Our intern Lan Truong had her 100 Faces project posted on Design Work Life on Friday!  It’s a study of simple, graphic faces that I imagine is much more difficult than it appears.

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We're back from our trip to Puerto Rico!  It felt great to get a big dose of sunshine and really relax, not to mention attend the most beautiful wedding ever for our friends Amber and Ben!

Now that we're rested, we feel ready to continue the busy pace in the studio that has been consistent since the beginning of the year.  We've been printing lots of custom wedding suites and business cards lately!  Hopefully we can get some of the new designs up on the website soon and finally show them off.

However, the busy pace can't last too much longer... as we're expecting a baby girl, due on July 1st!!!  We're so excited to welcome our new little assistant!

In preparation of her arrival we are planning to wrap-up our custom printing projects by early May, so please keep that in mind when getting in touch with the studio.

Here's a pic of the baby bump taken on our Puerto Rico trip...

Just outside the walls of El Morro in Old San Juan

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Here's a little sneak peak at Amber & Ben's wedding invitation, designed and printed by Elevated Press of course!

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We've got a new intern here at Elevated Press!  Her name is Lan, and she's a talented designer and illustrator with a desire to learn all about letterpress.  She also blogs about all kinds of wonderful inspirations:  art, design, fashion, food, color...  which is something that we hope she'll be able to help us out with on our blog as well.

Now here's Lan to introduce herself...

Hello! I am very excited to have landed an internship with Elevated Press and am looking forward to my time here. I love the tactile and physical properties of letterpress; with everything going digital, it's nice to have something that you can hold in your hands. It'll also be nice to step away from the computer for a bit and actually make and think with my hands.

When it comes to design and illustration, I am drawn to things that are simple and clean. I like basic shapes (I am very fond of the circle...it's probably my favorite shape), textures, and flat colors. Outside of design, I enjoy baking (I am known for my raspberry buttermilk cake and zucchini bread), tennis, biking, and hitting up thrift stores with my friends. My greatest fear is having my teeth fall out.

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There are several exciting events coming up so far for Elevated Press in the new year, starting with The Wedding Party.  The Wedding Party is a super fun, FREE meet and greet event aimed at connecting engaged couples with talented wedding vendors – including Elevated Press – in the Ann Arbor and SE Michigan area.  It takes place at Pot & Box floral studio in Ann Arbor on Sunday, January 23rd between 2-7pm.  If you're engaged and interested in coming please sign up for your free tickets on Eventbrite.  If you know someone who's engaged please pass the word about The Wedding Party!  All attendees will receive a discount offer for an Elevated Press wedding invitation package!

More soon!

 

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We also just dropped off a bunch letterpress goodies last week at City Bird in Detroit.  They're open everyday until Christmas from 11-7pm!

Also available in red!

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Please visit Elevated Press and 20+ other unique and fantastic vendors at Tiny Expo tomorrow.  Hope to see you there!

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Our fav. new print by Alisa Bobzien.

Designer Alisa Bobzien has contributed several popular designs to the Elevated Press line over the past year, and we just want to say a huge THANK YOU to her for being such a clever, and talented addition to the Elevated Press team! 

She recently provided us with the phrase for one of our latest prints, LESS IS MORE, printed using our collection of antique wooden type.  And, she inspired the phrase on our brand new card, I Like Your Face...

Alisa has recently begun screen printing t-shirts and prints of her latest designs, and we're very excited to get our hands on these beauties!

Please visit Alisa and Elevated Press at the Tiny Expo: Indie Arts and Craft Fair, this Saturday, December 11th in Ann Arbor!

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Pete and I had a fantastic time at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair this weekend!  There were lots of friendly faces and many of our favorite vendors, but not only that, it was also our most successful show to date!  We'll definitely be applying to this show again for next year.

More soon on the awesome goods we scored from other vendors...

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Please excuse the quick and dirty photo... better images coming soon.

Mitten State of Mind is one of our latest prints that will be available this weekend at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair.  We hope to see you there!

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I'm taking a quick break from printing to share our excitement about Elevated Press being featured in our first book!  The book is 1,000 More Greetings by Aesthetic Movement, published by Quayside Publishing Group, and available now for purchase.

I was browsing through the PDF of the book and counted 7 pieces from Elevated Press!  The selected pieces include 2 greeting cards, a print, a calendar, and 3 invitations... great variety!

I'll share more about it as soon as I get my copy!

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Our 2011 Flying Contraption Calendar is now available in the Etsy shop, and many more new items are coming soon, including 2 new holiday cards, 2 new prints, and a funny love-related card.

Everything will be available to purchase next weekend at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, December 4th & 5th.  I hope you can join us there!

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Here are a few photos of us from the article (all photos by Doug Coombe):

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Tiny Expo poster design by Dylan Strzynski of Intl. Robot.

Please join Elevated Press at Tiny Expo, Ann Arbor's biggest little indie holiday art and craft fair, happening December 11th from 10am-8pm, with a special Ann Arbor Film Festival screening from 8-9pm!  Tiny Expo is located at 314 Braun Ct. in Ann Arbor, right across from the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market in Kerrytown.

Elevated Press (a.k.a. Michelle & Pete Baker) has helped to organize Tiny Expo, along with Helen Gotlib and Dylan Strzynski, so we are super excited about it!  Check out some of the awesome vendors in the photos on our Facebook page!

More details to come...

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We talked a lot about the design to print process, the types of printing plates and moveable type used in letterpress printing, and the beautiful old machines that print it.  I even did a quick little demo on the C&P press using some wooden type, that spelled "AIGA DETROIT".

Thanks to everyone that came out for the visit!

A shot of the group holding their prints!

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Minty Keen carries a wonderful mix of vintage and vintage-inspired goods.

City Bird is super hip store, studio, and gallery in mid-town.

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We've printed dozens of items since making the switch, and couldn't be happier!  Here's our latest print using the the Caligo Inks, Alphabet Cadence (Fuchsia), printed with antique wooden type!

Can you see the woodgrain?

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If you live in the Chicago area or feel like taking a road trip to the Windy City, stop by and visit Elevated Press at the original Renegade Craft Fair this weekend!!!  We'd love to see you there!

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I'm finally returning to my home of 3 years...  First San Francisco, and then Berkeley!!!  Can't wait to go back and experience the frozen summer again!

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Thanks so much to Abby & Tommy for giving me permission to submit their invitation suite even before they're wedding has happened!

Here are a couple of quick pics I took of the magazine.  I'm working on shooting professional photos of the invitation suite now, and they should be posted within a couple of days...  Please check back to see the detailed shots!

The article is called "Truly Inspired."

It's a rather small, and not too detailed photo in the magazine, but you get the idea...

Here's what the mag looks like in case you want to check out the article!

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via Tiepedia

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More details to follow...

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In just under 2 weeks, Elevated Press will be participating in MittenMADE, a 2 day craft fair showcasing works from 20 Michigan artists and craftspeople on Friday July 23rd and Saturday 24th, from 10am-5pm.  MittenMADE will take place at Blue House Ann Arbor at 1026 South Main St. in Ann Arbor (right across the street from Michigan Stadium).

The first 50 shoppers each day get a free swag bag with goodies from the vendors... a nice incentive to come early!

Come check it out and support your local artists.  Hope to see you there!

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On a hot & muggy afternoon, 2 years ago today, I married my best friend...  Here's to 2 years of marriage and 12 years together!   I love you Pete!!!

Our honeymoon in Iceland was also pretty darn amazing and magical.

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The wooden type all locked-up.

Stefany and I

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Elevated Press is now in possession of three complete drawers of large wooden type!  These babies are getting harder and harder to come by, so this was a huge score for me...

Expect some new prints in the coming months, and hopefully some workshops as well!

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Mark your calendars!  On Saturday June 12th from 5pm - 8pm, Elevated Press will be participating as a vendor in the CrafterLot at Blue House Ann Arbor, at 1026 South Main St., in Ann Arbor (right across from Michigan Stadium).  Join us and 29 other local handmade artists to check out our wares.  There will be live music too!  Hope to see you there!  Click here for more details.

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There's lots of great letterpress stuff coming your way soon!  But not just yet...

For now I leave you with an adorable photo of my cat Menudo in a tiny box.  She had to really work to get her butt in there, but once in her spot, she enjoyed sitting there for the longest time.

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Omer is not your typical wedding dj, which is just what we wanted.  He's brilliant at playing party tunes that get everyone, young and old, out onto the dance floor, and not just by playing the most popular hits.  I can't believe how many people were cramming the dance floor consistently all night at our wedding.  We still get comments about how much fun everyone had, and honestly, a lot of it's due to Omer.

Check out Lovely Day if you're in need of an outstanding wedding dj and a guaranteed party! Also on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's a fun little song that Omer tweeted about that instantly put me in a great mood today...

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Happy 32nd Birthday Pete!!!  Love ya babe!

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Elevated Press has a new Mother's Day Poppy card available on our Etsy site.  Your Mom will love the bright and cheery Poppy and the message applies all year long, not just on Mom's Day!

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Really, I can't say enough wonderful things about Pot & Box. Stop on in at 220 Felch St. in Ann Arbor, and check it out for yourself!

The letterpress goods!

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Cute stray dog on Honeymoon Beach, Water Island, US VI

Going back to Water Island for a week for Pete's cousin's wedding...  We have a very blessed life!

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This Saturday, there's a little something more to help us get through the winter months, with the help of local artists, music lovers, filmophiles, Elevated peoples, Forth From Its Hinges peoples, and our friends from the Ann Arbor Film Festival - We offer you a group showcase, complete with film, music, painting, photography, illustration, sculpture and more.

--

SATURDAY, APRIL 3RD @ 8PM
Winter Doldrum's Group Showcase
FFIH Warehouse / 3770 Plaza Drive, Ann Arbor
http://winterdoldrums.elevatedworks.com/

April 3rd (next Saturday), the final culmination of the 4 part series, to be hosted at the Forth From It's Hinges warehouse on the south side of Ann Arbor (3770 Plaza Drive, near the Ann Arbor Airport).

We've got over 20 artists lined up; photographers, painters, sculptors, installation artists, film makers, performances, the whole nine, along with a couple of the best DJs this side of the Mississippi (Forest Juziuk & Bil Jax). Not to be missed.

Artwork By:
Jeff Burtle
Sean Patrick
Melissa Dettloff
Steven Emshwiller
Joshua Ray Smith
Todd Eschenburg
Benny Saginaw
Michael Konas
Johnny Seiser
Justin Bean
Ryan Groendyk
Jocelyn Gotlib
Matt Bernick
Helen Gotlib
Dylan Strzynski
Nick Jaroch
Aaron Bobzien
Michelle Baker
Peter Baker

Music by Forest Juziuk & Bil Jax

Films curated by: Ted Kennedy & Becca Keating

The whole thing kicks off around 8pm, and will likely go into the wee hours. There will be discount BTB Party Bus rides (yes, you can drink on it) from downtown to the warehouse and back again.

And did we mention the whole thing is free? I know right? Everyone involved is doing this out of a love of art, music, film, spring, and a desire to see more creative action happening in a town that used to be known for it. Come support art in Michigan, or at least tell your friends to (oh, and and bring your own b, if you please). And if you've still got friends that have somehow avoided Facebook for this long, point them here: http://winterdoldrums.elevatedworks.com/

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221 Felch St (Backside of "JC Beal Building") Ann Arbor, MI

Sarah w/ Blanket by Helen Gotlib

Three Hatchways by Dylan Strzynski

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But it doesn't stop there folks, Lisa is also a serious horticulturist, and designs flower landscapes and container gardens... which is basically my dream job, aside from letterpress design and printing of course!

I've also had a look inside the new studio, and it really is an amazing space, not only in the architecture, but also in the way that Lisa has designed her displays, and even organized her materials... so much great stuff to look at!  You should stop by the opening if you get the chance...

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Please join us at Elevated Studios for part 2 of the Winter Doldrums this Saturday, March 6th @ 7pm

Showing Paintings by Aaron Bobzien & Nick Jaroch.

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Letterpress can help you find your lost dog. Just saying. (via Studio on Fire)

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~Michelle

Crowd shot... busy, busy!

A few people still hanging out at the end of the night, and a view of some of Pete's photos in the space.

All the presses in a row!

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In case it slipped your mind, here is your reminder that the Elevated Press open house is happening tomorrow night, Saturday, February 20th from 7pm - 11pm-ish.

We hope you can join us for an open house at Michigan's newest design and letterpress printing studio, Elevated Press. Founder Michelle Baker will be showing off work by the studio, and the 75 to 110 year old machines used to produce it.

Also on display, the photographs of Peter Baker, whose work has been exhibited around the country and the rest of the world, as well as appeared in numerous magazines including Metropolis, I.D., and How. He will be showing recent work focusing on the state of Michigan, as well as previous works.

Greeting cards, prints, and limited edition photographs will all be on sale.

Forest Juziuk will be providing the musical styling, and J. Trees Cellars will be providing their newest varieties of wine.

[This will be the first in a series of 3 local artist exhibitions at this space, with a larger 4th culminating group show in another space. The dates for the other three shows are planned for March 6th, March 20th, and April 3rd.]

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Join us for an open house at Michigan's newest design and letterpress printing studio, Elevated Press. Founder Michelle Baker will be showing off work by the studio, and the 75 to 110 year old machines used to produce it.

Also on display, the photographs of Peter Baker, whose work has been exhibited around the country and the rest of the world, as well as appeared in numerous magazines including Metropolis, I.D., and How. He will be showing recent work focusing on the state of Michigan, as well as previous works.

Greeting cards, prints, and limited edition photographs will all be on sale.

Forest Juziuk will be providing the musical styling, and J. Trees Cellars will be providing their newest varieties of wine.

[This will be the first in a series of 3 local artist exhibitions at this space, with a larger 4th culminating group show in another space. The dates for the other three shows are planned for March 6th, March 20th, and April 3rd.]

Published in: Announcements

I just finished printing a small run of business cards for Ann Arbor-based Communications Designer, Rebekka Kuhn. Rebekka designed the cards and placed an order with Elevated Press to have 150 of them printed. They were printed with black ink on a super pale blue paper with natural flecks in it, and I think the cards turned out great!

The flat box with the scores and cuts.

 I did encounter one tiny problem when it came time to pack-up the order for her. I just didn't have a box small enough for the small run of cards.  I always try to recycle packaging materials whenever possible, so I came up with the idea of creating a custom box out of a flat piece of cardboard that I had in the studio. I started with the base of the box, and scored the areas that would create the walls on two sides of the box. Then I scored and cut the two remaining sides. Without getting too detailed (i.e. boring), I basically scored and folded the cardboard around the stack of cards, as close to a standard box type as possible.

The finished box!

Here is the finished box, which I wrapped with packaging tape to cover-up the rougher scored edges. Not perfect, but it does the trick... Next time, I think it'll turn-out even better.

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This is my Grandma Betty's mink-trimmed hat. I'm not usually one to wear fur, but this hat is so warm and made to last, that I'll make an exception in this case. Also in the frame is a white leather ottoman. This piece doesn't really fit in with anything in my house, but I like it so much that I may have to redecorate in order to make it work.

I love turquoise, so I was immediately drawn to this bag, but there was also wonderful surprise waiting inside... a bowling ball! Who knew a bowling ball bag could be so stylish?

These are the sweetest curtain holdbacks I've ever seen. I was even intrigued by them before I figured out what they were used for.

The quote says, "I'm not very experienced, but I'm willing to learn." This is totally going up in my studio space. It's a bit ironic now, but it's good to remind me of my roots. Plus the quirky baby image just makes me laugh.

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Happy 2010 Everyone!

Elevated Press is back from it's holiday break and a much needed rest.

Thanks to everyone who has followed this blog since it started this past September, despite the fact that I haven't always been consistant about posting on a regular basis. Although I'm not a big believer in New Years Resolutions, I do think it's important to set realistic goals. So, this year my goal is to blog for Elevated Press at least once a week (and hopefully more). It may not seem like a lot to some of you out there, but, believe me, it is a big goal for me. Wish me luck!

Cheers,

Michelle
Elevated Press

p.s. If you didn't get that calendar you wanted for the holidays, our Lucky Cat 2010 Calendar is still available!

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All in all, there was a great turnout at the RHCF!  Tons of people made it out to buy handmade gifts, and believe me it was hard to choose amongst all of the fantastic art and crafts!

Photo by Ben Syverson" class="full" width="538">
This is the view of our room (one of five) in Gym #2 at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse. Photo by Ben Syverson

Sloe Gin Fizz, also from Ann Arbor" class="full" width="538">
Here I am next to my wonderful tablemate Nicole of Sloe Gin Fizz, also from Ann Arbor

During the fair, I got this adorable print from Nicole, titled My Dearest Friend.

After the weekend was over, I stayed in Chicago for a couple of days, relaxing and visiting with friends. Thanks so much to our friends Amber, Jenny and Joe for putting us up during our visit!

If you missed us at the Renegade Fair, please stop by the store at 1924 W. Division St. to check out Elevated Press's paper goods in person! Or, visit my Etsy site to purchase Elevated Press goods online.

And, finally, the winner of a free Elevated Press card set is Catherine Stern! Our winner was randomly selected using random.org. Thanks everyone for signing up for our mailing list at the Renegade Holiday Fair!

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We've been in major printing mode for the past few weeks trying to get all of our new items ready for the show. And now that everything is printed, we can finally start showing the new work! Several of our new items are designed by artist Alisa Bobzien for Elevated Press. We're so happy to be working with such a fantastic talent and we think that her designs are going to be enjoyed by all. Thanks so much Alisa!

Check out Alisa's post about her visit to the Elevated Press studio.

Starboard, by Alisa Bobzien

Here is a sneak peak at one of Alisa's new designs. This print, titled Starboard, is a limited edition, signed print. Only 100 were made! It will be available for purchase very soon on Etsy, and at the Renegade Holiday Craft Fair this weekend.

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Here's a photo of the press safe and sound in the studio.

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These cards were designed by graphic designer Anne-Marie Kim for her own use.

Elevated Press is pleased to work with graphic designers by letterpress printing their personal and client projects. If you have a design that you'd like letterpress printed, contact the studio and let's talk about it.

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It's been a bit of a slow transition moving everything from our home studio to the new space, but once we get it all set-up, it's going to be great.  I'll post some updated photos soon.

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This is the container garden I maintain along my driveway, which also happens to be the only sunny spot in my yard.

These salad greens are as fresh as it gets.

The first picking of green and wax beans.

One days harvest of 2 tomato plants!

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1 day. 40 artists. 9,000 gallons of beer. from mike ambs �?? on Vimeo.

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This past weekend Elevated Press participated in the Shadow Art Fair, at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti Michigan. I brought my Kelsey tabletop press along to give attendees the chance to see, and for some, try out, a letterpress in action. Those that did took home the print that they made.

The place was packed, and we got a good reaction from visitors to our table. Lasting from noon to midnight, I will say it was a bit of a challenge to keep our energy up, but the beer helped get us through! Overall it was a successful day... pretty good for being our first big art fair!

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Ok, well it wasn't quite that smooth... the press was picked-up 3 days early without record of the pick-up, and was "lost" in a freight shipping warehouse for a weekend before being officially located. Then, I was told that there was a hold-up in Chicago, possibly due to damage to the press. Then when the press finally arrived, I discovered that the legs had punched through a plywood layer on top of the pallet. Needless to say the whole freight shipping process was super stressful. I'll definitely avoid doing anything like that again in the future.

Since the press was going to the small studio shed behind the house, and there was tons of snow on the ground, we devised a ramp system on the driveway out of pieces of plywood to roll the press from the road to the studio on a pallet jack. After literally stopping traffic and a couple of tense moments where the pallet jack broke through the plywood under the 1,200 lbs of the press, we finally got it in place. Yay!!!

Unfortunately, we later discovered that the press suffered a bit of damage to the two front legs when the legs punched through the plywood on the pallet. But we arranged for a fantastic welder to come out on-site to repair the damage and reinforce the legs to make them even stronger than before!

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