elijah

introducing modern printed matter's newest employee.... : )
elijah cote, born 11/15/09, 7 lbs 14 oz

happy halloween!

happy halloween! here are some festive orange items available in our shop:
*hand knit tangerine scarflette by trishafern
*gocco printed halloween card by modern printed matter : )
*screen printed wind turbine pillow by dwell in style
*'hexed again' leather cuff bracelet by cuff modern

we're open today from 12-5 and will be handing out treats!

2010 Stitched Fabric Wall Calendars

I decided to design a wall calendar this year in addition to my desk calendar. I love fabric mixed with paper, so I worked with Spoonflower to print my designs onto fabric. I just received the test swatches and stitched the designs onto quarterly calendar sheets. The full fabric order is on it's way, so you can pre-order the calendars here. They come packaged ready for gift giving or hanging!

warren walkabout

If you live in the rhode island area, stop by warren on sunday, october 25th for the annual "warren walkabout". You can visit local shops, get a behind the scenes look at artist studios (including mine), and enjoy good food and live music!

6 weeks to go

here's what it's like to look down (leaning forward) when you are 34 weeks pregnant. it's getting hard to see my feet!

2010 Botanical Calendar

After weeks of designing, gocco printing, and cutting, my 2010 botanical calendar is finally finished. Yay! You can read the details, see more images, and purchase them here.

craftland

I went to the opening party for Craftland's perpetual store opening in Providence last night. It's a super fun space filled with colorful crafty goodness, a gallery area, and space for classes.

I also received an email this week that my designs have been accepted into the 2009 Craftland Holiday Sale! So, for all of you in the Providence area that don't want to venture out into the snow to my studio/store in Warren this winter, you can buy my paper goods at Craftland. Yay!

gocco calendar?

Since many people have asked if I am still going to release a gocco printed desk calendar this year, I thought I would give you all an update. Yes, it is true that my beloved gocco printer is being discontinued and now the supplies are hard to find and more than twice as expensive as they once were. And yes (sigh)...there are many people ink jet printing similar style calendars all over Etsy now for the same price as my hand printed calendars. But...I AM going to design and print one last gocco calendar for 2010. I love the process from photography, to computer design, to hand printing the final product. I don't want to discontinue it until I absolutely have to. So, I'm busy working on it now, and I plan on releasing it sometime late September/early October. Check back soon!

grand reopening!

the new studio store is finally open & yesterday's opening went off without a hitch. many thanks to everyone that stopped in! you can view more photos of the space here.

finley and oliver

I'm expecting my first child (a boy) in November, and have had the toughest time finding simple baby clothes. Why does everything have to have an obnoxious pattern and cartoony graphics? I've been trying to expand my baby section in the shop, and was excited to find Finley and Oliver on etsy. I love the simplicity of the the critter appliques and hand stitched details. Grace, the creative sewer behind the operation, just finished making up an order for me (the bottom picture). All of this adorable goodness will be available at the new store location in September.

moving up to main street!

A wonderful space just opened up on Main Street, and we've decided to take the plunge. It's twice the storefront/studio space, and that means twice the wonderful independent designer goods we'll be selling! We've had a nice run here on Miller Street, but we're excited to expand and gain more visibility and traffic. Stay tuned for more info coming soon...

my new toy + new card line preview

I recently acquired an expensive computerized sewing machine. My mother received it as a gift, but didn't think she would have time to figure it out and use it. So, she gave it to me. You rock mom! As soon as i started using it, it was ADDICTING. There are so many fun stitches and features to play with. Soon I'll be releasing a new line of cards featuring sewn fabric swatches that have been printed with my designs. Here's a little preview of the collection. They are handmade and eco-friendly - 100% recycled paper and envelopes, fabric is 100% cotton and printed with eco-friendly non-toxic inks. They will be available at wholesale from my sales reps, online, and in my shop in the fall.

RAGGEDedge gear

I love designers that create products out of unusual materials. RAGGEDedge Gear is a family run business based in Florida that creates accessories out of heavy duty sail cloth laminate (both new and recycled). The fabric is durable, waterproof, and has a really cool texture. We just received our first order from RAGGEDedge at the shop - a nice selection of wallets, pouches, portfolios, and folders. I'm absolutely loving the white x-ply sail cloth!

nervous system

One of my favorite lines I carry in the shop is nervous system. The company is a collaboration between two MIT grads, Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg, who explore algorithmic design to create intricate jewelry pieces. Their designs are laser cut from stainless steel and industrial wool felt. Their newest edition shown above (upper right, subdivision bracelet) is built up layer by layer in durable nylon plastic using Selective Laser Sintering, a kind of 3D printing. The results are absolutely gorgeous.

summersville

I've had Summersville on my favorite list on etsy for a long time. Lucie Summers is a UK based designer that creates beautiful hand drawn patterns that she screen prints onto fabric. I'm excited to finally be carrying a colorful selection of her wrapping paper (eco friendly) and fabric covered journals, magnets, and pins in the shop. I'm having a hard time not hoarding all of these pretty journals for myself!

you heard it here first

Exciting things are happening at the studio & store!
More details coming soon...

the bright side project giveaway!

If you are looking for a little sunshine to brighten your day, I highly recommend a daily visit to The Bright Side Project. They feature a daily giveaway of wonderful goodies such as designer sweets, paper, art, and accessories. Each featured designer posts a fun thought provoking question and gives a prize to the person with the best answer.

I was picked for Saturday's featured designer, and I'm offering 3 free note sets of the winner's choice. It's free to participate, so quick - run over and post your response here! The contest closes Aug 2nd.

best in rhode island award!

I'm excited to announce that the Modern Printed Matter store has won a 2009 Best in Rhode Island Award from Rhode Island Monthly Magazine! You can read the article here. Yay!

new prints

I've been working on a new line of fabric cards for my wholesale business. I just posted a few of the new designs as art prints in my online shop. I love the flexibility of working in full color after working for so long with my gocco printer.

I just ordered the custom printed fabric, and I'll post the results when it arrives.

decoylab

Decoylab makes lovely printed paper clocks. They only require a AA battery and are ready to hang. We just got a nice selection of designs and colors in the shop. I'm loving this cuckoo inspired print - too cute.

the mincing mockingbird

L.A. based artist, The Mincing Mockingbird, creates colorful bird paintings - each one with more personality than the next. We're happy to offer a large selection of 8"x10" signed prints of his paintings in the shop. Our second shipment just arrived (the first batch sold out), so come by and meet the birds!

chet and dot

chet and dot (a little company out of portland, or) makes the cutest hand sewn plushies. this sweet bunny is one of many available at the shop just in time for easter.

easter "tweets"

It's a little early (since easter is on April 12th this year), but these are so adorable i had to post them now. These chicks are the newest edition to the shop. I found them on Etsy - they are handmade in Provo, UT from recycled baby sweaters and fabrics. They have a velcro opening at the base, so I filled them with candy and made up cute little tags for them. I only have a baker's dozen, so come in and get them while you can!

new print

Since I'm in the spirit of spring, I created a new art print today. It's a mixed media/print method print that combines giclee (digital) and gocco (screen printing). I've reused some of my calendar graphics creating a background of semi-transparent branches. The foreground is a silhouette created from a photo I took along Alligator Alley in Florida last month. A pretty black bird posed for me on an old swamp tree.

I printed a limited run of 50 prints available here.

spring is coming...

This time of year I start aching for spring. Sunday was a dreary, dark and rainy day. Since there was little traffic at the shop, I spent the day plastering the store window with bright panels of yellow and orange paper. It may not be spring outside yet, but it certainly is at the shop.