Print Gocco

I had never heard of a Gocco until Leya told me about hers. And of course the company decided to discontinue the machine in 2005, so that it's hard to find one. Until the Paper Source sent me this link. They have made some sort of agreement with the Japanese company, RISO to sell some at their store in the US.

The version below is a larger one, that can print up to 6.5"x9.3". It is almost $400. I just called the store and they said they will be receiving the smaller version around the end of this summer. It prints about 4"x6" and is about $150+. They said they will keep having them in stock, so I do not need to buy one immediately or forfeit my chance to ever own one.



I used to teach silkscreen or screenprinting in my highschool graphic arts class. From what I understand, print gocco seems much easier to use and everything is contained within the unit. I really want to buy one, and for the type of stuff that I love to do (cards, drawings, illustrations), I think this would be perfect. They're not cheap, but it's definitely an investment.

And lets face it, it's better for me to get a gocco than a letterpress someday. When will I have a house to put that in?!?

So my question for you is, if I do decide to purchase one, do you think I should spend the extra money and get the larger size, which will provide me with more options? Or if your name is Marissa's mom, do you give me permission to spend my hard earned money to get one--since it's not a dog or a baby? Just kidding mom!

I'm reading the websites and forums for gocco printing, but would love any first hand advice. Thanks!

Draw Anyway

The night before I went to Renegade, I was painting with my watercolors and started to paint an octopus, a sea urchin, and a group of jellyfish. Little did I realize that the new hipster animal is the octopus. I think that 87% of the crafts I saw at the fair had an octopus featured. And I did see a pink jellyfish tee-shirt.



I thought it was a bit ironic...however, sea creatures are a lot of fun to paint (and eat for us non-vegetarians!).

I mentioned before that I was really inspired to draw and paint lately. I've also been enjoying reading some illustrator's blogs, like Penelope Illustration and Draw Anyway.

I like the fact that the Draw Anyway blog pertains to me. Although I can draw, I get rusty, and sometimes don't know what to put on paper. The person who runs this blog encourages anyone to just draw something, for a minute or an hour. Whatever you feel like. She gives you little exercises to get you inspired. I think once you start doing it more, it starts to come naturally again. (Same as blogging, I would think!)

It probably doesn't hurt that I have my own MFA painting graduate/artist on hand for 'refresher courses' and activities. Here is a screwdriver that Mike had me paint the other night. I was trying to pay attention to color and light and shadow, but I was quite pleased with myself, and the fact that my sketchbook is getting quite full.



I don't necessarily consider myself an artist, but I do consider myself a designer. I like to make all type of things, and drawing and painting is something that I enjoy. It can help my designs, help me to explain things visually and plan.

Perhaps because most of my friends are painters and artists for their career, and it is their main passion in life, it influences the fact that I don't 'label' myself as an artist. I hope that makes sense. That's just my personal feeling at this time.

However, I could change my mind entirely. I'm just like that (wink).

Renegade Craft Fair

I can finally cross attending the Renegade Craft Fair off of my list.

I took a day trip to Brooklyn on Saturday, with my friends, Jennifer, Sarah and David. The weather was gorgeous, and I was very excited to see some of the work that I see online, or through blogs.

I had been looking forward to seeing Wren Handmade. I was not disappointed. She had the classiest and most sophisticated stuffed elephants I've ever seen. With my budget, and current sense of practicality, I could only let myself purchase one of her microscopic, adorable crocheted daffodil hair clips. Click here to see the entire collection.

My favorite artist was Lorena Barrezueta. I purchased the salmon color glazed porcelain dish from her above. It is cast from a Japanese cupcake tin. The item I was truly coveting is her 9" pie dish called 'Slice' in the turquoise glaze, from the Gourmet Collection.

(Photo from Lorena Barrezueta's site found here).

I really liked Caitlin Phillips' of Rebound Designs amazing purses made out of vintage books. If they had a purse out of a copy of James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, I may have been inclined to shell out the beau coup bucks. I've always had a little crush on Stephen Daedalus.

If I had remembered, I wanted to buy a wooden sewing needle case and a wooden pin doll from The Small Object. I completely forgot to go back, but I can find these items online. Cute na cute as they say in the Philippines.

(Pictures from The Small Object.)

I was very impressed with my friend, Aimee, who created a lovely display for her patterns out of ugly wood from our trip to Home Depot last week.

She also made some ingenious fans that kept yours truly cool on a somewhat sweltering day.

I hope your weekend was filled with fun too!

A Tour of Two Cities

It's been quiet over here this week. After our three day weekend with Mike's family, I was exhausted! We toured Philadelphia and New York, with weather ranging from scorching to downright chilly.

We went on the Ride the Ducks Tour around Philadelphia and enjoyed riding in the Delaware River.

Visited the cracked Liberty Bell, which rang in the note of E, if you were curious.

<span></span><span>It's been quiet over here this week. After our three day weekend with Mike's family, I was exhausted! We toured Philadelphia and New York, with weather ranging from scorching to downright chilly. We went on the </span><span><span><a href="http://www.phillyducks.com/"><span>Ride the Ducks</span></a></span></span><span> Tour around Philadelphia and enjoyed riding in the Delaware River.</span><span> </span><p><span style=";"></span></p><span>Visited the cracked Liberty Bell, which rang in the note of E, if you were curious. I got stopped in traffic during the Gay Pride Parade and had a front row seat of some gorgeous boys in their tighty whities and angel wings throwing candy. Lunch and ice cream at the Reading Terminal. The Philadelphia Visitor Center. Congress Hall, and the Independence Hall tour. The New Jersey Turnpike Tour provided by my vehicle.</span><p><span> </span><span style=";"> </span><span> The Staten Island Ferry! (If you're counting modes of transportation, we went on a ferry, a DUKW vehicle, cab, subway and car!)</span></p><div><div><span> </span></div><div><span style=";"></span></div><div><span>We watched The Yankees (and cute Johnny Damon) beat the Pirates! I had forgotten how much fun it is to go to a ball game. We had a great time, so a big thank you to Susan and Charlie! </span></div><span><div> </div></span><span> We pretended to be really cool New Yorkers on the 4 Train. Aren't these poses the antithesis of touristy? Note the free-hat day game and brand new Derek Jeter shirt! We went to Central Park while it was still light out and saw the seals in their pond and climbed on some of the rocks.</span><span> If you're still looking for the crafty information, it's not coming this post (wink). However, Mike's sister, Susan (fellow crafter) did bring me some adorable handmade cards that were tatted by a sweetheart named Betty. It's stamped on the back and signed! We visited Times Square at night, of course. Nate really wanted to come here, and I think he was impressed. I know I was immensely impressed with the ice cream cake in a cup I got at Carvel. I fulfilled my mission of having ice cream at least once a day this trip.</span><span> This is Susan, who is a really cool friend to have, who happens to be one of Mike's older sisters. He really does have the nicest family. They're all lots of fun, and are excellent house guests who surprise you by doing the dishes! Or by being seven years old and flipping pancakes perfectly... Here is Mike with his nephew. I must say, for having the longest day imaginable, everyone was in great spirits, and Nate is seriously the coolest kid. Doesn't Mike look so cute and happy, even though he has to drive us home to Philly after he gets off that ferry at 10:30 at night? Yep. He's a keeper. I better go, I'm driving back to Brooklyn tomorrow for the </span><span><span><a href="http://www.renegadecraftfair.com/">Renegade Craft Fair</a></span></span><span>, and need my beauty sleep! Thanks for reading about my trip, my friends.</span><span style=";"><div><span><div><span style=";"></span></div></span></div></span></div>

I got stopped in traffic during the Gay Pride Parade and had a front row seat of some gorgeous boys in their tighty whities and angel wings throwing candy.

Lunch and ice cream at the Reading Terminal.

The Philadelphia Visitor Center.

Congress Hall, and the Independence Hall tour.



The New Jersey Turnpike Tour provided by my vehicle.

The Staten Island Ferry! (If you're counting modes of transportation, we went on a ferry, a DUKW vehicle, cab, subway and car!)

We watched The Yankees (and cute Johnny Damon) beat the Pirates! I had forgotten how much fun it is to go to a ball game. We had a great time, so a big thank you to Susan and Charlie!

We pretended to be really cool New Yorkers on the 4 Train. Aren't these poses the antithesis of touristy? Note the free-hat day game and brand new Derek Jeter shirt!



We went to Central Park while it was still light out and saw the seals in their pond and climbed on some of the rocks.

If you're still looking for the crafty information, it's not coming this post (wink). However, Mike's sister, Susan (fellow crafter) did bring me some adorable handmade cards that were tatted by a sweetheart named Betty. It's stamped on the back and signed!

We visited Times Square at night, of course. Nate really wanted to come here, and I think he was impressed. I know I was immensely impressed with the ice cream cake in a cup I got at Carvel. I fulfilled my mission of having ice cream at least once a day this trip.



This is Susan, who is a really cool friend to have, who happens to be one of Mike's older sisters. He really does have the nicest family. They're all lots of fun, and are excellent house guests who surprise you by doing the dishes! Or by being seven years old and flipping pancakes perfectly...



Here is Mike with his nephew. I must say, for having the longest day imaginable, everyone was in great spirits, and Nate is seriously the coolest kid.



Doesn't Mike look so cute and happy, even though he has to drive us home to Philly after he gets off that ferry at 10:30 at night?

Yep. He's a keeper.

I better go, I'm driving back to Brooklyn tomorrow for the Renegade Craft Fair, and need my beauty sleep! Thanks for reading about my trip, my friends.

Fraternal Socks - Jean Joan

We'll call these socks "Jean Joan" after my mom and her twin sister, Jean. Since they look pretty identical, but may or may not be fraternal.

I finished one sock at Rittenhouse Square last Sunday afternoon, after a scrumptious brunch at Devil's Alley with my friend, Lisa. Naturally, I had to try it on immediately, and take advantage of Lisa's photography skills. You all know it's impossible to take a decent picture of your own foot, after all.



The sock's fraternal twin was finished at home, later that afternoon. I say fraternal because the dye-lot must have been slightly off, and there were some issues with needles at one point.

I was surprised to find that I couldn't wait to cast on for new socks, after these were off the needles. I couldn't wait to finish this pair, let alone knit more. However, they are the perfect little project to take on the bus, knit at lunch, or during Quizzo games in a dimly lit bar.



Luckily, I had snagged some Koigu mill ends at a local yarn store... The one at the far right looks perfect with the left-over chocolaty-gray from my first pair of socks.

I thought I'd knit my second pair from the top down, since the first was from the top up. This way I can see which way I prefer. (Well, and mainly because I need some practice at starting from the toe up).

I also want to point out that the cute gold clutch was given to me by my cousin Razel when I visited the Philippines. It has become the perfect knitting bag for socks, and is ultra cute.



In the meantime, I've been wanting to paint and draw more. Sometimes I treat myself to a new color, then I add it to my swatch card (knitter speak, eh?) and label it. This comes in handy so that I don't buy the same colors over and over. Especially since I prefer the pricier artist's grade colors like cobalts and cadmiums.

This weekend, I finally baked a "Fudgy Banana Layer Cake" from The Weekend Baker that I've been jonesing to try. My chef and culinary goddess of a friend KJ always encourages my love of baking, and bought me this fabulous book for my birthday last year.



The cake was delicious and I felt so accomplished! And there was not one complaint from any of my friends, whom I force fed humongous slices.

Alright my friends, it's back to work for me, and then a long weekend with Mike's nephew, sister and her beau. We're taking a very cool kid around Philly and to NYC for his first time. It's going to be a lot of fun.

Take care!