Noteworthy: From Aquarello to Zeichenblock

Dear Everyone ~

I’m reveling in refreshing and restocking the shop’s
assortment of Euro-format paper goods:
pads, notesheets & envelopes, and fabulous folders.
I truly love the proportions of the metric A-sizes.
And the colours!—from palest pink Rivoli notesheets & envelopes,
to the deep orange cover of the Zeichenblock pad,
to the kraft covers on the Aquarello and Schreibblock pads.

The A-size range is numbered in the “opposite direction” from U.S. sizes:

A4 refers to the metric letter sheet size: 8¼ x 11¾
A5-ish is approximately half an A4: 9⅜ x 6¾
A6-ish is approximately half an A5: 4⅛ x 5⅞

I’ve re-imported all three sizes of black Euro-folders in all
four colours of elastic closures: black, pale blue, deep pink & yellow,
each with a contrasting elastic closure.
These heavy paperboard folders are chic and sturdy and
perfectly protective. They are designed to hold Euro-sheets
neatly & sweetly. By the way, the A6 folder holds
postcards perfectly, as does an A6 envelope.

I continue to love using the Carta Pura pads
interchangeably. I find all three papers wonderful for brush & ink,
graphite, micron pen, marker, coloured pencil—and even watercolour.

Rivoli notesheets & envelopes
Zeichenblock
Aquarello
Schreibblock
Fabulous Euro-folders

Metrically,

Bari

Great Anticipations: My 2020 Forecast

Dear Everyone ~

I already have three events “on the books”
that I’m looking forward to in 2020.
In calendar order, here’s a little preview.

MARCH

Carla & Steve Sonheim are producing a year-long online
class called Words & Pictures. I will be videotaped in my studio,
which Carla & Steve have not visited previously.
I am doubly excited to have them here.
My segment will air on March 24,
in the same session as a video of my friend Cat Bennett.
I’ll be showcasing a simple binding technique:
a pamphlet style with a loopy link stitch, which can also
be used to sew multiple signatures into a wider spine.

The class will be 22 videos, featuring 15 artists
from around the country. The marvelous mix of visual & verbal
artists includes illustrators, painters, lettering artists, comic artists,
and writers. Carla, herself a mixed-media artist, teacher
& author, will also be in the creative line-up.

Earlier this year, I wrote about three students with whom
I’ve become chums (and correspondents!), through the online class
I videotaped at Carla & Steve’s studio in Seattle back in 2017.
If you’d like to read these posts, you’ll find them on my blog.
 Shown here: Carolyn’s studio in  Pennsylvania (August 22);
Virginia from Utah at my studio on an incredibly hot summer weekend,
wearing her freshly made book on her head (August 29);
and Anna in her studio in the Netherlands (October 2).
I’m looking forward to connecting with students
in the new online class, through the Facebook group
that participants automatically get to join.
It’s a wonderful use of technology to foster creative camaraderie.

APRIL

I’ll be teaching in Boston at Studio Carta the first weekend in April.
It will be the Boston debut of my triple-hyphenated
Long-stitch-link-stitch class. I’ll also be offering
Something I Haven’t Finalized Yet.
This will be my third time teaching at Studio Carta,
where Angela Liguori continues to inspire me with her way of
graciously fitting seven students at a table smaller than mine in Chicago.

JUNE

I’ll be celebrating five years of moving my studio
to The Best Block of North Lincoln.
I want to commemorate the occasion and hereby announce
that celebratory suggestions are welcome, especially via post card.
Creative ideas, and photogenic Real Mail,
will be featured in a subsequent e-blast.
Who knows what might unfold as the seasons progress?
 (Michelle Litvin took this photo of me
soonish after I’d signed my lease.)
My incredulity at my good fortune is still in effect!

Optimistically,

Bari

A charming book for Charlie, from his grandfather

Dear Everyone ~

I recently bound a special picture book for Charlie, who is 18 months old.
It’s an illustrated story by his grandfather Bradford,
and here are a few delightful details he shared with me.

“Our family tradition is to for everyone to receive
a book and PJs on Christmas Eve. The idea is that we all curl up
with a good read as we drift toward Christmas morning.
I used to create stories with paintings on newsprint for
my two daughters, Nora and Grace, when they were little.
I am looking forward to sharing the tradition with the next generation.”

Bradford asked me to put a pocket inside the back cover,
to hold a letter that he’s written for Charlie.
I asked if I could include a few excerpts in this post,
and was touched when Bradford happily agreed.

“You won’t remember that this book started when
you were less than a year old. You loved looking at a collection of
Cy Twombly paintings, especially one that showed
 bright red clouds against an angry yellow sky.”

“As we looked at the book together,
I often commented on how the artwork spoke to
the changing seasons…. So the basic story is simple. 
A ship’s captain sets off on a journey to recover summer.”

“This is the kind of book where the words can change
depending on how you are feeling or who is reading it to you.”

“Anyway, I hope you enjoy this book now,
and then come back to it years later—maybe when
you have a grandchild of your own.”

One of my own favourite bits from Bradford
is when he told me, “As you can see, I don’t believe in
‘writing down’ to what we think is a child’s level.”
Bravo, Bradford!

The book is 12 x 9, with a Japanese style binding and
a dozenish pages by Bradford on watercolour paper.
For the covers, I used a new bookcloth called Duo,
which is my current absolute favourite. The end sheets are vellum.
And the book is stitched with waxed-linen thread.
The ensemble is wonderfully tactile, and sturdy enough
for Charlie to turn the pages and enjoy for decades to come.

Enchanted,

Bari

Let it row: five fun shops in a row!

Dear Everyone ~

Our neighborhood is always nice (like sugar & spice),
and it’s particularly tasty for holiday & year-end shopping.
Parking is perky, and you can visit five shops
without even crossing the street.
You’ll find everything from artisanal articles and
beauteous blank books to ’xceptional ’xcessories and yummy yarns.
We’ll all be open from now until mid-afternoon on the 24th.
Come forth and shop!

Soutache

*

Union Handmade

*

Bari Zaki Studio

*

Knit1

*

Hawthorne

*

Yours in retail,

Bari

Holiday Hours: Shop in our oasis of festive calm

Dear Everyone ~

I’ll be here (and happy!) to help you with
stellar gifts to put in a stocking or a handmade box.
It’s also a fine time to pick up desk-organizing
New Year’s resolution tools & accessories, notably
binder clips covered in Japanese papers,
assorted stationery bundles,
and pages stocked with useable vintage postage.
All with our guarantee of no holiday music and no seasonal scents.
As always, we’ll be delighted to provide complimentary
gift wrap in our signature style (white tissue, bakers twine &
our favourite washi tape of the day)
while you wait—or wander on our excellent block.

Holiday Hours

OPEN:
Monday, Dec. 23, 12–6pm & Tuesday, Dec. 24, 11am–3pm

CLOSED:
Wednesday, Dec. 25 & Thursday, Dec. 26

OPEN USUAL HOURS: 
Friday, Dec. 27, Saturday, Dec. 28 & Sunday, Dec. 29

CLOSED: 
Wednesday, Jan. 1 & Thursday, Jan. 2

USUAL HOURS RESUME: 
Friday, Jan. 3, at noon

Crisply,

Bari

Workshop your way onto the new decade!

Dear Everyone ~

I will be teaching six different classes this winter season,
including one I’ve never offered before: Quartet of Origami Boxes.
Several years ago, I went through an extended origami-folding phase,
making dozens of boxes in various sizes, from assorted papers.
The “magic moment” when you have finished your two trays
and then fit them together to form a lidded box …
is pure paper joy.

The Quartet of Origami Boxes workshop will be three hours.
We’ll use Saint-Armand handmade papers, in assorted lovely colours,
to make a trio of boxes that both stack beautifully & nest snugly.
Next, we’ll back a Japanese decorative paper with
a text-weight page (something we also do in
the Buttonhole-stitch class).
This sturdy combo is still supple enough to fold,
making a substantial box you can actually use
for desk accessories or collectibles.
And, of course,  an origami box makes a
wonderfully engaging gift box.

* * * * *

Speaking of Buttonhole-stitch,
I’m often asked to recommend a “first bookmaking class,”
and I have found Buttonhole-stitch to be brilliant for this.
The stitch is rhythmic and, I think, intuitive,
and there’s no gluing involved.

The Coptic-stitch with Hard Covers workshop
results in a lovely book in a single session,
though it requires a bit of dexterity.
This binding style combines gluing and stitching.

And the triple-hyphenated Long-stitch-link-stitch Binding
workshop has become one of my favourites — I love how
this binding literally allows for endless stitching patterns on the spine.

I’ll also be teaching Introduction to Boxmaking,
in which you construct a box from pre-cut pieces of binders-board,
cover it with a combination of Japanese bookbinding
fabrics & papers, and tie it off with a lovely ribbon.
This box is ideal for holding postcards or photos.

And I will be teaching Introduction to Drawing
with Brush & Ink as a group class.

As always,
if the date of a group class doesn’t suit your schedule,
you are welcome to request a date for a private
or semi-private class. The energy and creative camaraderie
in a workshop is wonderful, but I will say that 2019
has been a very big year for private and semi-private classes,
and students really seem to enjoy the extra attention.
And gift certificates are at the ready for personalization,
should you decide to treat someone you know….

Buttonhole-stitch
NEW Quartet of Origami Boxes
Coptic stitch with hard-covers
Long-stitch-link-stitch
Introduction to Boxmaking
Introduction to Drawing with Brush & Ink

Stay cozy, Bari

*T*H*A*N*K* *Y*O*U*

Dear Everyone ~

In honour of Thanksgiving, I’d like to express my gratitude for your gratitude, my thank you for all of your thank you’s! And to let you know that each week as I prepare & craft my emails, one of the things that I most look forward to is receiving your replies: your appreciation, participation, enthusiasm, and, foremost, your connection to my studio & shop. My heart smiles from ear to ear each and every time.

I remain amazed & delighted by your sentiments. No matter how quick or detailed, they remind me ofthe sensibilities we share. And not only via email but even via postcard (hint) … and in person when you visit the shop.

I’ve chosen a binder’s dozen of replies that I hope will also delight you, as they have particularly touched my heart.

* * * * *

I must start with an email I received from Chuck Izui, the manager, guardian angel, and eventual owner of Aiko’s Art Materials in Chicago. From the moment (at least 30 years ago!) when I first walked into Aiko’s, it instantly became my home away from home, a sanctuary of aesthetic serenity. The shop closed a little over ten years ago, and I am still heartbroken, and continue to miss every aspect of being inspired there. The card cabinet that is now in my shop is one of their original fixtures, and I am always, always, so honoured to be the keeper of it now.

“Dear Bari, I read your updates with fanboy interest. I am amazed (but not surprised) that you are now the diva of refined taste and cultural elegance, seamlessly reuniting the best of the past and present. My sincere congratulations on your current and continued success.”

— Chuck

“Happy greetings, Bari, I love, love, love receiving packages from you!!! Wednesday I received my package and spent an hour meticulously unwrapping it and savoring all the delightful wrappings.”

—Virginia Clinton (Artist, BZS online shopper, and ardent workshop student)

“Good Morning Bari! My heart is so full while I drop you this line. I received your package yesterday and it was like Christmas morning. Everything is wrapped with such care that it almost pains me to open each parcel. I peeked inside one package and left the others on my studio desk so I could see them all wrapped again this morning when I came upstairs to work.”

— Joyce Newcomb, BZS online shopper

“Bari, Well Ann + Robyne’s amazing story also had me swooning, and beyond tearful! After reading this story of madcap mayhem and random acts of kindness, I feel I almost know this special pairand needed to respond to share my heartfelt nuptial wishes. As I sit here writing this reply on my 52nd wedding anniversary [now 53 years!], I wish Ann + Robyne at least 52 years filled with love, respect, joy, kindness and good health. May their lives also be filled with a plethora of magnificent paper pleasures provided by the Paper Princess herself! Joy to the world!!”

— heART, Hallie Redman (children’s art teacher, BZS student & shopper)

“What a delightful 'missed plane' story! I enjoyed reading about the Library and looking at your photos—
it might have been a church! Keep sending us your so very interesting travelogues.”

— ESE, a.k.a. Ernie
(ESE could also stand for Envelope Shopper Extraordinaire, which Ernie is)

“The exquisite emporium of joy!”

— Parastoo (very long-time customer, all the way back to
Mail of the Month and Parcel of the Month; we have yet to meet!)

“Dearest paper girl, I am becoming a broken record, stuck on the best groove. I love your illustrated story emails. I especially love this story of Robyne and Ann, the gifts they surprised each other with and the items they chose (a box for the post cards and a book of compiled love-gifts). What a great idea—to bind together the bits and pieces we cherish rather than letting them languish in boxes and folders and who knows where. Bari-emails always brighten my day.”

— Nina (art enthusiast, workshop and art class student, in-shop shopper)

“Bari, great email. It had to be a blast having Raquel in your shop. When are U going to Brazil…”

— From my father, my original paper inspirator, in response to my story about Raquel Hetmanek, who I met on instagram and taught a private limp-vellum binding workshop when she was visiting from Brazil in the summer of 2018

“I love being called Dear Everyone, since I am a Gemini and not any one person at all but in happiness with all … You can do what you want with a pencil in your hand.”

— Carol LaBranche (“wonderfully wacky local customer, delightfully uninhibited in her artwork and her spontaneous writing”)

“You are amazing. Your sweet mom is smiling down on you! I loved her so [angel emoji].. Going to see how my train adventure to class does. Then hopefully i can take a pretty book class. But oh my! I see a ruler in the photo [wink emoji!] . Could you handle me? Have fun.”

— Shirley Coppi, who I met while taking classes at the Chicago Botanic Gardens with my mom

“Hello, dear Fabulous Bari!!! I love this post and was delighted to see my little scrawly note in it! Of course, I was and am inspired by YOU!!!”

— Cat Bennett (truly inspiring artist & author & teacher & illustrator from Boston, and now a visiting instructor at Bari Zaki Studio)

“Hi Bari, I am honored to have participated in your latest blog [about his creative endeavors with washi tape]…Thank you! Nicely done and beautifully extended. I found the post to be thoroughly adhesive!”

— Robert Petrick (whose wonderful photos of his washi tape applications featured Figure numbers)

* * * * *

Susan Kennedy was one of the very first customers to sign up for one of my bookbinding classes when I opened the shop back in 2015. She was so enthused and inspired by making books, and then embraced making boxes when I added that workshop to my class listings. She literally signed up for every single
bookbinding class, sometimes more than once. She often was the very first person to sign up for a workshop the minute I sent out the class schedule. Several months ago, Susan sent me this postcard, which melted my heart. While I was on my recent trip to England, she succumbed to a rare, particularly nasty cancer. I am so saddened and will miss her very, very much. This postcard is even more precious to me now, a permanent remembrance of Susan’s joie de vivre and her wonderful spirit.

In deepest bow, Bari

Studio Sale turns 21!

Dear Everyone ~

Our twenty-first (XXI) annual studio sale is coming up.

Here is our favourite photo of last year’s main display.
A day or two before this year’s sale,
we will post a picture of the freshly mounded and
spruced table to pique your curiosity.

In addition to alliterative assortments & arrays,
you’ll find ahh-some odds & ends, including,
but certainly not limited to: a smattering of handmade books
& boxes, a big handful of discontinued washi tapes,
a few onesies & twosies.

Main attractions: all manner of writing &
sketching surfaces, writing implements & inks.

As always, your selections will be gift-readied on the spot
in our signature complimentary wrap of white tissue with divine twine
or arty yarn and a bit of washi tape!
And available for purchase will be a rather dazzling selection
of small flat bags handmade right here from Japanese papers.
Each bag is one-of-a-kind, and makes a beautiful presentation,
especially when closed with a little butterfly clip
covered in … another Japanese paper.

STUDIO SALE HOURS

Saturday, December 7 & Sunday, December 8

From Noon to 5:00

Festively, Bari

Beauteous botanical bounty by Kiran Ravilious

Dear Everyone ~

I have been ogling Kiran’s patterns
and colour combinations for many moons.
I have browsed her website several times with the
intention of placing a smallish order …
and I’ve finally followed my heart and done it.

I sent Kiran an email of inquiry.
She replied that she had in fact just issued
her latest catalogue, featuring many new designs.
Kiran added that I would be her first U.S. stockist.
She’s delighted and so am I.

Kiran’s cards simply speak to me.
Her colour sense is wonderful and whimsical.
Born and raised in Singapore, she has now lived in the
U.K. for twelve years. She comments (on her website) that
“There is always something to discover when you’re
a foreigner in a different country!
Even the stinging nettles are interesting.”

I was a bit challenged to practice restraint on my order.
You’ll find notecards, enclosure cards, and notebooks
in my online shop, and additional designs at the studio.

Both sizes of card are printed on heavy cover paper.
The notecards measure 4⅛ x 5⅞ (a European proportion I love).
The enclosure cards measure 3⅛ x 4¼ (ditto!).

Enclosure cards come in two lovely leafy assortments,
No. 1 and No. 2. The No. 1 presents illustrations, on a range of
blue backgrounds, depicting: rain leaf, vine, daisy, olive, palm, and neem.
The No. 2 presents illustrations, on a range of earthy backgrounds,
titled: vine, tropical palm, fern leaf, two leaves, palm leaf, and oak.

Garden Cuttings notecards present six vases with various verdure,
and the Bowls of Fruit assortment features five familiar fruits
plus something delightfully named honeydrops.
All six designs are pear-fectly lovely.

Additional assortments will be available at the studio, including
one showcasing oranges, pears, and lemons with their foliage.
One eager customer has already asked if I think
hand-tinting them with coloured pencil
or watercolour might give a nice effect.
I do!

The notebooks measure 5¾ x 8¼, with 48 unlined pages.
The cover is delightfully heavy, and the notebooks are staple bound;
natural white interior pages are toothy and light-ish,
but definitely can support whatever medium you’re using.
They feel a bit delicate, and that makes my heart sing.
The notebooks come in pairs:
two Palm or two Polka.

Let me repeat myself:
Kiran’s colour combinations are beguiling,
and each one is as delightful as the next.
May I say that they are all my favourite?

Lovely Little Leafy Enclosure Cards
Tutti-frutti and Spriggy-twiggy Notecards
Irresistible Notebooks With Illustrated Covers

Spriggily,

Bari

The Case of The Missing Flight

Dear Everyone ~

Missing a flight is rarely a good thing, but in this instance,
we really did maneuver a zoo animal into a silk purse.
We hadn’t allowed enough time to get to the Manchester Airport
in morning rush hour traffic … but, in our defense, the traffic “sitch”was
made worse due to the “Animals in road — SLOW” signs.
We didn’t actually see any animals, but it turns out
that these signs alert motorists to the possibility of animals that
have wandered off the premises of the Chester Zoo.

Well, the next flight home was the following morning,
and we would be flying stand-by. No use crying over clotted cream, right?
We booked ourselves into a hotel right at the airport,
deposited all our luggage, and taxied into Manchester.

Prior to any trip, I google around to see what museums, galleries,
and bookshops I might find to visit wherever.
I had thought perhaps we’d stay in Manchester for a day
or two on this trip, but after arriving at the farm in York,
I didn’t want to give up any of our time there.
But now, we could go to the John Rylands Library
and the Manchester Art Gallery!
To the library forthwith!

All the images I had seen online look as though the
John Rylands Library is situated in a park or on an expanse of land
somewhere out in the open. But when I looked on maps and saw it was relatively
“in the city,” I was intensely curious. As our uber driver pulled up to the building,
he actually had to point it out to us. A modern building now “encases”
the original library, and from the entrance, you cannot see the majestic facade
I was anticipating ... Once inside, we made our way to the original portion
via what felt like a labyrinth.
I was so eager to see this enchanting place.

Most of the books were under glass, or in extraordinary hand-carved
wood desks, cabinets, or other display pieces, likewise behind glass,
so photographing them was a challenge. There was much overhead lighting,
making for numerous reflections. However, as we made our way
around the grand nooks with desks for people to sit at, we saw a very large book,
resting open-faced on a book cradle, (which gently allows the book to lay open
without harm to the spine). O, swoon, it was a special edition of
R. Bowdler Sharpe’s “Birds of Paradise,” with a foreword
by David Attenborough, my favourite ”interpreter” of the natural world.

The edition was reproduced from a copy of the first edition at
The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester.
The detailed colophon includes credits for the digital photography,
the reproduced graphics, the book printer, the paper (Modigliani!),
and, my favourite, the binding: “by Felz Fine Books, Bad Langensalza,
Germany, is in Nigerian goatskin leather and
canvas sides blocked with a design by Neil Gower.”

Zak and I savoured the entire book page by page,
taking pictures of nearly every page. The lighting was still a challenge,
so I shot at an angle to minimize any glare, and I am fairly chuffed with the result.
I was profoundly grateful for this unexpected interlude,
sitting at one of these grand desks, turning through pages of an enormous,
breathtaking volume! I would happily have sat there all afternoon…
but it had been a very long time since breakfast.
And what about a stop off at the library’s gift shop
for a look around at all things postcard and paper related?
So, we pried ourselves out of our noble nook.

I knew that the Manchester Art Gallery was close,
because I’d seen it on the map. But lunch was by then our top priority.
We had a place in mind, from a book we’d purchased in York of indie cafes ...
We ventured out into the rain (it’s always raining in Manchester),
and resolved to walk to the cafe. Minutes later, before we even got to the cafe,
we came upon the Gallery!
Oh my goodness, I was feeling extremely good about this,
but it was 3 o’clock and we were truly famished.
One delicious hour later, we were fortified with
homemade soup, warm bread, and delightful cappuccino.
Our phones were charged, and so were we!
We walked back to the Gallery with time to spare.
And there was no admission fee — which was the case at
several museums we visited.
How civilised!

Up the wide, very old concrete steps we went,
past glorious architectural columns, through large doors,
and up beguiling staircases. The smell of a museum,
like the smell of a library, just fills me up.
And this one felt as if I had stepped back in time.
Plus they had great postcards!
I seriously did not have an ounce of space remaining
in my suitcase or carry-on—but that did not stop me
from purchasing more postcards.

After our jam-packed day, we ensconced ourselves
in our airport-hotel room and ordered room service:
delicious thick “chips” and hummus. Then we watched an episode
of Miss Marple, a perfect ending to our “bonus day.”
The next morning, we got on our flight with no drama.
Everyone we encountered was so friendly and helpful,
and it truly couldn’t have been a grander finale to a wonderful trip.

Happy Go Lucky,

Bari