Grey Moggie Press

Woot!

I made it through November and I blogged every day! Yay me!! Now, I'm in full blown final exam hibernation mode. I will come out of hibernation to get a few hours of sleep each day, for well-balanced meals until my appetite devolves into just a desire to eat Doritos and drink Mountain Dew as quickly as possible, for a few hours at the studio tomorrow to finish up some custom orders, for a few minutes each day to update my December book, and to celebrate Mr. Moggie's birthday next Saturday.

Last week, when I was still allowed to procrastinate with fun, silly things, I took a trip to Paper Source with a sweet friend who was visiting. She wanted holiday card supplies; I wanted labels. I walked out with labels, and also a few pretty sheets of paper, some new rubber stamps, and some free note cards they were giving away with purchases. There were 10 note cards and I've used them all to catch up on my correspondence project.

One evening last week, when I was still recovering from the off-and-on cold and was too sick to do homework, but not tired enough for bed, I worked on this Curbly project. It was super easy, but a bit time consuming to cut out all of the teardrops. I think my cutouts could have been a little (or much) larger, therefore requiring fewer to fill up the page, and that would have saved some time. I'm going to pick up some frames when I'm on break in a few weeks and hang these colorful designs on the wall above Mr. Moggie's dresser. There used to be a constant pile of clothes on the dresser hiding the now-blank wall. I'm hoping to put something in place before the pile makes a comeback!

I've got big plans for the few weeks I have off between exams and the start of spring semester (my last!!!).  (1) I'd like to take a look at this book, Printing by Hand, read Outliers, Bridge of Sighs, and Shakespeare's Kitchen. Then, I'm hoping to learn a bit more about our soon-to-be First Lady.  (2) I want to come up with a plan for making the holidays handmade and festive (for next year). These paper ornaments and this leaf garland seem like good places to start. I'll also be working on some goods for a collaborative snark pack of greetings, some new gift tags for the shop, and some custom invitations. (3) And then, I want to peruse these fun etsy shops for rubber stamps, handmade maps, and paper goods. (4) I also want to spend a day wandering around Second Story Books , a few mornings at the farmers' market with Mr. Moggie, and a few hours skating in the sculpture garden.

Thanks for making it through NaBloPoMo with me.  Stay tuned in December for updates on the December book, and the inverse relationship between my stress level as compared to the likelihood I will shower every day. It won't be pretty but it will be fun!

Did you know...

...that the White House employs 3 calligraphers? And that there is a Chief Calligrapher? And that they create script for over 16,000 invitations a year, as well as menus, seating cards, and other such items?

Who wants to be President when you can be Chief Calligrapher?

One week later

In an earlier post, I said I might eventually write about the election, but I've decided instead to share my favorite online stories about the President-Elect, his family, and how the White House will change in January.

First, I love this image of Barack Obama made entirely out of cupcakes. For the photos, check out Zilly Rosen's Zillycakes flickr album. I found it first on Serious Eats, and Cupcakes Take the Cake has an interview with the creator here.

Newsweek has a nice piece about Mrs. Obama's plans for her family in Washington. CNN has a post about the fishbowl-like qualities of the White House for First Children, and Jezebel points the Obama daughters in the direction of a well-adjusted former First Daughter if they're looking for advice. 

Gawker rounds up cartoons featuring Abe, Barack, and a fist bump.  Jezebel reports (via NY Post and I also saw it on Huffington Post) that the First Couple Elect went on their first date in a very long time this weekend. The Huffington Post mostly comments on Michelle's style for the date, but if you want to read more about the soon-to-be First Lady's fashion choices, check out Mrs. O. 

The District Domestic, Serious Eats, and the New York Daily News speculate on who might be the next White House Chef. My vote is for Rick Bayless. We visited his Frontera Grill on a visit to Chicago this summer, and ate an absolutely excellent meal. (Check out Mr. Moggie's crazy eyes!) 

For more on the intersection of presidential politics and food check out Michael Pollan's open letter to the President-Elect (from before the election), read what the American Farmland Trust has to say, see how Obama worked Pollan's wisdom into his campaign, and head on over to the Ethicurean for thoughts on what this Presidency will mean for food policy in the U.S.

And just because, here is a fun little election map from the NY Times.

Don't you love Sarah Haskins

This has nothing to do with stationery, paper, fonts, or even food. But she's just that good!

Beautiful

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better than a font made of food, I saw this Serious Eats post on Lou Dorfsman's artwork that was formerly displayed in the CBS cafeteria. How cool is that?

What's sad is that after some time, it was taken from the walls of the cafeteria. In a happy end to the story, it has been restored. See more photos from the team in charge of the restoration here.

Thanks to the Serious Eats folks for posting about this.  What a treasure! Be sure to head on over to their post and read the neat comments left about it.