Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

  

Found this little gem on the blog Maggie Rose and it couldn't be more appropriate!! 

The press is ready to move and I am still deciding where it is to go. at the cost of movers, I REALLY want to make the right decision!

And below is the small gear that was causing so much trouble. It did NOT want to come off. A couple of the Ottawa Press Gang members have been a terrific help. Stephen Quick of Weathervane Press – who also runs an antique Chandler & Price press at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum near Ottawa – finally got that gear to come off. After lots of Google searches, email inquiries and advice, I asked him how he did it. He replied, "As recommended: I used heat, profanity and a little prayer!".  I owe these folks...

Last night I went to a seminar for entrepreneurs sponsored by the Ottawa Community Loan Fund. Met some great folks, ran into an old friend and felt inspired by the stories I heard. I had a meeting that is the first step in the Ontario Self-Employment Benefit Program that is run through Employment Insurance. Crossing my fingers that I qualify.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!
~Gina

I Heard You Twice the First Time

Here's a book I worked on this past year. A project with my new friend and author/poetess Kalli Dakos. I did the layout and 20+ black and white illustrations inside the book. A fun project with a wonderful, joyous, talented woman.


Here are a few of the illustrations I did.

 

If you know a teacher, this book is a humorous collection of poems about the trials of the profession.

http://www.amazon.ca/Heard-You-Twice-First-Time/dp/1439261482/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280009648&sr=8-23

Cheers,
~Gina

SOUP! Tags

Here is the blog Corriander Girl where my friend Lisa's SOUP! got a mention. And don't the tags look SOUPER! Sorry, couldn't resist... :^)

Cheers,
~Gina

Has letterpress ever been sexier??

Check out this video... Nick Sambrato, Printmaker.


Enjoy!!
~Gina

Didn't quite go as planned...

Well, the dismantling didn't quite go as planned... we couldn't get the big flywheel off the press. It needs to come off to get the press out of the current owner's basement and into my place. We have been putting in calls, and sending emails with photos of the problem, to people who might know what to do. There have been a couple of suggestions that we could try.

In the meantime I went to see a studio space. Terrific, big old place in the Byward Market that is being turned into artist studios. Would LOVE to be there, not to have the press in my living room and to hang out with other creative folk. By chance I met one of them at Ottawa's New Art Festival on Sunday. Andrea Mueller, she's lovely, a jeweller and does gorgeous work.

Cross your fingers that we can get this machine apart and into my greedy little hands!

Cheers,
~ Gina

Getting Ready

This is the corner of what used to be my dining room. China cabinet moved out and furniture rearranged - probably not for the last time. WIth some help I now have a platform made out of 2 layers of 3/4" plywood screwed together (to help distribte the weight of the press and protect the floor), rug stapled on the back (to protect the floor from the plywood) and red duct tape (grey was way too boring!) to keep from getting splinters in my toes.

It would be great if the press could go into the basement but I'm not counting on it. Later today we are going to dismantle it and tomorrow we are doing a group move to remove and distribute all of the equipment to those who bought it. Stay tuned!



Cheers & TGIF!
~Gina