The Adventures of a Scream Printer

This Saturday: Chicago Outfit Shakedown v. Region Rat Rollers & Chicago Outfit Shade Brigade v. Peoria Push

2013-05-06T23:57:00.001-05:00

I'm skating in Chicago for the first time this season!

Come watch! I'll even bribe Mr. Scream to sit by you so he can explain what's happening if you have no idea what is happening.

(there are also cute girls with "ASK ME ABOUT ROLLER DERBY" signs, too).

*THIS* Saturday: doors at 6, first bout at 7.

I'll cry if you're not there.

#threat

Mr. Walters' Drawing Birthday Party! (this Saturday!)

2013-04-16T13:42:00.002-05:00

(Sorry for my absence. Robot Me has not arrived in the mail yet... Must. Catch. Up. With. You. Soon.)

Until then, how about you come over on Saturday?

No experience necessary, learn to draw from one of the best artists in the world!

Last March vs. This March.... And DIY shelving for small toys!

2013-03-20T12:57:00.001-05:00

March 2012 vs. March 2013:

I'm using Instagram now, Internet.

Anyway,

One snow day I made some small shelving for my 3" Dunny toys. If you have small toys to display and are having a hard time finding shallow depth (non-spice rack-y) shelving with materials that cost under $20 with next-to-zero knowledge of carpentry or handiwork, this is how I made the bottom blue shelves:

Hardware Store R Us list:
- Small corner angles (2 per shelf)
- Flat trim casing (short trim pieces are in lumber aisle next to planks for saw-less people, like me)
- Gorilla glue/Liquid Nails/SuperX-tremeCrazy Glue
- Felt, or something to hide the glue marks if you're not awesome at gluing things to things
- Paint

1: Paint shelving... two coats.

2: I used a holiday card to scientifically and accurately place the corner angles. Since the shelving is so thin and screws would bust through the wood, you'll be gluing the corner irons to the shelves.

3: Glue. Toothpicks help.

4: While the glue is still tacky, put each shelf up on its side and press the corner angles back so they're even with the the flat surface.

5: You can be done here but to make sure the angles were without a doubt bonded to the wood, I cut felt strips that look like black electrical tape and hot glued those to the shelf.

6: Hang shelves using screws. Used the small-ish screws provided in the corner angle package. Since each toy is less than one ounce, 4 screws (2 per angle) against the wall was sufficient.

I like projects that only take a few hours and offer almost-instant gratification.
If only there were more minutes in a day.
<3
.s

REP CHI hoodies

2013-03-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

Working on these this afternoon:

\\\ oh! and we've a job hire! She lives in the neighborhood and is starting tomorrow.... Here's to a bright future!

(have to get back to work now),
scream to the printer.

I grenade zombies ...now on hoodies!

2013-03-08T15:43:00.002-06:00

Full up on all ladies fitted and men's size shirts... and:

Made a couple of hoodies!

(not many, so come visit soon if you'd like to nab one!)

Hoodies are not currently on the website since I only have a handful of each size available. Call me, maybe? Will hold for a day or two and can send via priority snail mail.

773-696-1992. Or, better yet, visit!
4425 N Milwaukee Ave, just north of Montrose 60630.

/commercial.

Help Wanted!

2013-02-27T13:01:00.000-06:00

Hey, Internets! We're looking for some help. Need a Friday/Saturday part-time job, or know someone that does you can share it with them? (and you/they are super reliable, looking for a long future within a family-owned shop?). Click and read more about the job:

Sport glasses! Superior Optical! Glasses vs. contacts in roller derby.

2013-02-25T14:07:00.000-06:00

Hey Internet!

(yes, I'm still here. Buried in work and blah'blah'blah... hope to catch up with you soon!). Wanted to share with these awesome RecSpecs:

Superior Optical in Glenview, just north of Chicago, has a ton of sport goggle/glasses in stock to try on.

I have incredibly poor eye sight and have been playing roller derby for the past few seasons in my regular glasses. It can be frightening to get hit in the face with the potential of stabbing out your eyeballs.

J wanted to get me contacts but a few leaguemates have had contacts flip back mid-jam (and have to carry spares) but I wouldn't be able to find my way back to the bench if that happened to me. How effective would I be for my team if I tripped all of the referees and needed our bench coach to escort me back?

Anyway, found Superior Optical, got neat sport glasses... scrimmaged last night with these and they're phenomenal! I didn't even go to the penalty box one time! Magic? Science?

Proper-eyewear!

I've got to go now but:

Check out Superior Optical on Facebook (they actually have a spring break giveaway going on right now).

Hello 2013! Lighting and Large necklace displays:

2013-01-18T14:50:00.000-06:00

Yeah, a little late on it. Wow, these days are crazy. I think about you a lot, Blog. We need to catch up but, like always, I've got about ten projects in-the-works and ten thousand things on my To Do List.

What's new? Roller Derby Drama is underway. Look'it! --->

I <3 comics. I am incredibly excited about this!!

(I'm on the left, sans tattoos ---- my derby wife, Rogue, is on the right holding back Riff Ref).

M&D came out and my Dad hung more track lighting... Store is looking amazing. Never, would I have ever thought that one of our biggest issues would have been lighting.

Other than the obvious indoor-lighting woes, we contend with a HUGE amount of sunlight from two sides of the building.

It's a small battle between the can light's dimmer switch and the sun. Bring on a cloudy day and all bets are off.... I'm not very good at recognizing my environment (the thermostat and I have never really interacted and I always forget to flip the front lights on when the sun sets) so I'm very happy M&D recommended timer switches.

Though currently---and with daylight savings time---once it hits 4p, the store is lit up and reminds me of a fishbowl.

When it's nighttime, the light now extends to the sidewalk.

These metal halide bulbs put every lamp and can light in our store to shame.

What else?

I made a new necklace display the other week...

Was super easy, if you're a crafter/store owner and would like to make your own, this is how it went:

Had J take me to the thrift store and found a perfect frame ($8), then visted the craft store (corkboard, hot glue, foam paint brush, wire, misc stuff ~$20). This project uses up a lot of scraps you might have horded along the way, if you're like me.

- Remove artwork from the frame.

- Paint frame with the leftover gallon of paint you have somewhere in a closet or basement.

- Cut a cardboard box into the size of the original artwork --- if working with a real frame, there's a nice lip that holds the cardboard backing in place.

- Cut the corkboard material into the size of the original artwork. I used three 12x12" tiles of corkboard (the only thing available at the craft store, hardware store has rolls of the material) to fit into my 18" x 24" ready-made frame.

- Hot glue corkboard piece(s) to cardboard box backing.

- Hot glue fabric to top of corkboard to hide the corkboardyness (I used leftover corduroy from the 12 foot drapes I made to dissipate heat when we found that putting full sheets of colored vinyl over clear windows makes for a bad sauna -- I recommend hot gluing a few spots so fabric doesn't shift around on such a large area when you're pinning things).

- Fit above fabric/cork/cardboard into frame and flip over, staple and hot glue away.
- Screw two screws into frame and string wire around so you can hang it up.

Done!

I have more to type but I have things to do.

Talk soon, Blog!
<3
sp.

What's in my skate bag.. Or: You want to play derby but need to know what to have.

2012-12-15T12:53:00.003-06:00

With just two days until tryouts, I thought I'd type what I lug around with me to practice for those that land on this blog by way of "I want to play roller derby" and "how to lace derby skates" keywords.

For this life changing project, you'll need:
1 pair Quad Speed Skates
1 pair Elbow Pads, Wrist Guards, Knee Pads
1 Helmet
1 Mouthguard (or 2, if you lose things often)

Additional Flair/Special Effects:
1 Health insurance plan
1 Skate tool (in photo with helmet)
1 Water bottle, filled with water
1 Shirt/Tank of the opposite color you're wearing with your number on the back at 4"

Incredibly Superfluous, But Nice To Have:
1 Sharpie and/or 2 arm bands with numbers
1 Set of additional laces
- Previous set of glasses, just in case
- Other skate tools that come with your skates (in photo with armbands/glasses --- not every skate has/needs additional tools)
- Sore muscle rub (Badger, Tiger Balm, etc.)
- I wear knee socks on my arms, underneath my elbow pads and wrist guards.... then after practice, I can wash those arm sleeves which prolongs the life of my protective gear and not have my gear reek of sweat
- Ankle booties (if you're getting blisters on the inside of your foot, your foot may be slipping in the boot and the friction is causing horrible cuts/blisters/pain)

I fit all of the above in an old skateboard backpack. I use the top straps that would normally hold the board to hold my helmet instead.

Obviously most things are personal preference but I *love* 187 gear, the knee pads are like falling on pillows. I started out skating on these and don't think I'd ever switch brands (however, eying the new "Pro Derby" 187s). I also very much enjoy being able to talk through a Protech Dent mouthguard.

Have a good weekend!
scream

Have had a few people ask about my arm sleeves, this is how it do:

Take a Google virtual tour of my store!

2012-12-04T19:00:00.000-06:00

Right here! On this page!:

View Larger Map

You can also click over into google maps (by clicking here).

The super talented photographer took some stills too... Have a business and want this awesome service? email her!:

Saturday is December.

2012-11-29T14:03:00.000-06:00

Heeeey,

Let's see..... What's new?

First: Close your eyes.

That's about how much you could see into our windows at nighttime BEFORE THIS!:

Thanks to my cousin's construction company's reclaimed overstock and to my super handy dad for hanging this new, stellar track lighting!

What else?

The store now has these available (except the second one from the left sold last weekend) made by my brother... the cap twists to turn the lamp on:

My store will have a virtual tour available tomorrow! Google is offering "virtual tours" now, like the photographic street view, only inside of participating businesses.

I'm so incredibly behind on getting the website up to date with how busy we are so at least this way you'll be able to see *what* is in the store (as of right now).

I'm so excited about sharing it. The photographer was here yesterday-->

This is what it looked like last week or so:

I have to go rearrange some stuff now.

Happy Thursday!
scream printer

Unique Christmas and Holiday / Season's Greeting Cards

2012-11-08T19:47:00.000-06:00

So, we're getting ready to make a batch of our super unique, hand screen printed holiday cards. We've had a lot of interest but not sure just how many to make. If you like them and put in a pre-order by Friday the 16th, we'll give you an extra 10% off batch pricing!

Click to read more:

Las Aventuras del Gato Paco

2012-10-31T15:57:00.000-05:00

I've written a post or two about the strange furry creature that resides in our home, Idiot Paco. Why "Idiot Paco"? He's not so bright. Paco yells at things, screeches at corners in rooms and behind doors to hear his voice echo, at times he howls in the middle of the night while sprinting up and down the house... J hates him so he's mine now and I love him and his big dumb eyes so I made him into a cartoon.

Here is a Day in the Life of Paco:

That's his life. And since we're in the future, my Paco comic can move!:

Where to buy hand screen printed greeting cards in Chicago?

2012-10-30T13:53:00.000-05:00

My store at 4425 N Milwaukee Ave, of course!

We made these:

And these:

Still have these:

And made some for the holidays (however, I'll wait until after tomorrow/Halloween to start with the Christmas-thing).

All are $4 each with velvet-y soft water based inks.

My talented friend, Kinaloon, has her hand screen printed cards here too!

Making this into a limited run of 8x10"s later this week'ish:

I've been drawing little-skeleton-guy since junior high. ^^ So cute it hurts. ^^

Cards, in the making (to the right is the first ink color, the one i'm holding has the second wet ink color, I'm scoring and cutting them today)

Trying to think what has been new since I last typed....

Unicorns took the win over the weekend! Photos were taken and will be shared soon.

Derby season starts back up for my league soon. Hoping to finish a project for my living room before we're back in full swing. These will be on 12"x12" canvas (which, after I redrew the pixels in illustrator at 16x16 squares each, makes them 0.75" squares if you want to make your own), thinking about adding darker halftone dots to the sky background. Going to paint these with acrylics, not screen print:

OK -- back to work,

Type soon!

s.p.

The Junior Roller Derby Chicago Riots: Zombies vs. Unicorns this Sunday!

2012-10-25T12:56:00.000-05:00

Hey there, Person!

Did I overhear you say that you needed a little derby to hold you over until its back in season?

Then have I the plans for you:

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Fleetwood, Fleetwood, Fleetwood!

($5, 5 pm)

<--- click to get info or tune into WLUW.org FM 88.7's Radio One Chicago to hear Bruise Violet, Panda Demic, Brooklyn Decker, Maiden Hell, and Coach Anachronism tonight at 8 to talk all things derby.

I hope they both win.

(though I'm secretly hoping Unicorns win with very slightly more points since that's the team I'm bench coaching).

You can even buy this super awesome VoftheD shirt while you're there to prove that you were there!

Hooray!
Scream

Chicago gifts! We put the star on a mug this time!

2012-10-23T11:59:00.000-05:00

On my quest of making the store the best non-tourist tourist and civic pride shop comes COBALT BLUE coffee mugs!

Shop away, Friends!

(coming soon to a website near you, though available immediately at our retail location)

"I get tattoos, just not on women." ...And other things silly strangers say to me.

2012-10-19T16:40:00.000-05:00

Heeeeeey, Internet. Story time today...

My friend, JR, came to have a drink at the pub across from my store last night. Too many months went by since we last spent time talking so we had a lot to catch up on. She was involved in a heavy chapter of my life which seems so distant now --- Those were the crazy days when I was flying everywhere and got to record Optimus Prime in L.A. (did you know he's also the voice of Eeyore?) and the days when Britney Spears shaved her head and buried the perfume campaign we had just launched for her, a lifetime ago in 2007'ish, a time before the economy ate itself and the world crumbled a little.

Anyway, this post is for my past self, anyone who has found themselves in these situations, and the hilarious people I've met over the years, specifically related to tattoos. I don't talk about tattoos as often because I don't really see them anymore, they're just one part of me and one tiny part of my Adventure through this life. (I mean, you don't talk about your hands all of the time just because you have them, right?) But I'm always surprised and caught off guard when confronted by other people.

The most often, above all, I'm asked:

"How much did that cost?"

Which, I find very awkward. Though I usually reply, "I have a lot of talented artist friends." After all these years, this is the question that still stumps me. I don't get out much so maybe it's normal to be all like, "How much did you spend on that car?" when walking up to a complete stranger, or "How much is your paycheck?" Last night, at the pub, I was told:

"I get tattoos, just not on women."

Over and over again. Over and over. Though seats away, he kept apologizing for being blatantly rude but continued, "I get tattoos, just not on women," of course, he waved hello and asked:

"How much did that cost?"

"If you did have to pay for it, how much would it cost?"

It makes me want to queue up witty replies. (I'm not clever or brash enough but something like, "A whole lot, my artist is expensive but probably the same amount as what you've spent on beer this year.")

But I try to be an Ambassador for My Kind and just smile and nod while listening because they're mostly harmless. I grew up in Indiana and never fit in. When I was 16, while working in the one hour photo department of a massive convenience store chain, I had a customer complain to my supervisor that I had blue hair. And, how could they employ someone with blue hair? My boss's reply still makes my heart swing, "Well, considering she's my best employee, I don't mind her blue hair."

Back to tattoos though,

"What are you going to do when you grow out of that?" was my favorite while working and going to Purdue.

"Is that real? That can't be real."

Even down to my most gut-wrenching moment with my family that still makes me tear up,

"I'm not going to talk to you anymore...."

When I lived out in New York, I would get stopped by random strangers constantly. Here's me, Midwest Girl, thinking they needed directions to a train only for them to show me their tattoos and ask, "How much did yours cost?" I couldn't understand this one-sided show and tell display. Eventually I learned to ditch the earbuds for super mega big headphones to give an impression of un-approachability but that didn't stop all of them. "Wow, that's something!" Each were certainly something.

I like my life where it is now so that if I ever heard that familiar question,

"How are you going to get a job?" I can say, "I created one for myself and founded a company to create jobs for others, too."

One day I'll write a book and encourage other ladies to be strong and proud, regardless of the comments and ways that others make you feel. I think the hardest part of being-a-girl-with-tattoos (who's not all that emotionally strong or proud) is the garbage "significant others" can put you through. It goes like this: you meet someone, they think your tattoos are neat but then they get over-protective and your tattoos become the enemy; and maybe those jerks make you feel horrible about yourself. But don't fall into that trap, Past Self! They need therapy! Anyone who makes you feel ashamed for something you're not ashamed about isn't worthy of the pain or frustrations you feel.

So, how much did that cost?

Oh, hey, join roller derby:

Thanks for reading this far
Scream

Sale on these tees until Halloween!

2012-10-18T12:24:00.003-05:00

In celebration of our 4425 N Milwaukee store's first Halloween, we're putting our MONSTER LINE on sale!

Sale price is in-store (super sale not available on website, 'cause I don't have a robot me yet to take care of that)... But if you can't make it in, email me which size/style you're looking at and I'll let you know if it's still available! Just add $3 for shipping. ....and yeah, sorry, retail tax if in IL.

Happy Halloween!!

We've got some new artwork by Natasha Blue!

And Every Day Is Halloween hair clips that-i-just-might-by-all-of-myself by Pink's Parlor:

DIY halloween dog costume cape

2012-10-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

Hey there, Internet,

How've you been? Good? That's cool..... me too.

Halloween has always been my favorite... (naturally). Though the last few years though have been pretty tough, with our heads down busting through work, I've sort of been pretending holidays don't exist. But --- we're finally through the hardest part and things are becoming smoother so holidays can resume!

I made this post a while back when my blog was part of replicachicago.com, here goes "how you can make your own dog costume" again!:

Step 1: Find a shirt

Step 2: Cut the back up like the dotted lines show, leaving two straps to tie the shirt onto the puppy underneath.

Step 3: Put shirt on victim.

Step 4: Take photos so you can laugh for years to come.

making some new apparel for the store

2012-10-05T16:38:00.000-05:00

one sneak peak (lots in the making) of some new apparel:

Almost October, new stuff at the store

2012-09-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

Got a couple new things for the store; I'll be back one day to type to you some more but for now:

My brother made more Nintendo clocks, now with Atari!

(this is the first game that I remember playing... and my favorite in the store)

Recycled bike chain bracelets (sizes small and large) from Resource Revival:

Recycled magnets, photo frame, and sprocket clocks.

Recycled Boylan ginger ale, black cherry soy candles, Sol, wine, beach glass soy candles:

And finally:

Tree free gift bags!

Chicago Outfit Roller Derby bootcamp and try outs!

2012-09-20T11:35:00.000-05:00

New recruitment bootcamp! From the facebook event:

We will have a 5-week new recruitment boot camp on Mondays starting on November 5, 12, 19, 26 to December 3. During these boot camps, we will teach skaters basic skate skills, advanced skills, and the WFTDA minimum skills. These boot camps will cost $5 per day, due at the beginning of each boot camp.

After the boot camps, we will hold advanced tryouts that will be held on both Monday, December 10 & Monday, December 17. Skaters can come and try out even if they didn't come to the recruitment boot camps, but

for those who are new to derby and need to learn how to skate, we recommend attending the boot camps as well. During the advanced tryouts, we will test you on the WFTDA minimum skills and additional skills that you learned throughout the boot camps.

All boot camps and the advanced tryouts will be held at:
Fleetwood Roller Rink
7231 Archer Avenue
Summit Argo, IL 60501

All boot camps and the advanced tryouts will be from 7:30pm-10:30pm.

Make sure you bring the following with you to every boot camp and to the advanced tryouts. (If you do not have all the required gear, you will not be allowed to skate):

-Quad skates (speed skates, not in-line)
-Helmet
-Mouth Guard
-Knee Pads
-Elbow Pads
-Wrist Guards
-Water Bottle

We require members of our league to purchase WFTDA insurance, but WFTDA insurance is not required for the boot camps or the advanced tryouts. Instead, there will be a waiver you will be required to fill out.

best vegan frozen meal: Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake

2012-09-06T21:44:00.001-05:00

this is me recommending this:

Hellooooooo (echo echo echo)

2012-09-04T13:53:00.000-05:00

Hi again,

How've you been, Internet? Me? Last few weeks? Flown by --- Went to Indianapolis and played Circle City.

Left Chicago for Peoria and played them too!

I use the transit time to clean the gross off my wheels.

Last Shakedown bout of the season: (AND: last time I'll be wearing my shoulder brace!!!!!!)

photo by: stevejurkovicphotography.com

We brought out our single color press to Etsy's Chicago Birthday Party --->

Lots of work going on in the store. Lots and lots. The store is going to be packed with holiday stuff to buy over the next few months.

Did I tell you that the basement was so nasty we didn't even know it had red floors when we moved in?

This is our store's basement after power washing by Precisely Clean.

The basement went from Maybe-A-Place-To-Store-Bodies to "OH MY GOSH LET'S PRINT DOWN HERE":

Now waiting for our variance request from the city to let us do our hand screen printing here.

#fingerscrossed, please oh please.

This is Paco.

Paco for President.

J and I celebrated our TWO YEAR anniversary last Tuesday!

<---- kaiju maneki neko! Best 2-year anniversary present ever. (I totally married the right person).

This is my next tattoo, drawn by the super talented V:

(yes, she does custom drawings! email her!)

Made Jefferson Park and Portage Park tees:

My next phone needs a better camera.

Lots of new things in the works, including this shirt design:

Need to assemble some things for the store now ---- Type to you later, Internet.

<3 your virtual friend,
scream printer.

Shift not work when scaling object in Illustrator

2012-09-03T14:02:00.000-05:00

I've had this happen a few times, restarting Illustrator didn't work.

If you're having fixed ratio issues when trying to enlarge an object/path, quit Firefox browsers.

Problem solved! Scaling/ratio fixed! (for this particular bug, I didn't have to quit Illustrator for it to solve itself, just quit firefox..... I'm on a mac).