The month of May

It is surprising that I did not post anything on my blog during the month of May since May was actually a very busy time for me in the world of bookbinding and related activities! So I will try to catch up now with a quick review.

First, I went to Paper and Book Intensive at the OxBow School of Art and Artist's Residency, in Saugatuck, Michigan. This is a ten-day session of intensive book arts workshops and this was my fifth time attending the annual event. During PBI, I took three classes. Gold Finishing taught by Sam Fein­stein. Three Case Bindings for Editions, taught by Priscilla Spitler. And Embossed leather bindings, taught by Bon­nie Stahlecker. I will post detailed reviews of these classes soon, once I have a chance to collect my notes and photos.

While I was away, I was able to cross off a small thing on my personal bucket list. I found myself driving through Ann Arbor, Michigan and so I was able to go to Hollander's retail store. I have shopped online with Hollander's periodically in the past, but had never actually been to the store. So now I've been there, and it was FABULOUS. If you are anywhere near Ann Arbour, then you should really check it out. Here's a photo I took, showing one aisle of paper. This is a small sample of what they have. And they have more than just paper. But certainly lots of paper!

After PBI, I spent a few days in Cleveland, Ohio and taught two workshops at The Morgan Conservatory. While in Cleveland, I also visited the Cleveland Art Museum. The Morgan Conservatory, the workshops I was teaching, and the visit to the CAM will all be featured in upcoming blog posts as soon as I get my thoughts in order. Lots to share with you over the next few weeks!

New paper and a Teflon folder

Another good mail day. I had recently been shopping online at Hollanders and my stuff arrived today. Of note, is this Teflon folder! A while back I solicited feedback here on my blog about these...y'all convinced me. I don't think I've ever held one in my hand before...it is heavier than I expected. And now I'm ready for anything; but, the only thing I've tried so far was ripping paper - nobody mentioned that it sucks for ripping paper. I'll have to make a box soon just so I can use this thing more effectively.

There is a pile of decorative paper in the background of that photo. My supply of decorative papers needed some refreshing so I was paper shopping as well. I got some great Chiyogami, direct from Japan. I got it on Etsy from FromJapanWithLove. I am always surprised by the speed of shipping from Japan. I am not kidding when I say it arrived faster than most things I buy domestically.

I was paper shopping at Hollanders as well, got some chiyo and some other Japanese papers, some papyrus, some Indian paper, some metallic stuff, and this amazing piece here:


This is a large sheet of paper (24x36 inches) and this photo shows almost the entire sheet so the marble pattern is huge! It is Thai Marble - the description on the Hollanders site: Immense, flowing patterns of Black, Gold, and Silver are created by hand to form this Thai Marble. An occasional imperfection is part of the character and adds beauty and variety. In addition to its many uses, this paper looks great framed as wall art.

I don't have any special plans for any of the papers that I just bought, so I will just hoard them for a while...