Let’s Go!

I have a travel problem. I do it too much for my own bank account, but it’s the best way I learn and take in things. This print is based off of my love of traveling – a four color letterpress print hand pulled on a vintage Vandercook Universal I on Mr French Paper in Starch White. It’s a nice reminder to treat yourself to a faraway adventure every now and then. Even though I’ve really only traveled to Europe, I am starting to get the urge to visit Thailand. Maybe next year! It’s time to mix things up!

This print is now in the shop. I am really enjoying the heat, now that it is here. Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

summer is here! (finally)

As much as I want to ride my bicycle all day and walk around taking photos, I need to concentrate on getting some new cards in the line. San Francisco Renegade is upon us! I have a new letterpress print, but I need to cut the prints down and number them, so it will be another day or so before I post those.

This weekend was so beautiful in Chicago. We had some friends in town who are driving across the country from Florida to California and back around, so we showed them a little of the city.

Living here, we don’t really do the touristy stuff, so once in a while, it’s nice to just take our time and let the city soak in. Have a wonderful Monday everyone!

Art Giveaway!

Congrats to Pamela, a local Chicagoan who won the art giveaway!

little piece of history

Yesterday afternoon, while browsing an antique shop, I came across a pile of five vintage postcards. Something told me, I would find something good in there and indeed I did!

This is a postcard postmarked Feb 24, 6:30PM, Sarasota, FL. It’s hard to make out the back, it looks as if the ink has expanded a little, but I think it reads:
Best regards from your brother William. Am now cooking for Mr. Ringling on yacht and will be with the circus this season. Am. Wm Cords. Stewards Yacht (can’t make out next word) Sarasota, Fla.

Sarasota, FL will always have a special place in my heart. (awwww). When going to college it was Sarasota vs NYC and tempted by the warm weather, a change in scenery, and Southern folklore, I decided on Sarasota, Florida at the Ringling School of Art + Design. There are no regrets. Sarasota still holds strongly to her circus roots. You can read more about the circus history here. While in college, you could still happen upon old hotels near the beach that used to house the circus performers during the winter. I once walked into one, after noticing the door open (Being a minor in photography one is always on the look out for some adventure and photos) while driving past. I was happy to find the building was an apartment building with friendly tenants who told me the history and let me photograph to my hearts content. I was a sad to discover, the building was to be demolished in the near future. I’d like to hope it’s still there and on my next trip to Florida, I am going to check it out.

This postcard makes me wonder – how did it end up in Chicago? Did his sister keep it safe and sound for years and somehow it make it’s way here? The postcard is addressed: Erie, PA. Well, it’s in good hands now!

Girl + Fiddle on Gocco

Over the weekend I got a chance (as it rained most of the day on Saturday) to finish these darlins’. The girl is printing using a gocco machine and then I added gouache to give her a little bit of color. They are all ready to hang.

Girl and Fiddle, gocco and gouache on wood. © Cindy Tomczyk

I need to work on stationery and greetings cards – more so even for guys, which is proving a difficult task. Well, back to work I go!

{ don’t forget to sign up for the art giveaway in my last post, if you fancy the print! }

June Art Giveaway

It’s been far too long since the last art giveaway and I apologize. Things have been so busy – so in this nice little place between going to Brooklyn and San Francisco, I am going to have an art giveaway. Untimely Death on Crane’s Lettra is a three color letterpress print I just did a few weeks ago. The print is 5″ X 7″ and fits prefectly in a 8″ X 10″ mat or a 5 X 7″ frame. My handsome assistant will draw a name on Thursday June 18th.

Just please leave a comment with your name below and be sure to visit back on Friday June 19th to see the winner.

I am also a happy camper this morning as I enjoy my new coffee cuff equipped with pretty amazing patterns from my favorite fabric designers, including a nesting doll design by Heather Ross, my favorite fabric designer! The cuff is from Thread + Needle and I implore you to check our Holly’s wares! As of right now, her shop is empty, but I am sure she is planning on updating it with new cuffs for all those iced coffees this summer.

sweet home Chicago.

I got home from Brooklyn last night. It was a wonderful trip. The road trip there and back with four other girls was the most fun. We cleared our minds and laughed a lot and it was an amazing adventure. Here are some photos from the trip – I didn’t get a chance to really walk around and check out the other vendors, but I made sure to get Drew one of Something Hiding in Here’s tree stump with a little note attached reading: stick with me. It made my heart flutter, so I knew we needed it.

The top photo: I did Let’s Runaway prints with vintage type way back when I went to the Hamilton Type Museum in early April. These were a hit. Here are also some photos of our booth that I shared with Laura.

It was also nostalgic and inspiring seeing friends from college, as most of them gravitated toward NYC after college. I don’t blame them – there’s such a strong gravitational pull to live there. It was inspirational seeing what they are doing with their art careers – fine art painting, apparel design, and photography just to name a few.

In other news – swing by Poppy Talk and sign up to win a collection from a letterpress print exchange. It was organized by the lovely Kelly over at Paper Stories. You can read more about the letterpress swap and Poppy Talk giveaway here. Kelly is super wonderful and is having an open house at her new studio on Saturday, June 27th from 12-5pm in Grayslake, IL. I can’t wait to finally meet her and check out her shop! It was such a nice surprise receiving the package in the mail! I will post some of my favorite letterpress prints from the exchange later this week.

Also, to celebrate summer, I am going to be sending a little extra treat with all orders made between June 9th and July 1st in my shop (Even though it has not quite felt like summer here yet in Chicago.)

Perhaps I should start unpacking now?

New Letterpress Print

Untimely Death Three color letterpress print on Crane’s Lettra and the other in Mr. French Paper, in Tile Green. The Lettra gets such a nice “kiss” from the press, but goodness, that paper has gotten expensive. This guy is now in the shop.

I have not had an art giveaway in months… maybe it’s about time? How about this one on the white? I think I will set up a art giveaway upon my return. This weekend I will be at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. We leave tomorrow morning and I am looking forward to some r+r in the city that never sleeps. I’ve been spending the last few nights staying up pretty late getting things together for it and it looks as if the weather will be on our side while we are there. Here’s to safe travels there and back. I also need to tend to Olga when I get back. That girl is being giving the electricians a hard time getting her up and running. Soon though!

the letter ‘b’

Hello, Monday! This post is brought to you by the letter ‘B!’ B for banjo, bluegrass, birds, + Berrylicous!

I went into the letterpress studio last week for the first time, in a very long time, with no particular design ready to print. Instead, I wanted to be inspired by my polymer plates and the wood type. I found a lovely ‘B’ and quickly paired him with my banjo image and a piece of design I had placed on my plate for days like this. The result is a three color print on Mr French paper on Berrylicious and Tile Green. Sometimes you just need to let the image come to you instead of working on it or over thinking it. Freethinking welcome! These two are now in the shop. I’ve also been really into the color pink lately… especially as an accent color in printing and overlapping colors.