Awesome Autumn Workshops (Awww)

Dear Everyone ~

Visiting instructor Cat Bennett will be in town from Boston the first week in October.
She'll teach three workshops: Wild Botanicals, Drawing Faces, and Bold Still Lifes.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, October 7, from 2 to 5pm,
Cat will hold a tea-and-conversation party at the studio
for all the weekend's workshop participants.
It will be a lovely interlude for creative camaraderie.

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We are debuting a new boxmaking workshop: Essential Accessory Box.
You'll make a box with three compartments and a ribbon closure
that allows you to secure your delightful stuff inside,
as you may decide to take the box everywhere you go.
We are offering this workshop twice:
October 13 & October 27

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We are also offering a new session of Simple Keepsake Box on October 20.
This box makes a glorious presentation for any gift you might put inside.
It also makes quite a splendid present with just a card or note within.

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PS—Later this week, we will announce
Julie Wildman and Becka Bravo's autumn workshops.

* * *

We look forward to seeing you soon &
sharing the love of boxmaking, painting & drawing!

~ Bari

Papers from far-flung lands

Dear Everyone ~

Our shop is home to a truly global assortment of pads and envelopes,
made from a veritable alphabet of papers,
from Aquarella to Zerkall.

We are sometimes uncertain how to pronounce them,
but that doesn't stop us from writing, doodling, drawing, painting,
sketching (you get the idea) all over them.

O, we forgot to mention mailing!
We have created sampling sets of Deluxe Notecards with Matching Envelopes,
from three different European papermakers.
The cards measure 4 x 5¾", perfect for a quick & lovely note.

From left to write:

Pastelli Rivoli
Tower of Bugra
Sumi Cum Laude
Chock-a-Schreibblock

Come on in if you're in town,
to try our Best Test Pens on sample sheets of these papers.

We hope you will pad on over soonish!

~ Bari

Fresh Summertime Classes

Dear Everyone ~

We are delighted to debut a new boxmaking class!

Simple Keepsake Box

Learn how to make a flat-lidded box that is handy
for small desk accessories,
dandy for keys, & smart for jewelry.
It is very versatile.

AND the class will take a mini-field trip to Soutache, two shops down,
where you will select your own button
(or two) to affix to your lid.

Saturday, August 18 (or 25) – 11am-2pm

Read a detailed class description & register here.

PS 1 – This Saturday's Introduction to Boxmaking is full.
We won't be offering another session this summer,
but the Simple Keepsake Box is AOK for a beginner.
(No previous experience necessary, truly.)

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PS 2 – Three bookbinding workshops still have seats available:
Coptic Stitch with Case Paper Cover (left),
Butterfly Stitch (center), & Buttonhole Stitch (right).

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PS 3 – Expressive Cursive Handwriting, taught by Julie Wildman,
still has space available. Register here.

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"Graduates" of Becka Bravo's Introduction to Modern Calligraphy
will be delighted to read that she has just added an Intermediate class.

Sunday, July 22 – 1-4pm

Register on Becka's website.

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We look forward to seing you soon
and sharing our love of paper, pen & ink with you!

~ Bari

Note time like the present!

Dear Everyone ~

Here is a colorful preview of new noteworthy arrivals,
or maybe they are noteworthy new arrivals.
Either way, they will organize your thoughts and brighten your desk.

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These notebooks come in two sizes, square (5.5") and portrait (8.25 x 5")
Hang on to your ruler!
Five different interior patterns to choose from,
three in the square format and two in the portrait format.
(In shop only)

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A fresh supply of our favourite French notebooks for your bon mots!
64 lined pages of creamy ivory, with rounded corners. (5.5 x 8.25")
The newest covers are très colorful and chic-ly charmant.

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Pre-assorted pairs of stylish sticky notes.
(2.5 x 2.875")

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Mini Notebooks (4.125 x 5.5") come in six lovely colors:
Juicy Apricot, Early Morning, Darkest Chocolate,
Santa Rosa Plum, Warm Sidewalk, Blushing Peach.
Each interior has a different lined or grid pattern (30 pages),
which is also cleverly printed on the cover as a label.
 

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Fab pad of 24 Japanese cold-press postcards
with classic red postal rectangles on the message side.
Lovely for a little watercolor.
(5.75 x 3.875")

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Notebooks with linen covers
that feel deliciously textured in your hand.
Six colors: Orange, Smoke, Rust, Black, Cornflower, Terra Cotta.
The 48 sheets are all imprinted with a micro-grid (5.125 x 8.125").
Designed by Maharam, established in New York by Louis Maharam in 1902.
 

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24K gold-plated paper clips under glass,
by Studio Carta. Available in Normale (shown here)
& Gigante (veramente jumbo!)
 

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June is just around the corner.
(And our fabulous neighbors are just next door, on both sides,
and all the way down the block.)
Start your summer with a well-dressed desk
and a notebook (or few) to take wherever you go.

      ~  Bari    
 

Summertime Bookbinding Bonanza

Dear Everyone ~

Treat yourself (or a lucky someone) to a creative holiday in town.
Get a splash of inspiration by diving into bookbinding
or refreshing your drawing delight—
and enjoy a heady interlude of creative camaraderie.

The natural light in the studio is particularly dreamy during the summer.
I'll be here for the entire season & will teach six classes,
including four new binding techniques:
Butterfly stitch / Coptic stitch with case paper cover /
Accordion book / Limp vellum with case paper cover

If a scheduled date isn't good for you,
inquire about taking a private or semiprivate class at your leisure/pleasure.
I'm happy to offer this at only slightly more than the regular class fee.

Our summer schedule at the studio also features calligraphy classes
with Becka Bravo and Julie Wildman,
and drawing classes with Anne Leuck and Emily Franklin.

Looking ahead to September: I'll be teaching in Boston at Studio Carta,
the studio of my dear friend and long-time collaborator Angela Liguori.
(Angela is also our source for the incredible ribbons
we use in our bookbinding & boxmaking classes.
You can buy them at the shop!)

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Limp-Vellum Binding with Case-Paper Cover with Bari Zaki

Saturday, June 9  11am–4pm

Read a detailed class description and register here.

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I am delighted by the classes here, teaching only the highest and the purest craft, no matter the subject, with kindness and encouragement to be true to your own inner muse. –Tom G., designer, calligrapher & world traveler
 

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Accordion Book with Bari Zaki

Saturday, June 16  11am–2pm

Read a detailed class description and register here.

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Inrtoduction to Boxmaking with Bari Zaki

Saturday, June 30  11am–2pm

Read a detailed class description and register here.

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The studio is a secret garden full of wonder without judgment where I see amazing creativity, and love surrounds the space. – Julia S., cyclist & beekeeper

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Classes at Bari Zaki Studio are great fun and do exactly what art classes are supposed to do: inspire me to continue learning and creating, and provide the skills to do that. What a wonderful way to develop or build on artistic skill –Janet B., retired English teacher, long-time knitter & novice drawing enthusiast

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Butterfly Stitch with Bari Zaki

Saturday, August 11  11am–2pm

Read a detailed class description and register here.

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Coptic Stitch with Case Paper Cover with Bari Zaki

Saturday, August 4  11am–2pm

Read a detailed class description and register here.

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Bari Zaki Studio is Shangri-La for the senses and the spirit
(and the "loveliest" cup of tea) – Erika V., style maven, gardener & tea connoisseur
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Buttonhole Stitch with Bari Zaki

Saturday, August 11  11am-2pm

Read a detailed class description and register here.

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We look forward to seeing you soon
and sharing our love of paper, pen and ink with you!

~ Bari

A Delightful Detour

Dear Everyone ~
 
We’d like to invite you (if you are in the vicinity) to come see —
and touch — a swoonable project we recently completed. 
The client has been so generous as to give us a limited-edition copy of JOHNSTON, his family memoir. 
We had the daunting pleasure of binding three pamphlets and four Japanese-style bindings
for 29 limited edition sets and 30 trade edition sets.
We are talking about a total of 413 stitched booklets!
 
You can read about JOHNSTON in the Project Gallery.
Let us tempt you with one extraordinary detail:
The paper for the covers of the limited-edition booklets is made from
tablecloths and napkins that belonged to the client’s grandmother
(the author of the memoir).
 
Many of our appreciators haven’t had an opportunity to see our custom work,
and JOHNSTON is a prime example of a glorious collaboration.
Custom bookbinding and boxmaking continue to be a source of double happiness for us.
We’ve updated the Project Gallery to include not only Johnston
but also several other wonderful commissions.

 We look forward to seeing you soonish!

~ Bari

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New Arrivals in Shop and Online

Dear Everyone ~

It's officially Spring! 

And we wanted share all the lovely new & springy things that have been
percolating in the studio & shop.

Including an Updated Online Shop!

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~ Coptic Stitch, Long Stitch & Buttonhole Stitch Blank Books ~

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~ Vintage Book Covers Rebound with New Blank Pages ~

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This binding style dates back to the 14th century at least.
Traditionally the cover is made from Goatskin vellum.
We decided to make this one with a thick sheet of handmade paper.
It's sewn on strips of leather
& woven through the cover.
It also has handwoven headbands.

~ We will be offering this as a class, to be announced very soonish! ~

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New & Replenished Washi Tapes

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We now have All Three of Cat Bennett's book, lovingly signed!

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European Folders w/ Elastic Closure

Avaiable in A4, A5, & A6 - measurements are listed in our online shop.

A5, (seen below) the smallest adorable size fits postcards Perfectly!!

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New Patterns of French Notebooks (lined)

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~ New Carta Pura Papers ~

Writing, Drawing, Watercolor & Stationery

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~ Italian Glue Sticks ~

(they smell like maraschino cherries. Plus they're very good glue sticks!)

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~ Teeny Tiny Butterfly Clips ~

We've been working our nimble fingers to the bone, as they say.

They are back in stock online!

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Our Latest Favourite Washi Tape, Of Course!

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~ J. Herbin Fountain Pen & Calligraphy Inks ~

Available in a delightful selection of colours!

Happiness!

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We look forward to seeing you soonish!

~ Bari

Lovely New Arrivals

Dear Everyone ~

We have some lovely new arrivals, and recently completed handmade books,
in the shop & online,
and so we wanted to send you a visual treat!

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~ Vintage Books Rebound with Blank Pages ~

~ A Handful of Buttonhole stitch Books ~

~ Case-bound, Coptic Stitch, & Long Stitch Books ~

~ Sturdy pocket folders imported from Germany ~

Available in three practical sizes; A4, A5, A6

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~ Postcard Sets ~

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~ Woodless Graphite Pencils & Teeny Tiny pencils ~

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~ The Book of MT Washi-tape ~

...just in case you needed some inspiration
for using your washi tape collection.

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~ Pen to Paper ~

A beautiful book about artist's handwritten letters, from the archives of the Smithsonian
which include; Georgia O'Keefe, Saul Steinberg
& Ray Johnson, to name a few.

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~ A Rainbow of Waxed-linen Thread ~

(for bookbinding, gift wrapping or tying on a gift tag)

And our very own thread chart!

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~ Bird Illustrations ~

Each attached to thick card-stock with photo corners,
& presented inside a cello sleeve.

(limited quantity / in shop only)

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~ Celadon Bowls ~

~ Gabe Tetrev has mastered this heavenly celadon glaze ~

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 ~ Bundles of Paper Remnants ~

These charmola bundles of luscious papers
are berribboned with beautiful yarn & a vintage postage gift tag.

...and make a great little stocking stuffer!

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~ AND ~

Our STUDIO SALE is coming up soon!

Saturday December 9th & Sunday December 10th

~ Noon to 5pm Both Days ~

We look forward to seeing you soonish!

~ BZ

Online Bookbinding Video!

Dear Everyone ~

We are sooooooo delighted to announce our collaboration with
Steve & Carla Sonheim at Sonheim Creative.

The online class includes four videos,
with step by step instruction on
how to make the buttonhole-stitch binding,
with me, on video!

The online class is open for registration now!

Class Dates: October 24th through November 2nd 2017

~ Now available as a self-study class ~

Read more, Watch the trailer & Register here!

And as always, please feel free to call the studio with any questions!

Happiness!

~BZ

Swoon - February 2017

Dear Everyone ~

We Love Books, as is no suprise to you!

And so we wanted to share with you some of the lovely books and sketchbooks that have delighted us in recent weeks.

Beginning with these old books... which we are tempted to turn into new books, but for now are completely smitten with the red stained edges, and the numerous amounts of pressed flowers in each and every volume!

Then there's this book of lovliness; The Art of Marbling!
An edition of 200 of which this is #10. Letterpress printed & actual hand-marbled 'specimans" tipped-on a handful of pages.

If you've been follwoing me on instgram then these might look familiar; Emily Franklin, who teaches our Sketch/Doodle/Draw class purchased one of my sketchbooks several moons ago, and has filled each and every page. We love to see how her work has evolved from the first page to the last.

This book is one of our vintage-book-cover coptic-stitch style books;
(a tongue twister)
It brims with collage on every page & is So Endearing!

And last but not least, Emmy Kennett's (our nimble shop assistant) sketchbook;
We love her whimsy style of drawing, and that she has various uses for her sketchbook.

Writing little notes about this and that, testing different pencils & inks, and experimenting with patterns, one of her favourite things to draw.

Books are a treasure! An essential tool for telling stories, recording moments, to muse & create. Books are a companion, and a keepsake. By making our marks, we see, we learn & we grow. And we Enjoy!!

Swoonfully yours, in books!

~ BZ