eat! craft! live!

garnet flowers journal

I finished this journal last night, just in time for my little one day sale in my book-related Etsy shop. We, the members of the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team, have been having little sales all month. My day is tomorrow, lucky me! (You can see all our Etsy goodies here.) So, tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10th, if you buy that lovely journal up there, I'll ship it to you for free (if you live in the US that is...we can work out a discount if you're international) and even throw in a free gift! It's a very cute little free gift too, I just have to say. Very cute. And I sort of hope you don't actually buy the journal because, well, I really like it. It's been so long since I've really made anything new, I'd forgotten how satisfying it is to create books!

I think I might have a little after Christmas sale just for my blog readers... When the dull grey of January starts to get us down! Stay tuned...

it's a good time for a little shameless self-promotion

The members of the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team, myself included, are having a splendid back to school sale this weekend!  Yes, that's right.  It's almost time to think about school again.  Almost time to put away those beach towels and grab a pencil.  Lay down the bicycles and frisbees and climb out of the pool.  Get your calculator in working order and dig out that backpack.

I'm offering 15% off all journals in my shop, and my fellow team members have various offers ranging from free shipping to free gifts and more!  Check us out.  Search Etsy for "bookbindingteam" to find all sorts of goodies.

The following team members are participating in our Back to School sale this weekend. Visit the individual shops to get more information about their specific sales and special offers!

• BlueValentinePress - free shipping and free gift
• Bound.To - 15% off if you mention BESTbooks
• Cathartic Slant - set of gift tags or note cards with purchase
• dameling - free shipping
• DragonflyCrafts - 20% off all books
• FatalAttraction - free shipping
• jellygnite - 15% off & free ACEO with orders over $15
• kristin crane - 10% off and a free greeting card
• KupoKiley - 15% off case bound books
• la paperie & cozy - BOGO 20% off
• MyHandboundBooks - free shipping
• PrairiePeasant - 15% off OR free shipping on orders over $40
• Re:Paper - free shipping
• scodioli - free shipping
• Space Dog Studios - free shipping to USA and a free bookmark
• subu - 15% off if you mention BESTBooks
• susanholland - free shipping
• The Crafty Kitten - 20% off & free shipping for orders over $50
• BooksByBexx - 20% off if you mention BESTbooks
• notobóc - free shipping
• yellow crafty chick - 15% off Journals

what to do with a blank book

I don't really talk about it much, but I make books. Maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't. I sell them in my Etsy shop (or at least, I try to...it's been slow the past month or so...) and I really enjoy working with some of the gorgeous paper I've hoarded over time. But I think people often wonder what they would do with a blank journal, thinking that they are either for serious writers, diary-scribbling pre-teens, or tortured artists madly sketching away. Even I fall victim to that mindset. I tend not to use the ones that I make, since they all get listed in my shop, leaving me scrounging for scraps of paper whenever I want to write something down. I've got notes hastily jotted down on old envelopes, junk mail, receipts, you name it. But what I really need is a little notepad that I can carry around with me. Conveniently, I make them - like these or this one, for example. (Um, now I just have to make one for myself...) Anyway, the most recent post on our Bookbinding Etsy Street Team blog (BEST for short) had a lot of really great ideas so I thought I'd share with you! One of my favorites is the "guest book" idea - have friends and/or family write/draw/doodle/whatever in it over time. I've actually implemented this and it's endlessly entertaining to go back and read things that friends wrote 10+ years ago. So check it out! Then hop on over to Etsy and search for "bookbinding team" to find some great books made by me and my fellow BEST members.

trunk show recap

Well, the trunk show went well the other night!  There was a consistent crowd throughout the event and they all seemed to have a good time, throwing cookies and hearts with abandon!  I really enjoyed getting to see my fellow team members' books and getting to hear everyone talk about themselves, their process, their stories!

I wanted to have this book, whose photos I'm plastering all over my blog (sorry 'bout that - I just love it so much!), ready and listed for the show, but a migraine got in the way and I just couldn't get the listing done.  Boo.  And actually, that darn migraine almost kept me from the trunk show entirely!  (Um...I threw up right in the middle of it...  The good thing about a virtual trunk show?  I could do that!  It wouldn't be so cool of me to be sick right in the middle of a real trunk show!)

(I just can't get enough of the beautiful paper I used on the cover of this book.  Those swirly vine patterns are actually a gorgeous bronze metallic color that shimmers and shines in the light.  It's amazing!  I wish I could take credit for the design, but I merely picked it out!)

Lastly, I just want to thank Maiko for pulling this whole show together!  She was our champion and leader through the whole process and did a fabulous job - thank you, Maiko!

Etsy trunk show - tonight!

The Bookbinding Etsy Street Team, or BEST for short, is having a virtual trunk show tonight at 9PM EST in the Etsy Virtual Labs.  We'll be showing some our books (some of us by webcam! not me!) and talking a little bit about how we got into bookbinding and why we're awesome.  If you don't already have an Etsy account (free!) then you'd better get one quick because you'll need to be signed in to get to the trunk show!  Hurry!  Run!

I hope to see your little virtual self plopped into a little virtual chair this evening! 

Here's a list of participants, in case you'd like to check anybody out beforehand.

yellowcraftychick
usefulbooks
thecraftykitten
kupokiley
myhandboundbooks
flurrsprite
kristincrane
yatsu
thisisbexx
ladyartisan