It's that time again! Today I'm introducing another addition to a. favorite design. 

Raychel's been part of the team for about a month now. She's been a huge help, especially since I'm bogged down with tax prep at the moment. She came in, rolled up her sleeves and has handled every challenge I've given her with ease and a smile. While she's already a letterpress printer I have little tricks, quirky paper guides and odd techniques that she embraced immediately. Every printing press is a little different and takes some time adjusting to but she's handled Willie (my press) like a pro. I'm impressed and appreciative. Not only is she a hard worker and talented letterpress artist, she also has a great sense of humor and loves to share stories. I happen to love stories! If I had to choose one word to describe Raychel it would be adaptable. The girl has a "bring it on" attitude I admire. In the short time Raychel has been here she's taught me say yes and roll with it. When she first inquired about helping out I didn't think I needed more help. CoCo had just started and Darcie was lending a hand too. My gut was telling me to at least have a conversation with her, after all she's worked with a letterpress hero of mine. Once I spoke with Raychel I realized I need to say YES to letterpress printing help, I mean how often does an experienced and talented printer come knocking? I'll tell you...in my 13 years of printing not once. I'd be fool to pass her by. I had to roll with it and trust that I could handle managing another person as well as financially make it work. I'm happy to report it is working and I'm appreciative to have such talent by my side, be sure to check out Raychel's work, it's great and so is she.

Without further ado, meet Raychel...

name? Raychel Steinbach Lauen

how’d you hear about a. favorite design? On a studio tour organized for the APA ChicaGoose conference in 2015.

what attracted you to afd? I love the vintage ephemera influence & the good natured humor!

when did you start helping out? January 23^rd, 2018

what do you do at afd? I get to hang out with Willie the beautiful C&P! I print, die cut, & score.

what do you do when your not at afd? I’m printing & setting type elsewhere! I also go hiking, hang out with my son, & am always walking over to Beans & Bagels (aka Spoken Cafe) for a latte.

do you have hobbies? Letterpress printing, sewing, hiking, & community gardening.

have you picked up any new skills since being at afd? Die cutting! Everything should be a fun shape!

what’s your favorite part about afd? Such a great group of humans & a great vibe in the studio! I love hearing design ideas as they percolate & cannot wait to see the final design come through the works!

what’s your least favorite part? I haven't met Scooby yet :(

do you have any pets? No, but I’m building a worm box this spring for composting, do they count?

any pets you’d love to have but don’t? I’d love to have goats!

do you believe in spirit animals? Yes.

if so, what’s yours? I’m a dragonfly.

left or right brained? A little of both - I like to live my life in my right brained days & do printing work in my left brained days.

introvert or extrovert? Social Introvert.

if money were no object & you could do anything, what would you do first? Buy a small acreage, help my son build a treehouse & convert an old brick building into my letterpress studio. I’d have goats, bees, & chickens.

title (either given or taken)? Printer

sign? Sagittarius

3 places you've lived? Hong Kong, Bangkok, & Ballyvaughan, Ireland.

favorite place you lived? Minneapolis. I love the Chain of Lakes & the deep snow, what can I say?

favorite color? Green

radio stations you listen to? NPR & WBEZ. Also a million podcasts.

favorite number? 7

magazine subscriptions? Uppercase magazine

nicknames? Ray

superpower you would like? The one where you get to zap chronic grumpy people and make them grateful & happy.

hopes, dreams & wishes? I hope I can keep doing what I love for as long as possible & that more people are able to follow suit.

personal credo? You're doing great & Living the Dream.

anything else you'd like to say? I’m excited to be a part of such a great team & have an awesome boss-lady.

Did you see her chosen superpower!?! I told you she was great.
Thanks Ray, I'm thankful you're here.

Today I'm continuing our introduction to a. favorite design's newest additions! A.K.A. my amazing partners in crime, the people that help make the dream work.

This week we have CoCo. She's been helping for a little over a month now. Every week I grow more and more fond of her. She works hard, picks up new tasks quickly, and is just frickin' adorable. Seriously. Her style, wit and attitude are endearing. She's one of those people you just want to be around. If I had to choose one word to describe CoCo it would be Open. Her openness to all things reminds me to embrace change; something I've struggled with most of my life. Her flexibility is teaching me attitude is the most important factor to all things. The more open and receptive, the better the experience. How lucky am I to have such a wise co-conspirator by my side?! She's also crazy talented. You can check out here work here.

Without further ado, meet CoCo, you're gonna love her too...

name? CoCo Schramel

how’d you hear about a. favorite design? Briar Press (a letterpress community website)

what attracted you to afd? The letterpress aspect of it and the beautiful, cool, quirky designs.

when did you start helping out? January 3^rd, 2018

what do you do at afd? I do mostly production and shipping work

what do you do when your not at afd? I paint and cook a lot. I love working with my hands and exploring new places around the city with my boyfriend Mike.

do you have hobbies? Many. Painting, printmaking, movie watching, collecting terrariums and succulents.

have you picked up any new skills since being at afd? Yes! I have learned how to successfully type on a typewriter. I have also learned how to score cards, and package and ship via UPS, DHL, USPS, etc.

what’s your favorite part about afd? The atmosphere and work environment. It is such a pleasant and comforting place to walk into each morning. I love hearing the sounds of the printing press, typewriter, and flowy music that is always playing.

what’s your least favorite part? I honestly don’t have one.

do you have any pets? Yes, a toy poodle named Ruby and a bearded dragon named Merlin (they do not get along), both of whom live in New Orleans with my parents.

any pets you’d love to have but don’t? I would love to have my own dog here eventually and a chameleon.

do you believe in spirit animals? Yes I do.

if so, what’s yours? I would say it’s a octopus

left or right brained? I am definitely right brained.

introvert or extrovert? A combination of both, but more of an introvert.

if money were no object & you could do anything, what would you do first? Take a trip to Japan and eat a lot of fancy omakase meals.

title (either given or taken)? Creative

sign? Leo

3 places you've lived? California, New Orleans, New York, Chicago

favorite place you lived? My favorite place will always be New Orleans because it is where I grew up and where my family lives. Chicago is growing on me though, the past 5 months that I have been living here have been magical.

favorite color? green

radio stations you listen to? Portugal the man, James Taylor, and White Stripes Pandora radio

favorite number? 25

magazine subscriptions? Bon appetite, Food and Wine, New York Magazine

nicknames? Cokes, Gumby, bunny

superpower you would like? To be able to fly

hopes, dreams & wishes? To get my name out there more as an artist, not to be famous per say, but to be recognized. I would also love to run and own my own business one day!

personal credo? Don’t sweat the small stuff.

anything else you'd like to say? Get your ink on

Isn't she amazing? Thanks CoCo, I'm thankful you're here.

It's already February! 2017 was a crazy whirlwind. I'm determined to slow down and be more present in 2018. That means taking time to enjoy tasks I neglect the moment projects and deadlines start piling up. Things like this blog, writing thank you notes, sketching daily, taking time to write in my gratitude journal, enjoying a relaxing bath, reading a book that isn't business related, cooking delicious food; you know all the doesn't feel necessary but truly is. 

So. I'd like to kick off our 2018 blog posts with an introduction to some of a. favorite design's newest additions! I'm not talking cards here. Rather the amazing humans that help make the dream work. We have a small but very caring staff I adore. You should get to know them.

First up we have Darcie. She's been helping for several months now and I can honestly say she's my personal cheerleader. It's wonderful to be around someone who appreciates all my daydreams and encourages me to make them happen. If I had to choose one word to describe Darcie it would be Playful. She reminds me to embrace the moment and most importantly, have fun.

Meet Darcie, you're gonna adore her too...

name? Darcie

how’d you hear about a. favorite design? through a friend

what attracted you to afd? great design & Amber’s sparkling personality

when did you start helping out? September 2017

what do you do at afd? a little bit of this a little bit of that...head cheerleader

what do you do when your not at afd? yoga, play with my dogs, go to the beach, sew

do you have hobbies? letterpressin’, photography, quilting, creating 

have you picked up any new skills since being at afd? I have mad shipping skills

what’s your favorite part about afd? seeing Amber’s new designs & being part of a great team

what’s your least favorite part? not seeing Scooby enough

do you have any pets? two dogs Scrappy & Chewie

any pets you’d love to have but don’t? I'll take any stray that comes my way. I love animals

do you believe in spirit animals? sure

if so, what’s yours? monkey...they like to sit in trees & fling sh*t

left or right brained? a little bit of both. I like organized chaos

introvert or extrovert? introverted extrovert

if money were no object & you could do anything, what would you do first? buy a house on the beach

title (either given or taken)? head cheerleader

sign? libra...always balancing

3 places you've lived? palm springs, seattle & chicago

favorite place you lived? so far chicago. midwesterns are the best!

favorite color? orange, pink, blue & grey

radio stations you listen to? none. spotify

favorite number? 7

magazine subscriptions? nada

nicknames? darcella, dareese, heavy d, d cup, corpse

superpower you would like? to be able to fly

hopes, dreams & wishes? for everyone to get along

personal credo? laugh & have fun

anything else you'd like to say? yogis do it with intention -amber told me that

Thanks Heavy D! I'm glad you're here.