About sproutspress

As a bookbinder and artist, I like to live in a fairly analog world. I bind books by hand, with a needle and thread, I paint, draw. You get the idea. I blog about bookbinding, paper arts, crafting and other bookish goodness.

Stitching Arrows

Posted on June 23, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 259/365

In case you missed it or forgot, this saturday I’m teaching a hard cover bookbinding class. The lovely ladies over at Graven Feather are hosting and I couldn’t be more excited, it’s a beautiful space!

This is a different workshop from the previous classes. I’ll be teaching how to construct a hard cover and then how to sew it all together using the Arrow Stitch (pictured above).

The details:
Saturday June 27, 10am – 1pm
Graven Feather, 906 Queen St. West, Toronto

For more information and to register, go here.

New in the Shop

Posted on June 22, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 258/365

Some new items in the shop. These are the latest series of Quick Notes Notebooks, titled: Elegant Quick Notes.

They boast a bit more formality than the first series of Quick Notes, which are hand painted. They feature a white and gold label along with a fancy fabric trim! As always, they are hand bound by yours truly.

Clockwise from top left:
Mint & White Polka Dots, Red & White Floral, Blue Red & Golden Floral, Petite Blue Florals, Brown & Gold Garden, Blue & Green Floral.

Studio on a Sunday

Posted on June 21, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 257/365

Jog your memory back to last fall and my many posts about hand-dying paper. Remember all that beautiful paper that I dyed using indigo and also watercolour paints? I used most of it to make unique, one of a kind journals. But there were off-cuts and scraps that were too small to use, which of course I saved.
Earlier this week I went to Paperhouse Studio and made good use of my end pieces. I framed the best papers and pressed them into cute little art buttons!! They turned out really well, some abstract and sharp, others more subtle and soft. I’ve prototyped packaging and tested it this weekend, I’ll make necessary tweaks and then you can find them in my online shop!

Sprouts Press goes to Welland!

Posted on June 20, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 256/365

It’s a great day for a road trip to the Niagara region! Stop by Vermeers Garden Centre in Welland and say Hi to yours truly and many other talented makers!

What: Heirlooms Artisan Market
When: Saturday June 20, 10am – 6pm
Where: Vermeers Garden Centre, 684 South Pelham St, Welland, Ontario

Pro tip: This is an Etsy sponsored event, you know what that means – swag bags!! If you’re one of the first 100 people you’ll get a swag bag with some pretty awesome goodies inside!

For more details and vendor profiles, go here.

Peonies & Roses

Posted on June 19, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 255/365Once again, I’ve been inspired by the state of the garden: peonies and roses!! I suppose this happens because I try really hard to balance my work life (indoors) with some much needed time in the garden (outdoors). I find a real connection between being a maker of tactile objects and working in the garden; multiple senses are needed to really enjoy both of these things.

If you’re interested in knowing where to find these things, read on.

Ex Libris Bookplates (2 designs pictured in red, 1 in salmon)

Quick Notes Notebooks (pictured in two-tone red and pink & gold)

Watercolour Sketchbook in red (pictured top left corner)

Starburst Journal (pictured in marsala, just below the Watercolour Sketchbook)

Hot Pink Watercolour Sketcher (pictured right in the middle)

Large Fancy Coptic Journal in Marsala (pictured bottom right corner)

Arrow Stitch Bookbinding

Posted on June 18, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 254/365Join me for a morning of paper fun! I’ll be teaching the beautiful Arrow Stitch binding at Graven Feather on June 27. We’ll go over how to hand-craft a hard cover and then how to bind it together using the arrow stitch. It’s a fairly easy yet pleasing binding, resulting in a really lovely hardcover book that makes a great journal or album!

What: Hard Cover Arrow-Stitch Journal Workshop
When: Saturday, June 27, 10am – 1pm
Where: Graven Feather, 906 Queen Street West, Toronto
Cost: $75, materials included

Wordless Wednesday 17.06.15

Posted on June 17, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 253/365

Paper Fair!

Posted on June 16, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 252/365Attention all Torontonian paper addicts: This thursday is the Paper Fair at Toronto’s First Post Office! Stop by to meet local paper artists and crafters, and talented stationery designers. It’s going to be a great selection of fun, beautiful, handmade paper goods!

For details and vendor spotlights, go here.

Newsletter Time!

Posted on June 15, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 251/365

It’s that time again, when I send out the Sprouts Press Newsletter. If you’re already a subscriber, great! If you’re not, but you like reading about my little company, take a minute and sign up! This month there will be a special treat, just for newsletter subscribers!

You have until Tuesday evening to sign up, and can expect the newsletter to arrive (via email) on wednesday morning. Yippee!

To sign up for Sprouts Press eNewsletters, go here.