Worktable Wednesday

This week I got a custom order for five guest books – due next week. This is my very first corporate client, so I’m quite excited.

They chose a wonderful paper made by Richard Langdell of Armstrong Handmade Papers – it contains hay gathered from his neighbor’s field (first sheet on the left in the image below):

When I visited Richard’s studio today, I intended to just pick up the three sheets I needed. As you’ve already seen, I came home with more than three sheets…um, it was 28.

One of the things I love about visiting Richard’s studio is that I get to see his experimental stuff. I instantly fell for a cotton paper with pieces of gold and silver leaf, along with hops. I’m thinking maybe a beer journal?

I’m going to use the solid sheets in a letterpress experiment – I want to do blind printing with wood type. I got into the letterpress open studio next week at Dartmouth, so hopefully I’ll have something to show you soon!

Worktable Wednesday

Tonight I’m doing a workshop for the Book Arts Guild of Vermont – folded books. The structures I’m teaching were either invented by Hedi Kyle or were inspired by her work.

I wanted to make sure that I had the structures nailed down, so today I worked on making models. I had hoped to get the models done before today, but I’m in week three of the never-ending cough. I am sick of being sick!

I am loving Alisa Golden‘s book Making Handmade Books: 100+ Bindings, Structures & Forms. It has directions for a number of folded structures, including Hedi’s Crown Binding – I’ll be teaching this binding tonight.

Worktable Wednesday

Custom order day!

As I mentioned in this post, some customers brought me a pair of their chopsticks to incorporate into my Purple Plum Blossom journal. They’re really beautiful.

They look great with the cover paper – they pick up on the green in the leaves.

All packed up and ready to go!

I also had two custom accordion books to work on.

The one on the left is covered in a handmade paper that has cocoa beans in it. The other one has a fun bug paper by Reminiscence Papers.

If you have a fabulous, crazy, or fabulously crazy idea for a custom book, let me know about it. I love custom work!

The Paper Place and their 2nd annual rocking giveaway

Here we go again…let the paper dreams begin.

Mine mine mine please.

The generous folks at The Paper Place are giving away (for the second year) a super fat sample pack, which includes an 8.5″ x 11” sheet of every Chiyogami paper they carry – over 700 patterns!

Enter the giveaway here.

If you’ve never worked with Chiyogami paper (a.k.a. Yuzen) before, it’s just fabulous. I’ve often referred to the stuff as the butter of paper – it just behaves so well.

Compliant paper makes me happy…it’s so dreamy!

The Paper Place is located in Toronto, Canada…luckily within driving distance for me. In addition to their fabulous Chiyogami selection, they also offer workshops, art & papercrafting supplies, and gift items. You can even shop online if you can’t tolerate a trip out of the country. Just to tease you, they now carry Divine Twine.

So if I haven’t been successful in enticing you to enter this giveaway, all I can do is leave you with the following image:

If that doesn’t motivate you, then are made of some seriously strong stuff.

Worktable Wednesday

A while ago, I bought a grab bag of Debra Glanz’s (a.k.a. Reminiscence Papers) awesome printed papers from Paper Mojo. I decided to take a few of them for a a spin and make some accordion books.

So I have this tendency to reuse wax paper a lot. A LOT. It’s pretty gross.

Actually, it’s pretty cool. There’s a lot of history in those layers of glue.

No. I think that at some point, reuse just becomes abuse. This wax paper is so strong that it should just walk right outta here.

And today’s laugh comes from…

At the Art & Artisans Holiday Market this past weekend, I met a lovely woman who wanted custom books covered in bug paper.

I knew exactly what paper to show her – Debra Glanz of Reminiscence Papers makes awesome printed papers, including three with bugs. She chose Things with Wings, one of my favorites.

Today I received my order and along with the bug paper, I received the cutest little package of printed papers.

In the back of the package was what probably one of the funniest notes I’ve ever received with an order:

These are samples of a few of the papers available in my shop: www.reminiscencepapers.etsy.com. Have fun using them in your own card making, scrapbooking, collage or even better……make tiny little paper airplanes to annoy your family and friends.

Debra

LOVE.

[waiting for husband to come home to pelt with airplanes]

Worktable Wednesday

Simply put, I simply cut.

The Bed Pan of Triangles

I have a bed pan of triangles in my studio.

Wait – you don’t have one too?

I guess I should start with the origin of the bed pan. Earlier this year, I had all of my wisdom teeth removed. My sister came with me to the appointment as I wouldn’t be able to drive myself home.

So I’m in recovery and I start to feel nauseous. I really don’t like throwing up and I’m doing my best to hold it together.

It is at this time that my sister decides to reminisce about the previous night’s episode of Glee, which included a group vomit scene.

And then I throw up. Thanks Sis.

The doctor gave me a bed pan to take with me in the car, just in case. Thankfully, I didn’t need to use it.

But I just don’t throw things away. Never look a gift bed pan in the mouth.

So I also had a bunch of paper triangles.

When you make books and are covering boards, you trim off the excess material to eliminate unnecessary bulk.

Did I mention that I just don’t throw things away? Never look a gift paper triangle in the mouth.

It seemed like a natural fit.

Worktable Wednesday

This morning was spent much like last Wednesday – I glued coptic journal covers using two more sheets of the paper I got from Chena River Marblers.

I was bummed to find that the purple marbled paper was grain short, so I could only get one journal out of it. Poo.

Things got more exciting once I went on a field trip.

I’ve mentioned that my new bookboard is too large to fit in my Kutrimmer (argh). In order to get my board cut, I had to travel to a friend’s studio to use her Kutrimmer. She has a 1080.

Me? Jealous? Yes. Very.

The thing is beauteous. In addition to having a larger cutting length (31.25″), it has a rocking foot-operated clamp. My foot never gets to help when I cut board at home.

17 boards later…

I didn’t cut the boards all the way down to finished sizes – I didn’t want to kill the blade and I can finish the rest at home on my inferior 1071.

I think I’ve become a bad Kutrimmer mommy.

There was a fun and gross discovery while cutting the bookboard – a smushed, bloody bug.

I performed several Google searches to determine whether smushed bugs are either archival or acid-free, but had no luck.

If you have any knowledge on the subject, please share!

Worktable Wednesday

Back in the studio!

Today I glued coptic journal covers using two sheets of the paper I got from Chena River Marblers.

I simply cannot resist this marbled paper. I want to eat it.

Working with it has a super-positive effect on my mood. And I’d like to express my gratitude for the fact that it’s grain long – I can get two journals from each sheet.

Now to sort out the linen thread colors…