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!

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.