Earlier this year I had the pleasure of working with a friend of mine, Chris Apap, on publishing a limited edition book of his illustrations. Chris is a crazy talented illustrator and designer. He also loves the outdoors and loves being an uncle, both of which became inspiration for his camping-themed illustrated alphabet. Chris was so thoughtful about every detail from the color and weight of the paper to the professional printing to the texture of the cloth to the titling on the cover. The result is a sweet little book full of lovely illustrations, fresh colors, and sharp design. Check out his Etsy store, where he is selling the books and the individual illustrations, too. They would make great Christmas gifts for the little (or big) person in your life. He also makes great holiday cards.

Recently my mom (far right) approached me about putting together a short private art class for her, her best friend Cheryl, and Cheryl’s daughter Shana, who was going to be visiting for a few days. We decided to make it a collaborative workshop with me and artist, art educator, and my best friend Mary Lamson-Burke. The idea was for Mary to teach a printmaking component, while I would teach a bookmaking project and then we would join them together in some way. After several more complicated ideas, we settled on the idea of making lino prints that could be used to embellish the cover of a stab binding.

The class was a bit challenging at times (try teaching a hands-on project with an active 13-month-old on your lap!), but mostly a ton of fun. The highlight was seeing my mom go from feeling terrified to make any mark at all, to finishing a beautiful print and book in just a couple of hours. It was the first art project she has ever successfully completed in her life! It was also so inspiring to teach with such a talented teacher and artist as Mary. The creative ideas are stirring in both our minds for future collaborative workshops!

There have been some really great projects coming through the bindery lately. One such project is a set of matching albums I recently finished for a couple of newlyweds from Chicago, Colby and Alaina McVey. They seem like such a creative and fun couple (she made her own invitations and after their wedding they jumped in the lake wearing their wedding attire). So when it came time to decide on wedding albums, they didn’t want to just go to the store and buy a readymade book.

Alaina approached me about designing and making something that would capture the spirit of their wedding. Every element, from the number of pages, the size of the albums, and the color of the pages and covers were chosen by the couple, creating a completely custom set of books. She sent me some of the extra invitations that she had so that I could use them for inspiration in creating the design of the albums. I created a mockup for her approval and after a couple rounds of tweaking, we agreed on the final design. In the end, I was able to incorporate a lot of the actual images and embellishments from the invitation into the covers design, adding a lovely harmony between the albums and the wedding.

Now I am back at work making custom boxes, albums, and other goodies.  If you have a project that you would like to discuss with me, please send me an email.

And for those last minute Christmas gifts, don’t forget that I make a studio line as well.  You can check out the goods in person at the Rumsey Pop Up Christmas Shop in Grand Rapids or online in my Etsy shop.

Please note that etsy orders will continue to ship as usual. If you have a custom request, I am currently booking for November/December start times. Please get in touch in September as I am not checking email right now. Thanks!

This week I will be busy preparing to teach a two-day workshop on clamshell boxes for the West Shore Graphic Arts Society next weekend.  I am really looking forward to it because boxes are some of my very favorite objects to make and use.

Clamshell boxes are wonderful for a variety of reasons.  Their strong construction makes them a perfect protective container for a sentimental old book, collector’s edition, stack of papers, or manuscripts.  Dressed up in fancy fabric, they can become an elegant way to present a series of drawings or art objects.  With the addition of drawers or multiple compartments, they can serve as packaging for promotional materials or a design portfolio.  Lined with decorative paper, they can be smart presentation for designer notecards or stationery.  They can easily be gift boxes, jewelry organizers, photo containers, and tool boxes.  The possibilities are endless.  Size, shape, construction, materials, and titling are all customizable.

If you are in the West Michigan area, there is still time to sign up to learn how to make your very own.  The workshop will be held at the Muskegon Community College on Saturday and Sunday, April 17-18, from 10:30-1:30.  Call the Muskegon Museum of Art at 616.720.2570 to register.

The most recent project out of the bindery is this four-flap portfolio box. I had been wanting to add this style of box to my repertoire for a while, but until a client asked for this box above I hadn’t had a chance to make one.

The objects fit into the tray of the box the same way as in a clamshell box, in this case it will hold a stack of photographs.  But instead of a lid closing over the top, the flaps fold up one at a time.  This appeals to me so much because it allows for a bit of anticipation while opening, and requires a bit of purpose and pause while closing it back up at the end.

The multiple layers of board provide a sturdy and protective enclosure for the valuable objects inside.

A bone folder clasp or button closure provide elegant solutions to securing the box once it is wrapped up.

And like any item that comes out of the bindery, foil embossed stamping can be added to personalize or title the portfolio.

]]> http://windyweatherbindery.com/news/?feed=rss2&p=435 0 http://windyweatherbindery.com/news/?p=450 http://windyweatherbindery.com/news/?p=450#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:00:31 +0000 wwithrow http://windyweatherbindery.com/news/?p=450 There was a lovely full-page feature on Windy Weather Bindery last Sunday in the local paper, The Grand Rapids Press.  Thanks to all of you who let me know that you saw it and enjoyed it.  If you missed it, you can still catch it online.  The column is a weekly feature on a local artist or craftsperson.  I am so impressed and thankful that the paper recognizes the importance of the arts and crafts in the community and supports it enough to devote a full page to it every week.  If you don’t already read the column, I would highly recommend that you check it out.

The columnist who wrote the piece, Jennifer Ackerman-Heywood, also has a podcast at craftsanity.com that I have been enjoying.  I have just listened to a couple of the episodes so far, but they are a great way to learn about new artists and craftspeople doing innovative and creative things.

Every week Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood, of craftsanity.com, writes about local artists and craftspeople in a column in the Home and Garden section of the Sunday paper.  She came my studio last week and we chatted for an hour and a half about my work and the joys and challenges of owning a small business.  It will be fun to see what she writes!  For those of you not in the Grand Rapids area, look for a link next week to the column online.

In the last year I designed a new box for Windy Weather Bindery that looks so simple, but can do so much. It is a top loading box that snaps snugly shut, is designed to fit 4″ x 6″ photographs or recipe cards, and is an affordable alternative to a clamshell box.

If you are anything like me, you have great intentions of making beautiful albums to showcase life’s big moments, but end up with piles of photos in a cardboard box in the closet.  With this box, you can slide in a stack of photos with little effort (at 4″ deep it will hold quite a lot) and your organization is complete!  A ribbon allows for easy removal of the photos when you want to pull them out and show them off.

Photographers will find these a lovely solution to presenting proofs to clients.  I am happy to work with you to find a fabrics and ribbons in the right colors and textures to fit your business.  Want your logo on the box?  No problem.  I can work with you to create a die of your logo that I can foil emboss stamp in a variety of colors.

Alternatively, covered with a different cloth or paper, the same box form becomes a recipe box.  The fabulous fabric on this recipe box was designed by Yardwork. Fun, decorative spoons, knives, and forks line up in lovely greens, yellows, and grays. It’s modern design is timeless enough to fit perfectly with your grandmother’s favorite dishes.  Find this box and others on my Etsy store.

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