An armful of après-Bookful gratitude

Dear Everyone ~

Bookful of Accordion Art concluded last Saturday. Cat Bennett, my creative collaborator, and I are so pleased by the camaraderie and our students’ enthusiasm for the progression of lessons. And we continue to rejoice in the marvel of Zoom, which allows us to convene as a group. As we all undergo our first shelter-season winter, many students commented on the joys and solace both of connecting with nature and with documenting objects in their home.

I have received many lovely emails from students, and have selected bits from a handful of them that are particularly touching to me, as students describe what the workshop sessions represented to them.

Olwyn, who mentioned that her honey describes her as a sociable hermit, had this to say about her Zooming with us:

“ Because of this class, I feel much braver, as if I’ve really taken on a new kind of ownership of my creative life. It’s a challenge to balance my love of detail with the fact of a clumsy hand, and Cat’s approach is so very helpful. I think the world of mark-making is beginning to open a bit to me, and I’m thrilled—timid but thrilled. And thank you for such a kindly experience on Zoom. ”

Cindy, whose private Case-binding workshop via Zoom had emboldened her, wrote:

“ You and Cat curated a unique experience, allowing us to move between building and learning and creating, in the span of each class session. I had so many 'ah-ha' moments as I listened to you and Cat—as well the other attendees—speak to different perspectives on tweaking what we were learning. I feel I am equipped with enough ideas to keep me ‘creative’ busy for a few months—or at least until the new class in April! ”

Lesley and her husband have taken their young son for a duck-pond promenade every day during the many months of shelter season, so the nature-walk collecting was so close to her heart. She wrote:

“ It was wonderful to share a love of creating books and then make art—a perfect marriage. Usually a class is just making one or the other. There has been something so satisfying in creating something from beginning to end. I was worried that I would have trouble making a book without being in a physical classroom. That was not the case, and having the videos to refer back to has been wonderful. Yes, I have made another book using supplies on hand:-) not as perfect but has its own charm. ”

Melanie, who recently made me a tiny loopy-link-stitch book as her tribute to learning how to make books, enthused:

“ The Accordion Bookful of Art class has been just what I’ve needed lately. It is such a peaceful welcoming place. I can just be. I absolutely love the book design and cannot wait to make more! Enveloping the papers to make the covers is ingenious, truly simply beautiful. And Cat’s painting instructions are soothing and meditative. You two make such a lovely team. ”

Karen, as it happens, had worked with Cat eons ago, but only via phone. Now, they have “met” face-to-face via Zoom, during the first Bookful of Art workshop series. Karen wrote:

“ I loved mixing the more structured and tactile bookbinding with the more free drawing practice and studies.The combined activities became circular—now I have all sorts of ideas for different book covers, page edges, and spines, because the one practice informs the other. Zoom was enjoyable because of the immediacy of everything. It was fun to see everyone and their work. Now I'm anxious to finish up my books and start more! ”

Tess, who walks every day near her home in rural New Hampshire, reflected:

“ I appreciated the emphasis on honoring the student—assuming that everyone would be successful while at the same time providing specific teaching in drawing and watercolours. It was really interesting to consider how to represent the beauty of winter, not a season we often think of as full of plant life! Cat's lessons could be accessed by a wide range of learners, from beginning artists to those more advanced in their craft. Bari's attention to detail allows the completed books to be works of art in themselves. ”

Heather teaches handwork—knitting, sewing, and fiber arts—at the Urban Prairie Waldorf School in Chicago. Every word of her brief note, barely longer than a haiku, filled me with joy:

“ Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to look for beauty and wonder and find camaraderie in these crazy times. It’s a lifeline. ”

Zooming toward spring, Bari

Be Enveloped in Envelope Love

Dear Everyone ~

I can date my long-simmering fascination with hand-folding envelopes back to the sweltering summer of 1995, when I met Alyson Kuhn. By example and by enchantment, she introduced me to the art of correspondence, so I refer to her as my Postal Muse. Several weeks into our nascent friendship, Alyson handed me a simple yet magical thank-you note. She’d made the envelope from a magazine page, very Florentine in feel, and she’d appliquéed B-A-R-I in little gold letters. I still have the transformative envelope, which has changed my correspondence life for the better.

And it has been followed by a never-ending procession of postcards, envelopes of all sizes, and surprise packages of epistolary ecstasy (See above!). Alyson had developed a workshop for Paper Source called Anatomy of an Envelope (which I didn’t know about until the opportunity had passed). Then, 20 years later, when I finally had a studio where I could teach, I developed my workshop, The Art of the Handmade Envelope. It was quite popular, and many students asked for a sequel, which I began to percolate on.

Last year, when shelter season made meeting in person moot, I decided to create a kit full of hand-folding materials, with detailed step-by-step instructions and charmola illustrations & diagrams by artist Emery Kennett. It has been a great success. Today, I am slightly giddy to debut MORE Art of the Hand-folded Envelope, a heartful collaboration with Alyson. Twenty-five years into our long-distance friendship, we continue to inspire each other.

The papers in the new kit are perfect envelope fodder, including rather deluxe practice sheets for noting measurements for future reference. The two “star styles” of envelope featured in the kit are (1) a true center seam open-end (lots of envelope lingo included in the hand-out!) and (2) a “backless” two-piece construction. The new hand-out also includes the instructions from the original kit for making a basic 5-ish x 7-ish envelope without a template.

Here you see a supremely summery backless envelope I made from a magazine page eons ago. The luscious front wraps around the sheet of sea-blue cover stock. This combo-construction is popular in Europe, with white or brown kraft fronts wrapping around a chipboard back. Sadly, these are not commercially made in the U.S.

Artist Janet Bouldin’s whimsical illustrations and diagrams make the kit feel almost like a lifestyle. The hand-out (a binder’s dozen of pages) is 8½ x 11 and comes in a not-hand-folded envelope with your name (or someone else's) handwritten by me on the fabulous souvenir sheet from 1966.

MORE Art of the Hand-folded Envelope

Be enveloped, Bari

Paper Love All Around

Dear Everyone ~

The Saint-Armand paper mill (Papeterie Saint-Armand) is in Montreal, though the township of Saint-Armand is about 40 miles outside the city. As it happens, the mill’s address is on Saint-Patrick Street! Let’s assume, at least for the moment, that Saint Armand is the patron saint of 100% cotton papers in beautiful colours.

I have just received a breathtaking shipment of Saint-Armand cover papers, for the kits of materials for three workshops I’m about to begin teaching via Zoom (Butterfly-stitch, Duo of Two-signature Stitched Booklets & Diamond Stitch). The rich earthtones: deep sand, winter wheat, warm taupe, and golden yellow. The fashion-forward colours: acid green, grey flannel, mineral green, and classic denim. A royal red-orange that is descended from persimmon & vermilion. Burgundy with a hint of blue. Charcoal grey—which I have just used to cover a long-stitch binding with buttery Hahnemühle pages and butterscotch waxed linen thread. Yum. I have also made a limp-vellum binding covered in Saint-Armand mineral green.

I am decanting part of my treasure trove of vintage Japanese papers. They have been living in a trio of lidded boxes (covered in Japanese papers, of course) for many moons, and it’s time for them to see the light of day as Japanese Deluxe Vintage Paper Assortment.

Each bag of 8½ x 11 sheets is, as I like to say, uniquely unique. The assortment is a binder’s dozen of 13 (mostly mulberry and kozo) papers: some solids, some simple patterns. Each selection also includes one sheet of sumptuous silver and one of gorgeous gold, plus a petite glassine almost overflowing with mini-scraps, ideal for sweet & discreet enclosures and for collage.

Blue-and-white Butterfly Delight is a fresh assortment of binder clips in two sizes, covered in Japanese patterns. The covered clips are so elegant. They can dress up a petite pile of paper, a notepad or notebook, or a miscellaneous sheaf. They can close a bakery or bonbon bag. And in a bowl, the clips themselves look like bonbons!

Before any more customers nicely noodge, I am officially adding bookbinding needles to my online shop. Ditto unwaxed natural 100% pure linen thread from the British Isles.

Natural Linen Thread
Bookbinding Needles
Japanese Deluxe Vintage Paper Assortment
Blue-and-White Butterfly Delight

Joie de papeterie, Bari

Fast forward to Fab-ruary

Dear Everyone ~

Today is the first day of the second month of the new year. January has whizzed by in a flurry. We are deep in the throes of winter in Chicago, and as I type this, more snow is falling and sticking than we’ve seen in a long while. I spend many hours each week in the quiet of the studio. At the intersection of hibernation and isolation, mail is more of a consolation—and an exhilaration—than ever.

January brought the latest issue (48) of UPPERCASE. If you haven’t seen it: it is ALL to do with stationery! My postal muse has contributed an Abecedary of Stationery & Epistolary Luminaries, on a beautiful spread incredibly designed by publisher Janine Vangool. (I happen to know that my postal muse is thinking about framing a copy.) My favourite entries include O for overfranking, E for envelope, and F for French fold. And X-Y-Z are more interesting than you might x-pect! If you’ve been thinking about subscribing, you can still start with the current issue.

My postal muse recently sent me a postcard (protected in an envelope from Paris, lined with red tissue), a watercolour of an airmail envelope. The skyscape is a perfect evocation for my mantra, “Look up.” Yes, I was enveloped & entranced. The pair of heart “eyes” plus the hand-cancel certainly brought a big smile to my face. Mailed envelopes offer so much opportunity for serendipity and creativity—from addressing to franking to embellishing—and a postcard inside an envelope is a...double happiness discovery.

Melanie O. in Florida mailed me a miniature storybook she had made, detailing her “love of bookbinding” chronology. In the fall of 2017, Melanie took my online bookbinding course through Sonheim Creative, discovered her delight in making books, and found her online way to my shop.

Her miniature loopy-link stitch book measures 2¾ x 3½, and its cover is a piece of Saint-Armand (from my 2020 studio sale). She’s also used teeny bits of Exquisite Scraps for collaging on numerous pages: a bonefolder, a really tiny buttonhole-stitch book, a shipping clerk’s knife et awl. The smallest book I have ever received offers such disproportionate pleasure to its divinely diminutive self!

Here is a final piece of memorable mail from last month. This envelope is the whimsy & ingenuity of a newish correspondent, Karen E. in California. She has given historian-writer-activist Arturo Schomburg (from 2020’s Harlem Renaissance stamp series) suitably smart attire. He looks bookish and fabbish, and at home with the bookshelves (pen & ink + coloured pencil) nearby. The Schomburg Center for Black Culture in New York City is still pandemically mostly closed...but wouldn’t someone there LOVE to receive such a glorious & eponymous envelope during Black History Month!

Which brings us to Fabruary! My Duo-it-yourself Valentines have sold out, but if you have your heart set on a set (so to speak), I’ll do my best to assemble a variation on the theme for you. Call or e me pronto-ly. I’ve re-replenished my reserves of Rivoli Rose notesheet pads (4⅛ x 5⅞) and matching envelope sets (4½ x 6⅜). It thrills me that this colour of envelope is perennially popular.

The teapot collage cards by Janet Bouldin have sold briskly. This week, I’ll be taking six of Janet’s new teapot collages to the framer for matting, and you will see them here very soon.

And last but not least, this Saturday and the day before Valentines Day will be the third and fourth sessions of Bookful of Accordion Art, which Cat Bennett and I are co-teaching to almost-40 enthusiasts. Cat is leading the group with abundant ideas & inspirations for drawing & painting to begin filling the first of our three accordions. I look forward to sharing the fruits of our winter season of “Bookful” accordions with you soon.

Wishing you LOVE in the air & in the mail, Bari

LOVE is in the air

Dear Everyone ~

February 14 will be the first Valentines Day of the prolonged shelter season. The upcoming holiday has inspired me to walk around the shop musing, perusing & choosing an array of LOVEly notebooks, pencils, pens, inks, greeting cards & other epistolary supplies to encourage theme-y & dreamy communiqués. Then, like an arrow shot by you-know-who, an idea struck me to put together a “quick kit” of DIY Valentine supplies, including an assortment of LOVE stamps. This paragon of Valentinear versatility can become a romantic sweet nothing or a note of appreciation or admiration to someone you’re thankful to have in your life.

If you aren’t inclined to use the stamps on postcards or envelopes: They are splendid for sealing packages (instead of tape), excellent for embellishing anything, and heavenly for hiding somewhere unexpected. The USPS has issued many LOVE stamps over the years. Our sampler includes a selection of some favourites from years past.

You could use everything on one over-the-top Valentine missive, or use one envelope & notesheet each for two recipients. For this limited edition, I have “dedicated” my lone large pad of Rose Rivoli notesheets to make two different enclosure folds. Delicious details in the shop listing. Here, I’ll just say that the Rose Rivoli shade of pink gives fresh meaning to la vie en rose.

If you are giving any Valentine gifts, consider tying a pink or red writing accessory onto your box or bag. It’s a look I love, whether with a notebook or a sweet nosh. And, of course, a bouquet of pens or coloured pencils is a long-lasting treat.

Duo-it-yourself Valentines

Lovely, Bari

A New Season of Serizawas

Dear Everyone ~

During the summer shelter season of 2020, a dear friend offered me a stash, a veritable trove, of Serizawa calendar pages from 1962. Graced with several complete calendars, I was inspired to make a softcover Coptic-stitch binding using two pages from a given month, one for the front cover and one for the back. I was over the moon smitten with the results. And decided to offer a “Year of Serizawa” softcover Coptic-stitch private workshops via Zoom, one for each month.

During each workshop, I make the same month as my student. Double happiness! The softcover Coptic-stitch using Serizawa calendar pages has become one of my favourite binding styles to make & to teach. I love how the covers (which are “underpinned” with thick cover stock) feel in my hand: soft yet sturdy. These workshops have been more popular than I could have imagined—only June and August are still available.

As I folded, scored & trimmed the covers the first time I made one of these books, it was a little revelation to see how large and linear (as opposed to tiny & triangular) my scraps were, compared to the buttonhole-stitch slivers. I decided to photograph the scraps from each month’s book in various configurations. After each workshop, I have filed my scraps by month in a glassine envelope, tucked into a vintage desktop drawer to keep them in order. These scraps also make for excellent bookmarks, and I include a “month match” bookmark with each book purchased from my shop. As of today, eight months of books are available; September and April will be available shortly. (And June and August are still available to be made.)

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Over the years, I have shared with my friend and card artist Janet Bouldin numerous bookbinding scraps. And 2020 was the Year of Tiny Serizawa Triangle Scraps. Janet recently sent me a collage postcard she’d made: a whimsical Serizawa teapot. Oh, my heart sang! I decided presto-pronto that all remaining triangular pieces needed to become Bouldin teapots in various forms. Janet’s nimble fingers and tactile tea-type sensibilities have brewed up a series of fabulous foldover cards, which we have named Bouldini Scrappini Cartoline. The cards also feature bits of Japanese decorative papers, both new and vintage, especially for droplets.

Each card is an original artwork (not a print), on 100% cotton Carta Pura vanilla cover stock, with a matching envelope. You can mail it as a note, prop it on a pillow, tuck it in a parcel...or frame it!

Bouldini Scrappini Cartoline
Series of Serizawa softcover Coptic-stitch Blank Books

Abubble with Serizawa Serendipity, Bari

All’s Creative on the Midwestern Front

Dear Everyone ~

Last week was my first week back in the studio after a restful post-holiday holiday. Cutting down all the papers for the Bookful of Accordion Art kits has been a lovely way to begin the New Year. It continues to be a thrill for me that Zoom enables simultaneous participation from enthusiasts in multiple timezones! For Bookful of Accordion Art, half a dozen students are in Canada and one adventurous student is in Westbury (close to Bath and Bristol!) in the U.K.

The accordion binding style is beyond versatile. Once you’ve mastered the steps, you can make your accordion as long as you’d like, thanks to a multitude of hinging options, including washi and decorative papers. You can make your books any size you’d like, any proportion you’d like, with a minimum of bookbinding arithmetic. I once made an accordion wedding album for a couple, using 2-inch wide gauzy golden ribbon for the spine hinges.

It’s always so meditative to see everything trimmed to size: stacks of Stonehenge, stacks of colourful Fabriano Tiiziano in the five palettes. A veritable buffet of assembling, wrapping, and packing to ship. Zak, recovered from his marathon yeoman performance manning the wrap ’n’ pack desk for the studio sale, happily helped trim all the accordion kit papers to size. I tissue-wrapped everything, and then Zak packed all the boxes, which I’ll be personally delivering to my preferred Post Office later today.

If you haven’t yet signed up for Bookful of Accordion Art, you are not too late. If you register by this Friday, January 15, there’s a high likelihood you will receive your kit before Workshop #1 on Saturday, January 23. All five palettes are still available: Venetian Lagoon (the most popular!), Albuquerque (in second place!), Wine Country, Bleu-ciel-rouge, and Promenade.

All four workshop sessions will be pre-recorded, and the recordings made available to students immediately after each session. This is an exciting innovation for Cat Bennett and me. We will still have our private Facebook group so that students can ask questions and receive our responses between sessions.

If you haven’t taken a Zoom bookbinding workshop previously, I think you might be pleasantly surprised, not only at the clarity of instruction but also at the real sense of camaraderie that develops and deepens over the four sessions.

Bookful of Accordion Art

Bookfully, Bari

“Wow! That was a lot of year.”

Happy 2021, Everyone!

For my first post of the year, I want to look back on 2020, before looking ahead. I’ve had time during my post-holiday holiday to reflect & revel in the “firsts” of last year for Bari Zaki Studio. And there were several. I’d like to start by thanking everyone for Real Mail, and email, and texts, and the occasional voicemail. Your thoughts and kind words really have sustained me… through this prolonged period of uncertainty.

Most recently, the responses to my “Apple a Day” post on December 31 were heartwarming in the extreme. Yes, they were emotional for me, and they also gave me such a feeling of community. It’s an incredible sense of connection to everyone—individually, but also collectively. (If you missed that post, or would like to read it again, you’ll find it immediately below this one.)

I’ve asked people who e’d me about Merrill Smith’s fundraising project whether I might share their comments, and here they are, starting with Merrill’s:

“ Thank you again for sharing my story. Your followers have responded with alacrity. Remarkably my cupboards are almost bare, very hard to believe after years of creating, thinking about this, working through the various iterations for so long. The website just went up three weeks ago, and the apples have dropped from 109 to 24. Head-spinning, M. ”

“ What a lovely way to remember a dear friend and leave a legacy to be treasured for a long time. Thank you, Bari, for writing about your friend and reminding us all that it’s about love and relationships ❤️ All the Best, Jocelyn [in Pennsylvania] ”

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“ Thank you. Just thank you for such an encouraging start to this New Year. PS I saved my box from you, of my studio sale purchases, to open at Christmas. I am such a thoughtful gifter. :-) Blessings, Rachel [in California] ”

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“ This beautiful email moved me greatly. Today, the first day of the year, is a day of remembrance for me: Adrian. There will be four more this month for my immediate family. I am glad to say that my sister Kathleen is three years a survivor from ovarian and two years from breast cancer! My “Apple a Day” is the dark gray/black shiny on a white stone. It speaks to me of my understanding of how life and death are held simultaneously. Purchasing it links me universally to the community of shared experience. The moment of Adrian’s death, I was at work examining a newborn baby. Then, as now, I choose life. As I did on January 1st, I will both light a candle and eat an apple on each remembrance. With love and gratitude, Janice ”

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“ Bari, please keep gracing us with your artistic insights and talents, your positivity and creativity, and your gorgeous selection of book and paper art supplies and projects. Wishing you a very healthy new year! Susan ”

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“ What a lovely year-end gift this email is, Bari! Thank you for sharing this story and images. Cheers to you and Merrill for this project and the loving friendship of Merrill and Amy. All my best, Barbara ”

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“ Thank you for sharing this touching story. I ordered an apple/box and each time I look at it I will think of my friend Debi, who succumbed to ovarian cancer. She was a teacher and an artist. We spent many hours creating together. She would have utterly delighted in your store. Your work with Merrill is collaboration in its purest form. And the ripple effect .... unknowable. Best wishes for 2021. Chris [in Iowa] ”

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“ Thank you for this post. A friend of mine died of ovarian cancer this year. I just purchased an apple in her memory, and Merrill delivered the apple in its box yesterday. What a beautiful piece of art. I hope Merrill finds peace in this project. It is a beautiful way to remember Amy Rosenthal. Good health and beautiful art to you and your family in 2021! Barb L. [in Chicago] ”

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“ Thank you, Bari, for sharing....the gift of you (and this story and all the stories you share). You are light, always, especially in these dark days. My best to you and your family, Nina [in Chicago] ”

In November, my first-ever online studio sale was a mesmerizing merchandising marvel for me. When the Studio Sale 2020 page went live at 8:00 pm CST on November 20, I literally held my breath for a moment, wondering what would happen…. and it didn’t take long to find out! Thank you to everyone who shopped, and apologies to those of you who had your potential purchases mysteriously vanish from your cart when another customer beat you to check-out. The sale was a great success, except for the disappointment of not seeing people in person and having a chance to chat. On the bright side, it was lovely that so many customers were able to shop this year from other states and even Canada.

Zak, as always, managed the wrapping of purchases...and this year, he handled all the “parcelizing,” which was no small task. We had a wonderful washi moment, as I began to prep a long row of washi snippets (along the edge of the table) to have at the ready for wrapping—at which point Zak observed that I was only using one pattern of washi. He requested that I use multiple patterns so it wouldn’t get boring, perhaps for himself, but definitely for the recipients. I love his attention to decorative detail!

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Zooming back to the sheltering summer, I finally cannonballed into the deep end of teaching online. I won’t say that I took to it like a duck to water, but I have loved being able to teach students around the globe. Certainly, a highlight of the fall was co-teaching Bookful of Art with Cat Bennett. We had 40-plus students, gathered virtually for four Saturday mornings. Cat and I were so chuffed by the enthusiasm & camaraderie of the group, and we are eagerly anticipating our second four-part workshop, Bookful of Accordion Art, starting later this month.

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Zooming even further back, to March 17, the beginning of the shelter season, when I debuted Bundles of Stationery Joy, to encourage the joy that comes from sending mail. The bundles were greeted with such enthusiasm, that they inspired Deluxe Bundles, and then Booster Bundles, and then Autumnal Bundles. The Booster Bundles were my favourite, as I had hoped to raise $500 to contribute to MoveOn’s #SaveThePostOffice campaign… My total rose to $699, which it was my thrill to round up to $700. Thank you one more time to everyone who contributed!

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I know how fortunate I have been in expanding my online presence to creatively bring the studio and workshops to a larger audience than ever. I feel like I’m forging new paper-love frontiers! I am excited for the year ahead, and hope to have the long-awaited pleasure of reconnecting with you in person. Until then, I wish you health, creativity & heartwarming connections.

Brimming, Bari

“Wow! That’s a lot of work.”

Dear Everyone ~

My last post of 2020 is a tribute to the creativity and joie de vivre of two women, one of whom I know and admire, and one of whom, sadly, I will never meet.

Merrill Smith conceived her Apple a Day project in 2019, to honor the memory of her friend, Amy Krouse Rosenthal. A foundation has been established in Amy’s memory, dedicated to raising awareness of ovarian cancer. Merrill wanted a creative way to assuage her own grief and to raise money for the foundation.

My part in Merrill’s project involves her presentation boxes. She wanted to make them herself, to hold the ceramic apples she was making to sell. When Merrill first came to me and requested my private tutorial, I was thrilled about helping her realize her creative vision for such a personal project. Merrill’s generosity of spirit stayed top of mind for me as I focused on designing and constructing the presentation box, including the best way to cover it. Because I am visually oriented, at each step, as the box and materials moved from the conceptual to the tactile, my 3-D delight increased!

Merrill had planned a weekend studio sale back in November, but the pandemic put the kibosh on that. So, Merrill put up a website...and, as of the night before Christmas, she has sold 194, some with boxes and some without.

I became equally curious about Merrill’s Apple a Day project and her friendship with Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Merrill was incredibly generous with her responses, starting with reminiscing about the first time she had met Amy, fourteen years ago.

“ I was giving a dinner party, and a friend asked if she could bring Amy and her husband, Jason. I’ve said, more than once, that Amy was the best hostess gift anyone has ever given me. That evening was the beginning of the most lovely friendship. I have felt Amy’s presence so often during this project, in the people I’ve come across who have reminded me of her kindness and generosity of spirit. ”

Merrill had her Apple a Day inspiration when Amy was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer. 

“ Apples with all their storied associations represent health to me. So many of us were fervently trying to cast good intentions out into the universe during that time, anything to try and bargain with the fates to improve those slim survival percentages to move in Amy’s favor. And so, creating these became my meditation and hope. ”

Merrill shared her apple idea with Amy who, typically, had some ideas.

“ Amy and I talked about different ways I might distribute them—at the time there were nowhere near 365. That idea came after. One idea we kicked around was to hand them out to school teachers in appreciation for all they do, just kind of randomly plopping them on a desk with a little note. Given where we are currently, and what we are expecting of teachers, that still seems like a lovely idea and I do hope that some find their way to those deserving souls. ”

Merrill had seen mugs being sold in lovely boxes, and decided she’d love to offer her apples boxed.

“ When a friend introduced me to your studio, I was so drawn to the detail, to the curated scene full of possibilities that I signed up for one of your boxmaking workshops. I remember thinking ‘Wow! That’s a lot of work.’ But the idea of being able to present an apple, that iconic shape, in something special, something that enhanced the unique nature of each of the pieces, really took hold. After our private tutorial, I left thinking again, ‘Wow! That’s a lot of work.’ I let the idea stew for a bit before committing to it. ”

Merrill has made more than 365 apples, many of which were presented in boxes she had made and covered in assorted papers. When she sent me a photo of all the boxes stacked up on her fireplace mantel, I was in complete awe. I understand, personally and professionally, the time and labour it took to make all of these boxes! I had to just sit and take it in. Merrill’s photo will remain one of my beloved images. Also, in that moment, Merrill’s project became tangible for me, overwhelming me to the point of goosebumps. 
I’ve looked at the photo almost countless times and the emotion hasn’t worn off.

I end this post, and this year of posts, wishing you all peace, creativity & cautious optimism for 2021!

Gratefully, Bari

A Very Mary Christmas

Dear Everyone ~

In earlyish December, I finished a commission for Mary, who began acquiring my hand-bound books shortly after I opened Bari Zaki Studio in 2015. I asked her permission to showcase what I made for her recently, and she replied, “Yes, you can show off your lovely handiwork that has made me a popular gift-giver.” Blush of gratitude.

Mary took her inspiration for the three new custom books from one she had bought last summer, that I made during a soft-cover Coptic-stitch workshop. I had used a pair of Takeshi Nishijima calendar pages for January, one for the front cover and one for the back. I was thrilled with how the book turned out, and delighted that someone that I knew would appreciate it so much had acquired it. When Mary asked if she could commission three books made the same way, I was ecstatic. I curated my Nishijima reserves, as I needed to be sure I had TWO calendar pages for the same month of a given year. Mary selected one November pair and two August pairs.

We mused about the interior pages, and Mary liked my vision of having signatures of alternating colours. For the two August books, I used Stonehenge in natural white and pale blue. For the November book, I used Hahnemuhle Bugra in blue and gray.

Mary and I had both been aware of Serizawa calendars for many years, purchasing them almost ritually from Aiko’s on Clark Street in Chicago. She reminisces:

“ You introduced me to the Takeshi calendars. I love the differences between the two mingei artists—Serizawa being more abstract and colourful, and Takeshi, with his scenic celebration of nature and folk craft artisans. ”

Mary has commissioned my books for family members as well as dear friends. She comments:

“ Most of my book gifts are based on birthdays, but some on interests. I bought one of your garden-floral covered journals for a friend who gardens, another for someone who loves marbled paper. I have never really asked how my friends use their books, but I know that the person who received the garden book uses hers to keep notes on her garden, and another records memorable moments in her life and quotations she enjoys. ” 

Mary has a creative plan for one of her new August books...and when she fulfills her vision, I will hope to have the pleasure of showcasing it on my blog.

In bookbinding bliss, Bari