Days and Nights

I've spent my days this week on the upper campus of the university, taking some computer courses. I actually love working on the University campus - it's got so much more life and soul than an office tower.
I like the old buildings, and the character and texture of the bricks. The blue sky and sun we had earlier this week helped my mood, thank goodness for the beginnings of spring.
Nighttime is puppy time - I can't wait to get home to this little guy every night. I am so glad that the weekend is coming - the days will be busy with walks, errands and crafting, the nights with relaxation and fun. TGIF to all!

Dog Judo

Ok, this is the last of my dog-centric posts - for a little bit anyhow. I just had to share this funny site called "Dog Judo." It's been around for a while, but never fails to make me laugh. It's two dogs who, well...do judo. They also read the morning papers, go on "powerdates" and all in these really great English accents. Martin pointed out last night that Rexley, the mean little black dog, looks a lot like Milo. Anyhow, if you're looking for a silly laugh, check out Dog Judo. You won't be sorry.

I broke a promise...

To myself, and to my dog. Milo, I am so sorry that I made you wear that little red jacket. But, you were shivering everytime we went outside. But, you obviously hate this - so back to the shop it goes. I promised myself when I got you, that I wouldn't be one of those people who dresses their dog up in little outfits, but I couldn't resist. I think that I am well on my way to becoming a "crazy dog lady." But, I promise not to put bows in your hair - honest. Well, not 'til summer anyhow....

Henhouse in "Style at Home"

I have mentioned "Henhouse" a number of times in my blog. They are my favorite shop here in Halifax, and they carry my books. They were my favorite place even before they carried my work though! The shop is a treasure trove of wonderful items, from whimsical little accessories, to Eastern European antiques to custom furniture. The owners, Sappho and Denise, are amazing and supportive - as are their staff. Henhouse was featured in "Style at Home" this month and Sappho is interviewed on the website. So, if you're in the area - check out the shop. And if you're not, check out the website and the magazine. You'll be inspired!

Milo

I haven't posted in ages, but this time, I have an excuse. His name is Milo, and he is a terrier poodle cross. After wanting a dog for ages - it was my dream to get a dog when I owned my own house - and convincing Martin that it was a good thing to do, I found Milo on the internet, and went to meet him on Friday. It was love at first sight - on my part anyhow - and he must have thought I was okay too because he licked me. It's been a tough few days though - Milo got sick on Saturday, and we ended up in the emergency animal clinic with him wrapped up in a blanket, limp and shivering. He spent the night there on an IV, and now he's on the mend - turns out it was a mild virus brought on by the stress of all the changes in his little life. I know he's feeling better because he even chased a cat yesterday!

Despite all the frustrations of housetraining in below freezing temperatures, and the way he cries each night when we put him in his bed, I've already developed quite a bond with this little guy. Every night when I come home, we head up to my studio and he sits on a blanket and just watches me work. I'm looking forward to a lot of nice times with Milo, and I'm sure that you'll be hearing about all his antics (ad nauseum!) here in the future. He's curled up sleeping beside me as I type this and looking extremely cute.

Boney Maroney

My mom always used to sing that song to me when I was a kid -

"I know a gal named Boney Maroney,
she's as skinny as a stick of macaroni,
But I love her, and she loves me,
Oh how happy we will be!"

It explains a lot about how my mind has been warped toward a love of corny jokes and puns, and also provides a tenuous link to a post about my new teflon bone folder from Paper Source. When I first began using it, I wasn't sure about it. I tend to use my bone folder for everything from folding, to smoothing paper, to flattening brads - and for some of these jobs, it's just too soft. Well, it's really just too soft for flattening brads - but it works like a dream for folding paper, and smoothing down freshly glued covers and endpapers. The main selling point is that it never leaves a shiny mark - on anything.

Having different bonefolders for different tasks is cool though - one of my bookbinding teachers had a whole arsenal of bonefolders. He even would carve them into different shapes for different tasks. He was a bit of an expert in bookbinding tools, and gave me a great tip - soak your bonefolders in oil to clean and refresh them. It really works well.

In conclusion - I would recommend adding a teflon bone folder to your bookbinding arsenal. No more shine marks!

Textile Type

I just discovered that there is a textile font on Word 2003. Great for anyone who knits or sews and wants to print up little tags, or for nerds like me who like to know you have a little black sheep at your disposal - just in case.

Gnomes make me happy...

I'm not sure if it was Amelie, but I've been digging gnomes lately. So, when I saw this shirt made by Shona at lala dex press - I had to have it! It arrived the other night and I am so pleased, the shirt is even nicer than anticipated- the colours are so vibrant and the fabric is so lovely and soft. And that gnome print - so cute! I've mentioned Shona's work here before, and said that I liked her "sparkle monkey" design, and sweet Shona remembered and included this package of cards...
All of Shona's designs are hand-cut lino prints. I really love lino prints - especially things like the little marks around the monkey's tail - so much life and character. The package also included a gnome postcard that I've proudly posted on my inspiration board. Thanks Shona! I'm looking forward to many happy days wearing my gnome shirt....

More Studio Dreaminess...

Speaking of dreamy studios, check out fabric designer Heather Bailey's studio...sigh...

Studio Dreams

I mentioned a while back that I've been outgrowing my little studio. Unfortunately, this situation has not yet been addressed, but the time it's taking for my live-in carpenter to get started is giving me lots of opportunity to research my options. The main thing I need is a place to store my large sheets of paper. I can't afford fancy flat files, so I want to make my own, as pictured above. This image is from HGTV, and appeared on the show "Divine Design." I am thinking (hoping) that this will be a fairly simple project - I would even like to have two paper storage areas on either end that support a work desk. I also love the idea of an island, like the one in the corner of this picture, where I could cut my paper and have lots of storage cubbies below. I can't wait to get started, but it will probably be at least a month or so before the work begins. In the meantime, I'll be doing lots more research. Any suggestions/ideas would be welcome!

Delightful!

I found a new hat yesterday. I really like it. This photo is a bit blurry - that's sort of on purpose, I hate having my photo taken. I took about a zillion of me in my hat, and this is the only one that sort of didn't make me retch. Anyhow, I digress - I love this little hat, and it came with a small bird pin attached to the side. Someone at work told me that I look like a young Diane Keaton wearing it, so naturally - I don't want to take it off! I saw Annie Hall for the first time over the weekend and loved it, and also loved Diane Keaton as Annie. Her funky menswear look was so cute!

Also in the realm of delightful things, I got an email yesterday saying that I've been made a delightful blog! I've added the button in my sidebar, so you can go there and check out my entry (which is really lame), and also discover lots of cool blogs. Speaking of the sidebar, I've added tons of links to other blogs I read - which are all very cool, so you should check them out.

I've had a busy couple days finishing and packing books for an order, so I'm giving myself the night off to veg on the couch and watch Babel. I try to watch all the movies nominated for best film Oscar before the awards, and I missed that one at the cinema. Hope you have a nice night planned too!

Going Green

This may be old news, but I still want to share it. There is a company called greendimes, and for around ten cents a day, they will stop junk mail coming to your house and plant a tree to replace those killed by said junk mail. The service has been in the states for a while and will be available in Canada in March. We get so much junk mail here that isn't even opened, but put immediately in the recycling bin, so I'm looking forward to signing up. Also, I've got to win back some karma points for all the paper I use making my books.

For more on this green theme, check out the latest issue of domino - all about eco living and decorating, and not one bit hippy-ish in the least.

Cheerio!

Happy Kitty Bunny Pony

One of my favorite blogs, Print and Pattern, is doing an excellent series on pattern related books this week. Featured today was this book - Happy Kitty Bunny Pony. You have to love a book with a title like that! And, you have to love a blog like Print and Pattern that takes the most gorgeous prints, sometimes from unexpected sources, and brings them to us everyday. It's a wonderful resource, and it's reassuring to know that there's someone out there who's also obsessed with patterns!

Routine

Lately, I've been getting into a bit of a routine. I come home from work, have a shower, put on my trackies, eat dinner and then do at least an hour of work on my books. I like to listen to an episode of This American Life or Wiretap while I'm working. I overdosed a bit on work while preparing for Christmas, but now I find myself looking forward to coming home and doing my little routine. It's nice to be able to work slowly and methodically, without any pressures. Tonight, I folded and trimmed a bunch of accordions, and made a few books that are now happily squishing (sorry to use such a technical term) under weights. Happy and content, I'm now off to make a cup of tea and curl up on the sofa with my knitting. I just have to get better at working blogging into my daily routine!

This has nothing to do with my routine, but I just heard something really funny. A little Irish girl called Becky making a prank phone call to a wrecking company asking them to blow up her school. Listen here.

Host Hunt, anyone?

I've been reading all over the web about Top Design - that sounds like one cool show. Unfortunately, we will not be able to see this excellent program in my part of the world for about a zillion years! Fortunately, I've stumbled on CBC's Fashion File Host Hunt, and I've really been enjoying it. All the people above are competing to host CBC's Fashion File, and have to complete a number of challenges. This week, they had to look at models wearing outfits and identify the designer. Next week looks really cool - they have to do a fashion shoot using only items from Value Village. It's all really great - and 100% Canadian! So, be patriotic - join me in watching Fashion File Host Hunt, eh? (I know, that's so corny - but watch it anyway and support our national public broadcaster).

New from Paper Source

I did a biggish Paper Source order the other night. I was out of loads of flat paper, and also decided to treat myself to a teflon bone folder and a fancy paste brush from Germany. I was happy to see that they also had a number of new Japanese papers - pictured here - which of course, I could not resist. They also have a new paper colour - curry. Yum.

I have to hand it to Paper Source - they always have papers in the most trendy fashion colours and their customer service is really excellent. I wish we had a place like this locally, but I'm sure if I could walk into their shop and see everything, I would be even more tempted. Now, I just can't wait to turn these lovely papers into books!

Country Living - Women Entreprenuers Issue

I picked up the Country Living - Women Entrepreneurs issue today. It's really good, and chock full of inspiring ideas and resources for those who are running their own creative business, or aspire to do so. There are tips on setting up a craft room using found objects and repurposed items from the hardware store.

There are also images from Amy Butler's amazing studio, some of her bags are pictured above, and there are views inside the homes and businesses of creative women. My favorite story in the issue is about a potter called Joan Platt (sorry, can't find a website) who started her craft around age 40. She works in a gorgeous country studio, creating beautifully imperfect plates and bowls in shades of green and yellow. It's stories like these that keep me going when I'm questioning why I'm working so hard on my "hobby."

Anyhow, if you need an inspirational boost, you should check it out. All images above are from the Country Living site, which showcased last year's issue - which is also worth checking out, if you can still get your hands on it.

An Open Book

I've been working on editing and cropping photos for my website over the last few days. I find this work exhausting - I don't know how graphic designers cope! But, they are trained professionals and I am just fumbling around. I'd like to share a few of my favorite images from the shoot - the theme is "an open book..."

Red origami book - these always remind me of the Sydney Opera house when they're open like this...

Accordion book, featuring photos from our wedding...

Blank accordion book, waiting to be filled. Now, only about 100 more photos to edit. At this rate, I will launch the site in 2009! So, it's back to work...

Craft Booth Design for Bookbinders

There is a great post today over on the Rag & Bone blog all about setting up their display booth at the New York International Gift Fair. Rag & Bone are a bindery on Rhode Island, and their blog is a great resource for anyone interested in bookbinding and paper arts. Anyhow, this post goes into great detail about how they designed their booth - it's very beautiful, and they have some amazing ideas on attracting customers and positioning other items with your products. It really puts the double happiness booth, pictured above, to shame. I may have to put some of their ideas to work for my next show.

An Unintended Break

I took an unintended blogging break this week. I'm not sure exactly what happened - things just seemed to get away from me, and suddenly, it's around a week since I last posted. It's been a good week - I celebrated my 35th birthday (!) yesterday by having a relaxing day, being waited on hand and foot, and then going out to dinner. I had Friday off work, and treated myself to a facial, massage and haircut - I've never had such a self-indulgent day, so it was really nice. I love my new haircut - it's really just a trim, but I love having my hair cut, it always feels so fresh and new.

Of course, I got lovely presents. My dad and stepmom came over for a visit with a giant basket filled with cheese, wine, grapes and a baguette - they know me so well! Martin gave me a book I've been wanting to read called "The Custodian of Paradise" by Wayne Johnston. It's a follow up to one of my favorite books "The Colony of Unrequited Dreams" and features my favorite character from that book, so I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Today, it's back to work, cleaning the house, trying to get my new website up and running, some reading and perhaps, knitting a bit on the scarf pictured above that I'm making for Martin. Just a lovely, puttery (not sure if that's a word), relaxing Sunday in my little house, looking at the snow falling outside.

Waterside Fiber Art

My good friend Denise, and her pal Norma, have started a craft business called "Waterside Fiber Art." They make gorgeous and whimsical textile art like the ice cream cone that you see above - which is my personal favorite. The business began as a way to use scraps from quilting and rag rug hooking, and has grown from there.

With Denise having her roots here in Nova Scotia, and Norma being from South Africa, many of the designs are inspired by the sea. All are absolutely lovely! Right now, their works are available at Pictou Lodge here in Nova Scotia, or by contacting watersidefiberart@yahoo.com. Welcome to the craft business club girls - I wish you much well deserved success!

Makeshift Photo Studio

I was sitting on the couch this morning, eating my brekkie when I noticed that it wasn't your typical grey Nova Scotia winter's day - there was actually some light coming through the window. I have been wanting to take some photos of my books for a website I'm creating, so I sprung into action. Well, sprung might not be the right word, I kind of waddled into action after eating a big fat cinnamon bun. Anyhow, I had a roll of paper upstairs in my studio that I rolled out over my dining room table and tucked behind some pictures hanging on the wall. I took a few snaps of some lemons lying around, and concluded that the shadows were too strong.

So, I waited an hour or two while working in my studio. When the noon day canon went off (yes, there really is a noon day canon - one of the advantages of living in Halifax is that you know the correct time at least once a day) I tried again. And, it was much better.

I have this vision of the website being very clean and simple, with my books and albums popping out from a white background. The background read as very white on my camera, but has a slight grey/blue tint on screen. I will have to research how to whiten the background in Photoshop. I have alot to learn about photograpy and digital imaging - but there are some great resources out there on the web. Alicia from Posie Gets Cozy wrote a great post a while back about how she takes her lovely photos.

I used her hint of putting my camera on a tripod, setting up the photo and then using the self timer to avoid any hint of camera shake. She also references this post over at the Switchboards on taking professional style photos which looks pretty good. I probably should have read that earlier.

I'd best get going. I took about 150 photos today that need to be colour corrected. I think that I'm going to be busy for a little while.

More links from the "Guest Blogger"

I have to hand it to Martin, he's been coming up with the links left, right and centre. First off, the beautiful Gharani Strok Filofax. Designed by Gharani Strok for the organized fashionista (which I am not - either organized or a fashionista - but I can dream) it comes with maps of Paris, London and New York, along with lists of great hangouts in those cities. What I love most though is the beautiful retro print. At 125 pounds, it's not cheap - but it's a lifetime investment, right? And do I need to mention to my guest blogger that my birthday is just around the corner?

The second link today is the flickr group Computers Behind Blogs, which offers a glimpse into the world of the blogger. From the photos posted right now, I would say that we could deduce that the blogger's world is well, a bit messy. I think that the blogs featured now are from the advertising/marketing bloggers. Perhaps a few crafters need to join the group and give the place an artistic touch.

Many thanks to my esteemed "guest blogger" and happy friday to you all!

Scarf in Progress

I've nearly finished my scarf. I did loads of knitting over the weekend, and I'm really impressed with how it's coming along. I think that I needed a simple project like this to rekindle my love of knitting. My grandmother how to knit when I was young, but I never made much progress with my skills beyond the basic knit and purl. She would just send me off with yarn and needles to keep me quiet - I'm sure that she's still got my little unfinished squares of garter stitch stowed away somewhere. I just love the quiet zen of knitting, it's really meditative for me - the sound of clicking needles and the mantra of knit, knit, purl, purl repeating in my head. So, now I'm off to make a cup of tea and finish off my scarf.

I can't sew a stitch...

...but I must have this book! It's as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside.

I'm not worthy.

I'm not worthy is a phrase a friend of mine (hi Matt!) used to use when presented with something especially good, like a scrumptious creme brulee. He would look down balefully at said dessert and mutter "I'm not worthy" and then proceed to devour it. I feel kind of like that about the yarn I was knitting up my shrug with. It's really a really beautiful fine and silky alpaca but, unlike my friend and his creme brulee, I am not ready to devour it. I'm not worthy of this yarn. The shrug is a disaster. I've unravelled it so many times that the yarn is starting to split, and the results are so terrible, that I really wouldn't want to wear the finished product. I went down to Tangled Skeins yarn in Dartmouth this morning to pick out a new pattern to use up the yarn, and the lovely sales person said to me what I had been thinking for some time - maybe you are not ready to knit this yarn. She said that she had often saved up balls of yarn to knit in the future, when her skills matched her aspirations. So, I decided to do the same. She very kindly showed me through some pattern books, and I chose a very simple scarf and, after much deliberation, decided to knit it up in "Soho" yarn by Debbie Bliss. A lovely yarn too, but a much chunkier one that will be more forgiving of all my beginner mistakes.

I really can't say enough great things about Tangled Skeins - they were really kind and patient with me and they have a little dog in there - how I love a shop with a dog! Anyhow, I digress. I plan to spend this weekend with my Mom and Nan in Truro, blissfully (pun intended) knitting this beautiful yarn into a scarf that will see me through this frigid winter. Hope you have a nice weekend planned too!

If Etsy existed in 1938....

I have to take back what I said about my man yesterday, for the second day in a row he has emailed me interesting links. The picture above is from "Money Making Hobbies" written in 1938 by A. Frederick Collins (via Get Rich Slowly). Perhaps if Etsy existed back then, it would have been populated with chic crepe paper berets, woven cellophane belts and button trees. The link is worth checking out - it's a bit of a laugh, and the Get Rich Slowly site has some good budget hints - like how to save money on books. Hope you enjoy!

How to be Creative

My husband works for an ad agency, and he does a lot of research on the internet. Really, a lot. He often sends me links and says "this is fantastic, you'll love it." Rarely is this the case, until today. He sent me a manifesto (you know something called a manifesto has to be good) called "How to be Creative" by a guy called Hugh MacLeod who writes a blog called gapingvoid and draws cartoons on the back of business cards. He also works in marketing/advertising and while many of his points are coming from this perspective, they are applicable to pretty much any endeavor, be it art, craft or business. A lot of the things he talks about are common sense - like work really hard, don't compare yourself to other people (I'm paraphrasing here) but I think that we all need to be reminded of these things from time to time. And, there are a lot of great insights. So, check out the manifesto (it's long, but definitely worthwhile) and check out the blog. And, did I mention it's funny? Enjoy, and get inspired.

De-lurking

I've been reading some posts on a few other blogs about "de-lurking" - kind of introducing yourself to blog readers, so I thought that I might do the same. My profile isn't incredibly informative, and although I talk about snippets of my life on the blog, I think that someone reading it wouldn't really know much about, well...me. So, here goes.

As you might be aware, I work full-time for a University, but I have a part-time business creating hand made books. I've been doing this for a couple of years now, and I really enjoy it. I live in Nova Scotia, which is where I was born, and spent many of my young years. When I was a young teen, we lived in Toronto for a few years where I met my friend Mishka, and gained an appreciation of alternative music, especially the Cure. We then moved back to Nova Scotia, where I completed high school and University - a BA with a major in International Development Studies (don't ask). I worked for a bit to save money, and then spent some time travelling around Europe, and doing a working holiday in London. That's where I met my Aussie husband. I spent 8 years living in Sydney with him, and we came back to live here in Nova Scotia around 3 years ago. That's a brief history, but some other stats are - I have 3 half-brothers and a half-sister (I'm the only child that my parents had together) and many nieces and nephews. I'm going to be 35 next month, but a lot of people think that I'm younger. I really like those people. As discussed ad nauseum in this blog, I have many loves, including travel, art, movies, reading, daschunds and red shoes. And, that's it, in a nutshell.

I've been showing lots of photos of my house lately, and this is one taken in my little storm porch. I guess I really should have included a photo of myself, but that's another thing about me - I hate having my photo taken. It was really tough for me to put a real photo in my profile. So, I'll leave you with a painting my mom gave me quite a few years ago when I was living in Australia to remind me of home. I don't really know much about the artist, but I love the colours and the way they look against the paint in the porch. Initially, I wanted to repaint this room, but it's begun to grow on me. A bit like this whole blogging thing...

A new addition

In keeping with my new year's resolution of making my house more comfortable, I'd like to introduce the newest addition to our living room - the TV cabinet. It replaces an old rickety cabinet that was twice the size and nearly falling down. The new cabinet was a bit of a bargain that I snapped up, and I think it's going to take some getting used to, but it does look much tidier than the old one. Not sure about the dark colour, but I'll live with it for a while and see. I could always paint it. And, I definitely need some prints or paintings behind it. All in all though, it will be great to have a cabinet that we can open without fear of it falling down!

In other news, I am very happy to report that I downloaded the first episode of the second season of Extras - currently offered for free on i tunes! Hurrah! I love Extras, and pretty much everything that Ricky Gervais does, although I'm not sure about those Flanimal things. It's great that the episodes will be available on i tunes, because we don't have HBO here in Nova Scotia. Anyhow, if you haven't seen any of Ricky Gervais' work, I would recommend that you check out the Office, or the podcasts, or Extras, which I am about to do right now!

My New Loves

I found some shoes tonight that I absolutely love. They are from a shop here in Halifax called "Fanatic Footwear" which is really great. They stock funky styles that you can't find anywhere else around in town, and they only carry a few pairs of each, so that not everyone is walking around wearing "your" shoes. These are one of those things I saw that I just had to have - I love everything about them, the colour, the detailing, the heel - it's not too high, and the soles are rubber - not that horrible slippery stuff. And, as you can see from the photo above, they blend in nicely with my decor. This means, I can swan around the house in them without fear of clashing!


This closeup shows a bit of the cute stiching detail and the little flower, sigh. They are made by a company called Biviel, who don't seem to have a website, but I think you can find them here and there. Now, I must be off to get better aquainted with my new loves. Cheerio!

Let them eat (fried) cake

Maybe it's because I'm reading a Marie Antoinette biography, but last night I stumbled on a great, quick dessert - fried cake. I know that it sounds like one of those white trash, Elvis kind of dishes, but it's really, really good. We had a guest for dinner, and I didn't have time to bake a dessert from scratch, so I picked up a plain, un-iced pound cake at the grocery store. They also had some organic raspberries on special, so I got those as well. When it came time for dessert, I cut the cake into slices, buttered it on both sides and fried it in a non-stick pan. When the butter melts, the cake browns and all the sugars kind of caramelize. Yum. I served the cake with the organic raspberries (to which I had added a bit of sugar, so they would be all lovely and macerated), and just to be extra decadent, whipped cream and ice cream. Double yum.

Sorry there are no photos, but we all ate it too fast!

Day of Rest?

Today officially marks the end of my bookmaking holiday. It's been great, but now it's time to get back to work and my first task is tackling this messy studio. Over Christmas, I was just chucking everything book/craft related in here on the floor and it's created quite a mess. I think that I've actually now outgrown this studio. The big new cutter I got a few months ago is stored in the guest bedroom next door, and everytime I need to do some cutting I have to run over there. So, I've decided to move the whole studio over to the guest room. I've come up with some ideas for simple and economical paper storage and worktables and enlisted Martin to build them.

I'm looking forward to a new beginning in the new room. It signifies the fact that my business is growing, and that's a good thing. But for now, I've got a day of cleaning, tidying and taking stock ahead of me.

Great Bookbinding & Letterpress Blogs

I kind of always lament the fact that there don't seem to be many bookbinding blogs out there - it's always great to read and see what other people who do your craft are up to - but tonight, I stumbled on some great ones:

Kirin Notebook - bookbinding, pattern design and jewellery making - amazing work by Lara from Melbourne.
Freshly Blended - a talented bookbinder shares her work and inspiration. The list of links in her sidebar is amazing - look forward to exploring them all!
Rag & Bone - blog of a bindery in Rhode Island that explores printing and book arts. Lovely jubbley!
lala dex press - last but definitely not least, Shona does great bookbinding work using vintage fabrics in gorgeous colours. She also produces a range of "hand made letterpress delights" - wonderful and whimsical cards and stationery. I especially like the Sparkle Monkey. (: I also love reading her blog because we share many other interests including a love of Cary Grant, flea markets and food!

And, since printing and bookbinding go together like peanut butter and honey - here are some letterpress links:

Adventures in Letterpress - great blog for someone like me who is interested in letterpress, but doesn't know where to start. Erin is a beginner too, and it's great to see someone jumping straight in and learning from scratch.

i love letterpress - a list of letterpress studios and resources, along with posts on happenings in the printing world.

I'm sure that by checking out the links on some of these great blogs, I'll find many more talented bookbinders and spend another night in front of the computer that should have been productively spent in the studio, making books like the one above. But, it's all good - there's always tomorrow!

Just one more night...

Of kitty slippers....

Of knitting...

Of drinking tea and reading books. Just one more night, and then it's back to the studio - I promise...

A Smashing New Year's Eve

We had a quiet, but good, New Year's Eve. We stayed in, had dinner and watched "After the Thin Man." Actually, I didn't quite make it to the end of the movie, or midnight for that matter, but I still enjoyed our evening. Dinner was quite good, if I do say so myself - we had Portobella Mushrooms, roasted with garlic leek and thyme in a cream sauce, pear and rocket salad, "smashed" potatoes and for dessert there were lemon tarts with raspberries.

I think that my favorite part of the dinner was the "smashed" potatoes. I read the recipe somewhere years ago, so I can't recall the source, but it's so simple and good. It goes something like this - boil potatoes with the skins on until tender, put them on an oiled baking dish and squish down with potato masher (just enough to slightly flatten potato, but not mash it entirely), drizzle over olive oil, add salt, pepper and herbs of your choice and bake at 425 degrees for about 2o minutes. Remove from oven once crispy and delicious and scarf down immediately. Yum! I should have included some photos here, but the potatoes disappeared too quickly!

We have a nice New Year's day ahead, catching up with friends and some final "holiday" eating before all the resolutions begin. Happy 2007 to everyone!

Oh, and one last thing. The dinner last night was prepared using the flavour shaker, and it works! I think that even Martin, the skeptic, is coming around.