A Word to the Wise

Hey Guys, I should have posted this many moons ago... THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER ACTIVE.
But, fear not my junkies, come get your fix over at www.vicktrolaprints.com/blog and see what magical things be happening.

Compadres

Swapping business cards with other talented individuals is one of my favorite things EVER, especially when the glorious exchange occurs with other designers.

However, forgetting to print more cards when I run out of my tiny, little, record sleeves is one of my least favorite. Fortunately, I made it through the weekend in Asheville by the skin of my teeth. As the conference came to a close I decided to kidnap some fun looking characters and go out for gourmet potato chips.

This little "bistro" ONLY sold potato chips. That's it. Any kind of potato chip you can think of, they'll cook it up fresh for you.

I got the cajun, sweet potato chips.

The owner of this delectable shop actually studied the culinary arts in Idaho. Small world.

The owner also gave us a sample of some raspberry, chocolate covered chips to sample for dessert.

It was awesome to meet and get aquatinted with Jo and Daniel Miller. Check out their amazing letterpress shop here!

After one last night in the mangy hotel I cruised up to Fairfax, VA from Asheville, NC to say a quick hi and goodbye to my Aunt Sarah, Uncle Bob, and my cousins Cathy and Phil. I had a ceremonial cousin reunion, complete with dunkin' donuts. As Cathy would say "America Runs on Dunkin'... guess that's why America can't run."

Vilhelm also made a quick appearance while I made a quick stop in DC.

Stay tuned for an adventure of waffle proportions, coming next week.

Lip Smackin' BBQ

Some of you may remember the smart car ordeal that went down when I attempted to retrieve my "compact" rental car, well after a couple days with the little fella I decided to name him "Groob" and let's just say I was glad that he faithfully got me from point "A" to point "B-B-Q".

Speaking of barbecue, my next southern food adventure commenced at Luella's with some serious smoked meats.

Here are a few shots of the glorious meal that ensued.

Sweet potato chips with cheddar and scallions.

Real, creamy mac 'n' cheese.

Hush puppies, cole slaw, spicy smoked andouille sausage and the mac.

Fried okra.

Hush puppies, potato salad, beef brisket, and the okra.

Le sauce.

The glorious pulled pork!

After dinner I grabbed some trendy yet delicious frozen yogurt.

I loved the tile in this place.

Next, gourmet potato chips and FINALLY some prints and designs I've been working on!

Meet and Greet goodies

A quick post on some goodies provided by the Ladies of Letterpress meet and greet session.

Brace yourself for some serious hush puppy and waffle house coverage next week.

Frites!

When I wasn't busy avoiding my moist hotel, listening to lectures, and hanging out with other letterpress aficionados I was sure to be found eating as much southern food as my west coast body could handle; and even though the Admiral was the creme of the crop in my Asheville dinning experience I still had a number of other fantastic meals.

If there's a starchy thing to be desired it almost has to be crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside-french fries.

The best fries I've ever had in my entire life we're truffle infused but, these pommes frites were a close runner up.

These beautiful fries accompanied my first true Creole food experience.

Crepes filled with southern goodness, like this salmon and caper plate of glory.

Ratatouille in a crepe. Yum.

Pesto, arugula, cheese... need I say more?

After my french infused lunch I went back to bookworks to enjoy 2 demos: Getting to know your table top press and How to die cut.

The table top press demo was hosted by Kelly McMahon. She owns and operates May Day Studio.

Gauge pins for registration.

The die-cutting demo!

What is die cutting?

It's the process used to quickly and efficiently cut various shapes from all types of paper, foam, and fabric.

How does die cutting work?

It all starts with a thin piece of metal bent (by a die maker) into the abstract or geometric shape that you want. That piece of metal is then mounted on a piece of wood with foam in the center and on the outer edge of the shape to cushion the paper while cutting. The metal is type high and conveniently fits into the chase of the press. The chase is where you normally have your plate of the image you're printing.

When the edge of the metal comes together with the paper it creates a cut out of your image as seen above, and you can use the cut out as a positive or a negative.

I'm pretty pumped to do some die cutting on my Kluge. Vicktrola coasters are soon to come.