About Me

Hello! I'm Melissa, and I'm so happy you found your way to my blog. If you've come to this page, you no doubt would like to know a little bit about me.

I grew up in the mountains of central New Mexico and then spent four years in West Virginia for graduate school where I studied reproductive physiology and worked with both sheep and pigs (and the occasional cow). I received a Master's degree in that field and then spent two years working on a PhD before I came to the realization that I loved animals too much for a life in research, and I didn't like teaching enough for a life in academia. One day the moon and stars aligned, and I left the hills of West Virgina for a job in Baltimore as a technical editor at a Johns Hopkins University non-profit involved in international public health, where I worked primarily on materials related to maternal and newborn health. It was fascinating and rewarding work that allowed me to travel to Switzerland, Thailand, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Dubai, and Afghanistan. I spent seven years in Baltimore (the neighborhood of Canton), and all of my free time was devoted to gutting and rebuilding a 1920s brick rowhouse. Once my house was finished, I sold it and moved back to New Mexico, where I worked as a freelance medical/technical editor.

Not long after I moved to New Mexico, I got married. Now, home for me is the tiny town of Palisade in western Colorado, where we are surrounded by beautiful mountains, blue skies, and orchards and vineyards. I have a son (Lachlan, who just turned one January 2012), a husband (Justin, an engineer), a spoiled dog (Sadie Bug, a weimaraner), three spoiled chickens (Harriet, Hazel, and Greta, Americanas that lay blue-green eggs), and a horse (Mickey, a buckskin Quarter Horse) who still lives with my parents.

I love working with my hands--especially letterpress printing, gardening, knitting, baking, canning, and just about every kind of crafting project known to man. I think pretty paper makes the world go 'round, and I am absolutely obsessed with anything that comes with a history. In 2008 I purchased my first letterpress and began to teach myself the art of letterpress printing. I now am the proud owner of three presses ranging in age from 1888 to 1917, as well as tons (literally) of type and assorted letterpress "stuff".

In October 2008, I opened my first Etsy shop, Paper Ink Press. With the birth of my son, I became a work-at-home mom and began looking for a way to keep my hands and mind busy without having to sit at a computer to edit. My obsession with pretty paper and packaging supplies led me to open my second Etsy shop, Paper and Present, in May, 2011. You can read more about these shops by clicking on their tabs at the top of the blog.

And last, but not least, I am currently working on my third shop, Saya's Nest, which I'm oh-so-excited about because it will carry so many of my favorite things for the house and home. It is a work in progress that I hope to launch by the end of April, 2012.

I'm glad you're here and I'd love to get to know you. Feel free to contact me at melissa {at} paperinkpress {dot} com if you have any questions.

Have a lovely day!