Cartoules Press

Building a house - In Greece: Part XIII

2012-02-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

I will be in this all summer. ALL SUMMER.

Infinity pool getting tiled. Pretty little mosaics will go over the edge.

Building a house - In Greece: Part XII

2012-01-31T01:00:00.000-08:00

I've been looking forward to this install since we began construction. As we all know, the kitchen is the most important room in a house - especially in a Greek house. It's been driving us all mad waiting to see it come together, so it's pretty exciting. We chose these beautiful light gray cabinets, and next up should be the countertops!

My uncle checking things out

Our little European fridge will go right in there

Looking from the kitchen into the living room

Alt Summit Recap

2012-01-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

Last year I was a good little student at Alt. I took notes, lots of pictures, and participated in extracurricular activies, such as Sundance and snowboarding the amazing SLC slopes. This year my experience was quick and dirty. I attended with my colleague, and we were there for a short three days, and two nights. I took only Instagram pictures, partied it up both nights, and took half-a-page of notes.

What I did get from Alt, and what has proven to be the most beneficial part of attending such a conference, are the new friendships and connections with some of the most inspiring individuals in our industry. We work within such a small creative niche, and it's great to be reminded of those who contribute and inspire. Everyone's not only creative in their own craft (whether it be letterpress, illustrating, interior design, etc) - but they've also mastered another skill in writing and collaborating through blogging - and I feel so lucky that I get to be a part of this.

L to R: Wine and sushi; Packed session; Gifts from Cargoh at lunch; Mid-session breakdancer; Emily Henderson giving style tips (love her!); White night outfits; Snow decor; White night; Late night crew (Laure Joliet, me, Haily Zaki, Morgan Statterfield, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, Jacey Duprie)

L to R: The Grand America; Laure and her fascinator; Breakfast; Huge Twitter jumbo screen; Lunch; Dessert; Ben, founder of Pinterest giving me and my sis a shoutout during his keynote speech (ahhh!); Outfit; Going home

Cartoules Press + Fab.com

2012-01-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today I'm honored to be hosting a sale over at Fab.com! If you aren't familiar with them, they're an online retailer that features daily design inspirations and sales - and they provide buckets of eye candy with great design. Save up to 30% on all of our map prints, Valentine's Day cards, and our four new greeting card designs by heading over to Fab.com. You've got to sign up to be a member, and since it's invitation only you can click here for an invite to start shopping. The sale will go from 8am PST today 1/24 through 8am PST Friday 1/27, and it will be one of the few times I'll be offering these products at a discount. Check the sale early as quantities are limited and Fab may sell out. Happy shopping!

Fab.com Sale + Recent Work: New Greeting Cards

2012-01-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

These last couple of weeks have been absolute madness for me - in a good way. I was so flattered when a buyer from Fab.com approached me about doing a sale with them, and even though it was super last minute (like only two weeks to prepare, minus the three days I was in Salt Lake City for Alt Summit), I happily agreed. Not only did I have to prepare my existing inventory, but my overachieving, crazy-self also decided to produce four new greeting card designs for this sale, including a new Portoni design. I think they're lots of fun, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. The Fab.com sale starts at 8am tomorrow 1/24 through 8am on Friday, 1/27. It will include these four designs, plus the Greek Island prints and a couple of Valentine's Day cards. Check back tomorrow for more details.

Happy Birthday Confetti

Married Word Cloud

Engaged Word Cloud

Portoni Thank You

Lovely Weekend

2012-01-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

Whew. Glad this week is over. Next Friday's January Photo a Day should be fun since I'll be in Salt Lake City for three days at Alt Summit. I'm loving this photo project, and have really enjoyed seeing others participate. This has been my week for the last seven days. Clearly I haven't been very good about dating each photo. There's always next week...

Left to right:

Jan 6th: Makes you smile (my god kids)

Jan 7th: Favorite (my favorite snack is Greek yogurt and honey)

Jan 8th: Your sky

Jan 9th: Daily routine (running on the beach)

Jan 10th: Childhood (my sister and I in Greece)

Jan 11th: Where you sleep

Jan 12th: Close-up (homemade espresso)

Recent Work: Damask Double-Sided Business Cards

2012-01-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

Week - where did you go?! I have been so busy with custom orders and developing/printing new designs that I think my head is going to spin right off. Hopefully it doesn't, because next week I'll be in Salt Lake City for the Altitude Design Summit. Remember when I went last year? Talking about design, looking at design, and talking some more about design. Yea, that's definitely my thing.

Double-sided business cards

Business card front

Business card back

I digress. Today I want to share with you some double-sided business cards I printed for the talented event planner and designer, Catrina Maria Designs. She had an existing business card design that matched her website branding, so I tweaked it slightly for letterpress. I think the results are beautiful, and I love the color combo she chose.

Building a house - In Greece: Part XI

2012-01-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some new photos we received within the last few weeks. Installing all the finishes has to be the most exciting part I think.

Left to right: Railing installed from 1st to 2nd floor; marble installed on stairs from basement to 1st floor.

The light blue painted on the top left balcony railing is what all the railings will look like.

Interior doors in - gray!

Recent Work: MCM Inspired Engagement Party Invitations

2012-01-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have to push yourself creatively, so that after many versions of the same invitation you come up with something totally different than what you expected, and nothing close to what you've ever done. Well, these engagement party invitations led me down that path. A friend asked me to design and print invitations for a couple whose engagement party she and some friends were throwing (how sweet, right?).

Here's the kicker - the bride is a design writer for some of my favorite magazines, and the groom is an incredibly talented illustrator. Yea - no pressure.

After seeing some photos of their home, and learning about which artists creatively influence them, I had a much better sense of their style. Mid century modern fonts, color palettes, and folk art were seen throughout, so in that direction I went.

Also, unless you're a printer, you may not notice some things. The large floods of ink in the color boxes were tricky to get just right. In general letterpress does not do well with large floors of color. Thin lines and type is really more of its thing. I had to strike a balance between having enough ink on the press to thoroughly cover the printing area, but not have too much that it would start to creep onto the knocked out writing. In the end it worked out perfectly.

Additionally we created a guest book for people sign using an extra large Moleskine kraft notebook.

Lovely Weekend

2012-01-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Left to right -
Jan 3rd: Something I adore
Jan 4th: Letterbox
Jan 5th: Something I wore

Have a great weekend everyone! This is my "January Photo A Day" recap for this week. Remember I missed January 1st and 2nd, so next week will be - well a full week. You can follow my daily photo posts on Twitter or Instagram.

Guest Posting Today at the Goddess of the Hunt

2012-01-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

Many of you may remember a wonderful little collaboration I did with the Goddess of the Hunt blog back in November. The blog's mission is to deliver food-for-thought for the contemporary and antsy Greek spirit, by digging up the undiscovered and under-promoted projects of Greek creativity from around the world.

Today I've done some of my own digging. If you head over to their site, you can read the article I wrote about Nikos Papadopoulos Gogas - an amazing creative who was not only our own wedding photographer, but also one of the most talented photographers I know.

Photo a day challenge + Blog Birthday!

2012-01-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

Since starting this blog two years ago (two years today!!) I've struggled with posting regularly. I've attempted many times to create an editorial calendar and actually stick to it, but the honest truth is that I blog whenever I find something that fancies me, or if I have new products to show off. An editorial calendar would be unauthentic and too structured - that was never my intention here.

Having said this, I recently saw a bunch of people hashtagging #janphotoaday (you've seen it too?) on Twitter, and found out that Chantelle over at Fat Mum Slim initiated a fun little project that she's encouraged others to partake in. Using the list below as a guide, we've been asked to take photos every day during the month of January and share them on twitter, instagram, facebook and even here on our blogs.

If you saw my post yesterday, you know I'm obsessed with instagram, I love taking photos and over sharing. Perfect.

But today is the 4th, you say, and I've already missed a few days? Yes. So as of yesterday I will be posting to my instagram feed and twitter my "photo of the day". My intention is to do a recap of my pics every Friday. I don't like the ed cal, but I think this is something I can get behind. I hope you'll follow along.

2011 A la Instagram

2012-01-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

2011 Year In Review created using this

Happy New Year again to everyone. I'm back to work, back to the routine and to posting regularly. I can honestly say that 2011 was a great year. Besides growing my business, and this blog, I took a lot of great trips with my husband, made some great personal and professional relationships, built and almost completed our house in Greece, bought a new press, stepped up my gym activity by a lot, and am probably in the best shape of my life, and I documented everything. If you haven't noticed already, I'm sorta obsessed with Instagram. I've always loved photography, but this takes my interest to a whole new level. I may overshare certain aspects of my life, but oh well. I'll always have the photos. Here's to 2012!

Lovely Weekend + Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T00:43:00.000-08:00

Just popping in to wish everyone a Happy and safe New Year this weekend! May it be filled with laughter, lights and fabulous music. Next week things go back to normal around the studio, and I have a few recent projects to share with you that I'm really excited about.

In the spirit of celebrating lights and all things that sparkle, this is how my husband and I celebrated Christmas last weekend with our family.

Christmas dinner in our front yard with all of our loved ones

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

Even though I was hoping to take it easy this week, I ended up printing, packaging and shipping off last minute orders. It's finally Friday, my family is here from San Francisco, and we're all enjoying our time off together. Before we all take off, I wanted to thank everyone for a fantastic holiday season. The response on the new cards and prints was overwhelming, and I really enjoyed chatting and meeting with new customers!

Here's to wishing you a restful, healthy and Merry Christmas, from our Cartoules Press family to yours!

Epic Parties

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

My husband and I love to throw parties. In addition to the list of things we like to do together, entertaining is up there; it's an art we've crafted over the years. I believe that there's four key ingredients to throwing an epic party: delish food, a full bar, a solid music playlist, and awesome people.

Every year we throw a huge birthday party for my husband around this time. It's his birthday, it's the holidays, and it's a perfect excuse to get everyone together. Last Saturday we invited 80 of our closest friends for an unforgettable evening. So, after cooking for two days straight, and partying until the wee wee hours of the night, er morning, there goes another great party!

Last year I gave you my stuffed mushroom recipe, so this year I'll give you a really easy one, that has been referred to as edible crack by a few of our guests: bacon wrapped dates. All you do is wrap smoked bacon around pitted medjool dates. Trader Joe's always has them around this time of year. I usually cut the bacon in half so that it's just the right amount to envelope the date. Then I bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for around 35 minutes (or until the bacon is crispy) and they're done! Let them cool before you serve.

The flowers

The birthday boy

The food

The people

The aftermath

Building a house - In Greece: Part X

2011-12-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted a Building In Greece update in quite some time, but that doesn't mean that nothing's been happening. Since the last post, most of the time has been spent building the stone wall that lines the perimeter of the property. The work they do on these walls is absolutely beautiful. They cut each piece of stone, which is harvested from a nearby quarry, and arrange them to fit like pieces of a perfect puzzle. Inside they're wired so that we can add outside accent lighting for the landscape.

All photos by Cartoules Press

Lovely Weekend

2011-12-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Hey LA! What are you up to this weekend? We have a couple of holiday parties to go to (yes they're starting - oh boy), but if you're looking to do some shopping, allow me to recommend two events where you can support local businesses and buy handmade:

Artisanal LA is a community event with weekend long Seasonal Shows and Pop-Up Shops celebrating the city’s finest local, sustainable and handmade edibles. Taste, shop, sample and learn while supporting the local economy and local artisanal vendors at seasonal shows and pop-up shops.

The 2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market in Los Angeles returns to Los Angeles State Park on December 10 + 11, from 10am – 5pm, to supply all your handmade holiday shopping needs! Always free-to-attend and featuring over 200 artists, shoppers are sure to find something for everybody on their lists or can craft a special gift themselves at one of the terrific hands-on crafting workshops! A handful of LA’s best independent food trucks will be on site serving up delicious dishes and their bar will have many holiday libations!

Credit: All artwork and descriptions are taken from each organization's respective websites.

New Greek Island Prints!

2011-12-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I added three new Greek island prints to the Etsy shop - Chios, Milos, and Zakinthos, so check them out! They'd make the perfect Christmas gift for any Greek or philhellene friend. By the way, I'm totally open to doing US states, other countries, Mars (ok, maybe not), so feel free to drop me a line with your suggestions!

Also, I just want to say a heartfelt thank you to those who have already answered the survey I posted yesterday. Sometimes I feel like I'm writing in a vacuum and no one is on the other end - so I've really enjoyed reading your responses and finding out why you like to hang out here. If you haven't filled it out yet, I ask that you do. It's super short, promise! Just answer the questions here, and it's totally anonymous. Some of you have revealed yourselves in your answers which is fantastic, but not necessary if you don't want to.

New Year, Quick Survey

2011-12-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Photo credit

One year and 11 months, 185 (now 186 posts), and two blog redesigns later, this is how long I've been blogging. Hold on - 186 posts? What have I been saying?!

Anyway, it's December 6th and I'm already starting to think about the New Year, new possibilities, and how I can grow my blog and my business in 2012. I'm excited to learn more about who you all are, where you're from, and what do you love (maybe not so much like) about this blog, so I've created a short ten question survey. You'll be totally anonymous, and I’d love to hear what you think if you have a moment to share! Just click here.

How to - Make a Terrarium

2011-12-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

I'm obsessed with succulents, and buy one pretty much every time I pass through IKEA or Home Depot. So when I started seeing Terrariums pop up all over the internets, and my favorite design blogs, I had to have one. There are some very talented landscape artists who create these wonderful little garden worlds, but true to Julie fashion I thought to myself, "I could do this" - and so I did.

I read a dozen how-tos, watched a few YouTube videos, and got some pointers from my local garden center on how to best create my own terrarium. The following is how I created mine last week, and let's cross our fingers it lives to 2012!

You need a glass vessel to hold your terrarium. If you decide to make a moss terrarium, you can use one that's totally enclosed or has a lid, but when making a succulent terrarium, the vessel needs to have a large enough opening so that the plants can breathe. The one thing I forgot to include in this photo was my little friend - you'll see him shortly...

I added a layer of gravel to my glass bubble bowl from Michael's craft store - $10.00. The gravel will prevent my plants from drowning in excess water. I used one whole bag of these white stones from IKEA - $1.99

Next add activated charcoal - don't ask me what the difference is between this and the stuff you put in your barbecue, but basically it allows the plants to breathe, and masks any odors that the terrarium plants may give off while living in close quarters. Lowe's didn't have any, nor did they know what I was talking about, so I quickly did a bit of iPhone research and found out it was pretty much the same stuff that goes into a fish tank filtration system. As luck would have it, I was right down the street from Pet Smart where I bought a box of Fluval UltraGrade Carbon. I ripped open two of the filter packs to create an even layer - $8.99

I added a deep and even layer of cactus potting soil that I bought from Lowe's. Cactus soil helps to quickly drain the water out of the soil so your cacti and succulents aren't over watered - they hate that. This set me back a whole $4.32

Next comes the fun part - arrange and plant your garden! As you saw above in step one, I purchased four succulents, but the first one on the top left ended up being too tall, so I didn't use it. Plants should be spaced far enough from each other so that they don't crowd. Also, you should leave enough room between the plant and the vessel wall - otherwise as the leaves grow and touch the wall they'll start to spoil and die off. No bueno. I bought all of my succulents from Lowe's as well, and they ranged from $1.99 to $3.85 - so let's call it a total of around $12.00.

This part is my favorite - create a scene and put your terrarium into context. I love to paint; it's not something I get to do often, but when I saw this little dude I knew I wanted him for my terrarium. You know those people who create toy train scenes and villages? Many of them use these HO scale miniatures, which basically means that for every foot in real life, you have 3.5 mm, or a ratio of 1:87. I just used a bit of glue on the end of a toothpick and adhered him to this rock. You can even see the paint drying if you look close enough.

These little guys are perfect for decorating your terrarium. I bought mine from Preiser through Amazon, but you can do a search for HO scale miniatures on Google and a million different places sell them. He was $10.61 total, but the shipping cost me almost as much as he did, so if you can find one locally, they're not that expensive.

After doing the math, I spent a grand total of $47.91 and around 35 minutes - plus I still have some charcoal and soil (and one unused plant) to make another. If anyone knows more specific details or tips on creating a successful terrarium - one that won't die - then please let me know. Also, if you do end up making one, send me pictures!! Good luck and happy green thumbs to all!

All photos by Julie Karatzis

Lovely Weekend

2011-12-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Flying over SF on Tuesday after spending time with my family for the Thanksgiving holiday

Athenian Graffiti Prints

2011-11-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving! Today I want to officially introduce a collaboration that I've been working on for the past few weeks with the awesome, The Goddess of the Hunt. The blog's mission is to deliver food-for-thought for the contemporary and antsy Greek spirit, by digging up the undiscovered and under-promoted projects of Greek creativity from around the world. I was interviewed by the site's creator over a year ago, and since then we've come together again to produce something special: limited edition Athenian graffiti letterpress prints.

With the political climate that currently surrounds its citizens, Athens has become a hotbed for graffiti. Yet sometimes, the most poignant messages are lesser in size & sophistication and are often overlooked. We created this limited edition letterpress series to give these artistic renderings of real Athenian graffiti a life of their own: one that preserves their poetry and emotional symbolism. Click below to see how they're made, or snag your own at the Goddess of the Hunt online boutique!

Lovely Weekend: Discount Code Extended

2011-11-25T00:31:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving yesterday with family and friends. In the spirit of giving thanks, I've decided to extend the Black Friday 25% off discount code through Monday. Discount can only be applied to ready-made items at my Etsy shop. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Black Friday Sale

2011-11-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Just a few more days until Thanksgiving, so before everyone checks out for the holiday, I wanted to let you know that I'll be having a Black Friday sale this Friday, November 25th over at the Etsy online shop.
Stock up on your holiday paper goods by taking 25% off all ready-made items, for one day only by using code BLACKFRIDAY25 when you check out. Enjoy!

Vote for my card!

2011-11-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I entered my Portoni Collection holiday cards in a holiday card contest over at Uncommon Goods, and my design has been selected to move onto the next round! Starting today through November 28th, Uncommon Goods is asking the community to vote for its favorite holiday cards. The top five finalists will then move on to the judges round, and a grand prize winner will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to sell their product on the Uncommon Goods site.

To vote for my card, head on over to the Uncommon Goods community voting page, or click on the image above. You'll have to sign up for an account with them - but if you don't want to receive emails, just un-click the "Sign me up for the UncommonGoods newsletter" box. Once you're signed in, just give me a "thumbs up" and that's it! Please spread the word to your friends and family - I will be over the moon and eternally indebted to you if I win. Thank you, thank you!

Lovely Weekend

2011-11-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! Next week will be super short for me before the long holiday weekend, so I'll see ya the week after. Hope everyone has a fantastic and relaxing Thanksgiving!

Hazy sky during my run today in Long Beach

Bid for Good, and Cartoules Press

2011-11-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today marks the launch of the Greek America Foundation Holiday Auction Fundraiser (whew, mouthful). A few weeks ago they reached out to me about donating a few items, and I was happy to oblige. The Greek America Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote, preserve and perpetuate the Greek culture, history and heritage in America.

Head over to the auction site anytime today through November 28th, and start your holiday shopping a little early this year while supporting a good cause. All sales will benefit the foundation's various philanthropic programs including scholarships which enable students to study abroad in Greece.

Up for auction are a couple of our holiday greeting card sets, and a framed Greece print - so go, bid for good!

Like us and save

2011-11-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

If you like us on Facebook then you've used the discount code - right? If not, click here to check it out and save for the holidays. If you don't like us yet, no worries, you can receive it too - just like us and you'll receive a code to save 10% off your next purchase!

Be sure to keep in touch with us on Facebook to receive updates on exclusive offers, sale info and latest news. Check back around Thanksgiving - we ahem may or may not have some awesome deals. Just sayin'.

The C&P Is Here!

2011-11-11T01:00:00.000-08:00

After spending weekends at the International Print Museum cleaning up the new (to me) old (from 1926) new-style (that's what it's called) Chandler & Price press, my husband and I finally had her delivered yesterday! We didn't get a chance to strip and repaint it, since I've got some exciting projects planned for her that need to be finished soon - so I'll save that project for another time.

Luckily we had the director of the museum deliver the press for us, because clearly he'd done this a few times in his life. Pallet jacks, two-by-fours, and this strange industrial crank thing helped get the press in place. It was all very nail biting, but after about an hour, we had it in place. The press was delivered around 5pm, and because of stupid daylight savings, my photos are mediocre at best. I'm happy to start working on her soon though, and yes it's a she. All presses are female - it has something to do with the fact that they reproduce and make copies - no joke. So we need a name - any suggestions?

She's here!

Our friend's kid (far right) looking on and totally dumbfounded.

The coolest

In her new home - the garage

Decurate!

2011-11-10T01:15:00.000-08:00

I've been working on making some amazing connections these last few months that I'm so excited to share with you all. One of these partnerships is a new weekly online magazine that features sales and stories for people who love design - and it's called Decurate. Each week they feature stories and interviews with designers who build products that are authentic and honestly made. Curated products that are offered in limited quantities make Decurate the coolest new online place to spend some cash, and guess whose shop launched today? Cartoules Press! YAY.

I did a fun little interview with Polo, the company's co-founder, so please check it out. To sign up for Decurate's weekly emails, use this link to register.

Building a house - In Greece: From a Different View

2011-11-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

My dad's been in Greece for the last week now overseeing the major installs on the house, which means, I'm getting new photos almost every day; and it's awesome! Nothing really new to update right now, just choosing interior paint colors and trying to track down a specific glass tile for the kitchen backsplash, but I love these photos my cousin sent me last week - you get to see the house from a different perspective, literally!

Our sunset from the right (since the back of the house faces south)

Lovely Weekend

2011-11-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! I'm up in the San Francisco Bay Area visiting my family this weekend - what are you all up to? I've been using Instagram for about a year now, and it's my absolute fav. For those of you not familiar with it, it's an iPhone app that allows you to take photos, add filters (some of which make you look like a super talented photographer), and share with your Instagram community of followers, or post to Facebook and Twitter. If you're on it, look me up - CartoulesPress

I take lots of photos every week using Instagram, usually when I'm out for a run, or just sitting at a cafe. It's a fun way to visually document my everyday life, so on Fridays I'm going to post some of my Instagram photos from the week - you know, just 'cause. Have a good one!

Sunday dinner at our house in Long Beach

Eery, hazy, Halloween run on the beach in Long Beach

Rainy BART ride in San Francisco

Building a house - In Greece: Part IX

2011-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Did you see our interview on Pinterest yesterday? My sister and I are still super excited about it and had so much fun! Big news on the Kefalonia home front - my dad left for Greece last week and he's now in Kefalonia making some final decisions. Last time I posted, the house was looking pretty complete - but today we have - WINDOWS! Finally.

Looking out from the kitchen

Choosing them was a bit of drama, so I'm relieved they're installed. Originally we had wanted aluminum windows. They're all weather proof and last forever, but because we're in the traditional village, we later found out that they have to be made of wood - of course, right? Not only does wood need more care, but they're also a lot more expensive. In the end, I think we're actually very happy with wooden frame windows. They're so much more beautiful, and the way they treat the wood nowadays makes them pretty resilient to the elements.

My dad standing in front of what will be my parents' bedroom - isn't he so cute?!

Now that my dad is in Kefalonia, he's finalizing interior paint colors, kitchen details, crown molding, and a whole other list of to-dos. Here are more images of the progress we're making. At this rate the house will probably be done before Christmas (here's hoping anyway :)

Crown molding detailing

Looking outside from the living room

View from the front

The front door

Bathroom tile installed

This tile will be laid out throughout the house in all bedrooms, living room, dining room, and kitchen.

Pinterviewed on Pinterest!!

2011-10-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Our Pinterview on the Pinterest blog

Happy Halloween everyone! Today I received an extra special treat when I read that the interview Eugenia (my sister) and I did was live on the Pinterest blog - and I couldn't be more thrilled! We were interviewed about using Pinterest to collaborate on the building of our house in Kefalonia. For those of you who still don't know what Pinterest is (you're missing out!). It's a virtual pinboard that lets you organize and share inspirational and beautiful things you find on the internets. Click here to read more!

Letterpress Garland

2011-10-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! What's everyone doing for Halloween? My husband and I haven't even thought about it this year - we may have to pull something together last minute. Before we all take off for the weekend, I wanted to share these decorative letterpress garlands, a new item in the shop. Some of you may recognize these designs, as they're made up of past Cartoules Press projects - maybe even yours is included (don't worry, I made sure to exclude sensitive information).

Each garland measures approximately 6 feet long and is strung with about 19-20 one-inch letterpress circles. These upcycled letterpress remnants were printed on #110 Crane's Lettra cotton paper in Pearl White, and then strung on packaging twine for you to display. Garlands are packaged in a clear cello bag. Use them to decorate your holiday party space, decorate your Christmas packages, or even string them on your tree this year. They're available for purchase here.

New in the Shop: Greece Prints

2011-10-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

In addition to adding a new line of Holiday cards to the shop, I've also designed and printed some fun little map inspired prints just in time for the holiday season (perhaps a stocking stuffer for Yiayia). Each design is part of a map inspired series, and features a hand drawn map perimeter of the islands of Kefalonia and Crete, as well as the country of Greece. They are printed as a limited edition of 50 for each style, and measure 5" x 7" - which fits perfectly into a frame, or can be matted to fit in an 8" x 10" frame.

Each print is signed and numbered by Cartoules Press. Item is packaged in a plastic sleeve and mailed in a stay flat cardboard envelope. To buy yours click here!

Greece

Kefalonia

Crete

Holiday Collection 2011

2011-10-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday I shared four of the six new designs I've created for this holiday season. These next two Greek-language greeting cards were inspired by real life holiday traditions in Greece. The first illustrates the sweet bread (and sometimes cake) that is baked in every Greek home for New Year's celebrations. Whoever finds the silver coin hidden in their piece has good luck for the entire year.

Holiday Card | Xronia Polla Vasilopita (Many Years in Greek)