STIZO is known as a "media mercenary" and "visual assassin"... i know him as vince...  i've known him and his wife since our college days and he is one cool cat...  a hubby and father to two super cuties, this maven has talent bursting from his pores.  among his many talents, he is a trained graphic designer that hand paints sneakers... say what?!  yes... he hand paints custom sneakers... like this...

so when vince asked me to letterpress print his "Certificate of Authenticity" that will accompany each custom pair of shoes... i was more than happy to oblige.  i tried printing on heavy duty 220lb lettra and good old chipboard... the blind deboss of the logo turned out better on the lettra...

you know you want to get some custom sneakers for yourself and your children this christmas!   you should visit his blog, facebook fan page, and myspace page to see all his work... it's crazy good!

a few weeks ago i had an etsy order for personalized notecards.  shortly after, i received an email from the buyer, kate passaro... she said she was excited to receive her order and that she was a photographer and wanted to know if i wanted photos of my product.  i of course happily agreed.  just last night i received an email from kate with the photos she had taken and oh my!  i have a humble little camera and i think i have a pretty good eye so i've always thought my blog pictures and etsy product photos have been pretty decent... but when i saw kate's photos.. i was blown away!  kate transformed the notecards into glamour and sophistication!  visit her site today by clicking 'here'.  thank you kate!!  go visit the etsy shop if you want your own personalized notecards!

a few weeks after opening my etsy shop, i received my first etsy wedding invitation inquiry from a lovely bride named kasey.  she had already designed her wedding invitation and was looking for a letterpress printer to bring the design to life... after a few emails, we struck a deal and just yesterday i finished packaging them and off to virginia they went.  these invitations were the smallest {literally, the smallest in size} wedding invitations i've printed... good things come in small packages!  congratulations kasey & charles!  {be sure to read their response card options.. this couple has a sense of humor!}

neither... i'm not going anywhere.  this is the scene near my front door... boxes from the ups carrier filled with more shipping material, more supplies, and custom plates for two wedding invitations.  this my friends, is how i am spending my weekend- unpacking, printing, printing, and more printing... thank goodness i enjoy it!  have yourself an excellent and rewarding weekend!

i've been meaning to blog about last weekend's art fair... last weekend was the chicago arts district 40th annual east pilsen open house.  it was the first time i participated in any event of this kind... it was a lot of work for me... making sure i had enough inventory... figuring out how i was to set up my display, etc... in the end, it was a great experience... i was in good company, supported a great cause, had some sales, made some new and potential customers, and was introduced to some very creative artisans.  here are some photos of the wares from the group, "artists for education", that i exhibited with...

look at these incredible ceramic mugs from this quiet dust from designer dubhe carreno.  so modern, huh?  take a look at the handle of the second mug... yes, that's the human heart, with an aorta and everything!