Around the studio today

Here are some photos from around the studio today. No beauty shots, just some snaps of how it looks right now.

Wide shot of the studio. Click to view larger.

Bookcase full of old books. Some I will keep and some will be made into journals or other projects. That's the leg of my tripod extending into the picture.

Top of the bookcase with two small collages, one completed and one in progress. I found the two small polka dotted feathers on a walk yesterday afternoon.

Bulletin board

 

Recent purchases.

Piano rolls.

Three shoe boxes full of dirty old postcards from a railroad company in the early 1900s. I use these for the Vintage Index Card gift tag sets. (The boxes are cool too.) 

Vintage sewing patterns

Office supplies, vintage and otherwise. Many thanks to my sister for the thumb tacks, brads, etc. in the cool vintage boxes.

Stack of old ledgers from the turn of the century. From a dry goods company down South.  These are 10" x 14" each and very thick, filled with beautiful handwriting.

French titles.

Stack of old atlases, photo albums and a bundle of letters from Cecil Quackenbush to his mother. He was a rounder and a rambler--traveled around the West and Southwest picking up jobs as a movie extra in early silent Westerns, a ranch hand and a laborer. He wrote faithfully to his mother in Indiana wherever his ramblings took him.

And finally, Ellie, the (other) love of my life.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour. A memento of my life and studio at a singular moment in time.

Sharon 

My neighborhood sings in the Spring

I have a confession to make. My neighborhood is ugly in the winter. There, I said it. Rows of red brick buildings, sooty ice and snow on the ground, the trees bare...but my neighborhood sings in the Spring. Flowers everywhere! Trees blooming and then leafing out in green. And a healthy dose of pride of ownership in evidence. I wish Spring could last longer, but perhaps its fleeting nature is what makes it so sweet. As always, click on any pic for a larger view.

Pretty border

Lots of old-fashioned flowers, befitting a neighborhood and houses over 100 years old.

Shade garden

Michael and I looked at this house when it went up for sale. It was ultimately purchased by a young couple who are doing great things with it.

Streetscape looking toward Grand.

Our house with lilac, redbud and dogwood in bloom. 

The ties that bind...books

I love binding books by hand. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find time to do it as much as I would like. There are some really simple sewn bindings that are beautiful and easy to master: the long stitch (of which there are absolutely endless variations), the pamphlet stitch (very easy), and a criss-cross binding that I don't know the name for but that I love because it is gorgeous and easy--like tying your shoes.

Here are a few books I've made using these types of bindings. I think I will follow up tomorrow with a post showing some more complicated versions of these bindings by other people.

 
Simple, two-signature long-stitch books. Click to view larger.

Three-signature long-stitch binding with vintage button closure. The brown ribbon is the closure on the bottom book. Click to view larger.

A leather, long-stitch book I made in a class and underneath, a simple Japanese stab-binding. Click to view larger.

Pamphlet stitch. Click to view larger. These are available as a set in the Etsy store.

Criss-cross binding. Very easy and so pretty. This was a custom photo album for my mother-in-law, Linda, housing photos she took on one of her many trips to Paris. Click to view larger.

The same stitch on some address books that Ann and I made. Click to view larger.

These are all simple versions of these stitches. Tomorrow I will post some elaborate versions from other book artists.

Sharon

Family Ties

My mom and dad, who live a couple of states away, came to visit this weekend. I really enjoyed spending time with them and my brother and his family, who also live here in St. Louis. I have a lively, vocal, animated family, so it as a fun weekend--lots of spirited conversations, lots of eating (LOTS of eating!), and lots of poking around town with no real purpose except to spend time together.

My favorite part of the weekend was on the last evening. My mom, myself, my sister-in-law Kim and my 12-year old niece Nora all ended up sprawled across my bed and my mother started talking about her childhood, and her mother in particular. They weren't all happy stories--my mother grew up very poor and endured many hardships in her early life. Still, it made me sad and a little panicked to think that when she is gone, these stories--this family history--will go with her.


My mom's grade school picture, from the local newspaper. This was a very rural area. Grades 1-8 and there are only 27 kids. My mom is the first picture, second row. Some of her stepbrothers (there were twelve kids in her family all together) are in the picture as well: their names handwritten beside their photos.

My mother in high school:
 

My mom and me when I was very little. I love this picture:


My mom and dad now:


I was also glad that Nora got to hear them. Got to learn a little more about her Grandma, whom she only sees a few times a year. Perhaps some of those stories will resonate with her, as they do with me, and live on for another generation or two.

Sharon

My family and friends are great

Here are some goodies given to me by my wonderful family and friends.

Below is a small fraction of the cool old sheet music my dad found
for me:



From Elizabeth Maxson (purchased at Miss Frenchie's)







The buttons on the button cards are velvet. Really special.
From my wonderful sister (and soap-maker), Sheila, owner of Yellow Moon Antique Mall in Mooresville, Indiana:



My good friend Cindy gave me these:




Thank you everyone. I love my new treasures. : )
Sharon

Arizona Wedding

I’m sure you can picture it...Sedona. It made the perfect backdrop for my niece Crystal’s wedding. My family made the trek to Arizona to witness the nuptials and it was a fantastic time. I always enjoy the chance to spend a time with them and the trips we take together are always memorable. And I do mean memorable in a good way.

Below are a few pics of the setting. The wedding took place in early October so it was a tad chilly, but other than that the day was perfect. Also pictured is the Cigar Box Journal Kit I gave the happy couple as a wedding gift. We will be selling these at some of our upcoming holiday events and we are considering adding it to our product line. Tell us what you think!

Ann