Paper heaven in NYC

Many months ago, I read about an amazing paper store in New York. I should go there, I thought. It looks cool, but I wonder if it actually is.

And I forgot about it.

Then one day I was in New York with some extra time and I thought I should find that store. But then my friend called and I visited her instead.

A few stays came and went without thinking about paper, but then one evening of a different stay, I found myself walking back to my favorite hotel late at night. I always stay at the same hotel in New York. About 100 feet from the front entrance, I saw it. The paper store I always meant to go to is essentially next door to the hotel where I always stay. Duh!

So I committed to visit this store. Only every time I stay in New York, I arrive at my hotel after the store closes and leave before it opens. Oh the torture!!!

Except this time, this time!, the saga came to an end. I arrive
d in New York in the afternoon. Oh happy day! Today, I found myself in paper heaven. :)



Oh, and the best part of all? The amazing leather-like paper I found in Tokyo is sold here, so I don't have to fly all the way back to Japan to buy more! Alex, you can thank me later for saving us thousands of dollars. ;) Click here to read more!

Craft overboard

Where was I all weekend? I was even in town and still was terribly neglectful! I'm sorry. I have no excuse other than an overwhelming urge to make something.

It started out quite simply and rationally:
I was going to a baby shower on Sunday. (ok)
I purchased a few outfits for the little one. (makes sense)
I wanted to put them all in the same box, but I had purchased the items from a few different sources. (understood)
I couldn't find an appropriately sized box. (bummer)
Saturday afternoon was a little gray and I had already made the decision to stay in. (why not?)
So I decided to make a box for my present. (wha??)

Yeah, that's the point at which I start to get a little irrational, but look, it was cute!


So I purchased box board and little-boy-appropriate paper from Paper Source and did all kids of math to figure out how big each board should be. I cut boards. I glued them together.


I made a bookcloth hinge. I did a bunch more math to figure out the size of all of the pieces of paper. I covered the box in paper.


I put each outfit inside and went off to the shower.

I think the end product was very cute, and I hope it might find a way to be useful for storing bibs or burp cloths or other appropriately sized items that fit into a 19"x13"x3" box. I'm not sure. Is a 19"x13"x3" box useful? Karen, if you find a use for it, let me know. Otherwise, I may have to ditch this ridiculous offshoot of my bookbinding hobby. :)


So what about the rest of the weekend? Saturday morning, I had a lovely breakfast with my mother. Sunday morning, I had a wonderful recreational jogging experience. Sunday afternoon, I was at the baby shower. And Sunday night? Um, on Sunday night, I was busy nursing a mean Irishman's tan that I acquired while sitting outside at the shower.

Normal color of my back: Current color of my back:
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Crafty-licious

It was a rainy day in Chicago today. Blah. So I decided to get all crafty with my bad self. Bookbinding is one of my favorite hobbies/crafts I'm capable of doing, and using this obscure skill of mine to make gifts for my friends makes me happy. So today's rainy day became a perfect day for bookbinding.

Cute little books like these are lovely gifts for all of the new moms in your life. A perfect place to put all of the pictures of the little one. And since my friends keep reproducing, I must keep making these cute little albums.
It starts with one of my favorite stores: Paper Source. While I should abhor it because it's created in me an unhealthy addiction to paper, I love Paper Source. They sell anything and everything a bookbinder would want, like textblocks with precut bookboard to match!
My first step is to peruse my ridiculous collection of pretty patterned paper and bookcloth to find a combination that shows my friends how much I love them and their new little bundles of joy. There's a lot to choose from.
I choose these papers - one for a new baby girl, one for a new baby boy.
Next, I get my tools and my handy notes on what size I should cut everything to, cut things up with an exact-o knife and ruler and voila! photo-album-sized paper, bookcloth and spines!
I then mix it up a little by cutting out a little window (though not entirely), so there's an indentation on the front for the name card to sit. (I've decided to forgo a full description of the process, as I'm not convinced you'll actually want to get into bookbinding after seeing me do it, but if there are questions, feel free to email me!) Next, I use my most excellent adhesives (a cocktail of PVA and Methyl Cellulose - am I cool or what?!?) to assemble it all. Of course, I constantly check along the way to make sure everything fits together.
The same glue gets used to put the paper onto the bookboards and with the assistance of a teflon bone folder (you're really jealous of me at this point, right?) everything gets all smooth and pretty.
So with the jacket complete, it's time to attach it to the textblock with more pvamethylcellulose goop and to make sure it sticks together, I use lots of heavy books to smash it together.
And bippity-boppity-boo, more little books! I'm leaving out the last step - writing the munchkin's name in calligraphy on little cards for the front cover - since that usually takes me 500 tries and 53 hours, but you get the gist.
Click here to read more!