Morning Brew: Do What You Love

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Design, Graphic Design, Morning Brew, Poster, Typography 2163 Views

I forgot to mention last week, but last Tuesday was my last day of work. After much deliberation Jake and I decided that I would quit my full-time graphic design job giving me time to pursue the kind of graphic design that I really love. Instead of doing graphic design in the corporate realm, I am now focusing on our blog, letterpress, and custom graphic design work (like logos, invitations, business cards, etc.). I can’t tell you how excited I am that I get to do what I love. I have a few projects in the works right now and I’ll be sure to post them when they’re finished. In the meantime, I hope you make time to do what you love today.

Source: How Joyful

DIY Work Table

Jake Tutorial Design, DIY, Letterpress, Tutorial, work space 50681 Views

Ever since Jamie and I got our letterpress, it has been sitting in the middle of our living room floor. We didn’t have anything to set it on because, after all, it weighs 250lbs. Believe me, we looked all over the place for something that would work for us, but there were some key requirements. First and foremost, it had to hold the weight. It also needed to have a top that we could drill through to bolt the press down. And we had to make sure it was a height that wouldn’t be out of reach (for Jamie). We never found anything that fit all of those requirements, and even the ones that met some were more expensive than we were hoping for. So being our creative selves, we decided to figure out how to build one. Jamie came across this post on how to build your own dining table out of galvanized steel pipe. As soon as we saw a picture of the table we knew that it would be perfect for making a custom press table. It’d be more than strong enough plus we’d be able to configure it to the exact height we wanted. Originally we were basically going to just make a stand for the press to sit on, but then we realized we could make it larger and have more of a work table too. The design was really easy to modify. We had so much fun building it, and it was so easy to do that we thought we’d make a little tutorial for anyone who could use it.

Supplies:

2 – 24″ pipe
6 – 1-1/2″x12″ nipple
6 – 1-1/2″x9″ nipple (not pictured)
4 – 1/2″x12″ nipple
6 – 1″x8″ nipple
8 – 1/2″ flange
12 – 1-1/2″ flange
2 – 1″ tee
6 – 1-1/2″ tee
6 – 1-1/2″ to 1″ bushing
1 – 1″ cross
3 – 2″x10″x5′ wood boards
3 – 2″x10″x30″ wood boards
4 – 1″x4″x20″ wood boards

We bought all the piping at our local hardware store. We found that Home Depot was charging almost twice as much. So be sure to price out a few store before buying.

Now for the fun part!

Assemble each leg of the base by using one 12″ nipple, one 9″ nipple, one 1-1/2″ tee, and one bushing.

Use the bushings to connect the 1″ nipples to the 1-1/2″ tees. The 24″ pipes run along the length of the base and connect in the middle with the cross. You’ve finished the base!

For the top of the table, lay all three 5′ boards on a flat surface. The side you want facing up on the finished table should be facing down for this step. Lay two of the 1″x4″ boards perpendicular to the 2″x10″ boards with enough clearance for the base’s flanges. Put two screws per 2″x10″ board into the 1″x4″ boards. That’s a total of six screws per 1″x4″. Follow the same steps for the second level of the table with the shorter 2″x10″s.

We found it much easier to attach the base upside down so that the screwing would be downwards. Be sure the base is upside down and center it on the top (use a tape measure!). Screw the flanges to the top – four screws per flange. Do the same thing for the top level, and you’re almost done!

Since we were bolting our letterpress to the table, we drilled four holes in the top for bolts. Then we attached the top level to the main level.

We stained and sealed our wood to make it look a little more finished. If you’d like to do that too, follow the directions on the can. And just like that, you’re done! I hope you enjoyed it. As I’m sure you can see, using galvanized steel pipe makes this type of table extremely customizable. If you have any questions or need clarification, we’d be more than happy to help. Just leave a comment and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Oh, Technology!: LetterMpress

Jake Blog Post Design, Graphic Design, Letterpress, Technology, Typography, Video 929 Views

I came across this amazing letterpress app being developed for iPads the other day. The video explains everything, but you basically get to do everything involved with making a print on a letterpress, but on an iPad. The designs can be multiple colors, use multiple fonts, and be exported as an image or sent to a printer. To learn more about it check out this video:
The app is finishing it’s funding stage tomorrow. Their goal was $15,000 in order to purchase the amount of wood type they want to make available; but more than double that amount was pledged. After the app is released, they plan on making the program available on other formats. My favorite thing about their plan is that eventually they want to make custom letterpress prints available of designs submitted by the user. So even though someone may not have a letterpress or any of the supplies they need, they could still design with representations of real wood type and have their art produced on a real letterpress. If I had an iPad, I would definitely be buying this app (even though I already own a letterpress). Two thumbs up LetterMpress!

What A Weekend!

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Antiques, California, Shop, Vintage 1088 Views

Once again the weekend flew by. Jake and I had both a productive and relaxing weekend. On Saturday we spent the entire morning and afternoon letterpressing. We learn something new every time and I think we finally got it down (we’ll show you our projects soon, promise). The second half of the day was spent building a new table for our letterpress. As of right now it is still in the middle of our living room floor. We are just about done with the table. We’ve already stained it and just have to seal it. That was our fun productive day.

This is Jake’s new toy he bought to help with our project.

On Sunday we took a little trip to Brea, CA to go to a vintage sale put on by Danni from Oh Hello Friend which is a blog Jake and I follow. The sale was a lot of fun. We even got to talk with Danni and her husband for a bit. They both seemed really sweet.

 Jake picked out this Coca-Cola crate from the sale. It now houses some of our DVDs.

I got this vintage tin and pair of bird scissors (which I couldn’t resist)

After that we took our picnic lunch we had made and went to Craig Regional Park. The park was so beautiful. We really enjoyed getting some fresh air and walking around. It felt like we were on vacation.


On our way home we made one last stop in Orange, CA (recommended by Danni) to check out some antique shops. After getting in a few traffic jams, we finally made it back home. Thanks to the restful weekend, we are now ready for the week ahead.

Morning Brew: Relax

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Dogs, Morning Brew, Photography 1056 Views

Happy Friday everybody! Do you have any fun plans for your weekend? The last few weekends Jake and I have been pretty busy. So I think this weekend we are going to take it slow and relax. However, we are going to be letterpressing this weekend. Maybe we will have a surprise for you on Monday!

Source: That Kind of Women
Yes I know I have been posting a lot of dog photos lately. I can’t help myself. I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am.

Photo of the week: View From St Paul’s Cathedral

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post London, Photo of the Week, Photography 1073 Views

Remember yesterday when I posted about how I wanted to try tilt-shift photography editing? Well… I did. I love how it turned out. It looks like a model version of London.

I took this photo when Jake and I were studying in London. We climbed 259 steps to the Whispering Gallery of St Paul’s Cathedral. The view was beautiful.

Morning Brew: Miniatures?

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Morning Brew, Photography 842 Views

I was convinced this was a picture of hot wheels cars. They look so tiny! But Jake introduced me to this type of photo editing; it’s called tilt-shift photography. The effect was originally achieved by taking a photo of miniatures, but this photo (and the technique Jake explained to me) can be done completely in photoshop with any photo. I think we’ll try it. For now, don’t get stuck in traffic. Have a fabulous day!

Source: Big Miniature World by Sippanont Samchai
Sippanont has some very nice photography. Make sure to check out his flickr!

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