Friday, December 23, 2011



  

This project is basically the most successful happy-making book, if I do say so myself. A good friend of mine is doing one of those "lets only make each other presents" holiday kind of thing with her boyfriend, and they broadened the criteria to include bartered gifts as well. I helped her bind up an adorable little book she wrote about why she loves him (aww) and her end of the bargain included gin and tonics and several hours of delightful conversation. She is totally rad.

It's my third leather project but my number one favorite. I even got to gold stamp it! I used some paper I had marbled from the class at Center for Book Arts with Lauren Rowland (which is happening again!) to up the pizzazz level. She was super-pleased and I must say that I am as well.  And she reports that he just loved it! As he should.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Hand Me My Leather





It's finally happening! We've embarked upon working with leather and I couldn't be more excited. Seriously, to the point where I was vaguely concerned that I was possibly plunging into a manic episode after catching myself actually shaking when trying to explain to my boyfriend the intricacies of Scharf-fixing and how when the gold foils get old you can totally use the flakes as eyeshadow, but I've calmed down a bit and now just totally blissed-the-heck-out about this new step on the bookbinding adventure. The first pic features fine-enough leather work and dreadful stamping, but the second one looks a little grotesque, no?

Friday, December 9, 2011

Birthday!





I've been taking a black-point calligraphy class with the incredibly tallented Karen Gorst, and have been alternating between absolutely detesting and loving the practice. I'm at the love phase right now, because I'm learning to enjoy the process of shaping rather than enjoying the letters themselves (the more difficult they are to shape, the more ugly they become in my mind. I am a total wuss, this is obvious). I guess it's like learning how to cook something you wouldn't want to eat? Maybe? Anyyyyyyway, watching Karen shape the letters is utterly transfixing. Seriously, it's akin to meditation, and I didn't realize until she had gotten halfway through the second word that she was making something for me! Because it's mah birthday! I yelped when I figured it out and I think half the class thought I had stabbed myself with a nib. It happens! But seriously, check out Karen's work because she's a letter genius and it will make you want to be a better person.

Friday, December 2, 2011

It All Becomes True




I got the most wonderful surprise in the mail today - a copy of a knitting book to which I contributed a pattern! Super great, and they did a fabulous job making the socks look lovely. It is definitely rad being published but in this case, the best part  is my bio in the back, which reads "Faith is a former associate editor at [bla bla] magazines. She is currently pursuing a  new passion in fine bookbinding and lives in New York City." It's PROOF! That I'm really doing it! This bookbinding thing! Right? If thousands of copies of a book say so, then it is definitely not just a hobby or a weird way of identifying myself, it's actually like... the truth? Oh how exciting! How affirmational!