New Designs!

Posted on September 23, 2016 by sproutspress

Introducing the newest line of books from Sprouts Press: themed journals with printed pages!! (not just lined, but printed with prompts and details to record!)

Yesterday, over on Instagram, I shared the first in the series; The Correspondence Journal! Today I’m happy to share the next design: The Reader’s Log Book!! I’ll be launching them officially tomorrow, at the Etsy Made in Canada show here in Toronto (MaRS building, right by Queen’s Park subway station).

Stop by to check them out and say Hello! I’ll be at booth 47 from 10am – 6pm

Staying in the Loop

Posted on September 9, 2016 by sproutspress

Yesterday I posted about the next bookbinding workshop I’ll be teaching here in Toronto. If you want to know about these things without having to check my website or wait till a last minute reminder post, sign up for my monthly eNewsletter!

I write to you once a month about upcoming events, workshops, latest projects and inspiration. Sometimes I also send specials, sales and discounts just for subscribers. And, of course, you can unsubscribe at any time, no hard feelings.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, go here to become a subscriber!

Newsletter Sign Up Time!

Posted on August 11, 2016 by sproutspress

A new month means a new Newsletter! Sign up now for the Sprouts Press eNewsletter for book-ish goings on, delivered to your email.

You can expect 1 email per month detailing all the latest with Sprouts Press, bookbinding, creativity and journal-inspiration!

Sound good? Go here to sign up today!

Wordless Wednesday 29.06.16

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See you at the Paper Fair!

Posted on June 16, 2016 by sproutspress

This evening is the Paper Fair at Toronto’s First Post Office!! Only in it’s second year, this show is quickly growing to the top of my favourites!

There are serious goods to be had here, all related to paper; stationery, journals, letter writing, and more! If you’re into pen pals, finding the perfect greeting card and collecting paper ephemera, this is the show for you!

For more information, please visit the show’s website, here.

Triumph!

Posted on June 14, 2016 by sproutspress

Please join me in welcoming the latest member to the Sprouts Press team – a Triumph Cutter 4700 series!!! It’s a stack cutter that can handle 2 and 3/8 inches of paper all at once, when serviced and in peak condition! Woot!!

To be honest, I’ve dreamed of having one of these machines in my studio for a long time now. It’s still a little unreal that it’s actually standing behind me as I type this! It’s an older piece of equipment, worn in and well-used, but trustworthy nonetheless.

To bring this into reality, here’s a story about it.

We arrived late to pick up the cutter, damn rush hour traffic. But it was still there, it wasn’t going anywhere. It took 4 of us to lift it onto a dolly and just as many to navigate through doorways and narrow hallways out into the daylight. We loaded it into a taxi. That’s right, a taxi. Then, once at my home studio, we nearly couldn’t get it through the door. I almost had an additional studio space in the hallway of our building, ha! However, we strong-armed it through the door, over top of the banister and into the safety of our living room.

Next project: getting the Triumph into my upstairs studio. This required negotiating a turny, narrow staircase, while carrying a too-large 300lb piece of metal equipment. Attempt #1 failed, it was disappointing. However, a new day brings new perspective and I figured out how to take it apart, which made things a bit easier. It was still a heavy load. Eventually, we managed to finagle it up the staircase without any yelling or tears. Success!!
Next up, servicing and tune ups, blade sharpening and handle-fixing. I’ll keep you posted on the status as I journey into stack paper-cutter land!

The Studio on a Sunday

Posted on June 12, 2016 by sproutspress

Today in the studio, I’m finalizing details and such for a really exciting lineup of summer/fall workshops!!

For all those who’ve exhausted the options I offer and have taken ALL my classes (you know who you are!!) I’m happy to announce that there are some new classes coming soon! There will be some slightly more advanced/intermediate classes. So now’s the time to whip out your bookbinding tools and brush up!!

To keep an eye on my growing list of upcoming workshops, go here.

The Studio on a Sunday (on a Monday)

Posted on June 6, 2016 by sproutspress

The last few days I’ve been working on swag for this year’s Toronto Etsy Street Team’s Midsummer Market!! If you’re one of the first 50 people through the door, you’ll get an awesome swag bag filled with goodies from local makers!

This year is a bit different, there’ll be an outside space AND an inside space, at the gorgeous Campbell House. I’ll be inside, keeping my paper goods safe from the elements, but be sure to stop by and check it all out!

Bonus Tip: The show is right by Osgoode Subway station, so convenient!!

Studio Sunday (on a Monday): Mobile Ink Factory

Posted on May 30, 2016 by sproutspress

Today I’m going to talk about yesterday in the studio. Actually, I’m going to talk about yesterday outside of the studio, creating in a different space, in a different way.

This past weekend was doors open here in Toronto, it’s an opportunity to get a glimpse into buildings (or spaces/ideas) not normally open to the public. I had the chance to participate in just one tour. Opting for an ‘open air’ tour rather than a ‘doors open’ tour, I checked out the Mobile Ink Factory that was setup only for the weekend!

If you’ve been following along for a while, you know my interest in using and testing natural dyes on paper, like my Indigo post. So when this ink-making tour/event came up, you know that I was pretty eager!!It ran along the west Toronto Railpath, and was led by the folks at The Toronto Ink Company and DeRail. An informative walk taught us about the natural and man-made materials that can be used in ink-making along the railpath. That’s right, this wasn’t just an ink-making tour (which in itself is pretty awesome), it was a tour detailing materials found exclusively on the West railpath that can be made into ink!!
After the walk, everyone emptied their bags of collected finds (there are rules to foraging responsibly on the railpath, I’ll list them below). Then we sorted them, mixing and matching with everyone else’s finds, into possible ink recipes.
In the end, I made a beautifully deep and intense black ink. It’s made from the charcoal dust of burned virginia creeper, mixed with water and gum arabic. Of course, the folks from Japanese Paper Place were there to help guide ink testing on paper. Because who does paper better than JPP?? This was my kind of day!!

Three rules of thumb for foraging (as per the Mobile Ink Factory handout):

Harvest from the second patch (don’t pick the only instance of something).
Harvest only the top third (don’t pull the whole plant, let it keep growing).
Leave the space better (pick up trash along the way).

Thanks to all the folks who worked so hard to make this happen, we all had a great time!

Routines

Posted on May 24, 2016 by sproutspress

After moving house, getting back into a routine is always a bit of a learning curve. A new space means a new studio setup. I’m happy to say that I now know NOT to plan for shelving on a wall that is secretly concrete! Unless, of course, you have a special, fancy concrete drill bit. Needless to say, I’ve finally settled Sprouts Press into it’s new home and things are getting back to normal.

That being said, there was some catch up to do with my Etsy shop. Everything’s in order now, some new items listed and more on the way! To see these items (some new, some old favourites), go here.