Boxful of Summer produced

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

April showers brought a bouquet of marvelous mail

Dear Everyone ~

April was National Card and Letter Writing Month (NCLWM) month. My “outgoings,” as Constance McCarthy refers to hers, were slightly slim (though not anemic). I am delighted to have received a very large handful of creative missives & postcards from far & wide, and close by. I’d like to share a few with you, for their diversity, their charm, and their reflecting of their senders’ generosity of epistolary spirit.

Deborah from Monterey sent me a triple-tiered letter cake. The centerpiece of her confection is the official postcard of my shopfront (shown at top), lavishly & brilliantly embellished by Deborah. She went so far as to open my front door, revealing a veritable wonderful of papery surprise. The printed caption on the back of the BZS postcard, illustrated by my friend Janet Bouldin, reads: Welcome to my world, wherein all you encounter has been made or selected by me, for you. I am aswoon at the world Deborah created for me! But wait, of course there is more.

She swaddled the postcard in a furoshiki-style plain paper wrap (with an hilarious post-it note attached, acknowledging her self-adhesive postage fiasco) inside a decorated hand-folded envelope! Oh, my! 

Alyson Kuhn, my postal muse, also happens to live in Monterey…and it occurred to me to e-introduce her to Deborah without delay! (Late-breaking news: they may be meeting at their local stationery store today.)

Cat Bennett was sojourning in Florence, Italy, in March. At the end of April, I received her large-ish postcard, selected on her visit to the Basilica di Santa Croce. Even on a postcard, Cat was able to tell me quite a bit about her travels and add a whimsical watercoloured lemon branches. Receiving this was a waft of spring—I could almost smell the blossoms.

I have been postcard pals with Bonnie, who lives in Chicago, for nearly ten years. We write to each other infrequently… and whenever I receive a postcard from her, it’s a treasure. Back in February, she travelled to Oaxaca. This postcard is from the Museo de Filatellia (stamp museum) a.k.a MUFI. She writes (& asterisks) **they have Frido Kahlo’s letters to her doctor—on original hotel stationery.

The stamps themselves are also a work of art. They may be the stampiest stamps I’ve ever seen! Not only is the philatelist looking at his album with his magnifying glass, but the elbow of his jacket seems to have been patched with stamps. Note the envelope floating behind his head, which  actually has a stamp on it! The seal printed at upper left declares the stamp to have been issued for World Philatelic Day. When I enlarged the stamp to show Alyson, she commented that “stamps on stamps” is a real collecting specialty. Philatelic fabulousness!

Back to hotel stationery, George in Whitefish Bay writes to me regularly on sheets from his extensive collection. And when he runs out of room on the hotel lettersheet, he continues his thoughts on pages that feel like onion skin, but I think is tracing paper. It has a fabulous crinkle when I unfold and flatten it to read, and then when I refold to place it back into the envelope. He always writes with his favourite fountain pen and rarely uses the same ink colour. I have to wonder whether he keeps some sort of register or record. (Aside: George & I still have not met! He is truly a penpal, and a prolific one.)

Constance in Machesney Park is an avid correspondent, and it was her IG post that reminded me in the first place that National (Card &) Letter Writing Month was upon us. She is exemplary about dating her correspondence, even a postcard. And in April, she numbered her outgoing pieces of mail, on the flap of her tiny rubber-stamped envelope-in-heaven. I have number 44, and a Letter Carriers: We Deliver! stamp.

She writes “I’m sending a LOT of mail this month, so I’m like a rat on an epistolary treadmill.” I, for one, would buy multiple copies of a postcard showing a rat on an epistolary treadmill! I asked Constance how many pieces of mail had gone out in April, and her response was an astounding 136! She added that she maintains a register, only for the month of April, including not only when she writes to each recipient, but also what card/stationery she uses and what items she encloses!

Melanie in Florida & I have an ongoing postal exchange (it’s like a sketchbook exchange, only through correspondence). Occasionally, it can be weeks and weeks, and weeks, without either of us sending each other mail. This recent envelope made up for her long-ish lapse, containing several missives in one, written over the course of three months. Melanie hand-folded the outer envelope, which measures 8 x 8, from a sheet of screen-printed wrapping paper that feels as soft as (and may well be) cotton. Ensconced was her watercolour on handmade paper, a second hand-folded envelope with a mini missive on Rivoli Rose, and a notecard she had chosen on a trip to Mexico. 

Will, my beloved mail-carrier, further endears himself to me when he presents these letters & postcards. He can tell he is delivering delight!

Stationery supplies that sing and surprise
 
May your May be brimming with epistolary inspiration, Bari

Announcing a bountiful Boxful of Summer

Dear Everyone ~

Boxful of Summer is my tenth (!) bookful collaboration with artist, author & dear friend Cat Bennett. Our four-session workshop via Zoom will begin on Saturday, June 17, shortly before the summer solstice.

Our inspiration for this bookful is a boxful of summery stationery: notecards, postcards, and hand-folded envelopes to share with your correspondents. We will celebrate farm stands, farmers markets, and their bounty of colourful fruits & vegetables, flora & foliage, and the season of sunshine. 

The drop-spine box structure you will make measures 7¼ x 8 x 2 with a single three-sided tray covered in Cambridge Imprint papers & linen bookcloth, with a flax linen ribbon tab. The main compartment will hold your stack, your stash, your cache of freshly hand-folded envelopes (A7 size, 5¼ x 7¼), notecards & postcards, ready for embellishing and sending. The box will also feature a slim divided section to hold a binders dozen of pencils you will cover in assorted Cambridge Imprint papers.

In sessions #2, #3 & #4, Cat will lead us in creative exercises using a variety of mediums including coloured pencils + watercolour, pen drawings, and collage. For the first time, we’ll also explore gouache painting. We’ll embellish our hand-folded envelopes inside and out, including experimenting with putting an all-over pattern on the inside. 

The kitful of materials I’ve selected for this boxful showcases bright & cheery patterned papers from Cambridge Imprint. They will be paired, by me, with complementary linen bookcloths for the spine of the box. We will hand-fold our envelopes from Cat’s favorite drawing paper, and the notecards & postcards will be Stonehenge heavy cover stock, in natural white, with a smooth finish.

And, natch, you can restock your box for subsequent seasons. We are devising a “replenishment kit” of supplies and will announce this in our upcoming kit assembly post.

Cat & I want to assure you, especially if you are a Bookful newcomer, that truly no drawing or boxmaking experience is necessary—all levels of artistic interest are welcome. Our pace is relaxed & supportive, and the camaraderie is delightful. Plus, you will have four complete workshop videos (recorded in real time) to watch and rewatch at your leisure. We look forward to seeing you soonish via Zoom!
 
Boxful of Summer 
 
Springing towards summer, Bari

Boxing Day in May

Dear Everyone ~

Introduction to Drop-spine Boxmaking via group Zoom debuts on Saturday, May 6, a scant two weeks from today. This past week, I shipped kits to all the students who have registered. These parcels are now wending their way across the U.S., plus three to Canada, one to Austria, and one to Arctic Norway! I truly love connecting with bookbinding & boxmaking enthusiasts around the globe. Increasingly, I wish I had a world map on which I could pin tiny flags to show everywhere I’ve sent a kit. Now that I think about it, the size of flag could reflect the number of kits that have landed at a given destination.

The kit for this workshop set a new record for assembly complexity, to the point that it had to be assembled in several stages. For each kit there are a total of 22 pieces of pre-cut bookboard, in 20 different sizes. Thankfully, Zak and Tammy were on hand to assist me with trimming, organizing and stacking, which preceded recounting, reconfirming (measurements), and collating before wrapping. The Japanese Chiyogami papers with their complementary silky bookcloths looked oh-so-glorious stretched out over my center table. You can read more about the kit and the boxes we will make here. Tammy, might I add, has further endeared herself to me by dubbing me her “glu-ru”! Hah!

When I teach workshops involving glueing, I always show & tell how I use cloth-covered bricks for pressing freshly glued books and boxes. They are, in my opinion, one of the best tools for this important job. You can certainly improvise with a heavy book or books, or other weighty objects, and these typically provide satisfying results. That said, when I’m making a drop-spine box, or any box structure, my personal preference is for a cloth-covered brick or bricks. I will reveal that I have 30 of them in the studio, and for certain commissions, they are all in use simultaneously. So, in honor of this upcoming workshop, I have recorded a five-ish minute video demo-ing how to wrap a brick in bookcloth. Nota Bene: Bookcloth for this purpose is NOT included in your kit, and brick-wrapping is optional. Think of it as a “weighty topper” on the workshop cake. Students will receive the link to this brick preview video early next week.

If you’ve been waffling on the workshop fence: There’s still time for me to assemble & ship your kit. As always, I’d like to emphasize that even if you are a boxmaking novice, you will be able to work comfortably to complete your first box during the workshop. Our pace is calm, and there’s ample time to ask questions as we go. I will live record all workshop sessions, and these will be available to you later the same afternoon to watch and rewatch at your leisure!

Introduction to Drop-spine Boxmaking
 
Zooming Mayward, Bari

A bellissimomento for new Tassotti wrapping papers

Dear Everyone ~

I’m delighted to announce the arrival of sixteen new-to-BZS Tassotti patterned papers. I’ve grouped them into a quartet of themed palettes: Sprigs & Twigs, Mille Fiori, Fancy Foliage, and Genius Geometrics. 

To highlight their fabulous foldability and paste-ability, I’ve put the papers through their paces. 

The Sprigs & Twigs patterns are abloom on a quartet of baby buttonhole-stitch books. These are among the smallest buttonhole-stitch books I’ve made, measuring 3 x 3¾ x 1¼. The pages are Stonehenge paper, of which a single parent sheet yielded 16 petite four-page signatures. Each book feels like a charm.

The Genius Geometrics patterns have wrapped their way around a quartet of pencils. They will dress up any desk, pouch, or notebook, and they sharpen easily breezily with a manual sharpener. I have, in fact, just successfully sharpened one in my electric sharpener (which may be sharper than yours, if you see what I mean).

I folded a foursome of envelopes in ascending sizes from 3½ x 5 to 6½ x 10 in the Mille Fiori patterns (Dahlia, Bougainvillea, Acacia, and Bouquet-a).

Whilst at the post office entrusting parcels last week, I checked in to see what new issues were available. How auspicious that one of the freshest spring Forever stamps happens to be a booklet of tulips! Alyson, my postal muse, & I give the tulips our stamp of approval in their own right—and right on these envelopes!

For the finale, I wrapped four boxes in Fancy Foliage, with complementary seam binding.

Grafiche Tassotti papers from Italy
 
Stepping into spring, Bari

It’s a win-winrow-winsor situation!

Dear Everyone ~

I am delighted to report that my freshest parcel from James Winrow arrived last week, speedier than a sparrow. It contained his newest selection of avian-inspired postcards, and I am aswoon. James had told me about the cardstock that he selected to print on, and I was so eager to hold the cards, a bird in the hand, so to speak. And, natch, to try writing on one. The stock is heavenly heavy (300 gsm) and slightly toothy.

 The set includes four different studies from James’s sketchbook pages, with delightful details on the back: the bird’s common name, its Latin name, where he spotted it, and when he sketched it. The cards depict rock pipits, dippers, and purple sandpipers in two settings.

I now have a trio of lovely order-accompanying notes from James, each with a small feather affixed: a snipe, a teal, and a red-legged partridge! They are the beginning of my Winrow collection.

Upon seeing Jame’s postcards in person, I was quite curious about his creative process. I sent word to ask him if he wouldn’t mind sharing a sentence or two, or three, about how he works in his sketchbooks, and he graciously replied in fluid detail:  
 
“All my finished drawings start life in the sketchbook. Some are done in the field whilst observing, and others back at the studio from photographic reference and memory. The sketchbook is where I learn the finer points of the form of the bird—the geometry and shape. I spend time making outlines and impressions, then more detailed sketches of the head and wing. This is when I start to build a rapport with the bird—you begin to see the intricacies and details in its shape, the adaptations of its beak, wing, and body that make it unique. The character of the subject also begins to form through these musings, and ultimately the finished drawing coalesces from this sketchbook time.”
 
James added, “Paperwise, I use Strathmore Toned Tan or Grey. It’s the best! You can use white pencil or pastel to create highlights on it, and the softer tone somehow enables me to sketch more freely than normal. I find the frank starkness of white to be quite rigid sometimes, which is great for finished highly detailed pieces, but not sketches. But that’s just me!”

*        *       *        *

 New drawing pens, in four different point sizes, are now stocked in the shop. I've demo’d the widths on one of   Jame’s postcards. They glide smoothly, evenly & consistently. These fineliner drawing pens are by Winsor & Newton, and I learned about them from Cat Bennett, who introduced us to them during our last Bookful workshop. I was intensely curious to try them, and I’ve enjoyed writing with them ever since.

Postcards by Nature Artist James Winrow
Winsor & Newton drawing pens
 
Toodle-pip, Bari
 
PS:
Speaking of Bookful, Cat B & I have finished planning our next Bookful adventure, and we will be announcing that soon. Hint: It has something to do with Summer, and it starts in June. (And, yes, we are both over the moon.)

Instead of staying glued to your screen…

Dear Everyone ~

Glueing Happiness Season 3 via group Zoom debuts on Saturday, April 22, followed a fortnight later by Introduction to Drop-spine Boxmaking. In the lead up, assembling kits for both workshops semi-simultaneously has been all consuming. My nimble studio assistant Tammy, as well as my dear Zak, provide masterful assistance, trimming bookboards and offering second opinions on the pairings of patterned papers & bookcloths. After we’ve wrapped & packed the paper-packed parcels, Will, my beloved mail-carrier, swoops in to scoop them up. I am so grateful for all the extra hands. Here is Will picking up an armful of kits for my recent L-s-l-s with Handfolded Envelopes workshop. Service with style and a smile! 

The two current kits total 75 pieces, 30 for Boxmaking and 45 for Glueing Happiness. The first batch has just left my premises, and the balance will follow swiftly. Gabriele in Austria is eagerly awaiting the kit for her upcoming private Zoom, Petite Accessory Box, which is en route. She is a long-time-quick-study Bookful student, and her phrase for the overseas shipment of her kits is over choppy seas and bumpy mountains.

Back to Glueing Happiness Season 3: As it happens, three is the operative word. Students will make three hardcover padholder-folders (hcph-f) using three very different papers (to experience their behaviour!) plus bookcloth. They’ll also learn my technique for covering butterfly clips and pencils. The latter will be covered in Tassotti patterns, from Italy, providing a fourth paper type for students to master glueing.

For the blog post announcing Glueing Happiness Season 3, I had made a trio of hcph-f’s to photograph. I promptly began using one of them, taking it with me everywhere. The structure provides a stable writing or drawing surface, and the madam butterfly clip is dandy for holding a handy sheaflet of lovely paper. It has proven to be a joy to jot on and tote about. I discovered that a second butterfly clip, for the front cover, is quite useful, so I’ve added three (3) tiny butterfly clips to the already extensive ensemble of materials. I tend to have a multitude of notes and bits of paper on the go, and clipping them into the hcph-f makes me feel organized. You can read more about the materials here. 

 As always, the workshop will be recorded live in its entirety and will be available later the same afternoon for you to watch and rewatch at your leisure. The hcph-f makes a delightful gift, for a mother or another. Even if you are new to glueing, you will not encounter any sticky wickets. The workshop pace is calm, with ample time to ask questions as we glue.

If you haven’t yet registered but would like to: hop on it…and we will skedaddle your kit right to you! I look forward to glueing with everyone in this four-ish hour workshop!
 
Glueing Happiness Season 3
 
Zooming & glueing, Bari

A banner week for a bounty of British papergoods

Dear Everyone ~

Sending parcels is a daily occurrence at BZS. For outgoing orders, I enjoy wrapping each item individually in crisp white tissue with my favourite yarn or ribbon. And I always pen an accompanying note on one of my Glimpses & Whimsies postcards, and when I’m sending two parcels to one recipient, I send two notes. 
 
Incoming parcels, especially those from overseas, may not necessarily include a personal note, but they definitely bring a special sort of anticipation… and pleasure when opening, even though I know (mostly) what’s inside. Somehow, the opening & decanting of items is still exhilarating. Most often, the contents are replenishments, and occasionally I will have chosen something new that has caught my attention. 

This past week, I received a much anticipated parcel from the UK, from nature artist James Winrow, replenishing his notecards, as my original stock flew out in a matter of hours. Here you see his signature parcelizing style. The little “mark” in the middle of the envelope actually says Bari. Zoom in and swoon.

I also received a parcel from London-based artist & printmaker Sarah Hamilton. I'm fairly certain that Sarah first came into my life via an Instagram rabbit hole, though it was so many moons ago, I’d completely forgotten about that. I think of her only as a kindred spirit I’ve always known—she is such a lovely soul! Much earlier this century, I purchased a handful of her cards for my personal use, and had them shipped from the UK. I have cherished them all these years, never parting with even one, always dreaming that one day I would stock her cards in the shop. Now, finally, I am beyond delighted to herald the arrival of Sarah’s cards at BZS! 

Sarah’s foldover notecards are available in three different sets: Hamiltonia, Flora & Avia, and Mid-century. All three sets come with envelopes, though the Flora & Avia cards are too small to mail (in the US!).

A bit more about Sarah: She is an author as well as a printmaker & artist. Her book House of Cards showcases ten papercraft artists and explores their creative process. She also founded the Just a Card campaign, which champions independent artists. 

This week also brought a pair of parcels from Cambridge Imprint, replenishing many items, including the boxed set of Peggy Angus patterned papers and the Heart Bunting Origami kit. 

New to the Cambridge repertoire of labels is a fresh size & format. The labels measure 2¼ x 3⅛, which is between the current Medium and Large sizes. After deliberating between Demi-large and Semi-medium, I’ve decided to refer to them on the Cambridge Label Menu as Medium-well. They’re lovely for labeling jam jars, addressing envelopes, organizing this & that, or whatever-have-you. As always, printed on smooth ivory stock that takes all manner of writing implements gracefully. A dozen Medium-well labels, six per sheet, each with a different colour of border. Presented in a BZStyle glassine sleeve.

 
On the wing: If you have been on the waitlist for James Winrow's notecards, you will receive an email from me to confirm your order. And if you were not on the waitlist, but have been dreaming about ordering a set or two, the online shop has been fully replenished. A little birdie has told me to anticipate the arrival of a flight of James’s very freshly printed postcards, currently winging their way here. Stay tuned, she chirped!

Notecards by Sarah Hamilton
Notecards by nature artist James Winrow
Cambridge Imprint Medium-well Labels
 
Cheerio, Bari
 
PS:
Also replenished are Stick-stick washi tape & colourful paperclips from Italy. 

A bundle of retrospective joy from BZS

Dear Everyone ~

Yesterday was the first day of spring, an auspicious time to begin anew, to renew and refresh. It was also the three-year anniversary of my first Bundles of Stationery Joy. At the time (March 17, 2020), I had no idea that the bundles would quickly become such sentimental favourites with customers whose lives-as-usual were suddenly suspended by the pandemic.
 
Literally overnight, I closed the retail shop and stopped teaching in person. I remember being on the phone with my dear friend & postal muse Alyson Kuhn. We reflected that sending & receiving mail would be a beacon of connection for people during this time. And so my very next blog post was renamed Stationery for the Socially Stationary. Each bundle of bundles felt more like a care package than an “ordinary” order.
 
I began to send out weekly, oftentimes twice weekly, blog posts to cheer people up & on. Later in 2020, I began teaching via Zoom. Now I teach students across the globe in various time zones simultaneously. The shelter season also inspired me and my dear friend & co-teacher Cat Bennett to create our Bookful series. Our next four-session workshop will be announced soonish, and will be our tenth (10th!) series! 

Meanwhile, back to the bundles: The original Bundles of Stationery Joy have gone on to enjoy several incarnations. There have since been Spring, Deluxe, Dressiest & Mixi-Matchi. Perhaps the most “personal” for me was the Booster Bundle in the summer of 2020—which raised $700 for Move On’s #SaveThePostOffice campaign. Assembling the bundles—or bundling— is always a nostalgic meander for me, as seeing and touching the papers, envelopes & postcards reminds me of their provenance. It’s also when I see a particular card that I will think to myself, “Oooh, this would be perfect for a particular person and missive”. 

To honour the third anniversary of bundles, I have gathered Blooming Bundles of Stationery Joy, high in happy harbingers of spring. Each primer-of-primavera bundle offers 30-some assorted envelopes with notecards and at least eight postcards. We don’t see how a sampler could be ampler! The inner bundle is enveloped, cosseted, even swathed in crisp white tissue, tied with French embroidery thread. The outer wrap is a 12 x 16 sheet of Wanderlust paper, in your choice of Blue Flora or Pink Flora, gently washi’d and beribboned natch, ready to reuse for wrapping, bookbinding, collage, origami, or enveloping.

I am endlessly grateful that my shop, parcels, and workshops continue to bring so much joy and bookbinding inspiration to customers & students, whether you live down the road or across the globe. I look forward to communing with you in the shop, my inbox, and especially in my mailbox for many moons to come.

Blooming Bundles of Stationery Joy
 
Always blossoming, Bari
 
PS:
If you’d like me to do special beribbonment on Easter gifts, I’ll be happy to hop right on it. Seam binding ribbons are available for pairing (and wearing) in a panoply of pastel perfection, from palest pink to subtlest menthe.

New shop-and-tell: the recent, the replenished, and the refreshed

Dear Everyone ~

I’m delighted to showcase a few new items that have recently arrived in the online shop, including dressy paper clips from Italy, pencil sharpeners from Germany & a fresh selection of notecards by Hadley Paper Goods in the UK. There’s also a large handful of small items that have been replenished and refreshed. See below for glorious details and shop links.

These colourful clips can really dress things up. Sheets seem more chic. Enclosures seem more elegant. A white clip on a dark background? La crema della crema! A chartreuse clip on a pastel page? Primavera perfection! Red on pink, blue on white! This baby box of 50 clips will put you in a state of stationery delirium.

Dressy Italian paperclips

* * *

The Case-binding tool kit has been kitted out with our new glue brushes from Britain. You may bristle with anticipation.

Case-binding tool kit

 * * *

Look sharp, pencil people! In 2015 when I first opened the shop, I stocked a handful of different brass pencil sharpeners. Over the years, having sharpened hundreds and hundreds of pencils, I have determined that these three sharpeners are simply perfect for making your point.

Trio of brass sharpeners

* * *

Bundlini are freshly beribboned and now restocked in three sizes: mini, medium & bigger. Go scrap-happy.

Bundlini

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After many a moon, pencil pouches are now back in stock! Two dozen assorted pencils to do your creative bidding, in their perfect plastic protector.

Pouch o’ assorted pencils

* * *

We herald the arrival of six new whimsical designs by Hadley Paper Goods. Extremely good for a spring greeting, a thank you, a birthday, or what-had-you.

NEW Hadley notecards

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Chamois, the colour of butter cookies and tea-tinted linens, has been retired from the Velke Losiny repertoire. I am pleased to have cornered the market on the remaining stock. Dally not & I’m not shamming you.

Exclusive chamois cards & envelopes from Velke Losiny

* * *

At a brisk clip, Bari
 
PS:
All the notecards by nature artist James Winrow flew out in a flock! I sent word to him immediately to share the good news, and he was beyond delighted. He has promptly assembled a parcel of freshly printed cards that he will post this week. I anticipate their arrival relatively soon-ish and will keep you posted! If you'd like me to set a set (or two) aside for you, please call or e me.