Mobile Printing

In the depths of steamy DC summers, Duckpin's basement print shop is a cool respite from the spiking heat outdoors. Its cave-like qualities (cool, dank, musty, full of bat guano) aren't ideal, but they do provide some comfort, and I relish the opportunity to hide out down there.

But what if you could avoid the summer heat -- and humid basements -- all together by taking a print shop on the road? Well, Kyle Durrie from Power and Light Press would like to find out. She's planning a cross-country tour in a tricked-out bread van outfitted with a complete print shop. With a modest donation you can follow her adventures by collecting her letterpressed postcards dispatched along the journey. Even better, for a little more, you can get her to stop the van at your house for a personal letterpress demo! (Guano not included.)

See her pitch and read more about her adventure here.

Above: Kyle in action

Letterpressed Folk

Designer and illustrator Scotty Reifsnyder is offering a beautiful collection of letterpressed cards. His "Heroes of Folk" series features six different American icons including Annie Oakley, Johnny Appleseed, and Paul Bunyan (pictured). The 2-sided, 3-color, 6"x8" cards are $30 each; the set of six fetches $150.

Summer Vacation

It's summer -- time to get yourself a tankful of gas and a cooler full of sandwiches and hit the road. If you're not the chain hotel type, you might enjoy Motel Americana. You'll find a great trove of vintage postcards, including those above (click for larger view). Neon enthusiasts will love the dozens and dozens of motel sign photos as well. For those who can't resist the lure of the road, this should be your first rest stop.

Crafty Bastards

We had a fun time at the Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair in DC this weekend. Beautiful weather brought out a slew of buyers looking for the latest in octopuses, Edgar Allen Poe, anatomically-correct hearts, and animals in formal wear. There was plenty of great printed work , too, including the above examples. At the top is work by illustrator Robert Ullman, with Rar Rar Press' letterpress postcards in the second photo.

One of the highlights of Crafty Bastards is the B-Boy Battle, which always attracts a big crowd. Seems everyone loves to see the kids spin -- even the free government money guy, Matthew Lesko:

National Postcard Week, May 2-9

Send your deltiologist buddy a handmade postcard next week. It'll make you both feel good.

Postcard by Rebecca at Rar Rar Press, who we met a couple years back at Crafty Bastards Art and Craft Fair.