I think that there is nothing better in this world than spending a relaxing Sunday in the studio.

Today we took a nice walk to the beach, about a mile each way, ran the dog on the beach, walked home stopping at Atomic Café to drink lattes and munch on bagels. I’ll pass on the bag next time and definitely get the latte. I took a long nap a then hit the studio.

I decided to play around with some perfect binding. I cored a box of about 1000 sheets of 8.5×14 inch paper, cover weight probably 70 lb or so. Its stiff and nice, but printed in green on one side with information about olive oil. I cut it down to 4.25×5.5 sheets stacked them and cut kerfs into the edge (I’ll have to look in the book binding term for this, for now I’ll use the wood working term) spread glue all over and then threaded in a piece of thread, glued it again and let it dry. After letting the whole stack dry I measured out the block height (1/2 inch) and cut the glue and the thread. I added a bookmark and a spice reinforcement strip and then glued on the covers. I had planned on using signs I snagged from the store, only to realize at the last minute that I had cut them for regular moleskine size and that I needed to cut n covers. I decided to use a different set of signs that were also recycled from the store- a vinyl coated sign that is printed huge so when I cut a moleskine sized chunk out of it its all blurry and interesting looking.

I’m interested in seeing how this little experiment holds up. I plan on giving them as gifts to people at work. I’ll be making a few more before I sell any.

In addition to the recycled books I made I also cut, folded and punched stations for about a dozen hedgehogs. I’ll be cutting covers tomorrow after work and I think I’ll be able to get the majority of them sewn tomorrow. I hope to get a bunch of them glued up tomorrow too.

IT makes me super happy to walk into my studio and think #1 Its mine #2 I can set it up and move it around however I want. Know that I can leave a project set up on my bench is great too. Just having a spot specifically for everything is great too.

A quick update on the website.

I’ve found vendors for nearly everything. I plan on selling the following journals: Moleskine, Ciak, Xonex a hopefully Miquelrius. I’ll be adding products slowly to the line. My hope is to start with moleskine and add from there. I also plan on carrying a few essential pencils and drawing utensils. They will all be my favorites as is the plan with everything on the site.

I’m starting small; my plan is to start with moleskine pocket sketchbooks, large sketchbooks, and cahiers of both sizes. I’ll then start adding to that with lined moleskine and the other products I then plan on adding Xonex and Ciak to the mix.

As for pencils and pens I’m carrying Palomino pencils, Faber Castell Design 3800, Pitt pens, Pigma pens and black, blue and red G2s and minis.

After that I’ll be looking at watercolor sets and colored pencil sets.

I’m hoping to have the website up and running by January, rather that is the goal.

I forgot to upload some shots of my new studio, which I’m already making good use of! I’ve made 3 journals thus far. Thoughthe parts and pieces of them were cut and glued in Wakefield, I think that because I stitched them here they count… RIght???

here are some pics:

Check out that bench. The top is 3 inches thick, the storage area is 3ft high, and 22 inches deep and I think around 8 feet long.

When we moved in the bench had a door (in the far corner of the studio, not sure if its visible or not)and then applied 6 or 8 coats of polyurethane to its top and 2 heavy coats to the entire inside. I then took some scraps from the door and built a center divide put in supports and then cut shelves for the full sheet paper storage!

Pretty exciting.

THe journal in the previous post can be found here.

I decided to list it on etsy since eBay has gotten so darn expensive.

I made the first journal in my studio today. It came out pretty well. I took plenty of pics, partially to try out the camera and partially for ebay or etsy. It’s a 400-page 4.25X5.5 inch journal with 25% cotton Strathmore 24lb paper. The cover is distressed sheep hide, raw edged flap and a strap closure. The inner lining paper is creamy white paper with chunks of mango leaf imbedded in it.

The binding is stitched with naturally colored unbleached Irish linen thread, lightly hand waxed. It’s a linked long stitch, simple and elegant.

Cleary I’m pretty happy with it.

I’ve heard from 2 of the 4 distributors that I wrote to Sunday night, not bad return at all. I’m pretty happy with the 2 I’ve heard from, the initial orders are a tad HIGH, but I was expecting that they would be in that range. I’ve also found 2 places to order the 2 pencils that I deemed absolutely necessary. I heard from a company that I was hoping to be my vendor of all things pen and pencil related but their minimum order is a massive $1500 and I just can’t justify that kind of cash just yet, especially since I’m using a minimum of start up money. Perhaps one day I’ll need $1500 in pens and pencils but not now.

So Thursday I start my massive binding frenzy to start the website anew I’m looking at January a tad late for gifting in my opinion but I also always found my business went year round, with December and January being my 2 slowest months.

I want to thank everyone for the kind words. It’s good to know that people are A.) Reading and B.) Supportive.

I’ve been contemplating adding to my website’s roster of goods. I’ve been toying with it in my head for months now, since about the time we moved. So I would say I’ve mulled it over well and the thought has gone from something half baked to something that I think I can pull off well.

So here’s the idea: 5 Essentials by Comfortable Shoes Studio. What it is: I pick 5 items I think are essential to my artistic endeavors; they have to be things I like and use and love. If I don’t like it, it doesn’t go on the site, end of story. I’m open to new items that people suggest, but here again, I actually have to like them and take them on a test run. If after the test run I decide that I don’t like them, I won’t carry them. I’ve come up with 3 products (to expand to 5) and 5 items each in those product lines. So far I’ve got pens, pencils and notebooks/ journals. I won’t go into depth about the different items in each line but I think they are the best, and starting out that is what really matters. I will probably add to these lines coloring items and a 5^th line.

I’ve set myself lofty goals for bookmaking this coming month so that can fund this endeavor. I’m also going to take an html class this spring and really make a decent website, rather than my simplistic site that I have currently. It will still be simple but I’d like to integrate something a little more into the site.

Not to worry this shouldn’t involve too much of my time. I fully expect that I’ll still be able to make all the books I’ve been making up until my move. I simply feel that it’s time that I expend the scope to the studio to more fully support my family and myself. The ultimate goal is that I am able to leave my DayJob and work on this full time. Though I know that in the beginning that I will be asking for help from my significant other in packing and shipping.

You may wonder where the thought came from, why a bookbinder would decide to jump into the online retail world? My DayJob is for a multinational retail corporation. I manage a tiny aspect of that brick and mortar business. I manage and maintain a department that brings in close to half a million dollars in sales every year. Peanuts to the company, but imagine if those were my own dollars, even working on a 30% profit margin that’s more money than the company pays me in a year. Hell, even if I chose to work on a 20% profit margin, that’s more money than the company pays me. The reality of this is that I’m really good at making money in a retail setting, I’m a great sales person and a terrific florist, but I’m making a profit of close to a QUARTER OF A MILLION a year for the company and getting paid very little for my hard work, and I do work hard. I’m not expecting my little section of the online world to pay me that much, but I’m looking to supplement my income not replace it at first. Do I hope that someday it replaces my DayJob, I’d be a liar if I said no, so heck yeah, I want nothing more than for this to work out and be great.

So over the next month look for the 5 Essentials by Comfortable Shoes Studio, here and on my website.

(and as always this idea is copyright Leslie C Herger 2006)

I spent yesterday doing a lot of different things, but the major item that really made my day great was that I finally got to put the finish on my bench. I’m glad I went with the water-based poly as I was able to get 5 coats on it over the course of the day. And I must say that this morning it looks fantastic. Its dried hard and clear and shiny, oh so perfect. I can’t wait to get binding books just so I can use it. I also cleaned down there. I vacuumed out the inside of the bench and I’m planning on making shelves for it on Sunday. I can’t wait for that either.

My next goal for the studio is to move the old fridge from my studio space to the other side of the basement, so that it’s out of the way and so that the studio computer is closer to the center part of the room. The studio computer is mainly for music. I would like to have it central so that the music sounds better, that’s what it’s all about. I then want to rip out the old linoleum that’s on the floor and wash the floor, maybe add a little polish to the cement.

I set up a photography area too. I need to dig my lights out of boxes and it will be good to go. I may look into some new clip lights to make it work better. As of right now it works okay but it’s not as good as my old set up. I think that in the end I will be able to take some very nice pictures, especially with the new camera. Which is quite nice, by the way. I’ve taken some great shots right out of the box, and I’m learning all the ins and outs of it.

I listed a few of the coats on ebay I’m hoping we sell at least one or 2 of them so that I can buy a new shop vac. If they don’t sell I’m going to make a new etsy shop and list them there, under vintage. (I don’t think that I mentioned that when we bought our new house that there had been left a dozen or so coats and the same in dresses and clothing. It’s all vintage and some of it is very cool. I wish some of the coats fit me, because they are super fly! None of the items fit us so I’m listing them on eBay.)

Because I have to push the envelope I had to snag a 500+ sheet box of heavy paper out of the recycling. It’s really nice. The company was pushing olive oil with it. Now I’ve got this fantastic paper printed lightly on one side and blank on the other side. It’s very nice. I’m going to make some simple recycled notebooks out of it. Stab style, probably some with staples and others with sewn spines. I think they will be very cool. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the covers, I might try some stuff with leather and others with recycled bits and others with some cardboard; I’m just not sure.

I’ve been working on my bench in the basement. I don’t know why someone would put nails into the table top they have to work on, but the thing is full of god damn nails. I’ve pulled a good 30 or so out of it. I’ve also pulled screws and washers out of the surface. It’s insane, one spot looks like someone was trying to make a solid metal surface out of nail heads. It’s bizarre. I remember how pissed my dad used to get when we would accidentally drive a nail into his workbench, t drove him NUTS. I can’t imagine that any one would be okay with it. Anyway it’s a mess I have it sanded down and I’m pulling nails now, after than I’ll sand again and then I’ll patch up the holes. I’ll finish with another sanding and then I’ll hit her up with a nice finish of water-based poly. I’ll then have bookbinding bench to kill for.

I’m excited to get back into bookbinding. I have a ton of follow up emails about binding, so I’m going to art that tomorrow morning.

Because I have to push the envelope I had to snag a 500+ sheet box of heavy paper out of the recycling. It’s really nice. The company was pushing olive oil with it. Now I’ve got this fantastic paper printed lightly on one side and blank on the other side. It’s very nice. I’m going to make some simple recycled notebooks out of it. Stab style, probably some with staples and others with sewn spines. I think they will be very cool. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the covers, I might try some stuff with leather and others with recycled bits and others with some cardboard; I’m just not sure.

I’ve been working on my bench in the basement. I don’t know why someone would put nails into the table top they have to work on, but the thing is full of god damn nails. I’ve pulled a good 30 or so out of it. I’ve also pulled screws and washers out of the surface. It’s insane, one spot looks like someone was trying to make a solid metal surface out of nail heads. It’s bizarre. I remember how pissed my dad used to get when we would accidentally drive a nail into his workbench, t drove him NUTS. I can’t imagine that any one would be okay with it. Anyway it’s a mess I have it sanded down and I’m pulling nails now, after than I’ll sand again and then I’ll patch up the holes. I’ll finish with another sanding and then I’ll hit her up with a nice finish of water-based poly. I’ll then have bookbinding bench to kill for.

I’m excited to get back into bookbinding. I have a ton of follow up emails about binding, so I’m going to art that tomorrow morning.