Crooked Spoke Blog

And we're down.

2008-02-12T10:26:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry to say, the ol' Crooked Spoke Press is down for a month or two to iron out some technical issues. We won't be taking any custom printing orders for a few weeks, although our cards will still be for sale.

Thanks to everyone for all your support. Look to the skies* for updates on our progress, and hopefully we'll be back up and running (I mean treadling) soon.

*By skies, I mean of course this blog.

THEY'RE READY!

2007-11-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

Holiday cards, that is!

Yep, we finally got 'em all printed. So stop your clamoring!

They go on sale Black Friday. You can get them on our website, or stop by the following event in Glens Falls:

The Shirt Factory Holiday Showcase
Friday Preview, 5-8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Located at the corner of Cooper and Lawrence streets.

We will be on the third floor, so stop by and get your fill of holiday cards!

FAIR WARNING: We may sell out of cards by Sunday and pack up early, so if you want to be guaranteed access to our fantastic wares, come early!

Here's a preview:

Coming Up!

2007-10-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

Our next event! The Third Thursday Art Walk in October, hosted by Red Fox Books in downtown Glens Falls, NY:

WHEN: Um, the third Thursday, I kinda thought that was obvious from the name... for the numerically inclined, it's October 18, 5-7 p.m.

WHAT: A chance to meet us, sample our wares, and see photos and video of the whole letterpress process.

WHY: Because we are awesome and you love us, that is why. ALSO, you will have a chance to preview and pre-order our new line of holiday cards at a discount! Be the envy of your friends and save some dough at the same time!

So be there!

Isn't there something you're supposed to be doing?

2007-09-28T09:51:00.001-05:00

Like, for instance, admiring our new greeting card designs? On our new, improved website? Hmmmm?

Colors of Fall Festival

2007-09-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks to those of you who came out to say hello at the Colors of Fall Festival yesterday at Crandall Park in Glens Falls.

It was kind of quiet, sales-wise...but we think that's just a marketing issue. Next time our booth is going to have more signs, pictures of the press, and a full pyrotechnics and laser show.

We had a good time. And I even managed to be part of the entertainment -- and no, that doesn't mean I accidentally fell head-first into a trash can in front of a large crowd. I did a set of music along with a drummer I know, Danielle Furfaro. It was a sedate, craft-fair audience, but I think we managed to play some honest-to-God rock-and-or-roll. Danielle asked if I wanted her to wear a costume -- like a zombie, or a goat, or something like that. "I'm really into extreme costumes and makeup when I perform," she said. I told her I wouldn't mind, but she must have seen my brow furrow. Not that I'm opposed to drummers dressing as goats. But because I run a business I have to worry about scaring customers away.

Anyway, she settled on a T-shirt and jeans, which was too bad. I was secretly hoping for a zombie.

Be there! Or, um, be, not there?

2007-09-20T08:43:00.000-05:00

Don't forget! We're going to unveil our new line of greeting cards at the Colors of Fall Festival! There's going to be crafters galore, food aplenty, games for the kids, and live music! Details:

The Colors of Fall Festival

Hosted by the North Country Arts Center

Saturday, September 22, 2007

10 am - 4 pm

Crandall Park, Glens Falls, NY

As a SPECIAL BONUS, the esteemed Dan Higgins will be performing a musical interlude at 12 noon, accompanied by sundry friends and musicians. Don't miss it!

Big news!

2007-09-04T16:57:00.000-05:00

Why, oh why, you may ask, has the blog been so quiet?

Well, I'll tell you why. Because we've been working on a whole new line of greeting cards! Woo hoo!

And AND AND, we will be selling these cards at some exciting events coming up soon, including:

The Colors of Fall Festival

Hosted by the North Country Arts Council

Saturday, September 22, 2007

10 am - 4 pm

Crandall Park, Glens Falls, NY

Third Thursday Art Walk

Hosted by Red Fox Books

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 5 pm - 7 pm

28 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY

Please note that these events are tentatively scheduled at this point. Check back for confirmation of time, date, etc. before you go.

Here's a preview of a few new cards:

Anyway, these and many more will be available soon on our website.

Breathing is good. I should do it more often.

2007-07-10T13:23:00.000-05:00

So, as Dan mentioned previously, things are slowing down to a more normal pace here at Crooked Spoke Press. Which is good for me, because it turns out that spending 16 hours over the course of a weekend printing hundreds of invitations while standing on one foot is a little tiring.* Especially after working a full week at my desk job.

As a result, I'll be finally getting around to attending to those little things which fell by the wayside during the past few months, including:

New Designs. Yes, I'll finally be coming up with some new greeting cards, baby announcements, and personal calling cards. This involves me and Dan poring over old illustrations, trying to decide whether or not we can get away with having a card that says "poop" on it.
Updated Website. Not a moment too soon, I know. I'm sick of looking at it too.
Expanded Retail Presence. Look for us soon on Etsy! Maybe!
Having a Life. Oh yeah, it's summer. I gotta like, go to cookouts and drink beer and stuff. And let's not forget watch Doctor Who!**
Fixing Up the Yard. Because I've been so busy, the yard looks like hell. More specifically, it looks like a vacant municipal lot, being maintained by a college intern overseeing a group of apathetic teenagers who need community service credit to graduate. Only with more dog poop.
Fixing up the Shop. Although our print shop (located in the barn behind our house) is a perfectly functional space in which to work, it has a high spider-to-human ratio and lacks many basic amenities, like interior walls and insulation. Not that I don't enjoy looking at cobwebs and bare studs, mind you. But it gets a little creepy at night.

So there you have it! Lots to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. Further updates as events warrant.

*I'm on one foot because the other runs the treadle. Great for the glutes though.
**What's that you say? Did I already see the whole season online, even though it just started airing in the US last week? Well, yes. Yes I did. (Thank you, nerds of the UK!) But Dan didn't, so now I gotta watch it with him. It's a real sacrifice, I know.

I have a new hobby

2007-07-02T09:43:00.000-05:00

....It is staring at the barn. I put two coats of paint on it yesterday afternoon, and finally, finally, finally covered up the dark spots of primer that was thinly covering the bare wood.

It looks clean now, and consistently white.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh....

While I did that, Kate finished up a set of invitations for a client in the Chicago area. They look great (naturally). We're going to start work on a couple save-the-date card projects after this.

Things are finally slowing down a little, and Kate says she's going to use the down time to design some baby announcements and greeting cards. I'm going to vote for doing some personal calling cards, as well. Very classy, eh? Eh?

Oh, I tried to take some pictures of the painted barn but I only have a cell phone camera and nothing turned out very well. So I'll include a picture of Roger, instead. He's our golden/lab mix who was recently shaved for the summer. He has a golden retriever's thick coat so 90 degree days are real misery for him. He looks...let's just say "distinguished." But trust me, he's a much happier guy.

Crankin'

2007-07-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

That's right, I said "crankin'" as in, we're so busy and cool and edgy that we don't have time to type the final "g."

Kate is in the pressroom today crankin' out some weddin' invitations. Yesterday she spent a few hours matchin' a light blue color that came out perfectly on the glass palette, but was turnin' up a little green on the paper.

Her theory? Maybe the white paper has a little bit of yellow in it. I don't know, sounded clever to me. She finally got the color right and now she's printin' like greased lightnin'.

I'm wanderin' around the house, meanwhile, noticin' there is so much crud to do that maybe it would be better if I just curled up under this table with the dogs and later had a sandwich.

I think I'll actually just put some paint on the front of the barn. It's looked pretty crappy since we scraped and primed it two years ago, but, um...never bothered coverin' up the primer with a final coat of paint. Hey, it happens. We've been busy. Workin'. Y'know?

Sometimes, we rule so hard it HURTS.

2007-06-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

Like today, for example.

That's right, we're the Pick of the Day over at I Love Letterpress, a blog dedicated to all thing letterpress.

Yay! Yay us!

Up and coming

2007-06-10T12:07:00.000-05:00

Can you judge a city's cultural progress by its buskers?

Why not? It won't cost you anything.

Anyway Saratoga Springs is the tony city to our south. Home of a thoroughbred race track, both a Gap AND a Banana Republic, and just truckloads of beautiful, WASPy people. It's where you go if you want to people watch, or eat something that's not served in a paper funnel.

Street musicians and performers aren't new there -- there's usually some college kids hanging out noodling around on their guitars hoping no one notices that they kind of suck -- but you don't need too many people to put a dollar in your open guitar case before you have enough money to buy some Oxycontin.

Last night, though, there were more performers on Broadway, the main drag, than I have ever seen at one time. Unfortunately, this town has a way to go before the quality of its street acts approach the likes of Burlington, Vermont (or, as they call it on the street circuit, "The Big Wool Sweater").

OK here's a quick review:

IRONIC ROBOT-DANCING DESTRO MAN: Guy in black turtleneck and jeans, wearing a black fedora, and a silver robot mask with flashing, red, LED-light eyes. He struck a "doin' the robot" pose, but only moved to another pose if someone put money in his bag. He had a hand drawn sign that said, "The tipping robot."

Might have been good shtick if there weren't a bunch of people gathered around waiting for him to do something. But a crowd gathered, and he remained still (because no one was tipping him). Then a little standoff ensued. The crowd wasn't going to tip him 'til he broke out some robot moves. He wasn't moving until there was money in the bag.

Someone gave in and dropped a dollar in the bag. And IRDDM moved for about 3 seconds, all ironic and robot-y.

It got a little ugly when the heckling started: "Let's wait him out," said one guy. Another guy said, "Dude, you need to tighten up your act a little."

NERVOUS COLLEGE KIDS DOING CELTIC MUSIC: At least they weren't blatantly extorting tips from people. They were having problem with their sound board so we heard a lot of crackling. Not very jig-worthy.

SOLITARY UKULELE MAN ON A PARK BENCH: And, I quote: "Plinka-plinka-plinka-plinka-fank-fank-fank. Plinka-plinka-plinka-plinka-fank-fank-fank." Repeat.

This is My Space...now get off the lawn

2007-06-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

I thought I was too old to have a myspace page. But then I found out that all the young 'uns have migrated to facebook, instead, leaving myspace to all us older cruds. I was shocked at how many people I found -- in my neighborhood as well as old college friends and various other people I thought had dropped into a hole in the earth -- have set up pages.

So I set up a myspace page..."for the business." Yeah, "for the business." It's quickly turned into more of a personal page for me than a legitimate marketing tool. But here it is, anyway...

www.myspace.com/crookedspokepress

Be "our" friend. OK, my friend.

Happy customers

2007-06-03T15:37:00.000-05:00

We love repeat business -- but when you're in the wedding industry, a repeat customer could mean something bad has happened, "Please join us as Ashley tries again to be wed in holy matrimony..."

That's why it's nice when people ask us to do some of their follow-up stationery: Wedding announcements, thank-you cards, that sort of thing.

We don't have any of those on our web site yet, but watch the skies...

Dogs suck (A-Team edition)

2007-06-01T08:10:00.000-05:00

We keep the dogs in the back of the house when we're gone. If not, things get eaten: socks left on the bedroom floor, TV remote controls, chunks of furniture (I used to really love that armoire, now it is dead to me).

Oh, yes, and doors... Specifically the door that is supposed to keep the dogs in the part of the house that includes the kitchen, downstairs bathroom, and the office. It's a cheap, pine, bi-fold door that moves on a track screwed into the door jamb.

It is only useful as firewood now.

Here's how the dogs worked together as a crack commando unit so they can cause property damage and sleep on the Forbidden Couch:

Over the last three years, Roger ("Face" -- he's the Dirk Benedict of dogs) has patiently nosed the bottom corner of the door and chewed little bits off it whenever he could get his teeth around something. In time he has removed about an inch and a half of wood.

This is where Maddy comes in -- Roger is like the artillery that lays the ground work for Maddy, the forward infantry.

Maddy (played by the late George Peppard) gets her nose underneath the gap Roger deliciously created, and, through patient trial and error, became quite good at knocking the door off its track and breaking through to the living room.

How do I know which dog does which? I know it's Roger eating the door because he just does those sorts of things -- it's more his personality. Also there is frequently wood in his poop.

And Maddy is the expert at knocking down the door because sometimes Roger -- we should have named him Dr. Hawking -- accidentally closes himself in the bathroom. We will come home to find him waiting patiently behind the bathroom door (he hasn't tried to eat it yet) and Maddy will greet us in the kitchen, fresh off leaving tufts of fur and dog smell on the Forbidden Couch.

A quick plug

2007-05-26T18:19:00.000-05:00

Thanks for buying our cards at Red Fox Books in Glens Falls. And thanks to Susan for for carrying us.

Gravity Sucks

2007-05-26T12:28:00.001-05:00

As Dan mentioned previously, there's been tons o' fun in the press maintenance department. For instance, today I adjusted the platen on our press, a task which filled me with trepidation, largely because all of the reading I've done on the matter is made up of phrases such as: "Adjusting the platen should be done VERY RARELY," or "Platen adjustments are best left to experienced pressmen," or "Why in holy hell are you attempting to adjust the platen yourself, you dumb [idiot]?"

It turns out that adjusting the platen is indeed a tricky procedure, but let's face it: it's not rocket science. It's basically some nuts that you turn with a wrench. Whoopee!

Much more difficult was moving the press from a broken down pallet on to wooden skids. When we bought the press, it was screwed on to a rickety wooden pallet. This made it easy to move with a pallet jack, but was unsuited as a long-term base for the 900 pound press. The slats eventually cracked and the poor ol' press developed a serious list to one side. Not good. So with the help of my father, some 2x4's, patio paving blocks, a car jack, and some steel u-bolts, we successfully lifted the press off the pallet and got it on to skids. We took pictures at every step to document the process:

Just that quick and easy.

Is meeting with your accountant covered by the Geneva Convention?

2007-05-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

We have an accountant. She looks like my Aunt Sara and is very friendly and competent and I'm totally confident that if I follow her advice it will be unlikely I'll do any time for tax fraud.

But, boy, can she talk.

The company she works for has a service for small-potatoes businesses like ours, where they will teach you to use accounting software at home. Then, once a month, or quarter, or whatever you decide, they will stand over your shoulder and make sure you're not screwing it up.

It's a great service that's going to save us a bundle this year, when we could really use the money on things like a new computer and X-rays for the dogs*.

But I'm not a math guy. Never have been. I'm one of those math phobics, and I get hives when it's time to divvy up the bill at a restaurant. I haven't taken a math course since trigonometry in 1992, and poor, patient Mrs. Cihocki never understood why I just didn't do my homework (it frightened me).

Of course, her karmic vindication is I have been elected to be our company's bookkeeper.

Yesterday I had an appointment to get everything set up. The accountant told me to "be ready to sit here for a couple hours." I was going to get a total immersion course in Quickbooks Pro, and it was going to take some time.

I blocked out 2 hours in my schedule.

Can you say, 4 hours? After the third hour I was just calculating in my head how much I would owe her for this session. She gets $60 an hour for this training service, which is pretty reasonable.

Then I started thinking, that's a dollar a minute. Oh, God. There goes another dollar. Wow, I wonder if she'll be done 9 dollars from now.

Soon everything she said lost all meaning. All I heard was "Then you want to select the feature in the drop-down menu dollar dollar, dollar-dollars dollar dollar dollar."

As I stumbled into the parking lot, sorely in need of a sandwich and a nap, I felt like I had just been abducted by aliens: a little disoriented and time was elastic.

We have another appointment next week, and before I go I think I'm going to send a note to Amnesty International apprising them of my location in case I turn up missing.

*This time it was Maddy. She ate something in the back yard that gave her gas so loud I at first thought a 1988 Volvo sedan was outside our house with a flooded engine. She was drooling and puking, just enough to where the vet said, "Yeah, bring her in." Nothing on the X-Rays. She's fine now. I guess she thought we just had $162 too much in our checking account this week. Good dog.

A month (!)

2007-05-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

Last post, April 22. Yeah, see I keep meaning to be more conscientious about that. But what's Kate's problem? She can post to this thing too, and as I have grudgingly admitted in the past, she is funnier than me.

So it's been a busy month.

We've filled one invitation order and are at work on two more, and we've just started getting inquiries for fall and spring weddings.

We've also continued working with Trampoline Design, a very cool firm right here in Glens Falls.

This weekend it's adjusting the platen on our C&P Old Style, and then printing, assuming we don't break the press. Coming up: a thrilling tale of how we moved the press from a rickety platform to more solid footing. And by "we" I mean Kate and her dad. I got a free pass on that one because I went to a wedding in bear country.

Kate still has two arms, which is good...

2007-04-22T19:26:00.000-05:00

She caught her left forearm between a heavy mail-sorting table and a countertop that's screwed into the wall of our new home office (thrilling pictures to follow). After reattaching the legs I was standing the table up and she was guiding it into place when she said, "Stop!" Wasn't that easy because the thing was, as I said, solid wood and heavy.

"Which way should I move it?" I said.

"I don't know!"

After a few seconds of helpfully standing there trying to move the table and not move the table, she managed to free herself, escaping with a nice bruise about an inch wide, going around her entire forearm.

Sort of looks like a tattoo popular among weight lifters and frat boys. Except instead of meaningful Celtic or Asian symbols, it's just a bruise.

In Spring, when a young woman's thoughts turns to HOLY CRAP WE'RE BUSY

2007-04-20T10:41:00.000-05:00

Things have changed. We've been getting emails every day and lots of new customers for weddings in July and August. Plenty of custom design requests too.

Also, we've begun working with Trampoline Design, a couple of fantastic graphic designers here in our fair city. We'd like to thank them for looking us up.

We're on The Knot. I need to calm down.

2007-04-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

We bought an ad on theknot.com, hoping we'd pick up some steam in the New York City market.

It's been two weeks and we haven't heard a peep yet. We've tracked dozens of hits on our Web site, but the only invitation orders we've received have been from our Google ads (thanks, customers!)

I mentioned this to my friendly The Knot representative, who reminded me that it's only been two weeks. I'll thank her for not adding the word "jackass" to her response.

But suddenly I am empathizing with all those jumpy, impatient businesspeople I've dealt with over the years at my day job who couldn't get me to write about their dumb little ventures fast enough.

"Uh, yes...we ARE the leading supplier of dog-wig solutions in the tri-county area, so we think a front-page story would be appropriate. Can we get that in tomorrow?"

Wow, did those calls irk me. And I always sort of understood that they are just looking out for their business. But now I understand, in italics, no less...

When you put everything you have into a business -- your free time, your credit limit and most of your cash -- you quickly lose patience. I want results, dammit! Bring to me wealthy wedding planners. This I command!

Of course, it would be foolish to actually say things like that. Good thing no one reads this. Also, I was kidding earlier about my day job. I actually work here.

Next step: World Domination!

2007-04-04T12:51:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't heard the news, Crooked Spoke Press greeting cards are now available in select fine retail outlets! Buy some today!

But WHERE, you say?

At Greenwich Letterpress in NYC, or at Red Fox Books in downtown Glens Falls!

Thanks to Dan, and his tireless hoofing of the pavement to get us in stores. Sales is in his blood.

I get chills, they're multiplyin'

2007-01-29T09:18:00.000-05:00

Mostly because we now have Valentine's Day cards! Whoopee!

The other reason for the chillness is because this weekend it was cold. I mean, it was COLD. Sorry, just needed to clarify.

For those of you who give a hoot, it is really, really hard to print with a consistent quality when it is ten degrees in your shop. So, this weekend was a learning experience. Here's what we learned:

Dan is a crack hand at installing insulation under pressure.

It is possible to print as long as the following components are warm: ink, ink disk, rollers, paper, base and plates.

It is difficult to keep these items warm once they come into contact with 900 pounds of cast iron that has been essentially sitting in an icebox for two weeks.

Maddy the dog will gladly sit or lay on snow for long periods of time, to the point where you need to drag her inside, but she doesn't like cold concrete floors. Go figure.

Swearing a lot only makes you feel warm for a second.

By Sunday afternoon, the temperature in the shop was a sweltering 58 degrees, and we had successfully printed our new line of Valentine's Day cards. We got some other good news as well, but I'll save the honors for Dan to post.

And here is a dog wearing a hat

2007-01-26T23:56:00.000-05:00

And a scarf.

OK more posting this weekend. You will thrill to the tale of my installing pink fiberglass insulation in the shop. Swoon to the story of the Valentine's Day cards: should we make some? And then there's the wedding invitation fonts: Too many serifs? Wow, the good times keep rollin' here.

OK we'll be back soon.

But we couldn't have done it alone.

2007-01-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

Not to toot the ol' horn, but we've come a long way in this little endeavor. Confession time: we had help. Lots and lots of help. So let's give a little credit, shall we?

Briar Press. This online directory/classified/museum/discussion is the best place to start out for anyone dumb enough to want to break into letterpress. You know, like us.

Letterpress Things. Okay, so his website's a little minimalist, but this is the place to go in the Northeast if you need letterpress equipment. The owner, John, is a bit... old school... but he's a nice, kind-hearted guy who loves to show newbies around.

Letpress listserv. The great thing about this listserv is that the archives are searchable, so you get the benefit of ten years of grizzled old letterpress printers' arguments and wisdom without actually having to slog through fifty emails a day. Also, sometimes they give away free things.

Five and a half. This excellent blog is not specific to letterpress, but covers many issues that independent letterpress printers deal with. Also a great place to see what other folks are doing, to keep an eye on the competition.

Five Roses Press. A great, comprehensive introduction to letterpress printing. Enough said.

Boxcar Press. Okay, just because we LOVE their base and platemaking system doesn't mean we can't be objective. Also, they have a bunch of old manuals and parts lists scanned as pdfs. Check these guys out.

NA Graphics. They have just about anything you could possibly need to start printing, aside from the actual press. Also, look at the cute widdle puddy cat. Awww!

Okay, enough. I don't want to give away all of our secrets. I mean, be fair, we DO rule.

A certain establishment in the 212 area code

2007-01-12T23:59:00.000-05:00

We're still trying to get our cards picked up by a retailer, preferably an uber-hip one where stylish and rich Belle and Sebastian fans go to spend some of their trust fund. I think I might start selling them at garage sales if nothing happens soon.

But I have a certain amount of hope, which fluctuates depending on how many chemicals I have in my system.

Delicious, delicious hope...in a sweaty glass filled with ice cubes...

Last week I was in New York visiting Matt and Jen. I had the day to myself while they worked, and I found a shop in the Village that sold letterpress cards.

I won't go into too much detail now because I don't think putting someone on the spot in your little blog is a real smart business move, but they seemed open to our stuff. I may know something next week.

So now I'm going to go to the grocery store and pick up some provisions for another family visit. Dad, step-mom, and brother are on their way. They are low-maintenance guests, God bless 'em. Dad's idea of me "entertaining" him is not minding while he reads the paper on my back porch and has a beer.

No, I don't mind at all...

* I suppose now the entire trip there is a write-off, yes?

Cold. Damn cold.

2007-01-10T23:33:00.001-05:00

It's been a warm winter but it's still cold enough in the shop to make your life miserable. OK, lately it's kate's life that's been miserable, frostbite-wise. We've had some sales through our Web site and some people from my day job, which means that we've needed to produce some cards rather quickly. Which means it's best if I fill out the paperwork and packaging, and let her make with the actual products.

But, first of all -- sales - that's exciting, eh? A couple strangers actually found our Web site, too, which restored some of my faith in my Google ad.

In order to help, I've taken a whack at heating the barn. We have a standard kerosene heater that should be plenty. But unless you're standing right next to it, it doesn't do much good. It's about as useful as a candle right now. It's not radiating or convecting, or making it any more comfortable to be out in the shop. And a cold press means that the plates won't stick to the aluminum base, which means we (kate) have (has) to bring the base inside to warm it up, then go back out and use it, and then bring it inside when it gets chilly again.

I've heard the word "motherfucker" around the house a lot lately.

I'm going to try nailing up some insulating panels between the studs.

My wife: it's just shop, shop, shop, chat, chat.

2007-01-10T22:49:00.000-05:00

The old yankee we bought the press from wouldn't talk to Kate directly. He told me everything, even all the really complicated parts I didn't understand, even when Kate asked him the questions.

Kate: So when you ink the ink plate, how do you know there's enough on there?

John, looking directly at me, while pumping the foot treadle of his own press, moving the rollers across his ink plate: Hear that, Dan? That's what enough ink sounds like. You'll hear it. Yeh.

He was showing Kate and I plus another couple about to spend hundreds of dollars how to use the presses and each time he expalined about measurements, he said, "Sorry girls, more math..." Then he would explain a really esoteric concept, like two picas plu,s two picas, plus another two picas ... wait for it ... equals six picas.

Maybe if he used a more easily digestible unit of measurement the gals could understand: like kittens or lengths of pretty, pretty ribbon.

Of course, Kate knows way more about actually operating the press than I do, and when it comes to me and tools, I'm basically lucky to be alive.

Anyway, I'm positive there are no paperboys buried underneath that guy's spooky old warehouse.

Oh, God, We've become crafty

2007-01-09T22:55:00.000-05:00

Not the kind of crafty where you sit around and knit with your gal-pals, talking about how much the new Decemberists album rocks*, but the kind of crafty where you can easily lose a finger. I like to think of it as a more manly kind of crafty. I know, whatever gets me through the night.

This isn't actually our press. It's nearly identical to our press, and it was about 20 feet away from our press on the warehouse floor in Chicopee, Mass. where we bought it. But this picture came out better.

It's a Chandler and Price, c. 1891 (nerd snort). It was fitted with a motor sometime in the first half of the 20th century, but we disconnected it. It's hard enough to make a decent impression when the gears are turning slowly, by hand. Add a 60 year old motor into the equation and we'd be selling greeting cards caked with our own blood. Although, that just gave me an idea for a new Precious Moments line.

*I did not enjoy this album.