Sticky post
This is what I make. It’s full of blank papers which artists like to draw on. It’s got an image or some piece of art on the cover so that it’s pleasant to look at. It’s a handy size. I make some as small as 1″ by 2″ and some as large as about 10″ by 12″. This type of book is called … Continue reading This is What I Make
For the last several years I have been making handcrafted books for sale. But I am an imposter. Let me tell you my crafter story. I was a Painting and Drawing major at Philadelphia College of Art in the late 70’s to early 80’s. I earned my BFA but I left college not confident, energized and inspired but confused, exhausted and dispirited. What would I … Continue reading I Am Not a Bookbinder
A few images to start my new year. Some are from last season, which finished less than a month ago, and some are new projects. I have new ideas, new plans, and I will write about them soon. I am looking forward very much to the new year and the new season. Continue reading 2020
November 30 and December 1: Forty Elephants Vintage and Handmade Market, Lancaster, PA. Forty Elephants is the best of all worlds— lots of vintage, lots of handmade craft, and lots that combines both. Upcycling galore! We will be there for this two day market and we will love it. December 7: Book Paper Scissors, Free Library, Philadelphia, PA. This will be my second time at … Continue reading The Holiday Rush
First, recent happenings, then my show schedule, then some pictures. I’ve done a bit of professional development this spring and summer. Last weekend I very much enjoyed a paper marbling workshop hosted by Leslie Grossman of algae.marbling at her studio in Philly. Did I learn a lot! I had despaired of ever learning how to marble paper for some time. I could not find anyone … Continue reading What’s Up with Maddy Tree Books
My 2019 selling season begins. My first show will be on May 5 at West Chester May Day Celebration. It’s an outdoor festival so we will be under our tent, and maybe some trees as well. Hoping for good weather! A few days later, on May 11, I will be at Forty Elephants in Lancaster. I’m pretty happy to have been included as a vendor … Continue reading New Season
This large sketch journal has a lovely piece of handmade paper on its cover. I bought this piece from a paper artisan at Book Paper Scissors. The rest of the book is mine. It has sketch and pastel papers inside. The next book has sketch paper and pastel paper, plus a middle section of mixed media paper. The cover has a piece of my own … Continue reading New Handmade Paper Books
What is inside of the books I make? The books are blank, meaning all the paper is blank paper. They are drawing journals, sketchbooks, writer’s journals, travel journals…blank slates so that they can be anything you would like them to be. In addition to the sketch paper, most books have at least a few pages of another paper which is toothier, differently colored, or of … Continue reading What’s Inside My Books?
One of the reasons my business is called Maddy Tree Books is that I have used a lot of tree designs on my covers over the last few years. Here are a few. Continue reading Tree Motifs
Here is a sampling of my handmade paper books. These are my standard Japanese-binding books with collage consisting of handmade paper on the cover design. In almost all cases, I made the paper. These are followed by pictures of my folded paper book, in which the cover is made from a single sheet of handmade paper, folded in half. Continue reading Handmade Paper Books
