"Welcome to the Rag & Bone Blog where we discuss (every day) books, book art, bookbinding, paper craft, paper making, box making, journaling, design, print & patterns, textiles, origami, art events and other topics that interest us folks here at Rag & Bone."
That “shadow” around the scrolling is a design element of the calligraphy - it’s a lighter color ink.
We’re leaving for the National Stationery Show in NYC in ten days, so we’re going to be a little quiet on the blog until we leave. I’ll post new images as we take them - new cover options, new products, etc. Here are a couple images of the new personalized calligraphy we’ll soon be offering on the website as an option for our Paper Page Albums. We think it’s BEAUTIFUL! The team who does the calligraphy has been doing this kind of calligraphy for 20+ years and works with celebrities, politicians and even little ol’ us now too!
Stay tuned, we’ll make an announcement when we launch this new program. I wish we could offer a “insert your text here” box, with the total cost relative to how much text is entered is required. But we’ll have to work with a one-cost-for-all until then. We’ll limit it to a certain number of lines and characters, though the calligraphers can do pretty much anything a client wants, you’ll just have to call for more pricing details. And they’re just around the corner too!
You never know who your neighbors are going to be. They did the calligraphy for the Silva family Album we made for Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Enjoy!
The Extreme Makeover Home Edition crew made their way to Rhode Island last February to visit Warwick’s Silva Family who lived in a small, one-story home which was found to contain lead. One of their children tested positive for high levels in his system. To make things worse, the lead, which was all over the house, property and in the soil, couldn’t be covered up but had to be removed. Their house was also a foster home for children as well as their two sons and three adopted sons. So there were a lot of kids to think about.
They didn’t have the money to do all the work necessary - I can only imagine how expensive it would have been to remove all the lead inside & out. So a family friend wrote to ABC and soon Ty and the crew were making plans to demolish the house and build a new one.
Our sales manager { who also lives in Warwick } found out about the taping on our local news channel and suggested we donate albums to the family. We said, “Sure!”, but who knows how to go about doing these things. Turns out - she does! Within a day she had an appointment with the lead designer (who isn’t one of the people you see on TV, BTW…) and was out the door and off to the set with a briefcase filled with Rag & Bone Albums. A few hours later she called us from the car to say she had a lovely time, they liked our books and picked out a few for the family. She also had a surprise for us.
When she returned to the studio, she had a shoebox full of the Silva family photos. “We get to make the family album and even put it together for them!” We were thrilled and honored!
I have to say, if it was me who visited the set of the show, I wouldn’t have walked away with the precious family photos, but our sales manager is one of those people you trust from the first moment you meet her, so she was handed the box of photos no questions asked.
We bound the book that day and mounted the photos that night. We didn’t know who the family was, so we had to just start matching photos as best we could, “Is this photo the same little boy as in that picture?” We had our fingers crossed hoping we didn’t mix up someone’s baby photos.
On Saturday, February 22nd, two days before the final unveiling, we delivered the albums and were treated to a VIP tour of the house. We slipped paper booties over our street shoes and got a grand tour of the house. The producer was so nice to us. We were just donating books, but we were treated like special guests.
I always wondered what it was like in one of these houses built overnight. Did it smell of paint? Was it made out of cardboard? Was it crooked? Absolutely not! It was beautiful inside. If you saw the show, you know how beautiful the whole house was. There was no paint smell and it didn’t have that “new house” feel either. If we didn’t know any better, we wouldn’t have thought much about it really other than what a beautiful house. It felt like a home. I guess that’s the best way to describe it, it just felt like a home, not just a house. It wasn’t about paint and drywall and tile, it was about all the people who put their care into building a home for a family who needed one.
And the whole Extreme Makeover crew couldn’t have been nicer! They are as sincere as you see on TV. They really love what they do as do all the volunteers and everyone who donated time and materials. You know you’re doing something wonderful for a very deserving family, so you can’t help but get a little teary eyed on the set. There were hugs all around and we were invited back for the unveiling two days later.
On Monday the Rag & Bone staff wore big blue “Extreme Makeover” T-shirts and camped out in front of the Silva house along with hundreds of other volunteers. It was cold and windy, but no one seemed to care. The taping took longer than expected. We kept yelling, “Move that bus! Move that bus!” then the producer would thank us, the cameras would move then the producers would get us to chant again, “Move that bus”! This was all for the pre-taping: the bus didn’t budge!
The Silva family pulled up in the Limo after that, there were tears and hugs all around. We couldn’t hear what Ty was saying when he was talking to the family, but the crowd nearby was “awww”-ing and wiping tears.
Finally, we yelled “Move that bus!” one last time and the bus really moved. The family erupted with joy, and we all yelled. There were hugs for the build crew and the carpenters. { there were lots of hugs all around! } We heard Ty say something like, “Are you ready to take a look at your new home!?” and the Silva family waved goodbye and walked up the front steps.
But the door was locked!
Dad turned around with a sheepish, “Huh?” and we all chuckled. Turns out, the film crew had to set up inside - put on the booties and get ready to tape inside. So we all waited together for another ten minutes or so.
Eventually, they went inside. We stuck around and got to meet the Mayor of Warwick, Scott Avedisian, and thanked the producers.
This past Sunday, May 4th, we invited friends and family over to watch the show. We donated a Large Album with the Secret Garden cover option with black pages - the first page included gorgeous calligraphy in white ink. The second book was a Blue ArborLarge Album. And a handful of Pocket Brag Books.
It was a feel-good time for the Rag & Bone Crew. I can’t help but tear up when I watch the show and I can say that everyone involved was as generous, kind and sincere as you would expect. Even the designers you see on air thanked us for coming when we toured the house. Thank us? Whaaa? Thank YOU we said.
If the Extreme Makeover crew comes to your town, they’re always looking for volunteers. Join them for a time you won’t soon forget. If they make it our way again, we’ll try to do more. It was our pleasure.
Congratulations Silva Family - you deserve all the good fortune that’s coming your way!
Cheers!
Our Album is on the coffee table there, in the middle. See it?
The Pigeon Ring Necklaces by Chinny Chin Chin are a clever re-use of those pigeon “leg bracelets”. They’ve been turned into necklaces, each one comes with a formal portrait and personal profile which lists pigeon “Likes & Dislikes” such as:
Likes: Pecking his owner
Dislikes: Missing a meal
Makes you reconsider pigeons as having more personality than we give them credit for, a little more pet worthy than pesty.
I’ve always wanted to visit a pigeon fancier - is that what you call a breeder? I think the homing pigeon is pretty cool. There has been discussion on the Artistamp Mailing List about using homing pigeons in a mail-art project. There’s a great article here concerning Barrier Island’s use of pigeons to carry correspondence over water. There were even officially produced postal stamps, cancellations and pigeon-grams.
During world war II, pigeons were in service carrying messages over enemy lines. After the war the birds Irish Paddy and American G.I. Joe both received the Dickin Medal, and were among 32 pigeons to receive this medallion, for their gallantry and bravery in saving human lives with their actions.
Pigeons actually received war medals? You gotta love Wikipedia!
John & Lynne Diamond-Nigh are the proprietors behind Trace Paper, an online merchant of all things paper:, stationery, art, jewelry, lamps, masks and books. Most of it white or monochromatic. They have an eye for the artistic side of paper, their ecommerce site is minimal and showcases simple paper works with little frills. I love the paper jewelry, which is rather expensive, but worth it for a one-of-a-kind paper necklace, yes? Maybe! And it’s fun to look and wish.
In the “romantic gifts” section of the site, you can have a professional poet write a poem for your loved one for only $50.00. That’s pretty neat.
We’re pleased to announce the return of our handmade journals to our online store. We stopped making journals back in January while we decided whether to continue offering them. They’re labor intensive, being handmade and all.
We still make them exactly the same way as we did for the 18 years before we stopped in January. Hand-cut and hand-sewn signatures, heavy weight paper which is acid-free and has a nice “scritchy-scratchy” feel. They’re available in every cover option and we still make them to-order, so your book will be made just for you.
The books I designed when I first learned bookbinding were journals. They really are made the same way today as when I was making them in my bedroom in Boston. Not much has changed in the binding process for Journals, other than we now work in a funky studio, as opposed to the corner of my bedroom. Back then I’d make a handful of different sized journals, with all sorts of covers, stuff them into a backpack and take the “T” (subway) to Harvard Square, lay out a blanket, and sell them to Harvard students. Looking back, those “were the days” as they say. I ‘d come home with a little bit of money to purchase more materials and start over again.
That’s how Rag & Bone started. I think it was more exciting than it sounds. I loved living in Boston, especially when we moved into our first loft surrounded by other artists and I was starting to make a living from bookbinding. Not knowing what was and wasn’t possible, just winging it. Back then everything seemed possible. I just kept thinking that if I could make a living selling books in Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts, I could start a business creating books for a national market. I didn’t think in those words, or those terms, but that was the goal, to turn the business into something that could last.
So I’m happy the journals are back. They’re my little friends who were with me back in the beginning, back when I had no idea what I was in for, just a love of the craft. Back in the corner of my bedroom and in the first studio I rented for the bindery. They were there when I announced to Ilira that I had a name for the bindery, “How about Rag & Bone?”. A lot has happened since then, but our love of the craft remains.
We reduced the prices for journals, they were $36.00, now they’re $29.00. We only offer them online, we don’t wholesale them anymore, so we’re able to reduce the retail cost. {PSSST - if you’ve read this far, we have a promo code for you: Just enter the word: journals into the discount code field during checkout and you’ll get free shipping. Good until 06/01/08}
If your a fan of visual journals, you know who Dan Eldon is. I was introduced to Dan when I was writing my first book. He was a photographer and reporter who created these personality rich & densely collaged journals. His life was unexpectedly cut short when he was accosted by an angry mob in Somalia while photographing an attack by US forces. The book The Journey Is The Destination, published after his death, was an inspiration for my own journaling. It wasn’t just his use of photography, collage and diary entries, but his spirit. He seemed like a person in love with life and it showed in the pages of his personal journals.
The pages aren’t pretty, but they’re honest. It was a look and esthetic I was trying to find in my own journals as a young man. There’s sadness in there too because he died so young. I feel the same way about Jeff Buckley… died so young and left behind beautiful art.
The Dan Eldon site has been up since 2001, but it looks like there are more scans of his journals so take a look. Also check out the Dan Eldon inspired pages from fans.
According to Wiki:
It was announced in the New York Times on 28 December 2007 that Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe will portray Eldon in an upcoming, yet to be filmed biopic entitled Journey. Eldon’s mother, Kathy, personally chose Radcliffe, noting Radcliffe’s “puckishness, sense of humour and energy” as similar to her son’s. Bronwen Hughes will direct, and filming of the screenplay (written by Jan Sardi) will take place in Kenya.
Saw this really cool book on the Automata blog this morning. It’s a children’s story with accompanying animal sounds created by activating tiny bellows cleverly hid within the binding. Just pull the little knobs - on cue to the story one would suppose - and you hear a bird call, or horse whinney. Super cool! The world’s first audio book?
Visit the automatomania website and be sure to check out the “visit to the studio” video - accompanied by Gary Jules singing Mad World, one of our favorite songs from Donnie Darko.
Brittish born, Scottish resident, Celia Richards works with old books, paper piano rolls and sheet music as her paper rich medium. She cuts out the hand-written notes from sheet music and the pages from books. Deconstruction of paper works she calls “Altered Objects”.
The removal of the notes from The Planets (for Two Pianos) by Gustav Holst is poetic and beautiful. I think the deconstruction is similar to modern music sampling, removing key elements from a particular piece to create something new, in this case a work of art from sheet music. Celia says:
I’m just kicking around Edinburgh making art and looking for work.
Sounds nice to me! I don’t find much more information about Celia on her website or at her Flickr account, but she wins the Rag & Bone trifecta for her awesome portfolio: book art, paper art & origami - all the things we love!
Wow, have you guys seen this yet? This is a photo essay that anyone can participate in called “Young Me / Now Me”. Take a photo of yourself today in the same position, setting and possibly the same clothes as a photo of a younger version of yourself. This reminds me of postsecret, in that the photos can be rather telling - are you still smiling, goofy, & young at heart? I especially love the folks who are really trying to set up the same shot - even the same shirt and shoes. What a wonderful project!
I don’t know what it is about these photos, but I just can’t stop looking at them. There are 20 pages of galleries - do you have an hour to kill?
I particularly like this YouTube video of Lauren Thompson {no relation} dancing along with her four year old self. Enjoy.
UPDATE: Mike just sent along some more photos, see below. And a big apology for spelling your name wrong, sorry!
Michael Lieberman from Wessel & Lieberman has a preview of a new Mike Stilkey installation at the Milieu Gallerie in Bern, Switzerland. Click here for the details. Stilkey uses book covers as canvases in his installations which are bookish and arty.
The future of the library.
My wife is on the board of The Friends Of Rochambeau, a group dedicated to the support of the Rochambeau Library Branch, our local library. The “Friends” are not part of the library system, more an outside support group. The libraries in Rhode Island are in a difficult position these days, trying to figure out what their ultimate mission is. Most branches are cutting hours & staff. Are repositories of books, in this age of Google, an important part of the library culture? What else can libraries do to generate revenue, or at least to stay relevant, other than loan books? What draws visitors these days?
I hate to say it, but I don’t visit libraries like I used to. Maybe I don’t have as much time, but the computer, internet and Google have something to do with it.
Here are photos of what happens when a library closes it’s doors for good - without removing the books first.
Here’s another beautiful one-off book & paper project called “Paper City“. You may remember I posted Kim Keene’s to-go box paper city a while back. This is another project from the Ringling College of Art & Design, this time from Junior Lauren Elizabeth Pritchard. Sheesh, I wish I was this talented at that age. Lauren has this to say about her Nouveau Garden Paper City:
This is a project I designed for my packaging class at Ringling College of Art and Design during this fall semester of my junior year. The only parameters to the assignment was to design a city strictly made out of paper that had a theme to go along with it. I came up with something along the lines of “Nouveau Garden”. I first began in Adobe Illustrator designing the diagrams for the buildings and patterns to go inside. I then printed them on paper and put them together in a 3D form. it was mostly a process of trial and error to see what worked and didn’t. Once the city was constructed, I took the patterns + diagrams and designed a book with directions and pictures so others can put it together as well. Everything from the greenhouses to the tiny vines were designed and cut by hand with an exacto knife.
But wait, there’s more:
Now that I’m thinking about exacto knives and this project, I actually went to the emergency room for stitches while doing this project because I cut off the end of my thumb. No worries though, its healed and still functions!
Yikes! We make papercrafts here at home and I’m constantly worried I’m going to do just that. Glad you’re OK Lauren!
I’m a big fan of Keith Smith’s books.
When I began bookbinding 17 years ago I used his “Non-Adhesive Binding” guides as invaluable resources. At the time I had a hard time finding one of his other books [pre-internet], so called the number on the back of the book I had. Keith Smith himself answered the phone. It was the first time I felt that celebrity shyness you get when you talk to someone famous. I’m sure I sounded ridiculous, “I love your work, man!”
Keith Smith books: Pages as Stages
Opening lecture and reception
Friday, April 18, 2008
Lecture 5:30pm - Reception to follow
RVSP (585) 275- 4477
Keith Smith books: Pages as Stages Exhibition
April 18 - September 15, 2008
Rare Books and Special Collections
Rush Rhees Library, 2nd floor
University of Rochester
I made this after reviewing the work of an artist who created something similar. We attended our local library book sale and picked up a few old paperbacks off the “classics” table. This isn’t hard to do, just fold the pages. I recommend “curving” the spine before you start folding if you want a circular piece. This one is obviously just a half circle - either there weren’t enough pages or I didn’t pre-stress and curve the spine enough beforehand. I’ll try some others and post my results. We might hang these on the wall. I think they’d look great if we could find a way to add lights behind them.
The Design Files blog has an interview with artist Nicholas Jones, who creates book works using actual books, quite a few feature the folded page technique, though with more complicated folds - I like the twisty one!
I would describe my artistic style as book sculpture, although it has been referred to as altered book making, book surgery and other things. It has developed very organically over time. I have let the ideas come out very naturally, rather than using too much force. I make work at a reasonable pace, but I realise that if I try to work to quickly, the subtlety of the process is lost. Also, I can sometimes cut myself if I rush!
Visit the Design Files for more photos and the full interview.
Via NotCot
New Etsy seller Nicole & her Toodle Pip Studios is premiering intricate paper collages at her Etsy store. They have little lights and plastic toys & figures inside which bring them to life. I love the retro-modern feel to them. Each is lightweight, three-dimensional and available to purchase now.
But Nicole is also dropping some inspiration on us too:
Looking back at the art I made when I was a little girl, it is very clear to me that I haven’t changed a bit. I am that same happy, free spirit making art out of objects, putting lots of color into my work, and collecting and building things. I try to view the world with as much wonder and amazement as I did when I was a child. Life is short - be open-minded, stay genuine and nurture that child within! It’s a magical thing when you make art your whole life, when the urge to create is bigger than you are and you just let it come out when it wants to. I feel very fortunate to have a creative mind that constantly keeps me re-inventing my own wacky reality!
As you can see from the photos, Joan Grubin creates unique wall art from painted strips of paper which are attached to walls to create three-dimensional paper works. The colors on some of the wall pieces come from the reflection of the back sides of the paper and the way the light bounces back the colors. It’s a unique relationship between light and color. Joan describes her work as a hybrid of painting, sculpture and installation:
Each piece is an interaction between painted paper elements pinned out from the wall, and the color cast on the wall by unseen fluorescent paint on the back of the paper, which implicates the wall and the surrounding space in the piece.
There seem to be endless possibilities to the ways one can manipulate paper and it’s interaction between it’s two and three dimensional properties. We think of paper as a flat medium, but so many different artists are folding, tearing, cutting and assembling bits of paper to create unique sculptural objects using nothing more than simple papercrafting tools & materials: tape, glue & scissors.
Two classic books, 1984 & Animal Farm.
Do you remember reading them? I don’t remember how old I was, young-ish I’m guessing, when I first discovered Orwell’s dystopian 1984. I still remember the chill I felt when we find out that the small hair Winston Smith had been carefully placing back into “The Book”, so as to know whether anyone had opened it, was also being carefully replaced by The Thought Police. Still creepy.
Orwell’s classics are constantly being reprinted. Here are two new covers from Penguin featuring sleeve art by Shepard Fairy, of Obey fame, and recently the cool Obama posters I wrote about last month.
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” This makes me want to read 1984 again, but I bet they’ll be just as depressing again today. Maybe I’ll listen to Rush’s “Red Barchetta” & “2112″ afterwards, to remind me the little guy sometimes gets away from Big Brother.
I admit I wasn’t familiar with Eva Zeisel, who is described in her biography as “…one of the first female journeyman potters”, until we ran across this set of tableware vessels at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum this week. The pieces are unfortunately tucked away in a hallway leading from the old part of the museum to the newly constructed foyer.
Crowded together with other ceramic pieces from the RISD museum collection, Zeisels simple, organic designs just popped out at us, our first thought being are these modern pieces? Not at all, they’re 50+ years old. And Eva Zeisel is still alive at 101 and has quite a following.
We thought they were beautiful and wanted to share.
