Indigo, Florentine and Fabric!

Posted on February 19, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 135/365After posting my latest instalment of Use Your Journal, I realized that there were only two Starburst Journals in my Etsy shop. I’m happy to say that I’ve taken some time to put these ones together and list them online.
These are quite possibly my favourite books to bind. I love the possibilities for covers and the stitching patterns created on the spine. Even better? It lays flat when open!
This book is the first of two that are full fabric covers. And it’s my own handmade bookcloth! I’m proud of these journals, the full fabric makes them very tactile. Perfect for a cozy afternoon of sketching/journalling/album making with a cup of tea by a toasty fire.

Minus Forty

Posted on February 16, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 132/365

I’m always in awe of the weather here in Toronto. Yesterday was -40c, today a balmy -20c. I know, I know, it’s nothing compared to the weather of the maritimes, or probably the prairies. But still . . . .

Either way, I’m staying inside and getting some serious project planning, 2015 show scheduling and general housekeeping done. I’m super excited for a few big projects this year and cannot wait to share them with you!

In the meantime I’m sending out a general reminder that the Sprouts Press February newsletter is going out this week. If you’re not on the mailing list, now’s the time to sign up!! Click here to find out more and add yourself to the list.

Stay warm and enjoy wintertime safely everyone!!

Calligraphy Class

Posted on February 9, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 125/365

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a calligraphy class at The Paper Place on Queen St. West here in Toronto. It was an Intro to Calligraphy class, so we started with pencil and worked through to a straight nib holder and finally onto the oblique holder. Back in January I posted about practicing my calligraphy with a fountain pen. That was a more traditional hand, the Chancery Italic hand. This workshop focused more on contemporary calligraphy and the finding our own hand. We learned the basics on how to properly use the tools and achieve the bold/thin lines. Instructor Lisa of Post Calligraphy was encouraging and inspirational, and so full of talent! It was a great collection of ladies; all creative in our own ways and eager to learn and cheer each other on. Big Thanks to Ashley of Quaintrelle.ca for organizing, to check out her blog post about the class, go here.

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!

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.

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!

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.

The Studio on a Sunday

Posted on January 18, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 103/365

It’s technically wintertime here in Toronto, though you might not be able to tell today since it’s raining. So it seems appropriate that I’m drinking many cups of tea (milk oolong today) and putting together more Wintertime Bookbinding Kits.

Look at the selection of fancy papers – the deep indigo floral chiyogami makes me swoon!

This winter-themed bookbinding kit is packed to the gills with goodies. A selection of fancy papers, heavy-weight cover papers, page papers, linen thread, simple tools and embellishments (not pictured)! Once you’ve completed the two books in the kit (and the super cute mini book!) you can start adding your own materials and keep going!

Pictured above I’ve added in a few things from my own collection to inspire you: two spools of linen thread (you could use cotton thread, but linen thread is stronger and more durable), tiny scissors, beeswax and my trusty wooden awl! What other crafty supplies would you use?

Wintertime Bookbinding Kits are available in my Etsy shop, at Freedom Clothing Collective and now also at the Arts Market on College.

Shop Local!

Posted on January 17, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 102/365

I’m pleased to announce that you can now find a selection of Sprouts Press’ Valentines and Winter-themed items right here in Toronto at Freedom Clothing Collective!

Pictured above are ‘Star Cross’d Lovers’ Starburst Book Ornaments. You can also find a variety of Bookbinding Kits (including the popular Wintertime Kit), and a selection of Quick Notes handpainted journals in lovey-dovey hues.

Journeys In Winter: a series

Posted on January 10, 2015 by sproutspress

Day 95/365

This is one of the books from the ‘Journeys in Winter’ series, from a couple years back. When winter in Toronto was more mud and gravel than snow. It was a bit disappointing for me as I do love some winter sports, but I didn’t mind the milder temperatures (mostly it hovered around 0 degrees celsius, give or take).

There were several books in the series, and I have a few left. They are based on the idea of combining printmaking, painting and bookbinding, which I’ve discussed here. But I also really like the structure of the book; a matchbox! The binding is a Japanese Hemp Leaf binding, which is great for single sheet pages.
You can see from a side view just little snippets of the page papers: maps, graph, lined, blank and colours! It really is a great little book for a winter journey!
Since I hand paint/print the covers, every book is different. Even the front and back covers are different on the same book.