Printer & Piemaker

Weekend!

2012-01-30T12:22:00.001-08:00

I wish that this weekend had never ended! I drove up to Healdsburg by myself for some time away from the distractions and stress of regular life, and had a wonderfully relaxing and productive time. It was a beautiful weekend- 65 degrees, sunny and warm, and I stayed at my favorite hotel, the H2, which is super green and very comfortable, and conveniently located upstairs from Spoonbar, where Scott Beattie makes the most amazing cocktails! I checked in on Friday afternoon and immediately went over to the Healdsburg Hotel Spa for an incredible hot stone massage, followed by a nap and dinner. I spent the rest of the evening working on some illustrations for jobs and the PBP 2012 collection. On Saturday morning I stopped for one of my favorite treats- a sour cherry gallette from Downtown Bakery- before driving out to Unti, my favorite vineyard, to buy a couple of cases of my favorite wines to restock my "cellar."

Then, on a whim, I decided to take a picnic out to the coast. I took the windy backroads through arid hills dotted with volcanic rock and enormous, ancient oak trees, rolling acres of grapevines dense with brilliant mustard flowers, cool, misty redwood forests filled with trickling streams and lush ferns and moss, and finally made it to the Ocean at Stewart's Point, where I enjoyed my lunch in the sun with a good book. I drove back through Guerneville, along the Russian River, and spotted a belated birthday note to me (how did they know?!) on the small, quonset hut-housed movie theater in Monte Rio.

Sunday, I was sad to leave Sonoma- for some reason being up there always makes me feel at peace, and I hope that one day I can have a place of my own somewhere between the valley and the sea to escape to whenever I want- but more fun plans were calling. I stopped for takeout at Sol Food in San Rafael and drove straight to Golden Gate Fields for the races, where one of my friends was on an assignment for a magazine. I won $10 on a horse named Intriguing Vision. Then I barely had time to run home and change before meeting another friend for the tail-end of the Dashiell Hammet marathon at Noir City. We saw The Glass Key, which was new to me and really wonderful, and The Maltese Falcon- always a hit.

Pretty Things: Book Edition

2012-01-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

via hovey design
I've been pinning a lot of book covers images. Some of these I may have posted here before, but I thought it would be nice to collect them together into one post.

via words & eggs

via scout's honor co., here and here

collection of observer books via secret little gem

chloe giordano

via pretty book covers

50 watts

via the V&A

lauren gentry via poppytalk

birdsintrees

das puppendorf via 50 watts- note: i will be referring to seymour as "das puppendorf" from now on

Week!

2012-01-27T00:39:00.000-08:00

Another whirlwind week- this one included a fantastic, citrus-themed dinner cooked by the incomparable Samin at Tartine Afterhours, a knife skills class at 18 Reasons, seeing Gilda on the big screen at Noir City, and a screening of Josh Radner's charming new film, Liberal Arts, at the Sundance Kabuki. Today I'm headed up to Sonoma for a little break. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Weekends, Etc.

2012-01-23T00:20:00.001-08:00

I have been a busy bee lately- I have hardly had a moment to sit still! When I haven't been working like a madwoman, I've been spending lots of QT with my friends and family. Here are some highlights:

photo source
The live radio play of Wet Hot American Summer, one of my very favorite movies, featuring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Marguerite Moreau, Molly Shannon, Sam Levine, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, David Wain, Christopher Meloni, and guest appearances by Colin Hanks, Busy Phillips, David Cross, and Andy Richter (!!!!).

source
A lecture by Woody LaBounty of the Western Neighborhoods Project about Carville, a community of people who lived in refurbished municipal railroad cars in the what is now the Sunset District at the turn of the century.

A tea party with a few lady friends

A talk by legendary magician the Amazing Randi, along with a short performance by none other than Stallion at the Contemporary Jewish Museum (where a wonderful exhibit about Houdini was on).

A crab feast with friends.

A double feature of San Francisco classics (Dark Passage and The House on Telegraph Hill) at the Noir City festival on a rainy night.

This coming week promises to be equally entertaining, with another noir double feature, a knife skills class, a pop up dinner, a film screening, and who knows what else!

Flowers!

2012-01-16T22:10:00.001-08:00

I used to buy fresh flowers for the house every week, and my favorite florist knew me by name. I'm not sure when or why I gave up the habit- having these on the table has really brightened my day.

Pretty Things

2012-01-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

lena wolff via design sponge

lily stockman

jeana sohn

? via teenangster

erie basin

dawn tan

pamplemouss via all the mountains

lucia ganieva via junkculture (this reminds me of a series martin parr did)

creatures of comfort s/s 2012 lookbook (photographer?) via mociun

jon chrispin via all the mountains

mia christopher

17th century tantric art via old chum

? via punica granatum nana

keez goudzwaard via junkculture

chad wys via beanfield

amtk via it's nice that

oh happy day

james henkel via design for mankind

george méliès's 1902 a trip to the moon via inside a black apple

the curiosity shoppe via design for mankind

ivan konstantinovich alvazovsky via erie basin

clever nettle

scout's honor co.

holly farrell via sfgirlbybay

cori kindred via design is mine

archer & archer via bloesem

turconi collection via 50 watts

leonid tishkiv via i'm revolting

the great lakes

From Afield: Isla Mujeres Cemetery

2012-01-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

At the north end of the island there is a small and very crowded cemetery with tombs dating back at least as far as the 19th century (such as the pirate Fermin Mundaca's famously empty grave). If everything is bigger in Texas, then everything is more colorful in Mexico, and I love how bright and cheerful this cemetery is.

Argentinian Embroidery

2012-01-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

I found Rita Smirna's work through my friend Megan's Pinterest page, and that led me to her friend's blog, Miga de Pan. It looks like they do collaborative work with a few other friends as well.

Rita Smirna:

Miga de Pan:

Weekend! (Isla Mujeres Edition)

2012-01-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

I went to Isla Mujeres, off the Yucatan penisula, for New Year's with two girlfriends. We started planning the trip nearly a year ago, figuring we would rather laze about in the sun than deal with the usual NYE social anxiety, but between two of us being broken up with and one of us losing her job within the few weeks leading up to the trip, we couldn't possibly have anticipated how much we all would need the break. And what a break it was! We stayed at the lovely Hotel Secreto at the north end of the island, and had the good fortune of making friends with the owner of the charming Mango Cafe further south on our first day in town. We spent five days wandering the island, drinking ridiculous amounts of piña coladas, reading in the sun, and watching vintage luchador movies on tv. On New Year's Eve, our friend took us to watch the fireworks from a balcony overlooking the town square, and then we celebrated with the rest of the island's residents (from infants to grandmas) at an incredible party that lasted until 6:00am. Readjusting to reality has been a challenge, to say the least. I can't wait for my next vacation!

Etsy Favorites

2012-01-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

banana streudel

midwest splendor

mindi lyn jewelery

boudreau collection

housing authority

ink whimsy

angel leigh designs

linea carta

lily and ruby vintage

lucky little dot

sandmarg

this vintage thing

place michel

iswasandwillbe

retro vertigo

vintage vendor

modern poetry

old tyme notions

miller gifts

gin and tonic shop

son of a sailor

Ephemera!

2012-01-07T18:03:00.001-08:00

I went to the Vintage Paper Fair this afternoon with some friends and fellow ephemera nerds. Here is my haul!

2012

2011-12-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

image from here
I'm leaving for Mexico in the morning (so excited!!), and I thought I'd better put up my annual resolutions post before I go. In spite of some recent unhappiness, 2011 was a pretty great year. I proved myself right: being in my thirties is much better than being in my twenties, and for that reason, I am really looking forward to 2012. I have a feeling that 31 is going to be a big one for me!

As per tradition, let's see how I did with last year's resolutions: I did travel- I went on two road trips, went to Mexico (post to come soon!), Austin, Chicago, Seattle, Palm Springs, LA and New York twice. I read 17 books, saw lots of shows and a good amount of art, and I actually did manage to keep my house tidier than before (although there is still lots of work to do in that department). I didn't take any classes, but Erik and I are finally going to take that knife skills class soon! I spent as much time with friends and family as I possibly could, and it's been wonderful. I went on lots of adventures and even crossed off a few things from my "life list": trampolining at House of Air, going to SXSW, taking a tour of the Paramount theater, seeing a motorhome demo derby... I did lose some weight, and I cooked for myself much more- now I want to go back to cooking for other people more as well! I also did manage to increase my business by almost 50%, which is a huge accomplishment.

So without further ado, this year's goals:

1. Travel. I want to leave the country at least once, hopefully more. On my short list: Turkey, Morocco, Syria, Switzerland, Italy, Argentina, Russia, Ireland, Greece, Portugal.

2. Read. I've been on a roll lately, and that's due partly to subscribing to City Arts & Lectures- hearing writers speak about their work is so inspiring.

3. Go to more cultural events. This includes not just concerts and art shows, but lectures, classes, film screenings, parties, and gatherings of all sorts.

4. Be even tidier. This year I've gotten in the habit of doing my dishes at least once a week (seriously- this is a MAJOR improvement), and I would like to maintain that as well as keeping clothes off my bedroom floor (why is that so hard?), keeping my dining room table clear, and keeping my office organized. Lofty goals...

5. Be more healthy. This (hopefully) will lead to losing more weight, which would be a very nice perk. I already avoid processed foods and refined sugar, but I need to try harder to eat less sugars in general, exercise more, and drink a glass green juice every morning. And floss more. Always.

6. Cross 5 things off my life list. (Top Secret until accomplished.)

7. Entertain more. I used to be in the habit of throwing large, elaborate dinner parties on a regular basis, but it got to be too much for me. I'd like to start hosting more informal, small gatherings- mostly I just want to be able to cook for more of my friends, more often.

8. Keep the business growing, but try to delegate more, and outsource more. Streamline my responsibilities so that I can accomplish more and enjoy working more at the same time. Try to procure more illustration jobs.

9. Say yes. This is an oldie but a goodie- I never regret taking an opportunity to do something new and interesting instead of saying no.

10. Do good. This year I've really leaned on my friends and family for support, and I want to make it a priority to be there for them. I also want to do nice things for strangers when I can.

And, it wouldn't be New Year's without this song. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T16:15:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-12-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my incredible friends and family, who have made my birthday week (and the one leading up to it) really special and made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world, even though some not-so-lucky things have happened lately. I got to go to an especially good Crab Monday dinner at Camino, built a giant fort in my living room and hosted a fantastic party, had a chocolate malt with banana at Val's, went to the annual Golden Girls drag show, finally got to jump on the trampolines at House of Air (this has been on my to-do list for two years- note to self: next time bring your asthma inhaler!), attended the opening night of another new Oakland restaurant, Haven, was treated to a pedicure, ate dinner at Mission Chinese, and had an assortment of fantastic cocktails and lunches and heart-to-hearts as well. You might think that your friends are pretty great, but I am confident that mine are the very best friends in the world. Thank you guys!!

Renegade This Weekend!

2011-12-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Come visit Pie Bird Press and all your favorite vendors at the annual Renegade Craft Fair holiday sale this weekend at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco. We'll have lots of goodies for all your gifty needs.

Pretty Things: Wish List

2011-12-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

With my birthday coming up, along with the holidays, I thought it would be fun to put together a little wish list from my Pinterest page. Not that I'm expecting anyone to buy me these items; for the most part they're things I would only buy if I was a gazillionaire with an enormous house to furnish and a walk-in closet. But a girl can dream, right?

antique tin train station

antique ring

miu miu glitter pumps from here and here

antique elk tooth brooch

crosley turntable

kora bracelet

st. kilda matchstick brooch

christian dior spring rtw 2012

off the menu by marissa guggiana

ratzer blanket

dolce & gabbana

eric therner diamond light (with an earth sea warrior cord?)

native american

marc by marc jacobs

need supply co.

finger limes

sukan pillow

placemats from leif

rina ono egg cups

antique charm

antique brooch

scott mcbee painting

Craftland!

2011-11-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

The one and only Craftland in Providence is open for all your holiday shopping. This year they're selling Pie Bird Press' notebooks and pencil cases, so if you're in the area, stop by and check them out! There's an opening party this Friday! (And if you're in the Bay Area, come visit us at Renegade Craft Fair on December 17th and 18th at the Concourse Exhibition Center!)

Bark!

2011-11-28T14:11:00.001-08:00

Check out Pie Bird Press' "Max" card in the latest issue of Bark Magazine! (In the center of the bottom row!)

Weekends, Etc./ From Afield: West Oakland

2011-11-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks have been busy! I attended Pop Up Magazine, which was one of the most interesting and fun events I've been to in a long time. No pictures were allowed (or recordings- you had to be there), but suffice it to say that it was a really magical evening and I can't wait for the next one!! In addition, I went to a burlesque show, attended a fundrasier at the abandoned 16th Street train station, and wandered around West Oakland taking photos. I went to a wonderful pop-up dinner hosted by Hapa Ramen and Almanac Beer at Bar Tartine, got to see Joan Didion- one of my favorite living writers- interviewed by Vendela Vida at City Arts & Lectures (she was so charming- I loved the bit she read from this Vogue piece), had some fantastic meals at Zuni, Camino, Boulette's Larder, upstairs at Chez Panisse, Wayfare Tavern, Ippuku, and at a Dux pop-up at Summit, and savored Chris Lee's amazing boudin blanc at the Beaujolais Nouveau celebration at Kermit Lynch. Maybe most exciting, I finally got a juicer! Having a fresh glass of juice every morning makes me feel great. Photos:

donuts from cibo per strada

Hello Again!

2011-11-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

Check out the adorable new animated site that Hello Lucky! has set up for their collection of holiday photo cards! (Hint: Pie Bird Press is hiding at door no. 9!)

Hello!

2011-11-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Hello Lucky! for featuring me on their blog today, to promote the new holiday photo cards I designed for them!

Weekends!

2011-11-07T23:48:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I celebrated Halloween by getting dressed up and going to two parties, a pig roast, a Pierced Arrows show, going bowling, and attending the Treasure Island Flea. It's a testament to how much fun I was having that I don't have very many pictures to share, but here is a shot of me in my "cotton candy" costume.

This weekend, I headed down to the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs for a weekend of fun and relaxation with my friend Marina. We had rain on our first day there, but we consoled ourselves at the outlet mall (I got a great dress at the Prada outlet), and by drinking cocktails in the hot tub, watching chick flicks in our room, and eating our way through the menu at the King's Highway. And when the sun came out, we had a chance to lay out and bask in it before returning home.

New Pie Bird Press for Hello Lucky! Holiday Photo Cards!

2011-10-28T12:34:00.001-07:00

Take a look at the holiday photo cards I designed for Hello Lucky's new collection! You can order them here and here.

Pretty Things

2011-10-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

vintage postcards and tom slaughter via scout's honor co.

erie basin

christopher patrick ernst via junkculture

rojan via 50 watts

oh happy day

leslie david via all the mountains

jeana sohn (this vintage skirt makes me think of school paper cutters)

lynn woods turner via arthound

marcel van eeden,

homesteading roasters and idear papergoods via scrapbook

public school via printeresting

cannelle et vanille

scout's honor co.

miranda skoczek via the jealous curator

building block

above via white walls

heirloom recipe via the goldsmith

christian herr via scrapbook

randy hage via junkculture

lines bros. 1937 dollhouse via an ambitious project collapsing

régine ramseier via unruly things

unknown source via old chum

brice marden via printeresting

double merrick via sfgirlbybay

Weekend! (Seattle Edition)

2011-10-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend I took a trip up to Seattle to visit with some good friends, and it was lovely. All of us are foodies, so as usual we did more eating than anything else. Highlights include pizza at Delancey, dinner at The Walrus & The Carpenter, Brunch at Sitka & Spruce, my friend Chris' homemade roasted squash pasta and Piper's homemade sourdough bread, a pilgrimage to the Seattle Pie Company, dinner at Momiji, breakfast at the Skillet, and drinks at Canon. In between meals we did a lot of sitting by the fire, watching movies and YouTube videos, and shopping. I love my friends! Here are some photos from the trip.

i fell completely in love with this fox at an antique mall in west seattle. sadly, after talking to several taxidermists, it seemed hopeless to try and restore him (the back of his head is held on with scotch tape, and there is serious damage to his paws and ears).

more antiques from around town

smoked black cod with pickled beets and creme fraiche from sitka & spruce

shawn and chris' beautiful home

chris ricing squash for pasta dough

tower of pie!

another shot of shawn and chris' home

biscuits and gravy, and poutine from the skillet

the sunrise from capitol hill

Weekends!

2011-10-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

I have fallen behind on my weekend reports again, and as usual lots of fun things have been going on. Here's a bit of what I've been up to lately.

This weekend, my friend Jessica and I attended Le Diner en Blanc in Golden Gate Park's Music Concourse, conveniently scheduled on one of the warmest evenings of the year! I made salad Nicoise and a pear clafoutis, and Jessica brought some lovely rosé, cheese, charcuterie, and bread for our picnic. I wasn't totally sure what I was getting into when we put our names in the hat for an invitation a few months ago, but the event was truly magical. 3,500 people dressed in white, dining in candlelight al fresco... incredible! You can see a glimpse of Jessica and me in this video, at 2:10.

In the past couple of weeks, I also took a walking tour of Craftsman homes with my friend Christine, organized by the Oakland Heritage Alliance,

took a ferry ride across the bay,

had brunch at Doña Tomas with Erik,

saw an exhibition of photographs from the 1991 Oakland Firestorm at the Berkeley Art Museum with my friend Elka,

went swimming at the Coppola Winery pool with some girlfriends,

enjoyed multiple avocado smoothies at the Sweet Booth in Oakland's Chinatown,

attended my dear friends Jenn and Ajax's wedding,

finally ate dinner at Una Pizza Napoletana (exceeded its reputation!),

made it to an Oktoberfest Monday at Camino,

spent an afternoon going through the clippings files at the Oakland History Room,

participated in a big board game night,

went to Oregon for my family's annual vacation, along with two of my favorite lady friends,

attended Home Movie Day screenings at the Oakland Museum,

cooked a lot and was cooked for,

visited the Santa Cruz County fair with Marina,

toured the historic Fox Theater in downtown Oakland (built in 1928),

as well as the gorgeous Paramount Theater (built in 1931),

played bocce ball,

and even took a gondola ride on Lake Merritt!

Test Post

2011-10-06T19:52:00.001-07:00

I'm trying out the Blogger app!

Late Harvest

2011-09-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here in the Bay Area, we always joke that summer doesn't start until September, but this year it came even later. This last week leading up to the start of October has been hot and dry and perfect for making my dormant cherry tomatoes grow. Here's a shot of the bounty I picked from the garden today.

Finally!

2011-09-27T13:21:00.001-07:00

Pie Bird Press' 2012 calendar is available in our Felt & Wire shop as of today! Check it out here.

Jungle Fever

2011-09-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

Two summers ago, my friend Marina and I encountered this incredible specimen at the Sonoma County Fair, and there was no question that I had to have my portrait taken immediately. For years, I have considered it to be the best $5.00 I ever spent...

...until now! Look who I found at the Santa Cruz County Fair this afternoon! Another $5.00 well spent, if I do say so myself.

(detailed photos for your reference)

New Ink!

2011-09-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting this tattoo for a long time. I had a little home-done starfish on my ankle and at some point I decided I wanted to upgrade to a nicer version. My idea was to have the starfish piled up like a big stack of pancakes so I asked my good friend Jane Kim (who is a scientific illustrator) to design it in the style of an antique engraving, and I went to my favorite tattoo artist, Jen Lee (who has done my last two tattoos), for the final product. I couldn't be more thrilled with the way it came out!

Jane's original drawing- Jen had to alter it slightly to fit on my ankle better

in progress- you can still see my old tattoo at the bottom

some of Jen's drawings at the tattoo shop- I love the way they look all together

Weekend!

2011-09-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

plum vanilla snowball with marshmallow creme from skylite snowballs

This weekend was jam-packed. On Friday I went for a walk on the beach with my dad and our dogs, then met up with my friend Jessica for dinner at Vik's (some of the best Indian food in the Bay Area), a quick stop at the Park Life pop up event at Paulson Press next door, a snowball from the Skylite truck, and a chick flick. Saturday I went into San Francisco for some shopping, a great lunch at Chez Maman in Portrero Hill, a visit to the special collections room at the SFPL, a screening of Dr. Strangelove in Washington Square Park, my friend Alex Lukas' opening at Gurerrero Gallery, and finally a spectacular 7-course pasta tasting (with wine pairings) at Flour + Water. Sunday I got to relax at the lovely Cavallo Point spa in Sausalito, followed by an afternoon stop for ice cream at Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, and a long nap. I wish Monday wasn't approaching so fast...

historic planning maps at the SFPL- I wish I had a "Corned Beef Room"

movie in the park

installation and detail shots of Alex Lukas' incredible panoramic painting at Guerrero Gallery

peanut butter malt ball and bananas foster ice cream with fudge at mr. and mrs. miscellaneous

Pretty Things

2011-09-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

el grio via scrapbook

lily stockman

morris, etc. via sfgirlbybay

odette new york

earth sea warrior via pink shirts & carwrecks

ESPO at Coney Island, as photographed by enormous champion

brad moore via old chum

elizabeth corkery via design*sponge

mengsel via bloesem

a. brockie stevenson via a collection of sorts

As always, check out more pretty things on my Pinterest page!

Weekend, Etc.

2011-09-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

In the past week and a half, I attended a wonderful dinner at Camino to celebrate Chez Panisse's 40th birthday, enjoyed two backyard picnics in the sun, cooked dinner with visiting friends, drove down the coast for lobster rolls and strawberry picking, went to a bar with indoor bocce courts, ate dim sum with my family, and went to two county fairs (Monterey and Lake).

murals around the model railroad at the lake county fair

fried dough

chilaquiles at tacubaya

camino, all decked out for the party

monterey county fair

strawberry picking in davenport

Notes from the Point, September 2011

2011-09-04T20:01:00.001-07:00

Squash!

2011-08-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

Looks like I'm going to have some butternuts this fall!

Weekends, Etc.

2011-08-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I have once again been too busy living to remember to blog about it, so we have a lot of catching up to do.

In the last three weeks I've been to two screenings at the gorgeous, historic Paramount Theater in Oakland (Jaws and Back to the Future), had more of my friend Hannah's incredible doughnuts (with banana custard this time!) at Broadway Bites, had some awesome meals at Plum, Millenium, Cotogna, Camino, Lulu, Saravanaa, Bar Agricole, and Cafe Jacqueline, took a hike with my friend Kelsey and our dogs, went to the Yolo County Fair (best pupusas ever!), drank fancy cocktails at Comstock, the Hotsy Totsy Club, and Wilson & Wilson Detective Agency and wine at Yield, got sunburnt on the beach, went to two ballgames, helped my friend Jenn hand-color her wedding invitations, spent a night watching YouTube videos with girlfriends, attended a rooftop bacon party, saw my friends the Wrong Words play, went on an art deco walking tour of downtown Oakland, did another juice cleanse, sold antiques at Alameda Point, drove to Los Angeles for a weekend of Malibu beaches, fancy parties in the Hollywood Hills, watching my friend Myles' improv show, eating at Gjelina and the Larder, and most importantly, MOTORHOME DEMO DERBY at the Orange County Fair. Whew! Without furhter ado, I present the evidence:

yes, that is a chocolate covered corndog

prosciutto, burrata and grilled nectarines at gjelina in venice

malibu

wild plums kelsey and i foraged in the oakland hills

cibo per strada banana doughnuts

fraises de bois in my garden

photo op at the yolo county fair

assorted street food

elvis-themed fireworks at this weekend's oakland athletics' pyrospectacular

Volvo Watch 2011!

2011-08-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

When I was 16 my father and I had a serious discussion about finding me a car. I desperately wanted a VW Karman Ghia (most likely inspired by Molly Ringwald's in "Pretty in Pink"), but he insisted I get a Volvo for safety reasons. The compromise was a cherry red 1969 P1800S, which we purchased from a nice man in our neighborhood, and which satisfied both his criteria (safety) and mine (style). After seven years of ownership I was in a bad accident and lost my beloved car, but was able to find another one from the same year (in blue), which I have been driving ever since (almost another seven). The P1800 series was made for just a few years, in limited quantities, and became a favorite for all kinds of people, from racing enthusiasts to travelling salesmen- the famous (in Volvo circles) Irv Gordon has nearly 3 million miles on his. Perhaps the best known P1800 was driven by Roger Moore on the television series "The Saint" in the 1960's- it was the more practical version of James Bond's Aston Martin.

In any case, as much as I love my car (top), I don't see very many of them around, even in classic-Volvo-friendly Berkeley. There are a handful of owners in the area, for sure, and we always honk and wave at each other when we pass on the road, but more often than not, I get people asking what kind of car I'm driving, and expressing surprise at never having seen one before. But lately, I have seen two P1800s pop up on my radar, which is pretty cool! The first (above) was a couple of weeks ago in this series of vintage photos that showed up on a blog I read, An Ambitious Project Collapsing.

The second arrived in the mail today in the form of an advertisement for Kate Spade's new Westward Collection, a collaboration with Emily Current and Merritt Elliott. In this case, the car pictured is the P1800ES, the hatchback version of my car. Pretty cute, huh? I wonder if parts are going to be harder to find all of a sudden...

Notes from the Point, August 2011: Insider's Edition

2011-08-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend my friend Jessica and I rented a booth at Alameda Point to sell some of the things we'd been accumulating in our homes. Seeing as we both have excellent taste, we sold almost everything, and we had a lot of fun so I think we will definitely do it again in a few months. I spent most of the day (from 5am to 3pm) in the booth (the photos of it above were taken just as the sun was rising, so they're not great), but I did walk around a bit and here is what I saw in other booths.

Magic Beans!

2011-07-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

Remember when I started my little bean seedlings on the patio a few months ago? I had harvested just five beans from my plants last summer (which I planted much too late in the season to grow more), and in April I sprouted them in my kitchen, transferred them to tiny pots, and put them out in the sunshine (along with a few beans given to me by my friend Christine). When they got big enough, I planted them in the ground and Christine helped me build a bamboo trellis for them to climb. Although, sadly, their growth was stunted about a month ago when a neighborhood cat uprooted several of them, I was able to harvest enough beans today to make me very proud. Even though my harvest was small, it was so rewarding to see these beautifully colored Scarlett Runner and Cranberry beans, and to cook them for dinner! Next year I am definitely going to plant more.

Stamps!

2011-07-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

These beautiful Merchant Marine stamps are being released by the US Postal Service tomorrow. I'm so excited to pick some up for all my postal needs.

Megan Berk

2011-07-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm completely in love with Megan Berk's paintings, especially these fire and nighttime pieces. I wish I had enough wall space for one of the larger ones- they are so lovely.

Busted!

2011-07-21T18:39:00.001-07:00

My "Globe Bank" card is featured in this month's (August/September) issue of BUST magazine, in great company. Love that desktop calendar!

You can buy the card here!

Ode to Confetti System

2011-07-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

If you read any design or event blogs, then there is no way you've missed Confetti System's amazing creations over the past couple of years- it's really like everything they touch turns to gold. I am consistently impressed with what they come up with, so I thought I'd pull together a bunch of images here (all from Confetti System's tumblr and website except where otherwise noted).

martha stewart weddings

the selby

sight unseen

Fine Artichoke

2011-07-21T00:54:00.000-07:00

I was recently approached by a lovely online shop called Fine Artichoke about selling some prints. They have a really wonderful collection of hand-printed, food oriented artwork for sale. Among my favorites are these:

bonnie kaye whitfield

alison sahmel

megan berk

john welles bartlett

Weekend, Etc.

2011-07-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

The past week and a half has been busy as usual and unseasonably warm. Among other things, I went to the amazing Coppola Winery pool for a day of drinking rosé and relaxation, got (more) sunburnt on the beach at Oakland's Lake Temescal, attended an incredible dinner in honor of Yotam Ottolenghi at my beloved Camino (plus brunch there another day of course), ate lots of ice cream, went to an engagement party at a house on the San Rafael marina, ate a fantastic dinner at Ippuku in Berkeley (quickly becoming a favorite), drove to San Jose for dinner atSaravanaa that was as good if not better than their restaurant in New York, harvested my two walnut trees and made an enormous batch of nocino from the crop.

blueberry sorbet at camino

ottolenghi dinner

rhubarb pie and pennants at the engagement party

green walnuts

rose vanilla and strawberry ice cream from ici

camino brunch

Also, I never blogged about July 4 weekend, but it involved a ballgame, lots of fireworks, a big barbeque, friends and family, and a huge brunch buffet. The week before that, my mom and I took a girls' trip up to Healdsburg for a couple of nights. We stayed at the fantastic H2 hotel, ate at Dry Creek Kitchen, Shimo, and Spoonbar, tasted wine at my favorite vineyard, spent some time at the Healdsburg Hotel Spa, shopped and took almost no pictures... oops.

the vineyard at unti

Pretty Things

2011-07-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

eric yahnker via scrapbook

vincent pacheco via the jealous curator

lauren moffat via oh joy!

linus morales via junk culture

ashley moe via art hound

vintage seed packets via feasting never stops

pantone postcards via big bang studio

mirthe blusse via bloesem

jazmin berakha via lauren moffat

amy greenan via the jealous curator

as usual, you can check out more pretty things on my pinterest page.

Weekend!

2011-07-12T01:23:00.001-07:00

Well, most of my weekend was spent at Renegade and/or sleeping, but Friday night was quite eventful and more than made up for the rest. I got to check out the opening for the Sunshine show at the Curiosity Shoppe, had a great dinner at Radish, went to see a movie, saw my friends, Thunderbleed AKA Blind Vengeance, play at Slim's, and finished off the night with dessert at Bar Agricole. Here are some pictures of my print and the other sunshiny prints up at the Curiosity Shoppe. They are all priced at $40 and will be up for the rest of the month! You can also purchase any of them online, here.

Renegade Report

2011-07-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Renegade Craft Fair and I was lucky enough to have three good friends help me out in my booth, which allowed me to walk around a little and see what else was going on. I am consistently impressed with the Renegade folks- they always bring together a great group of crafters selling high-quality goods. Here are some of my favorite things that I spotted this time.

If you follow my Pinterest, you know I have a love of vintage stuffed animals*- they just have so much character!- and I think that Fox & Owl's toys were my very favorite find of the weekend. Erika makes all of her animals from new materials, but I think they have at least as much charm as the vintage Steiffs I love so much.

Erin Dollar had some new textile goods and I traded her some of my cards for a fabulous pillow to put in my new office.

I almost bought one of these screenprinted posters from The Victory Garden of Tomorrow.

I absolutely loved the newest collection from Portland's Stone & Honey. The inclusion of turquoise may have had something to do with that.

These banners from Nice caught my eye.

I thought these chain necklaces from Victoria Bekerman were really lovely.

I also really liked the embroidery done by Hillary Webb in the Gold Fools booth.

I am sure that Vogtsmith did really well with their gorgeous wooden arrows; I admit that if I had a spot for them in my house I probably would have bought a set myself.

I also really liked the new flourescent prints Diva from Linea Carta had added to her linens, but it looks like she hasn't added them to her online shop just yet.

*note to potential suitors: I do not actually collect or own any of said stuffed animals; I just like looking at pictures of them.

Renegade This Weekend!

2011-07-04T22:57:00.001-07:00

In addition to the Curiosity Shoppe show (below) on Friday, Pie Bird Press will be representing at the Renegade Craft Fair at Fort Mason in San Francisco on both Saturday and Sunday from 11-7. Stop by and say hello! We'll have lots of new products for sale as well as all your old favorites.

Happy Fourth of July!!

2011-07-04T01:24:00.000-07:00

vintage mug from mothrasue on etsy

Sunshine!

2011-07-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Pie Bird Press is thrilled to be included in the upcoming exhibit "Sunshine" opening at the Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco on Friday, July 8. The opening party will include live letterpress demonstrations by Power & Light Press in their mobile print shop, and you can purchase a selection of letterpress posters, including ours above! Hope to see you there!

Color Blocked

2011-06-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

This is beyond nerdy, but I love these search results for Pie Bird Press on Google Images (above) and Pinterest (below). It makes me really happy that I am putting so much color out into the world. (Click to enlarge.)

Summer Garden

2011-06-24T01:59:00.000-07:00

Beach Dog

2011-06-23T02:17:00.002-07:00

Marina and I played hookie from work today and went to the beach. I got ridiculously sunburnt and splurged on this cheeze-wiz drenched hotdog. Not bad for a Wednesday!

BHLDN

2011-06-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

If you read any design or entertaining blogs, then you've probably seen Anthropologie's bridal line, BHLDN, all over the place in the last few months. Their dresses and accessories are (not surprisingly) gorgeous, and now they have a line of decorations for weddings (or parties!) as well. I'm not sure any of these products are particularly innovative in and of themselves, but I love the styling so much- I think the photographs stand on their own!

Weekend!

2011-06-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend epitomized summer. Friday night I went to my first ballgame of the season (to watch the Oakland A's butcher the Giants), Saturday I drove down the coast to go strawberry picking and eat lobster rolls, and Sunday I went to the San Mateo County Fair (oh yes, it's that time of year!). That evening, my dad and I took a walk with our dogs by the bay, had a delightful dinner at Ippuku in Berkeley and saw Cave of Forgotten Dreams for Father's Day. Doesn't get much better than this!

Pretty Things: Citrus Edition

2011-06-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

I've noticed myself pinning a lot of citrus-colored images on Pinterest lately so I thought I'd round them up in a post here. Makes me want a pink grapefruit margarita...

rachel castle

tom binns via farfetch

red magazine via bright bazaar

lara ferroni

zara

max mara pianoforte via matches fashion

matthew williamson via the coveteur

layla grace

bhldn

rue du mail via the corner

apollinas via poppytalk

vintage howard greer via vintageous

jonathan saunders, alberta ferreti, easton pearson, chloe, dvf via net-a-porter

jill rosenwald at lotus bleu

kate spade

nuria mora via poppytalk

mango

On the Case

2011-06-18T00:27:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting vintage pillowcases for some time- ostensibly to make a quilt with- and every now and then I take a look on Etsy to see if there are any I must have. I thought the ones I bookmarked looked particularly pretty in my "favorites" section today, so I took a snapshot to share with you.

We're Famous!

2011-06-17T00:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this wonderful feature by Dorothy Brown on our local website, the Albany Patch! I love this picture of Seymour and me in my lovely new office. (Photos by Dorothy Brown.)

Red Carpet Massacre

2011-06-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is kind of exciting: here's me* at my friend Isaac's wedding last month, and here is Lucy Liu at the Kung Fu Panda 2 premiere this weekend, in the same Vivienne Westwood gown (I had mine altered a little to be less boobtacular). Who would have thought I'd be ahead of the red carpet?

PS: I wore it with these Louboutins, and this Kate Spade clutch!

*photo of me by Julie Skarratt

Notes from the Point, June 2011

2011-06-12T22:16:00.000-07:00

Weekend!

2011-06-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend was sunny and beautiful, and I took full advantage. I went cherry picking, hiked in the hills overlooking the Carquinez Strait, played board games on the beach at Lake Anza, attended an excellent dinner party, and did some antiquing at Alameda Point. Feels like summer is here! (I made the pie for my dad's birthday, last week.)

Pretty Things

2011-06-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

For lots more pretty things, check out my Pinterest page!

james bills via mociun

charlotte taylor via oh joy!

? via fffound

roosta vintage via bluebird vintage

sweetapolita

james prunean via oh so beautiful paper

leanne shapton via lovely pieces

essimar

quivver via poppytalk

robert crum and

joelle hoverson via poppytalk

lady grey via pink shirts and carwrecks

mark bradley shoup via the jealous curator

knock knocking via ritzy bee

forever is today (when i was little, every spring my dad and i would go hiking in search of four leaf clovers, which we would keep pressed in the encyclopedia under "C." at some point, after i had grown up, we donated the encyclopedias- which were horribly out of date- to a school and lost our collection. i hope some kid eventually came across it and had a bout of good luck. this picture makes me so happy- i'm really glad that someone else is doing the same thing in another part of the world.)

pierre le hors via all the mountains

jonna pedersen via art hound

dmoch via bloesem

maya hayuk by thinkspace via mimi + meg

paulette tavormina via feasting never stops

photograph by paper antler, styled by maddy hague, via 100 layer cake

NSS 2011

2011-05-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hello! I just got back from a long week in New York for the National Stationery Show. This was Pie Bird Press' sixth year exhibiting at the show, and our fifth solo booth (the first year we exhibited with a rep group). I think we did a great job with the booth this year- the set up just gets simpler and simpler every time, and this one only took about five hours to construct (including a Doughnut Plant break) and 10 minutes to break down. Not too shabby! Here are some pictures of the booth from past years, so you can see how things have evolved.

2010

2009

2008

2007

Weekends, Etc.

2011-05-12T23:45:00.000-07:00

streets of berkeley
I really should be packing for my flight tomorrow to New York for the National Stationery Show, but instead I find myself sitting still for seemingly the first time in weeks (months?) and wanting to take in everything I've been doing. The truth is that most of the time I've been working, and working very hard, but I've also had the opportunity to take some fantastic breaks. Let's see... since mid February, which is the last time I think I checked in, I have: seen six shows (Drunk Horse twice, Versus, Best Coast and Hunx and His Punx, Smoking Popes, Tropical Sleep and the Wrong Words) went to the Monster Drawing Rally, two art openings, drove to Austin and back for SXSW (see below), attended the opening of a new restaurant, went on 7 first dates, had my eyelashes tinted for the first time (I'm sold), ate numerous amazing meals with friends, went to Healdsburg for a relaxing weekend of wine tasting, sunbathing and spa treatmets with my friend Jessica, planted beans and melons from seeds I saved last summer, beat my high score at bowling (not that high), and flew to New York for my friend Isaac's wedding and a few days of catching up with old friends and exploring parts of the city I haven't visited in years. Yes, I literally was in New York a week and a half ago and am going back tomorrow. Did I mention I haven't had a minute to sit still in weeks? Anyways, here is some visual evidence, in no particular order...

cake break at billy's in chelsea

streets of berkeley

fresh strawberry donut at doughnut plant, nyc

jessica and i hamming it up at the ace hotel

the gorgeous shibui spa at the greenwich hotel

my baby seedlings

marina luz at the monster drawing rally

somewhere in queens

on the way to isaac's wedding

lunch at the brooklyn flea

downtown bakery, healdsburg

decoys at the oakland museum white elephant sale

Be a Fan!

2011-04-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

Look! Pie Bird Press now has a Facebook page. Click here to become a fan!

Spring!

2011-04-18T14:55:00.001-07:00

I was out in the garden today, planting some beets and herbs, and potting the bean and melon sprouts I started in my kitchen, and I had to pick some of my beautiful bulbs to share with you! It may be rainy outside, but having these on my desk sure makes life seem bright.

Life vs. Blog

2011-04-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hello again- it looks like life has once more taken priority over blogging, which is a shame because there is so much to talk about! This is a picture from my friends Via and Kelsey's cake party last night. Via (who I used to share a studio with) makes beautiful wedding invitations, and Kelsey (who I went to RISD with) makes amazing wedding cakes, so they threw a soiree to promote both, which was brilliant. This was my favorite of Kelsey's cakes on display, and let me tell you- her Earl Grey cake is SO GOOD. Yum!

I am heading up to Healdsburg for a much-needed weekend of relaxation, and it doesn't look like life and work will slow down when I get back, but I do hope to be able to update you more often, and post some of the many, many Pretty Things I've been bookmarking these last couple of months.