Aqua Miami

Hooray for a great first day and a half! The weather has been beautiful and we've had a nice turnout for the fair so far. And I think we're finally adjusted to the Miami schedule: get up at noon and stay out till late at night. Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes. More soon...

It's Finally Here

We made it to Miami, and Aqua opens tonight! It feels like such a long time coming. After two days of driving and two days of hanging, I'm totally ready for the show. I'll post some nicer pics after the opening tonight, so check back again soon.

Aqua Art Miami * Coming Right Up

Brace yourselves...you're going to be hearing a lot about this in the next month. We're going to Aqua Art Miami!!

This is a huge step for the studio, and I'm thrilled to be a part of this great fair. We'll be taking all of our publishing work with us, from the favorites over the last few years to the latest prints hot off the presses. So, over the next month I'll keep you posted on our progress. There's so much to do! In the meantime, check out all the great exhibitors who will be at Aqua.

We Have a Winner!

Every month here at Pele, we have a drawing for free and discounted Pele goodies. Cause let's face it...it's fun to get stuff. This month Pam Cusanelli won our drawing for 50% off of one of our Pele Workshops. She gets to pick any workshop she'd like in the next year. Not a bad deal just for being part of the Pele family! So, if you want your chance to win next time, sign up to receive our emails and you'll auto-magically be entered.

Homage to Wildwood Press

Tonight is the opening of Wildwood Press' retrospective show, Mark Making, at Saint Louis University's gallery. Go see this show! It's a truly impressive display of the work of an incredible lady and an inspiring studio. With this exhibition opening, now seems like the perfect time to say a few words.

Over thirteen years ago, I wandered into a contract print shop at Washington University and met the most amazing person, Maryanne Simmons. I'll never forget that, when I kept asking questions about what she was working on, she put me to work right then and there sponging photo litho plates. Since then, I have had the privilege to work for and learn from Maryanne at her incredible studio—Wildwood Press.

I could go on and on about how much Maryanne and Wildwood mean to me, but I'll try to keep this short and sweet. There are those people in life who completely shape and change your course. At Wildwood Press, I learned how to be a true collaborator and printer from Maryanne. Her grace, generosity, and humor are all traits I aspire to emulate. And I hope that just a fraction of the spirit of Wildwood Press—fearless, experimental, and bold—carry over into Pele and what I have created at my own studio.

Thanks, Maryanne, for being a such a wonderful mentor and friend. xo

Stefan Hoffmann - Window Screenprinting

In honor of our upcoming Simple Silkscreen workshop, I'm sharing this great video of Stefan Hoffmann screenprinting on windows. Angela Malchionno, printmaker and artist extraordinaire, shared this with me...so simple and effective. Angela is teaching the workshop this weekend, and I'm so excited to have her as our first Pele Workshops visiting artist/teacher! By the way, there's still time to sign up for this great class. Even though we won't be printing on windows like Stefan, you'll learn everything you need to do it when you get home. Don't miss it!

Nathalie Miebach - Art & Science

Time to flesh out this blog beyond the walls of the Pele studio. So many people and things inspire and awe me everyday, and it makes me want to do more in my own small world. One these folks is Nathalie Miebach. Her creations combine art, science, math, music, and nature...right up my alley. Many thanks to Lynn Blosser for sharing this great tidbit!

Workshop Recipes

We had a great suggestion from one of our work-shoppers (thanks, Pat!) to share our tasty recipes. For those of you who don't know: we have awesome Make & Take classes at the studio that include homemade appetizers and desserts...along with adult beverages to enjoy. I really love to create these yummy morsels, but I don't get to do it very often at home. The Make & Take classes are my perfect "excuse," and I plan out a different menu for each class. A lot of my recipes come from my Pampered Chef days, but some are from my own inspiration and Pinterest friends. So try one of these recipes at home, or better yet, come try something new at one of our upcoming workshops.


Cheesy Artichoke Cups
24 wonton wrappers
2 jars (6.25oz) artichoke hearts
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pressed garlic clove
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 350°. Press wonton wrappers into a mini muffin pan. Drain artichoke hearts, and pat dry with paper towels. Chop artichokes with a food chopper. Combine artichokes, peppers, olives, cheese, garlic, and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Fill muffin cups with one scoop of artichoke mixture per cup. Bake 12-14 minutes. Let cool in pan for 2 minutes. Carefully remove and serve warm.
Yield: 24 servings


Spring Veggie Appetizer Pizza
1 package (8oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 container (8oz) cream cheese spread
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 pressed garlic clove
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
assortment of chopped veggies

Preheat oven to 350°. Unroll crescent rolls into 8 triangles, arrange in a circle on a baking stone (points to center and wide ends on outside). Roll the dough together into a 12 inch circle, pressing seams together to seal. Bake 14-17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and seasoning. Spread evenly over baked crust. Add veggie toppers and refrigerate 30 minutes. Cut and serve.
Yield: 10 servings


Sunshine Cake
1 lemon 
1 orange
1/2 cup grated carrot
3 eggs
1 container (16oz) sour cream
1 package (18.25oz) yellow cake mix
1/4 cup powdered sugar
thawed frozen whipped topping (optional)

Grease stoneware fluted pan. Zest lemon and orange. Juice lemon and orange to measure 1/4 cup total, set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, carrot, and zest. Whisk until well blended. Add cake mix and blend well. Pour batter into fluted pan, spreading evenly. Microwave 11-14 minutes or until cake tester inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand in microwave 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan, invert onto serving plate. Brush reserved citrus juice over the top and sides of the warm cake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Yield: 12 servings


Lemon Blueberry Trifle
1 pound cake (16oz)
2 lemons
1 1/2 cups milk
1 container (8oz) sour cream
1 container (8oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
2 packages (3.4oz each) lemon instant pudding/pie filling
1 pint blueberries

Cut pound cake into 1 inch cubes, set aside. Zest 1 lemon, set aside. Juice same lemon and sprinkle over pound cake cubes. Toss gently. In a large bowl, combine milk, sour cream, half of whipped topping, and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix, whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Set aside a handful of blueberries for garnish. To assemble trifle, place 1/3 of pound cake into bottom of serving bowl. Top with 1/3 blueberries. Top with 1/3 of pudding mixture, spreading evenly. Repeat layers 2 more times. Garnish with remaining whipped topping, reserved blueberries, and additional lemon. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Yield: 10 servings


Berries 'n Cream Wonton Cups
24 wonton wrappers
1 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar
1 container (8oz) low fat strawberry yogurt
1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Brush one side of each wonton wrapper with melted butter. Sprinkle evenly wth sugar. Press each wonton, sugar side up, into mini muffin pan. Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove wontons from pan and cool completely. Place yogurt in a small bowl. Fold in 1 cup of whipped topping. Scoop yogurt mixture into each wonton. Top each wonton with 1 raspberry and 2 blueberries. Garnish with additional whipped topping; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
Yield: 24 servings

Pele Projects in September

Come out to these two great events in September to see what's new at Pele Projects. We have all sorts of new goodies to share: kitchen towels, wristlets, coffee mugs, hanging lamps, and more! Here are the details:

Art Outside

Schlafly Bottleworks

Sept. 7, 5p-10p

Sept. 8, 10a-10p

Sept. 9, 12p-4p

Art in the Park

St. Louis Hills, Francis Park

Sept. 30, 10a-6p

The Workshop Photos

It's been five months since Pele Workshops launched—we've had some good ones! At the beginning of the year, Gina Alvarez and I sat down to brainstorm, and by March we were having the Pele Workshops Open House. Time flies...

With each workshop, I like to evaluate what's working and what's not. As a result, I've made some changes along the way, striving to make it the best experience I can. And I'm always up for more suggestions. First and foremost, I want these classes to be fun, informative, and exciting for you as participants.

It's going to take time, love, and lots of word of mouth for Pele Workshops to grow...spread the word!

Printing with Carmon Colangelo

Carmon at Pele

Last week Carmon and I made huge progress on our print publishing project. After printing off and on for the last nine months, we have created ten unique monoprints in the series. Each print pairs two sheets of paper to create the whole. These large-scale prints play with perceptions of space, with elements unfolding from one another, overlapping, and often mirroring each other. Monotype, relief, collage, collagraph, digital, and handcolored elements meld together creating wonderfully complex images.

I'll be documenting and photographing the work in the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for the new images in the gallery on Pele's website.

Digital and hand printing unite!

Indie Craft Revolution 2012

Don't miss the upcoming Indie Craft Revolution show...it's just two weeks away! Pele Projects will be at booth 18, and we have a ton of new items. Stop by, say hello, and leave with some great new handmade items.

Jessie Van der Laan at Pele Prints

Work in progress

Jessie Van der Laan is a long-time friend of Pele, and I'm so excited that she is finally printing with us! Last week we had a whirlwind printing session for two days. We started some great work, and she'll be heading back to the studio later this summer to finish up. The imagery is all based in snarls and tangles, juxtaposed with quiet open spaces. Together, I think the prints are reminiscent of tumbleweed and windstorms. Check back later this summer to see the finished pieces.

Jessie at the press

Welcome to Pele Inklings

It's time! In an effort to get my ideas out of my head and into the tangible world for sharing (and hopefully doing), I'm starting this lovely little Pele Prints studio blog. For now, I think most of the posts will be short and sweet. Thinking out loud, really. And of course a place to share pics from the studio goings-on. Who knows what else...time will tell.