Erinzam News

I’m multitasking! This time, several of the projects that I recently completed involved the wonderful Print Gocco. Once you start a print gocco project, it’s hard to stop making more and more!

Project number one is a new business card. Ben and I are both setting up a booth with our goods at a local festival in May (this is our first booth experience and we’re super excited!). Thanks to tax season, we have very few funds to dedicate to this venture, so we’re getting creative. For a new business card, I used sheets of acid free chip board. We already had stacks of these that we use to ship with our prints to keep them stiff. I decided to create a design that related to my books and drawings… like part of a page pulled from a sketchbook. I combined scans of my own handwriting and sketches with the font Cyclone (I promise I had no idea I was once again using a Hoefler & Frere-Jones font when I selected it!). I left space on the back to write in extra notes and information. My favorite part is the graphite color, which is a mix of black and silver inks. I like the little bird walking on the page line like a tightrope, too. The fun parts are done now! I do still have stacks of them to cut down to size, which isn’t quite so fun.

Projects number two and three are mini tag books. I really liked the vintage inventory tags that I previously used to make into little books, but my supply ran out. I decided to design my own, made to be filled out with information directly related to the content of the book. The little squirrel book was an idea that I just couldn’t resist. Ideas and sketches are the little nuts that you squirrel away into this book.

I must admit, this is the very first time that I have ever used one of my own books that I made! I have always used sketchbooks and journals that I received as gifts, etc. Sounds kind of weird, I know. I’ve been carrying around one of the little inventory books and so far I really like it. Right now I’m thinking of using one for the car to log gas and maintenance, one for recording my purchases, and of course one for sketches and ideas!

Both of these are currently available in my Etsy shop.

In January, my younger brother and only sibling, Brett, died in a single car accident. He was an amazing person and an extremely talented musician. He is missed so, so much.

“HAYS — Brett Anthony Zamrzla, age 24 of Hays, died Tuesday, January 22, 2008, the result of an automobile accident. He was born March 21, 1983, in Salina, Kansas the son of Bruce Anthony and Jeanette M. (Gustafson) Zamrzla.

Brett was a 2002 graduate of Chapman High School and attended school in Sylvan Grove through his sophomore year. He attended Fort Hays State University, where he was involved in many music activities. His love of music led him to be a part of music activities in the Hays, Ellis County and Dickinson County communities. Brett was a member of regional and local bands and he gave percussion music lessons. He was also a personal assistant for DSNWK in Victoria.

He is survived by his mother, Jeanette M. Zamrzla, of Hays; a sister, Erin L. Zamrzla and husband Ben Schlitter of Santa Monica, Calif.; grandparents, James and Eleanor (Clark) Gustafson of Smolan, Kan.; one uncle, Larry Zamrzla and wife Shirley of Salina; and two aunts, Virginia Clapp of Hays and Rhonda Toal of Hillsboro, Kan.

He was preceded in death by his father, Bruce A. Zamrzla; paternal grandparents, Anthony and Edith Zamrzla; and one uncle, Gene Clapp.

Memorial services will be 10 a.m. Friday, January 25, 2008, at the Covenant Church, 102 S. Washington in Lindsborg. Inurnment will follow the services at the Rose Hill Cemetery, rural Lindsborg.

The family will be present to greet friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Brock’s North Hill Chapel, 2509 Vine, Hays.

Brett’s family respectfully requests that you honor him by “paying it forward.” Please consider who might best receive the gift you have to give — flower, food, service, music, money, art … — and give it in loving memory of Brett. If you’d like to let us know what you’ve done, please send us a note (205 E 25th Terrace, Hays, KS 67601). May the peace of Christ be with you”

I love the way that this idea developed. While working on cassette tape books, I discovered that I somehow cut a stack of pages way too small. Not about to waste paper (oh no!) I began to scavenge around the studio for something that would make an appropriate cover for a tiny book. I came across a set of vintage inventory tags that I purchased from the Etsy shop, Other People’s Flowers. I had no plans for them at the time of their purchase… just a keen interest in collecting functional paper. Voila! The perfect match for my little mistake. These books are available here.

What does this mean? It means that I stayed up too late last night, and I still have many things to do! I first discovered this delicious drink at a Vietnamese restaurant years ago. They called it “Vietnamese Coffee”. My friends called it “liquid cigarettes”. Whatever you call it, it is tasty, and it will wake you up.

Start with a layer of sweetened condensed milk in the bottom of a tall glass. How much depends on the strength of the coffee and how sweet you like it… I usually begin with about 1/8 to 1/4 cup. The Vietnamese restaurant used a special little drip pot that sits right on top of the glass. A shot or two of espresso will have the same effect. I used our little Moka Express to make my espresso. Stir the espresso into the sweetened condensed milk and then add ice… lots of ice. Stir a little bit more and then enjoy! If you’re like me and don’t often indulge in high amounts of caffeine, you will soon be bouncing off of the walls.

Three more fabric books are ready for a new home! I did hesitate to give up #3 though, as I have a soft spot for typography. All of these covers are reclaimed from fabrics destined for who-knows-what or where. The first is from a damaged vintage tablecloth, the second from an old curtain, the third from a discarded mail bag. Although I have the raw materials for making a series of eight books this size, I want each one to be distinctly different. The first book is quilted and pillowy, the second has a special pocket that runs the length of the cover, and the third is unique because of the printing on the plastic canvas.

After moving, unpacking, arranging, etc. the studio is finally ready to be unveiled! I share a studio space with my husband, Ben Schlitter, although most of the time I am the one who has my stuff all over the place. Between the two of us we use this space to design, paint, draw, illustrate, photograph, screen print, bind books, sew, make various things out of paper, pack up our Etsy orders, you name it. This is the perfect place for a couple of art nerds to hang out.

One of my favorite things in the room is the red table (click on the top image to see a larger view), which was originally found by Ben, brown and ugly. A fresh coat of red paint spiced it up. This is the spot that I’m constantly trying to keep clean, but as you can see, no matter how hard I try, it always ends up covered with stuff! I am also quite fond of the small poster section in the corner, which includes beauties from Hatch Show Print and Gardner Design. Let’s not forget the “shelf of goodies” above the computer. A selection of goodies near a Mac is a necessity for every graphic designer. Some of these include: packaging for a real Russian robot and mini parking garage, little wire bicycles from Thailand, a few wind up toys and bobblehead creatures, and the obligatory rubber chicken.