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You likely have to get Halloween candy on your list of stuff to do this weekend, and we thought we'd help you out. After taking an anonymous poll of the team, we feel very confident that you should stock up on the following and prepare yourself to be the most popular house on the block:

Kit Kat. Gimme a break! No, seriously.

Twix. Thus named after combining the words "twin" and "stix.” Twicks must not have gone over well in focus groups.

Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups. C’mon, they’re even ET’s favorite!

Baby Ruth. Well, we are in Red Sox land.

Butterfinger. Created by the same guy behind Baby Ruth. Inside joke?

Skittles. Think you can beat the 16.13 seconds record to open a bag of Skittles and sort them by color?

Tootsie Roll. Roughly 740 tootsie rolls get made per second; that’s more than 60 million a day!

Candy Corn. Hmmm … votes for this one are still being disputed.

Joking aside, this is a pretty strong line up when it comes to Halloween candy. I'm lucky there was any of it left after placing a bag of it behind my desk earlier this week! If you're still not convinced by our top picks, then can we at least steer you away from some questionable choices? Let's at least agree to say no to pennies, toothbrushes, and the dreaded orange circus peanuts.

And with that, we wish you a treat-filled Halloween!!

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We recently welcomed the April May for Smudge Ink line, featuring her colorful maps of our favorite zip codes, neighborhoods, and coastlines! Whether it’s somewhere you called home, currently live, visited and want to go back, places definitely make their mark on us. It’s not surprising that we have an unending fascination with maps and the places they represent.

Being in Boston, we have naturally grown quite attached to its neighborhoods and surrounding areas. But if you had to pick just one, where would you call your favorite stomping ground? Here's where you'll find us ...

CLAYTON. I'm partial to Allston. There are a few gems there that include a handful of fun dive bars (ehem, The Silhouette and Model Cafe) as well as some scrumptious eateries (among my favorites: Deep Ellum, Thai Place, and Lone Star). It's basically the Brooklyn of Boston.

APRIL. My favorite neighborhood is Brighton. My husband (then boyfriend) and I lived there right after college in a teeny apartment that I loved. It was a surprisingly quiet and cozy area with Comm Ave and the Green Line and the convenience and commotion of city living just two minutes away. I didn't need a car and there was park nearby that I used as my backyard for summertime naps and reading; it was the best.

SARAH. My favorite neighborhood is Brookline for one simple reason—Brookline Booksmith! Since I moved to Boston in 2006 the Booksmith has been my favorite bookstore. It's my go-to for gifts, must-reads for myself, browsing on lazy Saturdays and events. Alas I can't exist on books alone, so lucky for me around the corner from the Booksmith is my favorite place to grab a burger and drink, Hops N Scotch, and up the street in Washington Square is the amazing Athan's. If you haven't had the good fortune to try their pastries go there! Now!

ERIN. I'm going to pick Somerville. It was my first home when I moved to Boston five years ago. There are so many great restaurants and shops in the area. Though I live in Malden now (which is also turning out to be pretty great!), I'll always love to go back and visit Somerville.

DEB. I can’t help but call Fort Point my favorite as I’m still emotionally connected after living there for many years. During that time, more and more good restaurants popped up and the oh-so-close Greenway became more beautiful by the year. One downside: evening commuter hour. It can be one heck of a jam. Keep at it, Fort Point and please, please retain some of your personality amidst all the construction. Hopefully we’ll meet again someday (like later this week for dinner).

SABRINA. Now that I think about it, I’d have to say Chinatown is my favorite neighborhood. Before I even lived in Boston, it was the start and end of so many bus rides (back when Chinatown bus meant just that!). Luckily, these days I go for the dumplings/Szechuan fish/pea-pod stems and no longer the bus. I love seeing the mahjong players in the court yard as the little kids run around with their pals. 

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Two weekends ago, I made my way to the Space Gallery in Portland, Maine, for the first ever New England Art Book Fair. Much like the Northampton Print & Book Fair (see my recap here), this gathering of creative heads will become an essential staple in not only their respective artists communities, but also the greater New England communities. It was exciting to see the crowds and packed rooms. Such high attendance of these projects tells me there are people out there who want to see art, meet artists, and have a much more interactive experience.

(image: Pickwick Independent Press fine art printing facility)

(image: Alex Lukas)

I was at the event for Saturday, and there were a number of cool workshops and lectures throughout the day at Pickwick Independent Press right upstairs from the gallery. PIP is a community print shop specializing in intaglio and letterpress. I was very excited to attend a short talk by Alex Lukas who is a printmaker/artist out of Pittsburgh. In his talk, Memorialization, Colonialism and Empowerment Through Public Name Writing, Lukas discussed the historical context and the difference between Louis C. Clark scrawling his name on cave walls during his exploration of the Louisiana Purchase to white graffiti writers entering neighborhoods like Harlem in the 1980’s. Very heady, thought provoking stuff. Alex Lukas was also tabling his project, Cantab Publishing, which include really beautiful Risograph, photocopy, offset, and silkscreen books.

(image: Draw Down Books)

There were many of the same vendors I met in Northampton, like Draw Down Books from Connecticut. DDB are publishing house that releases a lot of cool different projects including small zine-like books and larger hardcover monographs showing work of individual artists, surveys of graphic design projects and also works that serve to critique contemporary graphic design practices.

(image: Sylvia Kim)

Sylvia Kim is an artist local to Boston and she was selling her project, Halfling Zine, a photography zine dedicated to maintaining and creating dialogue between photographers like herself. In her latest issue she chose to represent only female artists. Her books are beautifully printed and very well designed.

(image: Jim Croft)

Jim Croft truly stood out as having the most unique offerings at NEABF. He is a longtime traditional book maker. He could talk to you for hours about all the awesome stuff he’s been creating. From wooden hardcover books complete with paper made from flax he grows and harvests on his property to intricate metal clasps custom made for each project.

(image: Jim Croft's handmade bone folders)

He was selling an array of bone folders sourced from local farms. Elk, moose, deer and more to help you get those crisp folds. It’s really something to see artists of all walks of life dedicated to their craft and creative process.

These past few events I’ve been a vendor at have been great experiences. I’ve met some new friends and potential collaborators, and I’ve seen old friends doing new things. What I perceive to be the greatest gain from this experience is a newfound vigor to get some new projects and artworks out of my brain and into real life! I’m excited to see what develops! While I don’t have any book or print fairs lined up in the next couple weeks, I’ll be letting you, our dedicated readership, in on all the great holiday craft and art markets hitting the scene in December. See you guys then!

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I love Halloween! I’m not so much into the haunted houses and scary aspects but the dressing up is right up my alley. My mom always made my costumes, and it was fun thinking of ideas and then watching them come to life. My favorite Halloween costume as a kid: a dalmation! I loved it so much I wore it two years in a row. Now I get to have fun making costumes with my two boys. Here are some amazing kids’ costumes I've been drooling over to inspire you!

1. Ice Cream Sundae
This one is great for babies! Easy to make with some tape, felt, and whatever onesies and leggings you already have laying around. Get the tutorial from Primary.

2. Madeline
I'm a sucker for book-inspired costumes, and this one is too sweet. No sewing required if you already have a blue dress. Find all the details and adorable photos on Say Yes.

3. Chicken
I have loved this particular costume for years. Something about it is so hilariously perfect. I don't know how practical it is with all of those feathers, but it's hard to resist, right?! Get the tutorial from Martha Stewart. 

4. Fox
This is for people who have a little more sewing experience than I do since there's a pattern involved. I also think you could easily adapt this by modifying a red sweatsuit. A little paint here and there, add a tail and some ears, and you're good to go. Get the pattern at Running With Scissors.

5. If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
CUTE! And so simple. You probably already have some overalls and your kiddo will love helping to make that awesome cookie. Get the tutorial at The House that Lars Built.

I hope you have a wonderful and sugar-filled Halloween!

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I had the pleasure of sharing the A.P.E. Gallery this past weekend with a multitude of amazing artists and publication houses at the 2nd annual Northampton Print & Book Fair (NPBF). This year, NPBF was part of a much larger two-day print extravaganza, Printworks2016, that also included the 14th (!) Annual Print Fair North hosted by Zea Mays Printmaking and a live printmaking demonstration.

Lyell Castonguay from BIG INK spearheaded the large format woodblock printing project. He’s been bringing together artists of all sorts to carve massive woodblocks (at least 24” x 36” in size) and then amass at a local printshop (like ZMP) with as many as a dozen at a time to help print a short edition of each block. It takes a lot of logistics, coordination and teamwork.

(image: Erin and Taylor of Selfish Magazine)

Much like the previous event I wrote about, there were all kinds of cool and talented people around. I got to meet a lot of really interesting people like Erin and Taylor from Selfish Magazine and we talked about the very basic problem of paying artists for their work. In some creative fields like writing, it’s near impossible to get a deal without agents representing your work. Independent publishers can break those walls down! Selfish Magazine is bi-yearly publication that brings together female-identifying artists and writers to create for the sake of creation and be totally unapologetic. Really awesome and inspiring stuff.

(image: Driton and Chris of Gentlepersons Gently)

Driton and Chris of Gentlepersons Gently were also tabling their collaborative and individual wares. These guys know how to hustle; I see them at virtually every fair or independent market! They’re a designer/illustrator duo with some strange ideas. “We’re mostly trying to see if other people think our inside jokes are funny.” From art zines to pillows, t-shirts to engraved sewing scissors, they have a lot of really fun stuff.

(image: Sean Sawick)

I ran into my buddy Sean Sawicki a poet and artist active in the Pioneer Valley community. He had a couple great new art zines which were traded for stuff I had been working on all summer. It was great to touch base with another artist who shares an artistic vision very similar to my own. We talked about the fair and how it’s kind of like Christmas, where all your art family are in town for a couple days, except we don’t have to worry about making excuses to your overpowering uncle as to why “your life isn’t going anywhere.”

(image: Emily of ILSSA)

I was tabling right next to Emily of ILSSA: Impractical Labor in Service of the Speculative Arts which is a “membership organization for those who use obsolete technology in conceptual or experimental ways.” They look to help improve the “spiritual working conditions” of artists who use methods that are “out of date” and therefore lack monetary value. Through mail-in surveys, which are these beautifully designed forms, they hope to help the individual artists reflect on their practice. All their reading materials, workbooks, survey forms were created using a Risograph or are letterpress printed. It was interesting to me to talk with the fellow artists, the publishers and an actual union dedicated to helping artists determine the value of their practice!

(image: packed inside the A.P.E. Gallery!)

There was so much amazing talent in that gallery space! I manage to make it to a lot of tables and introduce myself and make a trade before the caffeine-addled anxiety became too much for me to handle. These events are so great for networking and making new friends. I’m already looking forward to next year!

Next week I’ll be telling you guys about the amazing fair in Portland, Maine, I just got back from. See you then!

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