Hi everyone,
Happy April! We’re back again with our lil March roundup, talking about our silly lives and what we’ve been working on here at LPP. Lately the sun is so bright and warm, we’re so happy that it’s already spring. The trees are starting to bloom too and the spring ephemerals are out, it’s always so sweet to see!! Springtime makes us think of change and growth and it’s always nice to see it reflected in the environment around us as well as in our hearts! Our goal this year is to see a migrating American Woodcock! They are funny…
In March we tabled at MoCCA fest in NYC! Thanks for stopping by those of you who were in town ^_^ We had a really nice weekend- we didn’t have to travel far so MoCCA is always a pretty smooth show. We tried some new snacks, these kinako rice puffs, that blew our minds. Plus the packaging is cute cute.
Also! Knapsack Mag Vol. 1 won the SOI Award of Excellence! We got a balloon! We appreciate the fun and whimsy. Sara tied it to their backpack and almost flew away.
In other news, Basket is expected to arrive May 12th, and we’re waiting with bated breath to see all the books… We got test volumes right before MoCCA!! Here’s a first look at the book- it feels sooo nice in our hands (the jacket is textured and the inner pages feel like newsprint with some more weight). The cover was originally drawn with colored pencil, and we color separated it with three riso-adjacent offset inks to be bright and punchy (like riso!).
And as you’ve probably heard from other small businesses, we’ve been struggling with the constantly increasing tariffs. We’re expecting books to be a lot more expensive to print and to ship, and printed matter is our lifeblood so we’re going to try and persevere as much as we can during this time. More than ever, it would really mean a lot to us if you told your friends and loved ones about us, the support helps us continue doing what we do! <3
Our biggest announcement this month is that we’re officially launching our Kickstarter campaign for our second Knapsack Volume: Butter! ☆ Knapsack Mag Vol. 2: Butter launches on Tuesday, April 29th at noon EST! Mark your calendars! This new volume is going to be printed in lettuce green and tomato red, and features over 28 artists, which is even bigger than last volume! Clocking in at around 240 pages, with some really cool extras inside the volume like a tear-away postcard and fold out poster, we are SO excited to bring you more Knapsack!!
In full transparency, our goal is much higher than last volume’s due to tariff increases (we’re expecting about $6k alone on shipping fees 😭) and because the book is larger than the first volume we’re budgeting in for more artist payments and for more printing costs, so please do check it out and support it if you can! 🥺 We’re a little nervous about the goal amount… but we’re hoping we’ll meet it! 🙇
Please do check out the project page here, and give it a follow so you’ll be notified when the project launches! <3
March was pretty packed with MoCCA prep and work on Knapsack Vol 2, but we were still able to have some fun on our off days! Earlier in the month we went to a tea ceremony hosted by an new friend in upstate NY. It's always so refreshing and heartwarming to drink tea with loved ones and new friends, and afterwards we stopped by the Mohonk Preserve and a vegan cafe in New Paltz called Lagusta’s Luscious!
We also drove by (unfortunately it was closed that day) a Filipino restaurant and market up in Accord called Harana Market! The food looks amazing and the restaurant is LGBTQ and Filipino-owned PLUS there’s vegetarian offerings. We were so happy to see a space like Harana serving the community and we’re excited to go back and eat some food and enjoy the area… We love upstate New York!! Both Sara and Steph have a bunch of dietary restrictions & allergies too so we’re always on the lookout for places that can accommodate us.
Right before MoCCA, our best friend T visited from out of state and we all met up and drank tea all together again after a long time! It warmed our hearts… Afterwards we went to the local Audubon society for a short hike! There were lots of chickadees and even frogs croaking at the pond. We’re excited to come back when the trees are full of green leaves!
That’s all our news so far for this month! Lately we’ve been thinking about our place in the world and just how to live in it, and we want to say we are immensely thankful for your continued support and community; you are our hearts. Thank you for allowing us to continue doing what we love. Stay safe and strong, and we will see you all soon. Take care everyone, and we hope beautiful flowers grow in your gardens and homes! 💐
All our love,
Sara, Steph, & Pocket
Eating / Drinking:
Sara: Soy milk!! It's perfect this time of year cause it can be warm or cold, depending on your mood. Soy beans are my favorite thing in the world. So versatile...
Steph: I've been making lots of puto lately with white rice flour and coconut milk! And I've been so busy lately I've been simmering vegetables in dashi for breakfast... I recently visited Baltimore and got my favorite vegan cookies from Mom's, we jokingly call them crazy guy cookies (cause there's a silly guy on the packaging)
Watching / Reading / Playing / Listening to:
Sara: I finally finished War and Peace!!!!! I sobbed... Started reading the manga Silver Spoon cause I've been thinking of farming so much (it's another passion of mine)!
Steph: I finished The Left Hand of Darkness...🧍 Playing DS Cooking Mama to get some Knapsack inspiration (and some Tomodachi Life too)!
