Lets Go! Rhetoric

Xmas Sneak Peek..

2012-01-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

Being home at Portland..and then on to Shell Lake, Wisconsin was a complete joy...I need to post about my food intake in Portland, but must gather all the links to all the places we stopped at...but even more fun was hanging out Lily, Oliver and new chap, Charlie.

Proud sis holds a yawning Charlie...

Silly face FIRST.

Good face SECOND.

falling behind..

2011-12-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy whirlwind over in the burgh, what with Thanksgiving, a trip to New Orleans and Mark hitting a major progression mark with his dissertation.

But here's a quick recap!

The Orphan Gang at Thanksgiving...food was spectacular. Big thanks to Fiona for bringing extra chairs, and for my mom insisting I buy a dining room table with two leaves.

Jess & Bruce, scoping each other out, after the big meal.

On to New Orleans...We had a very special meal at Cochon. And if it hadn't been for the Mexican Coke on the menu, I might not have been up for the pork cheeks. But man, that set me straight. Gotta love sugar cane. Super fun exploring the area around Cochon and Magazine Street.

Mark got his annual 'purple goo' drink.... (Super sweet frozen alcoholic drink...I am still unsure how he can drink that stuff. It is as terrible as it sounds. We are in Lafitte's, Mark's favorite bar from the 1770s.

Sweet music at The Apple Barrel, on Frenchman Street.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

Crazy Halloween adventures for Edie Sedgwick and the Angel of Death!

No one knew who I was...but I blame mark for not dressing up as Andy Warhol...because my outfit was spot on! See!

And yes. I'm going to totally wear these dancer tights again, for my next Dancefest 2011 (which takes place in the apartment. By myself.)

This is what happens when you leave your camera unattended. On Halloween.

Sexy Darth Vader and Zombie Steve Jobs, in full affect.

Fun times with Hermes! (Yes. He was cold.)

Oh and a tree fell on our house. (Everyone is ok...no major breakage, thank goodness!)

Detroit ..

2011-10-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

I surprised Mark with a road trip to Detroit, since we both have mentioned, on occasion, that we should cross that city off our list. It's about a 4 hour car ride from Pittsburgh. And it was completely worth it.

Detroit has the same sort of swagger that Pittsburgh does...a city that used to be this huge hub, then alot of economic strife. Now, there's this small resurgence of young people, doing awesome things, all the while surrounded by these enormous vacant structures, that are quite beautiful, even in their dilapidated state.

Special thanks to our wonderful host, Joe, who we found thru AirBnB; Nicole at Eat It Detroit who gave us AWESOME recommendations on where to eat, drink and hang; to the uber friendly bartender at The Bronx Bar who told us to eat breakfast at Le Petite Zinc; and to all the older gentlemen, who, after swearing profusely, looked my way and apologized for their language. It seriously happened more than once.

A must stop at Slow's for BBQ.

Their pulled pork sandwich did not disappoint.

Drinks at the Old Miami, a very odd veterans bar. Didn't want to be that person that documented the crazy military patches behind the bar, so the shot is a little incognito.

Wonderful late night drinks at Cafe d'Mongo (old speakeasy). Check out this great and random Johnny Knoxville short about detroit. The interview with the owner, who had drinks with us, is super awesome.

Greenhorns Film Screening..

2011-10-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Small Farm Central & Penns Corner hosted an awesome film screening, called The Greenhorns. The film was great, but what was most awesome was the people that attended, that wanted to donate money to Grow Pittsburgh (an org here in town that turns empty lots into gardens and teaches youth about the importance of gardening/food/etc.) I loved it. It made me feel like I was part of something bigger and better...I fret at nights, about the state of our world and the helplessness that I feel...but this felt like a step in the right direction.

PLEASE sign up for a CSA. It's the best and easiest way to feed your family while supporting farmers. If you're not sure how to do this, just comment!

All good things...

2011-09-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

happy birthday, pardner......

Mead Labels..

2011-09-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

so..after some aging..and some chilling...the mead is TOTALLY drinkable. so much so, that we're bringing it to a party tonight. and super sweet packaging makes the mead taste even better (if i do say so myself.)

Before & After...

2011-09-24T11:25:00.001-07:00

ok. so mark has been threatening that he'll go to Ikea for a lamp and an end table if we can't make it to the various thrift shops around town. we finally took the trek down to homestead, to our favorite shop (Bill's Used Furniture...my gossip chair was no longer there, but a pretty cute yellow lamp was there that we snatched up.) Just needs a lampshade, which I'm pretty sure I can find a cute one.

We also grabbed an end table at one of the two 'mod' shops that have opened up in homestead. yes. that's an ornate door. and yes. that's velour behind the handle. but i can envision this pretty darn cute if it's painted a yellow color (or bright color). Now for some before and after inspiration at design sponge.

Not bad for $30 bucks total...

the lake...

2011-09-21T11:20:00.001-07:00

as the fall weather starts hitting pittsburgh, i find myself revisiting my photos from past summer trips. i don't think i posted about our great time at Shell Lake in Wisconsin. Yes, lying on the dock, reading, drinking coffee and watching the sunset is pretty much all I need.

It was nice for this boat to linger in front of our dock, for this picture. Midwesterners really ARE that nice.

A stop at Matt's for a Jucy Lucy (hamburger with a slab of molten cheese nestled inside, before our flight home.

Would you buy Mead from this man?

2011-09-09T11:56:00.001-07:00

First batch of Margaret, Mark's own batch of Mead, has just been capped in the basement.

Manzanita...

2011-09-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

These posts are a little out of order,but oh well...The Oregon Coast once again did not disappoint. And this time, we got beautiful weather...so lucky! Plus, Mom and Dad attended their very first yoga class and survived!! I am very proud of them.

Get out, Manzanita...you're just too pretty.

Our annual trip for Chicago dogs at the Mudd Nick stand.

Lots of sunny afternoons, filled with coloring, drawing and the like.

Hurricane, Schmericane

2011-09-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Driving toward Cape Cod, when EVERYONE else seemed to be driving the opposite direction, would normally cause my 'WAIT! shouldn't i be terribly afraid??' flag to raise. But, you reach a certain level of fear, where you just succumb and say 'bring it on, Irene!' Beers and lobster rolls at Arnold's helped keep the stress at bay.

Except for one day of blustery winds, we were lucky enough to have some great beach weather.

Staying indoors is alright, when you have tons of board games. Jay introduced me to Birdopoly, and then proceeded to crush me.

The Willamette gang, back together again. Hooray!

Timbers!

2011-08-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with Pops at the Timbers game! Thanks, Roger, for letting me use your ticket!

Garden Party prepping..

2011-06-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again...The Mattress Factory's Urban Garden Party is tomorrow! and we just installed my giant murals. I am relieved that they look, well, like the film still I pulled them from. I've ALWAYS wanted to print something this big! This year's theme is From Hollywood to Paradise. More pics to come!

Owen installs.

Aymara and Anna install the big lobby door mural.

Small Farm Central..in the news!

2011-06-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

The business I work for was featured in a local food magazine! Read all about us! (Mark thinks we look like the worst band ever! I told him to WATCH it.)

bunny time.

2011-05-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

it has been a rough week! thank cripes for baby bunnies!

Bunny in the Yard from shannon knepper on Vimeo.

Handmade in Marriage success!

2011-05-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at Handmade in Marriage...My booth was right next to Gina & the Mattress Factory booth and across from E2 (e squared); which reminded me that I have to bug Kate, to see if she wants to trade brunch(es) for graphic work! I was also kitty korner from Anne Holman's booth. I bought some of her adorable glass earrings for Sara's birthday this year. She is super sweet and her wedding jewelry was simple and understated and I loved it.

Special thanks to Leslie, my SFC co-worker, who stopped by, just to say hello. What a gal!

The hodgepodge table!

Garden Update 2...

2011-05-23T12:53:00.001-07:00

Ack! too much rain (and perhaps planting too early?) has given this little tomato a hard time..

Some days it looks ok...some days it looks very ill.

Are those bunny teethmarks? hard to tell.

So close, mister peony!

Handmade in Marriage - Part Deux..

2011-05-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

so, i went into the studio last night, to pull some new silkscreen samples for the wedding show this weekend. i'm super happy with my 'woodsy' print, although i can't imagine pulling 150 perfect ones. I also printed some random prints that i've been wanting to play with, as well as silkscreening on different types of stuff (boxes, envelopes, etc.) I'm not sure how 'wedding-ish' my stuff is. I mean, what bride would want bloodred horses on their invites? Maybe when i trim these out, add fancy cursive addresses on the envelopes, fold a few into matchboxes, it could be interesting? i don't know. my booth may look like a mess?! but at least it will be interesting.

Sara gave me a stack of these boxes and I've been wondering what I'm going to do with them...I guess they could have a pretty candle inside? or...maybe wrapped with a black ribbon, for all those goth brides? hmph.

Fake invites for a woodsy wedding. I basically wanted to print this little guy.

Not sure what these should be used for...candy bags for a candy buffet? goody bags for bridal parties?

I actually ran out of these 'exhausted lady saying thankyou' cards, for my own use. so I printed a bunch more.

Maybe with a fancy cursive address, this won't look so...foreboding. thoughts?

Garden Update - May

2011-05-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

As promised to my mother-in-law, here's the first garden update...! new seedlings were planted in our garden AND our neighbor's plot, who generously donated their land to our gardening obsession. Eggplants, tomatillos, tomatoes, basil, parsley, lots of hot chilis, and ONE giant pumpkin from a friend's seed stash.

Oh, and Roger & Marianne, I saw the bunny you spied last night! we had a long talk about NOT eating my new plants.

One of 5 tomato plants. this year i will NOT use the lawn furniture as supports for my plants. i will be proactive.

Peonies! can't wait. seriously can't wait.

Sage, Thai Basil and Rosemary.

Mint!

Come Visit Me!

2011-05-17T08:17:00.001-07:00

Hey guys..for all you Pittsburgh peeps, I'll be at the Handmade in Marriage show this Saturday, May 21st, from 12-5! You should stop by my booth and give me a hard time!

5k fun!

2011-05-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Aymara and I crossed the finish line together yesterday, at the Race for the Cure. We love you, Marianne!!

Tired of Spain yet?

2011-05-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Oh San Sebastian. You ARE a postcard.

One of our favorite restaurants, La Cuchara de San Telmo, was so crowded every night. But worth squishing ourselves into the tiny space, to eat the best pig's ear and braised beef cheeks. Literally knee-weakening.

Cafe con leche. Camera 1.

Cafe con leche. Camera 2.

More Spain...

2011-04-29T08:09:00.001-07:00

We have lovely pictures of cathedrals and famous statues; but some of my favorites are the quick ones, where I'm not thinking too hard about it.

I work in a neighborhood that has a bunch of sneakers hanging from powerlines. Someone told me it's signal that drugs are sold on that corner? (I had never heard of this?); not sure what sort of drugs are sold at this intersection, but maybe something specific for dancers?

Mark shopped ALOT in Spain.

The plazas at night are buzzing with activity. Kids playing ball in the middle of the plaza, parents drinking around the edge; this little dog had a funny deflated soccer ball and he seemed so happy, I had to take a pic of him.

Video fun at Small Farm Central..

2011-04-27T14:01:00.001-07:00

Leslie and I had a blast playing with iMovie today, putting together a little farm movie Small Farm Central's blog.

During a recent vacation, Leslie stopped by That Guy's Farm, outside of Cincinnati. Just look at those cute pigs!

That Guy's Family Farm from Simon Huntley on Vimeo.

Barcelona...

2011-04-25T11:48:00.001-07:00

Maybe a photo or two a day will be less overwhelming that posting ALL our photos from spain at once...? Our little street in Barcelona, 3 blocks from the beach.

Valencia

2011-04-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

I've written about ten paragraphs, trying to explain the beauty of Las Fallas (festival in Valencia) and I just can't do it justice. Fireworks, parades, floats set aflame, children dressed in traditional clothing, floral sculptures. It was a complete 'all sensory' experience.

Capturing Spain...

2011-03-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

I've just downloaded over 250 pictures from our Spain trip...and have yet to pull the many silly videos we took, off the Flipcam...it's going to take a day or two to select one or two from each city; but the Leica has once again proven it's worth.

More to come soon..

Hola en Madrid

2011-03-15T15:35:00.008-07:00

hey all! madrid is treating us well...especially at Taverna Dolores, where we had the best bacalao as well as the best roquefert (sp?) on a piece of bread with a pickle, which made me think 'my parents could totally travel here,..'

we had a great day visiting the Reina Sofia Art Museum, which had more great works than MOMA (including Guernica)...we are stoked for the Prado tomorrow...

I am constantly amazed by the mens jeans here...so many pocket flaps and zippers!

mark and i are enjoying siestas (everything closes down in the afternoon);and excellent cafe de leches (thank god they tolerate my spanish..)

we leave for valencia on thursday,taking the bullet train...apparently it's 70s there...yippee!

At MOSES...

2011-02-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

What the heck is MOSES? (it stands for Midwestern Organic Sustainable Education something..); it's a farming conference, basically. You've got every kind of farmer..the hipster farmer, the anarchist/dread locked farmer/the queer-coalition farmer..mix that in with Amish & people that are in their 70s. Basically awesome. All these people want the same thing; to make a living growing clean, healthy food. Leslie and I took a break and watched a screening of Truck Farm. Super inspirational.

But it's not all serious matters..check out our 'commercial' for Small Farm Central (we basically wanted our boss to see how nice our booth was.)

Click here to watch the video!

the busy season...

2011-02-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

My poor blog has been neglected (I'm sorry, Roger!!) But it's Small Farm Central's busy season (farmers aren't farming! they're planning their crops, getting their CSAs in order, and getting their websites created). The phone has literally been ringing off the hook...not a moment to get a blog post in!

Which reminds me...are YOU signed up for a CSA yet? (Community Sustainable Agriculture). It's the best way to get the best veggies/meat/eggs around, all while supporting your local farmer.

This last weekend was busy, too, what with Holly's baby shower on Saturday (Charla and I spent a fun day at the bookstore gathering all our favorite books to add to the new collection..the kid is also set with his very own library card.

Special thanks to Fiona, who brought back the requested Frankie magazine from Australia. It had a fun insert inside that I used to make an envelope.

Mark and I are furiously prepping for Spain, which approaches quickly! But LaCrosse happens next weekend (a farming conference) and New York the weekend after (it's been a while since Jennifer and I ate our way across the village!)

holiday recovery...

2011-01-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

wisconsin, bismarck, minneapolis, portland, seattle and back to the burgh. it was a whirlwind of family and friends.

Fun times on the road with Marianne and Roger, listening to a bunch of podcasts (The Splendid Table, This American Life, RadioLab, The Best Show, and Doug Loves Movies.) special thanks to melissa who took us on a tour of museum where she works and let us into the bellows of the museum, to see all the cool collections, not always viewable to the public. yay for gun rooms! and drawers filled with tiny vest pistols!

special thanks to dad for frolicking around Portland and visiting a bunch of food carts (thank you, The Dump Truck!) and thanks to mom for tolerating The Spirit of 77 (thank goodness she didn't get hit with a basketball!)

seattle was special, having fun with the girls, loving the oysters at The Walrus and the Carpenter with Rod and Shannon, and watching a seahawks win with a great group of peeps.

staytuned for a my little video that i shot while snowshoeing! currently being edited! :)

Holidays...

2010-12-10T06:28:00.000-08:00

Our social calendar has been unusually booked this week, with parties at CMU and at the museum. The museum owners have, quite possibly, the coolest apartment, filled with wonderful art, collections of all sorts of stuff, and pretty taper candles.

spain-er-ific...

2010-12-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

over coffee yesterday, mark and i pulled out the atlas and figured out our route for Spain this march. We both have must sees on our list (he wants to check out the Fallas festival in Valencia...I wouldn't mind hitting this onion festival outside of Barcelona (although we're not sure how far it is, outside of the city); i've got some museums and some design shops on the list, and of course lots of sitting in outdoor cafes, being all spanish-y.

sometimes planning for trips is just as fun as taking them..(ok. not equally..but man i love to plan!)

it's looking like it's all beginning and ending in madrid. which is just fine with me, to hit that city twice.

our tiny little sweatshop in pittsburgh...

2010-11-28T07:22:00.001-08:00

the whir of the sewing machine goes nicely with hockey games. all this sewing has taught me that i need a lesson..bad. but at least I can thread that darn bobbin now. this next week will be somewhat full, as i need to print business cards and a few more odds and ends for the upcoming I Made It Market...i need to keep telling myself that it's ok if I have a small inventory...

It's all too much for Sammie, our neighbors poodle, who we were looking after, over the weekend.

I totally copied the ladies at BBB and got the custom stamp maker at Staples, for my tags. Already a new favorite toy of mine.

thanks for thanksgiving..

2010-11-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

mark outdid himself with the turkey this year...smaller crowed called for a smaller bird, but we still had loads of fun. I promised mom to show her shots of my 'tablescape'...thanks for the ceramic pumpkins that you sent! they fit in perfectly!

the dish towel experiment.

2010-11-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

getting ready for the upcoming I Made It Market means a lot of late nights at the silkscreen studio and weekends at the letterpress studio. I decided to do some new products, just to see how well they sell..

New postcards with imagery from super old pittsburgh road maps.

Same imagery for dishtowels. These are the transparencies I'll use to burn the screens.

Tuesday night test pulls..with fairly good success!

Thursday night production...they even look cute washed (faded a little, but I like that..); and if you think your life is spinning apart, just look at my dining room and say 'well, at least i'm not THAT bad..' :)

Mattress Factory on TV...

2010-11-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

WQED, our local public broadcasting station, did a really nice overview of our Cuban show..don't blink at the pig roast, cause you can see me chatting with Aymara and Alejandro and his wife for two seconds!

Only a few more rounds of edits to go, before the book about the show is sent to the printers. It's a REAL LIVE BOOK..and it freaks me out to send it off to the printers, but only because I've become so emotionally attached to it, and everyone else involved. Think good thoughts!

table fixed.

2010-11-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

for months, i've been meaning to create something to hide all the enormous jugs of vegetable oil, the giant bags of dried prunes and the big jars of peanuts that live underneath our little kitchen table. I FINALLY went to Ikea (thanks for coming along, FiFi!) got some fabric and hung it. It looked great until I realized that I had dragged the fabric across the oil jug. NICE. luckily I had extra fabric.

nice, huh?

Halloween fun..

2010-10-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

Halloween success over at the Knepper/Thompson household. Special thanks to emily for loaning me all of her dope equestrian gear. you are never getting the hat back.

sun.

2010-10-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

I rarely have my camera with me, when I see something worthy of shooting. but this time, I actually got up from the toilet, found the camera, and sat back down to shoot this. About 8am on a wednesday morning.

Just like you were there...

2010-10-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Playing with the FlipCam from work..and ta-da! a new movie of mark's birthday.

Mark's Birthday Fun! from shannon knepper on Vimeo.

busy bee...

2010-10-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

my poor blog. i have so much to post about. the opening of the cuba show was awesome. right smack dab in the middle of that came a job to print 5000 business cards...which is a lot. special thanks to markles who kept me company, brought me dinner and got the penguins game to play over the speakers, in the studio. this is what 5000 business cards looks like:

yes. quite a few. but this brought in the final dollar amount for our tickets to spain. finally! a honeymoon!

ok, more pics soon!

big big big art show..Queloides

2010-10-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

hey all..

HUGE show opening up at the Mattress Factory this friday...the artists from Cuba have arrived and have been working so hard..and the work is FREAKING phenomenal.

It's not every day that you come into work and immediately get pulled into the lobby to witness a 'test inflation'. (this piece is going to hang on the side of the building (more pictures to come, on opening night). It was wacky and huge and crazy looking..and wonderful. So, if you're in the pittsburgh area, you should stop by the factory on friday. history in the making, for reals.

Jennifer and David's Lovely Wedding.

2010-10-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

We took quick trip to Seattle last weekend, to be part of a ridiculously adorable wedding of my dear friend, Jennifer. The pictures speak for themselves, but the locale (Tree House Point in Issaquah) was simply beautiful, which matched perfectly with the bride. :)

Rehearsal dinner in Georgetown..man, has that area grown.

On to the wedding...

This is where mark and i stayed...adorable inside! Really!

hunting and gathering..

2010-09-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

i had to make a trip to coraopolis for a press check for the museum..and i zipped by an antique shop. i thought 'michael would probably poke his head in there, to see if they had anything good' (michael = boss who found our dining room table.) so i did.

And look:

it's my new roy rogers mug. it's nice. isn't it?

YAY HOCKEY!

2010-09-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

Emily and I surprised Mark with a trip to the new hockey stadium, to watch the penguins practice (open to the public and it was packed!) New arena is all slick and shiny and new! Just the sound of the boards and the skates on the ice makes me all nervous and happy!

Friday...

2010-09-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ah friday...it's been a long week and mark returns today (hopefully laden with polish treats). cleaned up the house for his return (i forgot how sloppy i can be, living solo.) But the dining room is still a shambles. Here. Just look:

Overwhelming, no? I think it's because I have conflicting needs for this room. It's a home office. A dining room. Mark's office. My project room. ugh. I think my interior design style is also conflicting. I look at design blogs and see people's workspace, all organized, and it looks so dreamy. but part of me likes the piles of art books and the bulletin boards sagging with cool stuff. I think I just need MORE space. Which makes me jealous of all my friends that own houses. Which then makes me feel bad for being jealous. Oh well. I'm going to do SOMETHING to make it more livable/workable in this room.

Stay tuned.

Going to Emily's House...

2010-09-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

It's not every day that you get to go home with a co-worker and help her groom her horses, fill their water buckets and feed them sugar cubes. Emily's pretty awesome at work, but when you see her with her horses, it's a whole other ball of wax. Good times.

Is this Hootie? or Audi?

Audi?

View from out at the stables. Oh Pittsburgh..

Bringing in the horses for a brushdown and some food.

Just vacuuming a horse...

Dogs get treats too. Gross.

Poland Bound...

2010-09-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

A few of you know that Mark is currently galavanting around Poland (presenting a rhetoric paper and then traveling a bit afterwards.)...communication has been slim, but I received this pic from Tom yesterday.

Apparently all is well, train schedules seem to differ depending on which brochure you read, food is good and the tour of a salt mine was way cooler than it sounded.

Apple Pressing followup..

2010-09-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

A nice group shot (thanks, melanie!) of the gang, after the long hard day of cider pressing. Just got the scoop on how to start my growler of cider and turn it into hard cider...fun fun

Park(ing) Day poster..

2010-09-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

just wrapping up the poster for Pittsburgh Park(ing) Day I had fun drawing little cars..then scanned them in and piled them up. I think it turned out cute.

Stay tuned for my Local Food Month poster, that should show up around Pittsburgh, any day now!

apple pressing with simon and friends..

2010-08-30T07:40:00.001-07:00

mark and i were lucky enough to be invited to pick and press apples at simon's family farm (simon is my boss at smallfarmcentral.com. We took a nice drive an hour away from pittsburgh, to Greene county, where some loaded apple trees were waiting to be relieved of their delicious weight!

Simon shakes the tree, to make the apples fall. Helmets required.

Sparky, Rob's dog, waits in the shade. Much too hot for the perfectly trained pup.

On to Wendy's farm, down the road, where the antique press lives.

Terrible view, eh?

Two people crank, while one person pours (aka 'the dumper') Got a few blisters on my hands, but well worth the hard effort.

Apple bits are then pressed down with a vice like mechanism...and out comes apple juice.

Prettiest juice this side of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Crawfords...

2010-08-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Mark, DJ, Hillary & I headed out to the Pirates game..it was Pittsburgh Crawfords/Homestead Grays night (old team/negro league). I'm such a sucker for all that old baseball stuff that Ken Burn's baseball documentary has been moved to the top of our netflix queue.

Say what you will about Pittsburgh, but DANG they have a pretty field.

We're taking cover under the overhang as the rain comes down.

Game called at the 5th inning, with the Mets winning...but, we did get to see our FIRST pirate run. Ever. Yeah. poor pirates...I literally feel sorry for them. No one likes to lose. All the time. 18 year losing streak.that's gotta sting.

whirlwind...

2010-08-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

Not sure what it is about this summer...i sort of feel all whacky, running from one thing to the next. work is busy (on all fronts..smallfarmcentral.com is hopping (with a brand new office!), the museum is in full gear, in prep for the arrival of the Cuban artists, freelance is off the hook (with jennifer's awesome wedding invites & special harvest dinner invites for a shop here in town).

And then..there is the issue of the apartment. Piles everywhere! art supplies, mail, cookbooks, guitar strings, backpacks, records, blaaaa!

Yet, amongst all other pressing matters, I decided to tackle mark's 't-shirt dilemma'...i lugged a matching dresser (thanks fiona!) into our bedroom, since we were in dire need. now comes decision time:

FYI, you do NOT want to see Mark's closet.

Manzanita, Oregon

2010-08-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

There is absolutely nothing better than a windy, sunny day on the Oregon Coast. And after growing up, spending summer vacations at the coast, I know it's also pretty rare. The beach in July, in Oregon, doesn't always promise sun; so when it happens, it's special. It was so great to see Lily, in her swimsuit and my hooded sweatshirt, building sandcastles, and loving the coast.

Look at us squinting! Hooray for sun!

Fun with Dad's birthday present.

Port Townsend

2010-08-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Les and I traveled up to Port Townsend before the Oregon beach trip. It was so fun to see the town again and hanging out with joanna, carter & clara. Special thanks to nanner for wonderful waffles and to les for putting up with our "hotel room".

Portland Post #1: HUB

2010-08-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

My parents took me to HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery) when I was visiting them in Portland. It was so rad..it was like a combination of all things good. organic beer. farm raised chicken wings. great graphic design. thoughtful, green construction. get OUT of town. Took lots of pics to give OTB inspiration!

Cute electrical boxes held condiments.

Below the restaurant, was the brewery, with nice little tasting room.

Check out this keg bike. East End, looks like we've got some building to do, for next years Pedal Pale.

A Generous Act...

2010-07-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Great musical performance at the Mattress Factory, thanks to Mark Garry and his musician friends.

The afterparty..turned into dance party....

Garden Flurry..

2010-07-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

I promised Mark, while he was in the Middle East, that I would keep track of the garden and post some pics. We had a big rain storm one night and I swear it caused the tomatoes to grow a foot and uproot their little cages. So I had to shove supports underneath the plants, so they wouldn't snap off at the base! Purty peppers too! (but probably WAY too hot for salsa.)

Lake Life...

2010-07-03T07:56:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what it is about living next to a body of water...maybe it's the boats. or the sound of my flip flops on the dock. or that first shock of coldness when you finally go all the way in to start swimming. It just suits me. Mark and I just returned from a wonderful week at Shell Lake in Wisconsin. My parents joined us (their first Wisconsin experience!)...it was great. Boat rides, bike rides, fishing, lots of good food (thank you Marianne!!), good wine and great company.

Aw snap...Garden Party.

2010-06-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Mattress Factory's Garden Party was off. the. hook. Yes. i just typed that. but it's true. Many thanks to Emily, who joined me in dancing up a storm. still sweating from busting so many moves.

More wicked inflatable art by Sean Derry. Crazy bike pumped air into life size car.

Emily & I chat & have a celebratory beer before the festivities get underway.

The Red Bull Skateramp built by Mr. Smalls Skatepark was really fun.

Fun with Laura and Nathan. We'll miss you both when you guys go to Italy & Iceland. Saddies. Don't even want to think about it.

A brief pause for the camera, before heading back up to the deck.

Er...Lindsay?? where you be!?

Silly times with Owen & his crew.

AIR's Summer BBQ...

2010-06-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

One of my deer prints was part of AIR's summer bbq raffle...AIR is such a rad place; one of the first gems i stumbled upon, after moving here..mark and i enjoyed hot dogs, east end beers and had fun making art.

2010 Urban Garden Party at the Mattress Factory...

2010-06-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hey guys..we're super busy over here, prepping for the urban garden party...check out this cool video of the MF staff helping Tim Kaulen inflate his super cool art piece!

Dining Room Table! Hooray!

2010-06-08T19:37:00.001-07:00

Thanks to world's most awesome boss, who passed on the 'i saw this great table for sale at a thrift shop' tip, we are now the proud owners of a Heywood Wakefield...dinner party soon to come. with name cards. and centerpieces. and menus. :)

Steeltown Stock success!

2010-06-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Friday was the opening of Steeltown Stock; Pittsburgh first poster show (part of the Penn Gallery Crawl)...it was so great to see all the posters and meet alot of the artists that I only knew via Facebook. It was such a GOOD scene. and I was proud to be a part of it; special thanks to Dane (of Steeltown Anthem, who put it all together) and to Tom and Aymara, who came with Mark and me to see my poster and to celebrate my first gallery gig!

new york...

2010-05-28T10:47:00.001-07:00

it's been far too long since i last posted..i'm still catching up from our trip to new york; it was great fun and Adam, Laura and Isabel were wonderful hosts, as always. We even got to pig out at the Google cafeteria. Lobster risotto? um. yes. please.

Got to visit lisa of Sapling Press at the National Stationary Show...!

Finally visiting the Highline..amazing, thoughtful use of space.

Met up with Katrina, Molly and Molly's friend (who's name I can't remember, but COMPLETELY loved her company and have been meaning to stalk her, so that we can become friends...) Had breakfast at Cafe Gitane (there's another one, Rain!! Avocado toast was excellent as always)

I'm aware that we look like we're going to a costume party. I blame Katrina & my 70s headband.

Had a wonderful dinner at Momofuku (completely worth the hype)...soy sauce poached eggs? yum. (Jennifer, the cookbook you got us is worth its weight in scallion-ginger-garlic sauce (which is worth more than gold, personally.))

On to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which I have never been too..) It was great. Mark liked this guy.

Met up with Paul & Kate (from TODA intern days, oh so long ago) at Union Hall in Brooklyn. Bocce court inside!! old paintings and velvet covered furniture!! good beer! So good to catch up.

Haircut: FAIL. PhD: Win!

2010-05-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Mark had an incident with the electric clippers while I was away last weekend. But it didn't affect his ability to pass his written and oral exams for his PhD!!! WAHOOOOO!!!

Urban Garden Party shaping up...

2010-05-14T09:27:00.001-07:00

Jeff snapped this funny picture of me coming back from a press check for the Urban Garden Party invite..this year it's a poster!!

Hooray for Team Mattress Factory

2010-05-09T10:55:00.001-07:00

Team Mattress Factory ran with flying colors today! Big congrats to both Aymara & Lindsay, for completing their first 5K ever!

slacker..

2010-05-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

you'd think, with my new fabulous camera, i would post more! but i think i'm actually posting less, since the purchase. i stink...

had a SUPERB surprise visit to Seattle...Great meals at Poppy & La Isla (in Ballard)...and of course, the best part, was seeing all the gals.

Playing with Jack under the dining room table at Jennifer's.

Oh Henry. Please do not get any cuter!

Meet the mayor of Giggle City!

Thanks, Steeltown Anthem!

2010-04-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

Steeltown Anthem did a nice write up on me & my goods!

spring weddings...

2010-04-11T13:16:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of helping out Fiona with a wedding this weekend...I was stationed in the choir loft, capturing the ceremony from above, while Fi ran about capturing the bridal party entering the sanctuary...I have yet to see how the pictures turned out (I used one of Fiona's nice cameras), but dang it, my dear little Leica already has proven it's worth...check out these shots. They're definitely not much, in the artistic category, but I can't get over the lens and it's ability to capture super close up as well as panoramic shots.

Pittsburg(h)

2010-03-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay between posts! It's been a busy/emotional/springs finally here/oh my gosh, march is almost over/etc few weeks..

Here's my latest obsession...any pittsburgh stuffs, without the h..(see history here, combined with vintage sports stuff. Found images of old illustrated baseball cards and turned them into a silkscreening project. Creepy? yes. But, for some reason, i really like them. Not sure exactly what one does with a creepy baseball card. but i CAN see it leaning on a plate rack, amidst other cute things, in someone's slightly masculine den. (how's that for a niche.)

How Nice...

2010-03-15T19:53:00.001-07:00

Julia was kind enough to take FABULOUS photos of her finished invites...Lookin so sharp!

What the...

2010-03-14T10:51:00.001-07:00

Working hard today, and listening to Rhapsody..and i somehow stumble upon a playlist created by me.. WHAT? They totally photoshopped highlights into my hair. which i like. :)

I love canada...

2010-03-10T17:02:00.000-08:00

Oh Canada. Oh poutine. (Fries, brown gravy & cheese curds on top of a pile of fries. La Banquise in Montreal is open 24 hours.)

First stop...Buffalo for Charlie the Butcher's beef on weck sandwiches (weck is a type of roll, somewhat related to the kaiser. Delish.

Second stop, Toronto. An unexpected delight! How I miss fashion districts! rows of sushi restaurants! Quaint coffee shops! The sunshine was streaming thru the Gladstone Hotel, where we stayed(just like The Ace, in Portland!)...and our "Trading Post" room (each room is designed by a different artist) was perfect.

Check out the great tapestry in the bar!

Adorable Black Hoof restaurant for dinner. Feasted on lardons (small strips of pork fat) that were so good, I opted for a second round, instead of dessert. The bar of the restaurant was across the street..how CUTE are the reclaimed cupboards?

Next stop, Montreal! Apparently if you smile and shake your head yes, people will think you understand french! Mark finally had to tell me to just admit that I didn't understand what everyone was saying...

But even the language barrier was forgotten when we arrived at Pied De Cochon, for probably the most memorable meal of our lives. Foie gras, beef tartar, and front row seats at the counter, so we could watch all the prep cooks. It was seriously amazing. Yes, this is a handroll with tartar, french fries, rice, topped with a quail egg.

Next morning, off to two more food destinations (yes, we're currently on a detox diet of brown rice and kale for the next few weeks..)

First, Montreal bagels for breakfast! Thank you St. Viateur Bagel!

Then to the Notre Dame Basillica in Old Montreal. Worth the trip.

Thought you'd enjoy the organ, Dad!

Then, naturally, Schwartz's famous beef sandwiches for lunch.

On to Quebec City!

We stayed at the awesome Hotel Pur in Quebec City and spent most of the day walking around the walled city; the architecture was pretty fabulous, even though it was pretty tourist-y. We were able to stock up on vintage Nordique hockey gear, though, (Quebec City's now defunct hockey team); which made Mark and I giggle with glee!

Our trek back to Pittsburgh was complete with a stop in Buffalo, at the Anchor Bar, home of the ORIGINAL buffalo wings...

Ah..vacations. road trips. getting ridiculously lost. getting SO hungry, while searching for a restaurant, that when you finally arrive, it is the best thing you've ever tasted. i forget how wonderful new cities are...

The Montreal Post...

2010-03-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

It's going to take me a little time to write the blog post...so many wonderful things experienced via Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Syracuse & Buffalo. As we were driving home, we realized that we never took a picture of the both of us together...and it was only when I reviewed the photos, that I realized mark was TOTALLY screwing with our sweet picture. It is still making me laugh.

More to come...

new camera & montreal...

2010-03-02T18:43:00.001-08:00

april and i must be on the same wave length, what with new camera purchases under our belts. Let the photography dual begin! (actually that makes me think of this blog, with wonderful side by side pictures: Port2Portpress.com. Apes, should we start our own photo blog?

anywho..i'm getting side tracked! new photos taken at the museum (sculpture piece that has a wonderful little film playing continually inside a closet. the dark night mode worked perfectly.

mark playing around with the 'dynamic b & w' mode...

and a sneak peak at our next adventure. Road trip to Montreal! Tres bien!

It's coming...

2010-02-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

happy early anniversary to us.

pretty things.

2010-02-23T17:07:00.001-08:00

Just finished up Julia & Chuck's cute wedding invites. I think the color palette they chose is dope.

Invite, RSVP postcard.

Postcard and fun, printed envelopes. Perfect with hand lettering and maybe some yellow, vintage stamps?

new things...

2010-02-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

Jeff took this nice shot of some stuff I'm working on for the upcoming show at the Mattress Factory.

*I got word that mTV is putting the finishing touches on the second commercial; and I've been promised a reel...sounds like a good excuse for a dinner party!

*Finished printing some wedding invites on Saturday and they look fab. Photos soon!

*Planning on silkscreening some vintage Pittsburgh Baseball cards, just for fun. Photos soon!

*Change afoot with one of my many jobs. Might be more like full-time work. More money=good. Less free time to design/goof off=bad.

yum.

2010-02-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

Discovered 101 Cookbooks last week, when I was searching for Whole Grain recipes. (Did you know that you're supposed to eat 10-11 servings of whole grains a day?? what? that's a TON.) What a great website/blog/etc. Found this recipe and tried it tonight. It was REALLY good.

Click here for the recipe:Double Broccoli Quinoa

The snow continues to fall and I continue to curse it, loudly, out the window. Mother Nature seems to know when I need to head to work. I'm ready for spring time. Feeling sluggish and a little blue. At least we have the Olympics! Yay for hockey and speed skating and moguls. (even though simply watching moguls makes my knees hurt.)

And the snow continues...

2010-02-11T09:01:00.001-08:00

Everyone in Pittsburgh is pretty sick of the snow. It's real pretty, but getting anywhere stinks. And I don't like my snow boots. Ah well. Seasons, right? ready for spring! Special thanks to Fiona for dragging her camera out!
First night of big snow.

Fiona and I hanging out on her deck. Where are our coats!?

The following day. More snow.

Bruce! Paul clears a must needed pathway.

Superbowl Fun..

2010-02-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

Tom & Aymara and DJ came over to watch the superbowl...we had super yummy wings (deep fried, since the smoker is under so much snow, we're not exactly sure where it is..) Tom showed me his cool, hipster app for his iPhone. makes photos all vintage-y and fun!

snow dump.

2010-02-07T09:55:00.001-08:00

aw snap. looks to be a little over a foot. hopefully our friends can make it over for the superbowl. if not, more chicken wings and pimento cheese sandwiches for us!

Broken Camera = hand drawn pictures

2010-02-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well..I did it. Lindsay said I should draw my posts until I figure out the camera scenario. And since one of my new years resolutions is to 'draw everyday', heck, this fits right in.

the studio...

2010-01-31T20:02:00.000-08:00

hey y'all..Sapling Press had a lovely open house and posted these great photos taken by Stephanie Casey. Check out the link for more pics of this little studio that has become a lil' home away from home!

New Post..finally!

2010-01-26T20:18:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since my last post..mainly because my camera is STILL broken...and the $7,000 Leica that i've had my eye on is just a smidge out of budget. BUT oh. i want it...

Anyways, I got a very nice shoutout from the folks at iheartpgh.com along with my fellow letterpress friends at Sapling & Toast...

Perhaps i will just have to start drawing my posts until the my camera miraculously starts working again.

Video of a video..

2010-01-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

special thanks to brother mark, for helping me out and filming the rhapsody commercial off his DVR...now my parents can stop asking questions about Jersey Shore (I admit..it IS perplexing.)

Fun with the kids...

2010-01-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

Had a great time with the kids and Mark & Sara! Swinging, bubbles and crafts. Favorite moment: 'Aunt Shannon! your hair is messy!' (Apparently, they're not liking how I style my hair. Lily actually looked like she felt bad for me. ha!

Wisconsin Follow Up...

2010-01-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

A great week was had at the Wisconsin homestead...including the inauguration of the pasta machine!

As well as a bunch of knitting (thanks, marianne!)

And giggling at Jaxson, Mark's brother and sister-in-law's adorable puppy! yay for morning kisses!

shell lake in winter..

2009-12-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

Another few inches of snow fell on Shell Lake last night; we awoke to a white blanket over the frozen lake, with red headed woodpeckers darting here and there. quite pretty.

Dinette Reprints!

2009-12-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

Remember a long time ago, when I printed a cute poster for Dinette, just cause I liked their pizza? Well, I got a sweet email from the owner's dad, wanting more posters for gifts! I headed to the studio...used the old transparencies and started printing away...everything would have been awesome, if i hadn't noticed a SPELLING ERROR on my transparency (which means there's a spelling error on the original poster, hanging in the restaurant.)

I did some creative masking and reprinted the gift posters AND two new ones for the owner...i'm such a dork for not seeing that...plbbt.

here's a shot of me at the studio, special thanks to Fiona, who came along to learn and to document!

Handmade Arcade Success...

2009-12-15T10:18:00.001-08:00

Handmade Arcade 2009 was a smashing success..tons of people, and alot of interest in War Admiral Press stuff...plus, I made the paper!

Special thanks to all the friends that stopped by my booth to say hello, bring me a coffee or buy a set of coasters (I sold out! Hooray!)

Here I am, struggling with my basic math skills...making change is HARD. I'm not kidding.

A shot of my table, complete with old crates that Michael (one of the owners of the Mattress Factory) was kind enough to let me borrow.

Shout out in the D section..

2009-12-09T07:41:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Lindsay, for alerting me to the shout out for War Admiral Press...Check the D section at HandmadeArcade.com.

Home Stretch for Handmade Arcade...

2009-12-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

Hey ya'll!!

Handmade Arcade 09 approacheth!! working on booth displays...getting my biz cards in order...and finalizing all the products. Special thanks to Lisa & Jenn of Toast (who not only have been uber generous with their presses/inks/keys/etc. but who also caught an embarrassing typo on one of my coasters!

Here's a sneak peek!!

Blogging for the Mattress Factory

2009-12-03T08:44:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! i'm blogging occasionally for the Mattress Factory on their Art You Can Get Into blog..check it out!

Home! Where My Thoughts Escaping! Home!

2009-11-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

hey ya'll..just bought a plane ticket home, January 7 thru the 18th! There will be a Seattle/Port Townsend trip smashed somewheres in there, too!

can't wait!

please, do not order snow this year. thanks!!

scones. and baking.

2009-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

i'm not a baker. the whole preciseness of it all seems to always leave me with a terrible end product (insert joke here!). i'll enter the kitchen calm and organized, and half way thru the recipe, i'll be covered in flour, realizing i've either a forgotten major step OR i'm missing crucial ingredients.

but this weekend was a different story. i've had this savory scone recipe on my desktop for about 3 weeks now (pulled from Design Sponge). I don't even like scones. but something about the savory pastry made me want to make it. and the good news is they turned out great! true, i had to scoop out a mis-measured tablespoon of baking soda, but other than that, it was great.

Gruyere and Herb Scones, adapted from The Cheese Board: Collective Works
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
 ½ teaspoon baking soda 
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 
1 pinch cayenne pepper
 1 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons finely ground yellow cornmeal
 ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
 ½ pound Gruyere cheese, grated
 ½ cup chopped herbs (I like thyme and chives)
 ½ cup heavy cream 
1 cup buttermilk 
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and salt together into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add cornmeal and whisk together.

Add the butter to the dry ingredients, and, using the paddle attachment, beat on low speed until butter is the size of small peas. Add the Gruyere and herbs and mix just until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Put the buttermilk and cream together in one bowl or liquid measuring cup, and then slowly add to the mixture on low speed until it is just combined and there is a little flour left on the bottom of the bowl. You may not need all of the liquid!

Empty the contents of the bowl onto a floured surface. Pat the dough together and work in any pieces of dry dough. Sprinkle some flour on the top of the dough, and, either using a rolling pin or just your hands, press the dough until it is about 1 ½ inches thick. Using a circular cookie cutter, dipped in a little flour each time, cut out the scones. Feel free to roll any scraps together and cut those, too. (Alternatively, you can shape the mound of dough into a rectangle about 9 by 6 inches, divide the dough in half lengthwise, and then cut each piece into 6 even triangles.)

Place scones onto prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Brush the beaten egg onto the tops of the scones and bake for about 30 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through, or until light brown on top.

Yields about 12 smaller scones or 6 big scones.