Artist showcase: New cards by people I know

Dear Everyone ~

I’m delighted to announce the arrival of two sets of cards made by two cherished members of my creative community. This is a rare treat for me, as most of the items in my shop come from enterprises abroad, made by people I will probably never get to meet.

Janet Bouldin, who lives not far from Chicago, is a customer and student who has become a dear friend. She didn’t really begin her art practice until her retirement (from teaching English). Now, she is an avid sketcher and watercolourist. She took her first workshops at Bari Zaki Studio shortly after I opened in 2015. Most recently, she has taken Bookful of Art, which Cat Bennett and I co-taught.

I have noodged Janet to “go public and tactile” with her art for quite some time. She had an exhibition scheduled in Marblehead, Mass. back in July, but it had to be postponed indefinitely. Now, I am thrilled to be the first purveyor of Janet’s Tableaux cards, and to share her thoughts:

“ Capturing what’s right in front of me—painting a favorite coffee mug for example—allows me to preserve a fleeting moment. It’s a way of journaling for me, of keeping track of where I’ve been, where I am, and sometimes pointing a path forward. ”

“ Drawing and painting are calming for me, keeping me in touch with myself. It’s a way to tell bits of my own story as it unfolds… When I go too long without doing it, I start to feel a void. If someone buys or receives one of my cards, I hope it reminds them to pay closer attention to the small moments of visual pleasure in their own lives. ”

Janet’s images are printed as postcards on matte gloss stock (on the image side, and uncoated on the message side). I am pairing them with Rivoli envelopes, two Vanilla and two Rose, with beautiful pointy flaps.

* * * * *

Cat Bennett is a career artist and illustrator. She is also my co-instructor on Zoom, and has taught workshops in person at Bari Zaki Studio in the “good old days.” Cat has written three books to encourage people to develop their own art practices, and she is lyrically articulate in sharing her reflections on this:

“ Drawing is a beautiful meditation and helps us look more closely too. Last fall, I took to drawing the fading plants in a neighbor’s garden to calm my nerves in these uncertain times. ”

“ As I drew, I began to find real beauty in these dry, broken plants and to notice that they held life in them too. In spring their seeds or roots will sprout into lush new plants. I felt nature was speaking to me and telling me that all the beauty of life will soon return. I hope the cards remind us of that. ”

Cat’s cards are letterpress printed at Fat Chick Press in Boston, on Mohawk Superfine, in our favourite finish (Eggshell!). The companion A-7 envelope is also Superfine.

Elf advisory:
If you are able to come curbside, you can pick up some of Janet and Cat’s cards on Tuesday and Wednesday (noon–6:00) and on Thursday (11:00–2:00). Otherwise, if you place an order by Tuesday, we will ship before closing for the Holiday.

Tableaux postcards
Botanical silhouettes

Living in the moment, Bari

Customers’ capers with Cambridge papers

Dear Everyone ~

It is so lovely to receive photos from customers sharing what they’ve done with materials from Bari Zaki Studio. The Cambridge Imprints papers are racking up new loyalists, and I’m delighted to share with you glimpses from three customers who have been creative and dexterous with their recent projects.

Zoe is a new-ish customer who has taken a couple of workshops, including Bookful of Art back in September. She also took my online buttonhole-stitch class through Sonheim Creative, and this inspired her to make a truly swoonable baby gift for a friend. What she did was to stitch a series of sleeves (in other words, envelopes without seal flaps) she made herself from various Cambridge Imprint papers, into a buttonhole-stitch book she made and covered with Cambridge Imprint papers. Zoe credits my Art of the Handmade Envelope Kit with her design and success on her sleeves.

But wait, there’s absolutely more: Zoe made a drop-spine box to protect the book, likewise covered in you-now-know-what. Inside the sleeves are postcards (from you-know-where), that her friend will write on, to describe The New Baby’s memorable moments. I have had the great pleasure of seeing & touching Zoe’s masterful finished book. It is sweet, a superb permanent keepsake, and a testimonial to Zoe’s great affection for her friend.

*  *  *  *  *

Robb is a creative wrapper, with a revolving collection of vintage boxes of all sizes and vintage papers from many lands. Recently, Robb was inspired to “mount” a Cambridge origami butterfly he’d folded...between a pair of plastic hands he’d just bought, on a package he’d wrapped in vintage Florentine paper. (He has now watched the Cambridge butterfly-folding video tutorial enough times that he comments he can fold on the fly.)

Robb also wrapped a little Japanese jewelry box in which he was presenting a thumbdrive (an anthology of episodes of “This American Life”) in a scrap of vintage Japanese paper (which looks somewhat related to the Cambridge origami sheets). He made a little slit in the grosgrain ribbon, threaded the opposite end through, chevroned the ends, et voilà. Not a knot in sight!

*  *  *  *  *

Merrill stopped into the shop back in 2019, with a vision she wanted to share with me. She was making a large number of small ceramic apples as a fundraiser for the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation, honoring the memory of Merrill's friend Amy. She wanted each apple to be ensconced in a little cube that would “present” the apple without its needing to be removed from the box. So, the box would become an integral part of the experience.

Merrill asked if I would teach her to construct and cover the box. What a great “training commission!” Once I figured out the construction, fabric (for the hinges) and paper components, we had a private workshop on how to build the 3 x 3 x 3 box. I also created a highly detailed set of instructions (beautifully illustrated by Emmy Kennett) that Merrill could refer to once at home making them on her own.

In the middle of shelter season, Merrill sent word that she was beginning to cover the boxes and would appreciate a refresher on certain details. We met on zoom for a few minutes to review the hand-out … and she was in business! When she sent me a photo of them all stacked up on her fireplace mantel, I melted! The timing coincided with my announcement of carrying the Cambridge Imprint papers… and I happened to spy several of her boxes covered with those papers! Now, she is delighted to have a local source.

Merrill had planned a weekend studio sale back in November, but the pandemic put the kibosh on that. Now she is developing a website to sell the apples, and when that is up and running, I plan to do a post about it and the Foundation. Helping Merrill fulfill her vision to honor her friend was a personal as well as professional accomplishment for me.

In deep swoon, Bari

Wrapping Supplies & Seasonal Refreshments

Dear Everyone ~

We have wrapping accessories to the rafters this morning, but, as recent experience has shown, the early bird will get the juiciest bits. Our suppliers in the U.K., Japan & Canada have come through with flying colours, from white (ink) to black (multimedia 100% cotton paper) and everything in beteal (washi with golden blooms).

* * * * *

Eleanor Percival wrapping paper is festive, floral, and fabulous to fold. It corresponds most charmingly to the artist’s Hedgerow Postcard Set (which I’ve just added to her notecard listing). Dress up the wrap with washi. Accessorize with Summer Fruit Stamps. Wish you had a crumpet.

Our reserves of Cambridge Imprint wraps have been replenished, and our next post will feature wonderful (and inspiring) things customers have made with their Cambridge Imprint patterns, including envelopes!

If you’d like to try creating a chalkboard-effect gift tag, address label, or holiday card, our new Japanese fine-tip white ink brush pen may be just the tool for you. The ink is opaque enough that even small print or script is highly readable. On black Saint-Armand, the look is rich and elegant, and the feel is almost velvety. (Our reserves of Saint-Armand multimedia and watercolour pads are close-to-fully replenished.)

Let’s queue up the Kew cards! We are delighted to have expanded our offering to include eight large cards and six smaller cards. In the larger format, Poinsettia Leaves and Nutmeg are particularly seasonal.

Almost last but not least, if you’d like a new roll of washi, check out Dandelight, designed by Mina Perhonen (who also did Well-dressed birds): a deep teal background with golden dandelions.

For the finale: We’ve just assembled a big batch of Bundlissimi, as we had completely run out, thanks to a lovely local order for 16 of them from a neighboring business (whose clients offered “amazing feedback” on their gifts).

Eleanor Percival Wrap
Cambridge Imprint Wrap
Fine-tip White Brush pen
Saint-Armand Multimedia Pads
Kew Cards for Notes
Dandelight washi tape
Bundlissimi

Festively, Bari

Bookful of Accordion Art: a new four-part workshop

Dear Everyone ~

Bookful of Accordion Art is the second co-teaching collaboration between Cat Bennett and Bari Zaki. This new four-Saturday workshop will start on January 23. We thought briefly about naming it “Accordion Trio,” because you will make three accordion books, but, in the end, we decided we had to have the word bookful in the workshop name, because we love it.

The success of our Bookful of Art this past autumn, for more than 40 students, inspired us to brew up a new structure, for you to fill the deep winter months with warmth and creativity. We will record the workshop lessons in advance, so that they will be available for you, with no interruptions or delay, immediately after each workshop. Between sessions, we will both answer any questions in our private Facebook group, where students are invited to share and be inspired by each other. (Even if you are not on Facebook, it’s easy to create an account simply for the class.)

In Workshop #1, you will fold the accordion pages for your three books and prepare their covers. In Workshops #2 & #3, Cat will lead the group in drawing and painting on your accordions. In Workshop #4, Cat will lead the group in drawing the faces of guests at an imaginary gathering of your favourite artists. For the finale, Bari will do a 30-minute demo of two alternate styles of hinging for your future accordion making. (So, you might want to bind one of your three books during the week, and wait to decide how to bind the other two.)

The style of accordion book you’ll be making is more than a bit sentimental to me. Many moons ago, when I first began making books, I discovered this binding style. I was so fascinated by all seamless folds and tucks. There was no glue needed, only paper folding. I have always thought of them as origami accordion books. I mostly made them in trios—selecting assorted palettes galore provided many moments of chromatic delirium. For this workshop, we’ve devised five different palettes, each featuring three Fabriano Tiziano colours.

The only tools you will need are a bonefolder, a glue stick, and a pair of sharp scissors. For your drawing & painting exercises, Cat is a big fan of using what you have on hand. That said, if you feel inspired to shop for new implements…. We hope you will join us to share in the creative camaraderie and shared love of paper, bookbinding, drawing, painting & nature. No previous bookbinding or art experience necessary—but you do need a reliable internet connection.

Bookful of Accordion Art

Accordion-ly, Bari

Depth of Gratitude & Fullness of Heart

Dear Everyone ~

Studio Sale 2020 is virtually over, almost in the blink of an eye! Certainly, I’ve never experienced anything quite like this, because we’ve never had an online sale before. I can’t really even compare it to an in-person, in-studio sale. Today, as I am wrapping & packing parcels for curbside pick up and shipping, I am surrounded by utter stillness, reflecting on the connections, albeit electronic, of last weekend. Here are some highlights.

After the sale went live at 8:00 pm (CST) on Friday evening, order notifications flowed (flew?) in with a whoosh. Dozens of emails in a matter of minutes! Several customers placed more than one order! The “star” of this year’s sale was definitely Melanie O., which is poetic justice. Melanie lives in Florida, and for my sale in 2019, she gave me a $100 allowance, asking that I simply select something(s) for her. This year, the shopping field was level, she was at the ready, and she placed three orders! Alas, she experienced a cart-astrophe, about which she was incredibly good natured. She e’d me on Saturday to report:

“ As you can see, I have purchased three different times! Let me explain. I lingered too long on my first shopping spree and by the time I checked out. . . well, most of what was in my cart had sold. (More happiness for more customers, which brings me great joy!)  Anyway, that led me to a second purchase . . . and, well, today I decided my blissful blank book needed a friend. ”

Melanie’s description of what the sale represented for her, really was the frosting on the Studio Sale cake:

“ Words will never express adequately just how much fun it was to shop at your studio sale! I know it wasn't the personal and nostalgic experience that you are used to hosting, but thank you for making it available to everyone, both near and far. What a feast you laid before us! And I can honestly say, that’s what the virtual sale felt like: a beautiful banquet table in which to indulge. ”

*  *  *  *  *

A handful of other customers placed two orders, including Sue in Canada, who to her chagrin wasn’t quick enough to get her hands on a Bag of Beribbonments. It was indeed a banner evening for ribbon sales! The other double-orderers, from A-B-C to Z, are: Annie, Barbara, Becky, Cie, Cindy, and Zoe. To you I say: Thanks for coming back for seconds!

It’s one thing to create a beautiful spread, so to speak, on a table for people to peruse and to touch. But needing to photograph and describe all the items somehow caused me to think back on why I had chosen, or made, these things to start with. And that was an unexpected pleasure. Perhaps it’s not so far fetched, that my fond feelings for stationery pleasures and handmade books & boxes somehow infused the photos and listings with extra energy.

In all, 55 orders have been received as of this morning, almost half of them from out of state, and two from Canada. I deem Studio Sale 2020 a glorious success. I send gratitude to Everyone who participated, for your appreciation of what Bari Zaki Studio, I ardently hope, embodies.

I wish (or wishbone!) Everyone a peaceful Thanksgiving, heavy on the gratitude and the gravy.

In deep bow, Bari 

Pleasures aplenty for Studio Sale 2020

Dear Everyone ~

Our 2020 virtual Studio Sale is virtually upon us. The Studio Sale page will go live this evening (Friday, November 20) at 8 pm Chicago time. (This is four hours earlier than previously announced. We want to be awake when it happens!) May we book you to join us?

Speaking of books and their frequent companions, boxes: Many made by me will be on offer. The books towering above are but one of several binding styles. There is a lone, luxurious leather pamphlet-style book, a dainty dos-à-dos, and an accordion. You'll also see a stylish selection of four-sided-drop-spine boxes, perfect for postcards, photos, and three-dimensional keepsakes.

Origami boxes will be available in three sizes (wabi, obi & sabi), made of 100% cotton St-Armand, in soft shades. There will be a limited migration of boxes & books from the Studio Shop to the Studio Sale, at reduced prices.

Writing implements will abound: vintage pencils, vintage pencil packaging, graphite galore, and a clutch of clutches. And an assortment of inks we will no longer be stocking.

In the notebook department, there will be no margin for disappointment: spiral-bound notebooks, perfect-bound notebooks, jotters, watercolour notebooks, pamphlet styles, sketchbooks. Want to write that down?

We’ve gone to considerable lengths to assemble the most sumptuous ribbon bags we can remember. They are packaged by palette, with at least a dozen beribbonments per bag (all at least 2 yards).

Washi Wonderland will be in high spirits. We’ve assorted tapes into stacks of five or six: at least one wide or super-wide, a couple of medium-wide, and a couple of narrow.

Quantities are limited on basically everything—except our good humour. As we’ve said recently, the early bird will catch the slinky ribbons and the elusive marbled warblers. The Studio Sale will continue through December 5. Orders will ship promptly, and curbside pick-up will be available Tuesday–Saturday afternoon.

At the ready, Bari

Studio Sale 2020: You are cordially e-vited

Dear Everyone ~

This year’s Studio Sale opening weekend will be Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22. Because it will be virtual, you can shop at virtually any hour, starting at midnight (CST) on Friday, November 20. The sale will continue through December 5. The savvy shopper will realize that quantities of most items are limited. The early bird will catch the slinky ribbons and elusive marbled warblers.

In years past, one of my favourite aspects of the studio sale weekend has been surprise visits from customer-friends I hadn’t seen in eons. This year, alas, there will be no friends popping up or dropping in. Happily however, because Studio Sale 2020 is online, everyone everywhere in the States and Canada will be able to “shop by.” I will be excited to see (and report on) the distribution of shoppers across various states and provinces.

A temporary Studio Sale page at barizaki.com will present all items on offer. Herewith a preview.

St-Armand scrap bundles: a stack (over an inch high!) of 100% cotton paper in assorted colours, beribboned with hand-dyed Italian linen. Scraps in the Narrow bundle (shown here) are handy for chic little shopping lists, bookmarks, doodles...and even ultra-mini-sketchbook covers. Scraps in the Notesheet bundle are dandy for printmaking, drawing, leaf pressing, and backing sheets.

Global assortment of fountain pen inks: lovely colours I may not re-stock, from Europe and Japan. Your fountain pen(s) will thank you; ditto the brush pens you can dip right in.

Hardcover books made by me in seasons past: covered in hand-marbled papers from the U.K., including some now-extinct patterns. Some medium, some large, all with elegant linen spines. Interior pages are snowy or creamy or dreamy, usually cotton, all undeckled.

Origami boxes: made from St-Armand cover paper in assorted colours. Available in three sizes, which I cannot resist naming Wabi, Obi, and Sabi. Fabulous for presenting (or storing) desk accessories, bonbons, or a lovely little card. And of course they nest.

Ribbon bags: clearly exposing my passion for satin, my constancy for cotton, etc. Assorted into a handsome handful of palettes, in lengths of at least 2 yards. Each bag also contains one ribbon bonbon, secured with a dressmaker’s pin.

The Studio Sale will also include a set of seven one-of-a-kind giclé prints of botanicals, originally drawn by me in coloured pencil. They are framed in antique-finish silvered wood, and will be on offer individually.

Miscellaneous delights will be revealed at midnight on November 20!

In anticipation, Bari

A post all about postcards

Dear Everyone ~

I last posted an update about my postcard wall last summer (The thrall of wall-to-wall postcards, June 29, 2019). Since then, I have received slightly over 100 postcards...and finally installed all of them yesterday. One of my favourite steps is deciding whether to show the front (the image side) or the back (the message and stamp side). I juxtapose and re-pose to make sure the feng shui is good. The postcard stream is flowing over into my tea-making zone.

I continue to use washi tapes—just a little piece, between half and three-quarters of an inch—to affix each card to the wall. Yesterday, I favoured a red graph-grid pattern on a grey background and gold-and-frost diagonal stripes. I don’t want the tapes to distract from the cards.

he postcard wall gives me such joy when I focus my gaze there. You might think that the cards would blend or blur together, but they do not. I still see them as individual communiqués...that have become memory bearers. I recognize people’s handwriting, I remember various messages, and I revel in reflecting on the intention, or the serendipity, of a sender having selected a particular image.

If your postcard larder needs some spicing up, may I suggest these delicious new cards published by Veera Kehvola in Helsinki? Each of the three assortments—Kitchen, Daydreaming, and The Wild North—showcases the work of a different illustrator. I’ve packaged each assortment of 8 designs in a Carta Pura envelope, embellished with a lovely large companion sticker on the front, sealed with a charmola little Kehvola label on the back. I am delighted to be the exclusive purveyor in the U.S.

If you fancy sending your Kehvola postcards enveloped, you have two tasteful options: Carta Pura (vanilla, with an eggshell finish; the overall effect suggests a meringue) or Rivoli Rose, both in the splendid European note size, 4½ x 6¼.

I’m relieved to announce that the British seaweed postcards (and their related notecards) have arrived and my stock is now officially replenished. You might want to place your order while the tide is high, as I will not be re-stocking until the new year.

Kehvo-là-là postcards from Helsinki

Finnishing up, Bari

Bookbinding and Gift-giving go hand in hand

Dear Everyone ~

I’ve recently written about my “Zoom conversion,” and I’m booked to teach at least two private Zoom workshops every week until early December. And then I will take a break until January! My teaching schedule includes eight Serizawa Soft-cover Coptic-stitch workshops. I cannot resist making the same month as my student, so I will have quite a stack to show you in mid-December. My fondness for Serizawa calendar pages is not only undiminished, but overflowing.

Making a book, whether it’s for yourself or for someone else, is remarkably satisfying. Students frequently send emails, or the occasional piece of Real Mail, describing their sense of fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy—and, sometimes, surprise—that making a book by hand has inspired. I love it when students share with me their joie and their plans for independent bookbinding projects. Here are three of my recent heartwarming e-communiqués.

Zoe just completed the four-part Bookful of Art workshop I co-taught with Cat Bennett. She’s an envelope-folding enthusiast (armed with my Art of the Hand-folded Envelope kit), and has a plan to combine her new bookbinding expertise with her envelope zeal. Go, Zoe! She emailed me last week:

“ I'm very excited about the Cambridge Imprint papers and the companion notecards. I was already planning to make a book for a friend who is having a baby boy, and I want to make it a bookful of ‘envelope pages’ with fold-over flaps. I will tuck into each envelope a card for her to write a note for the baby. These will stay in their envelopes in the book and become a record of my friend’s thoughts and the baby’s milestones.  I was hmmming over what paper to use for the envelopes, and these will be just perfect. The notecards that coordinate so neatly are like the cherry on top. ”

Beth is a designer and printmaker who appreciates paper products and bookish pursuits. She has been exercising her creative inclinations during the Shelter Season, and she has been holding onto a workshop gift certificate from her husband. When she read about the Serizawa (calendar page) bookbinding workshop, her resistance to the idea of a Zoom workshop just vanished. She emailed me:

“ I have always wanted to learn the Coptic stitch and was a big fan of Aiko’s. When I heard that these papers came from that wonderful Chicago store, now closed, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to use my gift certificate. ”  

Beth has chosen the month of February for her pair of calendar pages. She’ll be making her book just before Thanksgiving, and will have plenty of time to enjoy it before passing it on as a gift for the holidays, if she decides to part with it!

Nancy is on a journal-making jag! She took my  triple-hyphenated Long-Stitch-Link-Stitch bookbinding workshop via Zoom at the end of August, and she’s now in high gear. She emailed me:

“ Thank you for your help and kind responses. I have made one more journal, and prepared two more! I also made a cute little journal for a niece’s birthday. The process is getting easier with each journal. I am doing a variety of stitch patterns now, and adding or subtracting signatures depending on how many rows of stitches I have. ”

I may take my eight Serizawa books home with me to admire over the holidays. If I can bring myself to part with them, I will put them in my online shop in January! I’ll post them on Instagram as I make them.

2021 Workshops via Zoom

Heartful of bookful, Bari

Brilliant Paper Goods From Great Britain

Dear Everyone ~

For many moons I’ve had my eye, both eyes really, on Cambridge Imprint paper goods. They fill my thrill on all levels: their wonderful palettes, charming patterns, and the lovely feel of the papers themselves. Mixing & matching the colours & patterns is endlessly satisfying—especially the envelopes and address labels.

I’ve assorted the envelopes into a set of six different patterns, and included six hand-cut ivory Stonehenge notes. The address labels—in grand and petite formats— boast borders that border on quandary-provoking. The pairings are almost infinite!

The companion postcards come in a set of six, 2 each of 3 colourways: Deep Twilight, Golden Yellow, and Slate. You can mail them as a postcard or tuck them into a Cambridge envelope.

Of course there are notebooks as well, for musing, jotting, doodling, etc. The 40 ivory pages take all manner of writing and drawing implements smoothly. And the labels, in either format, look fabulous on the patterned covers.

And the Cambridgers have won my heart by offering boxes of patterned papers, both in origami squares and in wrapping sheets large enough to cover...a book! The wrapping sheets are also heavenly for making a large envelope (or nesting set thereof).

The origami papers (36 different patterns of 6 x 6 sheets) come with a set of instructions for folding butterflies. It seems that the collective noun for these is “cloud,” which sets my heart aflutter.

The wrapping sheets, which measure 12 x 16, are truly rapturous: two assortments (blue and red), each presenting 2 sheets of 12 different patterns, in a lined keepsake box. The patterns in each assortment are the same, so you can wrap (or cover, or line) a duet of books or other objets as a pair.

See all six NEW Cambridge Imprint shop listings

Like a Cambridge over troubled waters, Bari