Last week started off well with a sale to Los Angeles of all places. And with this 'success' still fresh in my mind, I attended the Web Fuelled Business event in Leeds on Wednesday. Along with my sister, I spent around six hours trying to absorb as much information as I could on search engine optimisation, e-commerce and social media. The event was full of useful advice and was free! I'd recommend it to anyone thinking of setting up their own business, and it was good to see so many fellow creative entrepreneurs there.
Thursday and Friday, I worked on making up some bookblocks, ready to make up my new designs. There's something very therapeutic about folding and tearing paper: it's fairly undemanding, and soothing, a great way to chill out. Then during the unseasonably warm weather on Friday, I worked on getting my accounts up to date. As a former librarian and cataloguer, I tend to be borderline obsessive about attention to detail and like to have things in order. Unfortunately this philosophy only extends as far as my work. I'd love to say that my house was neat and tidy, and that my clothes are all hanging neatly in colour-co-ordinated bliss in my wardrobe, but alas, it is not the case. My house is usually downright messy, or as my friend tactfully puts it - 'homely'.
The week was rounded off with a glorious trip to the Yorkshire Dales, which just happily coincided with the beautiful weather.
Monday, 2 April 2012
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
In memory of Teddy
Apologies for this off-topic blog posting, but I'd like to appeal for help in light of this distressing incident which occurred last week. I'm posting this on behalf of my sister, and would urge you please to consider signing the e-petition, and to spread the word. Thank you.
This is Cumbreck Rockin Robin AKA Teddy. He was the youngest of our four Jack Russells; the baby, our baby. He was a feisty, energetic and loyal pet, but also a steady friend. On the 28th of February 2012 Teddy was brutally, and fatally, attacked by another owner's dog in our own back garden. My younger Son was the only one at home at the time, he was present for the attack, and remains extremely traumatized. I'm sure none of us would want to imagine what he has been through. The dog that attacked Teddy is suspected to be part banned breed, however even if that is found to be the case, the dog will still be returned to its owner. The implications of that are horrifically unjust and unsafe. The police cannot take action against the owner or the dog under the current law. It's bureaucratic and impersonal nonsense. We have to fix this. That dog has attacked before, ripping half another dog's ear off, it will attack again. Who's next? Another of our dogs, one of the neighbourhood dogs, or someone's child? This is not a case of a dog being a dog, this is a temperament problem. Simply because the dog is not full banned breed does not mean that it is not a dangerous, murderous and terrifying presence for everyone who lives here. Sadly the case may be that the neglectful owner has turned the dog into such a beast, due to it being kept outside for days at a time and left to mire in the filth of the owners back garden. We need to take action, but we cannot do it alone. So please take the time to read this petition, and if you agree, please sign. This cannot go on, Teddy's death cannot be for nothing.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22631
This is Cumbreck Rockin Robin AKA Teddy. He was the youngest of our four Jack Russells; the baby, our baby. He was a feisty, energetic and loyal pet, but also a steady friend. On the 28th of February 2012 Teddy was brutally, and fatally, attacked by another owner's dog in our own back garden. My younger Son was the only one at home at the time, he was present for the attack, and remains extremely traumatized. I'm sure none of us would want to imagine what he has been through. The dog that attacked Teddy is suspected to be part banned breed, however even if that is found to be the case, the dog will still be returned to its owner. The implications of that are horrifically unjust and unsafe. The police cannot take action against the owner or the dog under the current law. It's bureaucratic and impersonal nonsense. We have to fix this. That dog has attacked before, ripping half another dog's ear off, it will attack again. Who's next? Another of our dogs, one of the neighbourhood dogs, or someone's child? This is not a case of a dog being a dog, this is a temperament problem. Simply because the dog is not full banned breed does not mean that it is not a dangerous, murderous and terrifying presence for everyone who lives here. Sadly the case may be that the neglectful owner has turned the dog into such a beast, due to it being kept outside for days at a time and left to mire in the filth of the owners back garden. We need to take action, but we cannot do it alone. So please take the time to read this petition, and if you agree, please sign. This cannot go on, Teddy's death cannot be for nothing.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22631
Friday, 24 February 2012
The delights of paste paper
My most recent book is a full binding in dark olive-coloured bookcloth, with a small panel insert, which contains an abstract piece of 'artwork' (and I use the term loosely) - the results of my experiments with paste paper.
As I'm sure those of you familiar with bookbinding will be aware, paste papers are created by mixing bookbinding paste, consisting of flour and water, with paint. The resulting mix can then be manipulated on paper in any number of ways, using brushes, combs, fingers or stamps to create distinctive abstract patterns with an almost three dimensional quality to them.
Predominantly used on endpapers and on book covers, paste papers are one of the earliest methods used to decorate paper. In the course of my research on producing paste papers, I came across some truly beautiful examples on the web, which demonstrate just how much of an art form it can be in the right hands. One of my favourite discoveries was the work of Pattie Palmer Baker, whose calligraphy and collage work uses paste papers to stunning effect, creating a luminous, almost stained glass effect. Other great examples of paste paper can be found on Flickr - I particularly like the work of Veronica Phillips and Zebra Crossing Picture Factory.
With such wonderful examples, I was truly inspired to create my own "masterpiece", and there are a number of excellent online tutorials to choose from. I'd recommend Lili's Bookbinding Blog and Bookbinding Etsy Street Team ones, but there are plenty out there, and I haven't even begun to investigate what's on YouTube relating to the subject.
My own version was a yellow and blue paint combination, which I transformed into an abstract pattern by means of a paintbrush, fingers and a small stick. My final experimental touch was to add a touch of gold embossing powder, which I then blasted with the heating gun, which gave the finished piece just the right amount of 'bling'. Shying away from using my experiment to cover the whole of the book cover, I cut a section out of the finished design, and set it into a recessed panel on the right hand side of the front cover.
As I'm sure those of you familiar with bookbinding will be aware, paste papers are created by mixing bookbinding paste, consisting of flour and water, with paint. The resulting mix can then be manipulated on paper in any number of ways, using brushes, combs, fingers or stamps to create distinctive abstract patterns with an almost three dimensional quality to them.
Predominantly used on endpapers and on book covers, paste papers are one of the earliest methods used to decorate paper. In the course of my research on producing paste papers, I came across some truly beautiful examples on the web, which demonstrate just how much of an art form it can be in the right hands. One of my favourite discoveries was the work of Pattie Palmer Baker, whose calligraphy and collage work uses paste papers to stunning effect, creating a luminous, almost stained glass effect. Other great examples of paste paper can be found on Flickr - I particularly like the work of Veronica Phillips and Zebra Crossing Picture Factory.
With such wonderful examples, I was truly inspired to create my own "masterpiece", and there are a number of excellent online tutorials to choose from. I'd recommend Lili's Bookbinding Blog and Bookbinding Etsy Street Team ones, but there are plenty out there, and I haven't even begun to investigate what's on YouTube relating to the subject.
My own version was a yellow and blue paint combination, which I transformed into an abstract pattern by means of a paintbrush, fingers and a small stick. My final experimental touch was to add a touch of gold embossing powder, which I then blasted with the heating gun, which gave the finished piece just the right amount of 'bling'. Shying away from using my experiment to cover the whole of the book cover, I cut a section out of the finished design, and set it into a recessed panel on the right hand side of the front cover.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Baby it's cold outside!
I'm so cold today that I've had to abandon book production in my makeshift studio - the conservatory. Although I have a heater out there and am wearing an extra cardigan (well, two actually), I just can't get warm and I've had to resort to relocating to the warmest room in the house with my laptop, and snuggling up to the radiator. Luckily I managed to get a batch of notebooks finished, photographed, described and uploaded into my Etsy shop earlier in the week, and I'm hoping that the freezing temperatures won't prevent further book production in the next few days. Meanwhile, I'll spend the day doing research, tarting up my current Etsy listings and dreaming up some new designs...
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Bookbinding woes
I love the process of bookbinding – I find enjoyment in every one of the many individual processes which contribute to making a book. But there are times when I find it the most frustrating of crafts, in particular when things don’t go according to plan, or as happened recently, when I reached the ‘unveiling’ stage of the bookbinding process (ie. Taking the finished product out of the nipping press), only to find a blemish on the front of the book which refused to budge.
My most recent creation was a A6 sized blank notebook, the creation of which had involved, as always, tearing the pages by hand, trimming the book block, then hand-sewing the notebook, carefully rounding the spine, adding headbands, hand-embroidering the cover of the book with a heart, and sequins (which I admittedly forgot about when ironing and attaching a tissue paper backing, which gave them a shall we say a “distinctive” appearance), carefully casing in the book, placing in the book press, leaving overnight, and then...discovering the mysterious blemish which had just rendered the whole process a waste of time!
My mind is furiously thinking of ways to disguise the offending blemish, without making it worse. I’ve got some ideas – watch this space.
It’s just one of those things, but it niggles. It’s not the first time it’s happened, and I’m sure it won’t be the last!
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
The joys of self-employment
Happy New Year! A bit belated, but I hope everyone had a good Christmas. As always, it went too quickly, but I was somehow glad to get back to the usual work routine.
For me, the one thing that looms larger than anything else in January is the TAX RETURN. Like a visit to the dentist, I do everything possible to postpone it until the last minute. Although I'm relatively good with money (in other words, I'm tight), I have a total phobia of numbers and financial figures. But the tax return is a necessity, and it's one of the not-so-pleasant consequences of being self-employed. Since being made redundant from my 'proper' job some 17 months ago, I've had to adapt to the life of a self-employed freelancer, and mostly it's good. While filling in the dreaded tax return, I started to wonder if there was anything about my old employed life that I missed, and the answer was a resounding "not much". Apart from the guarantee of a regular salary, holiday and sick pay, the occasional company of co-workers, there's not much else that I miss. Certainly not the joys of public transport, of having to face the world when I feel like death, and being restricted by the 9 to 5 routine. In contrast, self-employment allows me the freedom to have a long lunch with friends and catch up with work in the evening, or to spend an afternoon working in the local library, or to sit in the car working while my husband does the food shopping (my least favourite domestic chore after changing the beds and ironing!).
But working from home alone is not for everyone. I don't actually mind my own company, but I can imagine the long periods of silence could be too much for some people. It would be easy to go stir crazy. I have no choice but to mingle with people on a daily basis - taking my daughter to and from school means I'm forced to interact, but it also means I get 40 minutes exercise of brisk walking every day. In addition I meet friends for an exercise class, for lunch and attend a craft class once a week - just to keep my sanity, and exercise my social skills.
When things aren't going well, I look back to the days just before I was made redundant - in a job I no longer cared about, feeling out of my depth and questioning every aspect of my working existence. Today, although I still have occasional bad days, and I'm significantly poorer financially, I feel more in my comfort zone. Every penny I get, I am really aware that I've earned it, so I've developed an even greater awareness and appreciation of the value of money.
So, do I feel envious when I check out the progress of former colleagues on Facebook - in management positions and earning bucket loads more than me? The short answer is "no" (for now anyway...). Happy Homeworking!!
For me, the one thing that looms larger than anything else in January is the TAX RETURN. Like a visit to the dentist, I do everything possible to postpone it until the last minute. Although I'm relatively good with money (in other words, I'm tight), I have a total phobia of numbers and financial figures. But the tax return is a necessity, and it's one of the not-so-pleasant consequences of being self-employed. Since being made redundant from my 'proper' job some 17 months ago, I've had to adapt to the life of a self-employed freelancer, and mostly it's good. While filling in the dreaded tax return, I started to wonder if there was anything about my old employed life that I missed, and the answer was a resounding "not much". Apart from the guarantee of a regular salary, holiday and sick pay, the occasional company of co-workers, there's not much else that I miss. Certainly not the joys of public transport, of having to face the world when I feel like death, and being restricted by the 9 to 5 routine. In contrast, self-employment allows me the freedom to have a long lunch with friends and catch up with work in the evening, or to spend an afternoon working in the local library, or to sit in the car working while my husband does the food shopping (my least favourite domestic chore after changing the beds and ironing!).
But working from home alone is not for everyone. I don't actually mind my own company, but I can imagine the long periods of silence could be too much for some people. It would be easy to go stir crazy. I have no choice but to mingle with people on a daily basis - taking my daughter to and from school means I'm forced to interact, but it also means I get 40 minutes exercise of brisk walking every day. In addition I meet friends for an exercise class, for lunch and attend a craft class once a week - just to keep my sanity, and exercise my social skills.
When things aren't going well, I look back to the days just before I was made redundant - in a job I no longer cared about, feeling out of my depth and questioning every aspect of my working existence. Today, although I still have occasional bad days, and I'm significantly poorer financially, I feel more in my comfort zone. Every penny I get, I am really aware that I've earned it, so I've developed an even greater awareness and appreciation of the value of money.
So, do I feel envious when I check out the progress of former colleagues on Facebook - in management positions and earning bucket loads more than me? The short answer is "no" (for now anyway...). Happy Homeworking!!
Friday, 9 December 2011
Christmas greetings
If anyone is struggling to get into the Christmas spirit, I can thoroughly recommend going to see a children's nativity play. But then again, this probably only applies to parents. Yesterday I had the privilege of watching my 7 year old daughter play the part of an angel in her school nativity play, and I felt Christmassy for the first time. The wonderful music and the joy on the children's faces gave me what I can only describe as a warm fuzzy feeling.
Taking inspiration from this moving experience, my recent additions to my Etsy shop try to capture the spirit of the season. My festive miniature books can be used to write notes in, Christmas lists perhaps?, but they can also be hung from the Christmas tree to make an unusual ornament.
These items and more can be found in my Etsy shop Glass Roof Books - do take a look.
Taking inspiration from this moving experience, my recent additions to my Etsy shop try to capture the spirit of the season. My festive miniature books can be used to write notes in, Christmas lists perhaps?, but they can also be hung from the Christmas tree to make an unusual ornament.
These items and more can be found in my Etsy shop Glass Roof Books - do take a look.
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