The End.

I've thought about this a lot, and here's the thing. My whole life, I have never been able to keep a diary, and that's what a blog is, but without the key I always lost. I like making stuff, not writing things about making stuff. So that's what I've been doing: finished printing Strawberry, crocheting squares for blankets for the VT victims' families, teaching gelatin plate printmaking, making melted bead things with my son. So this is the end of my blog. If you're looking for me, I'll be making stuff, or sitting on my back porch.

Love, Ellen

Plastic crochet

I've lately seen at various blogs, posts about making "yarn" from plastic bags. So I've started crocheting a small bag made of Wal-Mart bags that I cut into strips. I'm making it for my grandmother because I know she'll think it's cool. She saves everything and uses everything multiple times. It's the ultimate props to Gram.

A Strawberry! A new box!

Hooray! I've printed the first three folios for A Strawberry in the Snow! It looks really beautiful. I have the pleasure of holding lines from the poems in my mind as I print. "How I mix the World and you!" I'm using dampened Hahnemuhle Biblio and it's printing up soooo nicely. I highly recommend this paper. I also made new boxes with new cloth for Strawberry. The box cloth is natural, off-white, and the cloth for the book is now a truer red instead of that weird, flat magenta.

All Kinds of Things Happenin'

I've had a seemingly productive week. I started printing "Strawberry" but had to stop due to spring break schedules, but I'll start again Monday. I did some test prints of collographs and tympan pressure prints in preparation for the Fast Book workshop I will teach in May at The Univ. of Alabama Book Arts program. (See images below.)




These (see below) pictures of the clamshell box are kind of deceiving because I made the box about a month ago and I just took pictures today. It's a pretty little box, but it won't be the same for the "Strawberry" edition. I've already made new cloth choices. You'll see soon enough.

Already Missed One?

Awww, crap. I already missed a week, didn't I? Oh, well. I've honestly been working hard! I've been making clamshell boxes as I try to decide whether or not to edition them for the Strawberry book. I will be starting the printing for Strawberry this coming week, for real. I actually cut and dampened the paper, so there's no turning back now. And I'm going to be hanging some work in a local wine shop/gallery (The Savvy Grape) that will be opening the end of this coming week. The work will be for sale, of course, but more importantly, it will be in public. I'm very excited. Me and husby are making some plexi-glass vitrines so I can show my books, too.

Leah's Book: A Strawberry in the Snow

Here's a couple images of the book I am currently working on.

It's called A Strawberry in the Snow a collection of poems written by my friend, fellow book person, and new mom, Leah Eisenbeis! These poems are soooooo beautiful, and so real. The photo is taken on my bookshelf and it's only a mock-up of the book. The real book will be spectacular. I'm cutting paper down for it today and I'll start printing next week. I'm aiming to finish the book in May, which means I want to have at least 10 out of the edition of 75 sewn and bound!

"With No Power Comes No Responsibility"

Here goes. I'm making myself some responsibility. An audience, real or imaginary, that I must report to. At least once a week, I'll somehow show you what I'm doing. Even if I knit all day, I'll let you see that through a drawing, a photograph, or a shameful admission. I owe this to a viewing of Keri Smith's weblog, which I was sent to from another great blog, Whip Up. I'm new to the blog, so bear with me.

New book of the month:
A low-price version of Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. I love Taschen. $24.99