Letterpress Rainbow

Hillcrest Cottage is "Encourage with Words". The way I have chosen to accomplish this encouragement goal is through: hand lettering, calligraphy, and letterpress. 

Gone are my days of selling vintage treasures, sewing denim knapsacks, creating trolley signs, painting furniture, doing children's personalized name pictures, designing painted nursery room walls, and my "I do any art for money" odd job mindset.

It feels good to say "no" to art job offers which do not fit under my umbrella's focus. Because, being the jack-of-all art only led me to a dead end cul-de-sac. It is true that all my odd hustling was expedient for the moment, but  it was not effective for accomplishing my long-range goals.

When people think of me, I want them to think: hand lettering, calligraphy, and letterpress. I still do wedding calligraphy. (Yay!) And I am in the process of developing some very cool calligraphy fonts which I will reveal in another post.

Super excited about getting the new fonts in my head onto paper!

At long last, Hillcrest Cottage has printed 5 designs in a variety of colors to contrast with the incredibly fun envelope colors.

CALLIGRAPHY + LETTERPRESS = AWESOME

It's a letterpress rainbow!

Printing on vintage paper is also a product Hillcrest Cottage is excited to offer. It will combine my love for vintage paper with my letterpress designs. A camp meeting hymnal from the 1930's becomes an encouraging statement. The pages can be used in as many ways as can be imagined.

Psalm 31:15

A 1950's dictionary, yellowed paper, 1930's hymnal, and old poetry book pages have been selected for printing. These pages are the result of a very cool used book sale that I stumbled upon recently.

Philippians 3:14

And, I, too shall press on toward the goal of Christ Jesus, but also toward making my printing dream a reality. My goal is to begin very simply and add to the mix as I grow and develop my

own personal style. 

Emphasis added to "my own personal style" because Hillcrest Cottage is not about comparing myself to others; Hillcrest Cottage is about exploring my very unique and individual creative passions. This will be my artistic fingerprint which will be like no others'. It will be a discovery of who God has made me to be, and I am looking so forward to the journey.

It has been a long 9 months but I am thrilled to have birthed this new letterpress baby of mine.

Vintage Kelsey Finally Prints

Things are looking up around Hillcrest Cottage Press. Life is looking all bright and shiny like this tower I got to visit last April.

You may have heard of it, seen it in pictures, or been there yourself.

Things are moving along very orderly and precisely like my awesome 1LT son leading his men across the Fort Bliss plain.

First Row, Third from Left, So Very Proud of His service. He WILL Save the World.

I'm so excited I might just jump on a horse and ride wildly across the French countryside into a Van Gogh painting, never to be seen again.

Me Actually Doing What I Just Said I Would Do.

I might say, "I am a happy glamper." 

Okay... I... am ...a ... happy glamper.

I don't camp, I glamp, and Gipsy is the one who gets me sleeping under the stars and snoozing to the sound of cicadas, crickets, and Whip-poor-wills.

I Love My Gipsy!

Hillcrest Cottage is seeing its dreams and imagination and goals becoming real like the promise this rainbow gave to me while in El Paso visiting my awesome son and DIL.

View from Son's Veranda!

After 8 Months of Preparation, I Printed!

 This is my newest Hillcrest Cottage logo printed on the rear of 140# cotton-y feeling paper. I wish you could feel it. So thick and soft. #papernerd

I am having more fun than I can describe.

I was so pleased with the results of my vintage Kelsey 5x8 letterpress' maiden voyage.

Monogram, Morning Glories, and Banner are All Hallmarks of my Hillcrest Cottage Brand.

The design process began with calligraphy turned into a custom-made copper plate.

The First of Five Planned Designs Similar to This One.

I printed as many as my little paper inventory would allow. The plan is to sell these notecards, then to re-invest so that my other designs can be made into copper plates; let the multiplication continue until I achieve my end-goal of being fully stocked with each design (1000 each). They will retail for $5.00 single/$16.00 set of four. I will be selling them from my Etsy shop, (click on link to buy) as well as some very carefully chosen craft fairs in the fall. Eventually, I will take them to a retail market and go global... first things first.

Patience is Key as I Wait to Move to the Next Phase of my Business Plan.

Here is black ink paired with the red hot envelope. 

*** Pause for Envelope Love... Square... European Deep Flap... Vibrant Colors ***

The back of each 5 1/4" X 5 1/4" flat card has ample room for a quick note.

I Recommend Flair Brand Fine Felt-Tipped Pens. The Red Flair Matches Quite Well.

Sound the trumpet! 

My favorite color combo is coming up: pink and green. My hearts skips a beat every time I look upon this note card/envelope combo. Soooo... even with only 5 designs, I will have much versatility with different choices of ink colors and envelopes.

Smile. Smile. Smile.

Do you know a college-bound freshman? A deployed military person or spouse of? Someone facing challenges in their job, with their health? A great life motto? Encouragement generally speaking? This is the card FOR YOU! Suitable for framing... but only after they feel its paper nerd awesome-ness.

Lots of cool stuff on the drawing table today. Four tiny designs will soon join the family. It's 78 degrees on the Hillcrest Cottage veranda this afternoon and its July in Arkansas, y'all. It is supposed to be 110 degrees and humid as heck. 

Have I been transported to heaven?

P.S. Thank you to all who have believed in me ( and you know who you are). It is happening!

Paper Geek

Yes... I am... a... paper geek. 

I was definitely the student who fastidiously organized my school supplies preceding each new school year. I was the mom who individually labeled every crayon, marker, and pencil for each of my three boys. 

Every Target run ends with me drooling over the notebooks, journals, and pens. Most of my Instagram follows are stationery companies.

Yes... I am... a... paper geek. 

On the afternoon this particular package arrived I was very pumped!!!

ENVELOPES!!!!!!!

I was very excited about their square-ness, their size (5 3/4" x 5 3/4"), their bright colors, and....

THE VERY DEEP EURO FLAP THAT MAKES MY HEART FLUTTER!!!!!

The envelopes have incredibly delicious names like: grape jelly, blue raspberry, lemon drop, orange fizz, and sweet tooth. It was love at first-sight, and my creative juices  instantly began flowing. My main-stay colors will most likely be razzle berry (bright pink!), red hot, and sour apple, and, of course, sweet tooth (white).

What's Next for Hillcrest Cottage Press?

At my list's top is formatting all designs for these square envelopes. Colors of letter press ink will be matched and/or coordinated with the envelopes' bright, cheery colors. After formatting, I patiently wait unit I am positioned to send my calligraphy designs to the company which makes copper type- high plates. The plates will be used to press the ink into the paper.

In addition to my letter press cards, I will be adding printed cards of my watercolor and ink designs.  I think my art will be a great compliment to my new letter press.

I have to remember that my venture is one step at a time, but also intentional as I move toward my goals.

P.S. Years of doing it backwards have taught me to begin, not end, with the envelopes. It is kinda like matching paint to fabric rather than running around trying to find fabric to match a wall color.

My First Print

My progress on my "I Want to Print!" venture was very slow. I had never before attempted anything so detailed and tedious. There was such a long list of things to purchase and so many steps to conquer.

When I stumbled upon "Letterpress Now- A DIY Guide to New & Old Printing",  things began to click for me. I started to have hope that I really could teach myself this very technical skill. 

Two months passed. There was so much to learn. The learning curve seemed overwhelming and the fear of failure tried to pull me down. 

Next there was helping a son leave for his year long ESL job, another son came home for spring break, my daughter-in-law visited and, of course, regular life was always demanding my time.

Then, an unexpected trip to France popped up. 

How could I say "no" to that?

Back to work. 

This is the "chase"... the part that had kept me waiting for several weeks after purchasing my press.

It's a lot of effort just to hold those three letters together! The pieces of wood are called "furniture" and the two pieces which tighten it all together are called quoins (pronounced "coins"). 

Listen to me spouting off my printer's lingo.

At last, after approximately five months, I PRINTED!!! 

I'm not saying that I printed well or long or eloquently or profoundly... I am just saying that I printed something.

My Monogram

What I Learned on My First Day of Printing:

1.) It only takes a little bit of ink. I started with way too much and had to remove some.
2.) Setting up for a printing session and cleaning up afterwards takes a lot of time. On the days I print, I will not be able to be interrupted.
3.) The first few prints are like the first few pancakes you cook. it takes a few to get it right and the first ones end up in the trash.
4.) Printing is very messy. Even though I will wear gloves for cleaning the press and rollers, I will always end  up with ink on my hands.
5.) I have a very far way to get to where I want to be. I have to keep reminding myself that when I began, I knew nothing. I started looking for a press, bought one and learned everything from that point. I know my way is backwards, but it worked for me. 

Anxious to Print

Snow day equaled time to create a logo for Hillcrest Cottage Press. The design would be transferred to a copperplate used to print Hillcrest Cottage's name on the letter press cards' flip sides.

I embraced my small, antique 5 X 8 Kelsey and decided to give her proper honor for all the years she had endured idleness, waiting on a shelf somewhere for ink to once again breathe life into her veins. After all, my Vintage Kelsey was the star of the venture!

It is the small things. 

One small part is all that had kept me from fully restoring my Vintage Kelsey press. For two months I searched and waited for the simplest of parts... one of four small hooks which would hold my press rollers. 

Two mailings from two different individuals (both wrong size, even with very precise communications) and over $100 later, a kind and generous person wanted to donate the part to me.                           

Wow.

 

Next I ordered lots of supplies: ink, brayer, linotype ruler, linoleum blocks & tools to carve the linoleum, paper samples, and other various items from a very long list. A trip to the local hardware store provided the rest of what was needed to set up a proper print shop. I also found an incredible book to guide me in a way that I could understand.

So many details. So many tools. I had never been through such a long trek. It was good for my patience... but...

I was anxious to print!

Pressing Forward

I have jumped into a pool where I am teaching my own self to swim. I am determined to move toward my goal of printing, in spite of many obstacles.

Obstacle #1 - A broken part on my press. I am currently searching for the right part to make my press functional. I have made some mistakes along the way which have cost me time and money. My philosophy, however, is that there is no such thing as a mistake... if I learn from it and press forward (pun intended...ha).

Obstacle #2 - Grumpy pressmen. Wow... what a grumpy lot of people possess the information I desire to obtain. I have to let it roll off my back in spite of having my feelings being hurt to the point of tears. Printers are precise, blunt characters with no time for ignorant newbies. They are used to being under the stress of deadlines, so there is no time or patience for small talk. Plus... I am getting too old to play the cute, dumb girl. Oops...I need a new trick in my tool bag.

Obstacle #3 - Isolation. I have no idea why creative people ignore me. I have tried to connect with creative communities and am shunned... ignored. I wonder if this is what it is like to grow older? I wonder if people are so insecure they are afraid to share information with one another? I have no clue.

Obstacle #4 - Discouragement. The voice in my head tells me I am crazy. The voice in my head tells me I am wasting money and time. The voice in my head looks at where I want to be and... laughs at me. "Shut up, stupid voice!"

Obstacle #5 - Money. I am funding this Hillcrest Cottage Press from my own little economy, and my own little economy has had a December set-back for various reasons. One of which was not getting accepted to a craft fair of which I had hoped to be a part (But, even as I type this I am frozen into my house and my street is one solid block of ice! God literally saved me so... much... heartache by allowing the rejection plus it was the rejection which has moved me toward this printing venture!). Other money set-backs have also occurred but are not interesting enough to write about. I have to be patient and buy  my supplies as I am able.

Obstacle #6 - Calligraphy. My calligraphy and art skills will partner directly with my printing. It is I who will create the designs for whatever I will print. I have been very disheartened by having to learn some new styles, and in learning what nibs, ink, and paper to use. Thankfully, I have a very cool book coming my way from Amazon. A calligrapher whose work I admire has written a how-to book! Plurabelle Calligraphy...thank you, kind Molly Suber Thorpe, for sharing your skills with others!

Obstacle #7 - And on and on. There will be many other obstacles thrown my way which I have yet to encounter! I feel like with a stubborn (Oh...I am SO good at being stubborn!!!) attitude and a never-quit spirit (I was raised by my dad to never quit. He literally did not allow me to use the words "I can't".) I will not only make it to my goal, but I will actually  achieve success.

I hope that one day soon I will look back on this blog and chuckle because I was able to reach my goal.

I am Hillcrest Cottage Press

Hi, I'm Bev, the face behind Hillcrest Cottage Press. Welcome to my journey into the wonderful world of letterpress. 

Once upon a time I decided to become a letterpress printer.

What was the first step in becoming a printer... reading a lot of books? Maybe. Doing tons of research? No. The first step for me was to actually buy a printing press. 

That is what I did. 

I knew nothing about the press or how it would print. Some people may call me "impulsive". I call myself "adventurous".

I hoped one day soon to look back on this blog post and laugh... at my ignorance... at my newbie-ness. But... no matter what happened... I knew I would always pat myself on the back for moving forward... toward my dream.

Say "hello" to my 1893 Kelsey Excelsior 5X8 Letterpress.

I was looking forward to many happy days ahead with my Kelsey.

This is my print shop. If it looks a bit bare, it is because it was. Hillcrest Cottage Press had to begin somewhere; my garage is where I began. 

Many great ideas have begun in garages...Mickey Mouse...Apple Computers...Hillcrest Cottage Press. 

All the type I owned in the world could fit into this wooden cigar box. In high school and college I had collected old type; this was all I had left of my collection.

And this was all I could say with my type... not a bad message, I think.

Fortunately for me, one of the world's expert letterpress printers lived in my home town. He already had 10 apprentices, so he couldn't take me in, but he was gracious to allow me to ask a ton of questions.

This is as far as my story goes.