A Tall Glass of Hell Yeah

 Dear human or bot reading this,

I apologize for the lengthy absence. I am apparently falling into the habit of neglecting my blog. Like a sweet garden, this blog needs love and attention. I am here to water and love up the blog.On that note, here are some loverly books. 

These babies are meeting with your eyeballs courtesy of the Designer Bookbinders International Competition (2009).  The theme here is water. How apt for this occasion.

Bookbinder: George Kirkpatrick. Photo Courtesy of Bodleian Library.

Bookbinder: Yukiko Uchida. Photo Courtesy of Bodleian Library.

Bookbinder: Alain Taral. Photo Courtesy of Bodleian Library.

Bookbinder: Jenni Grey. Photo Courtesy of Bodleian Library.

Click Here For All The Sweet Deets.

Until next time,

xo
Laura

When you are out of paper...

...just find an abandoned house and write on the walls.

Major Thanks, Major Tom

Thank you so much to all the lovely people who came to visit me at the Roundhouse show this weekend. Such a pleasure!

Also, I think I was blushing for the past two days as you all have been so extraordinarily kind and complimentary! I really am so so so grateful.

Here are some book shots as thanks. All of these books are made by hand by yours truly.

Leather and Japanese Chiyogami paper and real endbands:

Detail of the book on the far left:



Leather and brass findings (hardware) with latch closure:

Inlayed leather hardcover :

Scale shot of inlayed leather hardcover: 

PS The Roundhouse has the BEST STAFF EVER. You know I am talking to you, CC.


Sweet bibliophilic dreams,
xo
Laura

Today Today Today! Alt Title: My Brain is a TV

Roundhouse! Roundhouse! Party Time! Excellent! Woo woo woo woo!

This post is fully not approved by Wayne and Garth. As I mentioned to someone the other day, this movie is on an eternal loop in my subconscious due to the fact that I watched the hell out of it from age 10-13. YES.

Back to the point, which is this:

Today and tomorrow at 181 Roundhouse Mews in Yaletown Vancouver, I will be waiting for you to come and fondle my books. How often do you get an invitation like that? Even if you have absolutely no intention of buying anything, please come for a visit. After all it is a SHOW and sale, so I want to do some major show and tell. It is kind of a hard gig to spend so much time making things in a vacuum - it is so cool when my books see the light of day and get to interact with human beings other than myself. 

This book wants to be loved by you. Just you, and nobody else but you.

Here is a cool view of another of the skeleton series books - I like how the book 'spine' is aligned with the anatomical vertebral column / 'spine'. Osteology nerds unite!

I hope to see you in person at Roundhouse! Come and give me a high five, you will not regret it. I have been told I am a world-class high fiver. See for yourself and be the judge.

Deets:
Roundhouse Urban Artisan's JURIED craft fair (that means that every person who glues google eyes to rocks is not going to be vending here. Quality, people!)
181 Roundhouse Mews. Yaletown. Vancouver
$1 Admission buys you sweet access to handmade love and a ticket to win a fresh pile of handmade goodness donated by artisans.
Hours are 10-5 both days

COME ON DOWN!

Oops I seem to be missing the best part: 

That is more like it. RIP, Bob. 

This is also acceptable.

Extra credit: My Dad is convinced we are related to Drew Carey based on the following details:

1. Our last name is also Carey.
2. We have family roots in Ohio (Cleveland Rocks!)
3.We share the same body type.
4. Dad wishes he could dance like Drew Carey.

When reading this post, please note that it is 7:30 am and I have been sleep deprived all week getting ready for this show. The filter is off like gloves in a hockey fight. Consider yourself JERSEYED.


xo
Laura

Show and Sale this Weekend!

Hi Friends,

Sorry I have been totally AWOL. I promise that it is for the greater good.
I recently was offered a full-time job that I could not pass up. With a long commute every day and books to make after work, I have not prioritized my time as well as I could have.

However, if you are in the Vancouver area you should come visit me at the Roundhouse Urban Artisan's show and sale this weekend. Come see what I have been up to!

Location:

Roundhouse Community Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2W3
Canada

HERE IS ALL THE Roundhouse INFO! 

I hope to see you there! 

Things I Miss From Days of Yore

Remember using card catalogues at the library? I cannot say that I miss that. I remember going to school with a girl who took extreme pleasure in messing up the order of the cards in our little library. I imagine she was the only kid who was ever banned from her elementary school library.
Looking back she was some kind of proto-anarchist who was probably trying to take down "the man". Or "the woman", as was actually the case. The thing is that our elementary school librarian was one of the meanest people I have ever met. I will just call her Mrs. V. She was a real pill. Nonetheless, my love of books persevered.

What I DO miss about libraries is the old due date cards. I am a nerd for ephemera, especially when it contains the handwriting of people I do not know. So I was very stoked to find this!

Property of the Miskatonic University Library Orne Special Collections

It got me thinking about how to incorporate this into my own home library. I have been bad with lending books and then losing track of them over the years. I want to stop that from happening again, and the solution hit me like a ton of books. (As I prefer books to bricks).

Why not use library sign-out / due date cards in my own books? Turns out they are not hard to find online. Bonus: They are totally cheap. Or even free!

You can use this free template from the lovely folks at Love vs. Design. It seems to have a little owl image embedded, but it seems that all the cool kids on Etsy are loosing their shit about owls these days. Impress your friends!
RIGHT HERE

Well what about those little envelopes? How do you get a hold of those? Look no further than Mel Stampz's blog where she provides the templates for OVER 100 KINDS OF ENVELOPES. FREE. Yeah, that's right. FREE.
RIGHT HERE

Have fun!
xo
Laura

The Internet is Cool. Bonus Exclamation Point Madness!

As I am a bit of a technophobe and quite late to the blogging game, I find myself continuously amazed by the fact that people all over the world can read this. 

Thank you to all my fellow Canadians! You are my main source of readership. Yay!

Hello and thank you to all you folks in the United States, Russia, Germany, Malysia, Netherlands, Australia, France, Brazil and Denmark who are also reading this! Amazing. 

Book lovers unite! 

Here are some nice hot shots of books as my token of appreciation for you. 

xo 

Laura