A Very Cool Project...

About a 2 weeks ago, a local business woman came to the shop and wanted to inquire about a project she wanted me to do. Turns out she wanted really cool bookmarks to commemorate a celebration at The Order of the Sisters of Saint Benedict. She pulls out a beautifully simple and elegant broadside that she wanted to use. I immediately recognized it, it was a piece called Three Things, and my dad had done the original. How freakin cool is that? I asked if she knew that my dad had printed it and she said they picked it first and found out second.

I was stoked to do this so AJ (my summer intern) and I started settng type and ordering paper and mixing ink to match the original.

Then we started with the first pass...

Then the second, a killer periwinkle...

That is the C&P that it got printed on.

Now they are finished and will dry overnight, to be picked up my happy people tomorrow!!! I love full cirlce kinda stuff, makes me feel like I am part of a bigger picture, ya know?

The Letterpress Lock-In

So, last week I got to take part in the Northern Spark in Minneapolis, MN. I cannot really tell you what it was all about but I can tell you that I got invited to print, all night, at Lunalux! Lunalux is a wonderdul little letterpress printshop off of Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis. I brought my trusty intern AJ to be part of "Team Bruno Press".

We were stoked. I got a bunch of lino blocks together and a 12 pack of Nordeast and we hit the road at about 6:30pm on Saturday evening. The deal was that this lockin would start at 9pm and go until 9am! We had the second shift, thank god, cause I am sort of narcaleptic when I am tired.

We got there, picked a cool idea that was submitted by passers by and got busy printing. Over the course of the night almost 625 visited Lunalux and got to take home free letterpress printed posters! They were loving it and out posters we STU-freakin-pendous.

What a night, I think a few people became enamoured to letterpress, it was awesome. The music, the people, the printing, all of it was intoxicating, but mostly the Jack Daniels.

Some of my most favorite cards I spied at the NYSS this year...

I will tell you, one of my all time favorite things is overhearing people reading and laughing at my cards. I must further admit that they really never stop being funny to me too, even after this long, I think they are wicked funny and I laugh right along with people. I know that might make me a jackass but I am just being honest.

Though it sometimes pains me that I cannot always be the one to come up with funny as shit cards, that I must even laugh out loud at other people's cards, I am telling you, the cards I saw at the show were top freakin notch. You gotta see these, all winners!!! Kudos to all you card makers, makin great, funny, and beautiful cards. You all inspire me to press on!

Setting up at the Reeeeeally Big Show was Interesting...

So, as we entered the Javits Center in Midtown New York, I was feeling pretty confident that this was going to be not that big of a deal. 

Here was the first things we saw

So we started, turned out the booth got beat up pretty bad in the shipping, and we should have used chipboard in between instead of cardboard cause it stuck really bad. Good thing we brought touch up paint and brushes. Nikki and I were there before most people (thank god) cause in order to put that monster up we needed the space on all sides. Turns out, that was great. 

So, set up at home was seamless, set up in NY was a bitch. Sucked with only two people but we got it up there and just could not get the last few screws in, thanks to GLEN, who worked for UPC, he drilled us some new holes and we got it together. 

The next horrifying headache was the pergo flooring, I'll never ever ever use that crap again in my life. I guess you do get what you pay for. Granted we did not really know what we were doing but it kept popping up and finally I gave Nikki the go ahead to tape that shit down. Then we laid the rug and taped that down as well. Who is going to look at the floor anyways right?

Next day we came back to set up all the easy stuff, it was fun and went really well. We were way ahead of the game  compared to our neighbors. Next year we will come in early again, just takes away some of the stress. 

We had the great idea (Derek) to use stainless steel sheets and magnets, which we got  a lot of compliments on. 

Then to really try to get the "old school" across, I had some awesome pictures printed out on this really durable vinyl paperish stuff at Copies Plus in St. Cloud (Thanks Alli!!!) and of course the pictures were beautiful, taken by professional picture taker Damien Husen. We also got a lot of compliments on that. 

Also, having the order forms right there for east access was freakin brilliant. Some of those buyers came in and would turn to us and say "let's go" and we would jump into action!

Also, the table set up and placement was brilliant (again Derek), it was a great place for us to stand and greet passers by and people really responded to the posters and the magazine article, they loved it! I also put up the prints since most people had nothing like my stuff, it just pulled me even further away from the crowd.

It was SOO COOOOOL for people to ask why they had not seen me before, that buyers and other exhibitors were surprised to hear that it was my first year at the NYSS. That is HUUUUGE!

I was so proud of the booth, of the best travel partner ever, NIKKI, and of my product, that did not look like anybody else's stuff. It was truely incredible!

Wheels up at 0600...

My things are packed, I checked and rechecked, so I am feeling good about that.  There is a ton of crap that should have been on the palette but that is what tiny carry ons are for. Gotta run to Kinko's to print some order forms and other random stuff for the booth. This is it, atleast we got some cool t shirts printed for the show and will look legit, even if we are fakin it!

It's the final countdown... (DE NER NEE NER, DE NER NEE NEE NEE)

So, just as I am trying to get all my printed ducks in a row, I am also trying to finish up a giant new order from Patina! This is good news with very crappy timing. I am scoring 1000s of cards when I should be packing. Oh well, I can do this and down to the wire is how us Bruno's kick er down. 

I picked up the catalogs on Saturday and they are beautiful. 

Then my BFF went into the hospital and and another friend informed me that he will not be coming with to the show as planned. This is a giant test of strength. I want to spend time with Pauly at the hospital and I want to fimly believe that Nikki and I can kick this monster of a show without anyone else's help, but I'll tell ya, I am a bit stressed. 

I am going to New York fer chrissakes! This is going to be the coolest week of my life ever. Relax right? It is what it is and all the money that I am spending and the time I have dedicated is going to be worth all of this. 

National Stationary Show (HOLY CRAP)

We are getting dangerously close to lift off here folks. Let me just show you what we have been doing to get ready.

First we built the display, and by we I mean my good pal Bob Lyon. This is the guy that can whip quality shit together, lickity split. 

Okay, then I painted it, with the help of the interns, and added the BP logo and tagline "I'm just printin' what you're thinkin". Also, a few stars to make it cuuuuute. 

Added lights and lovely flooring and rug from IKEA, looks pretty damn legit!

Now we are working on how to display the cards and get stuff on the walls. Derek and I picked up some stainless steel sheets and some magnets. We shall see how that goes. 

Stay tuned my friends.