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This past weekend, we packed up our car and headed to Brooklyn for the Renegade Craft Fair. It was my first Renegade experience, and I was incredibly excited to participate. It was a two day event at 50 Kent Avenue in Brooklyn, and I there was certainly a fantastic energy in being surrounded by so many other amazing artists.

I had a hard time choosing which cards I wanted to take, especially with new designs that I wanted to test, so I purchased the spinning rack that you see in the photos. Purchasing that rack was the best decision I've made in a long time. It was so much fun to see people interact with my cards, and it helped to have something outside of the booth drawing people in. The big sellers of the weekend were the Holy Shit Balls card and one of the new cards from the Obligatory Card series.

Day one was a bit rough as it rained for most of the day. However, there is only so much that one can do about the weather, and I suppose that is one of the risks anyone takes in participating in an outdoor show. However, I took advantage of the situation and still made some good contacts and introduced myself to other vendors. In addition, my friend Steph, who also hosted us for the weekend, stopped by to keep us company. And when the rain really poured, we made the best of it with kimchi tacos and a Brooklyn Lager. Tacos make everything better!

Day two was a complete turnaround from day one. The sky was blue, the sun was out, and the fair was packed. I was thankful for a busy second day after feeling a little disheartened about the first day. Overall, I had a fun time, and hope to participate in another Renegade show in the future. Thanks Brooklyn, for making this a fantastic experience!

Next stop? This Saturday the 20th in Baltimore at Hampdenfest. I'll be selling my cards, prints, and pencils from 11-7. Hope to see some of you locals there!

I'm popping in to break the radio silence with a quick update. This summer has been flying by, and I can't quite believe that we're nearly halfway through September. My summer has been filled to the brim with weekend activities ranging from neighborhood events, family gatherings, music festivals, canning, beer brewing, and work events. While there is still quite a bit to look forward to this month, I'll be happy for some respite once October rolls around.

First things first-- upcoming shows!

Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn - Saturday, September 13th and Sunday, September 14th - 11am to 6pm.

I applied to Renegade on a total whim and was so excited to find out that I was accepted! I'm really looking forward to this coming weekend, and have been hustling like crazy to feel somewhat prepared. I'm hoping that I'll have a chance to meet some amazing new people as well as catch up with old friends. Come see me at booth #166!

Hampdenfest - Saturday, September 20 - 11am to 7pm

I'll be participating in this local festival for the the first time this year. The festival takes place in one of my favorite Baltimore neighborhoods, and I'm looking forward to settling more roots within my own Baltimore community.

Festival on the Hill - Saturday, October 11 - 11am to 5pm

This will be my second year at Bolton Hill's Festival on the Hill here in Baltimore. It's a small neighborhood festival that is so much fun and built on so much community. If you're a Baltimore local, I recommend coming out that weekend just for a fun fall afternoon.

In addition to prepping for shows, I've also been experimenting with new materials and creating a few new designs. Here's a look at some of my new favorites.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to these days! What has been going on in your neck of the woods? I'd love to hear from you!

Letter writing and cards go way back for me. A couple weeks ago, I sat with my cousin and aunt in my favorite coffee shop. "I think I have some of the very first Heidi cards," my cousin stated, "And you know, come to think of it, I really do think that's where it all started. You even created such exquisite envelopes from magazine pages."

She may be right. In our childhood, and even every now and again in our adulthood, we exchanged dozens of letters. I would carefully choose my words, add illustrations, make envelopes, and then send them off to Utah or Seattle or wherever she was living at the time.

Aside from writing these letters or postcards, there is joy in selecting stamps that have character. When I go to the post office, I choose the stamps that interest me-- jazz legends, famous filmmakers, mid-century modern inventions. The stamps make the art of letter sending an even happier one.

While in college, Andrew and I spent back to back semesters studying abroad. While we didn't get to speak to each other very often during these two semesters, we communicated regularly, sharing small snippets of our lives on postcards. Between the two of us, we probably wrote over 100 postcards that are now stowed away in a box, photos of Australian sunsets and Italian architecture representing adventures or specific days one of us had wanted to share with the other.

Letters connect people. Aside from my love of paper, this is why I make cards. There is something about writing that is cathartic. And something about giving and receiving letters generates joy. We must use our imagination and their written words to envision what the writer is experiencing, connect to those experiences, and then do our best to present our own.

And so I ask you, will you be my pen pal? I have a stash of note cards and post cards that I have collected over the years, and I would love to share them and some written word with you! Send me a letter, card, or postcard to the following address, and I'll be happy to write back and share a bit about my day with you.

Heidi Shenk
PO Box 12396
Baltimore, MD 21281

I hope to hear from you! :)
 

Coffee is king in the mornings around here. If you've ever attempted to speak to me before I've had my morning coffee, you may know that the conversation to ensue will be jumbled, incomprehensible, and quite possibly grumpy.

While brainstorming ideas to create more counter space in the row house, we opted for a coffee bar along the brick wall in our kitchen. Moving the coffee maker would free up both counter and cabinet space. We needed a narrow console that would fit behind our counter bar stools and still allow foot traffic, and we needed shelving for our mugs, tea, coffee, and other accessories.

In the end, we opted for a rustic yet industrial styled console for the bar. We stopped by our architectural salvage yard and picked up two old 2x10 boards to reclaim and use as floating shelves. I found an assortment of vintage tins on Etsy and at the Cleveland Flea, while the mid-century modern tea set was a Christmas gift from my mother in law.

This little bar area has become the perfect space to quickly make a pot of coffee or a cup of tea, and has also doubled as extra storage space for our other indulgences-- beer and wine. The bottom shelf of the console serves as a bookshelf for our many cookbooks as well. This tiny little transformation of such a small space is a huge win for overcoming the problems faced when living in a narrow row house. In addition, the bar has been a fun way of putting some of my favorite items on display.

Do you have a coffee bar or a favorite nook in your house?

The summer months in the greeting card industry tend to be slower. No major card giving holidays, and less online shopping as people spend more time outside. I'm ok with that. It gives me time to finally work on concepts that have been stirring for a while.

I've recently been experimenting with gold foil printing, a process that has been time consuming, frustrating, and rewarding all in the same moment. I feel as though I've finally reached a point in which I've perfected the process-- I know what works best and what certainly didn't work at all. While I still have room to grow and more to learn, I feel comfortable offering more items in my shop that use this process.

My most recent is a landscape series, in which I've illustrated four different landscapes.

I digitized my illustrations, colored them, and printed the color with archival ink. I then ran the colored print through a second process of gold foil printing the elements that were left uncolored. Each is printed on 100% recycled paper, which really lends to the natural aspect of each illustration.

I'm thrilled with how the series has turned out-- just as I had envisioned when I began the first pen and ink illustrations. No two of these prints are alike, as I hand print each one, leaving them with their small nuances and originality that comes with the process of the gold foil printing. And above all, these illustrations have been a catalyst for a new creative energy that has forced me out of a rut that I'd been previously had a hard time of overcoming.

What new projects have you been working on lately?