Grey Moggie Press

Letterpress thank you cards

After graduation, I had a mile-long list of people to thank for gifts, support, and thoughtfulness. I wanted to check out how my new silver ink would look on kraft paper, since that's the combination I'd be using for these wedding invitations. So I cooked up these little thank you cards in the studio.

Thank goodness for the kindness of people like you.

I picked up some fushchia envelopes at Paper Source to give the cards a bit more character and then used some address label wraps from TapeSwell to finish off the package.

A Grey Moggie Tutorial: CD Cases

If you're coveting some blank CD cases like the ones I used in those Memphis wedding invitations, you can order them from Stumptown Printers. If you want to make your own simple case, here's a quick little guide to making the CD cases from my last post.

Start with a good thick cover sheet. I used French Paper's Muscletone in Kraft. This paper is superbly versatile. I've read that it's great for letterpress printing (I haven't tried it yet) and I love it for mini-book covers. It's a bit like chipboard, thinner but still sturdy, and I like the color better than that of plain chipboard. Trim 2.5 inches off the long end so that the paper is now 6x11.

Next, you'll want to score a few lines into the paper. Score a line one-half inch along the long edge on both sides of the paper.  Then, score a line 5 inches from one of the short edges, and a line 1 inch from the other short edge.  Then, you'll have to trim some of the paper off to create tabs that will fold to close up the case. In the photo below, I scored along the dotted lines and cut out the sections striped in orange.

I rounded some of the corners before folding the paper (those with dots in the photo below). You can do the same if you'd like. Then, you just have to fold along the scored edges and use your favorite adhesive to stick the tabs down to hold the case in place. You can use a kolo tape gun, Zots, a glue stick, scotch tape, or any other adhesive, depending on the thickness of your paper. You may also have to trim a bit more off of an edge or two if your paper is particularly thick (I did) so that the case folds up properly.

I printed the title and the playlist, cut them to size, and then stuck them to the outside of the case with some happy tape. Go out, find some happy tunes, put them on a CD, and stick them in your homemade case!!

Music for the summer of BarBri

Jessie, John Thornley of US Royalty, & me at afterparty; Mom & Dad at grad party

Most lawyers will say law school graduation was anticlimactic. Fortunately, I did not feel that way. My family was here, there were funny t-shirts and pretty dresses to be worn, and Mr. Moggie threw me the most spectacular graduation party. He let me pick the playlist, served amazing wines, cheeses, cured meats, handmade-by-him truffles, and all sorts of other tasty treats, invited so many wonderful people, found a venue with the Post Secret exhibit, and quoted Destiny's Child in his toast.

Jessie & me, after shedding robes at graduation; Steph & me at the grad party

The reason law school graduation doesn't always feel like the deserved reward at the end of a long and difficult journey is that within days recent graduates must begin studying for the bar exam. The exam is administered at the end of July, but most grads take a prep course that puts them back in the classroom by late May or early June. So I'm still spending a lot of time in the library even though school is over. And that means I need good music to get me through the summer.

Here's the current playlist:


Summer 2009: A Summer to Remember
Stadium Love: Metric
Rome: Phoenix
Hold It In: Jukebox the Ghost
Maurine: Say Hi
Free Stress Test: Professor Murder
Signs (Acoustic): Bloc Party
TFO: Harlem Shakes
Along for the Ride: Mates of State
I Love You All the Time: Oh No Oh My
Eight Legs: Eight Legs
People Got a Lotta Nerve: Neko Case
I Was Born (A Unicorn): The Unicorns
Let Me Drive: Winter Gloves
Finish Line: Fanfarlo
Lolita: Throw Me The Statue
The Grey Estates: Wolf Parade
Give Yourself to Me: Honeyhoney
Bang: Rye Rye

A Memphis Wedding

Front of the case. (C) 2009 Stu Griffith

Clients of mine are having a Memphis wedding in September. A friend of the family created a Memphis-themed mix CD for the occasion and offered to make a copy for all of the wedding invitees. The groom, a graphic designer, whipped up a design for a few faces of a ready-to-print chipboard CD case, and they asked me to letterpress print them. 

Inside with invitation details. (C) 2009 Stu Griffith.

Every step of this project had an unexpected twist. The design was saved as grayscale and the people at Owosso had trouble making the printing plates (LOVE the people at Owosso, by the way). And the CD cases were backordered at Stumptown (LOVE the people at Stumptown, too). I used a beautiful silver ink from NA Graphics (you guessed, LOVE them, too), but it was much more difficult to work with than the basic blue, black, and red I'd used in the past. 

The playlist (back outside cover). (C) 2009 Stu Griffith

I was encouraged along the way by the talented Moira, who told me that these challenging projects will make one a better printer. I thought it was a wonderful attitude with which to approach the remainder of this unwieldy project, and I'm so glad I took her advice and stuck with it. At the studio last week, I ran into issue after issue with the press. But I found a solution to overcome each obstacle. When I left the studio that day with exactly the right number of printed CD cases and a whole mess of errors, I had one of those moments when I felt like an artist - or at least a skilled craftswoman. It was beautiful. So thanks to Dorris and Stu for being great clients and giving me the opportunity to jump into this challenge! All the best for a beautiful wedding and long happy life together. 

DC Coffee Shops: Big Bear Cafe

Big Bear Cafe in Bloomingdale.

As part of the Coffee Adventure, on Sunday Mr. Moggie and I visited Big Bear Cafe in Bloomingdale. I felt instantly comfortable when I walked in the door. In fact, this is from my Twitter: checking out big bear cafe...it's only been 2 minutes, but i kind of love it here.

Here's a rundown of some of the shop's features:

Location: 1st and R Streets, NW in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, east of Shaw. We hadn't really ventured out there much before. There's not a whole lot out there except for lots of cute townhouses. We took Metro to Shaw and it was a 6-block walk. Apparently there's a farmers market on the same corner every Sunday morning. The neighborhood boasts lots of community spirit, but there weren't a whole lot of people out and about for a nice Sunday afternoon. We did see a few folks out walking their dogs on our way back to Metro later in the evening.

Decor and seating: We chose the large table in the middle of the exposed-brick-walled shop that felt like a living room. Several smaller tables lined the perimeter of the room along with a couple of vintage chairs and a comfy-looking couch. Big Bear also has outdoor seating and stools along the counter. There were tons of windows and the doors were wide open. I love ceiling fans and there were several sending a cool breeze throughout the shop. It was easy to spread out and work at the table, which is always great for a Sunday afternoon at a coffee shop. Almost everyone there had a laptop; there was free wifi. Did I mention the ceiling fans? Bliss.

Food and Drink: I had a vanilla latte, my standard coffee drink. I got it iced. It was delicious. Big Bear serves counter culture coffee. The espresso was incredibly tasty and there was no evidence of burnt beans. The vanilla flavor was subtle and not overly sweet. I'm pretty picky about my dairy products, and the milk held up to my standards. All the milk at Big Bear comes from Trickling Springs. We didn't try any of the food, but I'll certainly be back to taste the sandwiches and salads. I have high expectations since the coffee was so good and the owner seems to take similar care with choosing ingredients and preparing food, sourcing the kitchen from the Big Bear Garden, local bakeries, and local farms.

A blurry photo of my delicious iced vanilla latte.

Music: The music was loud. I can't say if it's always like that, but I can say that for the most part the selection was good. They played some new takes on the oldies while we were there, as well as some really enjoyable tunes. I wish I could say more about the music, but I didn't recognize a lot of it; I just liked it. I see this as valuable since if I spend enough time there, I might discover some new bands. If you're looking for a place to study and need absolute quiet, this is not the place for you; I like loud music to drown out other distractions so I was pretty content to study while tapping my foot to the music at Big Bear.

Closing time: This is the only factor I saw as a downside. The shop closes at 6pm every night. I'm pretty productive in the evening to nighttime hours so I like it when coffee shops are open until 9 or 10. However, I think the neighborhood borders on the unsafe after dark, so perhaps the early closing time is for the best.

I am definitely going back. In fact, I think I'd be content to stop my search for the perfect coffee shop here. However, that would be unfair to the other contenders. And how amazing would it be if shop after shop kept blowing my mind?

I leave you with this from the Big Bear website:
Regarding not stocking Splenda [I only noticed honey and raw sugar as sweeteners] - our milk is sweet, and our coffee isn't bitter, so give it a try without the sugar!

Mr. Moggie reading at Big Bear, researching for our trip to Provence in August.

A coffee adventure

I was totally inspired by Elise's Adventure last week. I've fallen behind in my studies for the bar exam and part of the reason is that I've found it hard to get some good study time in on the weekends. With my beloved Murky Coffee closed and my general distaste for the library at my law school on weekends, it's been difficult to sit for many hours and get lots of work done. Both study spots were/are within a few blocks of my apartment.

For the last few years, I've kept a growing list of area coffee shops I've wanted to try. They are scattered in different neighborhoods throughout the city (and surrounding areas) but the one thing they all share is that people in the know report that the best coffee is served at them. With the need for a new study spot, I've got more reason to give them all a try.

For the next few weeks I'll be visiting area coffee shops and reporting back on the blog. I'll definitely write about the quality of the coffee, the availability of work space and free wireless, and the volume and type of music played. I may discuss other factors as they strike me from shop to shop. For example, today I went to Big Bear Cafe, and realized that all good coffee shops should have ceiling fans.

I'll also record my thoughts about the coffee shops in this neat little book I created this weekend. The paper is all from Paper Source - from their in-store 12x12 selection. I cut the sheets down to 10x12 so the pages are 6x10. Then I used some 5x9 cutouts to cover up the white backside of the paper. This the first time I tried sewing a binding. It worked quite nicely, but I covered it up with some tape to be sure. On the outside, I used random strips of a variety of Happy Tape I had on hand and for the middle pages I used a strip of packing tape from Tape Swell. Decorative tape has quickly become one of my favorite products to have at my desk. If you're into that sort of thing, it's definitely worth the purchase - it's inexpensive and super versatile.

I'll post my (glowing) review of Big Bear Cafe tomorrow.

happy father's day

...to all the dads out there. But most especially to my dad!

Enjoy that carrot cake I know mom is making for you.

xoxo

scanned polaroid from a  party last spring

I've been inspired by love lately. Perhaps it's because the people I adore keep coupling off with other people I adore. Maybe it's printing all these wedding invitations, or maybe it's because we just saw Away We Go. Possibly, it's because we've been planning and scheming about a trip to a very romantic place (tickets purchased today; France in August!).

karaoke at sing sing in nyc last summer

Whatever, the reason, I've been scouring my iTunes library for beautiful music about love. Here's the current playlist to document how I'm feeling about love these days:

All My Days...Alexi Murdoch
I Adore You...Melpo Mene
Everytime...Lincoln Hawk (yes, from Gossip Girl)
Papa Was a Rodeo...The Magnetic Fields
For Real...Okkervil River
Love You 'Till the End...The Pogues
Skinny Love...Bon Iver
Question...Old 97s
Us...Regina Spektor
Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop...Landon Pigg

Seriously, check out All My Days in the video below. Or hear it in the Away We Go trailer, linked above.

The Real Grey Moggie

Mr. Moggie tried to snap a photo of her waging a staring contest with a squirrel on the outside of our living room window last week. And he caught this, my favorite!
 

What now?

Kara, me, and Jessie at The National show.

The month of May was an absolute whirlwind. There were exams, THE PAPER OF DOOM, and graduation. My parents and in-laws were visited. I had girls' lunches and more than a few shopping trips while we tried to enjoy that small window of freedom between the end of law school and the beginning of bar review.

Dan, Jessie, Kara, Eric, Chris, Annabel, and Tim outside 930 Club for The National show

So that's what's now. I'm studying for the DC bar exam.  I go to class in the morning, study in the afternoon, and I study at night. I'm making flashcards, taking practice multiple choice exams, and writing practice essays until the end of July.

Steph and I eating yogurt and playing Mario Bros. at Mr. Yogato.

I've also got some projects brewing for the summer. In fact, I'm working on invitations for two different weddings. When I get a little farther along on them I'll share photos. For now, I'm sharing photos of these last few fun-filled weeks.

Jon, Jessie, Ryan, me, and Whit celebrating pre-graduation on the waterfront.

Thank you, Month of May for bringing it. See you next year and welcome to June. 

Goodbye, Law School; Hello, Funny Hat

I graduated from law school over a month ago, so this post is way overdue. However, on Monday my last grade was posted so I guess it's only been official for a couple days. Law school is over!