Derby Scribes

A book sleeve I completed a month or so back for Derby Scribe's Anthology; a collection of short stories from some very talented writers. I had the pleasure of reading the stories in order to create the visuals on the cover, and there really are some gems in there.

More Charity shop goodies!

I think me and Joe have found a new past time- charity shop hunting! After our success the other day we came up trumps again!

Lovely glass bowls 99p!

Super cool Melamine set (13 pieces) in pristine condition for £8!

Beautifully illustrated Alice in Wonderland book, originally given as a present in 1951, then again in 1970, that lived on the same street I lived on till I was about 7!

Handmade sketch books

A few weeks back I decided to have a go at making some handmade notebooks, and I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. They consist of a lino printed card front cover. with 40 pages of printer paper and a nice ribbon book marker. I sewed the pages in with a sewing machine, Originally I thought I'd have a go doing it by hand, but my needle just wouldn't go through all the pages!

The books are A5 in size, perfect for popping in your bag, taking on the train or just leaving round the house for making notes and doodles in :). They are for sale in my shop

I will definitely be making more books in the future, hopefully some more ambitious ones too!

Pattern by Orla Kiely

This is one gorgeous book that I highly recommend to anyone with any interest in pattern, fashion design or colour. It is beautifully laid out with pages and pages of sumptuous coloured images and patterns. Orla Kiely's use of colour is sublime and this book is certainly a feast for the eyes. There is just the right balance between images and words as well, and it's really interesting reading about Orla's creative process.

Things to Do and Make

Now here is the book I bought

Lovely 50's stylised illustrations, and lovely to see that despite it's excellent condition, it has been used, as the paper snake you can see in the last image was taken from a pattern in the book. very pleased with this little find that cost me £1.50 

Books, glorious books!

We went to Malvern in Rhubarb this week. It was beautiful there and we also found this amazing second hand bookshop, this is just a photo of one of the many rooms staked high with little treasures. I was a good girl and only bought one book (as some were quite expensive!) but took photos of lots of them!

Awesome Book!

Just thought I'd share with you one of the amazing books that I got for Christmas.

This book is just so inspirational! Some of the artwork that graces the pages is just outstanding. A few examples are the work of Brian Dettmer.

His work is just so amazingly intricate, carved into pages of old books. Through the work of his skilled hands the books come to life and take on new meanings.

New Universal

Compare this with the bright, striking, geometric forms of jen stark's pieces. They use the most simplest of materials, but are so cleverly constructed, so that the flat piece of paper becomes something dynamic and hypnotic:

Coriolis Effect

and ofcourse how could a book on papercraft be complete without an entry on the wonderful Peter Callesen?! Once again, his pieces are so delicate, and complex, but simplistic at the same time, always using white paper, so as not to detract from his wonderful craftsmanship. They often darkly humorous and invert ideas. I have had the delight of seeing one of his pieces (Dead Angels) at The New Art Gallery Walsall.

cowboy

Dead Angels

This book was just a perfect present for me, as since the last year of my BA studies in 2008, I have become increasingly interested in using paper as an art form. This book has most definitely fueled that interest! Much of the work is just so playful and innovative.