On the wire: Chandra Greer visits one-of-a-kind Campbell Raw Press

[Chandra Greer] Campbell Raw Press is a design studio run by Maggie Campbell and her husband Matt Raw out of their Brooklyn home. Maggie creates beautiful hand-bound books as well as letterpress cards and invitations. She’s the mother of a darling little girl who inspires her every day. And she inspires us with her meticulous talent, positive energy and ability to juggle a million things while always keeping her family at the top of the list.

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02.06.12

Ted Bertz: Posterized impressions from the Durham Fair

[Ted Bertz] After recently finishing a personal project, a book commemorating posters completed from 1987 to 2008 for an agricultural fair held each year in Durham, Conn. — Fair Play: Twenty-three years of Durham Fair Posters — Ted Bertz, founder of Bertz Design Group, reflects on the evolution of the graphic design industry over the same period.

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02.03.12

Rachel Hazell, The Travelling Bookbinder, crosses the Pond

[Alyson Kuhn] Rachel Hazell is a book artist and have-punch-will-travel teacher of book arts. London-born Hazell, who currently lives in Edinburgh, has grand plans for 2012. She is scheduling a bookbinding workshop in a different part of the world each month. January’s was in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire; March’s will be on the Summer Isles in Northwest Scotland. And February’s — aptly titled Colour of Love — begins today in the Napa Valley. I’ll be right there — writing about paper engineering, stitching and all things Valentinear.

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02.02.12

’rap happy from Joey’s Corner

[Alyson Kuhn] The annual wraps from Joey’s Corner have been favorites of mine since December 2005, when the first “edition” came out. Now, happily, you can enjoy {and acquire} a comprehensive wrapping retrospective of these double-sided decorative delights on Felt & Wire Shop. All of the patterns are suitable for year-round use, and several of them are superb on large packages for young readers. Shall I embellish?

Check out Read Between the Lines {2007}: Big Didot letters that form a hidden-word puzzle. Art you intrigued, hmmm? What a gorgeous way to expose someone to elegant serifs with robust stems and thin hairlines. Lòók at Verbs {2005}: CMY sans serifs carousing, mixing-it-up, yakking. I recently used Verbs to wrap several copies of Reading Together, my current favorite gift for friends with kids.

Signs of the Times {2008} presents a menagerie, or a maze, or maybe a fun house, of faux road signs that will drive you to think. Caution: Hard to look without laughing! I love to use this when I’m going to be present as the gift is unwrapped. Ditto Fortunate Fortunes {2005}. He who laughs last is laughing now. You will be called upon to help a friend in the changing room. This is not your fortune. I am proud to have “nominated” one fortune that appears, a bit of wisdom from letterpress printer Patrick Reagh: One PDF is worth a thousand words. This thoughtful pattern includes a nice grid of red cutting lines and little scissor icons. You will wrap a perfect package.

The Joey’s Corner patterns also make excellent envelopes, the bigger the better. I cut my envelopes with all straight edges, but am full of admiration for anyone who traces a template, especially if it produces a deep, Baronial flap. Next week, I will show you some enveloops {hint} I’ve started making with wrapping papers from another Felt & Wire shopkeeper.

Alyson Kuhn is a vocal advocate for wrapping books and giftboxes without tape. Use an amusing postage stamp {or these} to secure the bottom, then charm the ends by folding them in firmly {on a flat surface}. Subdue with ribbon.

12.4.09
  1. Posted by Michael on 12.5.09 at 2:37 pm

    Love the post! Thank you,thank you Alyson. All proceeds benefit and help to sustain Joey’s Corner, folks. Happy holidays!

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