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.

Tea Festival

Posted on February 3, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 119/365

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know by now that I like tea. I really like tea. I’m not a coffee drinker, just a tea drinker. So, you won’t be surprised that today’s post is a re-cap of last weekend’s Tea Festival here in Toronto! It was, of course, held at the Toronto Reference Library, proving that the link between books and tea is constant and true!!

Just some of my favourite things from the show. A tea cookbook by Raelene Gannon, Tea and all it’s Splendour. I heard her speak last year but her book wasn’t complete. It just came out last thursday – and I already have a signed copy!! (Be prepared for a post or two about earl grey infused scones or sencha pesto with walnuts!!)
And of course I picked up a few packs of Tao leaf tea; coconut oolong and tangerine ginger. It’s that time of year for ginger based tea – no flu for me!! And lastly, Pekoe fermented kombucha tea! I haven’t tried it yet so not sure what to expect exactly. I’m sure you can figure out my favourites by now: oolong and ginger!

Tell me about how much you love tea!!!

And the winner is . . . .

Posted on February 2, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 118/365

Last tuesday I announced I was having a blog giveaway contest! Well, the contest ran, so many amazing entries were submitted and I’m pleased to announce that we have a winner!!! Congratulations to kwils3!! You’ve won the prize pack!!

I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to enter my contest. I’m blown away by your heartfelt reasons for putting pen to paper. It’s clear so many of you took time and great care to compose your answers. I love hearing that journals make your hearts swoon!

Soooo, I decided to draw a second name for a smaller but still paper-fantastic prize!! The winner is Lettersandlaces!!! You’ve won one of my signature Loot Bags!! It’s a small collection of my handmade goodies.

Again, thanks to everyone who participated in my first blog contest, I plan to have more in the near future! And I promise to keep them creative and fun!!

**If you are a winner, please send me an email with your mailing address so I can ship your prize!

The Studio on a Sunday

Posted on February 1, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 117/365 Today I’ve been working on an upgraded version of the Mini Book Necklace. The books themselves will remain the same, just the rest of it will be a bit more fancy. There will be beads, longer chain, some charms and tassels! (yes, tassels!!) I really like the idea of the mini book as a pendant, as an object and a functional book. I also really like the idea of the longer chain as it means writing in it while wearing it!

A couple of prototypes, in the right direction, but not sure they’re quite there yet, what do you think?

Last Chance!

Posted on January 31, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 116/365

It’s the last day to enter my Valentines Day Giveaway Contest!

One lucky winner will get all the goodies pictured above!!
For more information, rules and to enter, go here.

The winner will be announced on monday.
Good luck!!

Shop Local!

Posted on January 30, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 115/365

Today I’m happy to announce the latest retailer of Sprouts Press products: Scout over on Roncesvalles Avenue, here in Toronto!

If you haven’t been in yet, you should definitely check it out. There are beautiful products from many local and Canadian designers and artisans. It’ll be fun, I promise!

If you’re interested in shopping Sprouts Press but want to stay local, head over to my ‘Retailers‘ section and reach out to a store in your neighbourhood!

Learn the Longstitch

Posted on January 29, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 114/365

I’m so excited to announce a new bookbinding workshop at a downtown location! I’ll be teaching a binding method I haven’t taught in a while, straight Longstitch, so if you’ve taken a previous class with me, this is a new one that you should check out!

What: Creative Bookbinding Workshop!
Where: Little House in the City; 555 Parliament Street, Toronto
When: Sunday February 8, 2015, 1pm – 4pm

As always, you only need to bring yourself; materials are included in the workshop fee, and tools are provided for use during the class.

To learn more and register, please go here.

Wordless Wednesday 28.1.15

Posted on January 28, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 113/365

Details, details

Posted on January 27, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 112/365

In case you didn’t know, I’m currently having a blog giveaway! So I thought it would be kind of fun to do a little feature on the goodies that will go to the lucky winner.

Postcard Pad, a set of 7 original, hand decorated postcards to tear out and mail, pictured above. Each postcard in this set is different, so don’t be afraid to send them all to the same person/your Valentine! They make a great companion when travelling or on trips to your local cafe.

Hand printed Ex Libris Bookplates, a set of 4 in Coral, pictured above. These are linocuts, my own design, which I cut and hand printed on self-adhesive paper. Simply write your name on the lines provided, and maybe put in a date or who gave you the book if it was a gift. Then peel off the backing and put the label on the inside cover of your book. Never lose a book again!

Mini Faux Leather Button Book in deep burgundy, pictured above. This is a cute, chunky little book with a button closure. There are 122 pages (244, front and back) and it measures 3″ x 4 1/2″ x 3/4″. Inside, find a mix of pages; blank, lined, and colours, with a surprise map thrown in for fun!

And of course, all these goodies come in a cute book bag hand sewn by yours truly.

To enter the contest just go here for instructions and details. Contest runs until January 31, 2015.

Good Luck!

Learn the Linkstitch

Posted on January 26, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 111/365

There are still a few spots left in the Book Making Workshop I’m giving at Graven Feather. This is the class to take if you’ve always wanted to learn how to make your own journal.

I’ll show you how to hand decorate covers, and then how to bind it into your very own journal! Everyone leaves with a finished project!

When: Saturday February 7, 2015 10am – 1pm
Where: Graven Feather, 906 Queen St. West
Cost: $65, materials included

*You must pre-register to participate.
**Can’t make it on February 8? No problem, more dates have just been booked! The workshop is also running on March 7 and April 11!

***And if none of those dates work, just keep an eye on my Workshops page.

For more information and to register, please go here.

The Studio On a Sunday

Posted on January 25, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 110/365

Today is all about finishing details on some new coptic journals – with lined pages! These are fairly new for me and something that I’ve been working on for a while. I couldn’t be more pleased to share them!The first batch went quickly, so I’ve produced more and am just finishing them up with sewn-in bookmarks. They will have coins and beads on the ends, to keep your place and look stylish too.