Presently Green -

The original idea was to build a small sauna in our backyard. It ended up as a letterpress studio for moi. Earlier this summer my husband and his brothers disassembled a small barn from his family’s property in Utah and brought the treasured old barn wood to our yard in Montana. The plan was to build a small outbuilding that would house a sauna for chilly Montana evenings…and maybe there would be extra space for guests to camp out. No part of the plan included importing a three thousand pound letterpress machine and setting up a beautiful studio for me to create eco friendly cards, stationery, invitations and art. But, that’s what happened and I feel incredibly appreciative.

And here is the rest of the story in photos and a few words:

The original Utah barn

I harvested the end-of-summer garden crops and the backyard challenge came to an end when we bulldozed the garden, moved the greenhouse and made way for the foundation to be laid. The new 16 x 20 foundation was the last site I saw before taking off for Utah to pick up my new but very old letterpress.

The story behind the press is that I have always been enamored with the classic letterpress style and the idea of creating art that incorporates words, colors, creativity and environmentally friendly materials & processes thrills me. I also had inspiration from some cool letterpressers out there.

I announced my desire to find and purchase a letterpress machine and my search was on. My father in law (fondly known as Bear) miraculously found a Chandler & Price new series press at a printer outside of Salt Lake City. This was an exceptional find–I could drive and pick up the press rather than having one shipped for one zillion dollars. I hit the road, heading from Montana to Utah feeling comfortable knowing that Bear would go with me to purchase the printer, oversee the heaving lifting project and make sure the Uhaul trailer I had rented was securely attached to our truck. Welllll…when we pulled up to the printer, we realized that the 3,000 lb C & P letterpress dwarfed the Uhaul trailer. Skipping through the pins-and-needles part of the story when I thought I would drive back to Bozeman empty handed…Bear generously suggested we trade in the trailer for a truck that he would drive to Montana. Roadtrip! My mom-in-law, Kath, joined in and we were off the next day. (I am still trying to figure out how to thank them.) Everyone was eager to see the progress BJ was making on the studio back at home.

Bear and Dave the printer loaded ‘er up on a forklift that was creaking and tipping under the weight.

The C & P made the trip, unscathed. Very, very deeply dirty though.

So dirty that the cleaning involved goggles, rubber gloves and a cleaning solution that would not be appropriate to mention on this environmentally sound site. Kath and I had a seven hour cleaning session. Note the grime…

BJ and Bear rigged up the letterpress for the 100 yard dash to the backyard. Believe it or not, that yellow strap holds up to 5,000 pounds…luckily. BJ maneuvered the forklift, lifting the letterpress out of the truck and driving the several-ton load around the house to the backyard. (BTW-I just asked BJ if he had ever driven a forklift before this event and the answer was “no.”)

Making it through a tight spot

After the right side of the letterpress took out a small sliver of the door frame, (despite Bear’s warnings, “Woah, woah, WOAH to the left!”) BJ had to back it up for a do-over.

After trimming a branch of the apple tree, BJ had a straight shot into the studio

The three heavyweights (me, my mom-in-law Kath, and our friend Graham) kept the forklift from bucking.

The press is in! Forever.

With the reclaimed barn wood and metal siding from Utah along with metal roofing and tools donated by friends, (an aerial view of the roof is a colorful sight) windows and counter tops from Craigslist, and a beautiful desk acquired in trade, our building materials cost less than $750.

The renaissance man hard at work. He wrapped up this project (with help from friends when they were available) in a record-setting EIGHT DAYS. I’m pretty sure I really helped speed up the process by handing him hammer, levels & saws and standing on metal pieces while he cut them (boy that’s a nasty smell.) I did learn to use a nail gun…a powerful experience.

Eight days after the project began, while putting the finishing touches on the studio (inserting the wood stove and chimney) we heard the unmistakable sound of a hot air balloon. It looked like it was coming in for a leisurely crash landing on the new roof, but it actually landed in the adjacent field. A good omen from the skies.

AND THEN, three days later the snow flew. I am heading out there right now to start a fire, clean the space and get the letterpress rolling. Interior photos will come soon! So exciting.