Day 230/365
Last monday I announced a survey I was taking about the perfect paper for your journalling/sketching needs. Well, today’s the last day and your last chance to voice your opinions!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on paper texture, colour and weight in a quick 3 minute survey (seriously, it’s 5 questions and mostly multiple choice).
If you’re up for it, go here.
Day 223/365
**This Saturday: Longstitch/Linkstitch Bookbinding Workshop!
Join me at Graven Feather, a letterpress studio and gallery on Queen West, for a fun and creative workshop learning to make your own journal! I’ll teach you the basics of bookbinding and everyone will leave with a finished, hand-crafted journal!
When: Saturday May 23rd 10am – 1pm
Where: Graven Feather, 906 Queen St. West, Toronto
For more information and to register, go here.
Day 216/365
Just a friendly reminder that it’s a good time to subscribe to the Sprouts Press monthly eNewsletter. To sign up, go here.
Day 207/365
I’ve got a slew of workshops coming up, and more in the works! The next one is exactly one week away, in Burlington, Ontario. See below for details.
Book Arts 103
Saturday May 9, 1pm – 4pm
Burlington Public Libary: Brant Hills Branch, 2255 Brant Street, Burlington
For more information and to register, go here.
Longstitch/Linkstitch Bookbinding
Saturday May 23, 10am – 1pm
Graven Feather, 906 Queen St. West, Toronto
For more information and to register, go here.
Bookbinding Workshop
Sunday June 7, 10am – 4pm
Guelph School of Art, 125 Wyndham St. North, Guelph
For more information and to register, go here.
Bookmaking Workshop
Sunday June 14, 1pm – 4pm
Mississauga Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Drive, Mississauga, Ontario
For more information and to register, go here.
***If you’re hoping to learn something not listed here, please send me a note! I’d love to hear what you’re interested in learning.
For ways to get in touch with me, go to the top menu bar and click ‘About’. Then scroll down for links to my social media and email.
Day 206/365
Today it’s all about using your journals for recipes, my two favourite things! I’ll explain my own hacks for transforming a journal to a recipe book, appropriate books to use and some other fun tips!
As you can see, my two most beloved recipe books, above, are suited for different purposes. The large one stays at home, on the shelf, while the little one is a take-along collection of my most favourite recipes.
This small recipe book is perfect to fit in a backpack, and travels with me when I’m away for long periods of time. It’s coptic bound, so it lays flat when open, which is perfect for leaving it open on the counter while gathering ingredients (I think all cookbooks should be sewn using the coptic stitch, it’s so practical!). 
I started this book way back when I was first in art college. I collected recipes from roommates, a few of my Mom’s best meals, and guessed ingredients from my favourite dishes at restaurants. It’s one of the first books I handbound for myself, not a school project. This was an important step to realizing the immense satisfaction of incorporating my own handmade items into my everyday life.
I have always loved to cook and this robust little coptic book of recipes, started in Toronto, has gone around Europe with me. It’s pages are filled with delicious things like traditional Florentine Ribollita, my grandma’s oatmeal date cookies, my mom’s chilli, and the BEST tomato spread for crostini from an elderly Florentine man named Giovanni. The binding is as strong as ever and the pages are all intact – handmade is made to last!
Once the little book was filled, I needed another book. This time I went larger, and was more organized than my younger, college-going self. There are tabs and pockets and sections, it’s all very practical and well thought out! Bonus: it’s made from a reclaimed cigar box.
Top 4 Tips for Making a Journal Recipe Book:
-Make category tabs by folding cardstock in half and adhering to the sides of pages. You can do this with glue, but it’s more fun with washi tape that runs the length of the page! You can make tabs to categorize by meal, ingredients, allergen-free recipes, or even seasons! (ie. Cookies, Meatless Entrees, Beverages, etc)
-I also liked to make a title page on each tab page. You can draw a picture, use fancy writing. You could also make a mini index here, listing recipes as you add them to each category.
-If you’re binding your own book, incorporate the odd pocket page to collect recipes on pretty paper, or in a loved one’s handwriting. You can fold up your own pocket page, or just use opened envelopes!
-In my smaller recipe book I used scrapbook paper for the covers. I also found fun foodie papers and inserted them at random in the pages: chocolate chips and KD! (Total college-kid food, I know!)
What’s your favourite recipe? Feel free to share in the comments below!
Day 198/365
A couple of days ago I wrote a post about my feature in Uppercase magazine. Today I’m going to talk about the piece that made it happen, an artist’s book titled “O2”.
O2 is an artist’s book about oxygen. While it is not in-depth, scientifically, it is colourful, enjoyable and beautiful.
This project started as a drawing study of the beautiful cell formations of oxygen-producing organisms and their structures. This triggered a curiosity about their function and history, which in turn led to the creation of this artists’ book from accumulated images and information.
This piece is also a labour of love, created entirely by hand. All the paper is my own handmade paper, made exclusively for this project. All images are my own, which I transferred and hand relief-printed. I also wrote all the text, based on my research, which I then screenprinted. And finally, I hand bound each book, completing this project and turning the prints into an art object, an artist’s book.
Hand printed in a limited edition of 9 books, there are only a couple of copies left. To read more, see them in my Etsy shop here.
Day 196/365
Exciting news!!
A couple of days ago the latest issue of Uppercase magazine arrived in the mail. It’s the printmaking issue and I’ve been waiting for it for a while now. 
Wondering why? Take a look at that photo above!! That’s page 85 folks, 85!! Woot woot! I’m honoured to be featured in this magazine, and a little over the top excited about it! (okay, maybe totally over the top excited about it!)
Anyone who’s read Uppercase knows what I mean, it’s a really fantastic magazine. And if you haven’t read it (or even just held a copy in your hands) you really should! I’ve been inspired by past issues on numerous occasions. I keep all my old issues and refer to them regularly for advice, prompts and to look up featured artists whose work I love. I mean, the slogan is: For the creative and curious. Perfection. It’s an informative, insightful, inspiring and beautiful publication, go check it out!
Day 178/365
Introducing the Spring Gift Pack from Graven Feather:
I am so proud to announce that my Quick Notes notebooks in gold are a part of these gorgeous sets! They are curated by Graven Feather and showcase the work of a few local artisans and shops. (and did I mention how beautiful they are??)
Housed in handmade paper from Paperhouse Studio here in Toronto, Graven Feather printed on the reverse and hand crafted each folder. Inside you’ll find all sorts of goodies including one of my handbound gold notebooks, as pictured above.
Inside you’ll also find a pen from Articulations and several other printed goodies! (I’m not spilling the beans on the rest of the contents – you’ll just have to get your own to find out!)
When secured shut (gorgeous!!) it’s the perfect place to keep your cherished ephemera and paper treasures. The Spring Gift Pack also makes the perfect gift for Mothers day or a special birthday or anyday!
Day 175/365
Teaching others my craft is something I really enjoy. I’ve taught a few different workshops at a few different places and it’s always so much fun. I wanted to talk a bit about it today.
The next workshop is set for Saturday April 11 at Graven Feather here in Toronto. This is a creative bookmaking workshop for everyone and anyone; no previous art experience is required. Following a demo of basic paper decorating techniques, everyone gets to try them in a non-intimidating, supportive environment.Then I’ll teach the Longstitch/Linkstitch technique, and everyone leaves with a finished project! This is one of my favourite stitches, it’s versatile, durable and beautiful!
The details of this workshop:
When: Saturday April 11, 2015. 10am – 1pm
Where: Graven Feather, 906 Queen St. West, Toronto
For more information and to register, please click here.
If you’ve taken one of my workshops then you know the satisfaction of finishing your first, from scratch, hand bound journal! If you’re a past student, I’d love if you took a moment to share your experiences below.
Day 174/365
According to our calendars, spring is officially here. But in reality it’s not quite here yet! So I’m taking this time to stock up on these little book magnets. Or as I like to call them, morsels of spring!
Every part of these tiny books are offcuts from larger projects that I just can’t justify tossing. They’re papers I decorated by hand; paste papers, resist techniques, relief prints, and just washes of colour.
When bundled together in a set of 6, they’re quite cheerful! The idea is to make your own mini library, or share some with a friend!
To learn more and see them on Etsy, go here.
Sprouts Press 