sit on.

The toughest part, for me, is the making of the yarn. I used thrifted bedsheets and it takes a while to cut them with scissors. I opted to do that instead of tearing the sheets because I knew I'd end up tearing the strips right through and I prefer to have the yarn as one continuous piece. This nifty tutorial is what I used to turn the bedsheets into yarn. There are plenty of crochet rug tutorials out there and even videos, including this one. I used a 15 mm (Q) hook and the rugs came to be about 3.5 feet wide. For the next rug, I'm hoping to make it even larger which means I'll be looking for thrifted king size duvet covers! 

tags + labels for TARO crochet

For a little over a month now, I've been hooked on crocheting.

It started with the desire to make myself a cowl. On the spur of the moment, while visiting my mom, I asked her to teach me how to crochet. She did, and the next thing I knew I was crocheting cowls for two straight weeks, probably one a day.

I'm delighted to say that I love doing it. I especially like using soft, wool-blend, thick and chunky yarn. And oh, the colours! I partly made so many cowls just to see them in so many different colours. Not only are they beautiful but they really do keep you warm. While I was knee-deep in cowl-making, the temperatures here in Toronto were unkind. Freezing rain, snow, and wind chills in the forecast made me giddy and looking forward to cowl-wearing weather!

In the midst of taking up this new-found interest, I started an Instagram account to document the goings-on of it all. And in doing that, I started to get orders for the cowls. And because of that, I decided to create a name for the work that I was making and designed and printed tags/labels to send out with the orders. It's been a whirlwind of making and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

The cowls are made to order and I'm still slowly adding more colours to line. And because of that, I'm taking the time to crochet rather than to set-up an online ordering system. For now, folks are ordering through the TARO Instagram feed and by emailing me at taromakes[at]gmail[dot]com.

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natural body oil

A few weekends ago I participated in an Herbal Infusions workshop put on by the good people of Kinfolk and it was hosted by Julie Clark of Province Apothecary. I'm not exactly sure what prompted the desire to take this workshop because I don't ever remember being so interested in aromatherapy before. I think the main draw was that it was a hands-on, mini crash course of sorts and I can't resist a good DIY workshop. At the end of the 3 hour info-packed session, I came away with quite a few handmade products and the confidence to make some more on my own at home. Of the items that the group was taught to make, I was most excited about the body oil. We had also tried our hands at an herbal infused steam inhalation mixture, a sugar scrub, bath salts and an apple cider vinegar hair rinse. AH-mazing. After letting the body oil that I made in the workshop rest for a day, I used it after a (body sugar scrub) bath and loved it. I had infused the oil with geranium, pine, peppermint and lime for an uplifting and awakening scent to help me get moving in the mornings (Marcus still doesn't sleep through the night!).

Because I loved the body oil so much, I couldn't wait to try to make another, specifically for Marcus (my 23 month old). He's got a couple of dry patches on his legs and I wanted something natural and organic to put on his skin to relieve any discomfort he may have. I sought out some ingredients and started with something gentle for him. In his mixture, I used grapeseed, safflower and apricot kernel oil as the carrier oils. I had some chamomile tea leaves and found some useful sources on the net on how to infuse that in the oil. Of the options given, I decided on putting the oil mixture in a glass and put it inside a water bath in a mini slow cooker and left it on low for 48 hours. Once that was done, I strained the leaves and added some lavender essential oil for a soothing scent and bottled it. So easy and so lovely. 

I named it the Lullaby Oil and made a little label for the bottle in the hopes that Marcus would be able to recognize it as his own and make it a part of his bedtime routine.

After his bath that night, I used it on him and I think he liked it. He certainly didn't object to the leg massage that went with it :)

*If you want to make your own body oil, please do find some resources and how-to's online. I took some information from these helpful posts - here and here. If you can, I would also highly recommend taking one of Julie's workshops!

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Little Book of Numbers

You guys, the Little Book of Numbers is done! I completed the book last week and am so pleased at how it turned out. It has 13 pages, printed mainly in black but red was used for the back and front covers. I've also included a bookplate with every edition! I personalized the one for Marcus by printing his initials on it. The book is held together by two handy metal rings (which can be opened should I ever want to include more pages). The numbers and words of numbers were all handset and the acquired images were individually printed. This means that one book was hand-fed through the press 79 times!

I introduced the book to Marcus (19.5 months) yesterday and he was quite interested. The timing was good because he is very much into books and has recently started counting. Or rather, repeating numbers when he hears or sees them. He only gets as far as two and skips to eight and nine, but it's still a marvellous thing for his parents to hear it :) The book is nice a small and fits comfortably in his little paws and he has no trouble separating or turning the pages. He even recognizes some of the images, like the birds and the rockets (or "planes" as he refers them to). It was great to see Marcus and the book in action together.

I've only made 10 of these books and they are currently being sold in the online shop. I've also reserved a couple to bring and sell at the Parkdale Flea this Sunday!

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numbers book: the numbers!

I've finally added numbers to the numbers board book! Hooray! I can't wait to see this all come together. Next will be the numbers in words. I'm also trying to decided how or if to include colour. So far, I've printed the entire book in black ink. Not very colourful for a kid's/toddler's book, right? Though, something has to be said for the simple black and white contrast. 

We'll see what I end up doing with regards to colour or not!

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numbers book progress

Slowly making some progress with the numbers coaster book. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's a project I started last year! It's a small board book I intend to give to Marcus when it's completed. It goes through numbers 1-10 and is accompanied by pictures and is all hand-printed with my tabletop press. I'm printing a few extra copies, so it's taking me some time. But the good news is, is that I've finished printing all of the images. Now, it's onto the numbers!

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totem cards

to·tem (noun)

Anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.

 

There is something about this starburst shape that I love and can't seem to stop printing with. I once saw it referred to as a Slocum seal but haven't since found any more information about it. It's become my favorite go to piece when I'm printing on the Showcard press. Maybe it has something to do with how large the block is and how satisfying it is to roll an inked brayer over it. And no matter what colour it lays down, it always looks so, so good. Is it just me or do you also have something similar that you like to see in print? Is there something you have an affinity for and keep printing, drawing or painting?

 

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