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How is everyone's holiday shopping coming along? Only 8 more days left before Xmas! Now for those of you who got a head start and came to our Holiday Sip & Shop last month, I'm sure the stockings are filled and you're resting easy with a cranberry cocktail in your hand (right?!). In all seriousness, we look forward to the open studio event every year and want to thank everyone who stopped in to shop local and meet some very talented folks. Also, Heidi our press had a blast celebrating her 50th birthday and watching everyone print their own letterpress gift tags. 

If you weren't able to make it, I beg you to check out these independent New England designers and makers: Elizabeth Benotti Handmade Ceramics, Salt Cellar Shop, Wild Folk Studio, The Everyday Napkin, Whitney Elizabeth, Ava's Caramel Popcorn,  Leveret & Hare, and Downeast Cider House. And if you're looking for a fantastic string band, tell Ben Truboff of the Fine and Dandy Trio that we sent ya! We not only shopped, but also snacked 'til we dropped thanks to our friends at Whole Foods Market Charlestown.  

Lastly, a big shout out to the wonderful Jessica Rich Photography who stepped in at the last minute to capture the evening. We picked out some of our favorite moments below. Visit the Smudge Ink Facebook page to see the full album!

Photo credits: Jessica Rich Photography 

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(image from left to right: Deb and Clayton at the Boston Half Marathon; Sarah and Nathan at the Cambridge Oktoberfest 5K)

In between apple picking and getting ready for Halloween (have you downloaded your You’ve Been Boo-ed printable yet?), there’s been a fair amount of running happening this month. Both Sarah and Nathan ran the Oktoberfest 5K in Cambridge followed by Deb and Clayton’s impressive finishes at the Boston Half Marathon. Now I know you must be thinking who dressed up in lederhosen, were there any injuries sustained, how did Clayton compensate for air resistance from his hair …? Read on to find out!

(image: Clayton is ahead of the pack!)

CLAYTON
After running an uncomfortably humid half marathon in Portland this summer, I thought I would be done for a while. But thanks to some arm twisting by Jen, Mike, and Deb, I found myself signing up for the BAA Half too (oooohhh, peer pressure). What began as a dizzying race to the start—workouts in between rock climbing and volleyball, a last minute bike tire change the night before, and a day-of arrival with literally only a minute to spare—ended in a magical race to the finish! It was a quintessentially New England fall day complete with breathtaking foliage and flannel-wearing bystanders. I felt like I had my own personal cheering section with Sarah and Nathan at nearly every three mile checkpoint. They truly gave me a burst of energy every time I saw their sunshiny faces! Towards the end of the race, though my legs were feeling sluggish, a blaring Mumford and Sons song at mile 12 gave me the opportunity to haphazardly lip sync along the remainder of the run. I finished 2 minutes shy of my goal time, but I can't complain, I got a PR (personal record)! The day ended on a great note for everyone it seemed! Turns out Deb didn't pull her calf and my friends Jen and Mike are even talking about signing up for other runs! So proud of everyone! Yay, running!

(image: Avery and Abigail cheer go, Mom!)

DEB
Technically speaking, I ran the BAA Half Marathon last weekend. While Clayton ran his PR, I ran my PW (personal worst!). But surprisingly, I’m okay with it. I must be losing my competitive edge (or maturing). The backstory is I was running on a bum calf, which means that two weeks prior to the race, I pulled my left calf muscle during a long(ish) run and had to stop “training” altogether if I had any chance of getting through 13 miles. I did my best to hydrate and heal, and I showed up at 8AM on race day, only then realizing that this may be a terrible idea. I thought I was done at mile 2 when the soreness started creeping in. But while I was legitimately uncomfortable for the rest of the run my calf never fully popped. Yahoo! This may have been due to the "controlled" pace, the stopping-and-stretching at every mile marker, or just being well hydrated for the event. Whatever the case, I made it through and finished. Despite it being my PW, there were still so many highpoints: seeing my husband and girls at miles 9 and 11 and seeing Sarah & Nathan at mile 1, and then again at mile 13, where they were joined by Clayton - now a spectator (thanks, guys!); the incredible weather; congratulating Clayton on his PR (holy impressive!); and being among the running community—all hopped up as they are on bananas and endorphins—it’s a good crowd. Next up: physical therapy!

(image: Sarah's winning smile)

SARAH
The Oktoberfest 5K was my first road race, and it was a blast! The weather was perfect—not too hot, not too cold—and the crowd showed up in an amusing array of Oktoberfest-inspired gear. Nathan proved to be a most excellent running buddy, providing the perfect mix of chatty companionship and inspiration along the way. I was hoping to finish the race at around the 30-minute mark so my 29:32 net time was a perfect first outing. After the race, there was a party for runners where we were treated to delicious German food and cider from local companies. I'm already looking forward to the WGBH 5K as well as the Yulefest! Thanks to Clayton and Deb, our personal cheering leaders/paparazzi along the way! Seeing friendly and familiar faces along the route made the experience that much more enjoyable, and I was happy to return the favor at the BAA Half Marathon. A special thanks to 32 for driving up from Long Island in the wee hours of the morning to make it in time for the race!

(image: Nathan and Sarah cross the finish line.)

NATHAN
Pre-race: I say to Sarah we forgot our lederhosen; I think it makes you run faster, especially in the Oktoberfest! There are plenty to go around, some great outfits: lots of suspenders and feathers in caps. I think Sarah is such a big fan of Germany and its World Cup glory that she doesn't need to pretend by dressing up.
0 km: The starting gun is fired, but we are packed in behind a few hundred other runners; we eventually cross the start two minutes into the race. Rounding the first corner, Clayton surprises us by jumping out from behind the small tree where he was taking cover and running along beside us cheering and getting our picture.
2 km: Has this street always had a very gradual uphill? I've never noticed until trying to run it. Good news is, should be mostly downhill on the route back.
3 km: Sarah says to go on ahead if I need to (with my long legs). I tell her that if she wasn't running next to me, I would have stopped at the café we passed ten minutes ago.
4 km: We see more friendly faces, with Deb and her family cheering from the sidewalk! Makes it so much better. Deb told her two girls to keep a look out for the really tall guy and Sarah.
5 km: Cross the finish! We are in the middle of the pack, but Sarah beat her pace, and I accomplished my goal of running the whole way. Best part of an Oktoberfest race—the post-race beer garden and pretzels!

(image: Jacob Wirth's pretzels at the finish were worth the run!) 

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Calling all Bostonites! Mark your calendars in big bold permanent marker for Smudge Ink's Holiday Sip and Shop. Join us on Thursday, November 5 from 5pm to 9pm. Our studio is located at 50 Terminal Street in Charlestown. Directions here. 

Get a head start on your holiday shopping for everyone on your list with some of our favorite local makers and artisans. The lineup includes: 

You'll also enjoy an evening of live music by the Fine & Dandy Trio, DIY letterpress, calligraphy by Leveret & Hare, yummy food from Whole Foods Market Charlestown, and craft cider by Downeast Cider House. To top it off, we will be donating part of the proceeds to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Charlestown. We hope to see you there!

Email us at info@smudgeink.com with any questions.

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In honor of National Ice Cream Month—which we really celebrate all summer long—we put everyone to the test and threw an ice cream tasting competition. The flavor: coffee. Is there a better one? Everyone was allowed to enter their favorite brand, and then Kate and I went shopping at the local grocery store to round out the mix. There were nine contestants in total, and we covered each so that the taste test would be completely blind. I have to say no one took their judging responsibilities lightly. We’re talking about some advanced palettes here. After some deliberation, everyone was forced to write down their favorite coffee ice cream out of the nine contenders. Read on to find out the winners  ...

As you can see from the photos, each spoonful was given some serious consideration. Once the votes had been counted, we ended up with a tie between ice cream B and F! The winners were revealed to be Three Twins Milk Coffee and Ben & Jerry's Coffee, Coffee, BuzzBuzzBuzz! (shown below). But honorable mention goes to Clayton's ice cream pick which he made from scratch at home! 

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Margaret moved up from intern to printer in a snap after nailing every project we could possibly throw at her. An indispensable member of our team, Margaret is also an extraordinary artist, concentrating on abstract and detailed imagery. You can check out her work online or if you’re in Boston, her prints are currently on exhibit at Aviary (thru June) and Vee Vee (thru July). We asked Margaret if she could tell us more about her creative process and artwork.

Do you have a favorite piece of work or project of yours?
I'm excited about my drawing series called "These Decisions Can Wait" (image above is #3 in the series). I started working on it a couple of years ago when I was spinning my wheels and placing too much emphasis on the intellectual concept of my work. I decided to do an exercise where I'd just mindlessly draw lines to get something on paper. It was meant to be a casual, pressure-free exercise but it ended up having a strong significance for me as an expression of physicality. This was when I started working with abstract imagery and I've felt liberated working this way since.

Your drawings demonstrate a proclivity for detail. Where do you think this comes from? Do you try to sketch these out in some way or just dive in?
I'm drawn to tediously repetitive processes. The big picture overwhelms me but a methodical process where small elements make up the whole feels natural. It's always interesting to take a step back after having worked for a while and see what qualities have emerged from the drawing without having noticed because I've just been drawing lines with tunnel vision. Sometimes I make a rough sketch if I want a drawing to contain a specific shape but for the most part they're pretty organic and spontaneous in nature.

(image: Margaret & Zoárd at their exhibit opening; Paramecium Forever Figure from the series "I'm Not Here" by Margaret Chiarelli)

Tell us a little bit about your current exhibit with Zoárd Wells Tyeklár.
Zoárd is a friend of mine and another printmaker. The idea of planning a show together has been on our minds for a while and we were excited when an opening came up at Aviary. As part of the show, I debuted a new letterpress print series called "I'm Not Here." I'd been working in black and white for a while and thought it would be interesting to break away from this. Rather than using color I wanted to rely on the impression that letterpress leaves in the paper to create forms. I had an idea of only seeing the forms up close and the prints just looking like blank paper from a distance. They end up having this quality that wavers between quiet peacefulness and eeriness.

What are five items you cannot live without?
1) Motivational work ethic post-its by my desk! (e.g., "More doing, less thinking")
2) A fluffy sock I've cut fingers holes into and use as a glove to decrease friction when I draw long lines
3) My glasses! I'd go cross-eyed without them
4) Not an item, per se, but I could not live without Artist and Craftsman in Central Square. It's my go to for every art supply need
5) My assistant (cat) Foot Foot who tries to sleep on the paper while I'm drawing

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