BirdDog im{press}ions


a little something, something

Must take some time off from blogging to catch up on designing and printing WEDDINGS! I have too many ideas and need to focus. So I leave you with the video from Friday, illustrating our letterpress printing process, a photo of one of our favorite local event venues, Planet Bluegrass Ranch {complete with a chance to vote for Lyons to win America’s Coolest Small Town} AND this:

Something old represents the couple’s friends who will hopefully remain close during the marriage . Traditionally this was an old garter given to the bride by a happily married woman in the hope that her happiness in her marriage and the stability of married life would be passed on to the new bride.

Something new represents the new adventure the newlyweds’ are embarking on as a married couple along with a happy and prosperous future.

Something borrowed is often lent by the bride’s family and is an item much valued by the family. The bride must return the item to ensure good luck. This symbolizes the love and support of family and friends

Something blue originated in ancient Israel where the bride wore a blue ribbon in her hair to represent love and fidelity.

And a sixpence in your shoe was to ensure wealth to the couple in married life. Today some brides substitute a penny in their shoe during the ceremony, as silver sixpences are less common.



imagine sustainability

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Urban Oasis chose to go with a 100% recycled seed paper for their business cards. It makes sense for them to practice what they preach and have their first impression really speak to what they’re all about. When I met with them to set this project in motion, they told me of all of the marketing materials that they have been unhappy with in the past. Glossy postcards and brochures with great photos but without true representation of their image.

Our big design ideas + small batch letterpress approach works for them because they don’t have to order multiple thousands of something, the  eco-friendly look and feel has more potential to garner new business with their ideal demographic and they’re staying inline with their sustainable philosophy, too.

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urban oasis

UrbanOasis_bizHave I ever mentioned how much Lyons rocks? There are so many fabulous small business owners here that I am lucky to have as neighbors – everyone is a neighbor when you live in a 1.5 square mile town, right? Urban Oasis is a landscape design company that really has it figured out. In addition to that, they are awesome people to work with. Here is the design for the new Urban Oasis business cards. Stay tuned for the final product here on Two 4 Tuesday!



Lyons Good Ol’ Days & Studio Tour

good_old_day_logoThis weekend is the Lyons Good Ol’ Days and Studio Tour! We only had a weekend of recovery from the Lyons Outdoor Games but we’re ready to go with some more big fun in this small town. I am happy to be a part of the studio tour this year along with a whole host of other Lyons artists, the only drawback is, I won’t be able to go on the tour myself! If you’re in the area, come out to Lyons, grab a funnel cake, get dizzy … and see some great art!



gushing over Lyons

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Have I ever told you how much I LOVE my little town of Lyons? Last night, I had dinner at the new Sushi Matsuri restaurant in town, … we walked! Friday night several families gathered cooked out on the fire pit that is right outside of my studio after finishing up a collaborative project with my neighbor and friend, Valerie, an amazingly artistic custom framer.

The project for NCWIT, a Boulder based non-profit organization, began with another local who works for the coalition and a wordle, as shown in the word cloud above. We collectively married new technology and traditional craftsmanship to create the Symons Innovator Award which will be presented next month to an outstanding entreprenurial woman. I documented the whole process of creating this art print in pictures and will be sharing more tomorrow. The point is, I was able to work with phenomenal women and be a part of an awesome worldly opportunity all from the homebase of small {but spectacular} Lyons, Colorado.



my name is mud
2009/04/20, 6:42 AM
Filed under: BirdDog Press, Life, Tangents | Tags: , ,

img_4825_2 a two-day long spring rain {which was a snow storm everywhere else surrounding us} resulted in some pretty awesome mud puddles, perfect for little boys to play in.

jgs_6042Speaking of earthly delights, our community had an Earth Day celebration yesterday in conjunction with the Lyons Community Montessori and the Green Heart Institute. Remember when I asked for suggestions on the leaf-cutter ant costume?  Well, my letterpress friend planted a little seed mentioning japanese paper lanterns, and voila, here he is making his entrance on to the stage of the Great Kapok Tree performance. Photo by JG Stott Photography.

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and here I am setting up the BirdDog Press booth in support of the community, the montessori school, the Green Heart Institute and the earth. oh, and I’m also demonstrating the leaf-cutter ant walk. We sold several of our new Animal Fair : Moo collection which consists of 7 notecards featuring farm animals : chicken, cow, goat, sheep, donkey, pig & bees. It was a Zero Waste event and the sun came out to shine.



Leaf-Cutter Ant
2009/04/13, 7:11 AM
Filed under: Green, Inspirations, Life | Tags: , , , ,

Leaf-cutter Ant, originally uploaded by Matt Burrard-Lucas.

Cullin is going to be in his first play/performance! In celebration of Earth Day, Lyons Community Montessori has a community event each year in conjunction with the Green Heart Institute, and BirdDog Press is participating with a booth to help support the school. There is a big garage sale, music, crafts and the class does a little rainforest performance in which my little one has chosen to be a Leaf-Cutter Ant. Anyone have suggestions on how to create an ant costume before Sunday?



Local Lyons Love
2009/02/24, 6:28 AM
Filed under: BirdDog Press, Bozeman Collaborative, Craft Biz | Tags: , , ,

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We have an amazing Chamber of Commerce here in Lyons, echoing the overall close-knit community that makes the town such a sought-after place to live in Boulder County. Last year, the Chamber started a little group called the Lyons Economic Gardening Group {LEGG}. The service is free to Chamber members through an application process. BirdDog Press jumped at the chance to get business advice from the LEGG group and is grateful for the time that they spent considering marketing schemes, financial direction and business plan enhancement. Last week, LEGG was asked to submit an article to the local Redstone Review and they chose to feature BirdDog Press!

Click the photo for a PDF download of the article. Big thanks to John O’Brien, Christy Crosser, Bill VanLeeuwen, Rick Whitcomb & Chuck Keim!


{ success with the press }
2009/01/15, 10:33 PM
Filed under: BirdDog Press, Friends, Letterpress | Tags: ,

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Well, folks! Today was the BIG day. The BirdDog Press moved from my garage to the new studio. Though it was less than a mile away, it was a heavy load – not to be taken lightly. I am grateful for the heroes in my life that made this happen. And promise to post video of the move asap.

Serendipitously, two special guests arrived today, good close friends. Theirs were the first wedding invitations that I printed on the BirdDog press, and as they arrived from Chapel Hill, the nearly 100-year-old relic found a new, more suitable home and started a new chapter. She will have so many more stories to tell.