It's First Thursday: Lucky 13 Party

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The party decor is being set up! Inspired by the cover, we have paper pouf clouds and silver streamer rain.

These are just instagram pics; I look forward to sharing more photos later.

We're open from 6pm – 9pm. All ages welcome for bingo, cupcakes and photobooth fun. And pot of gold prizes!

Art Central, corner of 7th Avenue SW and Centre Street, kitty corner from the Hyatt Hotel and at the Centre Street LRT stop. Hop on over...

A divine place to live and work

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Ayumi Horie's home and studio are located in a small church in Cottekill, New York. Since our article was written, Ayumi has decided to sell the property so that she can move closer to family.

"I’ve had the church for ten years and have loved every minute of it, from the beginning renovations when I would find caches of walnuts in the walls and bats in the belfry to the spiffed up sanctuary it is now. I can’t say enough great things about the New York community either with so many forward-thinking creative people in the area. Ideally, someone community-minded will carry on the church’s art tradition (the owner before me as an artist as well), so I’m putting it out there in hopes that by making a website devoted to the church, the perfect steward to the church will find it and fall in love."

To see more photos of this incredible home, click here. 

Some of the images of the church that Ayumi shared with us for the article:

Thank you, Ayumi, for sharing your work and home with us. We hope that you find a buyer as sympathetic to this special place as you have been.

Weekend Reading: issue 13

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Issue 13 is making its way around the world to subscribers, stockists and our distribution warehouses. Start your subscription today and issue 13 will be sent out asap.

 

 


Issue 12 is nearly sold out! I have fewer than 200 copies available, also on their way to the warehouse. Issue 12 is available here along with other back issues and will ship once it gets to the distribution warehouse next week.

Mitzi's Miscellany

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Speaking of playing cards, in issue #13, Mitzi Curi provided a selection of ephemera for me to include in the magazine. I met Mitzi last year at The Creative Connection. She writes:

"My name is Mitzi Curi and I’m a Michigan antique dealer, crafter, and blogger whose goal in life is to get a little vintage goodness into every home. I rent space at two antique malls which house four booths, each with a specific theme. The selling doesn't quit there. I have an Etsy shop where she I sell my creations made from vintage materials and the occasional vintage find.  Favorites are my cuff bracelets made from vintage wallpaper, repurposed furniture hardware jewelry, and vintage hats.  

People seem to be appreciating vintage paper ephemera and typography like never before, and I enjoy sharing my large stash of images with the world. Visit my blog at www.mitzismiscellany.com to learn a little and get inspired by my numerous vintage obsessions!


I settled on this classic card 13, pictured below, to include in the issue.

Though I do have a fondness for flash cards (and these ones add up nicely):

And just because:


The Master of Playing Cards

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Games of chance come up on a few occasions in issue 13 (such as Lisa Congdon's collection of ephemera or my own article on fortunes). In 15th century Europe, printers could rely on two products for which there was always a market: Bibles and playing cards. Those two things have over their history been very much at odds, but early printers such as Johannes Gutenberg relied on both for their income. And they often used the same engravers to illustrate both their Bibles and playing cards. 

One of the most intriguing characters in the history of games of chance is an enigmatic engraver known as The Master of Playing Cards. He was a contemporary of Gutenberg, and it's speculated that he contributed engravings both to Gutenberg's Bible, as well as the Giant Bible of Mainz, although it's always difficult to determine exactly where one master's work ends and his pupil's or rival's work begins. But his playing cards are well-recognized. 

At the time, decks with five suits were most popular in Germany. Suits were not formalized, as hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades are today. Different decks would include different suits: Flowers, Birds, Bears, Lions, Wildmen, Ladies, and Frogs are some of the different suits that appeared in cards of the era. In some instances, his cards were made with a single plate; on other cards, each figure was on a seperate plate, so that different combinations could be recombined for different cards (not unlike how Gutenberg was using movable type at the time). 

Cover Artist: Eloise Renouf

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Eloise Renouf at home in the United Kingdom.

Eloise Renouf is a talented pattern designer and illustrator whom we first got to know through her Etsy shop. Janine purchased a print and collage from Eloise some time ago and with issue #13's theme about how weather inspires creativity, Eloise was the perfect person to ask to create the cover art.

Eloise just received her copies (thanks to the quick magic of Fedex!) and writes: "Thank you so much for the lovely package of magazines which arrived here this morning! I'm absolutely thrilled with them and I think they look great. I hope you're pleased with the way they turned out - the foiling was a master stroke! It's such a beautiful magazine and everything about it is just lovely - it looks and feels really special. Have already enjoyed a quick flip but am going to settle down with a cuppa for a proper read. Happy days!"

There's a feature written by Vinciane De Pape about Eloise in this issue where you can read more about her process and inspiration.

A flower print available on Etsy.

Tonight's the night!

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Please subscribe (or renew) by tonight, March 13, at midnight to ensure that you're on our big mailing list for issue #13. The discount code "thirteen" will give you $5 off.

Renewals and subscriptions are gladly welcome after that, it is just that at a certain point we have to generate the big list for our printer, who takes care of sending out all the individual subscriptions. So once that list is made, then subsequent orders are shipped out from our fulfillment centres and that takes longer because the inventory has to first be trucked down to the warehouses and then processed and mailed out. Just so you know! (Nothing is instant when you're dealing with good old fashioned print on paper, but it is well worth the wait!)

Spoiler alert!

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I know some people like to wait for the print issue to arrive in their mailbox, but here is enticement for those of you who haven't signed up for a subscription yet. Subscribe before March 13 to ensure that your name is on the big subscription mailout! You may use the discount code thirteen for $5 off orders until midnight, March 13.

Issue 13 is getting closer

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cover illustrated by Eloise RenoufTomorrow I will see the proofs from the printer, so this issue will soon be in physical form (shipping to subscribers the last week of March).

If you're not a subscriber yet, may I ask—what are you waiting for?! This is lucky issue 13! It has amazing content (previews to come), shiny silver foil raindrops and a gatefold illustration special.