Something interesting about me...

Letterpress design by Moi.

Another view, oh and the bouquet is designed by me as well.

A design for another good  friend.

My Letterpress and all of the ink and paper.

The plate on the platen ready to be pressed.

I had a funny thought last night as I was going thru my blog.  My name is Gretchen Opgenorth Designs, but I have shown very little of what I design.  Well, I kind of am a Jill of all trades, I design lots of things.  Today I am going to focus on my letterpress designs.   letterpress you say?????

Yes, I have a letterpress an old #11 Pearl Press, that is behind tons of boxes in the garage at the moment, part of my creative neurosis.  A few years ago (3 1/2 to be exact b/c by little Ben was only 6 months old) I thought 'Hey, I love letterpress, I am going to learn how to do that, get myself one of those beautiful machines.'  And by golly, I got one and taught myself how to use it.  When the kids were little and took naps I would steal myself away to the basement and feed the paper in a rhythmic fashion and just go away to another place.  I never quite got a business off of the ground, preferring to design for family and friends.  Maybe someday...or it might just be one of those things I can say I "know" how to do.  Here are a couple of my favorite projects that I took pictures of.  Enjoy.

Packing up the box is even fun...the paper all in a row makes its own design. 

Some programs I did.

Hope you have a little more of a sense that I DO actually design things and don't just ponder the beauty of everything else (although that is fun too!)  Off to do some REAL graphic design work for a client..not the most glamorous but it is what pays the bills:)

Have a great day!