Viaggio a Roma

My dearest, beautiful Roma here I come..... for a much needed time with my family.
I will be gone for the all month of July and I wish all of you a wonderful time, wherever you are. I also hope to come back refreshed and rested, with some new links for my city guide. Until then, buone vacanze a tutti!

Detail of Piazza di Pietra.

Summer Garlands by Satsuma Press

After days of gray, wet sky, today the first sunshine felt so good here in Boston. And in a mood for real summer, I like to share this garlands by Satsuma Press for Style Me Pretty wedding blog. She used some cotton ribbons and Japanese tape, simple and playful, in some summery, sunny pictures!

Letterpress and Bookbinding workshop No. 7

Talking about printing, I would like to announce a coming workshop in collaboration with Albertine Press, schedule for the weekend of August 15th and 16th. This one will be our 7th Letterpress and Bookbinding Workshop that Shelley and I have been teaching together and I have to say, they were all very great! There is one day of full design, type hand-setting and letterpress printing and one day of bookbinding. The book structure is Sewing on Tapes, with an exposed spine, as the picture included. We offered the same class in the past and it was one of our favorite. If you are interested, please contact Shelley and the application form is also available on her website. Thank you!

Printing Art Fair 2009

Another wet day here in Boston, but yesterday, despite the rain, printing and demonstrations were no stop at the Museum. A constant crowd of people were in and out during the Sixth Annual Printing Fair. A regular meeting, at this point, for many people in new England. Personally, I was most of the time at my table, talking to near by booth vendors and old and new clients, but much of the events were happening outside with the Steamroller Printing, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Vandercook Proof Press. I stepped outside briefly, but here is a good link for
a series of pictures of the Steamroller in action. All together a great event, just too bad I wasn't feeling very well! Lovely links from the pictures below:
Pressbound, Zoetropa, Albertine Press, Mayday Studio and small detail of the broadside with the tree by Marsolais Press (no website yet, too bad!).

Alissa and Ryan of Horne

When Alissa and Ryan approached me during the past Stationery Show, I thought that they were some of the most lovely couple I've ever met. I recognized their online shop Horne immediately, but I didn't know then what an amazing wedding they had recently. The beautiful pictures below are taken from the post on D*S and I found them so charming. I'm flattered that some of my hand-bound books will be soon part of their careful selection of paper goods. With no doubts, they were some of my favorite encounters at the show, this year!
Next coming show on June 21st, is the Printing Art Fair, hoping to meeting some of you soon....

Two days on the Squam Lake

Truly a dream..... The trip to New Hampshire, the Squam lake, the art fair, the forest, was all a fantastic experience. The art fair, as the end of the workshops session, was for one hour and half only, with people waiting in line to get in the beautiful dining room that hosted the fair. It was a full, intensive one hour and half! The lake surrounded every spot of the camp, with different views of the water wherever you look. The camp site was established in 1897, the old, wood structures are beautiful. Students attending classes were living in these houses, hidden in the forest. The feedback of the Squam Workshops were impressive. I will make sure to write a good proposal for teaching a class there next year. Hopefully it will work!
I have met a lot of amazing people behind some of the work I have been admiring and my friend Jill was next to my table. How could I ask for more? Enjoy some visual notes and a few links below.

Creative Thursday and Jill Bent pillows.


Lizzy House beautiful silkscreen fabric. She told me, that she has been wrapping her fabrics with cotton ribbons for a few years now. Love her prints too!


Jute sack by Designs Maya Made . Her description of the Squam workshops, from the teacher point of view, are worth reading. She was so lovely to meet!
More interesting encounters at the fair: Lauren and Derek from the The Curiosity Shoppe, Lettuce Knit, Lisa Klakulak, Betz White, Caro Sheridan and from far I saw four beautiful children with their mama, so I learned about the blog and books of soulemama.com. Also, notes on the Squam Workshop by Grace of Design Sponge, from last year.

And if all of this wasn't enough, we also saw mountains lions, bears, otters and other animals at the Squam Lake Natural Science Center.

Squam Art Fair

After recovering from the Stationery Show, there is more traveling to do this weekend, toward a beautiful place on the East Coast. If you are in the area, come to visit at the Squam Art Fair and Squam Reverly on Saturday, June 6th from 7:30 pm to 9pm at the Rockywold-Deephaven Camp, Holderness, NH. Organized by Elisabeth, the art fair will take place in the same campus as the Squam Art Workshops by the Squam Lake. And, I have just found out, that we are going to be 34 vendors, with plenty of amazing things on view.
The fair will be taking place in the Deephaven Dining room, building #67 on campus. For further informations here is the direct link to the map. I aspect to meet a lot of wonderful and interesting people that are there attending classes and, at the same time, to be in a calm and relaxing place with my family for the all weekend. I really look forward to that!