Autumn Harvest

Guess what I've been doing lately? Turning this:

Into this:

I love canning. It's one of those things that make people think I'm a grandma trapped in a young person body. Tomatoes are the best because I use them all winter in pasta sauce and soup and I know where they came from and that they were grown in the summer. Tomatoes from the grocery store in the winter are yucky.
This is the first year that our tomato plant decided not to grow five feet tall and produce until October, so these are from Shaun's grandpa's garden. We did get tons of cucumbers and I canned five jars of pickles (yum!)

I requested these awesome books a while ago at the Library:

They are so easy to follow and great for beginners. I haven't had a chance to do much with the Dairy book, but I did make some ricotta that was tasty! Ashley English has two other books that I want to read. Not that I'm at all prepared to keep chickens or bees, but I think it's amazing.

Fine Binding Design with Tini Miura

This last week I had the amazing opportunity to take a workshop with a world-famous design binder named Tini Miura.

All I can say is it was a once in a lifetime, unforgettable thing. I'll have more pictures and details later this week. For now, here's a shot of Tini and I.

Valentines Shmalentines

I kind of love Valentine's day, even though Shaun doesn't. It's not that I love it for the flowers and chocolates or anything, but there's something great about expressing love to everyone around you during one of the most depressing months of the year (in my opinion).

(Don't worry, that's my face on an old pinup, not me really!)

Last year for Valentine's day I made Shaun this little pamphlet stitch binding full of dorky things. It's pretty cute in person, even though it doesn't photograph well. I photocopied entries from my journal on important days like when we got engaged and days when I just loved him :)

This year I went simple:

Nothing says love to me more than Victorian embellishments!!

This books got some great things he can use at work.

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day

Baby Book

Just finished this little photo album for Chrissy's baby today.

It turned out pretty nice, and it will look even nicer with photos in it!

(The first three images are before the final label was put on)

It's a good thing she doesn't read my blog or the surprise would be ruined, I say RUINED. I'm hoping to bring it to her in the hospital. Time to have that baby Chrissy!

Book Book

Have you seen this???

These are hardback leather cases for macbooks...that look like old books! I love it.

I need one now! Oh wait, I don't have a macbook :(

Happy Valentines day to Annette? ya right

For more info see:

designsponge

Twelvesouth

I also found this other original macbook protector:

manilamac.com

Hand Papermaking

On Thursday and Friday of this week I went to Tryst Press for my job and helped make beautiful paper for an upcoming project my Boss is working on.

It's not an easy process and it takes a lot of practice, but the paper is well worth it! From pulp to dry flattened sheets involves many many steps. I've included a video that shows one step in the process. In this clip Rob Buchert is at the vat where he uses his handmade paper moulds to scoop up the fibers and form a sheet. He then passes the moulds to Ethan who couches them onto felts. They make it look easy, but it's not!

Whenever I'm in these extremely odd environments involved in processes that are hundreds of years old I'm amazed at what a great job I have!! Just putting my respiratory therapy degree to good use Dad.

You can visit Rob's website for more paper making videos:

http://www.trystpress.com/Paper_Mill.html

So Sleepy

Today I went down to Tryst Press to make paper for work. I didn't take a camera but I'm going again tomorrow so I'll post some photos after that.

By the way...making paper is HARD work and I'm tired...so I'll leave you with this beautiful painting I just discovered by Casey O'Connell

New Zealand Book Council

Who are these amazing people?

* Good Reads *

My sister called the other day to recommend a great book to me. I proceeded to then tell her I'd already read it and rambled off a list of books I think SHE should read. So I decided I'd post some of my recent favorites.

Does it bother you when you forget everything you've read? I can't tell you the number of times I've started book journals and logs and accounts and younameit! So, I know this is not all of my reads over the last few months, but these are some that stand out in my non-organized sort of life.

1. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak: Not your average WWII novel. When the story is narrated by death you know you're in for a treat. The addition of a book-loving main character never hurts either. What I loved most about the book was the way death viewed the world through colors. It's beautifully written. Tears were shed.

2. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel- Susanna Clarke: Move over Harry Potter, this English wizarding world is just as twisted and dark and less juvenile. I loved this book! Warning, it was a bit slow for me initially, but pieces fall together brilliantly toward the end of the book. It's also quite thick, only because Clarke fills the book with witty footnotes that create an alternate history. If you're a 19th Century English literature fan you'll enjoy this. Please Read. It's definitely got a following, with blogs like

The Friends of English Magic.

Oh...and it doesn't hurt that there will be a MOVIE made from this book. IMDB it.

3. Catching Fire- Suzanne Collins: Book two in the Hunger Games series. I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of or read this book due to recommendation on a certain website from a certain Twilight saga author. I'm a little upset that I picked up the first book when it was new, unaware that it was going to be a series. So now I have to wait each year for the next book to come out. Despite my impatience, they're worth the wait.

4. North and South- Elisabeth Gaskell: Recommended to me by several people, a friend at work let me borrow this one. It was good! If you're an Austen fan you'll probably enjoy this. More 19th Century English literature, minus a lot of Austen's satire, but a good romance.

And I've heard the movie's great too!

The Many Faces of Design

The American Institute of Graphic Arts has a traveling show on display right now at the University of Utah in conjunction with the Book Arts Program. Shaun is on the board for the Salt Lake chapter of AIGA and I, of course, am a book lover and member of the book arts community.

So we went last night for the opening reception and WOW. Here was my favorite book of the night...steals my heart. I WILL own it someday.

But it's not just the cover that is amazingly designed, it's the inside. Check it out here.

The designer is Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich.

Check out the show if you have a chance. It's called 50 Books/50 covers.

AIGA SLC

U of U Book Arts Program

Three Things

So, I'm very excited about several books that have been made into movies recently. Here are three of them:

1. Where the Wild Things Are. Comes out in theaters this Fall. I can't decide if the movie really looks good, or if I'm just excited about the Arcade Fire Song the preview is set to. Check it out

here.

2. Alice in Wonderland. I've always had a strange obsession with this story. When I was younger I would have dreams that I was Alice trying to fit through a tiny door and on the other side was Disneyland... interpret THAT Freud. Anyway, Tim Burton is always good in my book, so let's hope this one goes well. Check it out here.

3. You must read this book. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan changed the way I think about the food I put in my body. It's life changing. Food Inc. is a movie about the industrialization of food in our society, etc. Check out a preview here. I have MUCH more to say about this subject, but that will be at a later date.

I'm in Love

I just started work on this little gem. A book of poetry by L. Frank Baum published a year before the Wizard of Oz series began. He wrote, printed, and supposedly bound the books himself!! He also had several artists in collaboration who did all the illustrations, including Denslow (the fish illustration) who would then become the illustrator for The Wizard of OZ. This book is beautiful!!!

Missouri 2: The Books

While cleaning out my grandma's house we stumbled upon some great schoolbooks and children's books from the 1800's. I was drooling. Look at these amazing blocked covers! Needless to say I brought a few home.