When I was studying in post secondary for my printmaking degree, I quickly learned how expensive paper can be… trust me, it is a rather valuable commodity. Because of this education in print media, I naturally developed a deep love and respect for paper. It’s easy to spot this passion in other interests of mine, such as thrift shopping: I often gravitate towards gorgeous bound books, unique paper ephemera or stationery.
During my last trip to a salvation army thrift shop I scoured the stationery bin and found a pack of 5 notebooks for only $1. One was perfect for mail art pen pal, another good for note jotting and 3 that were needing a little TLC. I searched through some of my patterned paper scraps, coloured hemp threads and washi tape to pretty them up. 
I love how each one turned out so uniquely different. They look so much nicer than before! Can’t decide if I should list these little cuties in my etsy shop, since I sold my last mini OOAK journal a couple weeks ago, or if I should keep them for tucking into some special mail art reply packages?
salvaging precious paper
2 Margrey, red and gold set
26 Jan
I was thrilled when I came across this set of four outdated medical encyclopedias at a charity store. The covers are a gorgeous textured grey with red highlight banners and gold lettering. They are in great shape and perfect to make and sell as a set of journals. 
The last time I created a set of hand bound journals that were meant to be sold together was this adorable olive green set called “Army Pockets.” The last time I shared these beauties with the public was in a show at the Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. 
Looking forward to getting the newly acquired grey, red and gold beauties suited up with some custom-cut blank paper in the near future!
new bound beauties
11 JanI spent a good chunk of time after the holidays doing some product photography and have since been doing a lot of editing and filing. Today I conquered the task of listing nearly half of my almost two dozen altered book journals onto my etsy store.
These pieces mean a lot to me: from the thrill of the hunt when searching for special covers of vintage books, and the mess of gutting and re-linning the covers, to the custom cutting of all the paper, and the hands on nature of binding them with needle and thread… all of these one of a kind sketchbooks make a special place in my creative heart as one of my many little bound beauties. Do you like some of the new titles and textures?!
