Apparently Larry Bird is King

At dinner the other night:

Me: So the Lakers vs the Celtics in the finals, you must be happy about that [the boyfriend is from Boston]
Chris: Oh yah, it's going to be great, I can't wait.
Me: I don't have any attachment to them. I mean, all I think about when I think of the Celtics is Larry Bird.
Chris: Oh my gawd you just made me the happiest man in the world, I knew I loved you for a reason.
Me: I mean, seriously, isn't he what you think of with the Celtics? - He's the whitest white guy ever.
Chris: Stop, Stop...let's just enjoy this pure moment without talking about it any more.


PS: I'm still pulling for the Lakers.

A Big Fat Check & I must be insane

I'm going this evening to print on the press that I'll be buying this weekend. I've already printed on it but the guy I'm buying it from knows I'm working on a wedding project that needs to get completed so he's letting me have a second round before the truck and crew come to pick up "Stella" , as I've named her, on Monday.

Next to my car this is probably the largest, single purchase I've ever made. I don't own a house so I don't have that one to compare it to. Somehow this decision, though scary, is not as paralyzing for me as it normally would be. I'm not quite sure where the confidence in this is coming from but I'll take it. I'm normally a person who operates from fear, or rather, non operates from fear. I get myself so worked up about the what-if's that I talk myself out of good things. Like the Chanel dress for instantance that I mentioned a while back.

This, obviously, is much different. It's something that works, that creates, that helps me to make the art that feeds my soul. People often ask me how I do so many projects at a time ie: full time job, classes, photography, freelance, writing for the site and to be honest, I don't really know how it all gets done. It's a force greater than me. It's a creative force that propels me when I don't think I can do any more. There have been moments in the past few years with down time, with nothing scheduled and I always feel empty inside. Creating for me is like breathing.

So here it goes...possibly the craziest purchase, next to my vintage 65' Vespa [I sold her a couple summers ago] that I've ever made. I hope the universe is gearing up to send me paying clients because my savings account is oh so sad today. I'm walking confidently, yet blindly into this new section of creativity.

So if you have a minute today, if you could send some good thoughts my way, or possibly share with a friend that may need some letterpress work to be done my info I would be so grateful. Soon I'll have a site up with all my work so I can direct people to but first I have to get this 1200 lb piece of love home.

More news from NYC

So I promised that I would talk about my star sightings from New York. To be honest they weren't super exciting but it is fun to spot someone on the street when you're there. It's funny, I live in LA but I hardly ever see anyone famous here. Everyone is in their cars here but nearly every time I go to NYC I see someone famous walking down the street. I've seen Natalie Portman [so beautiful it should be a crime], Christy Turlington [curvier yeah! than I had expected], Ron Howard and his daughter, and various other B-Listers that I can't even recall at the moment. So drum roll please....Spring 08' sightings...Ivanka Trump and Carnie Wilson.



Ivanka we saw on Sunday morning power walking with her girlfriend on the Upper East. The Girl has legs for days, and I can happily say isn't a stick girl. Oddly enough we walked another block opposite of her and she had just passed her own fine jewelry store.


The second spotting was interesting as it was on my Jet Blue Flight home. She was unassuming and very undiva like. There isn't a first class with JB so she sat with us average folk, brought her own salad, chatted with the woman sitting next to her and the flight attendant. A few people recognized her and she was always smiling and saying hello if she needed to. You can tell she goes out of her way to be kind, which in daily life, must be a lot of work. She's a beautiful girl and though she has been in the press recently for gaining some of her weight back I thought she looked lovely. It's a shame that we all expect ourselves and others to fit into the skinny mold when clearly her body prefers to be more round. I hope that she finds peace with that as well, but easier said than done especially when tabloids like to say the worst.

The National Stationery Show

So last week I went to the National Stationery Show. And if I were on my game I would have posted the minute I got back from NYC. Or if I was really, really together and hip to the scene, I would own a laptop and would have posted while sitting in the airport like really together people.

But, since right now I'm barely keeping my shit together with way, way too many freelance projects, you get the shizzle 10 years later. Whatever folks, I hear you moaning but I gotta sleep. I tell you, it was a little daunting and I got a little overwhelmed while I was there. There are so many great artists working now in letterpress I got myself a little bummed out about what I have to offer and if it's anything different or better than what is being offered now. I'll have to just have faith and courage that I do have something unique that people want.

Here are some people who really rocked my world.

Oddball press


Hammerpress
They probably would hate me for saying this but I love how they look like Hatch Show Print, but funkier.


Pica Press



cecily ink


Modern Printed Matter


There are a few more but why kill a good thing now? I'll post more later.

The Groom Wore Slippers

Some dear friends of mine got married over the long weekend, and though it may seem odd to most, the groom wore slippers to his wedding - and yet it doesn't really surprise me at all. Dave has been my quirky friend from highschool and when I say quirky I can't really begin to explain. There are the cactus he collects [Cactus Dave] is his name to all of us, or perhaps there is the California Pottery collection, and the arts and crafts furniture and before that there was baseball cards and vintage toys. Then there is the music friends, and the art friends, and the motorcycle people, and the tattoos, and the transgendered folk. I've told him before that my life is so much more interesting with his friends in it.






It was a small affair [30 people] at one of their pottery friend's home in Newport Beach, CA. I began taking pictures of the house early in the day but was asked not to publish them because of an upcoming book that will feature their home. It really was that good. I can't say for certain, but I'm fairly sure that this couple has one of the most extensive collections of California Pottery [Bauer, Catalina, Montery, Roseville] in the world. Every square inch of the house was covered in some interesting pottery or Monterey Tile. I really wish I could show you pictures.



Because the event was so small and the normal line up of events wasn't scheduled, when it came time to cut the cake I began asking who was going to give a toast. I wasn't sure Ian [14] would be up for it, but his new grandpa gave him a pep talk before hand and Ian gave a lovely speech saying what a special day it was, even though they had been together for so many years. It was very sweet, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one to shed a tear.

congrats to all.

I wish you love

This weekend is busy with festivities. Today is a friend's birthday [hi R] and Saturday is a wedding of two dear friends. I love this song. I'm not sure all the words apply but the sentiment is there. I wish you all love as well. Have a great holiday weekend.

Polaroid kicks bootie again

Polaroid's Digital Mobile Photo Printer is pretty darn cool. Get this kids...an inkless printer. Yes, inkless. Available this summer for about $150.

from their site:
The heart of this new "ZINK" category of printing is the ZINK Paper™. The patented ZINK Paper is an advanced composite material with embedded yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals, activated with 200 million heat pulses, in 30 seconds, in a single pass. With 100 billion crystals in a 2x3" print, the paper is 100% inkless. A ZINK-enabled printer uses heat to activate and colorize these crystals. Because there is no ink, every ZINK-enabled device has the unique benefits of being small, simple, elegant, and eco-friendly.

printable from a camera phone or a regular camera, prints are done in about 60 seconds. Shake your Polaroid picture sistah.

what You Get:
• 2” x 3” borderless, sticky-back prints
• Bluetooth, PictBridge compatible
• Smudge-proof, water-resistant, tear-proof photos
• Fade-resistant, long-lasting images
• No waste – no ink cartridges
• Prints in about 60 seconds
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Just when I cried over them discontinuing Polaroid film they give me hope once again.

New York was quick but fun. I love that city but man does it know how to bleed you of money! I wish I had more time to tell you about my adventures but right now my life feels like this photo:



The next 7 days are going to be rough with freelance work, a wedding I'm helping with not to mention the 9-5 that pays my bills.forgive me if posts are light.

I did have two star sightings, one of which sat across from me on my plane ride home. And girls I did not fly first class. To be continued...

You say it's your birthday....well it's my birthday too

It's my birthday this weekend. I'm not normally a "hey wish me happy birthday" sort of person but I kinda feel like... "hey wish me happy birthday" it would be so nice to come home from NY to notes. Have a great weekend everyone.

Christmas comes early for SGM

Gawd Bless this 'hot tranny mess'. Perez Hilton is reporting a reality show for Logo to find the next "drag queen". Just when SGM was giving up on Bravo and Workout they send us this beautiful gem of a show.

Logo just announced a new competition reality show titled RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The series will consist of six, one hour episodes and is expected to air early next year.

One lucky contestant will be able to compete for a spot on the series by signing up to the show's site, RuPaulsDragRace.com, with online votes determining the winner.

RuPaul will not only be the host, but will also be the contestants' mentor along with judge.

I can't wait this is going to be awesome!

Right Now...

I'm attempting to color correct this photo that has got sun bleached in a hallway. I'm not doing a very good job of it. I love this photo because of my little brother, he has his eyes closed and is wearing the best polyester leisure suit ever. Lordy, look at the size of my hands! I never noticed that. I got me some big ol' paws from my dad. Lucky for me now, I've grown into them.

I'm trying not to think about how bad my back feels right now. I had a muscle spasm this AM that sent me to my knees. That's always a great way to start a day when it feels like an ice pick has been inserted into your ribcage.

Sadly, I've finished my favorite drink fizzy water and St. Germain. I think it might be a bad thing that I have drank an entire bottle of this on my own since coming home from Palm Springs. Lordy, I've taken to drinking while working... too bad there isn't enough alcohol to do me any good.

I did get two out of the three major freelance projects completed tonight. I'm in the home stretch.

I think I just pissed my boyfriend off on the phone. He's either tired or annoyed, possibly both.

I'm going to NYC this weekend and I'm not even excited about it. I'm going to the National Stationery Show. You would think I would be excited about seeing my work featured there. I don't know what's wrong with me -perhaps a fever has set in, perhaps another drink is in order.

One of the Many Great Things about Girlfriends

April: Guess who I saw this weekend? [she's a restaurant GM]
Me: Who?
April: Your ex-husband.
Me: Oh gawd really?
April: Yeah, he was trying to get for dinner on a Saturday night without a reservation. Also, I was a little mean to him.
Me: [excitedly] Like how?
April: Well, when he walked up I said "DJ Wxxxxxx?" in the tone like "oh my gosh is it you?" [he dj's at a local bar on Monday ntes] He got really excited like someone had recognized him. He asked me "How do I know you?"......so I said, "you remember, Richele's best friend April". His face dropped about 5 feet. And then when he inquired about getting in for dinner I told him the wait was 2.5 hrs. It was really only an hour.
Me: Nice work on the DJ move -that was awesome.
April: I think he was with his wife.
Me: No, didn't I tell you? she left him, they're divorced.
April: No, you didn't tell me that!
Me: Oh yeah happened a while ago. I guess marrying someone who's 21 when you're 35 isn't such a keen idea.
April: Well then he was with a very short woman wearing a huge straw hat, it was very bizarre.
Me: You know he'll probably try and come back right?
April: No, he won't.
Me: I wouldn't be surprised if he called and asked for you - he's clueless like that.
April: Don't worry I think the tone of my DJ Wxxxxx, horrified him enough, as well as my hostess, I had to explain to her why I was so incredibly rude to him. Plus, if he calls, we're booked.

A little something called Etsy

You may have heard of it... a little shop called Etsy? All the cool kids are doing it these days. I'm late as ever to the game but I have put a few things up for sale in case you're interested. Mostly, it was Karey's idea over at Mackin Ink, she wanted me to put my baby tins up for sale.

So I'm getting crazy... first Etsy...next I'll be drinking cocktails and flashing someone at the bar my letterpressed invites telling them I want to marry them or something wacky like that.

Visit my shop at
Richie Design

currently just check and money order but eventually I'll get my paypal up and running as well so things can be charged.

Ex-boyfriends

I went to have lunch with my ex-beau on Saturday - we had a fine lunch. I got to see his new home which is really beautiful and stylish just like I expected it to be. Among many thing he is a style mavin.

It's funny I don't know why it's the case with me but I am friends with most all of my Ex's or most of the men I've dated for any length of time. I feel like, they were interesting men before I made out with them and I still like them as people, so I generally continue a friendship with them [ok, ok.. NOT the ex-husband he's still an asshole]. Most people don't understand it but it works for me so what the hay ya know?

It doesn't always end as peacefully as it might sound, there is generally a time of not speaking, sometimes of anger, sometimes of hurt but we all have seemed to work through it in the end. In the case with Saturday's beau, we lived together, divided the things, fought over who got the apartment, hung up on one-another, called each other asshole and bitch a few times before it was resolved. This out of the many men was the hardest to get through and there were times when I questioned how I ever loved this man because it became so bitter. A friend says you can tell a lot about someone in how they break up with another. This is true and sometimes it's full of emotion and isn't pretty.

Roger and I were so good on paper. He's a extremely talented photographer, me an artist and creative person, he's a stylish guy, I'm a stylie girl, we were looking for the same things. Somehow it just wasn't enough and I ended up being the meanie that left first. I know [because we have both said it out loud] that we learned a lot about ourselves and from each other from that 2+ year period of time. For me I think it was a test, can you really stand up for yourself this time? If so, will you do it? I took me a while but I did.

Oddly, the best part of our get together wasn't about him but happened on my car ride there. When I thought about how wonderful it was to have a current love that understood this, or didn't, but let me do it anyway. He is so secure with himself and us, that he lets me do this if I want to. I don't know if I would be as open if the shoe was on the other foot. I'm jealous of the ex's no matter what. Somehow he knows that it's all fine. I think he also knows that I love him dearly, more than I ever thought I could love someone. In the end this is what makes a relationship - even with the ex's in the picture or not.

I'm glad to have all the ex's in my life, they are good men and I'm proud of them as much as I'm sure they are proud of me. We had some good times, learned a lot and in the end remained good people and that is what I'm most proud of.

Happy Mother's Day

Isn't it funny when you find a photo of your mom when she was younger and it looks just like you?



Me and Mom in probably 1970-ish I would be a one and a half or so I believe. My mom is 28 at the time [I think].

Happy Mother's Day, thanks for being my friend.

The Most Insanely cool offer ever

So here it is people...It looks pretty solid that I'm buying a giant hunk of metal - more aptly known as a press to continue with my letterpress obsession. I want to concentrate on wedding invites but of course birthday, baby etc would be welcome.

Because I'm still new at this game and would like to add more samples to my portfolio, so I want to make a very special offer to my readers. I'll be taking on 1 perhaps 2 more clients for an upcoming class that I'm taking at COST.

You could potentially have a complete set of custom designed invites that are letterpressed for something in the family of $500 [normally it would be anywhere from $1500-3000]. If you are getting married in the fall and can take possession of your invites either in July or August and still have proper time to send out I would like to chat with you. [I'm going to put a max of invites at 100 pieces to be fair to everyone]

You would be required to pay for all paper, ink, envelopes, plates and film, not to mention my gas and shipping [if necessary] for sourcing these pieces. Based on a set that I'm working on currently it will most likely run you about $500-600 depending on the final piece. I might require a few coffees from Peet's in this deal as well.

I'm not sure how many people I'll have taking the bite on this so please give me a little sob story of why I should choose you. I'm in the southern california area but can work long distance. Don't forget to leave me your email in the comments section.

Also incase you're sending this on to someone you know here's a bit about me:

I've been working in graphic design and advertising for the past 13 years, I have a fine art background and have been working in fine art printing and letterpress for the past 3 years. I have also worked on my own in the greeting industry for the past 20 years, most recently I was published by Madison Park Greetings.

About my style... I tend to work toward the modern with clean lines and simple type but I can generally work with anyone's taste and make it work for both of us. I would be happy to send more samples of my work along in the getting to know you dialog.

The Costume Institute's Party of the Year

I wanted to highlight some of my favorites as I clicked through Style.com's party photos but first I have just one photo to begin with with the question...

WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS?
actress Tilda Swinton and someone named Justin Bond? Now I've heard some funky things about this woman that I promised not to mention due to getting someone in hotel management in trouble but this is even more odd than that story. I love me some drag queens but I'm not buying this one. [*I just googled him apparently he's a Tony nominated actor/actress?]

I was going to do a "bad outfits and what were you thinking post" but I thought I would focus on the good. Since I'm turning over a new leaf and being Nice. So on to the beautiful and spectacular. You can see all bad decisions including Linda Carter [aka Wonder Woman] hair-do ...ummm what is that? at Style.com's coverage

The Costume Institute's Party...part 2

See that solo woman second from the left? I share a last name with her, and that's about all we share. Ms Eugenia Silva stole my legs by the way incase you were wondering, not to mention that little frock she's wearing...I loaned it to her, It's been sitting in my closet FOREVER. I just had no use for that silly ol' Armani Privé anymore.



The beautiful and fabulous were out in all ages and sizes. Click on images to enlarge.

While I wait for this client...

It's now 10pm at night so while I wait for this client to call me back...I've been working now for ummm a million hours? My 8-6:30 and then some time to eat a meal [and a couple of cocktails...it was one of those days] and onto the freelance. I don't have time to read blogs right now. So what do I find while waiting for this phone call? My boyfriend John Mayer has been cheating on me with Jennifer Aniston. I feel bad for her, I really do... the whole Brad thing, having to look at your ex-husband with the most insanely beautiful woman ever on the planet [and then watch them have babies] but this can't happen. SGM?? are you watching this? We must take her out.

photos via bauer griffin online and decorno.

You gotta kiss a lot of frogs...

If any of you are hosting a bridal shower soon, these chocolate frogs from Dean & DeLuca would make a very cute gift. Everyone could get their very own frog to kiss. Currently on sale set of 6 $17.50 [reg $35]

From the description...Our dark chocolate frogs remind us that things shouldn't be any different now that we're grown-up. The frogs arrive sitting on chocolate pebbles, and each has a surprise inside: Pop Rocks® for make-you-smile fizzies in every bite.

She Is Good People

I'm not certain how I found Karey M. from Mackin Ink. It's one of my many blogs I hit on a frequent if not daily basis these days. She [in my mind] has become my worldly friend, my friend across the earth in The Middle East. She of course knows very little of this friendship, she and I have politely commented on each other's blogs but she doesn't know that I've upgraded her to my long distant girlfriend as of late.



I'm not certain how she got to the place she's in [Karey if you're reading this tell us your story] but from her blog it says she's a Mid-Western Girl [as in U.S.A] living in The Middle East. She is married to a character named "Uncle Sugar" and has three lovely daughters with the most beautiful names ever Esme, Lille and Grae.

The thing that I love most about this woman is her daily lessons she integrates in with her daughters. Her latest, "being nice", which you can read over at her site. It is so challenging sometimes to be nice when you can throw a stink, pout, and just be mean because it's easier. If you've even been in the car with me to experience my road rage you will know that I don't place nice in the car. I'm not sure how this happened really, as my boyfriend once commented "how is it that you are the kindest, sweetest, most patient person I've ever known, yet in the car you become this crazed woman screaming profanities?" I don't know either...call it my Achilles I suppose.

I highly recommend spending time at her site. Her last few stories are nothing short of amazing. "What I want you to be when you grow up" and "I didn't want to forget to tell you about this one" are a treat.

I do have to mention her story about "What I want you to be when you grow up" because it's something that I still think about for myself on a regular basis. It reminded me of a session with my therapist a few years ago when we were discussing something that I was facing once again [and it seemed like the millionth time] and she asked me "if you were talking to your daughter about this subject what would you tell her?" and then once we discussed it further, "what would you tell your 13 year old self about this?"



I think those two questions are so important. They are questions that I have asked myself frequently since then, so that I can decide if what I learned growing up still meshes with who I am now, or who I would like to be in the future. Think about an issue that you're facing today and what you would tell your 13 year old self and how to handle it. I think you might be surprised at the answer that comes from it.

The artwork here is some that Karey posted on her site but is from an artist Keri Smith that I also adore.