Fed



Fe(d)bruary.
In the coldest of cold months I crawl out my cave only for the promise of what delectable delights await the day. I am given the strength to stay warm and go forth through
Warm loaves of homebaked Sourdough bread/ Beetroot carrot apple juice/nutty berry seedy museli/warm lentil onion salads/heart-shaped love scones with lincolnshire jam/the odd suet syrup sponge experiment.
Snug as a bug and ready for making.

His hope floats me home



Some things shake you, tip you up by the toes and arrest you in your tracks. New additions to your world can do that, be it in miniature form or long limbed tallness. I had two days to rest and think, gaze at that sea and watch the earth's rotation, sunrise to sunset. Virus ridden, head woozy, legs frozen still, inactive. Yet the sound of the waves soothed and lulled as the mind sailed in and out of glorious sleep rich dreams, sun shine through sea clouds and shut tight eyelids, mildly aware of the passing days. Those wings are beginning to grow back, gliding me to a carved out cave made of his hope.

Come MAKE Books





It's that time of the year once more. Come cosy down for 8 winter to spring evenings at hot bed press. Spend 3 delicious hours each wednesday caressing, folding, stitching and pressing, drawing, thinking, stringing words, sipping hot tea, nibbling fine confectionery. Give yourself the gift of time to make books books books and let your mind meander the corridors of book art possibility. You will have a most lovely time, I guarantee it.


'I loved our Wednesday evenings and learned so much, so quickly. Not just from Lucy, our amazing teacher, but from the way, everyone shared ideas, experiences and quality biscuits for eight, continuous and memorable weeks.'

(High praise indeed).



New Happy Year



It's a little past January 1st, yet I always like to hold out on the new years wishes until I've fully survived 'Blue Monday' (statistically the darkest day of every year). So, as the sun reassuringly sets on the 3rd monday of January, may I say a NeW HaPpy YeAR to you.

For me the year of the Dragon brings/ standing in LoVe/ Godmother status (finally)/ a Book fair tour/ plenty more tap/ nights of long dark secret warmth/ letterpress printed editions/ lungfuls of sea air/slow H Van meandering/ new tiny lives/ stimulating collaborations/ NY ideas/ Brandy nightcaps/ poetic ambitions/ oh and a mane of red hair.

2012. The year of possibility.


You Reap What You Sow






After weeks of sorting the tinniest to the most obscure orphaned letterpress type at the NY Center for Book Arts, I selected the font for my New York Intervention message, typeset, printed and distributed 90 cards (one for each day of my stay) around the beautiful city . They were the imprint I left behind, a gesture to the lessons learnt, and a little shock to those that don't expect to receive without giving.

'All you can take with you is that which you've given away.' F.Capra

Dance Card (Fred & Ginger)


*Hot off the Vandercook press*
Snap up a letterpress printed Dance Card (Fred & Ginger) for £5.

Watch Fred and Ginger dance the light fantastic. Letterpress printed in an edition of 115, complete with hand tinted vermillion watercolour detail and velvet ribbons. Twist the ribbons then release to witness the magic of the best dance duo ever to grace the silver screen. 110 x 75mm, Letterpress printed from Polymer plates on Bristol 400gsm paper, 2011.




















Homemade Christmas




Unable to curb my collectors instinct even whilst living a little hand to mouth, I spy abandoned/broken/sad looking foundlings on New York's streets, I scoop them up, attach thread and hang them from our tree branch. A plastic horse head now dangles from its nostrils, a rusty bolt now adorns a pink satin ribbon, an empty chestnut shell now homes a pair of mink earrings. A season of the simplest pleasures.

BOOKLYN




We visited the enlightening Booklyn in Brooklyn to spend a couple of hours reading a selection of artists' publications. Marshall made us feel mighty welcome, energized and completely inspired. We needed a sit down and an ale at Brouwerij Lane after all those magnificent editions.