We love visiting the creative spaces and studios of past Wintry Market vendors. It’s so much fun to see our artists at work, be it at home in a kitchen, in a backyard garage space, or a rented studio in a Boise high-rise.

Printmaker Angela Stewart is the brains and creative force behind Boise’s Ladybug Press, which has been in operation a little over five years now. A native Boisean, Angela got her bachelors degree in graphic design from Boise State University. She’s a natural businesswoman it seems, as Angela started seeking out clients as a student and went on to start her own professional graphic design business, successfully securing many major local companies and do a great deal of design work. Right around the time her son was born she got the itch. “I knew I didn’t want to sit behind a desk in an office any longer. I wanted to make something, do something more creative,” Angela shared. Luckily, a family friend and neighbor mentored Angela in printmaking and piqued her interestin the craft. After reading every book she could find on the subject, Angela began experimenting with the medium and was thrilled when her old friend gifted her with a real treasure, her beloved one-hundred year old big blue press. She’d already designed a number of wedding invitations with unique and personal touches and really liked it and, thus, Ladybug Press was born.

While Angela continues to make wedding invitations, she’s branched out to many other papergoods, including coasters, recipe cards, greeting cards, gift tags, and more. Her business has grown so much in the recent couple of years that she has had to hire not one, but two employees, including an illustrator, Lauryn, and a packing/shipping helper, Erika. In 2012, Martha Stewart magazine featured some of Ladybug Press’ beer coasters, and Angela was invited to be an official ebay seller on Martha Stewart Living’s American Made Collection.  As a mom, Angela is happy to be able to work from home, having built a studio in her backyard, where the view is now her tomato-filled garden and shady apple tree. New projects are underway for Ladybug Press, including limited edition watercolor prints and a Lost Landmarks series of Boise buildings coasters (we at Wintry are so excited to see both!).

You can find Ladybug Press on their website, Facebook, and Etsy, as well as many, many local boutique stores and across the nation. Thanks for letting us into your workshop and home, Angela!