Undeniable Enthusiasm

It's hard to believe an entire year has gone by since we offered our very first introduction to letterpress workshop. Since then, our participants have included everything from scientists just looking to get out of the lab, to die-hard letterpress fans ready to start their own business. No matter the case, every participant has shown undeniable enthusiasm. It has been a true pleasure imparting my knowledge and encouraging the revival of this otherwise dying craft.

The first workshop for 2011 is scheduled for Sunday, January 23. Please visit the Modus Paperie & Press website for information on how to register.

Modus Featured in CRAVE Vancouver!

The CRAVE Vancouver "Urban Girl's Manifesto" is the most unique and stylish guidebook for entreprenesses that showcases some of the most creative, interesting, and gutsy proprietors throughout the city. Modus Paperie & Press is proud to be selected as one of only 150 businesses featured in the latest edition of CRAVE Vancouver!





What is CRAVE? CRAVE Vancouver is the resource that connects urban gals to the sassiest, gutsiest, most inspiring people they need to know in Vancouver. In addition to the guide, their modern marketplace of soirees, gatherings and online networking serves as your ambassador to everything there is to CRAVE in our city.

We have a limited quantity of guides in stock. To take advantage of our half-off promotion, please email us today!

Last workshop of 2010!

We have one last workshop scheduled for 2010 on November 28th! Over the course of the 1-day, introduction to letterpress workshop you'll learn to set lead type, print from plates, mix ink, trim paper on an antique gillotine cutter, and of course, operate the 100-year-old press.

During the workshop you'll create a set of 12 greeting cards with your very own hand-set credit on the back. How you use them is up to you – mail them out to your friends and family or package them up into sets and give them as gifts!

These workshops have been filling up fast so to avoid disappointment, please visit the Modus website today for information on how to guarantee your spot!

Invitation Buzz

To celebrate the Hallowe'en season, our friends at Invitation Buzz out of Maine assembled a "Fabulous Lineup" of black cats and ours made the cut! Check out their blog for all things stationery.

Workshop Review from Edmonton

If you've been considering taking one of our workshops, you may want to have a peek at Melissa from Wedding Obsession's review of the September workshop. Here's a snippet: "Sure, people question why we’re turning to an ‘old’ and ‘ancient’ way of printing, but it’s so thrilling to see the final product and the steps that went into it." Click here for her full entry.

Letterpress Enthusiasts from the North East

In the September workshop we hosted Melissa of Wedding Obsession and her friend Ashley who came all the way from Edmonton just to learn letterpress! They exercised great patience in hand-setting their bugs and locked up like experts in one shot. The plate printing went as smoothly as we could have hoped – registration adjustment, roller alignment, rail balancing and voilà – perfection! Now Melissa and Ashley can say they've learned the basics (and a few intricacies) of letterpress in theory and practice.


Hand-set type – Helvetica & Murray Hill – all locked up.


Perfect impression.


A cheerful cardinal.


Ashley & Melissa showing off the fruits of their efforts!

Fall Workshops

A little update on the fall 2010 workshop schedule at Modus Paperie & Press:

AUGUST: Summer Hiatus
SEP 18th: Sorry - Class Full!
OCT 16th: Now Booking

The fall sessions are filling up quickly so to avoid disappointment, please book early!

Shop Direct!

In addition to our exciting news on July 28th about our products being carried by Favourite gift boutique, we are also happy to announce, you can now make secure online purchases directly through our website. We are continually adding to our collection so please check back often for hot-off-the-press items!

Find us at Favourite!

You can now pick up all your favourite Modus greetings, gift tags and limited edition prints at Favourite gift boutique in the Lonsdale Quay! Favourite is a delicious little shop and the Lonsdale Quay Market is as vibrant as ever. If you don't live on the North Shore, don't fret, it's easy to get there! Just make your way to the Seabus terminal, enjoy the crossing... hop off on the other side, and you're there!


Favourite is located on the second level. It's just at the top of the stairs and overlooks the bustling market.

The Fun Continues...

This weekend marked the 3rd installation of our Introduction to Letterpress workshop at the Modus studio. This time around we added to our barrel full of sock monkeys and transformed our California poppies into a beautiful rich red variety with crisp black stems. Oooooh-ahhhhh. And as promised, I remembered my camera this time!


Who doesn't love printing sock monkeys!?


Monkey plate.


Printing poppies.


Locked up hand set type.



Finished product!

Success!

Yesterday we held our very first workshop at Modus Paperie & Press. When all was said and done, we sent home some beautiful turquoise business cards that were hand-set in lead type, and an adorable set of "Bee Mine" mini-broadsides perfect for spreading some Valentine's Day cheer. We certainly covered a lot of ground in a day and had loads of fun in the process but don't take my word for it, check out Lemmonism, the student's blog post on her experience with letterpress!

If you'd like to join in the fun, visit our website for more information on upcoming dates and registration.

UPDATE: Letterpress Classes Scheduled for 2010

JANUARY 31
Class size: minimum of 1, maximum of 2
Suggested Theme: Valentine's Day
Hours: 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM (with a 1-hour lunch)
Cost: $240 CDN (includes all materials)
Registration Deadline: CLOSED

MARCH 6 & 7
Class size: minimum of 3, maximum of 4
Suggested Theme: Easter
Hours: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM (with a 1-hour lunch)
Cost: $240 CDN (includes all materials)
Registration Deadline: February 26th

APRIL 24 & 25
Class size: minimum of 3, maximum of 4
Suggested Theme: Mother's Day
Hours: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM (with a 1-hour lunch)
Cost: $240 CDN (includes all materials)
Registration Deadline: April 16th

For more information or to register, email Modus Paperie & Press or call 604 313 6954. Payment is due at time of registration. (Paypal, Canada Post Money Order or Cheque)

Portobello West Holiday Market

Just a quick reminder that Modus Paperie & Press will be participating in the Portobello West Holiday Market this weekend. We'll be sharing booth 38 with Lovably mobiles located in the center aisle to the left of the front entrance.

If you've never been to this event before, it's held at the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station located on Cottrell Street just off Terminal Avenue near The Home Depot. It's a really great venue that has loads of natural light, tall ceilings and ample FREE parking.

LOCATION: Rocky Mountaineer Train Station
ADDRESS: 1755 Cottrell Street, Vancouver, BC
DATE: December 12 & 13
TIME: Noon to 6PM (both days)
WEBSITE: click here

Last Stop to Shop

It's hard to believe it's been two years since my first post announcing the Beaumont Studios' holiday craft event, "Last Stop to Shop." This year the event is stronger than ever with a juried selection of vendors including both Beaumont tenants and local artists.

Join us for the opening night festivities with bevys, appies and music. All of the studios will be open (including ours!), making this a perfect opportunity to check out one of the coolest artists' buildings in Vancouver.

Hope to see you there!

WHERE: The Beaumont Studios
ADDRESS: 316 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
DATE: December 18-20
TIME: Friday 7PM - Midnight, Saturday & Sunday 11AM - 7PM

Last Class of 2009

Once again, Modus Paperie & Press will be included in the curriculum for The Beaumont Studio's "School of Thought." Come on out this Thursday, December 10th for one last opportunity to pass your electives.

The final night of classes will include:

WOOD SHOP 101: Tyler Harris will guide you through a entertaining class of woodworking.

LIFE 101: Dennis Currie will inspire your spirit to live life to it's fullest.

ARTS & CRAFTS: Amber Butler will show you how to get creative and think outside the box.

LETTERPRESS PRINTING: Back by popular demand and the Dean's favourite class of the semester, come experience a little taste of what a printer's life was like back in the Industrial Revolution! The 25 minute class will cover a brief history of our letterpress, the process of relief printing, a printing demonstration and a Q&A period. AND...also by popular demand, Modus Paperie & Press will have their latest product line available for purchase during break time!

WHERE: The Beaumont Studios
ADDRESS: 316 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
DATE: Thursday, December 10th
TIME: 8PM - Midnight
COST: $5 per class (you must register for a minimum of 1 class)
CONTACT: Dean Harris

Bizzy Bee

Well, as always, my more than month-long absence is a definite sign of me being a very bizzy little bee. November was filled with a flurry of visualizing, strategizing, debating and compromising all in anticipation of our marathon of holiday shows that began on November 28th. After display planning, all remaining hours were spent at the Modus Paperie & Press studio, printing, printing, printing, and doing fussy little tasks like folding cards and packaging gift tags.

Our very first market, the Portobello West holiday season opener, happened over the last weekend of November. It was heaps of work and an enormous learning experience. Some silly decisions and omission were made – like to use bricks as display props (duh!) and to not bring a chair – but all in all, it was a valuable first-time experience that established a great foundation for our next show.

A week later, our second show – Got Craft? – was indeed, an entirely different experience. The display had been streamlined (bricks returned!) and everything was organized to fit neatly into two large totes. The show itself was spectacular. The lineup for swag bags started at 7:30 am, doors opened at 11:00 and the hall was packed until closing at 5:00. Randomly assigned, Modus Paperie & Press was one of 4 vendors located on the stage and by what I could see from up there (and from patrons' rave reviews), the Got Craft? organizers, Andrea and Robert, did a fantastic job at vendor selection. Congratulations to them both for yet another extraordinarily successful event!

Kool Kidz

Last night's inaugural School of Thought event at The Beaumont was heaps of fun! It was a great turn-out with about 80 of the coolest cool kids showing up to join in the fun.

There were 3 blocks of 4 regular curriculum classes throughout the night including: graffiti stenciling, photography lighting, enlightened finance and old skool letterpress printing. And the fun even continued at recess with a couple quick wine purchasing and sorbet making demos in the breezway.

Kind of like shop and art combined into one, letterpress was definitely popular with the crowd. Only scheduled for 3 blocks, I ended up doing a 4th late-night class by popular demand, squeezing in as many people as we could into the little Modus Paperie & Press studio. I'm a little hoarse today but it was great fun being on the faculty and having the opportunity to introduce so many enthusiastic people to the art of letterpress. If you were there, it was great meeting you – and gold stars all around!

This event will be held every Thursday for the next 7 weeks. Next week all the classes will be different so if it's letterpress you're interested in, it'll likely be included again in the November 5th curriculum. Stay tuned for more details!

School of Thought

The Beaumont Studios presents School of Thought, a night of practical and fun classes with over 20 teachers and 30 subjects. The event will be held for 8 consecutive Thursdays beginning this Thursday October 22nd.

Each week there will be at least five classes to choose from. All classes will be 30 min long. You can drop in and out of class throughout the night, or skip class all together to hang out in "homeroom" (AKA: the bar). After the last class, "show-and-tell" will begin at 11PM.

This is a great way to meet new people and learn a new thing or two.

Subjects for Thursday, October 22nd include:

• Financial Warrior (Mac Daddy)
• Photography Lighting (Wayne Webb)
• Letterpress Printing at Modus Paperie & Press (Manna Wescott)
• Stenciling Graffiti (Charmaine and Steve)
• Culinary Arts (Sean Burrows)

The premier night is filling up quickly so please confirm your attendance asap!

WHERE: The Beaumont Studios
ADDRESS: 316 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
DATE: 8 Thursdays beginning October 22nd
TIME: 8PM - Midnight
COST: $5 per class (you must register for a minimum of 1 class)
RSVP: Jude Kusnierz

Portobello West

Once again, Modus Paperie & Press is pleased to announce our participation in another local show. Portobello West Fashion + Art Market is one of the most prolific art markets in Vancouver. Inspired by the famous artisan markets of Europe, Portobello West brings together Vancouver’s talented artists and designers in an eclectic and often surprising mix. Come down and meet the designers, hear their stories and take home truly original pieces.

Since the November 28/29 show will be our first event of the year, we'll be celebrating the launch of our 2009 holiday line with a free gift with purchase for the first 50 customers! But don't worry, if you're not quite ready to face Christmas until December, we'll also be there on December 12/13, and if you quote the secret password "sunday morning" we'll have a free gift with purchase for you too. (Sorry, only while quantities last.)

LOCATION: Rocky Mountaineer Station
ADDRESS: 1755 Cottrell Street, Vancouver, BC
DATE: November 28/29 & December 12/13
TIME: Noon to 6PM
WEBSITE: click here

Video: Portobello West

We're live!

In effort to honour our 2009 marketing plan, we're happy to flip the switch on the new Modus Paperie & Press website! Please take a browse to check out our latest letterpress work and discover the full complement of services we offer.