Welcome 2009

As I was going through my Flickr pages I realized just what a busy and amazing year 2008 was. Billy and I quit our teaching jobs, said goodbye to our friends in Boston, and drove cross-country with two dogs (one riding shot gun in each car) to settle in New Mexico. It's been a year of personal ups, downs, homesickness, and all-around adjustments, but every day I wake up grateful for a wonderfully supportive partner, temperatures that average in the 50s, and clear mountain air.

Despite all the personal changes, I had an inspiring year in terms of my creative life. Several of my Gocco designs, especially the Jane Austen series (the notebook above is now sold out) and the llama card, received lots of lovely blog press. I was also in an article about Etsy in The Albuquerque Journal, especially exciting since it was my first print feature and I was so new in town!

Challenged by the dwindling Gocco supplies since rumors of factory closure began circulating early in the year, I began using more vintage elements in my work in 2008, creating buttons and magnets from old book illustrations. I also did some personal projects just for fun, refreshing my sewing skills and making this hat and hoping to actually finish this dress sometime in 2009! I also toted my new Diana camera to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and took some fun pictures.

Most exciting of all, I am now the owner of a lovely, century-old letterpress that I cannot wait to start creating new stationery on. Look for new letterpress designs, featuring cotton paper and soy-based ink, in the coming months. I'd also like to do some collage work and some bookbinding with the collection of vintage papers I've built up, but we shall see. There's only so much one woman's hands can do in a year.

Here's hoping for a creative, inspiring 2009 for all.