Hi there, this is the blog of Bears Eat Berries Press, a letterpress and design studio run by me, Laura. This is where I collect and share design inspiration + updates of my work. And occasionally bears. hello{at}bearseatberries.com
Went into A.C. Moore today to pick up some gold spray paint (more about that later) and on one of the end aisles was a dazzling display of letterpress goods! I’ve heard of this plastic “kit” you can buy which, of course, no way compares with the art of the antique press ( just look at the uneven inking on their homepage example of “save the date”) but it’s a new item that has been making the waves online recently. I saw it there on the bottom shelf and was no way fazed because I was completely focused on the paper and ink that was specifically for letterpress. And its 40% off sale.
Normally the ink, which comes in 30 ml tubes, would be $6.99 each. It’s around the same price with 40 A2, A6 envelopes, 20 fold A2, A6 papers, business cards and square cards. (However, you have no idea what kind of paper it is. 100% cotton? After hunting on the company‘s website, I’ve only found that the ink is oil-based. ) I bought some A2 folding cards, envelopes and silver ink. 40% off? Why not?
I’m not sure how cost effective the paper is but I do like already scored and cut cards. But the ink comes in colors like, “pink” and “brown” so it’s no good if you need to mix or use a specific pantone color. Has anyone else tried these materials? I’ll try it out and post the results soon!
I’m completely obsessed with the characters of Nut and Bee from New Zealand. Put a smile on an animal or some eyes on a vegetable and you’ve got me. I’m hooked and as I was telling my friend about these, they may be cuter than a real life kitten. Maybe.
“Garlic and Ginger: Flavour Friends” !
How cute is this bear hiding within the honey?
The titles attached are half the fun actually. This one is called, “Slow Cooker”:
The prints are quite reasonable and also offered are stamps, stickers, magnets, notepads, etc. How fun!
Pretty similar, right? I think it turned out quite nice for someone who is just starting to learn sewing on a machine. It was time consuming, mostly because I didn’t know what I was doing and there were a few minor “kinks” in my sewing machine. Next time it’ll be much faster. ( If anyone’s trying this pattern out, a little tip — just skip the fusible webbing. You can just sew up the pillow really easily without it. )
Over the weekend, I tried out my letterpress with ink. First to note: Ink is messy. Sludgy, sticky, tar. Second to note: Don’t use black ink as your first test because you don’t know when your (black) rollers are clean. Third note: Cleaning up is messy so it’s good to do it outside. (What’s going to happen when it’s 30 F outside?)
Here’s my first test run on the rubber based black ink I got from a local printer:
As you can see from the “T”s, I’m using too much ink. And perhaps need a bit of more deeper impression. But overall, I was pretty happy for my first ink run. If I can open this old can of blue I have, I’ll be trying it out today with this mystery piece:
*UPDATE: Here’s the reveal of the type from above:
It’s a little birthday note to my friend with the limited type I have. As you can see, it’s over-inked. I’m working on it!
On another note, check out this amazing and beautiful studio space of Atelier:
I LOVE the idea of that hammock. You can just swing around when you need a break. And look at all that natural light! And all of that floor space to lay things out. Best of all — this space is in Italy. You can see the rest of her home here.
