spine book

Thank you for all your lovely comments about the book in my last post. I love the challenge of a commission, pushing myself to come up with something that I wouldn't normally think to do, and making the effort to produce the best possible thing I can. It's sometimes hard wondering what expectations might be attached to the finished item, but I just keep telling myself to make something I am happy with, something I'm proud of and hope that is enough...

Anyway, I'm hoping to make some more books in this style (but with tree cut outs I think, or perhaps thin little concertina circles??) soon, when the working of evenings finishes in a few weeks for the summer. A whole 4 hours of day light every evening, luxury!


This is a book I made for the artists book fair a few months ago, and one of them has been sitting on my coffee table for weeks now. I keep picking it up and twiddling it about, curving it round, watching it spring back. I think it's inspiring me to get folding again...


You can get one of your own here if you like that kind of thing ;)

treats II

Yesterday I made trip to an artists book fair in Manchester with a lovely friend of mine, Helen. I always have mixed feelings about these types of events because although I am really inspired by the work on show there I always feel slightly bad that I didn't have a stall myself. Silly aren't I! Anyway, there was some lovely stuff there, some beautiful intricate pop-ups, unusual etchings and paper cuts. I definitely feel a bit inspired to create some new books...

Helen also had a lovely surprise for me when I met her. She brought me a fat roll of various sheets of beautiful paper. A friend of a friend of hers worked for a paper importing company that went bust and she has somehow ended up with the left over stock; a huge box of a few thousand sheets of paper. A few thousand sheets! I think I would have a heart attack if someone gave me something like that!


So thanks Helen! And no excuses now eh? Lots of inspiration... New paper... I'm off to get making!

not today

Sometimes my brain works. It thinks of things, makes plans and carries them out without too much trouble (sometimes). Processes thoughts and generally gets on with things...


Other times, like recently, it just simply seems to refuse. Why is that? Perhaps I'm asking too much...


I wanted to write about the lovely bag I'd finished, but unfortunately it's no further along. The circle decoration is not working, it looks better on paper than in real life, perhaps its the colours, the shapes. I'm thinking perhaps buttons instead, and little felt leaves (another trip to the haberdashery, what a shame!) Anyway.


When I feel like this I wonder how I ever manage to create anything at all. Sometimes it helps to look back through my note books; the books in which I write the things I think of whilst making so as not to forget them; the things I write and scribble to remind myself of all the possibilities that occur when in the middle of something else, when all the ideas seem to come at once.


Looking back usually manages to bring something to mind, perhaps a previously sewn seed will sprout overnight...