Workshops & Courses | Sprouts Press

Toronto is a great city, there’s always something going on. Usually there are several things going on, actually, and there’s something for everyone. For all you creative types, or those dancing around the edge of being a ‘creative type’, this saturday is my first book making workshop at Arts Market on College at Ossington.

I’ll be teaching the basics of bookbinding, and then diving into a main project; a soft cover journal. It’s a hands-on class for all skill levels, so everyone will leave with a finished project!

I’ve taught similar workshops at other galleries in Toronto and beyond and I love it! I am by no means a master bookbinder or expert in the field, but the bindings I choose to teach are the ones I practice daily. After much trial and error with several book binding techniques, I’ve whittled it down to a select few. They are the most useful, durable and beautiful bindings that I’ve learned, and I’m so happy to share them in a workshop!

To learn more and register, click here.

It’s wintertime and it’s cold out.

I’m grateful for the snow this year as we missed good, lasting snowfalls last year. But as many people do, I have mixed feelings about winter. I eagerly look forward to the first snowfall, packing snow and enjoying a day of cross country skiing out of the city.

Yet I’m not so enthusiastic come the end of February. I suppose it’s about finding balance between enjoying the season and doing a bit of hibernating, which usually leads to reflection. For me, it’s about books and tea. Reading books, crafting books, repurposing books, sketching and writing in books, even re-organizing the books, you get the idea. And, of course, what goes best with journalling and reading? Discovering new teas and enjoying my favourites! (Mine is chai, by the way. What’s yours?)

This winter will be a busy one for me as I have big plans for 2014! Some of them have been in the works for a while, others are brand new. I’ll share them with you here, but not just yet.

In the meantime, if you crave learning a new skill while staying warm inside, the lovely folks over at Graven Feather are hosting a book binding workshop I’m teaching here in Toronto. It’s one of my favourite classes to teach and is great for all skill levels (don’t be shy, it’s quite a lot of fun!) Hope to see you there, enjoy the weather if you can and be safe.