Strong Arm Bindery

PICNIC...with Poodles

PICNIC Holiday Sale happens tomorrow, Sunday the 11th of December, 11am to 6pm.  Besides being a consistently fantastic craft fair, this year's PICNIC Holiday Sale is especially wonderful as it will be taking place at the Portland Company Complex, home of Strong Arm Bindery.  In fact, the venue is right across the alley and just one catwalk away from my humble digs.  Best load-in ever and an easy walk from downtown.  There's plenty of parking: 58 Fore Street, just up the hill from Hamilton Marine.

This time around we have some new letterpress cards and posters high-lighting the compelling and complex world of poodle hair-dos:  The Continental, The English Saddle, The Puppy (or Working) -- all tastefully described with linoleum block and wood type.

Hope to see you tomorrow, and best wishes for your winter.

 

 

 

Summer 2010 Workshops at Strong Arm Bindery

We're very excited to announce a small suite of workshops this summer.  Please read below for details on classes.  If you'd like to sign up, or you have questions, please contact Martha at Strong Arm Bindery by e-mail:  [email protected], or call the shop at (207) 879-4672.

Non-Adhesive Bookbinding

  Sewn bindings, with no paste or glue, are a practical alternative to traditional case bindings, and offer unlimited possibilities for such a modest investment of time and resources.  In this day-long workshop we'll build on several sewn structures, from the pamphlet stitch and chain stitch, to the more elaborate long stitch, all the while exploring the diverse decorative possibilities each structure offers.

When: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 10am - 5pm

Fee: $100

Class size is limited to 7 students.  Materials are included in the workshop fee, but students are encouraged to bring decorative papers that they'd like to use in their work.

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Organize! Part One: Simplified Box Making

  This workshop is an excellent introduction to box making and all its organizing power.  We'll make a lidded business card box, and a covered pencil box with multiple interior compartments.  Throughout the class, we'll address special features, such as hinged lids, removable compartments, and alternative surface treatments that please the eye and improve longevity and durability.

When: Saturday, August 7, 2010, 10am - 5pm

Fee: $100

Class size is limited to 7 students.  Materials are included in the workshop fee, but students are encouraged to bring decorative papers that they'd like to use in their work.

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Organize! Part Two: Build a Portfolio

How terribly chic to walk around town with a portfolio of your own making tucked under your arm! While creating a portfolio with an inner envelope to house 8-1/2 x 11" documents, students will gain a solid introduction to case making and protective enclosures, and also get practical experience working with book cloth, fabric and paper.  This workshop will also include a demonstration of backing fabric with Japanese tissue, transforming it into cover material.

When: Saturday, August 21, 2010, 10am - 5pm

Fee: $100

Class size is limited to 7 students.  Materials are included in the workshop fee, but students are encouraged to bring decorative papers, etc. that they'd like to use in their work.

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To reserve a spot, or ask any questions, please e-mail Martha at Strong Arm Bindery: [email protected], or call the shop at (207) 879-4672.  Credit cards and personal checks accepted.

Portland Flower Show 2010

 

Yes, we did it!  Four days at the Portland Flower Show, 14,000 people through the front door and we're still standing.

 This time around we took on a woodland theme.  Screen printed some wood grains and letterpress printed some title work over it (with wood type, naturally).  My heartfelt thanks to Reuben J. Little of 43rd Parallel Press for his advice and assistance with the screen printing of all things woodsy.  

 

And a big thank you to my sister Ann, Will, Desneiges, Diane of Ferdinand, and Rich and Kathy--all for spelling me long enough to take time out for breaks and do some fudge gazing upstairs.  Thank you very much!

   It was a very easy commute, as the Portland Company is located just across the alley from my studio, with ample opportunity to go feed the cat and breathe a little bit.
And check it, right there in the background is our very own Vandercook 223.  Best 3,600 lb trade show prop ever!!  It really pays to do your business where fork lifts are abundant.

Sweet Weed & Pencil Boxes

 

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 I've been working on little, and not-so-little, boxes for the holiday sales this year.  The smaller boxes were originally designed to house business cards.  But then a younger, hipper friend of mine stopped by the table at the SPACE sale, took a look, and shouted "Sweet weed box!"  The rest is marketing history.  Another friend offered "Sweet tampon box!" and while that's probably what I'll wind up using them for, it doesn't have quite the same sizzle.  I'm sure the Pencil Boxes have a number of alternative uses and would love to hear your suggestions.  All that remain can be found at the Etsy site.

Quartet & Co., Revisited

 

 

Saturday's East End Holiday Stroll proved to be fertile ground for Quartet & Co., a first-time collaboration of artists Karen Gelardi, Maria Vettese, Christopher Ryan and myself.  It was an experiment to provide custom stationery sets, in real time, to folks walking in off the street, as well as any and all interested parties on the internet.  And provide we did, from the opening bell at 2pm, until we hit the buzzer at 7pm. 

A lovely stream of orders flowed in from friends, family, and random strangers. The day flew by in a blur of ink, paper and tape, and I don't remember an idle moment for any of us.  My thanks to Maria and Chris for  designing, organizing and really making this event happen, Karen for her beautiful work and camaraderie, and the lovely Chloe, for her kick-ass ways on the letterpress.

Quartet & Co. -- One Day Only!

Tomorrow (that'll be Saturday, December 6th) should be a lovely, productive day in the East End of Portland, Maine.  Quartet & Co., a first-time collaboration between 4 of us (Maria Vettese, Karen Gelardi, Christopher Ryan and myself) will be producing custom letterpress-printed stationery sets; made to order, boxed to your liking and beautifully wrapped. 

Come by and visit us at More., 72 India Street, between 2pm and 7pm.  Have a look-see, place your order and enjoy some refreshments while we put it all together for you.  Preview and details can be seen right here.

If you're not able to make it in person, or you live far, far away, you can still be part of the action by simply hitting this word. The event will be happening online, in real time, between 2pm and 7pm.  How cool is that?

It's all part of the East End Holiday Stroll, and while you're out and about, be sure to check out the awesome art sale at 30 Romasco Studios.  Cheers!

PICNIC in Portland

Next Saturday the first ever PICNIC Music + Arts Festival will take place in Lincoln Park in downtown Portland.  With 70 local artists and vendors hawking their wares and a stunning line-up of Portland bands plying their craft, it promises to be a great day in Maine.

Lincoln Park is that shady green space in front of the courthouse, bounded by Congress, Franklin, Pearl and Federal Streets.  The spectacle begins at 11am and runs til 6pm, rain or shine.  You can check out the bands slated to play, as well as a list of vendors right here.

Strong Arm will be there, sharing a booth with the vivacious talent of 43rd Parallel Press, and along with the usual offering of printed matter, hand-bound books and the odd little box, we'll be using the opportunity to host the first ever Strong Arm Bindery Yard Sale. We'll be unloading an awesome array of bookcloth, binders board, hand-marbled and decorative papers and whatever else you need to bind your own books. We're clearing the shelves and steep, steep discounts will be there for the taking!

Also on offer will the fiduciary stylings of my brother, Rich.  In addition to the inspired work he does heading up the Dept. of Giant Boxmaking, he's been designing and making a righteous line of wallets and checkbook covers using durable English buckram and lined with Italian marbled papers;  these beauties can transform the act of forking over cabbage into a truly elegant gesture.  Come see them for yourself, next Saturday, September 13th at PICNIC.

Ka-POW!

Sweet Jesus, Spring can't come soon enough. 

And so, Strong Arm Bindery is going to have a booth at the Portland Flower Show (March 6 -9).  A couple years now we've been watching this event across the way and talking trash about making flower presses and botanical specimen notebooks that'd sell like hot-cakes. HOT CAKES. 

Now we get to find out if Portland's the kind of town that likes to flatten it's flowers.