Magical Notebooks and Clamshell Time Trials

This week, I made some books and boxes for myself, something I don't do that often. It's fun and good practice, I often make things for myself to try out something I don't normally do or brush up on techniques. I made myself a notebook with a "magical symbols" print I made while at Paper Book Intensive for end papers. 

:: egyptian inspired symbols, relief printed end papers ::

:: rounded spine with cloth headband, the cover boards are beveled to fit the curve ::

:: embossed leather, it was one of my samples from Paper Book Intensive ::

In order to solve my problem of not enough flatfile storage space, I've also been practicing my clamshell boxes, in various sizes and shapes, and seeing how fast I can make them. It's like doing time trials to qualify for the imaginary Bookbinding Olympics. 

:: Deep clamshell box for storage ::

:: ephemera storage problem solved ::

When I'm in between projects or not feeling the thunderbolt of inspiration, getting my hands moving clears my head and reboots the thinking process, and if not, I have a new notebook and some fancy clamshell boxes!

Love and Rockets

My good friend, ceramic artist Jason Bige Burnett from the Penland Core Fellowship is getting married and asked me to make a wedding guest book for him and his awesome husband to be. The theme was vintage and sci-fi. For the cover, I used the beautiful letterpress design from their invitations by Beth Schaible of Quill and Arrow Press (also fellow Core Friend!) and inset it into the grey buckram cloth. 

I was so happy and honored to make this book for my dear friend. Congratulations, Jason and Michael!

:: Inset Cover, Letterpress by Quill and Arrow Press :: 

 :: Grey and blue buckram cloth ::

 :: Vintage Book Illustration ::

 :: Left, Screenprint scraps that were given to me by Kevin Mercer of Large Mammal ::

 :: Left, another Large Mammal super Screen Print Scrap, vintage rockets ::

 :: A library card ::

 :: With a special message ::

:: The sky is the limit ! ::

A Busy Time

Sneak peaks and things in the works...and off I go back to the studio!

 :: the belly bands I just printed for a photographer ::

:: a wonderful opportunity, featured artist at The Print Center gallery store ::

:: a collaboration with Amze Emmons ::

 :: a chaotic studio ::

:: the official look of busy, office shoes/studio shorts ::

Boxmaking

Can you find the custom box in these pictures? It's hiding. 

 :: lots of math ::

:: weighing down the lid ::

Quality Notions

:: treasures ::

 :: a large custom wedding guest book ::

 :: clinton quality notions ::

Printing!

Printing at The Common Press. 

Lynx and Stars

I made this custom book for a very talented lady, who requested a journal with lynxes, graph paper, stars, and red. I decided to try something a little different and made the book with a soft curved spine. It turned out to be one of my favorite books I've made in a really long time.

:: vintage book illustration of a lynx ::

 :: the milky way, and letterpresses name plate ::

 :: typewriter stars ::

 :: curved spine ::

:: lynx ::

Making a Custom Portfolio

Look at this! I actually had the fore site to take process shots for once in my life. I'm not going to lie, large scale bookbinding is intense, precision is key and the glueing...not for the weak at heart, but I'm very excited about how this turned out. Please enjoy the making of a custom hidden screw post portfolio for the very talented Rush Jagoe: Photographer. 

 :: figuring out the hardware ::

 :: positioning the letterpress nameplate ::

 :: drying the book under weights, many weights ::

:: pressing the screw post holder ::

 :: finished cover ::

 :: closed portfolio, with slipcase behind it ::

:: open portfolio ::

The End

Futura & Red

:: magic and frost ::

:: a sneak peak of a little project I recently completed ::

:: two new little notebooks ::

Futura, I'm really into you right now.

:: birthday card ::

Best Day Job Ever

:: Common Press poster by me::

I'm a lucky girl. My day job these days is working at Common Press, the University of Pennsylvania's letterpress studio as their letterpress tech/coordinator. I spent my first few months there organizing, cleaning, and getting the presses tuned up. Still working on that, I'm looking at you SP-15... Now though, we're turning our focus to printing new work at the press as well as archiving and documenting old work.

This poster is one of the new pieces I printed. It was printed using only wood and metal type from the studio on recycled French Paper.

Custom Journals

Last year I was commissioned by my friend Catherine to make a set of four custom journals as graduation gifts for friends. Catherine supplied me with a list of the recipients likes and interests which I included in each one. This year, I had the pleasure of making two more.

The first one was for someone who loves fashion and textiles, flowers, feathers, and other delicate things.

:: the cover ::

:: a landscape opens to a history of shoes ::

:: graph paper, a page from a vintage autograph book, and a child's exercise book ::

:: a vintage postcard of Marilyn Monroe ::

:: the cover ::

The second book was for someone who loves the forest and the ocean. For the cover I had the perfect vintage illustration from a children's science book.

:: handmade flax paper and the ocean ::

:: fossilized marine life ::

:: vintage graph paper and a map of the Atlantic ::

A Book and Ore

I would start this off by saying, things here have been hectic, but that line is getting old, isn't it? So I will focus on what has been accomplished, and what's coming up.

:: custom guest book ::

I made a wedding guest book for my friends Tina and Robert, who's wedding I had the pleasure to attend last weekend. The bride requested a fresh spring green for the cover, and I was able to use some of the linen bookcloth I made several months ago. It was a perfect fit. The inset cover was designed and hand lettered by my friend Beth Schaible, calligrapher and printer extraordinaire. Inside, was a mix of handmade, lined, and recycled paper.

I've also been making many new books, some of which I will be posting in my Etsy shop soon.
While sorting through my paper, I found this illustration of "ore deposits" from a vintage encyclopedia. I haven't decided what to do with it yet, but you might be seeing it again soon.

:: ore ::

May has been designated Press Month, meaning I will be working in earnest to get my new Chandler & Price up and running, so expect to see some updates regarding Junior (aka Indiana Jones) soon.

Greensaw Business Card

Hey there.

Sorry for the radio silence.

I was in North Carolina for three weeks. Promise I'll be posting regularly again.

Here are some business cards I printed for Greensaw Design & Build, an eco-conscious construction company based in Philadelphia. Three colors printed with deep impression on Muscletone Paper from French Paper Co. I think they turned out pretty nice, plus working with Greensaw was a pleasure. Thanks Greensaw!

And...Journal #4

The fourth and final custom journal in the series. Birds, bunnies, deer and other things.

:: front cover ::

:: the inside back cover, with a pocket that will hold a card ::

:: desert critters ::

:: deer ::

:: collage of thread, an old photograph, and handmade paper ::

Journal # 2

The second journal. This one's theme was carnivals and the ocean.

:: the cover, with an original photograph ::

:: underwater exploration and handmade paper ::

:: this print reminded me of little anchors ::

:: jacques cousteau ::

To see more books like this one, please visit my website

Journal # 3

The third custom journal. For a musician who likes cars, the Adirondacks and Vermont, had a beloved retriever, and enjoys the finer things in life.

:: cover, with racecar ::

:: retriever ::

:: vermont! ::

:: wining and dining ::

:: sheet music ::

To see more books like this one, please visit my website

By the way, I'll be away for a week on vacation in Michigan. When I get back, I have over a dozen new books I've made, so I'll be sure to share some of those with you.

On a sadder note, I just learned Dennis Hopper died. I hope he's up there, fishing with john, drinking a pabst blue ribbon, and generally raising hell. He will be missed.

Journal # 1

So for the last week or so, I've been working on four different custom journals for my friend, Catherine. Each one is going to be a gift for someone on graduation day. Catherine sent me a list of each person's likes and interests so that the journal could be tailor-made to their aesthetic. This one was for someone who liked the prairie, the midwest, beige and red, and the woods.

:: cover ::

:: vintage sewing pattern ::

:: old book page and printed ephemera ::

:: turn over this page and there's a surprise ::

:: a pocket in the back with small notebook ::

Each book is made with one of a kind inclusions. For example, the pocket above was part of a handprinted banner I received as a gift. I regularly scout for old picture books at the thrift store to add to my collection of paper bits.

If you would like to commission a journal like this, please contact me for more information.

Stay tuned for Journal # 2...

The Studio! It's...Evolving!

While it may look like a decommissioned tugboat yard sale, there is progress here at Huldra Press. Progress indeed.

Last weekend, I drove to Lititz, PA and got two full cabinets of type as well as a galley rack and a mess of wood furniture and other odds and ends. The seller, a retired printer, was so friendly, a nice break from the usual curmudgeons I encounter when buying equipment. If you're in need, he's selling a 8x12 C&P and a sweet tabletop Challenge paper cutter. Like I said, super nice guy. I wish him the best.

goodies

Now it's time to break out the mineral spirits and start cleaning so I can get printing! I hope to have the press running by mid-June. But in the meantime there's work to be done. Like these...

Holy registration, Batman!

I finished these Yellow Submarine birth announcement cards, thanks to the folks at Lead Graffiti, who let me rent press time in their studio. They have beautiful studio and well maintained equipment and made me feel right a home, so I highly recommend their services if you are ever in need.

That's all for now, enjoy the weekend.

It snowed.

A lot.

This has hindered my plans for driving to Delaware today and has left me with no choice but to play video games and drink coffee instead. Did you know that after getting 9 lives in Super Mario Bros. your lives become symbols? So you can have Crown-Brick lives!

It's true!

Perhaps due to the snow, there is now something living in my wall. Something with little gnawing teeth that kept me up last night . I would like to tell that critter that unless he/she is a mongoose and planning on coming out soon and becoming my mongoose friend, I am not pleased with this arrangement. Not at all.

Lastly, I also finished these business cards for the husband of a friend. It's their one year anniversary, which is the paper anniversary, so she is getting him these as a gift. I think that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

These were very good practice for precise trimming on the guillotine paper cutter. The guillotine, while being an enormous time saver, has always made me very nervous because if you are not paying attention, you can ruin days of work with one bad cut.

Happily, I feel like I'm getting better at it, calmer and more focused, and these came out very well. Nicely centered and even all around.