Dear Everyone ~
Boxful of Summer, my tenth Bookful collaboration with Cat Bennett, begins in just under three weeks, on Saturday, June 17—right before the Summer Solstice. Students will make a drop-spine box to hold their notecards, postcards and freshly-folded envelopes. The box also has a slim divided section for the binders dozen pencils we will cover in 13 different patterns of Cambridge Imprint papers. (If you decide to display your pencils elsewhere, of course you can keep other writing implements, or strips of postage stamps, in that compartment.) The drop-spine box will likewise be covered and lined in a complementary pair of “Cambridge riches”.
Last week, I organized and assembled the papers, bookcloths, and extensive etceteras for the kit of materials, which you can read more about here. The center table was aglow with pattern & colour. And, as I type, a large armful of parcels are already en route to destinations from coast to coast in the U.S. & Canada.
Cat and I anticipate that students will be eager to mail the cards they make—and their companion hand-folded envelopes. So, I have devised a “replenishment set”, which is a first for me. It includes all the papery materials for making & mailing a fresh supply: Stonehenge cover weight paper, a sheaflet of Cat’s favourite drawing paper, Cambridge Imprint papers from the Special Starry box set for hand-folding yet more envelopes, a large glassine brimming with Cambridge Imprint scraps (for collaging, lining & general embellishing), ranging in size from 1 x 4 to 7 x 9 inches, plus a philatelic stock page with 77 summer fruit stamps issued by the USPS in diminutive denominations: 1¢ apples, 2¢ lemons, 3¢ strawberries, 4¢ blueberries & 5¢ grapes. They are perfect for franking, embellishing, sealing, or even inspiring an artwork. And, of course, they are all in mint condition!
Cat loves to incorporate stamps in her drawings and collages, and sometimes they are the starting point of the work itself. When we were musing on what our next Bookful series would be, correspondence struck the perfect note. Cat’s creativity continues, time and again, to inspire me. Savor her description of making & sending summery mail:
“I have long been an avid sender of letters and cards, and I love the idea of small pieces of original art flying around the planet in handmade envelopes, ready to surprise and uplift their recipients. Just looking at my tin of cake watercolors was enough to get me started making cards of summer pleasures. There are lettuce greens and iris purples and plum plums! I’m not sure which comes first in beginning such work—the subject or the colour. I do know it all just comes together once we dip our brushes into the paint and make our first marks on paper. I start with scrap paper and splash about a bit making rough sketches in a quick, playful way. Then I move onto the cards I want to make and send. And somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought of a friend finding a happy surprise in their mail one summer day.”
If you are considering joining us, there is still time to ship your kit(s). As always, Cat & I like to emphasize, especially if you are a Bookful newcomer, that absolutely no drawing, painting, collaging, or boxmaking experience is necessary. The pace and camaraderie are truly zen. (Plus you will have complete videos to watch and rewatch—all 12 hours-ful!)
Boxful of Summer
Replenishment Set
Summer zooming, Bari