i’m really excited to announce that i’ll be teaching 2 bookbinding workshops at red bow studio on saturday, october 2! red bow studio is the studio of artist and friend, patricia kaegi weiss, and is located 25 miles east of manhattan in the lovely long island town of sea cliff.  if you’re in the area, come! i’ll be teaching 2 workshops in a relaxed and friendly environment, and i’ll teach you everything you need to know to make more on your own!

the first workshop of the day: stab-binding. we’re going to re-use paper to create a journal and a photo album! we’ll be binding both books using the centuries-old japanese stab binding technique (it is not as violent as it sounds!). you will learn how to cover book boards, in addition to learning this easy, yet elegant binding technique. 10am-12pm, $25 per person + $5 materials fee

in the second workshop, i’ll be teach you how to make a hard-bound journal. you’ll create an over-size book by hand, perfect for writing or visual journaling! you’ll learn how to construct the book block, how to apply paper and book cloth to the cover boards, and how to fit it all together. you will have a variety of bookcloth colors and cover papers to chose from. 2-5pm, $25 per person + $10 materials fee

to enroll, please call (516) 676-4324 or email theredbowstudio at gmail dot com and you will receive you more information about the workshops. each workshop is limited to 10 participants. if you have any questions, leave me a comment. i’d love to see you there!

bonus: patricia interviewed me earlier this week, and if you’re dying to know more about moi, she’s posted the interview here on her blog.

happy weekend!

the fish journals are done, and i’ve put a couple in my etsy shop! i was a little worried they wouldn’t get done this weekend… i was only able to get one bound friday, and it seemed to take forever. but saturday i tried a different set of needles and was able to bind one in 14 minutes flat. and before i knew it, i had sewed all 9. maybe it was the sushi i had for dinner that gave me that extra speed…

i got a lot of other stuff done, too, and i’ll show you throughout the next few weeks… stay tuned!

these little fish journals await my attention…

first, i’m off to the day job for a few hours but i hope to make my escape shortly after lunch to attend to more important things… like sewing journals!

happy weekend!

custom requests from my etsy shop stress me out, yet i still can’t say no… and this job is one reason why i say yes:

i was contacted last week to create a wedding book for a couple getting married in brooklyn botanic garden next weekend. i struggled a bit at first, but once the bride-to-be sent me a copy of her wedding invitation, i had the direction i needed. the invite had bits of gold, and was a simple yet modern design, so i knew the book could be less traditional. after searching a few stores and online to find the cover paper, i started to panic a bit, but a quick trip to mcba’s gift shop saturday morning yielded the perfect paper to match the gold bookcloth i had already had on hand.

i still worry about tiny little imperfections, but i think this will be a good addition to the bride and groom’s big day. i’m so honored to be a part of it.

happy weekend!

this is the state of my dining room table.

2 weeks ago i got a spring bug to produce and produce and stock up my etsy shop inventory. i’ve been finding it hard to sit down during the week and getting a chunk done here and there, so i really look forward to at least one weekend evening where i can drink wine, pop in a movie, and cut-fold-paste. yup, it’s a non-stop party here!

locals: st. paul art crawl starts tonight…

happy weekend!

a little valentine for my etsy shop: the xoxo album. i normally don’t do holiday-specific goods, but when placing an order for to restock some of my most-used bookcloth, i could not resist the bright red…

i recently stumbled upon a box of books that i made a long time ago. the albums above were one of the first “lines” i produced, well before etsy was around. i remember making them — it was summer, and i had no idea where i would sell them, but that didn’t stop me from making a gazillion. they’re a tiny bit banged up, so i’ve put them in the shop for $4 a piece.

these were made a year or two after the albums. they’re hardbound journals, and completely handmade! but they need a better home than a box in my closet. so they’re on sale, super-cheap, in my etsy shop!

happy weekend!

over the holiday break i stumbled upon patterned file folders at target. i couldn’t resist and i picked up 2 packs: each with 3 different colors/patterns. i decided to make simple pamphlet stitch books to send to friends as thank yous for the wonderful things they gave/made me for christmas. the fold was already there, so i cut one of each color/pattern to create a 3×4 inch cover, then cut some office paper to size, and stitched. and i still have lots of fun folders left over… maybe i should bring them to work to give all that work-stuff-documentation some life…

happy weekend!

i finally finished these bigger burst scrapbooks/albums last weekend… just in time to miss all of the holiday internet shoppers. but it still feels good to cross that item off my list, even though it took me 3 weeks longer than i had hoped it would.

bigger burst albums are available in my etsy shop!

hello! i hope you had a good weekend. the remodel project is done and i was finally able to work in my dining room again. i moved all of my supplies in and had piles of paper and projects scattered everywhere — it looked like a tornado hit for a few days. i didn’t get everything done that i had hoped to get to, but it was still nice to have some creative time.

one of my projects: a batch of little books, made with office paper. they’re pamphlet-stitched, and each has 10 pages using the same paper as the front circle. they were fun to make, and they’ll be fun to give away. since it’s cyber monday, i’ll include one in each order placed in my etsy shop. it’s not much of an incentive, but free is free!

at last month’s photo meetup, sarah asked me to make a book that one could use to store fresh polaroids while during an outing, especially on chilly days: between the thighs and against the décolletage presents some awkwardness in public, and clothing fibers sometimes attach to wet emulsion.

my prototype: acid-free glassine bags, glued to the inside of a folded sheet of heavy weight paper. the bags are punched in the front with a circular punch, to allow for easy in/out. the book is coptic bound, for a quick/easy open. i didn’t insert a heat source (those pocket warmers popping up at retailers here could be used in some way!), but the book is small enough to pop into a pocket, or in your armpit.

i gave sarah the prototype last night. if it serves its purpose, i’ll make a few more for the shop.

it’s friday, and i’ve got a full to-do list! what about you? anything fun happening?

happy weekend!

this week is not going as planned. eerrg.

i was hoping to have these little chair books in my etsy shop by now, but work that pays the bills is getting in the way. so it’ll be a few days, maybe by the end of the weekend.

stones are on hold… hopefully the give-away will be ready by next week. and maybe some stones will find their way into my shop.

and i still plan to do a screenprinting tutorial. eventually.

until then…

a couple of new journals for summer… made with new favorite paper and ceramic buttons from local artist jennie the potter. in the shop.

this is the journal i made in lawrence, with jackie & melinda, during our friday and saturday night pARTies. i picked up the paper at bomo (bohemian modern), a boutique on mass street that aimee knew i’d love. i think this journal i’ll keep for myself.

the trip was so much fun, and i hope to do it again next year! the friendships that got me in the car for an 8 hour drive are more meaningful now that we’ve met in person. i’m a lucky girl (who’s short on words today). thanks so much aimee, jackie, melinda!

happy weekend!

a friend asked me to make a her 2 burst journals, but scrapbook-size. i cheated a little and used scrapbook refills in the inside — it was so much easier to use the pre-cut and drilled papers. but i still had a few mishaps: the screw posts i had in stock were too large and i had to buy new ones, and one of the finished cover boards obtained a spot in the book press, so i started over last night. sigh. but the one that i was able to finish looks pretty good.

the weekend was cold and rainy, so i stayed indoors and worked on a custom order of photo folders. last night i did venture out (with jacket and scarf) and tried ethiopian for dinner. verdict? very yummy. and here we are, it’s already monday again. boo.

how was your weekend?

a little more screenprinting… i’m not entirely happy with these little books, but with more practice i can only get better, right?

happy weekend!

i finally took a stab at screenprinting! it’s been on my to-do for over a year, but it was only in the last few weeks that i had an idea for it: i could picture a little book with bright yellow book cloth and a simple flower in white. so i ordered the book cloth, and burned a screen using photo emulsion and flower drawings in ink on acetate. i used these books as a guide: simple screenprinting and lotta prints.

tiny spring journals are in my etsy shop…

dang it! i was poking around the etsy front pagers flickr group yesterday and found out i was on the etsy front page 3 weeks ago. guess i shouldn’t have neglecting my shop after christmas craziness!

i’m on an etsy-making-hiatus, hopefully the creative bug will hit me soon…