I believe in Father Christmas...I think

It is with much sadness that I learned of the death of Greg Lake earlier this month - just the latest in a seemingly endless list of famous casualties who have left us this year.  I knew little about Greg Lake, other than his Emerson, Lake & Palmer connection, but I suspect, like many other people, the connection I associate with him most, is the enduring Christmas classic 'I believe in Father Christmas'.

Greg Lake: Maple Leaf Gardens, performing with Emerson, Lake, and Palmer in Toronto, Feb. 3, 1978 Photo by Jean-Luc Ourlin http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlacpo/9830033/

Released in 1975, and written by Lake and Pete Sinfield, this has remained one of my favourite Christmas songs, for its ability to transport me back to the innocence of childhood Christmases, with evocative lyrics such as 'I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn'; for its beautiful melody, enhanced by the snippet of Prokofiev's 'Sleigh Ride' instrumental; and for its thoughtful sentiment, which hints at the loss of innocence - 'I saw him and through his disguise' - and the growing commercialism of Christmas.

'Santa's Portrait' byThomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly, 1881

It's a multi-layered song, brilliantly described by co-writer Pete Sinfield as 'a picture-postcard Christmas with morbid edges'.

Even though the childhood excitement of Christmas has long-gone for me, I still love the festive season, and I consider myself lucky to have been blessed with so many happy memories of this time, spent with loved ones, many of whom are no longer around.  It can be bitter-sweet, but I'm glad I have those memories, and one of the great joys of Christmas, for me, is the sense of continuity with the past.  In a world which is rapidly changing, sometimes too quickly, we take comfort in the traditions and rituals associated with Christmas...including Father Christmas.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Until next time...bye for now x

The Golden Age of Travel

This week's post focuses on the golden age of travel, and was inspired by the vintage travel poster, the bright colours and bold typography of which exude retro charm in bucketloads, capturing the glamour and excitement of passenger travel by boat, plane and train, and creating a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era.

Now highly collectable, the monetary value of these posters depend on factors such as print method, originality and designer.

Vintage travel poster

I love the warm colours of these images, and have wanted to incorporate them into my work for so long.  With many of these images now in the public domain, and freely available, I've featured some of them in a set of notepad holders which (so far) feature images of Stockholm, Venice and Paris.

Vintage images of Stockholm, train and boat, and Venice used on covers of notepad holders on Etsy

For further information on these wonderful images, have a
look at Free Vintage Posters , the London Transport Museum
online poster collection, or have a read with 'The Golden Age
of Railway Posters' by Michael Palin, published by Batsford.

Until next time, bye for now x

Life in miniature

I've always found miniature books very appealing.  Something about the attention to detail, and being able to hold this miniature work of art in the palm of your hand is incredibly satisfying.  I first became inspired to make some miniature books after purchasing the wonderful book 'The Neale M. Albert Collection of Miniature Designer Bindings', from an exhibition held at the John Rylands Library in Manchester.  The designer bindings were a revelation to me, introducing me to a whole new dimension in bookbinding, and the fact that they were miniatures only added to the appeal.  My creations were also a useful way to use up all the extra materials left over after making 'proper' sized books, and although they were blank inside, and technically not really 'miniature' (miniature books by definition are sized between 0.5 inches square to roughly 2 x 3 inches, and no larger than 3 inches in height, width or thickness), I still like to refer to them as miniature books, and continually delight in their compact, small but perfectly formed, nature.

In preparation for Christmas, I've been working on some miniatures which double up as Christmas tree ornaments.  Left blank inside, they are hardback and embellished with images of vintage Christmas flowers and plants placed beneath a cabochon.

For more information about this intriguing art form, I recommend having a look at the Miniature Book Society website, and of course, check out some of the awesome artists on Etsy, who create some wonderful examples of this book form.

 

 Until next time, bye for now x

Miniature Christmas book decorations

Take a seat...The Little Book of Chairs

It's been a long time since I posted a blog.  A long list of excuses covering everything from bereavement to redundancy and mid-life crisis could be legitimately used to explain my absence, but rather than bore you with the details, I'll simply ask you to accept my apologies, and sit back and relax to enjoy the latest posting, which looks at my latest project - on the theme of...chairs.

I'm no antiques expert, but I've always loved those old-fashioned, button-back chairs in leather or velvet.  To me, they are like works of art, extolling the virtues of craftsmanship and skill belonging to another age.

Partly inspired by a similar chair, which takes pride of place in our living room, and partly inspired by some wonderful black and white illustrations found on the 'Graphics Fairy' website, I decided to create a memento dedicated to the beauty of the button back chair in the form of an accordion picture book.

I wanted to convey the sumptuousness and elegance of this style of seating, and originally, had plans to house the book in a mock, padded chair-type structure.  I even created a padded piece covered in leather and upholstery tacks, but wasn't overly keen on the effect.

As so often happens during the creative process, the original ideas don't always materialise in the way that they appear in your mind.  I'd bought some beautiful covering paper from a bookbinders in Halifax a few years ago, which had a mottled, wood-effect design, and with this in mind, I made a small slipcase in which to house the concertina and covered it with the paper.  I kind of liked it as it was and decided against any more additional touches.

Thanks for reading.  Until next time, bye for now!
x

The creative muse

Apologies for lack of recent blogging activity.  Life really does get in the way sometimes.  I've been working hard on an indexing project which is a little out of my comfort zone, and has stretched me to the limit.  In addition, I've spent time caring for my mother who has terminal cancer - a challenge of even greater proportions.

Both commitments have left little time for creative endeavours, but I did manage to submit an entry into the exhibition 'Rain', held at the Funky Aardvark in Chester (my first ever exhibit!), as well as completing a number of mini notebooks for the Funky Aardvark shop.  In addition, I've had a few commissions to work on which have presented their own unique challenges.  Having never received any formal arts training, or even remotely considered myself an artist, I found it terrifying to be confronted with a blank canvas (in book form), and told to "express my personality" on the cover.  Feeling far from creative, possibly as a result of worrying about my mum, amongst other things, and knowing little about my client's taste, I lay awake over several nights, worrying about the result of the project, the deadline for which was growing ever nearer, and eventually produced a notebook which was adequate, but hardly inspired.  Thankfully the gentleman who had requested the commission was understanding of my situation, and was happy enough with the result, but I had a definite feeling of what I can only describe as 'incompleteness' (is that even a word?) with the results of my efforts.

Since then, I've managed to fire myself up a bit more, and have indulged my passion for fine bindings, artists' books and the like, and the ideas and inspiration have been a bit more forthcoming.  But the whole experience has brought into sharp focus just how elusive the creative muse can be at times, and how much simpler it would be if we could turn it on and off like a tap.

As an example, as I walked my mum's dogs this morning across the fields in the heart of rural Worcestershire (about as far removed from my urban Manchester home as you can get), although feeling tired and anxious from worry and lack of sleep, the sun was shining, and as my eight year-old daughter ran amongst the tall grasses ahead of me, the sight of her tomato red cardigan contrasting with the fresh green of the grass was truly beautiful and inspiring.  I then noticed the plants and living things around me, and immediately began to feel more alive.  Sometimes it really is just the simple things that make a difference....

Until next time...happy creating!

Abstract-style bindings

My latest collection of mini notebooks features bright colours, bold abstract shapes, and a touch of gold tooling.  Having long been inspired by the work of many designer bookbinders, I began experimenting with inlays and gold tooling, using not leather but skivertex - a book covering material which has the appearance of leather, but is much finer, and is available in some amazing colours and finishes.

The notebooks are smaller than usual, the bookblocks sewn using French stitching with brightly coloured endpapers and skivertex covers.  Each design features random shapes which have been cut out in greyboard, and imprinted onto the book's covers in order to create a recess.  Into these recesses have been glued coloured pieces of skivertex.  Other books have been created by overlaying a handmade stencil over the cover in order to let the background colours show through.

In addition I've added some gold tooling (well, copper tooling actually), just to give them a bit of bling.  I've enjoyed making these books - I love the bright colours, abstract shapes, and I've been happy with the way the whole effect has come together.

The Designer Bookbinders website has some fabulous examples of abstract-style bindings, and I have included a few of my favourites here.  I would love to be able to produce work to this standard one day...

Binding by Jeanette Koch

Binding by Lester Capon

 Binding by Derek Hood

There are also a few gems out there on Etsy which I discovered whilst researching this post:

This coptic bound notebook by TheGiftShed was inspired by a greetings card.  The bright colours and shapes were a key feature, and resulted in this beautiful book.

This notebook by TheMojaveRose features another wonderful abstract design using bold shapes and colours.  The design has been finished with an acrylic medium which gives it extra flexibility and protection.

Hope you've enjoyed this post.  Until next time, have fun!

The notepad clutch

Having long been inspired by vintage fashion and design, I wanted to create a product which would pay homage to the various vintage styles, and which would exude the effortless elegance of previous eras.  My latest creations took their inspiration from vintage clutch bags, particularly those of the 1950s and 60s, and I wanted to inject a little glamour into the office or the boardroom, with these notepad holders.

Basing my designs on the different styles associated with Hollywood stars, each product has been given its own name in an attempt to inject a little character into each design.

Firstly, the 'Audrey' notepad holder takes its inspiration from its namesake Audrey Hepburn.

 

Audrey style - classic, sophisticated

 
Covered in black, mock crocodile-effect fabric, the vibe is classic and sophisticated.  Features of the design include a notepad insert (to hold a 8 x 5 inch notepad), a business card holder, and two silver buckles to keep the notepad closed.  My favourite feature has to be the small vanity mirror, discretely hidden by a small flap - perfect for touching up your lippy before heading into the meeting.

 


Other products in this range follow a similar pattern, although the features of each item differ ever so slightly.

The 'Grace' notepad holder attempts to emulate the cool, classic elegance of Grace Kelly, and has a gold casing,with the front cover wrapped in black lace, and a black silk ribbon and diamante slider closure.

There are other designs in the pipeline, including a 1920s flapper-inspired design, complete with gold fringing - a nod to the growing trend of Gatsby-inspired products available right now.

My Etsy selections this week are taken from the vast range of vintage sellers.  There were so many wonderful items to choose from, but I've narrowed my favourites down, using the themes of 'mock croc' and lace.

I love these two imitation crocodile skin handbags from ItsVintageIndeed and EclecticShop.  They're such classic designs, timeless and elegant.

Going with the lace theme, here's two of my personal favourites:

I love this1950s black and beige handbag in black lace from EmbraceLace and, this item from TrulyVintageUK.  Although not strictly lace, I love the design and the intricate beaded pattern.

Until next time, have fun!