I've combing through listings on Briar Press and Craiglist here and there for letterpress supplies. We've gone as far as Oakland to buy a few drawers of type and the rest is from. Where did we find the Vandercook? We found it in a garage in Burbank. It had been sitting in this garage for over 15 years and the owner said it was time to let go. All this time, there was a Vandercook less than 10 miles from our house.

As far as the other supplies, I got some type from Oakland, some wood letters and ink from my cousin who is also a letterpress aficionado and most recently, I've acquired a corner rounder and some wood furniture from Uno Press, a another local LA-based presser. They were relocating offices and downsizing and they were letting go a few things including a schnazzy fully-restored, bright red Vandercook 4.

Here's a few pics from my visit at Uno Press in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

It's Monday after the "spring forward" time change and my body feels a little sluggish from this past weekend of wedding events. Biggest Congratulations to my cousin Elysse and her new husband, Jeff. I'm so thrilled for them. As one of her bridesmaids, not only did I get to wear a cute dress and hold a bouqet, but I also had the chance to do some letterpressing and calligraphy for her. 

I was honored to letterpress and handwrite her escort cards. These weren't ordinary foldover table cards. Each table was named an airport and each person had their own tag with the airport code letterpressed and their name calligraphed with white ink. To present all the tags, they were pinned onto a frame all aligned and guests picked off their names during cocktail hour. I wish I was there to see the guests pick off their tags off the board to see the guests' reactions. I was with the bridal party in the back room hiding out from the rest of the guests waiting for the Grand Entrance. Besides, appetizers and glasses of wine were coming our way. Why would I step away from that?

Although I'm a little heavy-eyed right now, I'm so pleased with how they turned out and most of all, I'm glad the bride is pleased. 

It was a very happy wedding day! Congratulations Elysse and Jeff!

 

Yesterday a good friend and I perused the fairfax flea market for vintage finds. You'll see fashionistas looking for cheap outfits, families wandering around for a day out, scroungers looking for that perfect mid century furnishing and avid music lovers flipping through vinyls. For me, I was there just to be there soaking up all of LA and its forementioned personalities in the wonderment of "vintage" things. That word is so relative these days.

I did stumble on a table with letters and brass or copper etched blocks. I stood there for a while reading the inverted blocks and it took me to another time period. These were logos and blocks for stationery logos on paper. I can imagine them on correspondence envelopes and on invoices. Did I buy it? Nope. Too overpriced, dumb vintage hunters. It was a nice flea market thrill.

If I could redesign a logo for Parenthesis, a publication created by the Fine Book Press Association, it would look like this.