Porcelain Covered Book

How cool is that, a book cover of porcelain paper! This unique book - 'Kingdom by the sea' -  is published today in a limited edition of 250 copies.

Each cover of this pretty thick book (448 pages) is individually kilned, signed and numbered. The dimensions of the cover are 34 by 24 centimeters. The porcelain paper is only 1 millimeter thick and first has been baked at 1,275º C. After this first treatment the image has been printed on the solid porcelain paper and baked at 800º c to finish the cover. This super thin translucent cover is now ready for processing.

Writing these facts, I notice that my hands really want to touch this porcelain surface ... perhaps my local bookshop (Donner) has one ... and I can see (and feel) it live ...

I love the idea to adjust the material to the image, and to experiment and to stretch the possibilities of existing material. The porcelain paper has been produced by the Europees Keramisch Werk Centrum (new name Sundaymorning@ekwc).

Lotta Jansdotter's Åland Workshop Retreat

Lotta Jansdotter regularly gives workshops, and this time at a very special location; Åland. This archipelago is situated between Sweden and Finland and was the home of Lotta in her youth.

In November 2014 Lotta Jansdotter's newsletter announced this workshop and immediately I knew that I wanted to go! A workshop from Lotta, a designer I admire, in Sweden during summertime at a small island ... what more can anyone wish for ...

So finally it was July and I was on my way. My trip started with a visit to Stockholm. Three days I strolled around in this beautiful city (more about this in my previous blogpost). Wednesday very early in the morning the ferry to Mariehamn left from the center of Stockholm. Leaving a city at a huge ferry offers you a special view over the streets, quays and parks. In the soft morning light Stockholm slowly faded. For hours we sailed through small afforested islands, with typical Swedish houses. Dreamy spots within reach of the city, in the forest at the waterside.
Six, or actually five hours later we arrived in Mariehamn, which turned out to be Finnish. Another timezone, a Euro zone and another language, although most people speak Swedish. The archipelago is an interesting mixture of Swedish and Finnish influences with her own unique culture.

Mariehamn is the center of the 6.700 islands. The ferries from Sweden and Finland arrive here and most of the 26.000 people live here. The first day we saw very little of this mini-city, because we left immediately by bus. A few days later however we were back. Visiting this provincial town with some nice stores and a lovely lunchspot Bagarstugan. We had a very good lunch over there and we should have gone back for some delightful pie. Maybe next time :) In the post office I found some lovgely cards, hand drawn with special Åland stamps.

We were lucky to be there at the time of the Åland Sea Days. At the harbor we saw beautiful wooden boats, visited a nice craft market and had some good beers.

More about the Workshop in my next blog ....

Visiting Stockholm

Stockholm in summer is lovely! This colorful city, abounding in water, invites you for long walks or bike rides. The people are friendly and the city has a lot of secrets to reveal. Of course I visited the hotspots from the many Stockholm city guides, but I had a lot more fun just strolling around, taking pictures of the many colored houses, climbing hills enjoying the views and walking at the waterfront, listening to the water and the tinkling of the ships laying at the quays.

My favourites

Djurgården, the green museum island is a beautiful green oasis in the middle of the city. I went there by boat from Slussen … as recommended in the guides, but unfortunately that was very very busy. The view at the city tough was wonderful! Liljevachs Kunsthalle, one of the many museums at Djurgården, was a nice start of my day. A day later, the ferry to Åland revealed more of this wonderful green island in the middle of the buzz of the city. It is a great place to walk at the waterside, escaping the city for a few hours.

The same ferry that brought me to Djurgården hopped me over to Skepsholmen, the other museum island. It was lovely to stroll at the quay in the sunshine, enjoying the views at Stockholm and the beautiful moored boats. The sceneries from the island are great and the atmosphere is easy laid back. A good place to enjoy your picnic or drinks on one of the many benches.

Looking for a nice lunch? Try Blueberry; organic, healthy and delicious. They have several stores in the city center. When you are in the city center don’t forget to visit Ilhums Bolighus … although the shop in Copenhagen is much more beautiful … NK is also a must visit big shop. In the cellar they have some of my favorite shop in shops; Ordning & Reda, Bookbinders Design and Design House Stockholm. Looking for some good food … this is also the place to be! Oh and they have a super COS, if you are interested in cloths. In Rotterdam we have a COS as well, but not like this one J I bought myself a beautiful scarf.

Some nice shops to visit in other parts of town; Papercut, magazine heaven for addicts like me, Konst-ig for art and designbooks. Walking around in Sofo means hop in one nice shop to another, but I also had a great time climbing up to Sofia Kyrka and seeing a lot of locals enjoying the sun. This small green place reminded me of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in Paris. A green laid back area with great city views. A good place! A little out of the shopping area lies Ersta Kyrka. From this place you have the best view at Stockholm city center and Djurgården. Then hike back to Slussen via Katarinavågen to prolong the good views.

My last day in Stockholm was a short one, because I had to catch my plane. I visited some hobby shops, such as  Kreatima and Slöjd-Detaljer. And last but certainly not least I really can recommend Iris Hantverk. There was some extra luggage I had to carry home ....

Masterclass Leather Decoration

Weeks ago I took a masterclass Leather Decoration from Benjamin Elbel. It was such a great course and I wanted to tell you all about it weeks ago ... but time was flying sooo fast ....

It was a two day masterclass. The first day we prepared the leather and the second day we made a cover for a notebook with one of the finished pieces of leather.

We started with a thin piece of suede and tissue paper. After pressing and drying we sanded and sanded the layers until we were satisfied with the result. You can play with the color of the suede, the color of the tissue paper and the patterns you press in the layers. Also the way and the duration of sanding gives an extra effect. At the end of the day we put our drudgery in the press and we went home with a head spinning of ideas.

The second day we peeled the suede from the cardboard, it felt smooth, thin and easy to handle. Benjamin had asked us to bring a notebook as a base for a book wrap. After a day of hard work, lots of measuring and of course a lot of fun, we finished our book wraps. I am really happy with mine, I love the color, texture and I will make a bunch of refills, so I can use the wrap forever.

Working with leather and suede is new for me, and I really love it! I bought some leather and suede and at the moment I am working on a new product line. Just follow my blogs, newsletters, Facebook or Instagram for updates.

Laser Cutting ++

Molly M designs takes laser cutting to the next level. Wow! was the first thing that came in mind when I saw her designs. Multilayered, beautiful use of colors and refined. According to Molly McGrath good design is "a synthesis of a good concept, elegant or creative form, interesting use of material, attention to details and connections, and thoughtful consideration of use".

A great inspiration for her are pattern and form, including botanical morphology, textile design, building geometries and optical illusions. In Particular, Molly was and is inspired by Morocco. The patterns and colors of a rug bought in the High Atlas mountains were , for example, a base for a jewelry collection. She doesn't only produce jewelry, such as earrings and necklaces, but also coasters, leather pouches and most beautiful of all laser cuts prints for on the wall.

The focus of Molly M designs is on ethical material sourcing, accessible pricing and conceptual integrity. The designs are made from sustainable materials, such as bamboo, birch from responsibly farmed forests, wool salvaged from surplus army clothing, suede, leather, fabric, paper and even scraps from local cabinetmakers.

What inspires me most in this design is the layering. Not simply a cut out form, but several stacked layers, complementing each other strongly.

Want to see more of Molly's design, you can find more information at her website.

Prien's Newsletter about your own logo at your notebook

Last week's newsletter was all about your own logo at personalized notebooks, binders and other stationery. Although it is in Dutch, I didn't want to withhold it.

If you want to receive Prien's newsletter on a regular base, you can subscribe at Prien's website.

Beautiful photography by Zack Seckler

Seeing these photos makes me greedy ... imagine one - or more :) - at my living room wall ...

More information and other stunning and sometimes funny photos at www.zackseckler.com

Paper Art by Maude White

... sometimes you see things that just make you speechless ... the paper art of Maude White is such a thing; white, delicate and fairylike.

 Maude started cutting paper as a way to communicate to the observer what her words could not do effectively. She feels that if she peels the paper back, the outer superficial layer of our vision reveals the secret space beneath. The negative space tells it own story.

What appeals me most in Maude's story is her great respect for paper. She sees the paper as something strong, reliable and constant. Paper is everywhere and it has been telling stories for centuries. By respecting and honoring paper Maude feels like she is communicating some of the pleasure it brings her.

In an interview with Ted Baker Maude says that the longest she ever worked on a piece was a month - but not full time -. Working is a kind of a meditative exercise, so she don't exactly knows how long she works on each piece. Each fine line and swirl has been meticulously sliced out with a sharp knife and a steady hand.

She is inspired by illustrators such as Maxfield Parrish, Arthur Rackham and Gustave Dore, illustrators from the end of the 19th century.

You can buy Maude's art at Etsy.

Edible Books

A few weeks ago I made small edible booklets from marzipan and fondant. When the fondant was still soft my logo could easily be pressed in the cover. These miniature books, as sweet as honey, were a great success at the networking event where everyone had to take something eatable to represent his or her company. Besides that it was fun making these books and receiving a lot of eatable gifts from other entrepreneurs, it also brought me into a new world; the world of edible books. 

Books are made from paper, ink and cardboard, so my first search was targeted at these 'ingredients'.

•  Edible paper, also known as ouwel/wafer is made from potato starch, vegetable oil and water. The manufacturer can add flavours, colours and the thickness can be adjusted. It is also possible to print with edible ink
• Books are often sewn with thread, a quick search yielded several edible ropes. For example dried Japanese Japanese bottle gourd or ropes from the fibers of nettles.

This is only a very short enumeration of the possibilities. Each project requires its own ingredients.

In my search I found several interesting examples;

1. The Land Rover survival guide. The basic idea of this book is that the owner can survive in the Arabian Dessert. It describes which animals and plants one can eat, but not only the content helps one to survive, also the book itself. The packaging is reflective, so it can be used for signaling, the metal spiral of the binding can be used for cooking and last but not least ... people can eat the book. The nutritional value is close to that of a cheeseburger. This book was first printed in limited edition, but soon it became a hit and now there are 70,000 books in circulation ... how many have been eaten ... no one knows :)
   
   
   
2. Design and inoovations agency Korefe made a cookbook that can actually be read and eaten. The book is made out of fresh pasta and can be opened an read. Afterwards you can fill it with ingredients and put it in the oven.
   
   
   
3. The Dutch cook, Pierre Wind, made an edible book from ouwel/wafer, marzipan and licorice laces called Doekoe voor boekids.
   
   
   

Do you have a special example of edible books or ingredients, don't hesitate to let us know in a comment.
Looking for a special book? Prien is always in for an adventure. Please contact me, so we can discuss the possibilities.

Prien's Diary

Looking for a structured live, an empty head, and just happy thoughts. A diary might help!

An old fashioned diary, for all your (secret) thoughts, ideas, dreams, jokes, sorrows and unforgettable memories. Sometimes when you write, your subconsciousness just runs off, and your hand keeps writing the most beautiful unexpected ideas.

A diary is not only for writing, you can also draw and sketch in it. Sometimes an image can say more than a thousand words, or your words need some visual back-up.

In these days of computers, mobile phones, tablets and all kind of other digital stuff, it is sometimes nice to use pen and paper. Just slow down, and pay real attention to what your are doing.
You can use your diary in so many ways:
- be a diva
- write down all your twisted ideas
- create your own perfect dream world
- see it as your best friend ever
- hide your deepest sorrow
- build your private castle in the air
- use it as a treasury for the small things in life
- speak with your senses; feel/smell/see/hear with words

How do you use your diary and what does it mean for you?
Please let me know ...
Have fun writing!

ps. Prien has a diary in the shop at the moment. This one is faded green, with dots. If you are not a
      fan of green, or dots and you are looking for your perfect diary, please contact me for the
      possibilities.