Gorgeous detail...

Lovely letterpressed detail on envelopes for a bride in Long Island City, New York.

Would make a lovely tattoo, yes? If I were into tattoos, that is.

Salad for Dessert

Before the summer is over, I wanted to post my favorite tomato recipe of this season....last year it was salsa, this year: gazpacho salad. Aside from our friend Ray- who, if given the choice, would seriously opt for any sort of salad for dessert- I really don't know many people that honestly do ravenously crave salad. I eat a lot more of it than most people probably, but sometimes it is primarily because I know it is good for me. Know what I mean? This salad, however, is amazing. I seriously have dreams about this salad. It takes what seems like forever to chop everything up, but it is totally worth it. Can't wait 'til next summer, and our inevitably out-of-control tomato plants, so I can make some more. I'll maybe even join Ray and have it for dessert!
(This photo- and the recipe- from Smitten Kitchen)

Gazpacho Salad
The New Spanish Table

Serves 4

2 1/2 cups cubed day-old dense country bread (1-inch cubes)
2 medium-size garlic cloves, chopped
1 large pinch of coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1 small pinch of cumin seeds
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, preferably aged, or best-quality red wine vinegar, or more to taste
1/3 cup fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
1 2/3 pounds very ripe but firm tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 small Kirby (pickling) cucumbers, cored, seeded and diced
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup seedless green grapes, cut in half
About 1/2 cup slivered fresh mint or basil (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until they are just beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once. Lead the bread cubes cool.

3. Place the garlic, salt, and cumin in a mortar and, using a pestle, mash them into a paste. Add the vinegar and olive oil and whisk to mix.

4. Place the toasted bread and the tomatoes, cucumbers, Italian pepper, onion, grapes, and mint, if using, in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to combine well. Let the salad stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving to allow the bread to soak up the dressing.

Update...

This has been an extremely busy summer, and I haven't had much time to post about what I have been up to, so I thought I would try to catch up. I'm still only remembering to document about one out of every five jobs I am doing. I really need to get better at that!

I finally received the letterpressed business cards that I ordered, and am so happy with how they turned out. Now I finally have something to hand people when they inquire about my work!
One of the larger jobs of the summer....more than a thousand envelopes for a huge Bat Mitzvah in Oklahoma.
The ever-popular request of white on chocolate brown, for a bride in New York.
One of many sample packs I sent out this summer- one of my favorite things to assemble...
One of two baby sock elephants I made this summer...both for my sweetie pie newborn twin nephews! They were inspired by a pattern in this lovely Japanese book, which Nick sweetly gave me several months ago.
This was the first sewing I had done in about a year, and it felt so great to create something. It inspired me to drag out a bunch of unfinished projects and put them in reach for when I have a spare minute. Hasn't happened yet, but hopefully soon! Now that Nick is back into the swing of teaching all day, perhaps I'll be able to wring a few more minutes out of each day...

Pomegranate Margaritas

Fabulous recipe for pomegranate margaritas here. Perfect for a summer evening- we thought so, at least!

Walk to Remember

Well, I have had the craziest summer ever, and have been super busy with dozens of jobs and have just not had a chance to post very much, but I wanted to just quickly mention this very special project I worked on a few weeks ago. Here is the website. I hope this walk blesses many families!

Limoncello.

Limoncello as a favor for a bride in San Francisco. Sounds refreshing!

Summer is...homegrown tomatoes.

"Emily Abby"

An envelope in the "Emily Abby" style-- myfavorite font to do, hands down.

Chocolate and Pine Nut Tart

Here is a picture of a tart that I made for our anniversary a month ago. I think we decided that we like Molly Wizenberg's chocolate truffle tart better, but it was still a definite treat-both to bake and to consume. Mmm.
Find the recipe here.

pink

This isn't the best photograph, but here is a picture of the wedding I did this week with bright pink ink for a bride currently living in Australia!

The "Jill"

Everyone seems to be drawn to the "Jill" font lately- Here it is above, being featured on Snippet and Ink (thanks, Kathryn!) and then below-- the materials for a birthday party happening in Woolloomooloo, Australia. Woolloomooloo. That is insanely fun to type.

And here is stark white ink on deep brown envelopes for a wedding I did over the weekend for a bride in New York City.

vonblum

Here is my lettering on the front of a cafe in Barcelona, Spain! I guess I'll need to take a trip to check it out!

Action shots

Here are two shots from a wedding that happened in Florida last month. Love that bouquet!

Maggie May

Here is a picture of my family's dog, Maggie, when she was just a pup. My sisters and I grew up with her and she is present in so many of our childhood memories. She loved eating all our "little girl" items, like our tubes of Lipsmacker chapstick, and our lacy little socks. And when I say "eat," I truly mean eat. She would just swallow them whole!

My parents had to have her put to sleep on Monday afternoon; she was almost 17 years old, and not doing well at all. I was lucky enough to be able to say goodbye to her that morning. We all loved her so very much and will miss her so greatly. It is so hard to say goodbye to beloved pets. We love you, Maggie!

Simple Wedding Site

I am working with a bride in San Francisco, and she turned the Save-the-Date script I sent her into an awesome little wedding website. I love the simplicity of it!
See it here!

wedding upon wedding...

Everyone keeps asking me to post more pictures of jobs I am working on, so here are some shots of wedding materials I did a while ago. I loved the yellow/ cream combo, and was sad to send these off when they were done!

Again with the still lifes...

I can't get over these. I would love to move to the south of France and paint landscapes and still lifes. I am sure I could convince Nick to relocate pretty easily. Here is the website:

www.shiftinglight.com

Allyson Magda Photography logo

I just finished work on the logo for
Allyson Magda Photography.

Her work is positively amazing and it was such a pleasure to work with her!

Check it out!

Rare Tucson Fog

This picture was taken on that amazing foggy morning about a month ago, right when we woke up and looked outside.

Job from Missouri...

White ink on chocolate-colored envelopes for a lovely bride in Missouri!

I have had the pleasure of working with so many brides from so many different states, most of them from New York. I should maybe get a little map going with pins, and see how many states I can collect--a grown-up version of the license plate game!